Be it at the water cooler or online, these TV moments got people talking. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for specific scenes that had TV audiences talking for weeks and even years afterward.
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00:00Say Bandit!
00:04Welcome to Mirrors Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for specific scenes that had TV audiences talking for weeks and even years afterwards.
00:15For this list, we're not including news events or animated series.
00:19I just, I love her very much. 20 years from now, we'll talk about, wasn't it crazy how the country went nuts?
00:26Number 10, Red Light, Green Light, Squid Game
00:29The first game is Red Light, Green Light.
00:35Netflix viewers had no idea what they were in for when they tuned in to this South Korean drama.
00:42But the premise of a series of deadly kids games being played for a life-changing cash prize didn't really sink in until the 400 plus contestants of the titular games played their first round.
00:54When Ji-hyun and his fellow players realized that a rule violation was met with gunfire, the show went from mysterious to downright thrilling.
01:12The Red Light, Green Light doll, equipped with motion-sensitive cameras and deadly machine guns, became an instant icon.
01:19You are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words.
01:36She would be replicated and toured all over the world to promote the show.
01:41Number 9, We Were On A Break, Friends
01:46In Season 3, when Ross becomes jealous of Rachel's co-worker, Rachel decides the two need a break.
02:02Before they can even work out what that means, Ross immediately goes out and drunkenly hooks up with someone else.
02:09Their ensuing fight leads to many more seasons of tension between the two.
02:13Their initial argument about it is pretty tense for a sitcom.
02:17Ross's contention that they were on a break became a running joke within the show.
02:22But if time was what you needed just to gain a little perspective...
02:28We were on a break!
02:31Two decades later, fans still argue about this pivotal moment in Ross and Rachel's relationship.
02:38Or were they even in a relationship at all at this point? That's the question.
02:43I didn't think there was a relationship too jeopardised. I thought we were broken up.
02:47We were on a break.
02:48That, for all I knew, could last forever. That, to me, is a break up.
02:52Number 8, Sammy Davis Jr. Kisses Archie, All In The Family
02:57The Bunkers had dodged censors and upset family groups from the moment All In The Family premiered.
03:03But this Season 2 episode guest-starring Sammy Davis Jr. really made headlines.
03:08Guess what famous and important personality I carry as a person in my cab today?
03:13Oh, Chad!
03:14Oh, no, no, you ain't gonna get it out of me that easy.
03:17Davis plays himself, unexpectedly ending up at the Bunker home in Queens.
03:22But after a few minutes with Archie and his ignorant views, Davis had the perfect response.
03:28I was just saying to my family before you come in, I said Sammy Davis Jr. is maybe the greatest credit to his race.
03:34Well, thank you very much. I'm sure you've done good for yours too.
03:38Posing for a picture with Archie, he planted a kiss right on his cheek.
03:43The live studio audience went wild as Archie looked like he was about to drop dead on the spot.
03:58It became a classic moment the instant it aired.
04:01Number 7, Bill & Frank's Last Dinner, The Last Of Us
04:05Nick Offerman starred in this much-talked-about bottle episode of the post-apocalyptic HBO series.
04:12Offerman plays Bill, a loner who ends up taking in a traveller, Frank, played by Murray Bartlett.
04:17The entire episode chronicles their years together, culminating with Frank wishing to end his life before his degenerative disease makes him immobile.
04:26There wasn't anything to cure this before the world fell apart. I've made up my mind.
04:32Rather than live without him, Bill decides to join him in death.
04:37The scene where they share their last days and glass of wine together broke millions of hearts.
04:43I'm old. I'm satisfied. And you were my purpose.
04:55The episode immediately trended all across social media.
05:00Scores of viewers and critics lauded it, while its depiction of a gay romance made it the target of review bombing.
05:07What? I was never afraid before you showed up.
05:15Number 6, Luke and Laura's Wedding, General Hospital
05:20To love and to cherish till death do us part.
05:28In 1981, there were two high-profile weddings the world had its eyes on.
05:33While theirs wasn't a royal wedding in the city of Port Charles, Luke and Laura were essentially royalty.
05:45The controversial supercouple had been through a lot over the past couple of seasons, and the show pulled out all the stops for the event.
05:53Even guest star Elizabeth Taylor got in on the action, cursing the fictional newlyweds from afar.
05:59But the moment Luke and Laura were finally married, it seemed like everyone in America was as excited to see them tie the knot as they would be for their own family.
06:09Of course we're excited. Weddings are always exciting, aren't they?
06:12You've been looking forward to this actually?
06:14Oh yes, oh yes.
06:15Just like it was real people?
06:16Uh-huh.
06:17Number 5, The Red Wedding, Game of Thrones
06:21You're a delight to me, my lady. You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection.
06:28From its very first season, the fantasy epic was shaking up pop culture.
06:33But if Ned Stark's execution wasn't shocking enough, the fate of his widow and eldest son set the bar for everything that could go wrong at a wedding.
06:44The wave of realisation that washed over Catelyn and Robb Stark as the band began to play the song of their enemies also alerted the audience that something major was in the offing.
06:58But the sudden onslaught of violence and the loss of three major characters made the scene legendary.
07:05For a show that was never afraid to portray tragedy and violence, this was almost too much for invested viewers.
07:13Lord Walder! Lord Walder, enough! Let it end!
07:19Number 4, Ellen Comes Out, Ellen
07:22Ellen DeGeneres, the actress, came out as gay shortly before Ellen Morgan, the character she played, did the same.
07:30But the character's public announcement was unintentional, as she didn't realise it was being broadcast over an airport PA system.
07:37I'm 35 years old. I'm so afraid to tell people. I mean, I just... Susan, I'm gay.
07:47It was a memorable way to get the truth out, and the two-part episode created a sensation.
07:52Unfortunately, controversy inevitably followed.
07:56When people fall in love with a character, and they like the character, and then all of a sudden you say,
08:01oh, by the way, I'm this, which supposedly everyone in society does not like, that's a big risk.
08:08Everyone seemed to have an opinion about Ellen, the real one, and her character, being gay.
08:13The show and its star were inundated with praise, criticism, and even threats of cancellation and violence.
08:21Nobody's ever ready. You can't just wait for America to be ready for things, and that's how we affect change.
08:32Over its 14 seasons, the primetime soap was appointment television for millions.
08:38That didn't stop them from taking big swings.
08:41One day somebody's gonna stop you, and I hope I'm there to watch it.
08:45No way you can buy me off.
08:47The revelation that its entire ninth season was only a dream was a jaw-dropper that had everyone up in arms.
08:54But its famous season three cliffhanger took the nation by storm.
08:58For eight months, everyone wondered who shot J.R. Ewing in his office.
09:04Even British royals were intrigued.
09:06We were presented to the Queen Mother, and she says, I don't suppose you could tell me who shot J.R.?
09:12I said, no, ma'am, not even you.
09:15People literally made bets as to who the killer might be.
09:18The suspense and media frenzy the finale caused probably outweighed any reaction there was to the uncovering of the killer's identity the next season.
09:28It's hard to imagine a show drawing that kind of audience, 83 million people, to the TV for one night, for one episode.
09:35We just don't watch TV the same way. We just don't all come together that way, and I wish we did.
09:39Number two, Hawkeye's trauma, M.A.S.H.
09:42You son of a bitch, why did you make me remember that?
09:45You had to get it out in the open.
09:49Now we're halfway home.
09:51The tone of this Korean War-set sitcom often bounced back and forth between raucous comedy and tragedy.
09:58The much-talked-about final episode of M.A.S.H. is a heartbreaking hour of television that set the standard for series finales forever.
10:07Was there anything about that you found upsetting?
10:09No, I'll tell you what I find upsetting is being in here. I want you to get me out of here. I don't care how you do it.
10:14Caught in enemy territory and trying to avoid enemy soldiers, Hawkeye's order to a woman to keep her baby quiet leads to a horrifying act.
10:24The moment when Hawkeye Pierce uncovers the repressed memory that caused his nervous breakdown was a shocking gut punch for viewers.
10:34She killed it. She killed it.
10:37Over 100 million people tuned in, a record that wasn't broken until the 2010 Super Bowl.
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11:01Number one, the final moment, The Sopranos.
11:05Yes, it was the moment when millions of HBO subscribers looked and asked each other, wait, was that it?
11:13After six seasons of watching anti-hero mob boss Tony Soprano engage in some truly sociopathic behavior, we were ready to see how his story ended.
11:24Every guy who ran that crew died prematurely.
11:26Oh, come on.
11:27I beat cancer once. You've got no idea what that does to you.
11:30Would he triumph over his unruly criminal colleagues?
11:33Would he die in a hail of gunfire like so many of his fallen enemies and allies?
11:39The answer was neither.
11:41What looks good tonight?
11:43I don't know.
11:45The show cut to black mid-scene as Tony met his family for dinner, his fate left unresolved.
11:53Consistent analysis and interpretations of the ending have continued since the show ended in 2007.
12:00As of 2024, creator David Chase is still answering questions about it.
12:06I loved how the series ended because I think there was no way that everybody was going to be happy.
12:11So David Chase did what made him happy, which is, you know, leave a lot of people talking about it.
12:17What TV moment do you remember causing the most conversation?
12:21Sound off in the comments below.
12:23Please, these gays, they're trying to murder me.
12:29Do you agree with our picks?
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