nerd radio

Get ready for the new daily show

30 Saddest Moments In TV 20-11

October 17th, 2013 by Irwin Fletcher 2 Comments

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!

 

 

Part two of the list that is becoming the more depressing the more writing I do.
Last time around we had a few classics and some new, this week nothing much has changed. Is your choice there? Looking forward to number 1?

 

20. Mark Sloan’s Death (Greys Anatomy S09E01 ‘Going Going Gone’)

What: Greys Anatomy is a successful medical drama based in seattle. It revolves around the Surgeons lives mainly Meredith Grey from their internship to being fully fleged Surgeons.

The Moment: Mark Sloan is one of several people in the plane crash at the end of season 8, he is gravely injured and watched the only person he ever loved Lexie succumb to her injuries and die.
When back at Seattle Grace hospital he has a surge of good health but knows he is dying. He signs a mandate saying if he falls into a coma and there is no sign after 30 days to turn off life support.
The 30 days come and his best friends sit with him as the machines are turned off and Mark fades away.

Why it’s Sad: A late comer to the show he made an impression as a charming lady killer. When he met Lexie he fell in love but wouldn’t admit it and really never got to admit it before she died. You know that he is now finally with Lexie but it is the last straw in a string of death and despair which leads to you reaching for the tissues.

 

19. Crichton Closes the Wormhole to Earth for Good (Farscape S04E22 ‘Bad Timing’)

What: Farscape was a Sci-fi show with humans and Jim Henson puppets following an astronaut John Crichton who tested out a new method of spacecraft only to get sucked into a wormhole and transported across the universe.
There he finds a prison ship and some unlikely allies.

The Moment: John lands a shuttle on the moon and contacts his dad one last time before he closes the wormhole to earth for a final time to stop an alien invasion.

Why it’s Sad: John has decided to stay with the Moya crew and with Aeyren, he calls his Dad for one last conversation knowing he will never speak to him again.
It is heartbreaking as it was an end to a show with lots of potential and a wonderful father and son moment as his Dad tells him how proud he is of all he has accomplished. Cheesy moment but reduces you to onion inducing tears.

 

 

18. Jen’s Video Message to her Daughter (Dawsons Creek S06E24 “…Must Come To An End”)

What: Dawsons Creek was a teen drama – some may say the original teen drama, which was based around the life of Dawson Leary a high school student in a sleepy town who wants to become a film maker. He is often found with his friends Pacey, Joy, Jen and Jack.

The Moment: It’s the end of the last season and the characters are brought back together for a wedding.
When Jen faints the gang learn of her heart condition and she tells them she is dying. Dawson offers to film her giving advice to her daughter. She goes outside and takes off her oxygen and keeps her composure whilst telling her daughter that she should never stop dreaming. She tells Jack to take care of the baby and then
she returns to bed, tells Jack to look after the baby, shares thoughts with everyone and passes away very soon after.

Why it’s Sad: It is all too common that people pass away when their children are too young to remember. Nowadays with the very easy access to cameras and filming equipment I imagine these kinds of messages are being recorded constantly.
Jen started off as a rowdy character, the bad girl but as the show went on she opened up and people were able to see the vulnerable girl inside.
She never got her happy ending only sadness which in itself is sad. The good news is her daughter will not grow up alone and when she is older can watch her mother give her advice from the grave. There is a certain beauty in that morbid thought.

 

 

17. Six Feet Under Ending Montage (Six Feet Under S05E12 “Everyone’s Waiting”)

What: A show based around a family who own a funeral home, their lives and the cause and effect of death.

The Moment: The closing montage shows everyones lives and their eventual deaths, showing how they moved on from the events of the last season.

Why it’s Sad: We have followed the characters arcs for five seasons and now its over, we see the deaths of everyone, how many years they lived and how they eventually died. It shows the futility of life and the sometimes surprise of death. With a sombre soundtrack it might leave a tear as you say goodbye to your favourite characters.

 

 

16. Henry’s Plane Crashes (M.A.S.H S03E23 “Abyssinia, Henry”)

What: M.A.S.H was a show about doctors/surgeons overseas in the Korean War. It is regarded sometimes as a comedy but quite often featured harrowing storylines and showed the horror of  War

The Moment: Henry has been discharged and is heading home, all is happy. Until they get a phone call in the theatre telling them that Henry’s plane was shot down, no survivors. It is announced to the surgeons and staff and everyone continues what they are doing silently, some sobbing some sombre.

Why it’s Sad: Henry was going home, he survived the horror of the Koreanwar and was going home for good but he never reached his destination.
This scene is powerful because of everyones reactions, it is in a surgical theatre so everyone is wearing gowns, facemasks and hats. Hard to distinguish who is who but the absolute silence as they continue the work they ‘have’ to do.
It really hits you the effect death has on everyone and how much everyone will miss Henry.

 

15. Marshalls Dad’s Last Phone Message (How I Met Your Mother S06E14 “Last Words”)

What: How I Met Your Mother is a sitcom where the main character Ted is telling his kids in the future the events that lead to him meeting their mother. It is all told as stories that no matter how much they seem not to matter are linked to him meeting their mother.

The Moment: Marshall is Ted’s best friend and has been for many years. His Dad is has just passed away suddenly and he is really upset. The family want him to share his fathers last words at the funeral which were about Crocodile Dundee 3 and Marshall doesn’t want to as he thinks it is pointless. He charges his phone and finds a message from his Dad but when he listens it is just scratching sounds and he thinks it is a pocket dial. Just as the fates seem to be against him his fathers voice comes on telling him he loves him.

Why it’s Sad: We will all lose important people in our lives and wish for that one lovely moment at the end, a moment to say goodbye. When Marshall thinks his last moments were his dad talking about a terrible movie he was gutted, then when it was a pocket dial he was even more upset but when he hears his dad say he loves him it is a weight off his shoulders. His dads last words were uplifting and we would hope if that was any one of us we could have this moment too. Which is often not the case.

 

14. Jessie Tries To Revive Jayne (Breaking Bad S02E13 “ABQ”)


What: Only one of the most talked about show in the last few months. A chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer turns to the life of a meth cook in order to provide for his family.

The Moment: Jessie wakes up after his Meth/Heroin hit with his girlfriend Jayne and she is lying there with sick on her face, cold and unmoving. He tries his best to revive her but he is too late, much too late. He sobs and sobs pounding at her chest just wanting her to live.

Why it’s Sad: Jayne was a recovering addict but her love for Jessie got her back into the Meth and eventually heroin. It is essentially Jessies fault but we know something that Jessie doesn’t and that is that Walter came to his house to get his money, saw Jayne dying and just stood there looking at her.
This makes the heartbreak all the more poignant, as we know this could all have been avoided.

 

13. The Red Wedding (Game Of Thrones S03E09 “The Rains of Castamere”)

What: Game of Thones is the biggest fantasy show on TV right now, based George RR Matins popular novels.

The Moment: Rob stark has apologised to Walder Frey for not sticking to their deal of marrying his daughter and offers Edmure instead. Walder accepts and they have a wedding. It all seems good when during the after party Walder’s men kill nearly everyone, it is a bloodbath with Rob Stark, Catelyn Stark, Talisa and Robs unborn child.

Why it’s Sad: Everyone has come to love the Starks, we think Walder has forgiven and forgotten and suddenly everyone dies in a bloodbath.
It is a horrible scene especially seeing Rob trying to get to Talisa and their unborn child. If there were tears it was shock tears because if you never read the books, you never saw it coming.
12. Walter Sees Walternate Perfect The Cure For Peter (Fringe S02E16 “Peter”)

What: Fringe was a TV show which was based around an FBI team called Fringe Division who would investigate scientifically strange cases aided by a ‘mad’ scientist Walter Bishop and his distant son Peter.

The Moment: The episode goes back to the 80’s to explain why Peter is from the parallel universe. After Walters son Peter had died he watched the other Walter (Walternate) from a viewing window he created. Walternates own son Peter was dying too and he was trying to create a formula. He does create the cure but is so tired and angry he doesn’t see so Walter takes it into his own hands going to the other side to get Peter and cure him.

Why it’s Sad: A father doing anything to save his son even one that isn’t his? That is beautiful. You can see the anguish and horror in Walters face when he loses his son being unable to cure him, now he feels he can still somehow save his son. It is a man at the end of his rope jumping into oblivion, all for the thing he loves most.

11. “I don’t Want to Go” (Doctor Who S04E18 “The End of Time”)

What: Doctor Who the newest incarnation of the classic BBC TV about a time lord and his adventures through time.

The Moment: The doctor has just saved Wilfred by dosing himself with an extremely large amount of radiation. He visits all his friends to essentially say goodbye knowing that his regeneration is coming, after seeing rose before she met the Doctor he tells her to ‘Have a Good Year’. He returns to the TARDIS and before regeneration starts he says “I don’t want to Go” before the regeneration light smashes through his body.

Why it’s Sad: The tenth doctor was well loved and this was essentially his goodbye to the fans. His run was the first to speak about loosing a part of himself when he regenerates so it is also a reference to the fact he doesn’t want to regenerate.
Teardrops were seen that day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week concludes the list with our top ten…

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.