Support NeoGAF

[Fatalah]

Woah, #1 was at the top of my list before I clicked into this thread.

That episode of Six Feet Under was torturous!

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Wilson's Heart was definitely super sad That shows highs were super high. Worth the lows in the later seasons.

Agree with everything about Ozymandias though. It's a trainwreck you know is coming but you still wince at what's going on.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Came for Hannibal, was not disappointed, although a number of episodes from S2 could be on that list.

S2E2...christ.

 

[Volimar]

Yeah 'The Body' is on there.

Wrecked me when I watched it. As emotional as Buffy and Dawn made me, Emma Caulfield was phenomenal with her monologue in that episode.

 

[mclem]

Actually, my mind went to one scene in particular from a much much older work.

(From a grittier-than-most medical drama, Cardiac Arrest. The full scene is here). Really really really not for the faint-hearted.

 

[The Illiterati]

I think the Lost episode "Two for the Road" should be on there. I still find the ending completely dark, creepy, and brutal.

 

[Ramza]

I can't believe "Family Meeting" from The Shield didn't make that list. My most painful TV experience ever.

 

[Slayven]

 

[Bleepey]

There's 1 or 2 The Shield episodes I would include on a list like this.

Particularly, Family Meeting, the season 7 and series finale.

Spoiler

The fate of Shane's family, Ronnie getting screwed by Vic, etc. It's just so brutal. I've never rewatched that entire season because of it.

You could cheat and include so much of the Shield. I personally think the lack of Scrubs is a damn shame. The finale made me weep like I was at a funeral.

 

[LaneDS]

:'(

Fuck the retcon too.

I didn't watch the last... two (?) seasons, did that happen there? What'd they do?

 

[crimzonflame]

Personally, I would have picked Final Grades over -30- for The Wire.

I really hated lafe and society for a while after watching Final Grades.

 

[Lonestar]

Hard to take a list seriously that doesn't have The Shield's Family Meeting pt. 1&2 in the top five, or even at all. Watching that episode was like a punch to the gut. When you realize what's about to happen you really start to feel physically ill. TV has never effected me as much as the last to episodes of The Shield.

List is invalidated. Because these episodes are not only too painful to watch twice, they make the rest of the series too painful to watch again (to me at least).

 

[Jag]

I'd have to add the MASH finale. It was a black comedy, but the final show was just heartwrenching. I was really young when it aired, but I have no desire to ever watch it again.

 

[Officerrob]

No "Family Meeting" (The Shield), near the top of the list is ridiculous. Not making the list discredits the entire thing

 

[Nekofrog]

I didn't watch the last... two (?) seasons, did that happen there? What'd they do?

time travely shit where they make it so they get reunited and shit so the ending of this episode doesn't actually happen. but it's all weird time travely shit so whatever

 

[Dice//]

Oh man that Scott's Tots episode. I just rewatched seasons 1-7 and skipped straight to the finale after that, and the only episode I couldn't re-watch was Scott's Tots. Too much.

The Office is about awkwardness. But that episode took it to the 11. You're less laughing and more despairing.

By whatever coincidence, whenever I watch that episode I'm like 1200% positive someone MUST be cutting onions nearby...

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

No "Family Meeting" or "Postpartum" from the Shield is not right.

 

[RoboPlato]

I knew "That's My Dog" would be high up on there. That episode wrecked me.

 

[whytemyke]

I have to say Southland when Nate got killed. The beginning of the ep opens with Sammy covered in blood in the hospital so it's obvious what's gonna happen but it was still shocking. The ep was almost over and everything was going fine. Both Sammy and Nate were fine. Then a random bottle hits their car and Nate loses it.

I don't even know what happened. At first o thought Nate got shot in the head but then I read online he got hit with a pipe. Sad moment

I'm in board with Southland, but I'd go with the episode where Cooper gets taken hostage. Holy hell that was intense.

 

[Cudder]

The Son from FNL tore me down like no other show has.

 

[Odoul]

No "Family Meeting" or "Postpartum" from the Shield is not right.

Truth.

Whole truth.

Nothing but the truth.

 

[Guzim]

Final Grades is the S4 finale, right? Because i agree. That episode impacted me more than anything I've ever seen on film. I felt depressed about it for over a week.

Yes, that's the s4 finale. When HBO was having The Wire marathon a couple of months ago, I couldn't watch Final Grades since it is so devastating.

 

[bm1616]

Surprised Scrubs didn't make the list. "My Lunch" or "My Screw Up" are tough to watch once, let alone multiple times.

Came to see if there was any Scrubs. Add "My Long Goodbye" to that list.

Haven't seen a lot of those shows so kinda just skimmed it in case I ever feel like watching them.

 

[Haloid1177]

What the fuck at the lack of The Shield season 5 finale.

 

[Sadist]

Yeah, the Buffy episode made me so glum, afterwards I went to my parents and hugged them.

House was pretty heavy as well.

 

[DominoKid]

Scott's Tots felt like a last gasp of the original vision of the Michael Scott character, and not the character he had become. It felt seriously out of place when it aired. I couldn't even sit through it, because it kind of makes him a monster.

If you love cringe humor, I can kind of see liking it, but all I saw was cringe beyond belief. Basically unwatchable.

Oh man that Scott's Tots episode. I just rewatched seasons 1-7 and skipped straight to the finale after that, and the only episode I couldn't re-watch was Scott's Tots. Too much.

Scott's Tots is painful, but not as painful as the Season 9 finale. I just skip it and go straight back to S01E01.

whaaaaat? Scott's Tots is hilarious. i don't even like The Office that much but that shit has me dying every time

 

[Coffee Dog]

Moral Orel.

"Nature", "Alone", "Sacrifice"

 

[StriKeVillain]

Had the same scene from The Wire that's in the article in my mind as I read the title.

It's so heartbreaking.

Personally I would have put in Final Grades but I'll take -30-.

 

[Coffee Dog]

I didn't watch the last... two (?) seasons, did that happen there? What'd they do?

It sort of happens differently. Fry ends up going back in time in one of the movies and spends time with him.

He leaves again to go back to the future later though, so everything is intact.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I don't understand how this list doesn't include X-Files "Home" which was so disturbing that Fox never showed it again..

 

[TheSeks]

The episode is meant to awaken you to the fact that everybody's perception of Amber is filtered through House's POV. It's a powerful moment.

Then I'm sorry, they failed at making that. Because all I could think is "cool, she's gone. Maybe now we'll get more Olivia Wilde and Omar Epps."

 

[Trouble]

Hard to take a list seriously that doesn't have The Shield's Family Meeting pt. 1&2 in the top five, or even at all. Watching that episode was like a punch to the gut. When you realize what's about to happen you really start to feel physically ill. TV has never effected me as much as the last to episodes of The Shield.

Yep, that list is a failure. What

Spoiler

Shane

does in The Shield's finale was unbelievably brutal to watch.

 

[Darryl]

can't bring myself to sit through Scott's Tots and i love the cringeyness of Michael Scott

 

[maxcriden]

I think the Lost episode "Two for the Road" should be on there. I still find the ending completely dark, creepy, and brutal.

FWIW I found it very odd more than anything at the time.

Spoiler

IIRC rumors were those two would be killed off because of their recent arrests for DUIs in Hawaii. Then they were both killed off in an episode title Two For The Road.

Hmm....

 

[bengraven]

MASH season 3 finale.

Spoiler

I have a message. Lieutenant Colonel... Henry Blake's plane... was shot down... over the Sea of Japan. It spun in ... there were no survivors.

 

[Dommo]

That's the episode they pick for The Wire? Not a bad final episode, but it's not a particularly painful or convincing one. The Dukie ending felt slightly contrived and remained a relatively minor part of the episode as a whole. The last two episodes of S4 and S2, and the last four episodes of S1 would all be better picks. Filled to the brim with extremely emotionally charged shit.

 

[avince92]

I'd say that The Americans episode that aired recently where they had to break the dead ladies bones to stuff her in a suitcase was one of the more gruesome things I've seen and it was rather hard to watch/listen.

Agreed. Almost had to turn it off during that part. It's a shame more people don't watch that show.

 

[rjinaz]

Agreed. Almost had to turn it off during that part. It's a shame more people don't watch that show.

I can't watch a show where you have to root for the bad guys. It's just a hangup I have. I tried though, I made it through a good part of season 1. Couldn't tell you the direction of the show now though.

 

[DietRob]

Came here looking for the Six Feet Under episode. That episode was needless cruel and was the last episode of the show I watched.

Wow. If you really stopped watching the show at that point I legitimately feel sorry for you. You are missing some really great television.

 

[explodet]

I watched the NewsRadio episode dealing with Bill McNeil's death. ONCE.
It was a tribute to Phil Hartman himself, and man was it rough.

 

[LaneDS]

time travely shit where they make it so they get reunited and shit so the ending of this episode doesn't actually happen. but it's all weird time travely shit so whatever

It sort of happens differently. Fry ends up going back in time in one of the movies and spends time with him.

He leaves again to go back to the future later though, so everything is intact.

That's kind of a shame, although that original episode is so gut wrenching that part of me is okay that they softened the blow a little.

 

[Parallax]

time travely shit where they make it so they get reunited and shit so the ending of this episode doesn't actually happen. but it's all weird time travely shit so whatever

No, the scenes all happen, but fry shows up shortly after them all. And we see how he became incased in dolemite.

 

[Jarrod38]

Goodbye episode of 8 Simple Rules shit is hard to watch.

 

[dork]

Goodbye episode of 8 Simple Rules shit is hard to watch.

Very. Very hard to watch. If you didn't know that he really died it might be different.

 

[Speevy]

Rome Season 2 Episode 8 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoZPY3vnacc

Spoiler

She's probably the only character on the show that didn't deserve anything that happened to her. Not being raped by the man who freed her. Not having to watch the man she was supposed to marry beaten to death. And certainly not poisoned by the piece of garbage that Pullo was screwing.

 

[lastflowers]

That Friday Night Lights episode made me goddamn tear up.

 

[hodayathink]

Goodbye episode of 8 Simple Rules shit is hard to watch.

Yeah, I'd argue it's about as hard to watch as the Newsradio episode, though probably nowhere near as well written.

 

[StanleyStutters]

Are those Futurama episodes in there? The dog and the brother.

First thing I looked for, and neither made the cut

I've actually rewatched a few episodes on that list, but those two Futurama episodes I just can't handle. I would've liked to see Fringe on the list, their finale and the White Tulip episode really got to me.

What the fuck at the lack of The Shield season 5 finale.

Forgot about that one. Brutal episode that definitely should be on the list.

 

[Nekofrog]

No, the scenes all happen, but fry shows up shortly after them all. And we see how he became incased in dolemite.

yeah, and it shits all over the original intent of the scene. goobers cant leave well enough alone

 

[Lion Heart]

Omg that Hannibal episode was puke worthy.