{ my storm has been a long time coming. }

[delga]

So, over a year ago I did that top 5s meme and zeitheist asked me to name my top 5 fandomgasms. I fluked massively on presenting for that, but today I realised that I still wanted to do it. So, a year belatedly, my top 5 fandomgasm moments (albeit in no discernible order). Insert usual disclaimers here about my fickle, ever-changing tastes, and how you shouldn't hold me to shit I say because I am a massively flakey mcflakerson of a flake. And now that word no longer holds any meaning for me. Guys, this post is really, really long, and not at all dial-up friendly. Just saying.

NCIS, 3x24, Hiatus II: Ziva confronts Jethro







"What can I do?"
"Remember."
"I've been trying to since I woke up in this room!"
"Well try harder!"

I can - and have - watch this scene over and over again without tiring of it. I don't even have to watch the rest of the episode, just this scene. Even with more recent developments this scene is pivotal to my love of this show. I just think that so much happens in this small space; so much is revealed and resolved, and so much is set up in this moment, too. And it's also beautifully shot - under-saturated, dark, all the light in the background, and all these secrets revealed in half-light. Jethro's frustration is explosive - what are you talking about?! - and Ziva's is fraught and grief-stricken - Ari killed Kate, and I - I killed Ari. My gosh. What a scene.

Criminal Minds, 4x03, Minimal Loss: Emily and Reid after the ordeal

Hey. I need you to listen to me. What Cyrus did to me is not your fault.
It was my decision, and I would do it again. Do you hear me?

In an episode that put two of my favourite characters together and had them operating in tandem and as individuals, the closing scene was the perfect conclusion. Despite the dialogue I am of the firm belief that Emily doesn't so much lift the burden of responsibility from Reid's shoulders (whatever her intention) but, rather, allows him to share it. It's a conversation about partnership and team work, and is the denouement to an incredibly satisfying episode. (The episode also follows one of the best examples of collaborative work in the whole run of the show - Emily on the loudspeaker and Reid profiling, speaking in her ear. Fuck yes.) Relatedly: Paget Brewster, fuck yeah!

Wire in the Blood, 3x04, Synchronicity: Do you ever wish we were still lovers?





"Do you ever wish we were still lovers? That weekend in Paris; we spent two days in bed.
Oysters from room service. We should do that again."
"Tony, we were never lovers."
"Well, it felt like it to me."
"No, what I mean is, that never happened."

My gosh. The two of them, invading each other's personal space, pushing each other's buttons - Tony's habit of speaking directly to his imagined unsub whilst Carol was around and Carol's habit of asking Tony all the questions she knew she probably shouldn't. "So apart from your parents, you've never loved another living thing?" "I wouldn't say never. Almost." "Who? How long ago?" OH CAROL. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. Synchronicity is a great episode, and this scene is heartbreaking. As a side note, it is also fucking gorgeous - all those reflections and double images, and then Carol fading in and out of focus. Beautiful.

bonus spam! "I'm tired of putting things off. Come with me."

"Looking for faces in the clouds?"
"No, I was just thinking about... hang gliding."
"Shouldn't you wait until you lose the staplework?"
"No, I'm tired of putting things off; come with me."
"No, I've got work to do."
"You're making excuses."
"Yes."
"Life's dangerous. Come with me."

Spooks, 7x02: Ball-buster

Other scenes that I would have capped for the Spooks portion of this meme had I not sold my DVDs to The Flatmate: Danny's death (OMG); the end of the S2 finale; Adam Carter and Mrs Whatsherface face-off in 3x02; the climax of the EERIE episode; Ruth's departure; Ros and Zaf go undercover as IT techs (fuck me, I love that scene); other stuff.

As it is, I had to make do with episodes I could get my hands on at short notice and Ros being badass never fails to make me smile like a loon - every Ros moment is a fandomgasm. Don't mind her, she's just going to casually squeeze your balls until you cry for your mother. You know how it is.

This episode also features: Ros and Harry in a bar! Ben and Jo pretending to be coppers! Elizabeta! Goddamn, season 7 was amazing.

This is also the episode in which Ros ninjas around and tasers Lucas North. Yes. Yes, it is.

Big Love, 1x12, The Ceremony: Barb gets outed




Oh, Boss Lady.

I love this show. I love this show a ridiculous amount. I love these stories - from the far-fetched inanity to the real, honest, brutal family truths. These women, my gosh. This is a family. When Nikki spoke those words, you can hear the love and sympathy in them. My gosh. This is easily my favourite scene of the show. It was the pinnacle of a fantastic first season and was just beautiful.

Sarah Connor Chronicles, 1x07, The Demon Hand: Cameron is fucking scary

So, I love Cameron. I mean, I loved this show, especially the first season, and I love Sarah, but I love Cameron. Mostly I love how often we as an audience are looking for her soul and then sometimes she does something to remind us that she is not a she but an it. The Demon Hand does this so, so well, from Cameron the ballerina, the friend, to Cameron the traitor. This spam is technically two scenes but they link together so well. In the first Cameron manipulates the dancer and her brother, and then walks calmly away whilst they are murdered. In the second, Cameron dances to Chopin whilst Derek looks on, horrified. Sarah asks, what makes us human? but it's Derek who is asking that question at the end of the episode. This is a great episode in other ways - namely Ellison's journey - but Derek encountering Cameron (and the music) is one of the show's most powerful moments. The look on his face; my gosh. Side note: I completely failed to do justice to the absolutely stunning backlighting in these scenes. Sadface.

Kings, 1x07, The Sabbath Queen: Silas and the Angel of Death






"Finish the book."
"You. You make the music that drives me mad."
"A gift. Others meet me in silence.
Out of deference to those who love you I give warning."
"You came for her; you cannot have her."
"Can't I?"

Again, technically this is two scenes, but whatever. I don't really know what's going on in the overall arc of the show right now, mostly because I've been watching the episodes by skipping through to parts that I find vaguely interesting. That paid off in a big way this week because lo! Saffron Burrows! AWESOME. To make matters even better, she faces-off with McShane in a scene that is cold and weird and in stark contrast to the two romance plots that were also ongoing this week. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the flashbacks, and the muted colours. Mostly I enjoyed watching McShane and Burrows speak in those clear, theatre-born voices. A great sequence, dramatic in the best way: through words alone.

--

This endeth the spam. I was going to say that this took me all week but then I realised, no, it took me all year. Goddamn.

Comments

[daygloparker.livejournal.com]

Um, so I love this (and may actually steal the idea, honest). I have been, and always will be convinced that Tony's imagined weekend in Paris is one of those things he thinks about all the time, and in his brain tumored condition, no longer realizes is a fantasy.

And I won't lie: half the point of the epic Spooks re-watch is to properly enjoy S7 again. Remember when Ros stabbed a guy with a fork? And then threatened another one with a mere PEN? BAD. ASS. LADY.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

No lie: I've always thought that even post-tumour, he's never really been able to figure out whether or not it happened. (Goddamn, Hermione Norris. I love her in Spooks, but how is come with me their last scene? GODDAMN.)

STABBED. WITH. A. FORK. Fuck yes.

[daygloparker.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, I sort of adore that idea and shall now adopt it as my own. He always is going to be just slightly bonkers, isn't he? OH TONY AND CAROL. (See, and I'm okay with it, I suppose, since I really have convinced myself that, like Touching Evil, Wire in the Blood is merely a 3-series show. THAT'S IT. Those other series are... just... based on the canon, but not actually related! Yes!)

asjkfhakjsfhkasf why do I see Wire in the Blood as next up after the epic Spooks re-watch? That might ACTUALLY get me through the entire summer then.

[asemic.livejournal.com]

You know my thoughts on the Criminal Minds scene. Yours are far more eloquent.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I do, I do. ♥

I rewatched 4x02 the other day. I think I'm going to have to spam the megaphone scene.

[asemic.livejournal.com]

I'm disappointed that they reduced the amounts of scenes they had together towards the end of the season.

[odette-river.livejournal.com]

That NCIS scene. Ziva's "And I-- I killed Ari," just kills me. Every time.

(Also, that Summer dancing scene! Even though I've never actually watched the show, I've watched that scene on YouTube. A lot.)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Oh, me too. I love the timing of Ziva's confession; she hasn't spoken about it all year and now the one witness - the one person who knows her burden - may have forgotten, and it's all she can do not to shake him bodily. When she grabs his face, oh my.

(That scene, in context, is even more amazing. I mean, the dance is beautiful and Summer is so talented. But in context, it's so eerie and disconcerting, and all that filtered light is so haunting. Amazing.)

[failte-aoife.livejournal.com]

Not much to say except Word on NCIS and Criminal Minds.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Unrelated: did I mention the part where I go the postcard you sent and am tres grateful? Because yes! Thank you!

[failte-aoife.livejournal.com]

I think yes. Glad you liked it.

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

YAY ROS.

I am leaving at 4 today (there have to be some benefits to getting in early, right?) so I may screencap some of those Spooks scenes for you tonight...

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

:D I can claim no credit for creating - I got it from here:
http://sparkly-stuff.livejournal.com/186446.html

The whole post is fab.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

BRILLIANT! (Oh gosh, I get in before or around 8 most days because of the lift share. Technically that means I can leave at 4 but I still have to wait for my lift home. Sigh.)

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I may have gone a bit over the top with 205... I ended up with about 100 caps and that wasn't even the entire episode. There's just too many good bits. Will try and post a picspam later.

HOWEVER, I am in work tomorrow so I can do the others tonight and hopefully get them up tomorrow :)

I should be able to leave at 4 if I get in at 8, but that hasn't actually happened this week... There is always more to do :/

[hestia8.livejournal.com]

Right, will post everything tomorrow, because shockingly I am actually leaving at 4 today as I have to get home so we can get off to Dear's. Picspams are FUN, I may actually get on with some of the ones I have planned now...

If 310 makes me cry I am holding you responsible...

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

YES THIS OMG.

Fuck it, I want the whole Ziva package, frankly. BADASS. Relatedly: gosh, but the scene is so perfectly balanced, and it comes at exactly the right point in Jethro's 'recovery'. It's not a complete recall moment, but it's enough. I often wonder if Jethro doesn't make a move based on his absolute trust in Ziva from that point on.

[zeitheist.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched half these shows, but OH SPOOKS. Seeing the caps of Ros taser Lucas actually made me clap in happiness. (Although my favourite moment in Spooks - and it's a really long sequence - is from where Harry picks up the hostage Lucas in the first episode, right to where they're in Spooks HQ and Lucas offers Adam a chip. It BREAKS MY HEART but Adam and Lucas meeting for the first time makes me smile).

I was going to do this idea, but there's so much stuff I haven't yet watched! So I'm always going "I'll do it... after I've watched [show]", and then I never do because I always have something else lined up.

Incidentally: I'LL RETURN YOUR DVD SOON ARGH I'M SO SORRY.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched half these shows
Haha, yes, this is because I watch everything and then pick the ones that no-one else gives a damn about.

I remember your love of that sequence. One of my favourite scenes, actually, is Lucas' memory recall sequence. Armitage is wonderfully understated in his portrayal of North.

Haha, IT TOOK ME OVER A YEAR. But I don't know. This is my level of fandom participation these days. I encourage you to do it if you can because I will take any excuse to look at pictures and read your commentary, but also because it's quite fun in itself.

[belantana.livejournal.com]

Spooks 7.02 was on last week and that taser scene made me bounce with awesome also. Along with Malcolm's doughnuts. EVERY TIME.

(Does this icon make it easier? *g*)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

SO GREAT. I LOVE HER. And I freaking adore Malcolm. If they ever, EVER do anything to him I will fuckdamn quit.

[belantana.livejournal.com]

As will I, and as will (hopefully) so many other people that they'll never even consider it.

(Does this mean it is on the way? \o/ I still have a few S1 eps to rewatch, and I'm still patiently dl-ing MM!)

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

[curly-the-sue.livejournal.com]

"What can I do?"
"Remember."
"I've been trying to since I woke up in this room!"
"Well try harder!"

One of the best scenes on TV EVER!

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Yes. YES. Well try harder! How many people can actually speak to Gibbs like that? Hell yes.

[curly-the-sue.livejournal.com]

No one but Ziva can. And that's why I love these two so much. :D

[inflightdata.livejournal.com]

Oh, Gibbs.





"WHERE ARE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL YOUR BALLS!?" "You didn't believe any of that happiness crap, now, did you?" Gosh, S7 of Spooks, you are my best friend.

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Fuck me, I love it when he says that. I wish it was October RIGHT NOW.