My Favorite Scenes on TV This Year

I thought about writing about all the great TV I watched this year (the spring was heavy, the fall light) but instead I thought I'd write about a few of my favorite scenes. I feel like I've already written in a lot of detail about most of the shows I loved at one point or another so I'll point you to those posts for further reading if you care! The Americans, Bates Motel, Rectify, The Good Wife, and The Walking Dead And this post contains a lot about my love for Alison Hendrix of Orphan Black.

There are five scenes that stood out to me, the kind that I'd write big long tags for on tumblr if I was the type to do that, but I'm not, so I'm going to put it all in blog form. One of them has no gifs made of it so you'll just have to imagine with me!

The Fosters--Brandon tells his dad he can't move in with him.

Pretty sure I've probably already written about this scene but it's important because it represents so beautifully something about life that I find so bittersweet and...hard to capture? Ana recently said it best when she said, "Even a good choice usually means giving up something is what I’m saying, and there are times when that’s easier to deal with than others." Yes, exactly. We don't get to have everything in life and as obvious as that may seem, it is actually a hard thing to come to terms with? It's easier to think there is a right and a wrong choice and if you make the right choice than everything will be peachy, and you won't still hurt over the loss associated with it. And sometimes other people pay those kinds of consequences for our choices as is demonstrated in this scene-- Brandon only has to make this choice because of his parents divorce.

So basically what happened is that Brandon lives with his family and it's wild and crazy there and he thinks he'd like more time by himself. So his dad offers to let him move in and at first he's going to do that but then decides he can't. So when he tells his dad, it's obviously hard, but there's this moment when he realizes that his dad rented a piano for him and this thoughtful gesture and the life it represents that he can't have causes him to just break down. It's like he's grieving the reality that he can't have both. And there's no bad guy in this situation, it's just such a truly human moment that exposes our limitations, the loss that is present in every choice we make. I loved this scene so much--it made me cry and it sold me on the show completely. I feel like The Fosters continued to have such moments throughout its first run of episodes. It's such a warm hearted show without ever downplaying the difficulty or reality of life. What can I say to get you to watch it?

Bates Motel--Norma Loses it on the Street

Aw, Norma how I love you. This scene really just struck me as such an excellent character moment. And I haven't really seen a lot of people talk about it apart from laughing at it, but I love what it reveals about Norma and how much I identify with it! (which is actually not a good thing, but whatever)

In the post I linked to above that I wrote, I talk a lot about how Norma tries to control her life. And one of the biggest things she does is to act pleasant and try to get along with everyone. She acts this way, of course, because of how out of control she feels. Throughout the course of the season, and her life, she is always trying to manage things--big huge awful things--by generally being pleasant and working hard. But no matter what she does, she just cannot get ahead. Earlier in the season, she tells Norman, "all my life I've had to put with things" and this scene just bears that burden in so many ways. She's just been at Norman's therapist who tried to get her to confess to what she would perceive as weakness (Norma would never!) and she's feeling under threat for her very life. Basically, she's carrying a lot of psychological burden at that moment. So when she bumps into this guy, her reaction is of course her normal Norma reaction--she's apologetic and pleasant. But when his response is to brush her off, to treat her as less than fully human in that second--she just snaps. She just cannot take another minute of being trampled on--especially for something that was a simple mistake on her part and for which she apologized. So she screams at him. And it's glorious and zany and it MAKES SO MUCH SENSE.

Source
The Walking Dead--Michonne holds Judith

Part of me wanted to write about one of my favorite Rick/Michonne moments just because ugh this ship I have the misfortune of loving it a lot but because it's not canon (yet!) the fanbase is small and inactive. Basically there needs to be more Rick/Michonne everything. But...I don't know it's really hard to top how powerful this scene was when Michonne held Judith. I'm only going to link to the gifset in this case because it's too many pictures. But click through to see what I mean.

Danai just did a really wonderful job in this scene on two levels. She acted beautifully, first holding Judith at a distance and then you can see the different expressions flash across her face as she draws her closer and ends up crying. And while the writing set up the scene for us to understand that maybe Michonne lost a child, the acting in this scene alone sells us that idea. It's just really fantastic. But it's also representative, I think, of the audience's journey with Michonne. While I have loved her from day one, there was a lot of dissatisfaction over her portrayal. I think the way she first held Judith skeptically away at arms length is how the audience felt about her, but then she draws her in and has one of her most vulnerable moments.

Borgen--Katrine talks to Birgitte about Kasper

There are so many great moments in this show, but I loved this scene when Katrine asks Birgitte about Kasper. She's hurt and confused because she doesn't quite understand what happened between them and she thinks that perhaps Birgitte can shed some insight. She thinks that they are getting back on track but then Kasper will do something that surprises and hurts her. So she asks Birgitte who wisely tells her that when Kasper was a spin doctor, one of his gifts was being so inscrutable that people could project their own desire for his meaning onto him. I looooved this scene. I loved it because YES we do that, we make room for the interpretation we want to be true, but also it was a really kind way for Birgitte to give Katrine advice about what might be happening. Loved. Sadly, no gifs.

Rectify--Because I Know You

Everytime I think of this scene, I tear up. It's one of the most powerful things I saw on TV this year. This is a huge important moment in the finale of Rectify, so read no further if you don't wish to be spoiled.

Throughout the show, we watch Daniel both adjusting to life on the outside and see flashbacks to his time in prison. And the show explores ideas of reality and truth and never answers the central question of whether or not Daniel actually committed the crime. Daniel doesn't really know if he did or not and that constant uncertainty and uneasiness is part of what makes this show so successful. When we see Daniel's life in prison, we see his relationship with a fellow inmate who is also on Death Row. And their relationship is really one of the only positive things they both have. In fact, on the outside, when Daniel talks about what he knows to be real, he mentions his friend.

Anyway, as his friend, Kerwin, is taken to his death, he stops and says he needs to say something to Daniel. And he tells him he knows he didn't do it and when Daniel asks how he knows, he responds three times, "because I know you"

This is all Daniel could want--that someone that truly knows him would know he didn't commit a crime he himself is plagued with doubt over. But not only that, it's such a beautiful goodbye because even if Daniel did commit the crime what Kerwin is essentially telling him is that, "I know you and the you I know is not capable of that" What better last message could you really give someone whose entire life is being lived in the same four walls? You can tell them that the time you spent getting to know them convinced you they were a person of worth. ugh, so beautiful. One gif below, but see it all here.

So those are my top five scenes I had something to say about! There were of course many more GREAT scenes, I just have less to say about them.

And just to kind of wrap up the year in TV--

My favorite shows from the year:
Borgen
The Walking Dead
The Americans
Rectify
The Fosters
Switched at Birth
Orphan Black
Bates Motel
The Killing
The Good Wife

Other Shows I enjoyed:
The Originals
Major Crimes
The Carrie Diaries
Nikita
Orange is the New Black
Suits
Breaking Bad
Call the Midwife
Parks and Recreation
Hannibal

Bates Motel and the Cycle of Abuse

(Spoilers for Season One of Bates Motel, particularly as they relate to Norma Bates, in this post)

One of the things I like* about Bates Motel is that instead of setting it in the past, it's more like...what would Norman Bates, teenage boy, be like today? (and of course Norma!) Bates Motel is kind of strange if you think about it...it's inspired by characters from a film based on a book based on a real life person. And when the show was first announced I was doubtful (though still totally going to check it out!) because it just seems like there are no new ideas. Also, how much story could there really be? A lot it turns out.

Some of it really interesting, some of it more like a failed attempt to create intrigue and mystery. I find the show entertaining and a good time and I almost hesitate to write from this super serious point of view about it, but I just can't help myself. I guess it's credit to the original author of Psycho and Alfred Hitchcock's interpretation in film that they managed to create a character in such a state of mind that you would wonder about him and what made him who he is. But as the show has progressed, it's not actually Norman that I'm interested in so much as it is his mother, Norma Bates. And...I guess that makes sense? In Psycho, the only things we know about Norma is the short brief story told to Marion Crane's sister about her death. Otherwise, she's nothing but a corpse, the "Mother" in Psycho is really a manifestation of Norman himself.

So while the story of Psycho largely erased Norma from the narrative, Bates Motel seeks to fill in our understanding of who this woman might have been, Norman's first victim. (though Bates Motel would most assuredly have us believe she was not the first!) Norman has some pretty confused ideas about sexuality and his Madonna/Whore complex comes raging into violent reality early in the show. While the blame can't entirely be placed at Norma's feet, I think it's pretty clear Norman is mentally ill, she certainly doesn't help. Their relationship is unhealthy, she does demonstrate jealousy and suspicion of other girls in his life and her efforts to protect him actually harm him. She won't let him see a psychologist without also sitting in on the session, she hides his blackouts from the world, and she covers up his crimes. I won't argue her actions are motivated from love, but I do think they are motivated by the only way she knows how to love, which is to say, not very well at all.

Norma herself, though, is a victim of abuse. Of lifelong trauma, I would argue. The very first episode has Norma facing a brutal sexual assault that sets off a series of events. She's a survivor as best she knows how to be and sometimes that's not very well. But..I don't know, despite all of this I feel so much for the character and I think the show has done a good job of reclaiming her story. It also helps that Vera Farmiga, who brings her to life, is giving it her all. Norma feels alive and real. She's equal parts adorable and irritating and sympathetic. Norma is a victim before she's an abuser and the whole of that is a very sad thing to me. The extent of Norma's background, however, we don't begin to understand until the finale of the season when, at a completely inappropriate time and to a completely inappropriate person she confesses the truth of her history. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

For the whole of the season, Norma's story has been one of struggling to get control over her life. This extends, unfortunately, to the way she manages Norman. But the very opening episode suggests that the town they've moved to is not that great and when the former owner of the motel aggressively breaks into her house and sexually assaults him, her response is to kill him and cover up the evidence in Psycho Bates style. But of course that goes horribly wrong and evidence is uncovered by people who would seek to exploit their knowledge of it. Most notable is the deputy sheriff who finds himself attracted to Norma with a desire to protect her. Norma thus finds her fate dependent on this guy (who is very shady) and his attraction to her as a woman. When Norma thinks she's finally going to go to jail, she gives us the first hint of the kind of life she's had when she breaks down in front of Norman. "You don't understand, Norman. My whole life I've had to put up with things." Even though, yes she killed this guy and ill advisedly attempted to cover it up, the man was brutal and assaulted her. It's hard not to feel for her even while being annoyed by the way she is always trying to stay in control.

And that's really the story of Norma throughout the season. She is trying, trying so hard to maintain a measure of control over her life and she keeps getting beaten down. As soon as one horrific ordeal settles, another pops up. Over and over, men attempt to control and manipulate Norma. Yes, it is always men. It makes sense that she in turn controls and manipulates Norman. She is definitely emotionally abusive, there is no question. But Norma didn't arrive as an abuser in isolation. She herself was horrifically abused.

In the finale, Norma thinks she might die. She feels that she's lost the latest battle and her ever fragile grip on control is quickly eroding. Thanks to Vera Farmiga it's almost amusing to watch her as she first attempts to speak with a therapist and then unleashes her rage at a man who is mildly rude to her in the street. (this was such a great character moment, because she is at first apologetic for running into him and when he retorts back, she just explodes in rage. She is just so sick of the world shitting on her that when she's sorry for even the littlest thing and it's met with contempt, she just can't keep her feelings in any more. A++) But it's also heartbreaking to watch her growing fear. Even though the Sheriff tells her to trust him, she doesn't, because Norma doesn't really trust anyone but herself. Fearing she might die, she breaks down in front of Norman and tells him the truth of how her brother sexually molested her growing up. It's one of those scenes that's just so uncomfortable to watch because you can empathize with Norma's sudden and intense desire to be really known before she might possibly die, but it's also the wrong time and the wrong person. Poor Norman! He's about to go to the dance! And his mother drops this HUGE revelation on him. But it's also a key scene because it continues to show us how Norma lacks all appropriate boundaries with her son while also giving us a huge key to her past and understanding her behavior of the season.

Norma is constantly trying to improve their lives and hoping things will get better. Even at the end of the first season, she thinks they have finally put their troubles behind them. The sad thing is, though, that of course they haven't. Their external troubles are nothing in comparison to the darkness and damage they each have inside themselves. It's sad to watch Norman's progression as a killer and Norma's misguided attempts to fix and make right her life, knowing that in the end, she's only perpetuated a cycle of abuse that will eventually claim her life.



*a lot of people don't like this! But for me it opens up the story so much more than it if tried to be a strict origins story.

TV Catch Up: Hannibal, Bates Motel, The Americans

Big catch up on TV post! I know you are all excited! (except for The Walking Dead which hopefully will get its own post eventually)

Bates Motel

I was really unsure what to expect from this show or think of it...and I'm still kind of unsure what to think of it, but it doesn't bore me even if I find some plots to be really outlandish and ridiculous. Like the whole pot field thing. And the sex trafficking thing. I want to say this show is a good time, but I feel a little guilty saying that because it's really...sort of perverse. But I like it. What is wrong with me.

Anyway, one of my favorite things about it right now is that it's impossible to know what is real, because Norman is SUCH an unreliable narrator as it is. So while at first we're thinking, oh poor Norman his mother is going to corrupt him, we start to learn that actually Norman has severe issues. And the stuff we've seen might not be real. And I like that because it keeps me on my toes.

Also, I'm oddly defensive of Norma. She's got her own set of issues, but I think the way she's trying to protect Norman makes sense. It would have made more sense in the 60s or whenever Psycho was made, but oh well. I really felt for her in that scene when she lost it at the trash site. This is a woman who has suffered and a lot. I think the acting is really good, too, like Freddie Highmore is really convincing and Vera Farmiga is outstanding. I like the addition of Dylan and the tension he adds. Also, I see some complaints about how all the girls love Norman, but of course they do! He seems like a sweet trustworthy guy. That's the way serial killers are supposed to be. They don't know he fantasizes about violence against women.

Anyway, I like the show, I like its ambiance, I like the idea that the town they are rooted in has its own set of issues, and I like the little touches like Emma's dad being a taxidermist that's a shout out to the movie. Anyone else watching?

Hannibal

Once again what is wrong with me? I like this. It's gross, yes. But like..that ending conversation between Hannibal and Will this week was so chilling. I like the relationship between Hannibal and Will--it really has a pull for me. I think Mads Mikkelsen is a great Hannibal and infuses the character with a sense of normalcy that is definitely gone from Anthony Hopkins by the later films. I don't mind that Will feels on edge--that makes him interesting to me. So yeah I'm sticking with this one. Apparently every episode will have a shout out to a horror film which is cool!

The Americans

omg this show. This showwwwwwwwww. Is so so good. I have no idea how it's going to be sustained over the long run, but I am loving it so much right now. The only thing I'd do is cut the sex scenes, I feel like they actually work against the whole of the show in so many ways, but whatever.

I love how, you know, the world's in crisis but Philip and Elizabeth's marriage is too. And it affects them and their children just as you'd expect in all the normal ways and that just adds to the stress of their lives. I love how real it all feels.

I hate Stan. I hate how condescending he is to his wife, I hate that he's all self-righteous until hey it affects him, too, I hate that he sleeps with Nina and then lies to her face about killing her friend, ugh. It's so weird, too, because he's the American FBI agent I should be rooting for, lol. But he's just so unlikeable to me.

Even so, I do think the tension of having Stan and Philip be kind of friends is genius, Philip is having his own hard day after killing Amador (which was unplanned) and Stan drops in to unload his own grief about the same thing. And then gives that completely profound and brilliant speech about how staying in every bad motel is the same thing. (part of why I love this show, there's so much smart writing just in conversation)

I like how the last two episodes have made this seem like a war, and the stakes are higher than ever and that each "side" lost someone valuable. Greogory :( His final speech to Elizabeth about finding someone who loved her for being so strong made me ache. I was relieved that they let him die the way he wanted to, though.

Anyway, I don't how it manages to be so smart and so tense and to have created so many characters I really care about and to do this so well every single week! I can't wait until Jodie watches it! Or any of you!

*Interesting post about how prestige TV dramas can be read as YA Fiction.

*This is the most disgusting werewolf transformation I have ever seen I will not be watching this show.

So what have you guys been watching recently?