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THE BEST TV MOMENTS OF 2005
December 30, 2005
Continuing a "Taylor on TV" year-end tradition, this week I give you the 10 greatest moments TV had to offer in 2005. Rather than put together a standard "10 Best Shows" list like other publications do, I prefer to focus not on entire series, but rather the singular moments that make us religiously tune in to our favorite shows week in and week out. Below are moments that packed a big emotional wallop or generated the most giddy excitement over the last 12 months. So, without further adieu, I present my list of the 10 Best TV Moments of 2005:
1. The Fisher clan toasts dearly departed Nate on "Six Feet Under." Say what you will about the disappointing third season, the miserable fourth season, or even the slow-going early episodes of year five, the HBO funeral drama caught fire at the end of its run with the death of Nate, the show's main character and driving force. And I pity those heartless grouches who didn't cry their eyes out when, on the series finale, Nate's family took turns raising their glasses in the air and saying softly, "To Nate." When daughter Maya lifted her cup and added, "To Daddy," it became official - we can forgive "Six Feet Under" for its failings because when this show was on its game, it reached astronomical levels of brilliance. This was one of the smartest, most moving season finales I've ever seen and made for a proper send-off to a show that fearlessly tackled a difficult subject - the many ways in which death controls and terrifies us.
2. Ben Hawkins brings Jonesy back from near death (and fixes his leg in the process) on "Carnivale." It took until the second season for HBO's now-cancelled dark fantasy to fulfill its original creative promise. "Carnivale" reached its high point nine episodes into season two when mystic healer Ben revived his carnie co-worker Jonesy, an ex-baseball player with a gimpy leg who had been tarred, feathered and dumped in the desert for dead. Ben worked his magical mojo, stealing the life force from some circling vultures, to make Jonesy all better. The amazed smile that crept across Jonesy's face when he realized not only was he still alive, but that he now had full use of his bad leg, still makes me yearn for a season three that will never come.
3. Lilly's killer is revealed on "Veronica Mars." We patiently waited all season, gasping at each plot twist and taking note of each clue, before the killer of Veronica's best bud was revealed to be Aaron Echolls, big time movie star and father of Logan, Lilly's one-time boyfriend and Veronica's current squeeze. The big reveal may not have been a complete surprise (I actually had the elder Echolls as prime suspect number two), but it still packed a dramatic punch, especially afterward, when Aaron kidnapped Veronica, locked her in a freezer, and attempted to burn her alive. The big rescue by papa Keith Mars capped off a glorious freshman year for the UPN whodunit.
4. Inside that "Lost" hatch is…some crazy guy! People who had ABC's "Lost" pegged as a one-year wonder were handed notice to shut up roughly 10 minutes into the season two premiere. The episode started with what appeared to be a normal "Lost" flashback. Some long-haired guy went through his morning routine while pecking away at an '80s-era computer and rocking out to some Mama Cass, but his face was always slightly out of view. Who is it? Jack? Sawyer? What year was this, anyway? Then, a loud bang reverberated through the room, and the long-haired man suddenly bolted out of his chair to grab the nearest weapon. The camera quickly and wildly pulled back through a nearby doorway, along a maze of mirror-lined tunnels and up to a square hole into which Jack and Locke peered down from the other side. We realized this opening hasn't been a flashback; we've been inside the hatch all along! This fabulous jolt jump-started season two, and "Lost" hasn't slowed down since.
5. Shane begs Mackey to help him on "The Shield." Anthony Anderson played villain Antwon Mitchell on season four of FX's brilliant cop show, but the real drama sparked from the escalating rivalry between Strike Team leader Vic Mackey and his one-time protégé, Shane Vendrell. When Antwon ordered Shane, now cozied up with the drug kingpin and working entirely outside the law, to execute Mackey, we all knew things were about to get unbearably tense. That only made the emotion of the moment that much more powerful when Shane refused to turn a gun on his friend and instead collapsed at Mackey's feet, sobbing for help and forgiveness.
6. Sun and Jin (as well as Rose and Bernard) are reunited at long last on "Lost." Another "Lost" moment. Don't be surprised. This show does "moments" that make you smile, laugh, cry, and cheer more than any other show on TV. Crying (and lots of it) was on the menu when Sun and Jin were at long last reunited after Jin, Sawyer and Michael had been presumed dead at sea. However, what may have been even more tear-worthy was when, at the same time, Rose gazed upon the face of her husband Bernard, who had been in the tail section of the wrecked plane and barely surviving on the other side of the island. Rose had proclaimed all along that she felt her husband was still alive. Here was the proof. Bonus points for having Rose and Bernard be an interracial couple, which played on our feeble assumptions and made the moment that much more of a warm surprise.
7. Scofield loses some digits on "Prison Break." It didn't take long to figure out that Fox's thrilling, fun prison-escape drama meant business. The end of episode two faded out with two of hero Michael Scofield's toes nestled between a pair of gardening shears. But we all figured he'd work his way out of that jam by the beginning of episode three, right? Nope. Snip. Off come the toes. From that moment on, we knew to prepare for anything on "Prison Break," whether plausible or not.
8. Jack Bauer lets Paul Raines die to save a terrorist on "24." Speaking of crazy Fox action shows, "24" is still the reigning champ of throwing wonderful insane plot twists at the viewer. The best in day four - when Jack sacrificed his girlfriend's jilted husband to save the life of a terrorist withholding valuable information. I still love watching Jack make decisions like this every 90 minutes or so.
9. Luke tells Lorelai "yes" on "Gilmore Girls." The WB cliffhanger, where Lorelai suddenly asked Luke to marry her, was great. But even better was Luke's super quick answer of "yes," cutting her off mid-sentence in the season-six premiere. For once, a guy on a TV show knew just as well as the people watching that this was the girl for him.
10. Alma and Elsworth get married on "Deadwood." Cy gets stabbed! Wolcott hangs himself! Swearengen waxes poetic from his saloon balcony! Yep, the season finale of HBO's riveting western had it all, packing more plot into its 60 minutes than had filled out the entire season up till then. Those last few moments were particularly grand, including one final mocking of Sheriff Bullock by Swearengen. "Don't you have a @&$#-ing home to go to?" yelled Sweargengen as the already-married Bullock watched the woman he loves get hitched to another man. "I believe it's to your @&$#-ing right!" And, thus, for the second year running, "Deadwood"'s last episode of the season was also its best.
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