The best TV scenes of 2019 (so far)

It takes work to impress a seasoned TV fan. By now we’re familiar with most tricks in the book, so it’s a welcome feeling when TV shows break the rules or show off the secret weapons that make them stand out. 

2019 is a year as packed with brilliant TV as any, but these 10 scenes made us cheer, cry, or stop in our tracks.

10. Game of Thrones: Brienne’s knighting

Season 8, episode 2

Game of Thrones episode 69 took a delightful break from an otherwise shockingly horny episode to give Brienne of Tarth a poignant character milestone. While drinking with her buddies (including a guy so horny he was literally drinking out of a horn), Brienne ends up being officially knighted by her personal favorite knight, Ser Jaime Lannister. Despite their complicated relationship (and retrospective irony of its doom), it’s a beautiful moment for Brienne and Jaime, more meaningful and intimate even than when they kiss two episodes later. This here is the purest form of their connection — friends and fighters full to the brim with mutual respect and adoration. Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the seven kingdoms.

Where to watch: HBO

9. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: “11 o’clock”

Season 4, episode 18

After four years, over 100 musical numbers, three indecisive dates, and one diagnosis, Rebecca Bunch explored her truest self, the one she’s been hiding behind and running off to during life’s integral moments. In “11 o’clock,” she recaps the series, reprises its pivotal songs and invites Paula fully into her world. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend always thrived in exploring Rebecca’s confusion and messiness, not in wrapping up life’s subplots with neat little bows. 

Where to watch: Netflix

8. You’re The Worst: “Don’t marry her”

Season 5, episode 12

As the two ostensibly most awful people we know (and love) prepare to get married, it took all Edgar’s strength as a best friend to take Jimmy to a nice bar and tell him how he really feels. After all the ups and downs, Edgar believes the low points are what define Gretchen and Jimmy’s relationship. Sure, they’ve shared years of love and growth, but those years included infidelity, immaturity, lies, and abandonment. “You’ll destroy each other,” Edgar chokes through tears, but Jimmy’s resolve speaks to how far he’s come. “There is no way I’d rather go,” he replies, choosing Gretchen and choosing to remove Edgar from his life.

Where to watch: iTunes

7. Schitt’s Creek: Patrick comes out

Season 5, episode 11

Patrick Brewer is credited for grounding his boyfriend David Rose’s larger-than-life personality. That’s why in Season 5’s “Meet the Parents,” it was a great change of pace to see the normally strong-minded Patrick be vulnerable as he prepares to come out to them, hoping nothing changes between them after. With David’s encouragement, he has an emotional conversation with them that ends in acceptance — a notion that has always been a priority for this show. Noah Reid’s performance here is sublime. This scene’s message is heartfelt and relatable, making it one for the books. –Saloni Gajjar

Where to watch: PopTV (subscription), iTunes

6. Veep: Selina’s sacrifice

Season 7, episode 7

In its final hour, Veep underscored everything we feared but might not have fully believed about Selina Meyer and what she would do to be president. With every loose end tied up except one, Selina steels herself to tell Gary he’s taking the fall for her mistakes with the Meyer Fund. As Gary picks a chia seed out of her teeth without inhibition, Selina can’t bring herself to do it. She looks at him with genuine love and guilt as she says, “I couldn’t have done it without you,” then takes the stage to accept a presidential nomination while the FBI comes to cart Gary away. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale both cinch Emmy nominations in a few wordless seconds, communicating the cost of Selina’s ambition and Gary’s endless faith in her.

Where to watch: HBO

5. Barry: Sally tells the truth

Season 2, episode 7

It’s easy to laugh off the concerns of Barry’s acting class when stakes with his old employer are literally life or death, but the verisimilitude actress Sarah Goldberg brings to Sally in Season 2 is remarkable. In “The Audition,” she steals the show with a two-minute monologue expressing the sheer injustice of Barry’s opportunity in the context of both of their acting careers and ongoing romantic relationship. It’s a killer performance on a show that’s chock-full of them. 

Where to watch: HBO

4. Chernobyl: 90 seconds

Season 1, episode 4

In one of Chernobyl’s many standout sequences, we return to the treacherous reactor 4 for the arduous cleanup process. A combination of military personnel and civilians known as liquidators were enlisted to remove exposed radioactive graphite from the reactor roof, but the catch was that no one could spend more than 90 seconds in its immediate vicinity — for an entire lifetime. We embark on the mission with an unnamed liquidator in real-time, realizing how dangerous yet nearly futile the efforts must have felt.

Where to watch: HBO

3. Jane the Virgin: “I’m fine” 

Season 5, episode 1

Jane the Virgin’s Season 5 premiere was poised to be dramatic, and Michael’s return and amnesia reveal did not disappoint. But the episode’s MVP was always going to be Gina Rodriguez herself, who carries an act-long single-take monologue as Jane unpacks her overwhelming situation. She’s wonderfully dynamic, leading the camera in such a way that we see the Villanueva house like never before, and relishing menial activities like making tea or eating arepas without ever letting up on Jane’s spiraling thoughts. Did we mention she also directed this? Get this woman 10 Emmys now.

Where to watch: iTunes 

2. Ramy: Strawberries

Season 1, episode 4

Ramy covered a lot of ground in an exceptional first season, but the climax of episode 4’s 9/11 flashback was unlike anything we ever have or likely will see on TV. Middle school Ramy has a nightmare (based on creator Ramy Youssef’s own) that Osama Bin Laden is in his house, casually snacking on strawberries and whipped cream. He senses Ramy’s discomfort as a young Muslim-American in a volatile climate, even empathizes with the boy’s desire for a decent cell phone (it is a dream, after all). When he tells Ramy that they’re alike, you feel a palpable chill, followed by Osama Bin Laden delivering the line “You never jerked off.” It’s a masterful blend of multiple genres and a scene we won’t soon forget.

Where to watch: Hulu

1. Fleabag: “Kneel”

Season 2, episode 4

Fleabag confesses to a life that doesn’t follow God’s apparent laws — the sex, the blasphemy, but never explicitly her darkest secret, that she slept with her best friend’s boyfriend and feels like she caused Boo’s death. Flashbacks of Boo creep into the scene as Fleabag lets loose and confesses to everything but this, begging the Priest for guidance and a chance to course-correct her life. “Just fucking tell me what to do, Father,” she splutters. He has one word of advice: “Kneel.” And with that ringing order, the Priest exits his side of the confession booth and goes to the woman he loves, raising her to a standing position as they kiss passionately in the eyes of God.

Where to watch: Amazon