One of the best things about Movies and TV is how they make us feel. There were a lot of great moments that happened in some of our favorite films and TV shows. We’re back to bring you another end-of-the-year list. Join us this time as we cover the moments that broke our hearts in movies and TV.
The Entire Documentary, Harry & Meghan
If you’re going to be like Piers Morgan and have shit to talk about Harry and Meghan, we’re not for you. We loved the documentary, but as much happiness as it brought us, it also destroyed us. It felt like wow, here’s the royal family, people that are loved and admired, and they’ve intentionally hurt their own. What they did to Harry & Meghan isn’t okay. And what Harry and Meghan had to go through was just not right. It broke us.
That Flashback To Riley’s Death, Fire Country
One of the best new shows, in our opinion, is Fire Country. The show is dynamic, intense, and heart wrenching. One thing that we’ve learned a lot about this season is the death of Bode’s sister Riley, and the way that she passed with Bode driving. In the fall finale, we get a lot of flashbacks to that night, but everything having to do with those flashbacks destroyed us. Seeing Vince (Billy Burke) break when he couldn’t save his little girl, made us legit burst out in tears. Seeing the way that he took his anger out on his son and saying he hates him – destroyed. There’s so much to unpack, but it just shows us that grief, well… it’s all encompassing.
Olivia Benson’s life story continues to play out, basically, Law & Order: SVU
You could probably pick anything that happened in Olivia’s life in 2022 and say it fits in a list of heartbreaking moments. It’s difficult to choose just one that hurts the most, especially with yet another person Liv loves leaving her this year. But…if we had to think about the most soul-crushing agony of all — if we really had to separate out something that hurts more than anything else — it’d be her therapy session with Dr. Lindstrom in season 23’s finale. Olivia still, after all the good she’s done in the world, cannot fathom the idea that she, too, deserves happiness. “You deserve happiness, Olivia Benson” and Mariska Hargitay’s performance immediately after that line broke us. It should’ve been a moment of, well, happiness…and yet.
Tessa Finds Her Dad, After Ever Happy.
Fans of Anna Todd’s After book series always knew that the moment Tessa found her father dead in her and Hardin’s apartment would be heartbreaking. To say that is an understatement. Josephine Langford’s performance in that entire scene ripped us apart. We bawled our eyes out when she opened the bathroom door and found him on the floor. We knew Langford would deliver in that scene, but it was way beyond what we expected. After Ever Happy had many devastating moments, this one takes the cake.
Ava and Beatrice Being Separated, Warrior Nun
It’s not just the cancelation of Warrior Nun that hurts, it’s the fact that Ava and Beatrice were separated. Season 2 was a masterclass in telling a slow-burn that feels earned, honest, and hella queer. And knowing that the story ends the way it did hurts. Ava was sent to another world, hurt and alone, mere seconds after telling Beatrice she loved her. And Beatrice, who was still battling with her coming out at her own pace, said the words as well but not to Ava’s face. We were looking forward to the reunion, the moment when they would say those words to each other, face to face. Now it won’t happen. And it hurts.
Rue Opens The Jolly Rancher, Euphoria.
Season two of Euphoria was incredibly dramatic and more heartbreaking than season one. Rue, played by the phenomenally talented Zendaya, spent the entire season battling her drug addiction after relapsing at the end of season one. She was on a very dark spiral using the hardest of substances. When Rue became addicted to heroin, her life got even harder, and she hit rock bottom. While there were tons of scenes that broke us, none were more heartbreaking than the withdrawal scenes.
Because of her drug use, Rue lost control of some of her motor functions, including something as simple as opening up a Jolly Rancher. Watching her struggle and cry because she couldn’t reach it to open it was so painful. When she started to get better and stronger, we were in tears when she finally opened one up and ate it. It was a sign of her recovery, and we were all rooting for her to continue the path.
Elizabeth and Josh’s distance, Time For Him To Come Home For Christmas
There are a lot of Hallmark Movies that broke our heart this year, but this is definitely one that tore us to shreds. Why? Because the distance was a result of not communicating when they needed each other the most. Elizabeth thinking that she was responsible for their friends death, and Josh just not being there for her. But when they came back together to solve a mystery of who the voice mail was truly for… it was something that gave us hope. And so even though their distance broke our hearts, them coming back together was what made everything better.
Anthony’s Backstory, Bridgerton
Anthony Bridgerton is one of our favorites, and season two was about him finding love with the beautiful Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). He has always been one of the more stubborn siblings and is set in his ways. The problem is that he is so closed off and opposed to anything related to falling in love. Though he was looking for a wife, he looked at it as more of a responsibility than something he could find joy in. The flashback to his life as a young man gave us insight into why he was so closed off.
When Anthony was a young man, he witnessed his father Edmund die right in front of his eyes after going into anaphylactic shock from a bee sting. First of all, that is incredibly traumatic. Second, when you are thrown right into stepping foot into your father’s shoes and must become the man of the house who not only has to help his young siblings but also take care of his pregnant mother, that’s a lot. Then, on top of that, he had to choose if she or his baby sister would live. We get why Anthony grew up the way he did. He never got the chance to grieve his father like everyone else, which is sad.
Evan Hawkins Dies, Chicago Fire
Chicago Fire gave us one of the most interesting ships in recent procedural history with Hawkami and then …it apparently decided we could have enough of a good thing and killed Evan Hawkins, for …eh, reasons? (To get Violet back together with Gallo at some point, we know this is the reason and we don’t like it). And the hilarious (heartbreaking, I mean) thing about it is that …Hawkami was something we fell in love with despite the show just wanting us to see Hawkins as an obstacle.
Instead, Evan Hawkins became the guy we were rooting for. The one that made Violet happy. The one that fought for his paramedics. The one that fit in with Firehouse 51. This is why when the show killed him off because they were too married to their original idea, it hurt. Sometimes you find lighting in a bottle, and when you do …you shouldn’t try to snuff it out.
Roberts Final Goodbye, The Holiday Stocking
We’re kind of glad that we didn’t understand the full premise of this movie before watching it, and we’re not going to spoil it for anyone. But, the ending. The ending when Robert looks back at his sisters before walking out the door? WE LOST IT. The Holiday Stocking will be a Hallmark Christmas classic that just stays with you and doesn’t let go.
Spencer Finds Out About His Father And Ex-Girlfriend, General Hospital.
Spencer Cassadine was put through the ringer in 2022 on General Hospital. We could list a lot of heartbreaking moments in his life, but the one we had to include on this list was him finding out about his father, Nikolas, sleeping with his ex-girlfriend Esme. Granted, he and she that shall not be named (never mind us naming her in the last sentence) were no longer together, but it was a complete trash move from Nikolas. What made it so sad to watch was that Spencer and Nikolas had just had this sweet moment of bonding leading up to him heading off to do his bid at Pentonville.
Then, like a bucket of cold water, Spencer was hit with the realization that his father wasn’t the man he thought he was. Nicholas Alexander Chavez delivered a phenomenal performance during his scenes. You could see and feel every ounce of pain he was experiencing. The shift of emotions from pure shock to sadness, anger, and flat-out disappointment was powerful.
Max leaves Liz And Heads To Oasis, Roswell, New Mexico
When the final season of Roswell, New Mexico, came, we thought we would end it with a happily ever after for our Echo. Unfortunately, that was not the case. After lots of spacey drama in which Max learned he was the savior for the people of his home on Oasis, he made a tough decision. Rather than stay on earth with Liz, Max felt the need to go home to save the people there. After watching them have so many ups and downs in their relationship, we just knew they’d end it on a high note. Some people may not have been surprised that Max would leave, but I was. I wanted him to stay so badly. It was upsetting to watch him leave Liz behind. I get the whole doing what you are called to do, but, come on, couldn’t we have had just a little Echo happiness for a while?
That Final Moment In My Policeman
My Policeman was an angst-filled movie about a gay policeman named Tom (Harry Styles), who, while in a heterosexual relationship, was having an affair with an Art curator named Patrick (David Dawson). The film is spent with many flashbacks to their younger years, and some sad moments are shown, but the final scene was the one that had us pulling out the tissues. In My Policeman, Patrick, who has not seen Tom for decades, stays at his home after a stroke. Throughout the film, Tom avoids seeing Patrick. When he finally goes to see him and reaches for him, the older Tom shifts into the younger one to indicate that is the way Patrick always remembered him. It was such a beautiful scene, and it tore us to shreds.
Nate Gets Sick, Gigi & Nate
Gigi & Nate was one of the saddest but heartwarming films I watched this year. It had me crying ugly tears within minutes of starting the film. The reason is watching Nate get sicker and sicker when he develops bacterial meningitis after diving into a lake. The entire time I watched those moments, I kept yelling at the screen, “can’t anyone see he is not okay?” Charlie Rowe, who played Nate, was fantastic, and he put on an emotional and raw performance that kept me in tears for a significant chunk of the movie.
Izogies Death, The Woman King
The Woman King was a powerful film that left me feeling strong after the credits rolled. There were some fantastic action sequences throughout, but there were also some beautiful moments of women bonding and sharing camaraderie. One of our favorites was Izogie (Lashana Lynch). She was a pure badass and mentor. Her death was one of the most difficult moments to watch. Mainly because we didn’t see it coming, but when it did, it was a gut punch of epic proportions. Nawi’s (Thuso Mbedu) reaction to her death only intensified our pain, and we felt like we, too, were losing a best friend.
Jay Halstead Leaves, Chicago P.D.
If we had to pinpoint just one reason why this one broke us — and there are so many, Jay was the moral center of the show, we lost Upstead, Voight is now free to do what he wants without anyone to check him — probably the most important one is that this one just did not make sense. Sometimes you can see a character exit coming, and even if you don’t like it, there’s a part of you that’s like okay, I get it. For the actor, for the storyline, for the show, or all of them.
But with Jesse Lee Soffer and Chicago P.D.? No, we don’t get it. No, it doesn’t make sense. And now, we still cannot really accept the fact that Jay is gone, or who the show is without him. Well, that and the loss of Upstead. We still have a hard time with that.
Cassie Bathes Luke, Purple Hearts
In Purple Hearts, After Luke suffers an injury while serving as a Marine in Iraq, it leaves him in a wheelchair. He’s unable to care for himself the way he needs to, and that includes being able to bathe himself properly. Cassie, who is playing Luke’s fake wife, offers to help him, and it is one of the most tender moments. It’s the first time Luke allows her to see just how bad his injury is and the first time she allows him to sleep in her bed. It’s a step forward in their relationship when Cassie realizes how much she cares for him even more.
