A friend recently posted his most weep-worthy movie moments, and I realized I don't have that many. But television? Christ, when am I NOT crying?
I know there are others, but I don't watch "Lost" or "Torchwood" so this will have to do. Grab your hankies and give me yours.
23. Taxi: "Alex's Old Buddy." The leash. Dammit.
22. Cheers: "I Do and Adieu". What do you say when you love someone and it's just never meant to be? Sam's "Have a good life" rips my heart out.
21. Freaks and Geeks: "Pick me. Pick me." If you were that kid, and I sure was, you'll want to go cry in your diary.
20. The post 9/11 "I love NY" ad. I STILL cannot get through it.
Other post 9/11 moments that wreck me: Giuliani and the NYC firefighters opening "SNL's" new season. Jon Stewart's brilliant TDS comeback, and "Wish You Were Here" from the "Tribute to Heroes" benefit concert.
19. Veronica Mars: "Leave It to Beaver." If you ever feel like crying for a murderer and rapist, here ya go. "My name is Cassidy!"
18. EBay's "Toy Boat" ad. Shit. His face.
17. Scrubs: Ben's death. Completely manipulative and effective.
16. MASH: I was never much for the show, but Radar announcing Blake's death does it every time.
15. Homicide: Life on the Street: "The Subway." I forgive Vincent D'Onofrio for all the scenery he's ever chewed for this.
14. The Simpsons: "And Maggie Makes Three." Homer's "Do it for her" sign makes me bawl just to think about.
13. Battlestar Galactica: Starbuck's "See you on the other side."
12. Gilmore Girls: Lorelei watching her all grown up Rory sleeping in the finale. You can't get to a mother much more than that.
11. Barney Miller: "The Hero." Chano's solitary breakdown after killing two "hoodlums" is extraordinary.
10. Johnny Cash's "Hurt" video
9. Twilight Zone: "A Passage for Trumpet." Jack Klugman's despair makes this possibly the saddest, sweetest episode of the series.
8. "Brian's Song" The greatest bromance of all time.
7. WKRP in Cincinnatti: "In Concert." The fictional station reacts to the real tragedy at a 1979 Cincinnati Who concert.
6. The X-Files: "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." It's very funny, which makes Peter Boyle's performance all the more heartbreaking.
5. Visa's Derek Redmond ad.
4. The Office: Christmas special. I don't know what makes me cry most -- Dawn's face when she opens Tim's Christmas present, David's redemptive "Fuck off," or Tim and Dawn's final kiss to the strains of Yaz's "Only You."
3. Sesame Street: Big Bird getting it that Mr. Hooper isn't coming back.
2. Futurama: "Jurassic Bark." Waaaaaah.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "The Body." Her "Mommy?" gets me, but Anya's speech is the real destroyer.
Other great Buffy moments that get the waterworks going: Oz's departure, "Becoming," Tara's death, and Buffy's breakup with Spike. "I'm sorry, William." And honorary Joss Whedon mention to Angel's "You're Welcome" and Firefly's "The Message."
King Kaufman
Floyd Elliot
Cary Tennis
Jeanette DeMain
Dana Dangerous
Bill Maher
Salon.com
Comments
When Lassie got away from Timmie.
JFK's assasination
Oswald's Death on TV
Mookie Wilson's ground ball goes through Bill Buckner's legs.
To name a few. This is a generational/regional thing.
Grrr. Arggh. I need a hug...
There was an episode of ER (the original series, with Elliot Gould) in which a teenage boy is severely injured in a motorcycle accident. His father comforts the mother and reassures her throughout the episode. Dangerous surgeries, paralysis, all of these things the father has the strength to weather for his son. Suddenly, the boy's vitals crash and he dies. The mother is left supporting the now inconsolable father. He could weather anything for his son, but he has no strength to stand up to the loss of his son.
Nice list. It’s hard not to notice how many of those James Burrows was behind.
BTW, I was at that Bill Buckner game OEsheepdog mentioned. I had a different reaction.
I also get misty when Phoebe says goodbye to the triplets in Friends.
I love a good TV cry.
You forgot the ER episode where Dr. Green finally succumbs to his brain tumor. Here’s how sad it is: I’ve never seen it and I start to cry just thinking about it. My sister called to tell me about it (I was on an off-period from ER at the time) and had me bawling like a baby. It’s heartbreaking to think of him looking out on his daughters while that beautiful version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” playing. (The one by the fat Hawaiian, I can’t remember his name and I’m too sad now to Google it.) Maybe it was because Dr. Green was such a nice character it had much more of an impact then if it were anyone else on that show. I started watching again shortly after (only to be turned off again), but it never was the same after Dr. Green died.
Also, the funeral Episode of Will & Grace after Will’s dad dies. The part when Will and his mom are finally having a good cry in the laundry room does it every time.
Damn you.
Bobby's Simone's death - Manipulative and drawn out. But, when the child that Diane miscarried shows to welcome Bobby to the other side, I totally lost it.
Andy Sipowicz explaining to Sylvia Costas why he doesn't believe in God.
The Hulk is holding the dying Susan Sullivan at the end and she looks up and touches his face and says "Oh my poor David - who will look after you now?" and tells him she's always loved him.
Then David visits her grave and says "I loved you, and I think you loved me too. Even though you never said it."
Excuse me. I have to go take a break.
Then I read Jurassic Bark and I'm bawling like a baby.
Imma have to go watch that now.
Because I'm that big a geek. Just watched the clip, teared right up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pnLO0N3XPw
The Office (BBC) will remain one of my favorite TV shows of all time and those last ten minutes always break me. Not so much for Dawn and Tim - more for David Brent, finally making a romantic connection and being proud of it. And for telling that jerk to "fuck off."
The final episode of Buffy really broke me up (and my friend Ruby got to see me really lose it, which was embarrassing!) because that show meant so much to me. It really meant...represented...so much to a dark horse like me. And I loved Spike and how deeply he loved. And I loved Buffy. So for me, the show ending really did me in because I felt like I lived with that cast for so long! I think I cried for a half hour, saying goodbye to friends. It was such a female positive show, too.
Anyway, thanks Mary Elizabeth, for taking the time to do this. Move it around.
(Though I'd have to say, very few commercials move me at all...I can always feel the money strings trying to pull at my heart.)
Yes!
And seriously, peeps, if you haven't seen that ep of Barney Miller -- check it out!
Love other folks' nominations. And ditto on the last ep of Buffy. I want my headstone to read "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing."