Call The Waaaaambulance: Favorite Crying Moments On TV

[danderson400]

I've got one from a soap opera, The Doctors, with Lauren White as MJ, after her husband dies... with Jada Rowland as Nurse Carolee Simpson, Philip English as Dr. Collin Wakefield and David O'Brien as  Dr. Steve Aldrich. Does anyone have a favorite moment where a character cries over something(death, lost love, etc.)?

Edited July 31, 2019 by Drogo
Topic title jazzed up.

[Silver Raven]

When little Zach Brady died on Days of Our Lives.  Kristian Alfonso, the actress who played his mother, Hope Brady, cried for a week.  I can't imagine how she did it without making herself sick. (Turned out the hit and run driver was his half sister, Chelsea, who comes in there at the end.)

[Rescue Mama]

When Archie found Edith's pink slipper under their bed after her death. I bawled for an hour. 

[Blergh]

When Radar announced that Henry Blake's plane homeward bound plane had been shot down flying AWAY from Korea in M*A*S*H, I STILL remember Mama bursting into tears!

Edited July 25, 2019 by Blergh

[cpcathy]

Diane leaving on Cheers, Sam's "have a good life," and the final scene where they are seniors, dancing to "What'll I Do."  Sob.

[danderson400]

I've lost it a far number of times over characters on soaps dying.

Isabella Beatrice Toscano Black on Days of Our Lives

Megan on One Life to Live.

[Vixenstud]

21 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

When little Zach Brady died on Days of Our Lives.  Kristian Alfonso, the actress who played his mother, Hope Brady, cried for a week.  I can't imagine how she did it without making herself sick. (Turned out the hit and run driver was his half sister, Chelsea, who comes in there at the end.)

Hope wailing 'NOOOOOO!' Is something I'll never get out of my head....I lose it every time I see the clip.

[kiddo82]

I'm not crying.  You're crying.

[danderson400]

Oh yes.. I watched that ep on SoapNet and when Hope learned that her son was dead...i lost it too.  'NOOOOOO!'

[Joe Hellandback]

7 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I'm not crying.  You're crying.

Good but not the best;

Buffy and Dawn at the end of Forever

My favourite scene in my favourite show

Of course Faith and Angel in the alley is a close second;

[Archery]

Judith Light as Karen Wolek on One Life to Live, confessing her secret life as a hooker on the stand in front of the whole town -- and her husband. 

[kiddo82]

17 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Good but not the best;

Buffy and Dawn at the end of Forever

My favourite scene in my favourite show

Fair.  I'll still take Becoming but you can't go wrong either way.  Forever is actually very underrated.  

[danderson400]

On 7/25/2019 at 10:31 PM, Vixenstud said:

Hope wailing 'NOOOOOO!' Is something I'll never get out of my head....I lose it every time I see the clip.

If my grandmom was still alive then, she and i would have said the same thing. I mean, it was a shocking development.

[Joe Hellandback]

5 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

Fair.  I'll still take Becoming but you can't go wrong either way.  Forever is actually very underrated.  

True, it only suffers in comparison to The Body. 

[roamyn]

When Princess Shireen burns.  I sobbed and ranted.  That little actresses’s screams were horrifying.

FU Melisandre, Stannis, and Selyse!

[Winter Rose]

When it wanted to, Scrubs really knew how to pack the emotional punches. The saddest for me were with Dr. Cox, probably because he was one of those characters who was usually so above it all.

And this:

Edited July 28, 2019 by Winter Rose

[Danny Franks]

People crying - most of the time it leaves me completely unmoved, no matter how much they wail and gnash their teeth. It always comes across as very self-indulgent of the actors.

People desperately trying not to cry - far, far more effective at getting an emotional response out of me.

[doodlebug]

General Hospital: The death of BJ Jones.  Felicia dropping to her knees in tears as she realizes her daughter, Maxie, received BJ's heart.  Tony Jones, leaning over his niece, putting his head on her chest to hear his daughter's heartbeat after the transplant.

Stone's death.  'I see you, Robin'.

[janie jones]

9 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

People crying - most of the time it leaves me completely unmoved, no matter how much they wail and gnash their teeth. It always comes across as very self-indulgent of the actors.

People desperately trying not to cry - far, far more effective at getting an emotional response out of me.

Just out of curiosity, are you much of a crier yourself?

[piccadilly83]

It's probably because Grey's Anatomy is on my mind,  but this title made me think of Christina's breakdown at the end of the third season when Burke broke up with her. It's funny and sad at the same time. Sometimes randomly I'll say "SOMEBODY SEDATE ME!" to myself or friends because I think it was so funny. But the aftermath of her peacefully lying in the hospital bed while sedated was so terribly sad. 

[Dr.OO7]

On 7/30/2019 at 9:12 AM, Danny Franks said:

People desperately trying not to cry - far, far more effective at getting an emotional response out of me.

When Matt Devlin was shot and killed on Law & Order UK, the most wrenching moment was when his partner Ronnie was talking about him with the mother of his killer:

"He was like. . .MY son."

The catch in his voice at that moment where you realized that it was taking all of his strength not to burst into tears is what caused ME to finally start bawling.

Matt himself had a moment like this when talking to Alesha after her rape (aside from being friends and colleagues, he's in love with her). SHE's in tears, but he's holding his own back because he needs to be there for her. There's a close-up on his face where you can see his jaw muscles twitching like crazy and it's obvious how much he's struggling not to lose it.

Actual crying?

"Without A Trace"

After spending the entire day searching for his cancer-stricken aunt (along the way learning that she's been euthanizing people in her support group) and finally finding her near death, an exhausted and grieving FBI Agent Martin Fitzgerald breaks down in his partner Samantha Spade's arms.

Manly Tears is one of my favorite tropes.

Edited September 27, 2019 by Camille

[Dr.OO7]

All My Children's Edmund Grey screaming in agony when told his wife Maria had been killed in a plane crash. At the time, their actors were happily married in real life and I got the feeling he wasn't doing much acting to convey his grief. Even worse, this almost happened for real--Eva LaRue, Maria's actress, was scheduled to be on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center, but postponed to a later flight because she felt ill.

[Vixenstud]

Oof, just saw it Camille....that's up there with Hope on DOOL after being told her son had died.

[dargosmydaddy]

On 9/26/2019 at 6:22 PM, Camille said:

When Matt Devlin was shot and killed on Law & Order UK, the most wrenching moment was when his partner Ronnie was talking about him with the mother of his killer:

"He was like. . .MY son."

The catch in his voice at that moment where you realized that it was taking all of his strength not to burst into tears is what caused ME to finally start bawling.

Matt himself had a moment like this when talking to Alesha after her rape (aside from being friends and colleagues, he's in love with her). SHE's in tears, but he's holding his own back because he needs to be there for her. There's a close-up on his face where you can see his jaw muscles twitching like crazy and it's obvious how much he's struggling not to lose it.

Jamie Bamber is the best at that jaw twitch...

[DearEvette]

3 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Jamie Bamber is the best at that jaw twitch...

That's cuz his jaw is a goddamn work of art!

[Dr.OO7]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

That's cuz his jaw is a goddamn work of art!

ALL of him is.

Speaking of Matt, that scene where he broke down in the church after his friends suicide was quite wrenching itself.

[Danny Franks]

Farscape again - the episode A Human Reaction, when John is leaving Moya to try and return home. Aeryn is obviously trying to hide her hurt over him leaving, to the point that she can only stand, shadowed in the doorway, as he says his goodbyes to everyone. And again, her eyes are just brimming with tears that she won't let fall.

Claudia Black is one of the best stoic criers in the business.

Edited October 4, 2019 by Danny Franks

[Vixenstud]

Sorry for the crappy reception in advance.

Girlfriends, Trick or Truth? episode

Joan ends her friendship with Toni after Toni crosses a personal line.

This scene is always hard to watch for 8 years ago my BFF ended our friendship, leaving me devastated to this day. About two days after we last spoke for good I happened to come to this very scene on the television....with the song playing in the background and Joan/Toni crying, I fucking lost it. By the time I finished ugly crying, you would have thought that Mike Tyson had punched me in both eyes they were so swollen.  Even now it is hard to watch without tearing up.

[catlover79]

Wow, no one's mentioned Florida Evans and the punch bowl yet?

[Vixenstud]

15 minutes ago, catlover79 said:

Wow, no one's mentioned Florida Evans and the punch bowl yet?

Sometimes I can watch it and crack up, as 'Damn, Damn, Damn!' has been parodied so much in black culture.

Then there are times when I think of potentially losing my mother, and it gets to me.

[Blergh]

55 minutes ago, Vixenstud said:

Sometimes I can watch it and crack up, as 'Damn, Damn, Damn!' has been parodied so much in black culture.

Then there are times when I think of potentially losing my mother, and it gets to me.

Yeah, it was brilliant because until that moment, Florida had been extremely stoic and rational obviously overkill to attempt to stay in control over an event and emotions she truly had no control over! And, yes,vixenstud, I can't help but empathize with you on this as I'm not even sure how I'll be able to function the day my elderly mother is no longer in this world! 

[Archery]

I gave up on Grey's Anatomy long ago, but this scene will stay with me forever.  

Bailey realizes the elevators are off

[Dr.OO7]

Another good "almost" moment:

On "Cold Case", Scotty is searching for the man who mugged his mother when he finds another victim. The woman tearfully tells him, "He put his hand over my mouth", "I've only been with my husband", etc., and Scotty's eyes fill with tears as he realizes what really happened to his mother. It takes him a long time to speak, and even then, it's very quietly as he gently tells her that it wasn't her fault.

[Blergh]

3 hours ago, Camille said:

Another good "almost" moment:

On "Cold Case", Scotty is searching for the man who mugged his mother when he finds another victim. The woman tearfully tells him, "He put his hand over my mouth", "I've only been with my husband", etc., and Scotty's eyes fill with tears as he realizes what really happened to his mother. It takes him a long time to speak, and even then, it's very quietly as he gently tells her that it wasn't her fault.

YIKES! So Scotty just realized that the thug who mugged his mother likely did MORE than just mug her! No wonder he felt like crying and consoled the other victim! 

[Shannon L.]

This is so new, I'm going to put it in spoiler tags.

From Jack Ryan, Season 2, episode 1:

Spoiler

Jack, played by John Krasinski, watches his best friend gunned down and die in the street. There's sniper out there who wants to shoot all who are involved, so he can't run to him to try and help.  That scene, plus the next one of him having to tell his friend's wife, were really sad.

I didn't exactly tear up, but it was a really good bit of acting.  Proof that John can do comedy, action and drama.

[Dr.OO7]

NCIS: New Orleans

Pride quietly breaking down as he prepares for the funeral of his friend and fellow agent LaSalle.

[Dr.OO7]

"Beverly Hills, 90210". Dylan's father is father is killed by a car bomb right in front of him. He proceeds to scream in agony over and over and OVER again.

Wrenching.

"Blue Bloods"

After shooting dead her would-be rapist/killer, Frank Reagan gathers his sobbing daughter Erin in his arms and comforts her as if she were a child instead of a grown woman with a child of her own--"Shhhh. It's okay." A very poignant and powerful reminder that no matter how old you are, when you're frightened/sick/hurt, you just want your mommy or daddy.

[Dr.OO7]

On 10/3/2019 at 11:04 PM, DearEvette said:

That's cuz his jaw is a goddamn work of art!

Don't you just want to trail your fingers across it and follow that with soft feather-light kisses and then slowly----

Ahem.

More 90210 moments:

Dylan's similar wailing and screaming over his wife's (of ONE day) murder. Even crueller, it was an attempt on HIS life.

[Annber03]

Bumping this thread to say that hanks to seeing it in the marathon, the "In Praise of Pip" episode of The Twilight Zone certainly qualifies here. Jack Klugman's performance as Max in that episode just breaks my heart into pieces, from the devastated reaction at the news of his son being gravely wounded in Vietnam to his tearful parting with the child version of said son later on, and then, his plea to God to take his life so that his son's can be spared. 

[Spartan Girl]

Two from Breaking Bad:

Marie breaking down when she learns Hank is dead.

And Jesse wailing helplessly when he watches Todd shoot Andrea. Also him breaking down in front of Walt after Jane's death.

[danderson400]

And on The Doctors(soap), not just Lauren White, but a pre-film star Kathleen Turner cry a lot. And Jada Rowland and Jennifer Houlton.

[Blergh]

St. Elsewhere Season Four, Episode 3 'Haunted' in which Dr. Mark and Ellen Craig lost their son to a DUI accident. While the occasional character's death was sad in itself, what was REALLY got the waterworks going for me was Ellen's reaction to it AND her loudly agonizing over the death of her only child while Dr. Mark overcompensated by refusing to talk about their son and burying himself in his work and the mundane postmortem details. Her performer Bonnie Bartlett chillingly conveyed how utterly alone in her grief and in the world Ellen must have felt- then seeing her catharticaly lash out at Dr. Mark for decades of pent up rage towards him and his treatment of their late son when he brushed off her invite to meet their posthumous grandchild was quite intense.

   But just when the viewer was ready to totally write off Dr. Mark as being a heartless automaton martinet, Bill Daniels knocked another one out of the ballpark at the end when he found out that his late son's last words were to recall  a shared childhood bond of reading of Green Eggs and Ham  with him and Dr. Mark FINALLY cried like a baby over his son's death.   Great work by this excellent husband and wife acting duo.

[danderson400]

48 minutes ago, Blergh said:

St. Elsewhere Season Four, Episode 3 'Haunted' in which Dr. Mark and Ellen Craig lost their son to a DUI accident. While the occasional character's death was sad in itself, what was REALLY got the waterworks going for me was Ellen's reaction to it AND her loudly agonizing over the death of her only child while Dr. Mark overcompensated by refusing to talk about their son and burying himself in his work and the mundane postmortem details. Her performer Bonnie Bartlett chillingly conveyed how utterly alone in her grief and in the world Ellen must have felt- then seeing her catharticaly lash out at Dr. Mark for decades of pent up rage towards him and his treatment of their late son when he brushed off her invite to meet their posthumous grandchild was quite intense.

   But just when the viewer was ready to totally write off Dr. Mark as being a heartless automaton martinet, Bill Daniels knocked another one out of the ballpark at the end when he found out that his late son's last words were to recall  a shared childhood bond of reading of Green Eggs and Ham  with him and Dr. Mark FINALLY cried like a baby over his son's death.   Great work by this excellent husband and wife acting duo.

I remember watching this ep as a very little baby. That was one of the first TV deaths i saw. Bonnie Bartlett as Ellen grieving over her son's death was quite chilling.  I remember watching this on TV Land too in 1996 as a middle school student, and i could understand why Bonnie Bartlett as Ellen was grieving over her son being killed.

[methodwriter85]

On 7/30/2019 at 9:12 AM, Danny Franks said:

People desperately trying not to cry - far, far more effective at getting an emotional response out of me.

 

Sarah Michelle Gellar was the master of crying on cue while looking like she was trying not to cry. 

[irisheyes]

ER: Love’s Labor Lost when Mark Greene goes to tell Bradley Whitford his wife is dead. 
I still remember the feeling I had when I watched it for the first time. I’ve never had a TV show take my breath away like that. 
 

Until f—in’ Aaron Sorkin killed Mrs. Landingham. John Spencer and Dule Hill were masterful in that scene. 

Edited June 6, 2020 by irisheyes

[Browncoat]

11 hours ago, irisheyes said:

Until f—in’ Aaron Sorkin killed Mrs. Landingham. John Spencer and Dule Hill were masterful in that scene. 

That one killed me.  I was very attached to Mrs. Landingham.

[Bort]

13 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Sarah Michelle Gellar was the master of crying on cue while looking like she was trying not to cry. 

SMG’s Daytime Emmy was richly deserved because that crying skill was heavily utilized when she was on All My Children.

[Spartan Girl]

Game of Thrones is dead to me, but Dany crying over Jorah's death was very well done. She was so wrecked that she couldn't even get out any last words to him.

[danderson400]

Kellie Martin on Life Goes On, during the storyline where her boyfriend, was HIV. There would be scene after scene where Becca was crying. Kellie showed so much emotion, that i'd started crying with her.  One such ep was where  a feverish Jesse(Chad Lowe) collapses in extreme pain at school and is rushed, unconscious, to the hospital. Jackie Zeman on General Hospital is another good crier too. And were both ABC shows!

Edited July 13, 2020 by danderson400

[Joe Hellandback]

On 6/6/2020 at 1:59 AM, methodwriter85 said:

 

Sarah Michelle Gellar was the master of crying on cue while looking like she was trying not to cry. 

And yet apparently she finds it difficult to laugh onscreen?