This may have been an awful year, which also caused a bit of delay in me actually posting this, but thankfully, we have our fandoms to find ways to bring us joy in such dark times. Normally I would do a little bit of a spiel beforehand, but I don't think one needs to be made at this time. What we need to do is bring shed some light of some of the best moments that were shared across TV, film, and streaming services to celebrate the moments that made us cheer, marvel, smile, and overall, knock our socks off.
As always, there is a spoiler alert in affect. Enjoy the list!
Sonic the Hedgehog - the villain dance
These types of scenes most certainly aren't new, but they also aren't always pulled off flawlessly. Before we get into this moment, let's applaud the filmmakers for listening to the fans and redesigning Sonic from that atrocious first design, and also giving us a good movie based on a video game. And let's also thank them for casting Jim Carrey, who has been too long away from our movie screens. The brilliant Carrey was the only possible actor for the role of Doctor Robotnik, bringing silliness, evil, and over grace to the role. As he runs a test on one of Sonic's energy-charged hairs, he kills time by dancing and lip-synching to the PINGAS song, "Evil Grows Inside of Me." Welcome back, Jim. We've missed you!
Star Trek: Lower Decks - a perfect blend of spoof and homage
What a show! The first episode may have frustrated many long-time fans with its zombie approach (I loved it, but there's always those anal fans), but it explored areas of the Trek universe that were long overdue, especially in the following of characters that aren't on the senior staff, and what happens after first contact is made. The best episode came when the clique of the Cerritos decided to kill time by hijacking Boimler's program interacting with the senior staff to prepare for his interview. Mariner tries to spice things up by turning his program into a movie, something that the holodeck has never been utilized for before now. Eventually Boimler finds himself being escorted to the Cerritos, which in regards to Starfleet models, is the equivalent of a station wagon. However, as the holodeck movie plays out, the Cerritos is shone in the most flattering light possible. It is replicated almost scene for scene from Star Trek: The Motion Picture when the same thing was done to the USS Enterprise, but this time with the J.J. Abrams lens flares! It pays homage to that beautifully shot yet nerd-porn moment filmed, and also spoofs the scene by doing the same to such a crummy ship like the Cerritos. Now that's the way to satisfy the die-hard fans and make them laugh at the same time!
Birds of Prey - a single brilliant character choice
There may have been a lot of problems with the film, especially with the fact that there were practically no good aligned male characters, but one thing that cannot be denied is how amazing Margot Robbie is in this role. She was perfectly cast and one of the few shining moments in the previous Suicide Squad film. However, in one particular scene, and an extremely brief moment, she positively nails the character of Harley Quinn in a way that emulated just about every iteration of her throughout animation and the multiple DC Universes. When she has her police station scene and she's firing at the officers with her beanbag gun, she gleefully proclaims, "run piggy, run!" Throughout the onslaught of superhero movies we've seen over the last decade, this is one of the few moments when an actor positively nailed that character in every perfect sense of the word.
Bill and Ted Face the Music - the Hendix/Mozart Duet
This long awaited sequel was certainly a lot of fun, and it was interesting to see Keanu Reeves back in the role of a slacker after so many years of playing serious action roles (and finally pulling off a more convincing British accent, though it still wasn't great). Although it was wonderful to see the lovable valley boys and Death again, it wasn't these three who had the best moment in the film, it was the impromptu duet when Jimi Hendrix is brought to Austria to meet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by the titular characters' daughters, who are trying to save their dads by bringing some of the greatest musical talents in history together to help with their song. Right away, Jimi hears Mozart playing his sonata no 16 C major K 545 inside a venue and knows he follow along. In a goosebump inducing moment, Jimi waits for the right moment to join in, which confuses Mozart since electric guitars haven't been invented yet, but he keeps playing. Then, as he continues, Jimi follows along perfectly, blending a classical European symphony with psychedelic classic rock. Mozart passionately finishes his piece, then bursts out of the venue while spouting in German, wanting to know what happened. Jimi just says, "hey Wolfie," and extends his hand. Music historians and geeks went nuts with how beautifully this scene went down.
World of Warcraft - Uther's final say
Longtime fans of this gaming franchise know that some of the greatest moments of treachery and betrayal came at the hands of Arthas, who eventually became the Lich King. Among that long list, Arthas killed his mentor, Uther, when trying to prevent him from desecrating the remains of the father that he brutally murdered. In this short cinematic prior to the release of the newest expansion, Shadowlands, Uther's soul, having been ferried to the afterlife area of Bastion, is having difficult adapting because the paragons of Bastion don't believe him when he tells them that the evil they believe is locked away is loose within the universe. When he finally enlists Devos in his thirst for justice, they await for Arthas's death and claim his soul. Uther, with Arthas's body in hand, dispatches his soul back to the source of evil, the Maw, bringing his quest for justice to an end. The voice acting is superb, and Uther's soul finally achieving the peace he'd been seeking is immensely satisfying as you watch Arthas's body slowly drop into that twisting nether.
Legends of Tomorrow - a bromantic parting
Nate and Ray developed a bromance over the last few seasons, but now that Ray and Nora have gotten married, Ray keeps the promise he made to Nora's father, Damien, that he won't time travel anymore. After a bachelor party goes awry in a bar where Shakespeare happens to be penning Romeo and Juliet, he develops a version full of superheroes and action that needs to be set right. While the crew of the Wave Rider is performing the right version in the Globe, Nate, who had been cast as Juliet, runs back to the ship to catch Ray before he and Nora return to the present. Intercut between the infamous balcony scene where Constantine and Zari play the titular characters, Nate pulls off some swashbuckling action while he strips off his costume to catch Ray before he leaves. He makes it just in time, and the two declare their guy love for one another in a rare scene of what could only be described as pure friendship between two guys. It's adorable, and the parallel scene of Romeo and Juliet declaring their love makes the scene even better.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Fitz finally shows up...and is Ant Man
If you haven't seen the series finale of this show, you read that right. Fitz had been MIA throughout the entire season thus far (due to Iain de Caestecker filming Roadkill most likely), but was still the most important character now that he had been returned to Earth. The baddies of the season, the Chronicons, have a time device that allows them to get the leg up on the agents as they try to prevent them from changing history and taking over the world. They say multiple times that the key to succeeding is by finding Fitz, and Simmons has implanted herself with technology that removes any memories of him to protect him from them. After a crazy season full of twists and turns, multiple clever callbacks to previous episodes and the MCU, and even utilizing James Paxton to play the younger version of his late father's role, the team finally recovers Fitz. With the help of Enoch, the parts required to assemble the device to retrieve Fitz are brought together by other Shield agents, and Simmons has the mental faculties to put together. When she realizes that the final piece is her wedding ring, the device activates, and Fitz finally appears. Though not quite the same outfit, it turns out he had used the same technology Hank Pym used for the Ant Man suit to transport to this alternate timeline via the Quantum Realm. Not only is this a triumphant return, but the means of his return is absolutely perfect for this MCU-related show.
Red Dwarf: The Promised Land - the laser pointer wins
In this technical 13th season, though this one being one of two that were released as TV movies instead of full seasons, viewers finally got the chance to find out what happened what happened to the rest of the cat race that Cat was part of when he was left behind on the titular ship at the beginning of the series. After a series of mishaps that only the Boys from the Dwarf could encounter, and Lister trying to shake off being a god again, the cats worshipping Rodon, the baddie of this special, start to turn on him. And then one of the cats shines a laser pointer on Rodon. Suddenly enraged and feral, Rodon falls when he can't convince his crazed followers to not try to attack the red dot. It is fun to see how not matter how human this cat race can be, at their hearts they're still the loveable fluff balls so easily entertained by those lasers! Unfortunately, this clip is not available, but here's a fan made trailer to enjoy!
Star Trek: Picard - Picard says goodbye
This new Trek spinoff may have had its highs and lows amongst its all-over-the-place and sometimes nonsensical storyline, but fans of the original series and the reboots can agree that this scene was incredible. Since the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, Picard has apparently been mourning the loss of Data, the android who gave his life to save his at the last moment. Having since retired from Starfleet, Picard sets of on a mission to protect Data's supposed android daughter, Soji. The events of the series bring it to a finale in which Picard, dying from an incurable disease that's now taking its toll, finally is allowed a chance to bid his friend goodbye. Lost in unconsciousness, Picard envisions himself sitting with Data, and they have the parting words that Picard didn't have the time say. It's a beautifully acted scene that satisfied fans of all generations, and gave Picard the release he needed to accept the gift of life with no more regrets.
The Flash - Barry gets mirrored
The Flash's season ended early and before the finale could be filmed due to Covid, so there were fewer episodes to go through. Iris made a dumb move (as she's been prone to do more lately) of breaking into a lab and being sucked into a mirror reality, replaced with a duplicate controlled by Eva McCulloch. Eva is trying to break Iris and forces her duplicate to kill Barry. If there's anything we've learned from movies like Die Hard, you never want to make contact with broken glass. Well, duplicate Iris has power over mirrors, and with several strategically set up throughout the West-Allen household, she stabs Barry multiple times when he gets near one mirror and she stabs her knife hands through one she's near. Then Eva shatters a mirror on the ceiling, and as the shards fall around Barry, duplicate Iris starts stabbing him through the friggin' pieces that are already shredding him! Brutal, badass, and cringe-worthy painful, you really feel it for Barry in this scene, especially with his speed being sapped and him unable to heal as quickly as usual.
The Mandalorian - Boba Fett earns his rep
It was a tough choice for this one, but I went with this one due to the age-old argument that's been around since Return of the Jedi: is Boba Fett overrated? Even the film Fanboys discussed this topic, when two of the characters are arguing this point, with one of the guys stating: "everyone thinks he's so cool because he had a rocket pack. Well, so did the Rocketeer!" Thanks to Jon Favreau, this argument is finally put to rest. First, Boba takes down Mando and demands to be returned his armor, which Mando recovered in the season premiere. When Stormtroopers swarm the area, he takes out the blaster-armed troops with a staff, then takes the incentive and just takes his armor. The next we see him, he is wearing the well-worn (and a bit small) armor and armed with a blaster of his own, then starts shooting missiles from his gauntlets, knee pads, and even his own jet pack! As he manages to take down two fleeing ships at once, he turns and looks back into the camera, and though actor Temuera Morrison's face is hidden by his mask, his body language and movement is enough to finally win the squabble once and for all: the Fett is NOT overrated.
New Mutants - can't really blame Berto's statement...
I'm wasn't entirely sold on this film. It was fine, but ultimately it didn't really seem to have any relevance except in the brief mentioning of Essex and introducing Magik, whose human name is Ilyana. In any case though, there was a moment I thought worthy of my list. When Dani's fear of bears manifests itself, Ilyana uses her mutant powers to battle the beast, along with her now living stuffed dragon, Lockheed. As she and Lockheed take on this magical bear, Berto watches through the window and declares, "I'm gonna marry that girl." With all the badassery Ilyana embodied in this scene, I'm not going to argue with his reasoning.
Crisis on Infinite Earths - TV Flash meets DCEU Flash
This crossover miniseries began strong but ended on the weaker side, though it had an interesting development in which the DC universe was consolidated to one earth. Before this happens, Barry Allen enters the speed force to find a way to bring the universe back to a balance so that they can restore all life. The previous three episodes had a plethora of former DC character actor cameos, but shockingly, another showed up that literally NOBODY predicted. Ezra Miller, currently cast as the DCEU version of the Flash, makes a quick appearance in the speed force! His version of the character is freaking out more because he's unaware of the multiverse, but the CW Barry tries to calm him down without telling him too much that would overwhelm him. Then there's the moment when they both realize they're different versions of each other and compare how impressive the other's suit is. It was a massive surprise to see Ezra show up, and it's given fans hope that the upcoming Flashpoint movie will feature a cameo from Grant Gustin. Fans and waiting with baited breath to see if this moment crosses over into the DCEU!
Onward - the spell works just in time
Disney/Pixar's fantasy film was, as always, a fun adventure with several refreshingly original twists. In search of a power crystal that will allow fledging wizard Ian to complete a spell to bring his long-dead father back for a short time, he and his brother Barley travel their world and find themselves back in their hometown to recover the crystal. After battling a dragon pieced together from the debris of his high school, Ian is trapped beneath this same debris, but has the chance to use the crystal before the spell runs out of time. Though safe and mostly unharmed, he is unable to escape in time to meet his now fully-formed dad. He watches as his dad reunites with Barley, and though the audience isn't able to hear what is said between the two of them, we are able to see Ian's reaction as he registers awe and happiness that his brother is at least able to reconnect with the father he lost and Ian never met. And then the emotional gut punch comes when the sun sets, ending the spell, and their dad dissolves in Barley's arms. It was a creative, bittersweet way to subvert expectations.
Star Trek: Discovery - Georgiou changes her future
At long last, I was finally able to check out this series. My initial excitement over the series lay mostly with Michelle Yeoh, as I've been a fan of hers since I saw her in Tomorrow Never Dies. She is the only actress in Hollywood with the ability to make vulnerability look badass. And she demonstrates that incredibly unique skill when her character of Phillipa Georgiou, whose existence is threatened because she is not only from the Mirror Universe, but also in the future, causing her physical form to destabilize. After encountering the Guardian of Forever, she is transported to the day she was forced to kill her adopted daughter, Michael, after she set up an assassination attempt. As the captured Michael spews what she really thinks of her "mother," Yeoh gives an outstanding performance as she tries to retain her merciless façade while also registering the pain of Michael's words. She finally has enough and takes her sword, then, the face of Michael's defiance, she swings in a move to remove her head, but then stops short to only break Michael's skin. Originally, she didn't stop, but this time, in this action, she takes a chance on showing mercy to the only person she truly loves, thereby erasing any advantage she had in retaining her power as empress. Still retaining a sense of control, she tells Michael, "as of right now, our future is unwritten. Let's make it count, shall we?" Rarely do characters in any franchise throw away opportunities to have the upper hand, but Georgiou does so with zero regrets, and still reacts in a human way.
What We Do in the Shadows - the scatting necromancer
The second season opener showed us we were in for something different when Haley Joel Osmont took the screen, and even more shockingly when his character, Topher, was dispatched just as quickly. While his performance as an eventual zombie was incredible, I'm going to give this season-stealing moment not to him, but to the necromancer tasks to resurrect him, played by Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong. An old friend of Nadia's, the gang recruits him to bring Topher back to life. Let's also mention that the only item they could bring of Topher's to act as a link to his past was his mini-fridge, which they bring along. Then the necromancer starts his work, which he begins with by snorting like a pig, and then just begins scatting, which starts off in regular English, and then just drops into pure gibberish. And, before the ceremony is completed, his phone gives him a notification which he also needs to answer. He completes the ritual and Topher achieves reanimation. Necromancy in fantasy is often portrayed as dark and scary and sometimes silly, but Wong sells the ridiculousness of this scene flawlessly. In a show full of original ideas, it's the scatting that stands out as the best moment.
Supernatural - thanking the fans
Every fandom out there has its quirks and types of fans, but the Supernatural fans are a rather notorious group for how deep their devotion to the show has endured throughout this long-running show's duration. After an emotional series finale, stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles filmed a brief message to their fanbase, wearing the costumes they wore in the very first episode and thanked them for their all their love and dedication. It's not often that a show lasts this long, and even rarer than such appreciation is shown to the viewers by the main stars and crew. And we salute all of you, too!
Wonder Woman 1984 - Astra is alive!
Wow....what a disappointment. It was exciting to see Wonder Woman again, but she deserved better than this movie. How could such an interesting concept go so wrong? I won't go into the many discrepancies this movie has, though I will say that Cheetah's design is still better than the full cast of Cats. After careful consideration, the real best moment of this film came with the post credit scene. A pole comes loose and nearly crushes a child, but a woman using telekinetic powers stops it midair, and a local takes it and puts it back where it belongs. As the relieved mom fervently thanks this woman and asks who she is, she turns, and it's none other than Lynda Carter, the original Wonder Woman. The great Amazon, Asteria, whose armor Diana dons in the third act of the movie, was assumed to died a hero's death. Not only is it a wonderful way of utilizing the incomparable Carter, it also opens the door to make her a part of the DCEU!
Animaniacs - Benedict the dragon
This one went over my head at first, and probably went over the heads of a lot of viewers. Pinky and the Brain are off on their latest attempt in taking over the world by hiring a dragon to slay so that they can establish their dominance over the medieval kingdom and force the king to pass his crown to Brain. First, I need to include the moment where Pinky charges into the dragon's den yelling, "Leroooooooooooooooooooooy Jeeeeeeeeeenkins!" (YES!!!!!) and when Brain follows, he's nearly stepped on by this dragon. It turns out the dragon, who introduces himself as Benedict, has no appetite for destruction, but is an aspiring thespian and minstrel, complete with a posh British accent! And it took me several days for it to click as his voice echoed through my head; this dragon is meant to be directly spoofing Benedict Cumberbatch, who, in addition to being a highly respected British actor, also voiced the dragon Smaug in the Hobbit movies! This rebooted series may be lacking the magic it had in the 90s as a kids cartoon, but this subtle humor is still in practice, and leaves a crazy sense of having been played when it finally becomes clear!
And now, time for the best geek moment of 2020!
The Mandalorian - Luke does his father proud
Come on, did you really think I'd leave this entry off my list? Mando and his strong supporting ladies are barricaded in the command center of Moff Gideon's ship, and have that fabulous baddie with them, as well as Grogu, and are about to be attacked by Gideon's super-droids that have been enhanced by Grogu's DNA. As the droids begin trying to tear down the door, an X-Wing passes by the windows, further upping the tension. But then, the cloaked occupant, armed with a green light saber, starts taking out the droids left and right. In a scene that is clearly inspired by the previously listed moment on my blog from Rogue One where Darth Vader takes out the rebels as they pass the Death Star plans off between them, the Jedi advances toward the command center, also using the Force to easily overpower these dub-step inspired droids. When he finally dispatches all of his foes, he enters the command center and pulls back his hood, and it's none other than Luke Skywalker. Also finally done good after The Last Jedi brought him down lower than he deserved, Jon Favreau restored the honor of this original sci-fi hero, and wrapped up Grogu's storyline beautifully. Jon, thank you for all you've done.
In 2020, Ming-Na Wen was awarded the first title holder of the "Disney Hat Trick," in which she is the only actor in Hollywood to have played a Disney Princess, a Star Wars character, and an MCU hero; all three franchises owned by Disney. Not only does she have these credits, she was awarded the "Disney Legend Award" in 2019, and has enough geek cred with her turns in film and TV projects including Street Fighter, Stargate: Universe, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and Eureka, and let's not forget that she was also featured in the live action Mulan remake, making her the only original Disney voice actress to appear in the live action version. Currently the Queen of the Geeks due to her new title, she can easily rise to Empress if she takes a role in any Star Trek projects. Make it so, Ming-Na!!!!!
Addressing and Rewriting a Problematic Moment
Remember how I mentioned that Iris from The Flash is way too prone to making stupid decisions lately? Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend among characters who are said to be "strong female characters" and arguing against the fact is considered backward thinking. A few years ago I praised the rise of these strong characters, but at this point, I'm mostly over it. The truly well-written characters, such as the ladies from Agents of Shield, have to take the back seat over more popular franchises.
One who was brought back this year was Seven of Nine, originally from Trek: Voyager, now integrated into Picard. One of the most divisive scenes to come out this year came from Picard, where Seven's adoptive son, Icheb, is being brutally dissected for his cordical node, which the medics performing the procedure are anaware that he donated to Seven. This extremely uncomfortable torture scene has been seen as unnecessarily violent, though it does act as a jumping off point for Seven's story arc.
However, since she never joined Starfleet, she spends the end of the episode shooting up Bjayzl's palace and everyone inside of it. This also didn't sit well with many viewers because it seemed out of character for her to go on such a murderous rampage after all the character development she had in Voyager, in which she had several episodes where she had to come to terms with the guilt she discovers from the assimilations she carried out as a drone. And there's also the fact that she walked away from this slaughter completely unharmed.
As much as I have loved Seven over the years, and was very happy to see actress Jeri Ryan wearing some comfortable clothing, I wasn't entirely sold on how she was written for Picard. Now the scene where she shoots up the palace could have made some sense due to what happened to Icheb and other parts of her history that weren't addressed had the writers chosen to do so. But going overboard to that length without her experiencing any injuries at all was just a bit too far. She isn't Captain Marvel and impervious to most weapons; she is, in essence, a superhuman due to her Borg enhancements, but she's still very much as vulnerable as anyone else.
Since the writers chose to give us what they did without allowing the viewers to know all of Seven's history since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, they could have at least satisfied fans of the show for not only Seven's sake, but also for Icheb's. Icheb had a special friend who should have been brought into play.
I would rewrite this scene where Seven shoots 'em up with just a very slight change. As she prepares to assassinate Bjayzyl for what she did to Icheb, Seven would say to her, "I almost forgot. I may have told you all about Icheb, but I never told you who his best friend was." And suddenly, a flash of light appears, and there stand none other that Q Junior. With that smirk on his face, he would say, "hello. I am Q." Cue the shocked looks on Bjayzyl's and her lackeys' faces when they realize that Seven has the power of a literal god on her side before she starts her blasting. And as she blasts, Q just watches, and only intervenes when she is wounded. He acts as her healer while he allows her to tank her way through the palace.
This may seem like a way to say that Seven needs a man around to survive, but I disagree. The Q are omnipotent beings, and Q and Icheb did become close friends. If something had happened to Icheb, then logically, Q would have wanted to know what exactly had happened. By bringing him into this scene and him allowing Seven to do the dirty work for him while he protects her shows not that she needs help, but rather that even the omnipotent beings of this universe are on her side, which I think would have made an even more powerful statement, even if Q is a male.
That's just my two cents. Icheb deserved better, and bringing in Q Junior would have also opened doors for his dad, Q, to return and annoy Picard in the next season.
Coming in 2021
So I've begun another blog and have been working on that, which is why this one was delayed a little over a month, but I do have some ideas that I would like to work out here if I have the time. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for the best scenes of this new year, and hopefully it'll be a long list!
