Most re-watched tv moments

Considering how much I care about the few shows I do watch, I watch very little television. I'm currently following two programs (the ones with the word "house" in their titles), and that's a lot for me.

I am, however, a re-watcher. But I don't re-watch entire series. I rarely even re-watch entire episodes. I just watch scenes. And some scenes I watch more than others. a LOT more than others. Particularly the short ones that are under 3 minutes. Like, some scenes I just put on the way I would put on a song. Is that weird?

On the train today, I made a list of my most-watched tv moments. Because I like making lists. Shut up. And I noticed something very interesting.

None of them had dialog.

Or minimal dialog, whatever. The dialog wasn't the important part. They were all visual moments with very strong music cues. Which works nicely with my scenes-as-songs analogy. But conventional wisdom places television closer on the spectrum to theater than film, in that its primary language aural, not visual. But the fact that my go-to list of tv moments are about images and not words is a helluva reminder that it is a visual medium after all. And that a good song cue is key.

Anyway, here's my list. And this is not my list of my favorite moments, or the best moments. Just the ones I have bookmarked on youtube, because I watch them that frequently.

The beginning of Life on Mars

Also the party scene from the first season finale, and the rooftop scene from the second season finale. These are all the same scene, of course. And yet collectively they out-pace everything else on this list by a mile.

The Master's Scissor Sisters dance break

At first I thought the trend in the list was going to be "things that star John Simm."

I could also include Sarah Jane Smith finding the TARDIS in School Reunion. 10 in the wardrobe in the Christmas Invasion. 9 and Rose dancing. And the part of Doomsday before Bad Wolf Bay (the hugging the wall bit). No wonder I'm a Doctor Who fan. That show is MADE for watching only the many isolated moments of brilliance while disregarding the crap around it.

Josh Lyman breaks down during Yo Yo Ma

Nothing beats this. I don't care how the editing put awkward repeats and cuts into the piece. (I do care about the awkward repeats and cuts in the piece) Still.

Dana & Casey's first kiss

Only schmoopy romantic one on here!

Once More With Feeling is disqualified. Because I really do watch that as songs. Because they are.

The Firefly theme song. Yes.

Whatever man, it's a great opening sequence. It's all about that shot at the end of the Serenity zipping over the horses.

Not everything is about you, Mulder

The only one with no music cue on the list. Viva la MASHEO.