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TOP 10 MOMENTS IN TV SHOWS (PART 1)

I love seeing top ten lists. I’ve wanted to make a favourite TV show list for the longest time. But a part of me thought, “this has been done so many times before! How can I make it different?”. So I decided to make a list of my top 10 moments in TV shows. It includes sequences that hooked me on a show or bone-chilling scenes that either set the series on whole other level or, simply, marked a precedent for future shows. I tried avoiding character deaths in this list as that would be too easy. I’ll admit though, there is one death among these ten moments. Possibly two, depending on how you look at it. Keep reading if you want to know what the hell I’m talking about.
 
This post will be divided in two parts. Obviously, there will be spoilers for these shows. To make it easier for you to avoid these spoilers I’ll write a list of the shows I’ll be talking about before each post.
 
Let’s start with part 1 of this list. In this post, there’ll be spoilers for “The Jinx” (Andrew Jarecki, 2015), “Les Revenants” (Fabrice Gobert, 2012-2015), “The Wire” (David Simon, 2002-2008), “The Sopranos” (David Chase, 1999-2007) and “Sharp Objects” (Marty Noxon, 2018). You’ve been warned! Let’s get to it.
 

10. “Sharp Objects” – “Milk” (1×08)

I never thought a line such as “Don’t tell mama…” would make shivers run down my spine. Alas, this show managed just that.

Camille gets home and for the first time notices something strange in Amma’s dollhouse. A tooth. Actually, the whole floor is made of teeth. Also, notice how the doll is placed at the window, exactly the same way the body was found. This is how it’s revealed that Amma killed her friend.

After a whole season trying to figure out who the monster who killed that poor girl could be, taking into account all the men… no-one would have thought sweet Amma and her friends were behind it. This reveal together with the quick shots scattered throughout the final credit scenes will surely keep you awake at night.

 

9. “The Sopranos” – “Pilot” (1×01)

It’s often said that “The Sopranos” sparked a Golden Age for TV. It’s also one of my favourite shows ever. So it needed to be included in this list. And what better moment to include than its first scene: Tony Soprano in his psychiatrist’s office talking about his panic attacks. If this doesn’t seem like a brilliant take on a mob drama I don’t know what does.

And for the sake of slightly cheating throughout this list, let’s make this a “twofer”. I was actually considering the ending scene for this list. You know, that famous cut-to-black ending that angered many fans when it first aired? I freaking loved it. I swear to you my adrenaline was rushing throughout this scene. Why am I including (but not including-wink, wink) this scene in my list? Well, in my interpretation of the ending, Tony dies right then and there. And as I said, I tried avoiding deaths in this list. Because that would make the list too easy, right?

 

8. “The Wire” – “-30-” (5×10)

Often named the greatest show on TV, it was hard to choose a moment of the show that stood out for me. The “fuck” scene, Omar’s death… truth be told, it’s not a show that contains great dramatic twists, yet it’s the greatest drama ever.

And then I thought about the ending. That perfect ending scene accompanied by the show’s theme song “Way Down in the Hole” where you see the characters going on with their lives. What have we learned? Apparently nothing. Nothing will get better. History will repeat itself as it always has thanks to the systems in place and the people who want to keep them that way. Perfect ending to a perfect show.

“The Wire” is important because it has educated many of us on this situation. With this information, people can take action. Vote, write to your government representatives… whatever it takes. This is the greatness of “The Wire”. Not only is it a great drama, it’s an educational experience.

7. “Les Revenants” – “Camille” (1×01)

This addition is great for my list. I didn’t want to include deaths so it’s cool to be talking about a show where the whole premise is that its protagonists are coming back to life, right? Now I have to admit that I never got to watch the second season. I heard it’s not as great as the first one so I never got to it. I might in the future, though. Who knows?

In any case, “Les Revenants” has an incredible first season with many moments that could be included in this list. One of my favourite scenes is when Camille’s mother discovers her daughter has come back. Camille is casually making herself a sandwich talking about how she woke up in the middle of nowhere. Her mother’s reaction is just gut-wrenching throughout the scene. I opted to share a different moment though. The scene where Camille meets her sister because it’s an incredibly executed reveal. It starts with Lena arriving home. She’s undressing in her room when she hears a knock on her wall coming from her sister’s room. She knocks back. Another knock follows, one Lena recognises. When she opens the door, she sees Camille. They both scream. We then flashback four years and we find out Camille and Lena are not only sisters. They’re twins. That’s what makes their reaction more powerful.

Not only does Lena see her sister alive again after all these years of partially feeling responsible of her death. Camille now understands that time has passed since she died. Their parents hear their screams and rush up the stairs. They all hold each other during this incredibly cathartic moment.

 

6. “The Jinx” – “What the Hell Did I Do?” (1×06)

Andrew Jarecki’s documentary of Robert Durst’s life is fascinating. Jarecki had previously directed a fictionalised version of this starring Ryan Gosling titled “All Good Things” (2010). Apparently, after seeing the film, Durst called him up to see if he would interview him so that he could tell his story. Jarecki accepted.

“The Jinx” is the result of that interview. It’s crazy, riveting and informative. And like all good crime documentary it makes you feel like a great detective. Until the last scene, that is. Just when you think the show is over, something amazing happens. We see the interview set as it’s being closed down. The lights are being turned off, all that stuff. Meanwhile, we hear Robert Durst. You see, he’s gone to the bathroom and apparently forgot that his microphone is still on. The conversation he has with himself will make your blood run cold.