Nancy Spungen's Dungeon: 2010

After much recommendations from a few different people, including my beloved sister, I watched Californication's first season.

First of all, it has nothing to do with the Red Hot Chili Peppers song and album of the same name, but the show does feature some Warren Zevon songs and anything that features Warren Zevon gets major points from me. The cool points for Zevon are pretty much the only thing I enjoyed about the show though. I like David Duchovny generally and he does a good job in this but I don't care for his character. I don't care about any of the characters in the show, and in a drama you want the audience to care about at least one.
Duchovny plays a semi-has been writer named Hank Moody. He has a 12-year old daughter he loves with an ex-girlfriend he still kinda loves but she's engaged to another guy that of course is boring and uptight in all the ways Hank is interesting and easy going. The season ends with the ex and fussy guy's wedding and you know it features Hank in a fist fight and his ex running off with him in the end.
Most of the other drama in the first season is provided by Hank sleeping around with pretty much every woman he sees and the usual sitcom complications they provide; angry husbands, awkward morning afters etc. In the first episode he sleeps with a young woman after he sees her reading his book in a cafe. He later finds out she's his ex's fiance's daughter and she's sixteen. So our protagonist commits statutory rape and we're still supposed to find him a likable guy because he tells people that talk on phones at the theatre to shut up. I do not like him. The lolita starts to blackmail him and I still don't feel sorry for him. His best friend/manager starts spanking his secretary (kinda like that movie Secretary with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal but not interesting or sexy at all) and then she starts blackmailing him and I don't like him either.
I don't like Hank Moody or anyone in this story, I don't like the story either. I liked the Warren Zevon music but I hated the rest of the music. I can't say I recommend it. What I do recommend is you save yourself a few hours and just listen to Warren Zevon and look at that picture of David Duchovny naked with the teacup on his junk.

You're welcome.

Spoilers, obviously, but nothing more recent than the last 6 months
All of these are from the last 15 years as that's when I really got into tv.
This is completely my opinion and thus, completely biased, but I would like to hear your take!
Unless otherwise noted, screencaps by me.

25 Amber dies with nothing the doctors can do to stop it in House "Wilson's Heart"

http://housecaps.sosugary.com

I've often complained that House suffers from being too formulaic. They always accidentally find out what's killing the patient just in time to save them. They did find out what was killing Amber but it was too late and it was really sad. She was a fierce bitch and I liked her a lot. Anne Dudek can make any character she plays captivating and Amber's death made House sink back into mediocrity for me.

24 Sam dying in his brother Dean's arms in Supernatural "All hell breaks loose part 1"

www.screencap-paradise.com

Not since the O'Reilys have two brothers loved each other so much (and inspired so much fanfic) as The Winchesters.I think Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean, in particular is a very underrated actor who shows many layers to his scarred demon hunter. Dean always looked after his younger brother growing up, when their widowed father John was away fighting the forces of darkness/not being a great father. When John died, the boys were the only family each other had left (with a few parental figures like Ellen and Bobby). Sam is stabbed and Dean looks like he not only loses his only remaining family but himself and the reason he has left to live.

23. Aaron Echolls tries to kill Veronica in Veronica Mars "Leave it to Beaver"

www.screencap-paradise.com

Veronica Mars (the show) learned from Twin Peaks that you should solve the series propelling murder at some point or viewers will hate you. Veronica (the character) relentlessly pursued clues all season to discover who killed her best friend Lilly Kane. She figured out is was her ex-bf Logan's dad (whom Lilly was having an affair with) before he locks her in a freezer and sets in on fire. Keith Mars saves her because he is the best tv dad ever.

22. Willow's grief over Tara in Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Grave"

www.screecap-paradise.com

A lot of people died on Buffy but only a handful from non-magical causes. Tara was a casualty when the misogynist Warren shot at Buffy. Her girlfriend Willow's grief was palpable in the next episodes. Yes, it was awesome how evil and vengeful she became but it was sad why she became so. She lost her humanity and regained it when Xander, with no special powers whatsoever, reminded her what it's like to be human. "It hurts so much", Willow cried out as she collapsed in Xander's arms and Xander could only hold her and tell her that he loved her, because sometimes that's all you can offer.

21. Barb and Nikki hold hands at Margene's baptism in Big Love "The Baptism"

Ostensibly about a guy and his three wives, I think the best relationships on Big Love are those between the "sister wives". It's just fascinating how they live together and care for each other while confronting their jealousies like sisters. Nikki nursed Barb back to health when she nearly died of cancer and thus Barb is one of the few people Nikki is actually close to. Nikki comes off as selfish, cold and greedy for most of the first season and this moment really warmed her.

20. Sydney watches her father bleeding to death in Alias "All The Time in The World"

http://alias-media.com

Yeah the show went way off track into weird mythology after the second season but Sydney always kicked ass and the part that worked best was her re-connection with the father she barely knew. They saved the world a few times, growing closer until they were able to hug and say "I Love you" One their last mission, Jack is shot and mortally wounded, unable to come with Sydney to reclaim some magical mcGuffin. He begs her to leave him and as she tearfully drives away, he stands up to bid her farewell, and collapses when she leaves.

19. Fry's brother Yancy names his son after him in Futurama "Luck of the Fryish"

Futurama never gave us much of a glimpse of Fry's family back in the 20th century and what we did they seemed aloof and self-absorbed. He later finds out his brother took his identity and achieved everything Fry had ever dreamed of; being the first person on mars, a millionaire and a rock star. What a jerk. Only when the gang goes to the other Philip's grave, the find out it was not his brother Yancy, but a nephew that Yancy named after his brother "who I miss everyday. I love you Philip."

18. Ellen and Jo die in battle in Supernatural "Abandon all Hope"

Unlike many fans, I liked Jo and Ellen from the start on Supernatural. I always thought of them as a surrogate mother and sister to the brothers. So it was fitting that they continued the Winchester's familial theme of heroic sacrifice. Fighting off the apocalypse Jo is injured by hellhounds. The group retreats to an abandoned hardware store, mortally wounded Jo offers to blow herself up with the hounds. Her mother stays with her, telling the boys to "kick it in the ass. Don't miss". Jo can't fight anymore and dies. "It's Ok. That's my good girl" her loving mother tells her before blowing the hell out of the hounds.

17. Homer's Mother leaves and he watches the sky in The Simpsons "Mother Simpson"

The music to this was so sad and jarring because it played instead of the usual credits. I think this was the first time we'd ever heard about Homer's mother other than in passing and for only 22 minutes we knew her and liked her and then she had to leave Homer again. Homer was heartbroken and this was the first time the Simpsons made our hearts hurt.

16. Buffy kills Angel to save the world in Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Becoming, part 2."

www.screencap-paradise.com

Even the music to this alone can bring tears to my eyes. Angel was good, then he was really evil. Buffy had to kill him to save the world and he went back to good, hurting her yet again. She had to kill the first man she ever loved, because sometimes love really, really sucks. None of her relationships since then came close to being as doomed yet beautiful.

15. Veronica Mars confronts Cassidy Casablancas in Veronica Mars "Not Pictured"

www.screencap-paradise.com

Man, this show was dark and it got darker as it went on. After Veronica solves her best friend's murder (and the killer got off!).A bus crash kills dozens of teenagers and Veronica narrowly escapes. She follows the clues and finds out Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas killed everyone so that no one would find out he and several other kids were molested by a respected citizen. He then blows up a plane that we think Keith is on and we find out he raped Veronica. Kristen Bell is a great actress and she broke my heart as she tearfully confronted Cassidy on the rooftop. The whole episode is chilling.

14. Omar is killed by Kenard in The Wire "Clarifications"

It's a fact.The Wire is the best police drama ever. And Omar is one of the best characters ever, even President Obama agrees. Omar was a ghetto Robin Hood, robbing dealers but never law-abiding citizens, never swearing and always taking his grandmother to church. Oh, and he was gay, openly gay, even his enemies knew it and they still cowered in fear from him. We knew he wasn't long for this world after he escaped a shoot out by jumping out a window, breaking a leg in the process. Still, it was a shock that of all people, he was shot not by the Barksdale or Stanfield crew or the cops, but a kid, a kid that just wanted to be a man. The kid, Kenard, got sent to jail and Omar to the morgue, both becoming statistics.

13. Juliet is ripped out of Sawyer's arms and then dies after setting off Jughead in Lost "The
Incident"

Juliet was awesome and I liked when she got together with Sawyer, they both deserved people that weren't flakes or stupid bitches (people like Jack and Kate who suck and are thus, perfect for each other). As the survivors tried to detonate the Jughead bomb, the electromagnetism of the island entangled her in chains and sucked her down into the hole as Sawyer could only watch helplessly. It was, pardon the pun, wrenching. I was also sad she never got off the island to see her sister (who she loved) and the nephew, named Julian after her, that she had never met.

12. Alby tells Dale "I think you're the answer to my prayers" in Big Love "The Mighty and
Strong"

On a show with tons of forced/arranged marriages, the most heartfelt love was between two guys that did not expect it. Like his sister Nikki, Alby in the first few seasons was pretty much a sociopath who cared about nothing but power. Then he met Dale and began trembling with his new feelings of love like so much grape jelly. In one of my favorite scenes, he climbs in through Dale's window, makes dinner(turkey tetrazzini and coleslaw!) and just waits for him to come home. Then Alby, a religious zealot, says something truly subversive. "I think you're the answer to my prayers" essentially, God made our love. Then they hugged, and I can't watch it without squealing.

11. Keller betrays Beecher, breaking his arms in Oz "Escape from Oz"

www.leetergesen.com

Back when I had just started watching Oz in the second season and was all a-twitter about seeing two guys kiss on tv (not much has changed) I discovered my One True Pairing of Beecher and Keller. But, as I had just began, I was not aware of how dark and violent the show was. Couldn't they just be happy together? Lord, no. Keller was a sociopath who was working with Beecher's mortal enemy Schillinger and didn't (at the time) love Beecher back. They lead Beecher to the gym and then Keller told him it was all a plan and broke his arms, then Schillinger broke his legs. It was just brutal.

10. Fred dies in Wesley's arms in Angel "A Hole in the World"

www.screencap-paradise.com

Relationship aren't happy for very long in the Whedonverse but this was just cruel. Wesley had cared about Fred for years and she had only recently realized the feeling were mutual. They shared a kiss and then in the very next episode, Fred was attacked by an ancient demon who wanted to hollow out her body and use it as a shell. Wesley waited patiently by her side as she deteriorated, reading her stories. "I've loved you since I've known you, maybe before" he said as she begged him to lie to her parents that she didn't suffer. Her last words were "Please, Wesley, why can't I stay?"

9. Keller leaves Oz for a crime Beecher committed in Oz "Cuts Like a knife"

www.leetergesen.com

Beecher and Keller did some terrible things to each other over the years, but they obviously loved each other, if you have any doubt, watch this episode. Schillinger wants to retaliate against Beecher for having his son killed and threatens to kill Beecher's young daughter. Beecher sees no solution except offering to die himself. Keller has another plan; he confesses that he set up the murder and takes the rap himself. As he is shipped off for trial in Massachusetts, Sister Pete tells him that God sees him as worthy for what he did. Beecher and Keller kiss goodbye and Keller promises "God doesn't have the balls to keep us out [of heaven]"

8. Desmond and Penelope reconnect through time in Lost "The Constant"

http://lost-media.com

Sexy Desmond and devoted Penelope had a love that transcended time. After Desmond bolted on her he promised to call her on Christmas Eve. On the Island he becomes, as Vonnegut would say "unsuck in time" to the point where his life and sanity is in danger. Physicist Daniel Faraday tells him to concentrate on one thing to be his "constant" to keep him rooted in time and that constant is Penny. Desmond calls her from the freighter and they tearfully tell each other they never gave up or stopped loving each other.

7. Beecher gets paroled in Oz "See no evil, hear no evil, smell no evil"

www.leetergesen.com

I couldn't believe it at first. Was it all just a happy dream like in season 4? (Thanks for nothing, McClain, you stupid skank!) No, he really got out! He was so happy he picked up Sister Peter Marie and said "Holy fucking Christ" in front of a nun, but wouldn't you? I have three Beecher moments on this list and they all brought the tears for different reasons because Oz and Beecher and Keller's relationship was so well written and unique.

6. Ben kills Locke in Lost "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

http://lost-media.com

John Locke's life pretty much sucked beginning to end. He grew up in Foster care and when he found his birth parents they only paid attention to him because his father needed a kidney. He confronted his father later only to have the bastard push him out of a window, crippling him. He liked it on the Island because he could walk again but the Island messed with him and so did Ben. He got off the Island only to find out he couldn;t walk again and the love of his life, Helen, had died of a brain aneurysm. He's going to kill himself when Ben appears and convinces him not to, then Ben strangles him for his own gain. Locke was everybody's victim.

5. Seymour the dog waits for Fry for 12 years in Futurama "Jurassic Bark"

Like the Simpsons, this caught me off guard with how sad it was. Fry had a dog in the 20th century and when he was frozen the dog found him but no one paid attention. Fry thinks his dog lived a full life after he disappeared, but he spent everyday waiting for Fry to return to the Pizza place he worked at. Everyday until he grew old and closed his eyes. The sequence is set to the Connie Francis song "I Will Wait For You". The original script had Fry's mother fossilized, but I think dog is sadder because dogs love their owners so much.

4. Cyril O'reily's (almost) execution in Oz "A day in The Death"

Someone died (usually horribly violently) on almost every episode of Oz. By the sixth season viewers were almost desensitized but then arguably the most "innocent" of the prisoners, Cyril O'Reily, who was brain damaged resulting in the mind of a five year old got sent to death row. His family tried to save him but he was lead to the electric chair, his brother praying as the other prisoners banged on their cell walls in solidarity. He got a last minute reprieve, giving Ryan and the viewers hope but in the last episode he was killed anyway. You can tell yourself it's not real but things like this actually happen and that should upset you.

3. The epilogue of Six Feet Under "Everything Ends"

Probably the best ending to a drama series I have seen. The series centered around death and it showed us how everyone died in the end, which was actually a lot more uplifting than it sounds. Sia's Breathe Me is affecting by itself and with Claire driving away into uncertainty, finally spreading her wings and growing up, just try to not to tear up. Everyone seems to age (except George, wtf) Claire and Ted get married, David and Keith get married as we watch their lives unfold. But what gets me every time is when Keith is murdered and then David dies after seeing a young Keith smiling at him from a distance.

2. Alby finds Dale dead in Big Love "Under One roof"

There were so many things that shocked me about this scene and the direction this storyline took in the course of just one episode. Alby rented an apartment just for them to meet up in, because not everyone appreciates surprise visits. Dale went to the LDS church for help and got a cold reception as he tearfully confessed to trying to change his sexuality for his entire life. Alby on the other hand, seemed to have accepted his feelings, telling his sister Nikki that "he touches my heart. He's my destiny" and then leaving a message on Dale's phone ending with a completely sincere "I love you." He then finds Dale has hanged himself in their apartment. Matt Ross's performance in this scene is devastating.

1. "Mommy?" and the whole episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer "The Body"

www.screencap-paradise.com

Perhaps the most realistic and affecting depiction of a parent's death on tv, on a supernatural show no less! Buffy does everything right; calling 911 and performing CPR (breaking a rib, which actually happens often in real life) while staying on the line, but she cannot revive her mother. She calls Giles and when he arrives she says "you're not supposed to move the body" and is horrified that her mother is now only a "body". Everyone reacts differently; Xander punches a wall, Willow can't decide what to wear and Anya wants to know why "she'll never yawn or brush her hair again" and Dawn only says "I have to pee". It's like watching your friends react to a death. It's just real.

Check out a youtube playlist of the moments at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FE549D9C73F47BAA