TV Fanatics Rank The Saddest Episodes They've Ever Seen
TV fans are used to shedding some tears when they tune in to watch their favorite heartbreaking, a-little-too-real dramas (we're looking at you, This Is Us) or during that "very special episode" where you knew a heavy topic was about to be tackled. Sometimes, though, a show blindsides you with an episode that hits you in the feels. Either way, there's something about those painful episodes that we adore, we respect, and we can't get enough of. One Reddit user, who maybe needed a good purge-cry, asked:
What is the saddest episode of any TV show that you've ever seen?
The answers had us reaching for our tissues, remotes, and cozy blankies ready to settle in for the cry of a lifetime. We've seen some, there's at least one we vowed never to watch again, and some of the answers honestly shocked us. The shows people chose range from dramatic to pre-school entertainment to anime and even some reality TV!
All aboard the feels train!
Starting With The Obvious
Fresh prince of Bel Air.. you know the one. "Why don't he want me, man?"
Just A Lonely Sky Bison
Appa's Lost Days from Avatar always gets to me more than it should, I feel.
Sesame Sadness
Can't believe it's not already here, but the episode of Sesame Street where Maria has to explain death to Big Bird when Mr. Hooper dies. I was six when it aired, and I think many, many people about my age dealt with the concept for the first time through this segment.
Do It For Her
The Simpsons episode where Homer has to beg for his job back cause Maggie is going to be born soon. The kids ask why there are no pics of Maggie. It's cause they are all at work. "Do it for her". Instead of "don't forget you're here forever". Sweet but so sad too!
M.A.S.H.
I'm going to kick it old school and say the final episode of M_A_SH. Most watched live TV episode in TV history. 105.9 Million viewers. Granted there weren't many channel options back then, it's still impressive when you can say that almost 1/2 the nation watched it live and it was a very sad episode.
Holocaust Hellscape
Band of Brothers - the episode "Why We Fight". They make their way to Kaufering concentration camp and are exposed to the harsh reality of the Holocaust. The soldier's reactions coupled with all the death and decay around them makes for a surreal moment.
It Wasn't Lupus
Wilson's Heart in House
When Bon Iver is playing and Wilson is saying goodbye to his soon-to-be-dead girlfriend, Amber. He is there holding her and he asks her why she isn't angry. She says she doesn't want that to be the last thing she feels. I think I read somewhere that Robert Sean Leonard had heart problems or something from the stress of doing that scene because it was so emotional.
I'm not crying, I just have something in both my eyes
Doctor Who
It's been years since I've watched any Doctor Who, but Tennant's "I don't want to go" right before he regenerates is one of the few things that's stuck with me since I stopped watching it. Honestly I think that's how I'm going to die, I don't see myself ever being "ready" like some people claim to be; and I think that's why it's stuck with me.
Hey Arnold
Hey Arnold: Helga on the Couch
Helga goes and sees a therapist and she talks about her family life and Arnold. The reason why she loves Arnold is because he was the 1st person to ever notice her.
Her dad is emotionally/verbally abusive while he obsessed with Olga
Her mom is an alcoholic.
Her sister is strung out on being perfect.
Goodbye
The last episode of Dinosaurs.
Even the baby realizes he's going to die. Meanwhile the reporter is still at his desk: "This is Howard Handupme. Good night. pause Goodbye."
Disney usually doesn't go for dark endings but the situation portrayed is relevant to today's climate issues. I'll NEVER forget that episode.
Real Situation, Real Sadness
My 600 Lb Life. The one that gets me is the one with the woman who was married with a daughter, and she didn't have the strength to get out of bed and play with her daughter. She decided to get the surgery for her kid...but her husband specifically loved that she was morbidly obese and entirely dependent on him. He kept saying "but if you lose the weight you won't need me" and then SPECIFICALLY SABOTAGED her. I remember he wouldn't visit her at the hospital after the surgery, then when he finally went to pick her up he went through a fast-food drive-thru on the way home from the hospital just to tempt her. He also refused to buy healthy food or help her prepare healthy meals, and he would 'demand' her unhealthy favorites so she'd have to cook him burgers and pizza and make herself grilled chicken.
How I Met The Feels
"Bad News" How I Met Your Mother. RIP Marshall's dad.
Jason Segal's acting there was a genuine reaction to a script change. His script said that Lilly was going to tell him she was pregnant or something happy like that. She comes out of the cab crying and says his dad had a heart attack. His response of "I'm not ready for this" always guts me.
Adventures Aren't Always Fun
I Remember You - Adventure Time. Having had family with dementia and Alzheimer's this episode hit real close to home.
I was watching with my kid, and I started crying, and then had to explain dementia to my 5-year-old.
I had to rewatch it as it was so much to take in. The second time through was devastating. I just cried through it all.
Oh Edith
The ending of All in the Family.
Edith dies and Archie goes to the bedroom, picks up her slipper and starts crying.
That Dog Became Notorious
The episode with the dog and Fry in Futurama
Farewell, Feeny
Boy Meets World finale
"I love you all.... class dismissed."
Boldy Go Where No Bawl Has Gone Before
Star Trek: The Next Generation. "The Inner Light".
Dear god. Every time I watch it and think, "okay, this time I'm going to hold it together all the way through"...and then Picard starts playing the flute back on the Enterprise. Nope, sorry, time to bawl your eyes out again.
"Because You're Breaking My Heart"
There's an episode if the show Torchwood (Dr who spin-off) in which one character is undead. Can't properly "die" but is mentally normal. A woman he worked with is talking to him, she's always been in love with him but he's always ignored her. He gets into a situation where he's trapped in a nuclear reactor and one of the safety protocols had been triggered; the room is filling with water, he's terrified and furious as he's talking to her. He knows he's going to be drowning forever, and he's screaming.
She says "please stop"
He responds "Why? Give me one good reason I shouldn't scream my way into oblivion!"
"Because you're breaking my heart"
See You Next Lifetime
For me, the last episode of the first series of the anime Angel Beats.
Basically, a teenage guy ends up in a purgatory for kids who died early from traumatic events and after typical anime shenanigans he finds out his purpose is to help them move on. He makes friends, falls for a girl etc.
The series is basically an exploration of "whats next", and fear about moving on and never seeing friends and loved ones again. The last episode the guy helps the main characters fulfill whatever unfinished business that they had, and as they do they disappear from purgatory. The girl he falls in love with goes last.....and the last scene is the guy and the girl in the "next life", and as strangers they pass each other on the street and the girl turns around and looks at the guy...
I told my sister I didn't think a cartoon could make me cry.
I ugly-cried through the entire 25 minute episode.
It's Always The Animal Deaths
GoT - Beyond the Wall. Viserion hit me harder than I thought it would have, likely brought on by having to put my dog down about a month previous. All the blood on the way down, and the way he was already discolored by the time he went into the water, followed by Drogon mourning circling the sky. I haven't cared as much about any of the human deaths.
H/T: Reddit
Of course, most of the time, it was “just a phase". And looking back, those phases are regrettable, to say the least. Here are some prime examples of that.
SirGergoyFriendman asked:
What was your biggest/most regrettable "It's not a phase, mom. It's my life." that, in fact, turned out to be just a phase and not your life?
The enthusiasm of a young person can lead to some unexpected changes that parents are just not ready for.
Hi, Wheeljack!
I was VERY into The Transformers when I was a wee lad in the 1980s. One day, I decided to change my name to the name of my favorite Autobot. My name was lame, and I wanted an awesome Transformer name. And I was VERY insistent that my parents only call me by my new name. Calling me by my 'old' name would cause a big fat tantrum on my part.
So for the better part of a week, my poor parents had to call me Wheeljack.
Very 2008.
Ariana Grande Shrug GIFGiphyMy cat-ear phase. I wore cat ears every single day. Everywhere. I had like 20 pairs of them. Now everyone thinks I'm a furry.
I find that very cute and wouldn't have thought you'd be furry. Even if you'd had cat mittens. I think my suspicions would have started if you moved a bit like a cat, displayed catlike grooming habits or got a cat mask.
Not gonna lie, that car sounds cool.
I went to a car show once as a teen, and the only newer car there was some chick's PT cruiser. It was hot glittery pink, and at the time I was obsessed. I insisted that one day I would have a hot pink car, with pink seats, pink dash, pink carpets, etc. I was pretty heavily goth at the time, so my parents just rolled their eyes.
These phases can often lead to some very strange fashion choices.
That’s commitment.
When I was a teenager (early 00s), I was waiting for my mother to pick me up and was wearing one of those sh!tty sports wristwatches. It was itching me so I took it off for a second, but then she arrived and because I was struggling to get it back on my wrist, I looped it around the equally sh!tty chain I had around my neck in a rush to get out the door.
My mom asked me about it in the car, and I told her this was my new style and I planned to wear it like that every day. She rolled her eyes.
I wore that watch on a chain around my neck every single day for 3 years or so. There are even professional family photos where I'm wearing it because I refused to take it off.
One day, the chain broke and I lost the watch. I was in high school at that point anyway and it was a major lady repellent, so... phase over.
Not everyone can be Eminem.
slim shady eminem GIFGiphyBaggy pants, being a rapper someday and being a professional skater.
When I was about 14 and Eminem was starting to blow up I bought myself a keyboard with a synthesizer. It cost like $200 which was all the money I had saved up. It finally came (this was way before amazon prime and such) and I tried rapping.
My sister told me "you're effing horrible" and I gave up right then and there.
This should be a sin.
I used to button the top buttons of polo shirts.
I must say, this is probably the worst one I've read.
Looking back at our regrettable choices, all we can do is cringe.
An optimistic look at bad tattoos.
check me out season 3 GIF by PortlandiaGiphyBeing a tattooer. Regrettable because of those poor people who have my awful doodles on their bodies.
Take heart! My favorite tattoo is the one I drunkenly got my buddy to do in his living room one year during March Madness! It's dumb and frankly mediocre? But such a good story and has such good associations I smile every time I see it.
RIP Fredro’s.
My friend and I decided we were going to open a bar in Jamaica with exotic snakes in glass cages in the walls at each booth. We convinced ourselves it would be amazing for at least two years in college. It was going to be called Fredro's.
My entire family made fun of me for it. Once we got out of college, we realized it was not feasible and joined the office grind. We're also two white guys with no ties to Jamaica.
Talk about cringey.
I wore a top hat with an anime pin on it for around a year. Met one of my current best friends while wearing it, idk how he could bear to speak to me after that.
My weirdest phase was probably when I insisted on wearing knee-high rainbow socks to school every day. But honestly, I don't regret it. I rocked those socks, and I wish I still have a pair.
To all the people out there cringing over their past selves, remember that you were just a kid, and to be easy on yourselves. After all, we've all been there
Yet, too often, manufacturers who oversell their products fail to deliver what is promised and are inevitably left with angry customers who want their money back.
Whether the merchandise was defective or ridiculously overpriced, strangers online shared some of their worst purchases when Redditor BooksMcGee asked:
"What is the worst product you ever paid money for?"
Short Life Span
"This NERF gun that's supposed to shoot tennis balls for your dog. I bought it cause I thought you could load 3 at a time and shoot them far, but it's just one and it's super loud and the gun broke after like 4 shots (reading reviews later, this was a common issue)."
Lame Pets
"There were these toys called squiggles when I was a kid and the commercials made it seem like the toy was alive. It looked like you would get this crazy little fuzzy worms as pets that would follow you around an so sick tricks and listen to your every command. It was really just a piece of fluffy string tied to another piece of string with googly eyes on it. People may say that it was supposed to be a magic trick but they should also explain that to a 5 year old who really wanted a pet."
Card Value
"Not their fault, but I paid $70 for a Yugioh card hours before it was limited to one copy. Probably dropped to $20 by the end of the day."
These purchases were bad for your bum.
"A bicycle that literally fell apart before I made it out of the parking lot."
Not Worth Sitting On
"Joybird brand couch. Was so terrible, we returned it. Still hard to believe, we returned a freaking couch."
Going Nowhere Fast
"A 2000 VW Beetle (used)."
"Biggest piece of sh*t that literally had to have just about everything replaced before 100k miles and would still break down every time you left the driveway to the point where the tow-truck driver knew us on a first-name basis."
Expensive Lemon
"An Oldsmobile Achieva from one of those buy here pay here places. I should have known better, but I was young and thought I was getting a good deal. I had the thing for about 5 months, I drove it for maybe 3 weeks. The rest of the time it was either in the shop, or in my driveway waiting until pay day so I could afford to fix whatever broke on it this week. Eventually told the dealer just take it, I'm not paying for it any more. He said nope, and I will make sure your credit is ruined. I said well you sold me a lemon, do you really want to go this route? He came and took it. Never reported anything to credit. I heard he got sued by several other people who sold sh**ty cars too and eventually went out of business."
"Always amazes me when I see them driving around still, I can only assume there's enthusiasts who just love repairing horribly designed cars."
– zerbey
These Redditors were not convinced what they ingested was edible.
Bad Cereal
"A box of plain Cheerios. Thought they were honey nut, poured a bowl, was very disappointed."
"If I wanted to taste cardboard, I'd just eat the box."
– gor8884
Space Pizza
"A burnt frozen pizza at the air and space museum cafe in DC. I Don't wish that experience on anyone. There are some amazing restaurants in DC, don't settle."
– Alseids
The following electronics just gave off a bad charge.
"Asus Transformer Pad TF700"
"This was one of those early 'high end' Android tablets that was grossly underpowered, and it showed. Thing was slow as sh!t in no time flat. Rookie mistake investing into shiny new tech while they were still working all the bugs out. Think I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $350-400 for it..."
– Luke5119
Bad Apple
"macbook pro 2018 13" touchbar. 2 years old and dead (battery). they're asking $300-$400 to change the battery. malfunctioning keyboard with double presses and missing presses. that's a lot of money for bad design."
Chilly Reception
"Past winter my old room heater broke down and I had to buy a new one. Went to a store nearby and somehow got convinced to buy a very costly heating device.. It's also my fault, since there were some sligthly cheaper options around, but nope. I wanted the expensive one thinking it will make my small room a volcano with little to no effort/cost (that's also what the seller told me). Long story short the device wasn't doing ANYTHING. No significant temperature changes, too much space, a weird noise, and was doubling my previous device in utility cost. I still gloom over those 80 euros.."
Some of my disappointing purchases was clothing, but only because I purchased them online. Unless they are a brand I'm familiar with, I'm usually fine with buying new jeans off of their websites.
But when it comes to graphic tees only available on specialty shops, an M-size shirt is not necessarily the same size as those found in other reputable stores.
I bought a medium sized T-shirt from a boutique store online because I loved the look of the design. But when it arrived, the supposed medium fit me like an XL.
At least I gained a fierce cleaning rag from this impulsive purchase.