Contains spoilers for the shows mentioned.
FromGame of Thrones’Red Wedding toTwin Peaks’devastating killer reveal, some episodes of television leave a lasting impression that makes it difficult to rewatch them. Some of thegreatest TV episodesare so affecting that they not only alter the status quo of the show but often shatter something within the viewer as well.
As television lovers, we often cannot help but grow attached to the characters of ourfavorite shows, making it all the more devastating when they suffer a profound loss. Whether because they were horrifying or heartbreaking, or some combination of the two, these television episodes left me reeling and unsure if I ever wanted to view them again.
FollowingSpecial Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan)and his investigation into the death of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee),Twin Peaksis a weird and often terrifying fever dream from the mind of David Lynch.
“Lonely Souls” is a vital episode ofTwin Peaks,as it finally reveals the identity of Laura Palmer’s killer, but it’s also a deeply disturbing episode of television. In a horrifying turn of events, Laura’s killer turns out to be her father, Leland Palmer (Ray Wise), who has been possessed by an evil entity known simply as Bob (Frank Silva).
Leland then attacks his niece, Maddy Ferguson (also Sheryl Lee), in a brutal scene that seems to go on forever. Between Maddy’s murder and the devastatingtruths we learn about Laura Palmer,“Lonely Souls” remains a powerful episode of televisionthat is hard to sit through more than once.
“Home” has some great moments betweenFBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), butthe episode falls firmly within the horror genre,drawing inspiration from classics likeThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre(1974) andThe Hills Have Eyes(1977).
“Home” was the onlyX-Filesepisode with a TV-MA rating and the first that opened with a viewer discretion warning.
The episode follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate the death of an infant born with severe physical defects, which leads them to the Peacock family and their disturbing history of inbreeding. With a brutal murder and a horrifically shocking reveal involving the Peacock matriarch, some scenes from “Home” are impossible to forget.
While “Home” may not be as violent as many horror films today,it remains as disturbing as ever. After watching “Home,” you’ll never hear the song “Wonderful! Wonderful!” by Johnny Mathis the same way, and the episode’s ending might just keep you up at night.
ThroughoutBuffy the Vampire Slayer’sseven seasons,Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar)kept the town of Sunnydale safe from the vampires, demons, and other creatures emerging from the Hellmouth.
Despite her strength,Buffy was powerless in the face of her mother’s sudden deathdue to a brain aneurysm during the show’s fifth season. “The Body” begins with Buffy discovering her mother’s lifeless body and only gets harder to watch from there.
ABuffy the Vampire Slayersequel series starring Ryan Kiera Armstrong is currently in the works at Hulu, with Sarah Michelle Gellar set to return.
From Buffy’s broken “Mommy?” to Anya’s (Emma Caulfield) devastating speech about death, “The Body” is truly heartbreaking from start to finish.The story plays out with no background music,and the whole thing is a beautiful but painful exploration of grief.“The Body” is a phenomenal episode of television, but one that I’m not sure I can bear to watch again.
Brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester endured a lot throughoutSupernatural’sfifteen seasons, facing off against demons and angels alike. At the end ofSupernaturalseason 2, Dean made a deal with a demon to save Sam’s life, but the demon only gave the eldest Winchester brother one year to live.
Although Sam and Dean spent much ofSupernatural’sshortened third seasontrying to find a way out of this deal, they were ultimately unsuccessful.In the season 3 finale, Hellhounds finally catch up to Dean Winchester,brutally mauling him to death.
It’s horrific to watch, particularly for anyone who has come to love Dean, and it’s all made even worse by the episode’s final shot of Dean being tortured in Hell.“No Rest For the Wicked” is a great episode ofSupernaturalthat shows off Jensen Ackles' acting chops, but the last few minutes are difficult enough to sit through the first time.
InCriminal Minds’one-hundredth episode, Supervisory Special AgentAaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) faces off against serial killer George Foyet,aka The Reaper (C. Thomas Howell), leading to one ofCriminal Minds’most devastating deaths.
Criminal Mindsseason 8, episode 10, “The Lesson,” is another one I skip on rewatches. The episode’s killer turns his victims into human marionettes, which is just as brutal as it sounds.
Throughout the episode,Hotch and the Behavioral Analysis Unitremain one step behind Foyet, as the killer kidnaps Hotch’s ex-wife, Haley (Meredith Monroe), and their young son, Jack (Cade Owens). Over the phone, Hotch can only listen as Foyet taunts him and eventually shoots Haley.
As the BAU’s Unit Chief, Hotch is usually the stoic leader who looks out for his team, and it’s devastating watching him break down. With a phenomenal performance from Thomas Gibson,“100” is a tense and engrossing episode from start to finish.But it’s a brutal episode for Hotch fans like myself, making it difficult to rewatch unless you feel like sobbing.
“The Rains of Castamere” may be one ofGame of Thrones’most critically acclaimed episodes(and with good reason), but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy hour to sit through. The story centers on the wedding of Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies) and Roslin Frey (Alexandra Dowling), but they ultimately become forgotten in the wake of the so-called “Red Wedding.”
After Walder Frey (David Bradley) sends the bride and groom away, the wedding hall’s doors are locked, and the Freys attack, killing most of the Starks.Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and his pregnant wife, Talisa (Oona Chaplin), are killedas Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) looks on in horror, before she, too, is killed.
Aside from the Red Wedding,Game of Throneshas other scenes that are difficult to watch, none more so than the horrifying death of Shireen Baratheon in season 5, episode 9, “The Dance of Dragons.”
It’s a violent and brutal scene that came as a massive shock to viewers unfamiliar with theA Song of Ice and Firenovels.“The Rains of Castamere” remains one of the best episodes of televisionin the modern era, but it’s not one I particularly enjoy rewatching.
The Walking Deadhas delivered its fair share of brutal episodes, but the season 7 opener takes things to another level. At the end of season 6,Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)cornered Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group before bashing someone’s head in with his barbed wire-covered bat, Lucille.
The episode’s brilliant title comes from the first season when Rick said that he was grateful to be alive, and Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich) ominously replied:“The day will come when you won’t be.”
The Walking Dead’sseason 7 premiererevealed that two survivors died at the end of Negan’s bat, beginning with Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz). After Negan brutally beats Abraham to death, hethen turns his bat on Glenn (Steven Yeun),giving him one of the most brutal deaths I’ve seen on television.
Not only has Glenn been around since the beginning ofThe Walking Dead,but his pregnant wife, Maggie (Lauren Cohan), has to witness his horrifying end.“The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” is a bleak episode of televisionthat never lets up, and once you’ve seen it once, it feels masochistic to sit through the entire hour again.
Black Sailsis a woefully underrated period dramathat exploreslife on the high seas during the Golden Age of Piracy.The show centers on Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his crew as they initially set out in search of treasure and then fight to preserve the pirate way of life.
Black Sailsserves as a pseudo-prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, but also incorporates fictionalized versions of real-life pirates and actual historical events.
By the show’s third and fourth seasons,the pirates are at war for control of New Providence Island,which brings them into conflict with Governor Woodes Rogers (Luke Roberts). When Rogers captures the infamous pirate Blackbeard, aka Edward Teach (Ray Stevenson), he subjects him to the brutal practice of keelhauling.
Keelhauling involves dragging Blackbeard under and across the barnacle-covered bottom of a ship, and Black Sails shows the entire grueling process. It takes three tries for Blackbeard to die. This is one of the few television scenes that made me feel physically ill, and as much as I loveBlack Sails,I have no desire to rewatch Blackbeard’s brutal death.
