A weekly feature in which we're trying to find the most compelling, best acted, written, directed and just generally great, memorable scenes that we've seen in past seven days on TV.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT, "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag", October 17, 2017, Actors: Lena Dunham and more, The Scene: Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol (picked by DarkUFO)
BERLIN STATION, "Right Here, Right Now", October 15, 2017, Actors: Rhys Ifans, Richard Armitage and more, The Scene: Hector kills co-affiliate to preserve his and Daniel's cover
Darth Locke: Hector kills their discovered co-affiliate to preserve his and Daniel's cover. Just caught up on this interesting series! For those that have not seen this espionage thriller, it's contemporary and has a lot of political intelligence community in-fighting like Homeland, but it's gritty and subversive with culture clashes like The Americans. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something off the beaten path--and of course it has a lot of great acting talent from Richard Armitage (Hannibal), Michelle Forbes (Battlestar Galactica) and Rhys Ifans (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1) and season two just picked up Ashley Judd (Double Jeopardy) and rising star Keke Palmer (Scream TV series).
BETTER THINGS, "Eulogy", October 19, 2017, Actors: Pamela Adlon, Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood, The Scene: Sam's fake funeral
Saloni: What a crazy, wonderful, emotional mess. Her daughters, Max and Frankie, have always been so blunt and ungrateful to her. It was satisfying to see her calling them out and even more satisfying to see them truly appreciate her. Even if it was at a morbid and planned fake funeral. All the actors were just top notch.
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, "HalloVeen", October 17, 2017, Actors: Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, The Scene: The Proposal
Justyna K: It was simply a perfect ending for one of the show's best episodes. Though I expected the proposal to take place this season I honestly never stopped to think it might happen this soon. It worked beautifully with the story and the characters' development. Everything that Jake said was funny, heartfelt and perfect for these two. There's not enough good things I can say about this show, the episode and this moment. I loved the performances of Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero during the scene. They're always fantastic with the comedic parts but they did a wonderful job with a more emotional approach in this situation. I honestly think this might be the best thing I've watched this week and there's plenty of great shows I see on a weekly basis. Jake and Amy alone stole the show for me and then Boyle showed up right on time to faint, overloaded with happiness for these two. Such a fitting ending for the scene. One of my favorite proposals on TV and one of the best comedies out there. If you're not watching, I highly recommend it. A lot of humor and heart in this one. Kudos to cast & crew for such a stellar work!
Emmaline: It was such a perfect, unexpected, and funny twist in the annual Halloween episode.
Milo: Jake proposing to Amy was something that was the standout moment for me this week. The show handled this moment at an unexpected time in the season and pulled it off really well, with it coming out of nowhere and really working. The twist came in one of the show's best episodes, and Boyle's reaction to finding out was just pure gold.
Laura: Jake proposes to Amy. Oh my goodness. What a perfect scene that was a long time coming, but it came at just the perfect time. There was not a thing I would change about this. They nailed everything. It was the best proposal I have probably ever seen. And I’ve said it all in the Roundtable review. So go read that. And then cry with me. And then watch this show if you don’t already. F*ck.
Samantha: Jake proposes to Amy. Somewhat cheating here since I'm still making my way through s4, but damn when this scene came on my Twitter & Youtube feed, you bet your butt I watched. Dare I say that Boyle's reaction to the proposal was the highlight of this scene? Because it absolutely was. Everything about it was perfect from the pre-proposal jokes, to Jake's speech and I can't wait to get caught up with this show.
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, "To Josh, With Love" October 20, 2017, Actors: Rachel Bloom, Scott Michael Foster, The Scene: Rebecca makes Nathaniel a proposition
Luana: "Strip Away My Conscience" was so much fun, and sexy, and both Rachel Bloom and Scott Michael Foster are amazing together. Thongs, lack of conscience, innuendos and a Harry Potter reference, what more do we need?
GOOD BEHAVIOR, "The Heart Attack is the Best Way", October 15, 2017, Actor: Michelle Dockery
The Scene: Letty goes back to stealing
Marko: Great work by the director and Michelle who delivered an amazing scene. I missed our girl so much.
KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD, "Sweet Little Lies", October 17, 2017, Actors: Jason Ritter and more, The Scene: Kevin confesses he tried to kill himself
Marko: Kevin confesses to his friends he tried to commit suicide. I loved how simple but powerful this scene was. The writers didn't make major fuzz about it, they just let the story lead them. Jason Ritter's performance was impeccable, as he adjusted his voice and face to deliver this story, so heavy on his heart.
Jennise: Kevin has spent so much time keeping this secret from a couple of his high school friends that he hasn’t been able to really connect with them. It was an important move.
LUCIFER, "Mr. & Mrs. Mazikeen Smith", October 16, 2017, Actor: Lesley-Ann Brandt, The Scene: Maze gets a coat
Jennise: I have missed Maze this season. Maze heads to Canada on a bounty hunting assignment. The cold is something she didn’t quite expect but the obnoxious teen who causes a pile of snow to slide off a roof covering her, then laughs at her expense is something she’s very comfortable dealing with. Cut to: Maze walking away wearing the kid's jacket and his legs poking out of the snow pile. Welcome back Maze!
NCIS: LOS ANGELES, "Assets", October 15, 2017, Actors: Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, The Scene: Deeks and Kensi discuss having kids
Emmaline: A casual conversation during a case suddenly becomes much more significant as the engaged partners find themselves discussing their thoughts on becoming parents. It was reassuring to see the usually light-hearted pair come to terms with the dangers of their shared job, should they decide to one day have a child.
SCANDAl, "Day 101", October 19, 2017, Actors: Cornelius Smith Jr., Tony Goldwyn
The Scene: Marcus calls out Fitz
Klutzy girl: Marcus calls out Fitz, something that's been a long time coming. It was so satisfying to watch.
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, "Choose Your Pain", October 15, 2017, Actors: Anthony Rapp, Shazad Latif, Jason Isaacs and more, The Scenes: Stamets takes the place of the Ripper & Captain Lorca saves Ash but leaves Harry behind
Milo: Stamets taking the place of the Ripper to allow The Discovery to make the successful jump away from Klingon space was a great, unexpected moment that really paid off concerning his character. The build up to the scene was great and it came in such an unexpected way that really worked to add some much needed depth to his character, especially in regards to the revelations that came afterwards.
Darth Locke: Captain Lorca saves Ash Tyler, but leaves Harry Mudd behind. This show just keeps getting better and better and I swear Bryan Fuller interjected a lot of "Hannibal" concepts into this story before he left. I love this scene because of how it tied so many things together. Lorca perhaps trying to make up for suicide mission of a previous crew, with Tyler probably suffering from PTSD paralleling him with the Micheal's feelings over the, at first, misunderstood Tardigrade and its ongoing misuses, which then was furthered by Stamets trying to take its place, and then Saru, finally ordering Michael to save its life, resulting in setting it free! So well thought-out and capable of touching on so many different subjects seamlessly in one episode! Beautiful ideas, philosophical debates and characterization!
SUPERGIRL, "Triggers", October 16, 2017, Actors: Chyler Leigh, Jeremy Jordan, The Scene: Alex intimidates Winn into telling her what's wrong with Kara
DJRiter: While the Danvers Sisters scenes anchored this episode, it was this simple little scene between Chyler Leigh and Jeremy Jordan that illustrated one of the best decisions the producers made in Season 2 was to move Winn to the DEO. Please, please give us more Alex/Winn scenes, they are pure gold. The scene this week was classic! Alex intimidates Winn into telling her what was wrong with Supergirl, and she does it without saying a word or raising an index finger. What sold the scene was Leigh’s sly smirk after Winn cracked like an egg and said, “I’m just going to tell you everything I know.” The brother/sister chemistry between these two is wonderful, I wonder how many times they had to film stern-faced, intimidating Alex advancing on Winn without cracking up?
THE FLASH, "Mixed Signals", October 17, 2017, Actors: Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, The Scene: The morning sequence
Justyna K: I missed this Flash. As important as the emotional arc is for the show, this lighter tone is certainly most welcome to stay for a bit if you ask me. I loved the fact that we're (almost) starting the hour with this positive energy, Barry dancing in the apartment and preparing breakfast, putting a smile on the viewers' faces and waiting for the new adventure ahead of the Speedster. Barry's excitement to get back to his life and find happiness in every moment of it is a wonderful idea to follow and while I'm sure there's plenty of obstacles standing in his way, for now I'm just enjoying this new attitude and the hopeful spirit. For the sheer amount of fun this one scene brings I very much wanted to highlight it this week. Hope for many more "feel good" moments on the show in the future.
THE GIFTED, "eXodus", October 16, 2017, Actors: Emma Dumont, Sean Teale, The Scene: The Flashback with Polaris and Eclipse
Darth Locke: In similar fashion to Legion, it looks like The Gifted is interesting in exploring symbiotic relationships and/or mutant quantum entanglements! IMO that's a great idea to explore, but I'm also intrigued by Polaris' and Eclipse's relationship to begin with, so this was a nice scene to both hit on interesting subject matter and begin to build their story.
THE GOOD PLACE, "The Trolley Problem", October 19, 2017, Actors: William Jackson Harper, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson and more, The Scene: The “trolley problem” simulation sequence
Justyna K: I love how insane this show can be. It's such a fun story to watch, yet the main theme is focused on a truly serious subject and the fact that the series can balance the two worlds makes it only better in my eyes. This week it becomes clear that despite their deal Michael is not done with torturing the group. His target this time turns out to be Chidi who's put through a nightmare scenario, where his theoretical ethics problem takes a very practical turn. Just his expressions alone, whenever the trolley hits people, is brilliant, but Eleanor's comments and Michael's "student mode" make this scene hard to forget. Breaking Chidi not only provided an interesting theory to confront but also proved how untrustworthy Michael actually is. I'm already preparing for a potential twist coming and I'm enjoying the entire journey till then. Such a great and underrated show. Can't wait to see what's coming next. Kudos to cast & crew for all their wonderful work!
Luana: Michael makes the trolley problem no longer theoretical. This was so much fun but also a great critique to theoretical problems and solutions.
THE MIDDLE, "Meet the Parents", October 17, 2017, Actors: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn
The Scene: Frankie tells Mike she would love him no matter what
Marko: I loved this scene so much. The season is already so nostalgic and Frankie professing her eternal love to Mike in this hilarious set up made my eyes teary. Kudos to Patricia for the amazing performance.
THIS IS US, "Still There", October 17, 2017, Actors: Mandy Moore, Elizabeth Perkins and more
The Scene: Rebecca confronts her mother
Klutzy girl: Rebecca confronts her mother about her behavior towards Randall. Mandy Moore knocked it out of the park during this scene and it hurt even more when Randall overheard.
WILL & GRACE, "Grandpa Jack", October 19, 2017, Actors: Sean Hayes, Jet Jurgensmeyer, The Scene: Jack talks to his grandson at the conversion camp
Samantha: It was nice to see Jack get a rare serious storyline. He's usually the one who gets the more comedic, outrageous storylines, so it was a nice & I feel important change of pace. There are unfortunately a lot of stories about these places existing, and I don't think they get nearly enough press attention as is needed to shut them down. Sometimes with Will & Grace it can feel like they're getting political just so they can say that they have, and ok parts of the storyline were funny, but at the core it was shedding light on an extremely serious subject & Sean was on top form.
Klutzy girl: Jack talks to his grandson at the conversion camp, and tells Skip that he's not broken and is exactly who he's supposed to be. It was a rare moment of seriousness from Jack, and one of my favorite moments of the revival so far.
YOU'RE THE WORST, "A Bunch of Hornballs", October 18, 2017, Actors: Chris Geere, Aya Cash
The Scene: The phone call
Luana: I love these two, and after waiting the whole season for a cease-fire, that phone call paralleling the one from the Pilot was just perfect.
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT, "Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag", October 17, 2017, Actors: Lena Dunham and more, The Scene: Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol (picked by DarkUFO)
Darth Locke: Hector kills their discovered co-affiliate to preserve his and Daniel's cover. Just caught up on this interesting series! For those that have not seen this espionage thriller, it's contemporary and has a lot of political intelligence community in-fighting like Homeland, but it's gritty and subversive with culture clashes like The Americans. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something off the beaten path--and of course it has a lot of great acting talent from Richard Armitage (Hannibal), Michelle Forbes (Battlestar Galactica) and Rhys Ifans (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1) and season two just picked up Ashley Judd (Double Jeopardy) and rising star Keke Palmer (Scream TV series).
Saloni: What a crazy, wonderful, emotional mess. Her daughters, Max and Frankie, have always been so blunt and ungrateful to her. It was satisfying to see her calling them out and even more satisfying to see them truly appreciate her. Even if it was at a morbid and planned fake funeral. All the actors were just top notch.
Justyna K: It was simply a perfect ending for one of the show's best episodes. Though I expected the proposal to take place this season I honestly never stopped to think it might happen this soon. It worked beautifully with the story and the characters' development. Everything that Jake said was funny, heartfelt and perfect for these two. There's not enough good things I can say about this show, the episode and this moment. I loved the performances of Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero during the scene. They're always fantastic with the comedic parts but they did a wonderful job with a more emotional approach in this situation. I honestly think this might be the best thing I've watched this week and there's plenty of great shows I see on a weekly basis. Jake and Amy alone stole the show for me and then Boyle showed up right on time to faint, overloaded with happiness for these two. Such a fitting ending for the scene. One of my favorite proposals on TV and one of the best comedies out there. If you're not watching, I highly recommend it. A lot of humor and heart in this one. Kudos to cast & crew for such a stellar work!
Emmaline: It was such a perfect, unexpected, and funny twist in the annual Halloween episode.
Milo: Jake proposing to Amy was something that was the standout moment for me this week. The show handled this moment at an unexpected time in the season and pulled it off really well, with it coming out of nowhere and really working. The twist came in one of the show's best episodes, and Boyle's reaction to finding out was just pure gold.
Laura: Jake proposes to Amy. Oh my goodness. What a perfect scene that was a long time coming, but it came at just the perfect time. There was not a thing I would change about this. They nailed everything. It was the best proposal I have probably ever seen. And I’ve said it all in the Roundtable review. So go read that. And then cry with me. And then watch this show if you don’t already. F*ck.
Samantha: Jake proposes to Amy. Somewhat cheating here since I'm still making my way through s4, but damn when this scene came on my Twitter & Youtube feed, you bet your butt I watched. Dare I say that Boyle's reaction to the proposal was the highlight of this scene? Because it absolutely was. Everything about it was perfect from the pre-proposal jokes, to Jake's speech and I can't wait to get caught up with this show.
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, "To Josh, With Love" October 20, 2017, Actors: Rachel Bloom, Scott Michael Foster, The Scene: Rebecca makes Nathaniel a proposition
Luana: "Strip Away My Conscience" was so much fun, and sexy, and both Rachel Bloom and Scott Michael Foster are amazing together. Thongs, lack of conscience, innuendos and a Harry Potter reference, what more do we need?
GOOD BEHAVIOR, "The Heart Attack is the Best Way", October 15, 2017, Actor: Michelle Dockery
The Scene: Letty goes back to stealing
Marko: Great work by the director and Michelle who delivered an amazing scene. I missed our girl so much.
Marko: Kevin confesses to his friends he tried to commit suicide. I loved how simple but powerful this scene was. The writers didn't make major fuzz about it, they just let the story lead them. Jason Ritter's performance was impeccable, as he adjusted his voice and face to deliver this story, so heavy on his heart.
Jennise: Kevin has spent so much time keeping this secret from a couple of his high school friends that he hasn’t been able to really connect with them. It was an important move.
Jennise: I have missed Maze this season. Maze heads to Canada on a bounty hunting assignment. The cold is something she didn’t quite expect but the obnoxious teen who causes a pile of snow to slide off a roof covering her, then laughs at her expense is something she’s very comfortable dealing with. Cut to: Maze walking away wearing the kid's jacket and his legs poking out of the snow pile. Welcome back Maze!
Emmaline: A casual conversation during a case suddenly becomes much more significant as the engaged partners find themselves discussing their thoughts on becoming parents. It was reassuring to see the usually light-hearted pair come to terms with the dangers of their shared job, should they decide to one day have a child.
SCANDAl, "Day 101", October 19, 2017, Actors: Cornelius Smith Jr., Tony Goldwyn
The Scene: Marcus calls out Fitz
Klutzy girl: Marcus calls out Fitz, something that's been a long time coming. It was so satisfying to watch.
Milo: Stamets taking the place of the Ripper to allow The Discovery to make the successful jump away from Klingon space was a great, unexpected moment that really paid off concerning his character. The build up to the scene was great and it came in such an unexpected way that really worked to add some much needed depth to his character, especially in regards to the revelations that came afterwards.
Darth Locke: Captain Lorca saves Ash Tyler, but leaves Harry Mudd behind. This show just keeps getting better and better and I swear Bryan Fuller interjected a lot of "Hannibal" concepts into this story before he left. I love this scene because of how it tied so many things together. Lorca perhaps trying to make up for suicide mission of a previous crew, with Tyler probably suffering from PTSD paralleling him with the Micheal's feelings over the, at first, misunderstood Tardigrade and its ongoing misuses, which then was furthered by Stamets trying to take its place, and then Saru, finally ordering Michael to save its life, resulting in setting it free! So well thought-out and capable of touching on so many different subjects seamlessly in one episode! Beautiful ideas, philosophical debates and characterization!
DJRiter: While the Danvers Sisters scenes anchored this episode, it was this simple little scene between Chyler Leigh and Jeremy Jordan that illustrated one of the best decisions the producers made in Season 2 was to move Winn to the DEO. Please, please give us more Alex/Winn scenes, they are pure gold. The scene this week was classic! Alex intimidates Winn into telling her what was wrong with Supergirl, and she does it without saying a word or raising an index finger. What sold the scene was Leigh’s sly smirk after Winn cracked like an egg and said, “I’m just going to tell you everything I know.” The brother/sister chemistry between these two is wonderful, I wonder how many times they had to film stern-faced, intimidating Alex advancing on Winn without cracking up?
Justyna K: I missed this Flash. As important as the emotional arc is for the show, this lighter tone is certainly most welcome to stay for a bit if you ask me. I loved the fact that we're (almost) starting the hour with this positive energy, Barry dancing in the apartment and preparing breakfast, putting a smile on the viewers' faces and waiting for the new adventure ahead of the Speedster. Barry's excitement to get back to his life and find happiness in every moment of it is a wonderful idea to follow and while I'm sure there's plenty of obstacles standing in his way, for now I'm just enjoying this new attitude and the hopeful spirit. For the sheer amount of fun this one scene brings I very much wanted to highlight it this week. Hope for many more "feel good" moments on the show in the future.
Darth Locke: In similar fashion to Legion, it looks like The Gifted is interesting in exploring symbiotic relationships and/or mutant quantum entanglements! IMO that's a great idea to explore, but I'm also intrigued by Polaris' and Eclipse's relationship to begin with, so this was a nice scene to both hit on interesting subject matter and begin to build their story.
Justyna K: I love how insane this show can be. It's such a fun story to watch, yet the main theme is focused on a truly serious subject and the fact that the series can balance the two worlds makes it only better in my eyes. This week it becomes clear that despite their deal Michael is not done with torturing the group. His target this time turns out to be Chidi who's put through a nightmare scenario, where his theoretical ethics problem takes a very practical turn. Just his expressions alone, whenever the trolley hits people, is brilliant, but Eleanor's comments and Michael's "student mode" make this scene hard to forget. Breaking Chidi not only provided an interesting theory to confront but also proved how untrustworthy Michael actually is. I'm already preparing for a potential twist coming and I'm enjoying the entire journey till then. Such a great and underrated show. Can't wait to see what's coming next. Kudos to cast & crew for all their wonderful work!
Luana: Michael makes the trolley problem no longer theoretical. This was so much fun but also a great critique to theoretical problems and solutions.
THE MIDDLE, "Meet the Parents", October 17, 2017, Actors: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn
The Scene: Frankie tells Mike she would love him no matter what
Marko: I loved this scene so much. The season is already so nostalgic and Frankie professing her eternal love to Mike in this hilarious set up made my eyes teary. Kudos to Patricia for the amazing performance.
THIS IS US, "Still There", October 17, 2017, Actors: Mandy Moore, Elizabeth Perkins and more
The Scene: Rebecca confronts her mother
Klutzy girl: Rebecca confronts her mother about her behavior towards Randall. Mandy Moore knocked it out of the park during this scene and it hurt even more when Randall overheard.
Samantha: It was nice to see Jack get a rare serious storyline. He's usually the one who gets the more comedic, outrageous storylines, so it was a nice & I feel important change of pace. There are unfortunately a lot of stories about these places existing, and I don't think they get nearly enough press attention as is needed to shut them down. Sometimes with Will & Grace it can feel like they're getting political just so they can say that they have, and ok parts of the storyline were funny, but at the core it was shedding light on an extremely serious subject & Sean was on top form.
Klutzy girl: Jack talks to his grandson at the conversion camp, and tells Skip that he's not broken and is exactly who he's supposed to be. It was a rare moment of seriousness from Jack, and one of my favorite moments of the revival so far.
YOU'RE THE WORST, "A Bunch of Hornballs", October 18, 2017, Actors: Chris Geere, Aya Cash
The Scene: The phone call
Luana: I love these two, and after waiting the whole season for a cease-fire, that phone call paralleling the one from the Pilot was just perfect.
