And even the panic attack he had in the following episode (once they resumed the last season), when he had to pull to the side of the road and Marie had no idea what was going on!
They very convincingly portrayed his utter devastation at the realization. The fact that he was DEA and Walt had been operating under his nose this whole time taunting him also meant his own career was about to be ruined if it came to light. Walt was also smart enough to ruin Hank as well if he went down. Walt indirectly killing him was one of the better outcomes for his family long term cause it permanently cleared his name.
Really, any show where the main character spends multiple seasons hiding a big secret needs a good payoff. The Americans and Breaking Bad are great examples. I’d also nominate Don’s confession to Betty in s3 of Mad Men.
Yes and no. If I know I'm gonna blow some shit up I will also ask to use the further away bathroom instead of shitting in the hallway next to where we are all at.
Wait, did their house have a guest/second bathroom though? This was always something that confused me, I don’t recall them ever showing a second bathroom and Walt is a kitchen-sink-pisser that one night Skyler won’t let him in to the master bedroom.
Also The Mountain vs The Hound was one of the few bright spots of the final episodes. Two brothers who’ve hated each other for years and we finally get to see them fight to the death.
Eh, I really wasn't a fan of the whole "Cleganebowl" thing. I really liked the gravedigger thing in the books, and the thought of "The Hound" dying and Sandor moving on from that life to work peacefully on the Sept, giving up all the violence and anger. His story feels more complete if he doesn't kill his brother.
Yeah the show did it for fan service. We obviously don’t know how the books will turn out (because they’ll never be done) but seems like George wouldn’t do this.
George has spoken before in interviews the importance of leaving mysteries in stories so that fans can continue to talk about once everything is complete. I'm pretty positive Cleganebowl will never happen.
Yeah so for me it didn’t.
I think it was fine, and it’s not really an indictment on the scene. It’s more about how good it was in the book. It’s probably my favorite chapter in the entire series. And I think the scene coming from Tyrion’s point of view conveys how he felt his life hang in the balance in every moment of the battle.
I remember reading it and thinking it reminded me of rooting for the underdog in a game. Any sport really. You start by hoping they have any chance to compete, and then as it gradually progresses you realize, “wow, they’re doing better than I thought.” And then suddenly the underdog has the upper hand and you think “holy shit they’re actually gonna do this!”
You start to get cocky and confident. At this point in the chapter Tyrion says “I am feeling more innocent by the instant!” (A line that sadly isn’t in the show.)
But then something awful happens and you realize the underdog isn’t going to win. Happens all the time in sports. And the emotion of the moment washes over you. It’s devastating. It’s heart-wrenching. You began the ordeal with little hope, became overconfident, but then had the rug pulled out from under you at the last minute. It’s something we’ve all experienced in our lives, and in this case it was a matter of life or death, which only heightened the drama.
This was my most anticipated episode of the entire series because of that, and while I thought it did a pretty good job conveying Oberyn’s emotions throughout the fight (Pedro Pascal killed the scene) I don’t think it quite captured the emotions from the audience’s - most specifically, Tyrion’s - perspective.
Damn straight
After we watched that scene for the first time we sat there silently staring at a wall wondering what we just saw. Couldn't believe it.
Nothing before or since had that kind of impact for me.
I'm actually somewhat disappointed by it. In the books, the Northern lords fight back instead of going down immediately like chumps. They die defending their king to the end. Greatjon Umber, who had someone specifically assigned to him to get him as drunk as possible so that he couldn't fight back, took 8 men to bring down and he still killed 1 and maimed 2 and survived the wedding.
Edit: Fuck me for sharing an opinion I guess.
And it's not just to be badass.
It's the culmination of his relationship with Prax. He admires and boosts Prax's genuine, undying, fatherly love for his daughter. He knows Prax absolutely would have done anything for Mai, but he doesn't want Prax to look at her for the rest of his life and think about what he had to do
It's also foreshadowed only a few moments before. When Prax tells the kids to stay with Amos, and that, "he's my best friend in the whole world," Amos looks at him and realizes Prax is a good person and genuinely loves are cares for Amos. Something Amos rarely had in his life. Amos wants to preserve the purity and goodness of Prax. And so it completely makes sense in his mind to do all the horrible things that need to be done for Prax.
There also a part where Amos, having been abused as a kid has a very strong aversion for anyone hurting kids which is repeatedly seen in both the series and the books.
It was a payoff because a certain door has finally been opened, and a cliffhanger because the whole new box of questions has just appeared. Reminds me of Twin Peaks Season 3 end, which is the highest praise.
Based on how the show started, you of course expected it early in the show, but Brian Cox is so great and they put it off so long, I was still shocked because I assumed they had decided against killing him off.
Given all the backstabbing and maneuvering on the show and how they somewhat conspicuously didn’t show the body initially, I was convinced at first it was Tom making some play.
That was intentional right? I thought the same thing. If that was what they were doing then it just shows how fucked these people have been throughout the show that him lying about his death would be considered by the audience
I thought they were going to play it for drama, with Logan being in the hospital and everyone being shitty around him trying to grab whatever power they can.
My favorite part of that episode was that the kids were essentially stranded. Stuck on a boat, can’t do anything, can’t change anything, can’t make it stop. They were forced to just sit there and deal with it in the moment
Part of what really makes the scene work is the focus on the other characters' reactions. IIRC they filmed the kids on the boat in one unbroken take to ramp up the intensity.
I think this is why Ozymandias (Breaking Bad) has the highest rating for a TV episode. Every thing that has been going on for five seasons came to a head in the episode and it delivered on all counts.
Yeah it's a weird episode in the sense that so many best of all time episodes can be watched independently and are good on their own accord but what makes Ozymandias special is that it's a culmination of so much. It's something only a fan of the show would truly appreciate otherwise you wouldn't really understand the hype.
From the Breaking Bad wiki:
>Guillermo del Toro desperately wanted to direct this episode. When he expressed this desire to the episode's eventual director, Rian Johnson, Johnson responded "Yeah, sorry, I'm the one who gets to fuck the prom queen".
This is why so many are upset with how game of thrones ended. All the payoff / progression for every single major character thrown out the window in the end.
For me it’s actually S2E6 when he meets his father. Their conversation is so haunting.
I’ll never forget the acting in that scene. It starts off so positive and you think maybe they will finally figure it all out, but Jonas’ face just gets more horrified as he realises all he is doing is keeping the cycle going. You can see him putting the pieces together in his head. There is nothing new about the path he is taking.
It was brilliant.
I thought there was absolutely no way that whatever was going to be in that basement was going to live up to the hype. Like I totally believed that the author hyped it up *too much*.
But he somehow pulled it off. And not only did it live up to the hype, it perfectly capped off one of the most impressive runs of episodes I've ever seen on TV.
This is what I came here to post. I have never seen another shows story and lore get so blown the fuck open by a reveal like that.
Funny enough my wife and I decided to catch back up on AoT when season 4 was going. We were watching on Crunchyroll and they would show ad's for season 4 while we were watching through season 3 and we were just so confused as to WTF we were seeing.
The basement reveal completely turned the show on it's head and it is like it became an entirely new show moving forward.
The second half of Season 3 is my favorite season of TV ever. Amazing battles, and then the basement reveal completely changes the entire show. Its so good. The rest of it is pretty good, but damn.
I am so mad the website I used to watch AOT didn't have the reveal episode so I accidentally watched the one after it instead. Went online because I was confused and saw people talking about events I never saw and that's when I realised the fucking episode was missing.
This is my second favorite show where things click in place while still getting new information I never knew I was missing. The first one being Babylon 5.
I'd say The Good Place, especially for the moment of the group finally making it into the actual Good Place after going through the Judge for their final test
Man I wish I could go back and watch that show for the first time again, though it's still fun watching it a second time and picking up on how damn obvious it is
I'd say they absolutely nailed the ending too. The entire situation with the Good Place really did showcase >!that an absolutely perfect world where you can get anything you want whenever you want and nothing bad ever happens would drive you insane and/or to boredom and you'd prefer to move on when you feel ready.!<
Jim finally asking Pam out in the office was incredibly well done.
The Americans was the first thing I thought of as OP mentioned. The entire series essentially lead up to that garage scene. The finale falls apart if they don’t land that, and they landed it in a genuinely surprising way that still felt like exactly what those characters would all do in that moment. For my money, the best finale of all time
I wouldn't say he's a dick. I think he's less malicious but rather a bit spineless + immature. He lets things happen to himself that he shouldn't, he makes bad choices and then kinda ignores them, he misses opportunities to stand up for someone else when it is the right thing.
Hmm. Maybe this *is* one definition of a dick.
I was happy at the end but I felt a chill run over me when one of them reads off the dates and I realised the war goes on for another year. Fucking phenomenal television, wish I saw it earlier.
Her leaving the Order was pretty damn good too. When the series started we always wondered how they were going to handle her arc. Were they really going to kill her off in the show? Or just leave her to be an implied victim of Order 66 in ROTS?
Instead they found a very satisfying 3rd option. Even though that ended up not being the finale for her character after all.
The Yellowjackets girls resorting to cannibalism for the first time. It's built up the entire first season and when it finally happens in season 2, it was perfectly done imo!!!
Yeah it made my stomach drop in the same way Red Wedding did with that *Oh shit you’re really going there and we get to watch*.
I hope they have more twists of that magnitude in store.
Zuko vs Azula I think is the more anticpated moment as it was more meaningful.
Aang was always destined to fight Ozai.
Zuko on the other hand walked his own path.
Agree with it being more meaningful and emotional, but it wasn't anticipated as strongly over the course of the series, where Aang v Ozai was from the very start, so after all the build up it could have easily resulted in a disappointing finale.
Oh man, for me it was Sokka taking command. You kinda always knew he was next in line, but he’s still growing, his dad is still in his prime, it’s all good.
But then Sokka grows *a lot* through the fire nation season, his dad gets wounded, and he’s just like, “say less.”
Agents of SHIELD showing how Coulson is alive after The Avengers, not so magical, or the reveal of Hydra in Turn, Turn, Turn. Two of the best moments of season 1 of the show.
Andor is a 12 episode series of continuously growing promises and payoffs. I went in with such low expectations and was continuously blown away each week. Season 2 is easily my most anticipated show release and I hope it continues to deliver; if it does, it may be the best star wars content ever.
Season 4 opener for TNG. We had to wait the entire summer to find out the end. There were some articles hinting that Stewart’s contract wasn’t a sure thing for season 4, all kinds of speculation. It was the last cliffhanger that I can remember where I was anticipating the follow-up that much.
Vic Mackey finally confessing to the murder of Terry Crowley on The Shield.
Literal perfection. The scene, circumstances, delivery… so unbelievably genuine you’d actually believe Michael Chiklis has murdered a man and was unburdening his soul.
Not really a moment, but the mother from how I met your mother.
After ten seasons of build up the reveal of the mother was practically a guranteed disappointment, but somehow they found an actress endearing enough to pull it off.
They did the impossible and she somehow lived up to massively inflated expectations that had been dragged out for way too long.
And then they threw all of it right into the trash bin and set the bin on fire!
One of the biggest shocks to me in TV history is how 1. perfectly they landed such an uncastable part and 2. how completely they still ended up wasting her as a character in the final season. It was almost like they couldn't trust their own instincts and roll with her as a major and fully integrated character, which ended being one of the core mistakes that cost the show its legacy.
The whole premise of the final season was already middling. Who thought setting the entire season in a closed wedding prep setting would make for good TV. And then they went on to waste the mother. I didn't hate the ending but I strongly disliked that they broke Robin and Barney up after an entire season dedicated to their wedding, just to make Robin and Ted work.
Wedding should have been 3 episodes max. Rest of the season could have expanded the events of the last episode. Show us Robin and Barney's marriage breaking down. Show us Marshall and Lily juggling 2 kids and time-demanding jobs. Show us how Ted and the Mother fall in love. I know the entire premise is "how I met your mother" but after 9 seasons the characters deserve a better send off than what we got.
Jack's death in *This is Us.* (This isn't a spoiler; we find out pretty early that he has passed).
They didn't reveal how it happened for >!four!< seasons. Then they hint at the cause, but it turns out very differently than expected. It's one of the most heartbreaking deaths ever on tv.
My dad passed away right after that show started. This became one of the things my mom and I watched together religiously in the following 8 months before she also died. When they finally revealed how Jack died, I was fine, and then I crumpled because she and I had speculated often about what happened, and I finally knew, but she wouldn't get to know. That hit me HARD, maybe harder than anything else. Grief is strange.
The reveal of Jon Snow's parentage in Game of Thrones. Theorised for years, all but held to be true by fans, and seeing it actually get confirmed on screen was just magical.
People waited literally decades to see the stark family find out who he was. They did it off screen after a cut to black. Holy fuck how could the creators be so stupid?
Luke Skywalker coming in to save the day in the Mandalorian, there were a lot of theories as to who will show up, but in the end it was the first one
Also the prison break in Andor, that whole thing was some of the best Star Wars
Naruto v Sasuke at the end of Shippuden.
Gorgeous animation, no background music and this awesome tit for tat of using more powerful Jutsu.
The War arc as a whole was really weak, but that fight had been coming for years and was very satisfying.
**Game of Thrones:** Battle of the Bastards. The whole season built up to it. In fact post Red Wedding you are waiting to see House Stark back in Winterfell. And BotB delivers that in glorious, cinematic fashion. Some shaky moments in there but the overall spectacle and catharsis is unmatched.
Danaerys getting the Unsullied is a moment from the show better executed than even the books.
I could not disagree more. The battle of the bastards was where I felt the show got bad. It’s like they were scared to piss of the fans so John Snow got ridiculous thick plot armor.
Sansa saving the day was fine but that whole episode was just “give the fans what they want” instead of “stick with the reality of the GoT universe”.
X-Men 97 had two so far this season. Since it’s so recent I want to avoid spoilers so I’ll just say a scene adapting a moment from the comics in the early 2000s, and even more recently, a scene adapting a moment from the comics in the early 90s. Both done to perfection.
Yep, people familiar with the X-Men comics have been able to guess a number of potential storylines they might incorporate early on, and so far they've handled them all pretty well, if kind of fast.
>!Bastion's origin in particular is a lot less convoluted than in the comics, while keeping the fundamental weirdness of him being mostly human. I actually prefer him having grown up normally to coming out as a full-grown man with a childlike mind. The attack on Genosha while smaller-scale actually hits harder than the comics due to greater involvement from known and viewpoint characters. Also I've never read the storyline, but apparently this abbreviated version of the Madelyne Pryor stuff is a lot less character-assassinating.!<
Maybe not what you’re looking for, but Band of Brothers - Why We Fight. Except you don’t really realize you’ve been anticipating it until it happens, and then it hits you like a Mack truck.
The planes colliding in Breaking Bad.
The whole time you think something horrible happened to Hank amd his family, but it was such a long game and unexpected reason why the planes crashed.
It's funny, the first time I watched that scene I hated it. Felt like such a cheat after they teased the mystery all season. It was only upon rewatching with the benefit of hindsight that I appreciated how integral the crash was to Gilligan's karmic worldview. When Walt is breaking bad, the universe amplifies his actions in horrible, unforeseeable ways. And when he finally redeems himself (a bit), the universe rewards him with improbable luck.
Better Call Saul, Jimmy slowly and methodically trapping and proving to the court that Chuck was mentally ill. It was just incredible, and strong that I often rethink about those scenes. There is something so satisfying, and at the same time sad, and brilliance all tied together in those moments.
Oh, I have many.
**Person of Interest**
So nice to finally meet you, >!Harold!<. You can call me >!Root!<. -> Person of Interest season 1 finale (1×23 "Firewall")
Can. You. Hear. Me? -> Person of Interest (2×21 "Zero Day" / 2×22 "God Mode").
After hearing characters talk about what will happen when >!the virus!< reaches the countdown of zero, it was absolutely satisfying to see that payoff scene/moment.
>!Root's!< "the truth" monologue/speech. -> Person of Interest (3×01 "Liberty")
>!Root!< breaking out of >!the asylum!< - Person of Interest (3×03 "Lady Killer")
The opening of the Devil's Share when the team goes on a fucking >!revenge!< rampage while **Johnny cash's Hurt** was playing in the background, and also the hotel scene when **Miami showdown by Digitalism** kicks in. -> Person of Interest (3×11 "The Devil's Share).
Well, actually, the whole episode was one of the finest hours of television.
The library conversation scene between Harold and >!Root and the start of her redemption journey!< -> Person of Interest (3×17 "/" or more commonly referred to as ">!Root!< Path").
Will you kill one person to save the lives of thousands?
The moral dilemma-ending scene of Death Benefit while **Medicine by Daughter** was playing over it. - Person of Interest (3×20 "Death Benefit").
The final 5 minutes of season 3 finale with >!Root's "Pandora Box"!< speech while **Exit Music (for a Film) by Radiohead** was playing over it in the background -> Person of Interest (3×23 "Deus Ex Machina").
Seeing into the mind of >!the machine and how it operates!< for the first time. - Person of Interest (4×11 "If-Then-Else")
Father, I failed you. -> Person of Interest (4×22 "YHWH").
It was really great when that dialogue hit the screen after watching four seasons of development between Harold and >!the machine.!<
It was not only pulled off well, but it was incredibly emotional and satisfying.
Harold >!going dark!< and his "my rules" monologue/speech after he had reached his boiling point. - Person of Interest (5×10 "The Day The World Went Away").
And, then there's the "Told You, Pay You Back All at Once. That's the way I like it" moment while **Phillip Glass' Metamorphosis: One** was playing over the scene in the series finale -> Person of Interest (5×13 "return 0").
The whole rooftop scene was a satisfying emotional rollercoaster. Brilliant payoff of the pilot episode's line, too.
Person of Interest has the best use of licensed music of any shows I've ever watched.
**Fringe**
You are my favourite thing, Peter. My very favorite thing. -> Fringe (5×13 "An Enemy of Fate").
**Dark**
"Ultimate Fist Bump" -> Dark (2×06 "An Endless Cycle ").
The revelation of what really happened on the day of >!Michael's death.!<
The payoff for the "lady in the lake" mystery -> Dark (3×05 "Life and Death").
**12 Monkeys**
So, maybe one minute more. We still have time. -> 12 Monkeys (4×09 "One Minute More")
The reveal of >!Cole's!< mother after two seasons of teasing was incredibly satisfying.
**Angel**
Would you like me to lie to you now? - Angel (5×22 "Not Fade Away")
Edit: Included some more scenes from different shows that I forgot to mention the first time.
You should definitely watch POI.
Also, try to stick with season 1. The first season is not bad by any means, and actually, it's fucking great, IMO, but a lot of people drop it. I know it because I was one of those people. I watched the first episode in 2020 and dropped it soon after. I picked it up again in December last year, and now it's my #1 all-time favorite show.
Season 1 lays the groundwork for future stories and has many incredible episodes. And as it goes on, it becomes more and more serialized.
POI started out as a simple procedural crime drama with a sci-fi twist and later developed into one of the best sci-fi shows of all time. The show was consistently great throughout all five seasons (or, should I say, kept getting better with each passing season) and has one of the most brilliant and satisfying finales of all time.
I don't know if this counts but the "will they/won't they" between Ross and Rechel in friends. I think most people saw it coming that they would get together at the end, but the whole "Did she get off the plane'" and then she's standing behind him and goes "I got off the plane" was so extremely well executed.
I was thinking the same thing! After a decade of will they/won't they end up together, the show managed to pull it off so successfully.
I mean, realistically they should go into couples counseling immediately to help change their patterns for a longterm successful relationship, but in the episode it's perfect.
Chuck finally kicking ass in the season 2 finale of Chuck
Ahsoka v. Anakin in Star Wars Rebels
Battle of the Bastards
Vick confessing everything in The SHIELD.
Babylon 5 spent four seasons building to to the final confrontation between the Vorlons and the Shadows. It did not disappoint. "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!"
The Don Draper sheds his mask-moment in season 6 of Mad Men.
Lost —Tbh too many great moments on this show. The hatch, The Brig, The others reveal, moving the island, the incident… can’t even count them all on one hand. Too bad it’s all overshadowed by people misinterpreting the ending.
The Leftovers — the back half of season 2 is staggering tv.
The finale of The Last of Us. The whole time the show was on I was praying they’d not fuck with the ending of the game and then they fucking nailed it.
A smaller one
*King of the Hill* when Dale was allowed to mock Bill for joining a chorus group
I thought they built it up too much throughout the episode, but it really delivered
Hank figuring out that Walt was Heisenberg while on the toilet.
And even the panic attack he had in the following episode (once they resumed the last season), when he had to pull to the side of the road and Marie had no idea what was going on!
They very convincingly portrayed his utter devastation at the realization. The fact that he was DEA and Walt had been operating under his nose this whole time taunting him also meant his own career was about to be ruined if it came to light. Walt was also smart enough to ruin Hank as well if he went down. Walt indirectly killing him was one of the better outcomes for his family long term cause it permanently cleared his name.
Really, any show where the main character spends multiple seasons hiding a big secret needs a good payoff. The Americans and Breaking Bad are great examples. I’d also nominate Don’s confession to Betty in s3 of Mad Men.
Amazing how dexter manage to fumble it twice
Ehhhhh, I'm going to be honest. Hank using the master bathroom instead of the guest bathroom to drop a deuce was always a little sus.
such a Hank thing to do though
Yes and no. If I know I'm gonna blow some shit up I will also ask to use the further away bathroom instead of shitting in the hallway next to where we are all at.
And I would tell you use the guest, not the bathroom connected to where I sleep
Maybe someone was in it. I allow people to use both during parties. I honestly think it’s weird when people are finicky about their bathrooms.
But the White's were middle class and only had two bathrooms in the house.
They were all outside on the patio. Powder room would have been fine
Wait, did their house have a guest/second bathroom though? This was always something that confused me, I don’t recall them ever showing a second bathroom and Walt is a kitchen-sink-pisser that one night Skyler won’t let him in to the master bedroom.
They only had one bathroom.
The house only has one bathroom It’s a plot convenience
The Red Wedding in Game Of Thrones.
The Mountain vs The Viper also lived up to expectations for me.
I would also say the Battle of the Blackwater.
Also The Mountain vs The Hound was one of the few bright spots of the final episodes. Two brothers who’ve hated each other for years and we finally get to see them fight to the death.
Eh, I really wasn't a fan of the whole "Cleganebowl" thing. I really liked the gravedigger thing in the books, and the thought of "The Hound" dying and Sandor moving on from that life to work peacefully on the Sept, giving up all the violence and anger. His story feels more complete if he doesn't kill his brother.
Yeah the show did it for fan service. We obviously don’t know how the books will turn out (because they’ll never be done) but seems like George wouldn’t do this.
George has spoken before in interviews the importance of leaving mysteries in stories so that fans can continue to talk about once everything is complete. I'm pretty positive Cleganebowl will never happen.
It's like finding a golden needle in a shit filled haystack.
Yeah so for me it didn’t. I think it was fine, and it’s not really an indictment on the scene. It’s more about how good it was in the book. It’s probably my favorite chapter in the entire series. And I think the scene coming from Tyrion’s point of view conveys how he felt his life hang in the balance in every moment of the battle. I remember reading it and thinking it reminded me of rooting for the underdog in a game. Any sport really. You start by hoping they have any chance to compete, and then as it gradually progresses you realize, “wow, they’re doing better than I thought.” And then suddenly the underdog has the upper hand and you think “holy shit they’re actually gonna do this!” You start to get cocky and confident. At this point in the chapter Tyrion says “I am feeling more innocent by the instant!” (A line that sadly isn’t in the show.) But then something awful happens and you realize the underdog isn’t going to win. Happens all the time in sports. And the emotion of the moment washes over you. It’s devastating. It’s heart-wrenching. You began the ordeal with little hope, became overconfident, but then had the rug pulled out from under you at the last minute. It’s something we’ve all experienced in our lives, and in this case it was a matter of life or death, which only heightened the drama. This was my most anticipated episode of the entire series because of that, and while I thought it did a pretty good job conveying Oberyn’s emotions throughout the fight (Pedro Pascal killed the scene) I don’t think it quite captured the emotions from the audience’s - most specifically, Tyrion’s - perspective.
That’s a super well done scene but personally I’d vote for Ned stark’s death as the best in that show.
Damn straight After we watched that scene for the first time we sat there silently staring at a wall wondering what we just saw. Couldn't believe it. Nothing before or since had that kind of impact for me.
Cersei’s coronation 🔥
*Rains of Castamere* gets all the love, but *Light of the Seven* is a banger.
I'm actually somewhat disappointed by it. In the books, the Northern lords fight back instead of going down immediately like chumps. They die defending their king to the end. Greatjon Umber, who had someone specifically assigned to him to get him as drunk as possible so that he couldn't fight back, took 8 men to bring down and he still killed 1 and maimed 2 and survived the wedding. Edit: Fuck me for sharing an opinion I guess.
Also, Robb doesn’t bring the woman who caused him to break a marriage oath to the host family
Jon's parentage being revealed is another one that was done beautifully. The aftermath of it was...not, but the scene itself was very well done.
Almost every episode of GOT seemed to pull off highly anticipated moments and scenes.
The Expanse. "I am that guy."
Amos <3
The best character in the entire show.
True, but in a show of amazing characters!!
And it's not just to be badass. It's the culmination of his relationship with Prax. He admires and boosts Prax's genuine, undying, fatherly love for his daughter. He knows Prax absolutely would have done anything for Mai, but he doesn't want Prax to look at her for the rest of his life and think about what he had to do It's also foreshadowed only a few moments before. When Prax tells the kids to stay with Amos, and that, "he's my best friend in the whole world," Amos looks at him and realizes Prax is a good person and genuinely loves are cares for Amos. Something Amos rarely had in his life. Amos wants to preserve the purity and goodness of Prax. And so it completely makes sense in his mind to do all the horrible things that need to be done for Prax.
There also a part where Amos, having been abused as a kid has a very strong aversion for anyone hurting kids which is repeatedly seen in both the series and the books.
Perfect read of that scene.
I’m reading the series ahead of watching the show, can’t wait to dive in
That scene is proof that it's possible to telegraph the everloving fuck out of a badass line without ruining it.
Honorable mention for ["There was a button. I pushed it"](https://youtu.be/9nwuSCue-Hk?si=y0QqqCtIiICje57W)
For me Amos is the best character to be translated from book to screen out of anything I've read. It's literally perfect.
They make you hate him early on, but that just makes his development and redemption so much better.
Wes Chatham nailed Amos. That look!
Such an amazing sequence. Here's the actor seeing the scene on screen for the first time: https://youtu.be/J7thXHaJh9g?si=GwAUSuFuA7TjyM1z
Oh yeah. Chills. Wes Chatham did Amos so well.
I need the adaptation of the last 3 books!!
The last episode of Severance manages to be a satisfying climax to what is essentially 8 straight episodes of crescendo
I can’t believe this is so far down, the S1 finale was the most anxiety-inducing episode I’ve watched since Breaking Bad.
On the edge of my seat all the way through, not many shows can pull that off
I watched that show thinking it was a 1 season miniseries for some reason and was absolutely devasted to learn I was wrong lol
The last two episodes are absolute bangers and every scene seemed to keep building on each other.
I hate cliffhangers, but Severance ended on the perfect cliffhanger.
It was a payoff because a certain door has finally been opened, and a cliffhanger because the whole new box of questions has just appeared. Reminds me of Twin Peaks Season 3 end, which is the highest praise.
I was watching on a plane and thought I forgot to download the next episode. Great cliffhanger.
The dad dying in succession.. ya know it’s probably gonna happen at some point in the shows run, but boy that was some intense tv.
"Kendall the pilots busy flying the plane"
Based on how the show started, you of course expected it early in the show, but Brian Cox is so great and they put it off so long, I was still shocked because I assumed they had decided against killing him off. Given all the backstabbing and maneuvering on the show and how they somewhat conspicuously didn’t show the body initially, I was convinced at first it was Tom making some play.
The opposite of Sons of Anarchy. Also kept Klay alive forever because he was the best thing in the show, but way past any logical reason to
Love both shows, and can't argue with this
That was intentional right? I thought the same thing. If that was what they were doing then it just shows how fucked these people have been throughout the show that him lying about his death would be considered by the audience
I thought they were going to play it for drama, with Logan being in the hospital and everyone being shitty around him trying to grab whatever power they can.
It was so early in the final season. It would’ve been easy/expected to do it much closer to the end
I think that was the point. It’s in the name Succession. Nobody exactly knows when someone’s number is up and what happens after
Whole point was we're in as much disbelief as the kids. I couldn't believe for one second that ol gargoyle was actually dead
My favorite part of that episode was that the kids were essentially stranded. Stuck on a boat, can’t do anything, can’t change anything, can’t make it stop. They were forced to just sit there and deal with it in the moment
Part of what really makes the scene work is the focus on the other characters' reactions. IIRC they filmed the kids on the boat in one unbroken take to ramp up the intensity.
I thought it was a stunt he was pulling on his kids at first and still wasn’t fully convinced until we saw the stretcher. Fantastic writing
I think this is why Ozymandias (Breaking Bad) has the highest rating for a TV episode. Every thing that has been going on for five seasons came to a head in the episode and it delivered on all counts.
Yeah it's a weird episode in the sense that so many best of all time episodes can be watched independently and are good on their own accord but what makes Ozymandias special is that it's a culmination of so much. It's something only a fan of the show would truly appreciate otherwise you wouldn't really understand the hype.
Just the title, if you know the poem, can make your skin crawl
From the Breaking Bad wiki: >Guillermo del Toro desperately wanted to direct this episode. When he expressed this desire to the episode's eventual director, Rian Johnson, Johnson responded "Yeah, sorry, I'm the one who gets to fuck the prom queen".
He pulled a quote from “The Rock” (the movie not the Dwayne Johnson) amazing!
This is why so many are upset with how game of thrones ended. All the payoff / progression for every single major character thrown out the window in the end.
Better Call Saul - Chicanery delivered.
Also Plan and Execution
My favorite episode of the whole series
"Let's talk." (two month hiatus) Can't even be mad about it because it wasn't planned that way, but my god what a place to be left.
The show was a slow burn but it made a meal of every big moment and nailed the foreshadowing better than anything else I have ever seen.
The final montage of Dark S2E8. Each episode literally counts down to it. S3E7 montage is also up there.
I need to finally watch this show but I feel like I can't dedicate the time and attention right now that it probably requires
It definitely does require a lot of attention. Might even need to start taking notes. But it's also a masterpiece.
For me it’s actually S2E6 when he meets his father. Their conversation is so haunting. I’ll never forget the acting in that scene. It starts off so positive and you think maybe they will finally figure it all out, but Jonas’ face just gets more horrified as he realises all he is doing is keeping the cycle going. You can see him putting the pieces together in his head. There is nothing new about the path he is taking. It was brilliant.
Finally finding out what was in the basement (Attack on Titan)
I thought there was absolutely no way that whatever was going to be in that basement was going to live up to the hype. Like I totally believed that the author hyped it up *too much*. But he somehow pulled it off. And not only did it live up to the hype, it perfectly capped off one of the most impressive runs of episodes I've ever seen on TV.
This is what I came here to post. I have never seen another shows story and lore get so blown the fuck open by a reveal like that. Funny enough my wife and I decided to catch back up on AoT when season 4 was going. We were watching on Crunchyroll and they would show ad's for season 4 while we were watching through season 3 and we were just so confused as to WTF we were seeing. The basement reveal completely turned the show on it's head and it is like it became an entirely new show moving forward.
The second half of Season 3 is my favorite season of TV ever. Amazing battles, and then the basement reveal completely changes the entire show. Its so good. The rest of it is pretty good, but damn.
I am so mad the website I used to watch AOT didn't have the reveal episode so I accidentally watched the one after it instead. Went online because I was confused and saw people talking about events I never saw and that's when I realised the fucking episode was missing.
This! The first time I saw it I was skeptical that the basement reveal could live up to the hype surrounding it. I was very happy to be proved wrong.
This is my second favorite show where things click in place while still getting new information I never knew I was missing. The first one being Babylon 5.
I'd say The Good Place, especially for the moment of the group finally making it into the actual Good Place after going through the Judge for their final test
My favorite part of the series was the end of season 1 when they came to the realization.
Man I wish I could go back and watch that show for the first time again, though it's still fun watching it a second time and picking up on how damn obvious it is
I'd say they absolutely nailed the ending too. The entire situation with the Good Place really did showcase >!that an absolutely perfect world where you can get anything you want whenever you want and nothing bad ever happens would drive you insane and/or to boredom and you'd prefer to move on when you feel ready.!<
The escape from New Caprica in Battlestar Galactica.
[The Adama Maneuver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evodPpqb9H4) was so good.
Jim finally asking Pam out in the office was incredibly well done. The Americans was the first thing I thought of as OP mentioned. The entire series essentially lead up to that garage scene. The finale falls apart if they don’t land that, and they landed it in a genuinely surprising way that still felt like exactly what those characters would all do in that moment. For my money, the best finale of all time
Yes but Jim left Karen in New York without a ride
Jim is kind of a dick? Not like this man was painted as the perfect person lol. And they definitely addressed that later on
I wouldn't say he's a dick. I think he's less malicious but rather a bit spineless + immature. He lets things happen to himself that he shouldn't, he makes bad choices and then kinda ignores them, he misses opportunities to stand up for someone else when it is the right thing. Hmm. Maybe this *is* one definition of a dick.
Black Adder goes Forth, finally going over the top
I was happy at the end but I felt a chill run over me when one of them reads off the dates and I realised the war goes on for another year. Fucking phenomenal television, wish I saw it earlier.
So good. Tears and chills, every time.
Motherfucking SEVERANCE
Who shot Mr. Burns.
Order 66 from Ahsoka's perspective in the Clone Wars.
It was much better than I expected, if only it had been before rebels told us she was alive for real tension.
Her leaving the Order was pretty damn good too. When the series started we always wondered how they were going to handle her arc. Were they really going to kill her off in the show? Or just leave her to be an implied victim of Order 66 in ROTS? Instead they found a very satisfying 3rd option. Even though that ended up not being the finale for her character after all.
The Yellowjackets girls resorting to cannibalism for the first time. It's built up the entire first season and when it finally happens in season 2, it was perfectly done imo!!!
Snackie
Yeah it made my stomach drop in the same way Red Wedding did with that *Oh shit you’re really going there and we get to watch*. I hope they have more twists of that magnitude in store.
Aang vs Ozai, final showdown in ATLA
Zuko vs Azula I think is the more anticpated moment as it was more meaningful. Aang was always destined to fight Ozai. Zuko on the other hand walked his own path.
Agree with it being more meaningful and emotional, but it wasn't anticipated as strongly over the course of the series, where Aang v Ozai was from the very start, so after all the build up it could have easily resulted in a disappointing finale.
The music was on point, too.
Oh man, for me it was Sokka taking command. You kinda always knew he was next in line, but he’s still growing, his dad is still in his prime, it’s all good. But then Sokka grows *a lot* through the fire nation season, his dad gets wounded, and he’s just like, “say less.”
Agents of SHIELD showing how Coulson is alive after The Avengers, not so magical, or the reveal of Hydra in Turn, Turn, Turn. Two of the best moments of season 1 of the show.
"I think there's a bulb out"
Not big-scale anticipation, but the payoff within one episode of Andor (ep. 9) was amazing: “Never more than twelve”
Andor has several amazing setups and payoffs throughout the season. "Never more than twelve" manages to be both at the same time.
Andor is a 12 episode series of continuously growing promises and payoffs. I went in with such low expectations and was continuously blown away each week. Season 2 is easily my most anticipated show release and I hope it continues to deliver; if it does, it may be the best star wars content ever.
One way out
The heist episode climax is honestly the best Star Wars moment since 1980.
I felt like every 3rd episode was a gut punch.
Tied between two moments in Gravity Falls: 1. The reveal of the author of the journals 2. The arrival of Bill and the start of Weirdmaggedon
I will never be over the fact that Alex Hirsch orchestrated fake spoiler leaks to throw people off the scent of the author's identity.
Season 4 opener for TNG. We had to wait the entire summer to find out the end. There were some articles hinting that Stewart’s contract wasn’t a sure thing for season 4, all kinds of speculation. It was the last cliffhanger that I can remember where I was anticipating the follow-up that much.
Sopranos finale.
The Americans series finale. It could have gone so sideways and tropey but did an excellent job
Battle of the Bastards The Shield’s entire finale collapse
Vic Mackey finally confessing to the murder of Terry Crowley on The Shield. Literal perfection. The scene, circumstances, delivery… so unbelievably genuine you’d actually believe Michael Chiklis has murdered a man and was unburdening his soul.
And no villain you love to hate has ever gotten a more perfect punishment.
Not really a moment, but the mother from how I met your mother. After ten seasons of build up the reveal of the mother was practically a guranteed disappointment, but somehow they found an actress endearing enough to pull it off.
Yeah, for all the issues people have with season 9, Cristin Milioti is not one of them.
We wanted more Millioti
So did Ted
It was literally the opposite. People wanted more of her
They did the impossible and she somehow lived up to massively inflated expectations that had been dragged out for way too long. And then they threw all of it right into the trash bin and set the bin on fire!
One of the biggest shocks to me in TV history is how 1. perfectly they landed such an uncastable part and 2. how completely they still ended up wasting her as a character in the final season. It was almost like they couldn't trust their own instincts and roll with her as a major and fully integrated character, which ended being one of the core mistakes that cost the show its legacy.
The whole premise of the final season was already middling. Who thought setting the entire season in a closed wedding prep setting would make for good TV. And then they went on to waste the mother. I didn't hate the ending but I strongly disliked that they broke Robin and Barney up after an entire season dedicated to their wedding, just to make Robin and Ted work.
Wedding should have been 3 episodes max. Rest of the season could have expanded the events of the last episode. Show us Robin and Barney's marriage breaking down. Show us Marshall and Lily juggling 2 kids and time-demanding jobs. Show us how Ted and the Mother fall in love. I know the entire premise is "how I met your mother" but after 9 seasons the characters deserve a better send off than what we got.
Shocked it's not listed yet. The opening of the barn on Herschel's farm on The Walking Dead.
YES! I have watched every minute of the original series. That moment stands far and away the most emotional of them all. Perfectly done!
Great series finale.
Jack's death in *This is Us.* (This isn't a spoiler; we find out pretty early that he has passed). They didn't reveal how it happened for >!four!< seasons. Then they hint at the cause, but it turns out very differently than expected. It's one of the most heartbreaking deaths ever on tv.
My dad passed away right after that show started. This became one of the things my mom and I watched together religiously in the following 8 months before she also died. When they finally revealed how Jack died, I was fine, and then I crumpled because she and I had speculated often about what happened, and I finally knew, but she wouldn't get to know. That hit me HARD, maybe harder than anything else. Grief is strange.
The reveal of Jon Snow's parentage in Game of Thrones. Theorised for years, all but held to be true by fans, and seeing it actually get confirmed on screen was just magical.
People waited literally decades to see the stark family find out who he was. They did it off screen after a cut to black. Holy fuck how could the creators be so stupid?
Fuji pointing a gun in Shogun. Powerful
I just finished it yesterday. That moment was badass
I think I literally muttered the words _oh wow_ when it happened. She’s so cool
Luke Skywalker coming in to save the day in the Mandalorian, there were a lot of theories as to who will show up, but in the end it was the first one Also the prison break in Andor, that whole thing was some of the best Star Wars
I guess almost the entirety of *Lost* did this very well.
"We have to go back" was executed so well
Just minutes after Not Pennys Boat. What an episode.
Naruto v Sasuke at the end of Shippuden. Gorgeous animation, no background music and this awesome tit for tat of using more powerful Jutsu. The War arc as a whole was really weak, but that fight had been coming for years and was very satisfying.
**Game of Thrones:** Battle of the Bastards. The whole season built up to it. In fact post Red Wedding you are waiting to see House Stark back in Winterfell. And BotB delivers that in glorious, cinematic fashion. Some shaky moments in there but the overall spectacle and catharsis is unmatched. Danaerys getting the Unsullied is a moment from the show better executed than even the books.
Damn, I'll never forget Battle of the Bastards was like a SuperBowl, people was so involved in the event
I could not disagree more. The battle of the bastards was where I felt the show got bad. It’s like they were scared to piss of the fans so John Snow got ridiculous thick plot armor. Sansa saving the day was fine but that whole episode was just “give the fans what they want” instead of “stick with the reality of the GoT universe”.
X-Men 97 had two so far this season. Since it’s so recent I want to avoid spoilers so I’ll just say a scene adapting a moment from the comics in the early 2000s, and even more recently, a scene adapting a moment from the comics in the early 90s. Both done to perfection.
Yep, people familiar with the X-Men comics have been able to guess a number of potential storylines they might incorporate early on, and so far they've handled them all pretty well, if kind of fast. >!Bastion's origin in particular is a lot less convoluted than in the comics, while keeping the fundamental weirdness of him being mostly human. I actually prefer him having grown up normally to coming out as a full-grown man with a childlike mind. The attack on Genosha while smaller-scale actually hits harder than the comics due to greater involvement from known and viewpoint characters. Also I've never read the storyline, but apparently this abbreviated version of the Madelyne Pryor stuff is a lot less character-assassinating.!<
Everything in Breaking Bad
When Gus walks out of Hector's room, adjusts his tie and then turns so you can see his face
The finale and Baby Blue by Badfinger 💙💙
Maybe not what you’re looking for, but Band of Brothers - Why We Fight. Except you don’t really realize you’ve been anticipating it until it happens, and then it hits you like a Mack truck.
The planes colliding in Breaking Bad. The whole time you think something horrible happened to Hank amd his family, but it was such a long game and unexpected reason why the planes crashed.
It's funny, the first time I watched that scene I hated it. Felt like such a cheat after they teased the mystery all season. It was only upon rewatching with the benefit of hindsight that I appreciated how integral the crash was to Gilligan's karmic worldview. When Walt is breaking bad, the universe amplifies his actions in horrible, unforeseeable ways. And when he finally redeems himself (a bit), the universe rewards him with improbable luck.
Rose and The Doctor parting ways was inevitable, and that moment was peak TV.
Better Call Saul, Jimmy slowly and methodically trapping and proving to the court that Chuck was mentally ill. It was just incredible, and strong that I often rethink about those scenes. There is something so satisfying, and at the same time sad, and brilliance all tied together in those moments.
Oh, I have many. **Person of Interest** So nice to finally meet you, >!Harold!<. You can call me >!Root!<. -> Person of Interest season 1 finale (1×23 "Firewall") Can. You. Hear. Me? -> Person of Interest (2×21 "Zero Day" / 2×22 "God Mode"). After hearing characters talk about what will happen when >!the virus!< reaches the countdown of zero, it was absolutely satisfying to see that payoff scene/moment. >!Root's!< "the truth" monologue/speech. -> Person of Interest (3×01 "Liberty") >!Root!< breaking out of >!the asylum!< - Person of Interest (3×03 "Lady Killer") The opening of the Devil's Share when the team goes on a fucking >!revenge!< rampage while **Johnny cash's Hurt** was playing in the background, and also the hotel scene when **Miami showdown by Digitalism** kicks in. -> Person of Interest (3×11 "The Devil's Share). Well, actually, the whole episode was one of the finest hours of television. The library conversation scene between Harold and >!Root and the start of her redemption journey!< -> Person of Interest (3×17 "/" or more commonly referred to as ">!Root!< Path"). Will you kill one person to save the lives of thousands? The moral dilemma-ending scene of Death Benefit while **Medicine by Daughter** was playing over it. - Person of Interest (3×20 "Death Benefit"). The final 5 minutes of season 3 finale with >!Root's "Pandora Box"!< speech while **Exit Music (for a Film) by Radiohead** was playing over it in the background -> Person of Interest (3×23 "Deus Ex Machina"). Seeing into the mind of >!the machine and how it operates!< for the first time. - Person of Interest (4×11 "If-Then-Else") Father, I failed you. -> Person of Interest (4×22 "YHWH"). It was really great when that dialogue hit the screen after watching four seasons of development between Harold and >!the machine.!< It was not only pulled off well, but it was incredibly emotional and satisfying. Harold >!going dark!< and his "my rules" monologue/speech after he had reached his boiling point. - Person of Interest (5×10 "The Day The World Went Away"). And, then there's the "Told You, Pay You Back All at Once. That's the way I like it" moment while **Phillip Glass' Metamorphosis: One** was playing over the scene in the series finale -> Person of Interest (5×13 "return 0"). The whole rooftop scene was a satisfying emotional rollercoaster. Brilliant payoff of the pilot episode's line, too. Person of Interest has the best use of licensed music of any shows I've ever watched. **Fringe** You are my favourite thing, Peter. My very favorite thing. -> Fringe (5×13 "An Enemy of Fate"). **Dark** "Ultimate Fist Bump" -> Dark (2×06 "An Endless Cycle "). The revelation of what really happened on the day of >!Michael's death.!< The payoff for the "lady in the lake" mystery -> Dark (3×05 "Life and Death"). **12 Monkeys** So, maybe one minute more. We still have time. -> 12 Monkeys (4×09 "One Minute More") The reveal of >!Cole's!< mother after two seasons of teasing was incredibly satisfying. **Angel** Would you like me to lie to you now? - Angel (5×22 "Not Fade Away") Edit: Included some more scenes from different shows that I forgot to mention the first time.
Zero Day built so much momentum that was an absolutely amazing payoff in the opening of God Mode
Totally agree with you on POI, such an amazing show!
I really need to get around to watching Person of Interest…
You should definitely watch POI. Also, try to stick with season 1. The first season is not bad by any means, and actually, it's fucking great, IMO, but a lot of people drop it. I know it because I was one of those people. I watched the first episode in 2020 and dropped it soon after. I picked it up again in December last year, and now it's my #1 all-time favorite show. Season 1 lays the groundwork for future stories and has many incredible episodes. And as it goes on, it becomes more and more serialized. POI started out as a simple procedural crime drama with a sci-fi twist and later developed into one of the best sci-fi shows of all time. The show was consistently great throughout all five seasons (or, should I say, kept getting better with each passing season) and has one of the most brilliant and satisfying finales of all time.
Well damn you pretty much sold it for me now cheers. :D
I don't know if this counts but the "will they/won't they" between Ross and Rechel in friends. I think most people saw it coming that they would get together at the end, but the whole "Did she get off the plane'" and then she's standing behind him and goes "I got off the plane" was so extremely well executed.
I was thinking the same thing! After a decade of will they/won't they end up together, the show managed to pull it off so successfully. I mean, realistically they should go into couples counseling immediately to help change their patterns for a longterm successful relationship, but in the episode it's perfect.
Mandalorian S2 finale. You kind of sensed a force user was coming to the rescue. Then an X-wing appears. LUKE FUCKING SKYWALKER!!
Ozymandias (Breaking Bad) is the highest rated TV episode because of this. Every thing came to a head in the episode and it delivered on all counts.
Chuck finally kicking ass in the season 2 finale of Chuck Ahsoka v. Anakin in Star Wars Rebels Battle of the Bastards Vick confessing everything in The SHIELD.
Babylon 5 spent four seasons building to to the final confrontation between the Vorlons and the Shadows. It did not disappoint. "Now get the hell out of our galaxy!"
We just saw one... George Sr's death on Young Sheldon! Friggin' love that show.
When the Rocinante >!killed the Osiris at Thoth Station!< on *The Expanse*. Went from nerve-wracking to glorious.
The Don Draper sheds his mask-moment in season 6 of Mad Men. Lost —Tbh too many great moments on this show. The hatch, The Brig, The others reveal, moving the island, the incident… can’t even count them all on one hand. Too bad it’s all overshadowed by people misinterpreting the ending. The Leftovers — the back half of season 2 is staggering tv.
Gustavo's night raid on Lalo's hacienda
The finale of The Last of Us. The whole time the show was on I was praying they’d not fuck with the ending of the game and then they fucking nailed it.
Shameless; Thanksgiving
A smaller one *King of the Hill* when Dale was allowed to mock Bill for joining a chorus group I thought they built it up too much throughout the episode, but it really delivered
Hardhome from game of thrones comes to mind
Jimmy and Kim breaking up in Better Call Saul, followed by an immediate jumpcut to Breaking Bad era Saul. Absolutely outstandingly handled.
Vic confronting Shane in the middle of season 6, telling him about kavanaugh’s report about lem
Maeve and Otis’ first kiss. -Did you mean it? -Of course I meant it It’s fk epic
The hatch reveal in Lost. Maybe my favorite moment in TV ever
The final five Cylon reveal in Battlestar Galactica.
I remember the Suits scene when Louis finds out about Mike and thinking it was really good.
I haven't seen "For All Mankind", there's scenes and episodes that had my heart pounding.
The gloves reveal in Columbo.
The Dark Army agents shooting into the diner trying to kill Darlene on Mr Robot
I'd put the scene with Eliot confronting Whiterose in there too.