Top Moments What are the greatest moments in a series? What evokes an emotional response no matter how many times you watch it? My selected moments are payoff scenes, except for two. If you experience the entire narrative, then you’re filled with a sense of wonderment and satisfaction during these moments. We always remember the big flashy scenes, but it’s the character buildup, dialogue and world they stem from which provide these moments the true emotional punch and resonate with fans. Spoiler Warning: Chuck, How to Train Your Dragon, Firefly, Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, Resident Evil 2 and Up. Awe How to Train Your Dragon-During the final battle, Stoic’s hatred of dragons dooms the entire army that he was charged to protect. When the Red Death escapes the volcano prison, all hell breaks loose. The turning point is Hiccup, the weakest Viking with a history of calamity and the ridiculous notion that dragons can be trained. In the film’s climax, fans see Stoic save Toothless (thus, reconciling his bigotry), Astrid cheer Hiccup into battle (showcasing now-returned affection) and Toothless ridden by Hiccup fight a foe that they should have no chance in defeating. Accompanied by a perfect score, the entire sequence of events culminates every plot thread of the movie into a perfect scene and leaves me with goose bumps every time I watch it. Scary Resident Evil 2-The second, and possibly best, entry into the Resident Evil franchise creates a feeling of despair within Raccoon City. There is a sense that around every corner, through each door, there is a foe that will kill the player. But there are rules. If you are chased by a horde of zombies, run into another room. You can hear enemies shuffling around you, see the evidence of their destruction or outrun them. In one scenario, players walk into an interrogation room with a two-way mirror and can see into an empty room. The player will then enter the empty room and see their reflection in the mirror until….a licker jumps out and makes you poop your pants. You were just on the other side, nothing was there. The established rules are broken, a controller is thrown into the air and the most memorable scene in the series is created. Romantic Chuck-There are a lot of “will they, won’t they” moments within television. Entire shows are built off this premise and drag viewers through years of almost moments and so-close situations. Chuck carries this element through two and a half seasons, but they always acknowledge the affection shared between Chuck and Sarah (except for the atrocious Shaw storyline in the horrendous first part of Season 3). In a refreshing turn of events, Sarah and Chuck share their first kiss in episode nine of the first season, instead of episode 100 (looking at you Bones). The show would continue great moments between the romantic core and remained a quality show even when the two married. Funny Firefly-The greatest show no one ever watched when it aired (myself included). This western-space-drama has no business being as good as it is. But it was able to perfectly balance action, heart and comedic timing. There is a plethora of laugh out loud moments, such as the revelation of Jaynestown, and entertaining subtlety between characters, the first time Zoe meets Wash. I am forced to give the nod to the conclusion of Shindig, during the duel Malcolm wins (through dirty tactics) and drives the point home (twice) that he is not the greatest guy in the universe. Musical The World is Saved-Beyond! At the 3:10 minute mark the song reaches a crescendo and explains everything that it means to be a gamer. If I was to make an 80’s montage to my life, it would be this excellent work. Danny Wiessner did an excellent job with this track and the entire Beyond Community made a superb animated video. F* Yeah Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid-In the first season, Sousuke Sagara was charged with guarding Kaname Chidori. During their time together, a bond formed that caused Sousuke to integrate more with civilian life than his time as a mercenary-soldier. He battled in a giant robot, Arbalest, that used science-magic (remember, it’s an anime) to create force fields or shoot energy blasts. He wasn’t especially good at deploying this technology and fought his rival three times; only with the help of Kaname could he overcome the devastating robot known as Venom. In the second season, Sousuke struggled with which world he wanted to belong in and could no longer pilot the Arbalest. In the final episode, after an unorthodox pep-talk from Kaname, Sousuke battles five Venoms, displays a level of combat prowess never seen before and fully understands his place in the world. Just writing about how F* Yeah this moment is makes me want to sign an internet petition to ensure season four is created (because internet petitions will change the world…). Sad Up-Pixar is able to create fantastical worlds, make the ordinary seem extraordinary and express a wide range of emotions within their movies. While marketing Up, the movie appeared to be a journey adventure with an old man and a rotund boy scout, which it was. Unbeknownst to fans, the first five minutes were an emotional rollercoaster that caused anyone with a soul to shed a few tears or outright cry. The Total Package There are properties able to balance the entire emotional spectrum. Full Metal Panic and Firefly are contenders for shows which contain moments that are applicable to each category listed. If I was to pick one product who can cause fans to feel what the creators intended and display a wide variety of tones, sentiments and feelings within the narrative it would have to be Doctor Who. This sci-fi show explores the cosmos, yet remains grounded in humanity. At the heart of the narrative, is a story of a wanderer simply looking for friendship. At the other heart (that’s a Gallifreyan reference for all you non-whovians), is a tale of exploration and finding beauty in any situation. I don’t even want to list a moment because Doctor Who is a journey that must absolutely be experienced for yourself to appreciate all of its wonder (just give it more than one episode because it starts off kind of rough). Level Up, Friends!
