Actually, that was BJ, IIRC.
It’s when the little old lady looks at him and says amtter-of-factly “Poppa.” I started bawling!
Ahem, I mean… I um… got something in my eye. Real bad.
MASH: For me it was the episode where Hawkeye crashed his jeep and he’s staying with a Korean family until help comes, trying to keep himself awake and conscious. “This is me doing an impression of my dad helping me with my homework… ‘You got it WRONG!’…”
Frasier: “Bright blue flash. Cherries everywhere.”
Fraiser–Loud BANG followed by Niles coming out of the bathroom covered with shaving cream.
Firefly: from the Train Job, when Mal is trying to get the thugs from the mob boss to take back the money for the job, and the one, big-ass bad-ass thug is threatening to hunt him down and Mal shoves him into the engine intake, then turns to the next thug in line, who gladly takes the deal.
Bablyon 5: The Season 3 space battle between Bablyon 5 and the Earth forces, I think in Severed Dreams.
Deadwood: The fight between Al and the Sheriff that winds up with both of them falling off the balcony.
Nikita
I believe the episode is Fallen Star. Being led away by the bad guys in handcuffs, Nikita kills the woman with a shot gun. She and Michael work the pump gun together, one at each end and kill everyone.
The Venture Brothers “Victor. Echo. November.”- “To Move like an animal…to feel the kill.”…the whole episode is classic Venture Brothers.
Firefly “The Message” - “Captain, I’m a dangerous minded man on a ship loaded with hurt now why you got me chattin’ wit yer peons?”
Fawlty Towers: The Germans episode when Basil goose steps from the room.
Taxi: Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd) taking the hack license test: “What does a yellow light mean?” “Slow down!” “Okey-doke. What…does…a…yellow…light…mean?” I had tears streaming down my face with that one.
Friends: “It tastes like feet!”
Seinfeld: Elaine dancing. For pure physical genius, Kramer having a fit when he hears what’s-her-name’s voice.
Deadwood: The fight scene between the two henchmen.
Six Feet Under: “Numb arm! Numb arm! N’arm!”
Family Ties: Michael J. Fox reading ‘culture’ book titles - “Opera: Why It’s More Than Just Annoying”.
I’ll raise you with Bartlet cursing God in Latin in the cathedral after Mrs. Landingham’s funeral. That scene just blew me away.
Lots of Friends examples already, but here’s another one: the end of season 2 (?) when Ross comes back to the coffee house as Rachel is closing up. He’s standing in the rain looking at her through the glass in the door. She approaches the door, and I remember being unsure if she was going to open the door or close the shade.
That’s the one I was going to say.
Ross and Rachel moments are always good. Mine is the ‘It’s always been you Rach.’ line. Awesome moment.
I also liked the final touch of Bartlett deliberately lighting a cigarette, taking a single puff, then dropping in on the floor of the cathedral and grinding it in.
Excellent question. To cover several of my favorite shows of all time:
My So Called Life: Ricky and Delia dance to What is Love while Brian looks on sadly
Veronica Mars: Logan, with Veronica’s help, assembles a video tribute to Lily Kane
Big Love: I don’t remember the moment too precisely, but there was one point in season 1 where Nickie, for the first time, shows how devoted to and protective of her family she is… it involves facing off against guys from the compound who have driven down in their Hummers, and she lambastes them and sends them running.
The Wire: I think it was Carver who wanted to adopt one of the kids in season 4, but couldn’t, and then started crying in his car afterwards. That or “BNBG”.
Deadwood: As mentioned above, the eye-gouging fight, along with the hostility leading up to it (“morning!” “best time of day to go fuck yourself!”). Also, “San Francisco Cocksucker” and “Loopy Fucking Cunt”. Pretty much every scene not involving those damn actors.
The West Wing: Bartlett swearing at God in Latin.
The Simpsons: The Monorail Song
Friends: The trivia contest with the apartment swap on the line. “What is Chandler Bing’s job?”
24: The hacksaw
Friends: Ross comes out of the bathroom in his underwear, holding his leather pants which are covered in powder and lotion.
Monk: When Monk explains “bread and butter” to Sharona after refusing to tell Dale the Whale.
The Dick van Dyke Show: When Laura cannot resist opening the inflatable raft that Rob had ordered after he had just written a skit about her opening his mail.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: A hearing is occcuring to determine if Data can be considered sentient. Riker shuts him off.
Freaks and Geeks: When the middle-school age son wants the Atari.
I get chills. This speech from Londo might be one of the best in Babylon 5.
Happy Days: Fonzie starts the jukebox with a glare.
Mork and Mindy: Mork’s report to Orson at the end of the show, doing the hand salute and saying “Nanu nanu.”
Laverne and Shirley: The girls exult over the sink right between their beds.
MASH:* The boys watching Frank Burns’s (borrowed) wedding footage and doing a MST3K-like riff on it. “Get in the car, Frank!” I about wet my pants.
Star Trek: TOS: Kirk in his chair, laughing with Spock and McCoy.
ST:TNG: Picard sitting down for a hand of poker in the final episode. “The sky’s the limit.”
ST: DS9: Sisko tossing a baseball in the air as he sits behind his desk.
ST:VGR: The ship crashing on the glacier.
ST:ENT: T’Pol and the others smearing antibacterial gel all over themselves (a bad moment from a bad show, alas, but the one that stuck with me).
Babylon 5: Londo and his aide both being told that they’ll someday be emperors, and their reaction to each other.
The West Wing: So many great moments to choose from! But probably Bartlet’s first entrance, quoting the First Commandment to the flummoxed church leaders. Or his rather begrudging, last-minute pardon of Toby in the final episode.
My Name is Earl: Earl getting fired at by the angry, one-legged woman with the shotgun.
Scrubs: Dr. Cox calling J.D. by a wide variety of women’s names.
The Simpsons: Homer choking Bart.
The Sopranos: Tony in a dream, wearing Roman soldier’s garb, making his affections known to the Mafia lady.
Though those are scenes that really moved me, it was always the funnier, bitchier stuff I remembered best. Specifically ‘Take your legislative agenda and shove it up your ass.’ and when Sam fires the guys who were hassling Ainsley.
This is exactly what I came in here to post.
RACHEL: He’s a… he’s a transpondster!
MONICA, anguished: That’s not even a job!
My favorite Friends episode, too.
ROSS: What’s Joey’s favorite food?
RACHEL: Sandwiches!
And the guys reciting all of Monica’s different kinds of anal retentively-sorted towels. 