There have been a lot of moments this year that have forced us to feel, and we’re pretty positive we didn’t get them all.
The point of any form of art is to evoke emotion, and this year, narrowing down to our top moments wasn’t easy. But we tried. Here’s the moments that hit us right in the feels, and broke our hearts.
I LOVE YOU 3000 – AVENGERS: ENDGAME
This was the moment. The one we didn’t know we wanted, the one that made us feel like the journey was worth it, and at the same time, the one that made us feel that the journey was going to come to an end in a way we didn’t like. Because in movies no one gets their happy ending in the middle – absolutely no one. Not even Tony Stark could break that rule.
But when I get sad about what came after, I’ll close my eyes and remember that Tony got that moment with Morgan, that she, and Pepper, and Peter, and us, love him 3000. And more importantly, that he knows it.
IRON MAN’S DEATH – AVENGERS: ENDGAME
This moment is especially heartbreaking because despite the fact that Avengers: Endgame tried really, really hard to make it seem like there was no other way, within the context of the movie and/or the overall narrative, the truth is, we’re smarter than that. Give us five minutes and we could come up with about three thousand other scenarios where Tony survives and this movie’s final act feels earned.
But, even with all our misgivings (and denial), this moment still has gravitas, if only because RDJ, Tom Holland and Gwyneth Paltrow managed to sum up in the last precious seconds of Tony’s life, not just what his legacy was, but why they, and us, loved him so much.
“I JUST REALLY MISS HIM” – SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
The good thing about shared universes is that you see characters react to what happened in previous movies. The bad thing is that you have to sit there as Peter Parker mourns another father figure in Tony Stark, and boy, does Tom Holland absolutely sell every moment of the anguish Peter is feeling, just as Jon Favreau sells every bit of the comfort Happy is trying to provide.
And no, we will never agree that Tony had to die for Peter to grow up and become a hero – Peter was already a hero, but we’re glad that, things being what they are, he was allowed this moment to grieve the man who sacrificed absolutely everything for him.
SCHNEIDER’S RELAPSE – ONCE UPON A TIME
Schneider was the rock of the family (yes, we said family) for so long. He had his issues, yes, and they were never ignored, but he was the strong one for Penelope, Lydia, Elena and Alex. Over and over again, he was the strong one. Until he wasn’t. Until he couldn’t. And then it was time for his family to get him through his bad moments.
Because that’s the beautiful thing this storyline evidenced: we’re not perfect, but we can always try again, even if we fall down. And our family – blood, or otherwise- is the people who are there to help us get back up.
FELICITY AND OLIVER’S GOODBYE – ARROW
We are holding out for Olicity, because hey – endgame. They are our OTP. But when Felicity and Oliver had to say their goodbyes because The Monitor came for him – there was a flood of tears. Oliver and Felicity had just gotten their life together. They had just had a baby girl, and he had to leave. He had to fulfill his promise – which if we’re being honest, we were hoping he would never have to do.
When he looks at Mia in her crib, when he makes Felicity promise to keep William and Mia safe… I lost it. When he breaks down in tears and when she tells him that she will find him – just kill me now. These two are everything.
“DAD” – ARROW
Mia Smoak has lost everything she’s known. Her Mom is gone. Her Dad left her. Yes, she gained a brother and seeing her and William grow to care for each other has been the most amazing thing. But this scene, where she’s just lost her friend, a friend she feels guilty for not being able to save, and The Monitor transports her, William and Connor to the bunker, where comes face to face with Oliver? William’s look of shock was a lot, but when Mia looked at Oliver and uttered the word Dad, yup – I was at a loss. Tears fell like no other. I was a goner.
“LETS JUST FINISH THIS DANCE” – LEGACIES
Parents. All of us have complicated relationships with our parents. For Hope Mikaelson, there has been nothing easy about her relationship with hers But with both of them gone, all she has is the pain and the memories. When in the first season, they do the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and Lizzie has Hope wearing Carolines dress, that was a lot. BUT when Josie and Lizzie start fighting and Hope finds out that the dress came from her Dad, all bets were off. She had kept so much pain and hurt and anger inside, but in a single moment everything broke free. The flood gates of pain were there. And our flood gates opened.
“AUNT FREYA” – LEGACIES 2X06
Always and Forever. That’s enough for us. It broke us, because it broke Hope. She for the first time in a long time realized that she wasn’t alone and had family. Always and Forever is a promise that will always be fulfilled in the Mikaelson family.
