The 15 Greatest Scenes Of 2015 (And How To Stream Them)

The “Kimmy’s in a Love Triangle” episode of Netflix’s stellar Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was already going along quite well. Kimmy’s relationship with self-professed “daddy’s boy” Logan was packed with audacious little one-liners about his wealth (the blimp jokes!), and there was also that whole subplot with Titus taking butch acting lessons. And then, just when we thought we were done with the episode … a note-perfect depiction of the 1938 musical trainwreck Daddy’s Boy. Bizarre and uproarious and trusting the audience to get on its level, the “Daddy’s Boy” interlude is the best of Kimmy Schmidt in a nutshell. — Joe Reid

[Stream Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 1, Episode 10 on Netflix]

A stunning, groundbreaking tale of trans working women taking on the streets of Tinseltown, Tangerine‘s hapless, yet oh-so-endearing protagonists, Sin Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), watch one man’s life crumble before their very eyes on Christmas Eve. As if the dysfunction in Tangerine couldn’t get any more, well, dysfunctional… everything comes to a nasty head in the Donut Time coffee shop when Razmik’s conservative mother-in-law discovers him in Donut Time with his trans mistress. — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Tangerine on Netflix]

Don Draper’s last scene of Mad Men was brilliant. With very little dialogue and the perfect build up to an ultimately zen moment: I’ll always remember that incredible “ding” moment in “Person to Person.” My heart opened real big when that camera zoomed over Don’s face and into his final revelation to “buy the world a Coke” with the world. — Jaclyn Kessel

[Stream Mad Men: Season 7, Episode 14 on Amazon Video]

Bound and determined to shake up the status quo, Mike (Channing Tatum) urges Richie (Joe Manganiello) to do what he was born to do: entertain. Spotting the saddest gas station attendant, possibly in the history of the world, Mike sends Richie in to try and make her smile. Which he does. But it takes quite a bit of effort. — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Magic Mike XXL on iTunes]

Most fans and critics have noticed how the scene offers a welcome release in tension, but it’s also a crucial turning point in the plot. This is the moment when Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) firmly lands on Ava’s (Alicia Vikander)side and begins to see Nathan as nothing more than a egotistical manipulator. Caleb sees Nathan’s (Oscar Isaac) impromptu dance with Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) as a sign that he’s either mentally unhinged or consumed with nothing more than a desire to indulge his every fancy. — Meghan O’Keefe

[Stream Ex Machina on Prime Video]

We aren’t introduced to Pablo Escobar’s menacing nature until about thirty minutes into the Narcos pilot, when the then emerging Colombian drug kingpin sees how far he can flex his power and intimidation with law enforcement. Without so much as a flinch, Escobar (portrayed by Wagner Moura) exits his jeep and steps right up to the men in uniform while calmly asking intimate details about all of their closest relatives. It’s a subtly unnerving scene that sets the tone for the Escobar we come to know: a brooding, tactful monster. — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Narcos: Season 1, Episode 1 on Netflix]

Aliens, aliens, aliens! After nine straight episodes of being teased senselessly about UFOs and extraterrestrial life, Noah Hawley’s acclaimed series adaptation, Fargo, finally introduced to the show exactly what we had been waiting for: alien life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Oh jeez, we sure aren’t in Luverne, Minnesota anymore. — Kayla Cobb

[Stream Fargo: Season 2, Episode 9 on FX NOW]

Last season had the epic battle at The Wall. This season had one in Meereen’s fighting pits. How appropriate! But instead of just a few self-sacrificing soldiers, the Sons of the Harpy crash Khaleesi’s party and begin to wreak havoc on the stadium population. Slicing, dicing, stabbings, and buckets upon buckets of blood: no show on TV does violence quite like Game of Thrones. It isn’t necessarily the band of strapping men who end up saving their queen, but rather, one of her estranged adopted kin. — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 9 on HBO Go and HBO Now]

For excruciating tension and pure ‘I can’t believe it finally happened’ wow factor, nothing tops the final scene of “March 8, 1983,” the season 3 finale of FX’s astonishing The Americans. For three seasons the giant question looming over this criminally overlooked series has been whether Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys’s explosive secret (they’re Soviet spies in an arranged marriage) would ever leak. Finally, it did, as President Reagan’s ‘Evil Empire’ speech unveiled in the background. How could you, [redacted]? — Conrad Doucette

[Stream The Americans: Season 3, Episode 13 on Amazon Video]

2015 was a great year to be a lady and it’s no coincidence that in the same year, Abbi finally bedded her hot next door neighbor on beloved stoner comedy, Broad City. Oh yeah, and she got to peg him upon his request. A comedic triumph that was as groundbreaking as it was hysterical, Jacobson became an overnight dildo-donning Internet goddess who also delivered the single greatest response to her Emmy snub, “Who do you have to peg in this town?!” — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Broad City: Season 2, Episode 4 on Amazon Video]

The first three minutes of It Follows belong right alongside the opening scenes of Scream, Jaws, and Zack Snyder’s Dawn Of The Dead in the pantheon of all-time scariest movie openers. The film opens with the viewer dropped into the middle of a seemingly calm suburban street, but only a few moments go by before that sense of calm familiarity is stripped away and replaced by atmosphere of frightening tension. Director David Robert Mitchell has us in the palm of his hand instantly, utilizing both visual language (in this case, a simple pan and dolly) and Disasterpiece’s masterful score to set the stage. Bravura work here. — Mark Graham

[Where to stream It Follows]

The final two minutes of Andrew Jarecki’s true crime phenomenon, The Jinx, were 120 seconds of infamy. After sitting with Jarecki and his crew to discuss evidence found in Susan Berman’s belongings (specifically the “Beverley” letter), alleged killer Robert Durst asked to use the bathroom. Unaware his microphone was still live, Durst proceeded to incriminate himself, delivering the chilling revelation, “What did you do? Killed them all, of course.” — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream The Jinx: Season 1, Episode 6 on HBO Go and HBO Now]

Spoilers, ahoy! I was one of the many who were surprised and delighted by this year’s breakout show, Mr. Robot. But there’s one exceptional scene in particular where things both came together and fell apart for the audience and the show’s star, Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek). In this scene, we find ourselves in the midst of a confrontation between Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and Elliot in a cemetery after an uncomfortable trip down memory lane. The two hobble over to a headstone to lean on it and catch their breath, when Mr. Robot spots Elliot’s sister Darlene, and best childhood friend Angela running toward them. Mr. Robot, realizing the two will expose him for what he is, hurriedly tells Elliot: “Whatever anyone tries to do, I will never leave you. I will always be right here. They are never going to break us apart again.” As the two women approach, we begin to realize Mr. Robot is actually a manifestation of the memory of Elliot’s father, who passed away when Elliot was a child. Malek portrays the confusion and heartache of a mentally ill genius dealing with his loss of innocence and untimely death of his father so beautifully and painfully, even the most heartless of hackers surely had tears in their eyes. — Terri Ciccone

[Stream Mr. Robot: Season 1, Episode 8 on Amazon Video]

French-Argentinian director Gaspar Noé is kind of the king of unforgettable scenes. Between the brutal, gut wrenching rape in Irreversible and mind-bending drug trip in Enter the Void, we had a feeling that Noé’s glorified arthouse porno, Love — about a couple who invites a beautiful stranger into their bed — would feature a threesome scene to end all threesome scenes. And being that it was not only in 3D, but completely unsimulated (meaning the actors really had sex on screen), it’s safe to say it lived up to its hype. The (NSFW!) clip above gives you a taste, but for the real deal, you’ll have to rent it. — Olivia Armstrong

[Stream Love on Amazon Video]

Game Of Thrones was derided by critics this season for its over-reliance on scenes of rape to shock viewers, but setting that issue aside for the moment, arguably hit its high point as a series during the scene now known as “The Massacre At Hardhome.” Just as zeitgeisty as anything that went down at the Red Wedding, the final 17 minutes or so of this episode were as pulse-pounding as anything you’ll ever see on television. To me, its closest analog is the opening Battle Of Normandy sequence from Saving Private Ryan, only this time around the bad guys straight up slaughtered the good guys. — Mark Graham

[Stream Game Of Thrones on HBO Go and HBO Now]