Sometimes your favourite TV show delivers something so shocking it stays with you. The Herald's TV critics pick the scenes that left them stunned.
The prison fight - Banshee
I've watched a lot of TV, and a lot of it's been extreme. But for me, no other show pushes as many boundaries as Banshee, the Anthony Starr vehicle that finished its third season this year with a fourth scheduled for 2016. I'm not talking about characters, dialogue or scriptwriting - Banshee's R18 comic book crap is never going to win an Emmy. This is as pulpy as it gets.
Antony Starr stars in the TV show Banshee.
But I'm constantly shocked by what the show gets away with in terms of gut punch fight sequences, and in season two, one in particular left me floored. In it, a flashback shows Starr's Lucas Hood in a brutal prison fight that remains the most horrific thing I've seen on TV. Hood takes on a giant Albino inmate in a fight to the death that includes eyes being gouged out, a body part being sliced off and a neck being broken with a gym weights. It's brutal, but I'm still watching, still a fan, still beyond help.
There are probably a lot of things more gruesome and bizarre on TV than this, but the box cutter scene from season four of Breaking Bad has a way of sticking with you because of the tension and anxiety built up around it. Seriously, I've never been able to cut open a box since! In the scene Walter White is jabbering on, trying to save his and a silent Jesse Pinkman's skins by convincing Gus Fring that he needs to keep them alive or their 'product' will suffer if Victor takes over. All you want is for White to just stop talking as Gus stays silent and slowly puts on a red plastic jumpsuit and coat. Gus then slowly picks up a box cutter and walks over to a panicking Walter. "Without us you have nothing. You kill me, you have nothing. You kill Jesse, you don't have me. You won't do this, you're too smart, you can't afford to do this," he stammers.
The Box Cutter scene from Breaking Bad.
Then Gus walks past Walter, staring him down, and without notice slits open Victor's throat with the box cutter. Ohhhhhhh snap! It's truly brutal with blood spurting everywhere. It's especially chilling because Gus just stares at Walter while blood is pouring out of Victor's neck. Horror and shock come across Jesse and Walt's face - and everyone else's face who's ever watched this intense Breaking Bad scene.
- Rachel Bache
The Red Wedding - Game of Thrones
There are so many scarring scenes to pick from when it comes to Game of Thrones that it's hard to narrow it down: Ned's beheading, Melisandre's smoke baby, the quality of the writing in season five. However, the scene that has permanently scarred me was The Red Wedding. Despite having read the books and being fully aware it was coming, I still watched the onslaught of murders with trepidation.
The Red Wedding scene from Game of Thrones.
As soon as the first slap was thrown and the first pregnant belly stabbed, I struggled to watch as some of my favourite characters were slaughtered one after the other. As soon as the episode ended, I felt rather cold and empty inside and scoured through the music channels looking for something to distract me. The show pulled off what was likely it's most hyped and anticipated scene, but they did such a good job I cannot possibly watch it again.
- Ethan Sills
Burning hands - Wentworth
The third season of Wentworth wrapped up this week on NZ screens - leaving a legacy of brutal moments. But none was more horrific than when Red ordered Boomer to place her hands in the sheet press, before slowly closing the steaming hot metal plate down on them.
The cast of Wentworth.
Instead of cutting away, the camera stayed focused on the scene for what felt like an eternity, with Boomer screaming in agony throughout. Just thinking about it now makes my arms prickle. The aftermath was bloody, blistered and agonising and the message clear: Do not mess with Red.
Throughout its six season run, The Walking Dead has shocked and snoozed in equal measures. The zombie thrills and gut-bursting spills are countered by characters spouting pages of absolute drivel in some of the most boring locations producers could find. I'm still watching, but only because each episode guarantees at least five minutes of zombie insanity. Bring on the gore.
The prison birth scene from The Walking Dead.
The fifth episode of the third season went a touch too fare. You know what I'm talking about. Rick's partner Lori is holed up inside a prison. She's looking for a safe place to have her baby, but dies while giving birth. Baby Judith is saved - and still features in the current sixth season - by Maggie who slices her out of Lori's stomach. Carl then shoots his mother in the head so she doesn't turn.
It doesn't end there. Rick is told the bad news and goes looking for his wife, only to find she's been eaten by a walker. The episode ends with Rick stabbing the zombie's distended tummy over and over and over again. If I could exorcise this scene from my mind in the same way, I definitely would.
