Monday 20 July 2015

Favourite TV Moments

 So, as much as I am a book-lover, I also love watching TV, in paticular box-sets. I'm definetly a binge-watcher, finding a series I love and immersing myself in it until I've finished. I have joined in the Hype for some popular series really late on (I only finished Breaking Bad earlier this year and am currently working my way through Game of Thrones). Last night, I watched a paticularly shocking and amazing episode of GoT that still has me reeling now, so I felt inspired to share with you some of my favourite moments in television.


WARNING: Spoilers included.

If you haven't yet watched (and are planning to) - Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, Friends (really?!) or One Tree Hill then don't read any further!!! You have been warned! 
So... here we go (bare in mind this is in no particular order)





The O.C.
Seth Cohen is one of my favourite fictional characters ever... nerdy, funny, sarcastic and handsome I swooned over him week after week when The OC donned our screens. I loved his relationship with Summer, and the scene where he goes out in the torrential rain ("Oh my god it's like The Day After Tomorrow Out There!") with a spiderman mask to protect his hair - obviously - only to slip and end up dangling form the roof, upside down with a cable holding his foot. Summer sees him like this and they reenact the famous kissing scene from Spiderman. SO much better with these two! ahhhh...




One Tree Hill
I absolutely LOVED One Tree Hill, my sister and I would spend weekends cuddled up on the sofa watching episode after episode. At uni, my housemates all loved it as much as I did so we'd also have One Tree Hill marathons (I know, we were WILD!). The episode that always sticks with me is 'For All You've Done'- the one where Dan ends up shooting Keith and killing him. I remember when the episode aired for the first time, my sister and I watched it together, neither of us expecting such a dramatic and sad outcome. We both ended up bawling our eyes out at it, especially at Lucas and Karen's reactions and I think it was the first time I've ever been truly shocked by a TV show.



The Good Wife 

This is one of my favourite TV programmes ever. I'm currently watching the latest series and I think it just keeps getting better. It's brilliantly written - smart, funny and at times, emotional. I absolutely love it. One of the most shocking episodes for me was when Will Gardener, one of the main characters, was shot and killed in the courtroom. I hadn't seen it coming at all, especially as his and Alicia's relationship was just starting to unfold. With this episode it wasn't just his death that got to me, it was the reaction of all the other characters hearing about it. When Alicia receives the phone call to say he's died just moments before she goes onto stage in front on hundreds of people, I bawled my eyes out. When Kalinder, usually hard and savvy, breaks down, I cried even more. When Dianne goes back to their office and stares across at his empty desk, you guessed it, I cried again. It was a brilliantly acted, emotional episode that had me shocked and weeping.



                                                       House of Cards
After binge-watching the first series when it was released on Netflix I so excited for Series 2. Thankfully, it lived up to expectation and episode 1 certainly shocked me. The programme revolves around Frank Underwood's need for power and his corrupt and immoral ways to get it. Murder isn't exactly a shocking act for him, but I was very, very surprised with the events of Series 2, episode 1. The series begins with Zoe Barnes threatening to expose his corrupt ways. He asks to meet her at the subway station. Before you even know what's happening BAM! he pushes her onto the tracks and in front of a train. It happened so quickly I was amazed - we even re-wound that part to check it had really happened! What really shocked me was that Kate Mara, the actress who plays Zoe, had played a massive part in the promotion for the new series, appearing on radio and TV and in magazines promoting series 2, so I really hadn't expected her to be killed off in episode 1!




Breaking Bad


I was pretty late to the Breaking Bad hype party, only watching it earlier this year. Although I found the first few episodes really slow, it soon picked up the pace and quickly became one of the best TV shows I've ever watched. The episode when Walter rigs an explosion device to kill Gus Fring is genuinely one of the best bits of TV I've ever seen. There is a HUGE explosion in a room, so you immediately think that everyone, including Gus, will be dead. But, Gus walks out the room, doing up his tie and looking seemingly normal - sure, a bit messed up, but no injury's at all to see. It's only when the camera slowly pans around do you realise that the other half of him is absolutely destroyed. He then collapses and dies. An amazing, teasing scene that I still think about now.




Game of Thrones 

Like I said above, I'm still working my way through this but watching last nights episode inspired me to write this post. The famous Red Wedding scene is absolutely brilliant and shocking, I woke up this morning still thinking about it! So you have Rob Stark, (king of the north and all-round major character), his mother, Catelyn, pregnant wife, Talisa, not to mention all his soldiers.  attending a wedding. Rob had betrayed his vow to marry one of the Frey girls, instead falling in love with and marrying Talisa instead. However, all appeared to be forgiven, Walder Frey said he understood why Rob had made that choice, and Edmure would marry one of the Frey girls instead. All seemed to be well and the wedding goes off without a hitch, followed by a happy ceremony-  the drinks are flowing, music playing and everyone having a pretty good time. I naively thought that was that, oooh what a lovely calm episode. Wrong! after the bride and groom leave to consummate their vows, the music changes and the doors are bolted shut. Tension sparks and you just know something bad is going to happen. Before you know whats happening, the Frey men attack, stabbing Talisa brutely in the stomach, shooting Rob and Catelyn with arrows and attacking the rest of Rob's men. Whaaaat?! Rob and Catelyn don't die straight away, so again naively I thought maybe it would pull through. But no. After a stand off, Roose Bolton puts a sword through Robs stomach ("The Lannister's send their regards") and Catelyn's throat is split, but not before a blood-curdling wail of grief fills the room. I was SO shocked, as soon as the music played I was sat on the edge of my seat, gasping in shock and yelling 'NO you can't kill the starks!'. I spend at least half an hour after words ranting to the other half  about it. Although I'm not happy it happened, it is absolutely bloody brilliant television. What a shock!



Friends 

I thought it might be best to end on a happier, less bloody-death note. Friends is for me, one of the most quotable TV shows of all time and is just an absolute classic. There isn't any situation or time that Friends can't be watched. There are some brilliant episodes and catch phrases that stand out for me - 'pivot, pivot, pivotttt!', smellycat and 'we were on a break!' to name a few, but the very last final episode is one that will stick with me for a very long time. First of all when Rachel 'gets off the plane'. Really, we all knew that Ross and Rachel would be together, and I'd have been really shocked if she did end up leaving Ross behind and going to France. But the scene where Ross is listening back to the answerphone message she leaves him, deliberating as to whether to go or not, gets me everytime. "Did she get off the plane?!"... "I got off the plane!" one of the best TV moments there's been. Then the rest of the episode is bittersweet, as an audience you know it's coming to an end and you know that when the characters are crying, it's actually because the actors themselves are crying. A fitting end to one of the best sitcoms ever.




So, there you have it, some of my favourite moments in TV ever. I'd love to know what yours are and if you agree! Let me know in the comments below :) 




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