23 Deeply Satisfying TV Scenes That Literally Made Me Feel Like A Weight Had Been Lifted Off My Chest
Every TV show has conflicts, villains, and mysteries — they're what drive the show.
PBS
But there is nothing more satisfying that seeing a character finally get the upper hand, reveal what they've been keeping secret, or tell some villain off.
NBC
Like, seriously. Those scenes put my heart at peace.
Here are 23 of the most satisfying TV moments ever, scenes that literally made me want to start cheering.
1.When Ted showed Rupert up in darts after he underestimated him in Ted Lasso:
THIS IS MY FAVORITE TED LASSO SCENE. In this scene, he shows Rupert he's better than him in every way, all while taunting him — and he doesn't even have to dole out a single insult! It's the kind of scene that makes me want to stand up and cheer — for both Ted and Rebecca.
2.When Claire got on her knees to beg Martin to leave her on Fleabag:
Watching this relationship drag out was TORTURE. Martin was utterly insufferable, and in this moment, I was so scared Claire would forgive him or admit she couldn't live without them. But then she literally GETS ON HER KNEES AND BEGS HIM TO LEAVE HER, right after he challenges her and thinks she won't. Ugh. THE POWER.
3.When it looked as if Buffy was going to tell Tara's family to take her, but then basically told them to go to hell on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Everyone finds out that Tara's spell put them all in danger, and it seems that Buffy might really be telling Tara's family to take her, especially after an episode in which it was clear Xander and Buffy were having trouble connecting to Tara. But I should never have doubted Buffy — she stands up for Tara, and every single member of the Scooby Gang does too. When she calls Tara "family," I cry every time.
4.When Daenerys revealed she could speak Valyrian and set her dragon on Kraznys mo Nakloz, then told the Unsullied to kill all the slaveholders:
This was honestly one of the best Game of Thrones scenes. It seems as if Dany is making this big sacrifice, but then it turns out she's got a plan all along, and basically just straight-up dominates. I wish we got a similar payoff with other characters, like Margaery. I just know she had something up her sleeve.
5.When Zuko left his father to join team Avatar in Avatar: the Last Airbender:
This moment was a long time in the making, and it was such an awaited moment in Zuko's character arc. It was so powerful to see Zuko finally stand up to his father and go join team Avatar, as well as proudly reveal how much of a father Iroh had been to him. Go, Zuko!!
6.When Ali was finally revealed to be alive on Pretty Little Liars:
Freeform
This moment was SEASONS in the making. FINALLY seeing Ali alive, even though we knew she was, was SO satisfying to me. And she uttered her iconic line!! I was obsessed with this moment in high school.
7.And when John saw Sherlock alive again on Sherlock:
Revealing that a character isn't dead? Tired. A character revealing to another character that they're not dead when we, the audience, already know?? Wired. There's just such a great sense of anticipation, and in this example in particular, it was just such an amazing payoff. I mean, we waited years for this! I must've watched the moment when John realizes Sherlock is not dead about a million times.
8.When Jessica revealed she wasn't under Kilgrave's control and killed him on Jessica Jones:
You think Jessica's under his mind control again, then she uses her code phrase with Trish (which is also a phrase that it doesn't seem she's ever said to her before!!!) and kills Kilgrave in the best possible way: by using his own taunt against him. Never has a TV death been more satisfying.
9.When Willow killed Warren on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
Yes, I know this was violent and probably "wrong" or whatever. But Warren was a murdering, misogynistic piece of crap and, at least for me, the most despicable Buffy villain because he felt so realistic. He killed Tara, and watching Willow turn him inside out honestly made my night. *Kim K voice* "It's what (s)he deserves."
10.When Sansa killed Ramsay on Game of Thrones:
Okay, sorry, it's another murder, but I think we can all admit how satisfying it was to finally see Ramsay meet his grisly end. It was an empowering moment for Sansa, and the lack of inflection as she speaks to him, and then her walking away, just makes it that much more impactful. We love to see it.
11.When Emily FINALLY told Jack who she was on Revenge:
I love seasons-long secrets, but only because the longer a character keeps a secret, the more it pays off when that secret is revealed. Honestly, the show kind of went downhill from here, but I will forever be obsessed with this moment, when Jack realizes scheming socialite Emily Thorne is actually his childhood sweetheart Amanda Clarke.
12.When all the women stood on the tables in Orange Is the New Black to protest Piscatella's abuse:
Obviously this scene took a horrible turn, but when the women first started standing on the tables, it was SO empowering. I loved the solidarity they showed, and I was so hoping that Piscatella would have to leave after this.
13.When the Baudelaires finally told their story to everyone from their past, and they all believed them, in A Series of Unfortunate Events:
This quickly went downhill too, but it was still wonderful to see this moment. I know it was part of the humor of the show, but seeing the adults constantly fail the kids and be completely oblivious was so frustrating, and it was great to finally see everybody believe Violet, Klaus, and Sunny.
14.When Wanda became the Scarlet Witch on WandaVision:
Marvel / Disney+
HELL YEAH. It was SO rewarding to see Wanda come into her full power and become even more of a badass than she was before. I was literally cheering at the screen when this happened.
15.When Arya killed Littlefinger on Game of Thrones:
This is another great fake-out scene, when you think Sansa is talking to Arya and things will end badly, but then it turns out it's all part of the show in killing Littlefinger. He was so manipulative, and it was amazing to see Sansa and Arya work together, despite their past and how much they'd changed.
16.When Emily told Ali she was done with her on Pretty Little Liars:
This may have seemed like a small scene for some, but to me, it was such a powerful moment for Emily's character. She was always the nice one, and the one who stuck by Ali despite all the horrible ways Ali treated her. It was so cathartic to finally see her stand up for herself and give Ali a piece of her mind.
17.When Scott became a true alpha on Teen Wolf:
MTV
This was such a cheesy yet great moment for Scott and for the series. He earned alpha power not by taking it but by earning it. I think Scott is the only true "hero" character who doesn't bother me — I always find that the hero follows this flawed moral compass with such a sense of superiority (think of Jack in Lost, Clay in 13 Reasons Why, or Stefan in The Vampire Diaries). But Scott really is someone you never stop rooting for, and this scene is a great demonstration of that.
18.When Clay got Bryce to admit on tape that he'd assaulted Hannah on 13 Reasons Why:
Speaking of Clay...he definitely could be a pain, especially in later seasons, and this plan itself wasn't the best. But when he got Bryce to admit on tape that he'd assaulted Hannah, it really felt like such a win for Clay, Hannah, and the viewers. I really wish that this had worked and we'd seen Hannah and Jessica get the justice they deserved when it came to Bryce, but I also think it was realistic that the justice system later failed them. Still, we at least had this moment of catharsis and relief.
19.When Leslie won the city council election on Parks and Recreation:
If you didn't tear up at this scene, are you even human? After such a long and frustrating campaign, it was SO incredible to see Leslie win and achieve a lifelong dream. This is such an emotional scene, but in the best way.
20.When Sam told the senators off on live TV in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier:
Hell yeah, Sam!! Karli was clearly a villain, and I don't think there was any saving her, but she was created out of the injustice she experienced. Instead of being diplomatic, Sam stood there and publicly berated world governments, and especially the US, for creating Karli in the first place. Maybe it's the current political atmosphere, but it was pretty darn satisfying to see politicians being told off and confronted with their mistakes for the world to see.
21.And when Sam showed Isaiah his statue:
I'm still mad that Carl Lumbly didn't get nominated for an Emmy. This was a really emotional scene that doesn't erase what was done to Carl but at least recognizes it. It seriously just made me so happy. I'm not crying, you're crying.
22.When Damon killed Kai and saved Bonnie on The Vampire Diaries:
Last murder, I promise! Kai was one of the worst (and best) villains the show ever had, and he'd just put Elena in a magical coma and killed Jo on her wedding day, so seeing him killed was pretty damn satisfying. Especially because it was clear that Damon didn't hesitate to save Bonnie (and him walking away was just to trick Kai), even though it meant Elena wouldn't wake up. It really showed how far Damon had come.
23.And finally, when Billy stood up against the Mind Flayer and saved Eleven on Stranger Things:
I wish we'd gotten to see more of a redemption arc for Billy, but having this one moment alone was everything. He saved El and gave his life to the fight against the Mind Flayer, and it was just incredible. I miss Billy.