das Monkey

Cry if I want to ... cry if I want to ...

If you haven't teared up watching a television show, then you're either not watching the right shows, or ... get away, it's a demon!!!

Now, it would take forever and be fairly pointless if we listed the countless television episode that brought a tear to our eye. For me, the final episodes of shows like Mary Tyler Moore and M.A.S.H. are very special, or Robert Guillaume's return to Sports Night after his real life stroke, or Walter Kronkite's commentary of the moon-landing ... all special moments to me. But I'm wagering that many of us have an episode or two of a specific television show that doesn't simply make our eyes swell with joy or sadness, but sends us into a crybaby frenzy, tears and snot everywhere, curled up in the corner hoarse and wheezing ... ok, maybe not that bad. I'm talking about the big show, the one episode, the single piece of television that you cannot watch without completely losing it. It can be real or fictional, and while I'm sure most of us had many emotions in recent months, I'd ask that you stay away from 9/11 related events unless you feel it would still carry the largest impact on you many years from now.

So there's the criteria: tears and lots of them. They can be joyous or painful, but they must be enduring ... not just shock tears from the first viewing, but the piece of television that no matter how many times you watch it, you're still a worthless pile of mush.

I'll get the ball rolling. Watching Buffy: 'The Body' this week was a gut-wrenching emotional experience like few television has ever given me. I've seen it many many times, and it never fails to deliver the same reaction. It is truly one of the finest pieces of television ever put together, but while it makes me want to cry and throw up and call my mother and tell her I love her, it's not my choice.

My choice is strangely enough Babylon 5: 'Sleeping in Light' The emotional attachment I had (and still have) to these characters was greater than any I can remember. I've loved many many television programs, but there's something unique and wonderful about Babylon 5. I won't get into what actually happens in the episode for those who haven't seen it, but more than the events of the actual episode, this one hour represents the final piece of one of the greatest epic stories ever told on film or in print. And while I know the show will continue in various spinoffs and in time will grow to near Star Trek cult status, no matter how many times I watch it, it still devastates me. The music and the images blend together in such a way that speaks to the core of my soul, and I cannot watch it without falling to pieces.

I know I'm not the only one. If you watch enough television, you'll come across something that hits you in a way nothing else does, and I assume it's different for everyone. So, let's have it.

das

palebluedot

It's rare that a TV show will move in such a way that I become emotional over it but a few have.

I can say that Buffy: The Body, is definitely one. Just having recently seen this for the first time I was very moved by it because it was just so well done and hit very close to home for me.

Another would be a couple of episodes of the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. There were both tears of joy and sadness during this mini-series but especially the episodes regarding Apollo 1 and the wives of the astronauts. Very moving.

That's all I can think of right now.

bboisvert

That episode of B5 was the absolute first thing that came to mind when I thought about this topic. A very emotional episode, brought to the screen with perfection. Chokes me up every time (well, the 3 times I've watched it anyways).

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but B5 definitely fits the bill. I think part of it is that you spend 5 years watching a story that actually changes and moves forward and spend that time with 3-dimensional characters that actually grow, so you can really become attached. There are a couple of G'Kar/Londo moments in the last 2 seasons that choke me up too.

das Monkey

Originally posted by palebluedot
Another would be a couple of episodes of the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. There were both tears of joy and sadness during this mini-series but especially the episodes regarding Apollo 1 and the wives of the astronauts. Very moving.

While that whole series is absolutely incredible, I recall '1968' being a very moving episode for me.

das

das Monkey

Originally posted by bboisvert
There are a couple of G'Kar/Londo moments in the last 2 seasons that choke me up too.

B5 spoiler below ... don't read unless you've seen them all:


das

bboisvert

I'm still laughing about my unintentional joke. It actually took me a couple of minutes to figure out what you were talking about in your post!