The last couple of years have been tough for a lot of us and even as we are still fighting the virus (at the time of writing this), its fair to say that there has been a lot of heartbreak and sadness. So today I thought to take a look at my personal favourite 25 moments of sadness and/or heartbreak in a few films, TV shows and video games that I have seen and/or played. Because even though I'm known to be a tough cookie, even tough cookies find a need to shed a tear. So let's get right to it and be aware there may be spoilers in this list:
25 - Riley Breaks Down (Inside Out)
If there is one thing that Pixar is good at with their films, its making us have feelings towards various things. So much so, that they made that be the literal thing in
Inside Out which in many ways is a film that is indirectly about mental health. A very good film to watch with plenty of funny moments, sad moments and it's just a well made film and one of their best works so far. The thing that really got me about this film was towards the end when the feelings inside Riley realized that Sadness is the dominant one of them all and she uses her power to help Riley express her sadness at the new way of life she has had to adapt to. Of course most Disney films are known for their happy endings and this one does have a happy ending despite the feels. The happy ending being that they all return home and Sadness is now treated fairly among the feelings. Change isn't always a good thing. I should know, I have gone through changes a lot especially around this Covid nonsense. Hence, why I really like this film and in particular this scene.
24 - Bart Failing His Test Again (The Simpsons)
Even though many of us have felt that
The Simpsons have lost their way in their most recent seasons, we often forget that the show did once have a golden age. An age which gave us some of the show's best and most well known episodes with many being nomianted and winning awards. One such episode is "Bart Gets an F", the premire episode of season 2 and one of the most significant in the show's lore. You see many of us know that out of Bart and Lisa, one is destined to be more successful in life than the other. But in this very episode, Bart tries so hard to get a good grade that his prayers cause a snow day to happen. Though in the end, it was all for nothing as he still got an F and understandably broke down into tears. It's heartbreaking because here we have a boy who tried so hard to do something right, only to fail at the last hurdle. Of course the episode does have a happy ending in the end, but this scene alone is quite emotional and shows how complex the relationship that Bart and Edna (the late Edna as it is sadly now) really is under all the sarcasm and mischief.
23 - Billy Meeting his Mother for the First Time since She Lost Him (Shazam!)
One of the hardest things a child can go through is what to do when you lose your parents. These sorts of things have helped shape some of our favourite superheroes into the characters we know and love today. Some continue to fight in their honour while others seek out the truth behind it all. For Billy Batson, he spends much of the
Shazam! film being moved from one foster family to another. He does eventually find his mother, but it's not all happy and cheery as one would think in a reunion like this. The most heartbreaking thing here is that this is a mother who wanted to lose her child on purpose for what I can really say is a pretty selfish reason. I mean I think any mother who wants nothing to do with their children, has no right to call themselves a mother in the first place. You and a man made them in the first place, so it's your own darn fault that they exist. Anyway, enough ranting. Just something I really don't agree with when it comes to toxic relationships like this.
22 - Stoick Saves Hiccup (How to Train Your Dragon 2)
Vikings are tough cookies even when using dragons. But despite their need for battle and all that, they have loved ones to look after and one father I really admire is Stoick. He is one person who never backs down from a fight and is always wanting his beliefs to be true. He protected Hiccup despite the obvious awkwardness that the two had at least at first due to how the mother wasn't around. He even stood by his son even though there were times that he wanted to just keep him at bay. But what really hits home hard is how he sacrificed himself to save his family. Toothless bless him, had no idea why he was blamed for Stoick's demise, but the score that accompanied the scenes of defeat made this a pretty sad moment for the film series, but one that gave Hiccup the encouragement he needed to become the new head of his homeland.
21 - The Sad truth behind Tippi and Count Bleck (Super Paper Mario)
The Mario franchise at large, isn't well known for its array of villains besides Bowser and occasionally Donkey Kong. But some of us who enjoy the more alternative games in the franchise, will remember the few times when we have a villain that isn't some giant spikey dragon thing who only wants to kidnap the princess for some reason. But by far the most interesting and also tragic villain is
Super Paper Mario's Count Bleck. Say what you will about the later games in the Paper Mario series, but Count Bleck has his reasons for doing what he did. He lost the love of his life due to the beliefs of his father and set about causing destruction and chaos to the world. Its only when Tippi, the guiding butterfly, reveals herself as his lost love that we trully realise that all of this was for Bleck to be with Tippi once more. Though of course those names aren't their real names, but its kind of sad that it took so much destruction and chaos to find each other again even with Mario and company's involvement. Never before has any Mario villain be this complex and tragic which makes the game they come from, better than many actually thought it would be. Though its kind of sad that we may never get villains or games like these in the Mario series ever again even with the shift of changes in the RPG games.
20 - Daenerys dying in Jon Snow's hands (Game of Thrones)
I know I have banged on many times about how I felt about the
Game of Thrones finale. I mean so much of what happened could have gone in such a different way than it ended up doing. There is no denying that Daenerys is a great character, but at the same time very dangerous due to everything she lost to get what she wanted. It's sad that she burned King's Landing to the ground which she could've prevented herself from doing. I mean they had already surrendered before she did so and that is not just sad, but also difficult to digest. Even Emilia Clarke herself was finding it hard to even consider going on in the show because of this. But even sadder is when Jon eventually kills her which sends him back to The Wall and the throne that he, Daenerys and Cersei fought for, gets destroyed. Probably for the best that last part, but yeah. Its still today an ending that could've been a more happier ending. But since when has
Game of Thrones ever been a happy thing, I ask you?
19 - Main Characters in a world that isn't real, but time says otherwise (Star Trek)
Although it was to be expected, there have been many times throughout various Star Trek shows when one of its main characters finds themselves in a world that isn't their own. At first, they think it's all a dream or part of a simulation, as per protocol for those associated with the Federation of Planets. But it gets quite sad when the characters realize that everything around them is in fact real and that what they experienced may just have been a fantasy in their heads. Of course, it isn't in the end, but these episodes really stand out in terms of the performances given and how the stories make us the viewers believe in the realism too. Sometimes, even I wonder what is real and what isn't.
18 - The Harsh Truth about Jessie's time as a toy (Toy Story 2)
If there is one thing that the Toy Story films do right, its depicting abandonment. Whether it's accidental, on purpose or whatever, its the one thing that these great films do well and the best depiction of it is in
Toy Story 2. During Woody's stay with the Roundup Gang toys, he learns about how Jessie came into the possession on Al. Wasn't as simple as buying her from a yard sale or a store. No, she was a child's plaything until her owner Emily eventually grew up and came to move on to other things. Abandoning Jessie and her cowgirl stuff to the point of donating it all to charity much to Jessie's horror and anxiety. That sequence then convinces Woody that Andy may do the same to him and his toys one day and at first chooses to stay. It is quite scary when you are abandoned in the way Jessie was and very sad that how she came into Al's possession was because her owner moved on. Of course Andy goes the same way too as the films go on, but instead of charity, he chooses to give the toys to another kid and thus they become loved and played with once more.
17 - Negan Beating Glenn and Abraham to Death (The Walking Dead)
There are many times in
The Walking Dead that can be heart breaking and sad. But if anything, I find the eventual reveal of Negan's victims in the season 7 premiere to be quite heartbreaking. Now I've said many times how I admire Negan as a villain who has a code to follow and would rather kill one person instead of several to have people fall in line. Other villains in that universe would rather have everyone killed, but for him its all about keeping more alive to secure an equal share of supplies. The people he chooses to kill are Abraham (possibly because he was the only one that looked up to him which Negan may find intimidating) and Glenn (because of Daryl's attempts to take on Negan which forced his hand). Both are quite sad to see as many of us have come to know and love these two over the course of the show. So in a way it's good that Negan didn't kill everyone, but not great that he had to kill two of the most beloved characters in the show for them all to fall in line.
16 - Martin Stein's Death (Crisis on Earth-X)
In the annual Arrowverse crossover, the heroes' world are invaded by a group of superpowered beings that come from an Earth where the Nazis won the war. Now of course a war would be happening, but its not until much later into the crossover where someone actually dies. That person ended up being Martin Stein who serves as one half of Firestorm, the other half being Jax Jackson. It's quite a difficult one to watch because they basically feel the same pain due to their connection with the Firestorm Matrix. So in order for Jax to live, Martin is forced to drink a formula that would seperate them both from the matrix, thus allowing him to die and for Jax to continue living. This death spurs the heroes into forcing their Earth-X counterparts off their Earth and a greif stricken Jax chooses to leave the Legends to start anew (which he would eventually do in the season 3 finale of
Legend of Tomorrow). It is sad to see a beloved character like Martin Stein here to die, but it's times like these that show us just how serious war can be. People die in wars and that's why no one wants a war. Too much destruction and suffering. Just doesn't bold well.
15 - Half the Universe gets Wiped Out (Avengers: Infinity War)
The MCU has a lot of sad and heartbreaking moments. From the truth behind how Tony Stark's parents died to Peter Parker's life coming close to being destroyed, there have been plenty of these. But as predictable as it sounds, the absolute hardest thing to digest is watching half the universe getting wiped out all for the sake of balance. Now I've said in the past how I sympathise with
Infinity War Thanos, but mass genocide is not a good thing to do. Especially as we have to watch our favourite heroes turn to dust. Such heroes like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, most of the Guardians and a few of the Avengers became the unlucky victims to the dreaded Snap. Most of us are generally not used to seeing films where it ends in defeat, but this was by far one of the biggest defeats ever told in film. There are bigger ones though, but we will get to them later down the list.
14 - Rose separated from The Doctor (Doctor Who)
It's never always easy to say goodbye to a companion of the Doctor. Most tend to be a simple wanting to move on to other things, but there are a few times where the leave is just too much to bear. One such example is Rose whose all rounded development helped make
Doctor Who popular again. So it was sad when she got seperated from the Doctor with no way back as most of us may have felt more stories could have been told. But at least he was able to say goodbye properly twice despite the limitations of the Tardis. The second time being where the Doctor leaves Rose with his Meta-Crisis clone which I guess in a way is his way of allowing her to continue loving him like she did in series 2. But yeah of all things in Doctor Who, it is quite sad.
13 - Seymour waiting for Fry (Futurama)
Some dogs choose to move on when their owner abandons them, but not Seymour here. In one of those episodes where Fry reminiscences
of his time before being frozen, we learn about his dog Seymour who he had a very close bond with. But when he gets frozen, Seymour waits for him and just continues to wait until old age finally puts him down. It's quite sad, but also nice that someone so loyal as a dog just never gave up and waited until his time to die came. Eventually in
Bender's Big Score, we learn how Seymour ended up the way he was in that episode and us fans realise that all this time, Fry was actually still around during the time he waited. Albeit time displaced due to the many time travelling shenanigans, but still. Very sad indeed, but in a good way.
12 - Jumbo had a moment with her child (Dumbo)
This one kind of hits home hard. You see in more recent years, governments have been seperating refugee children from their familes and it just isn't right. Although
Dumbo came out during one of the World Wars, it tackles a lot of mature themes such as black stereotypes, alcoholism and the idea of seperation. It's a tender moment between a mother and her child, but one that really shows how bad situations like that can be. It simply cannot continue and its not right at all.
11 - You are the Monster Behind Everything (Spec Ops: The Line)
Some video games have this way of changing things so that is makes out that everything bad that happened, is your fault. Now
Spec Ops: The Line from the look of it, looks like your typical mordern day FPS. But as you play it, you soon realise that not everything is as it seems and that the character you've been playing as, is in fact the one that caused everything to happen in the game. Yes you are the monster. But despite the heartbreaking realisation, I really liked these sorts of games. Games that turn it all upside down which to me, makes a game like this worth playing if you like that sort of thing.
10 - Will crying in Uncle Phil's arms (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
Will Smith still is today the king of keeping it cool and joins a number of celebrities who despite their age, still look like they are young. His show
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air gave us a look into his life albeit in a fictional manner. But despite the goofiness, fun and hilarious time the show gave us, it did have quite a heart breaking moment for our favourite prince. In one episode of the sitcom, Will's fictional but deadbeat dad appears after missing 14 years of his son's life. He wants to spend time with Will, but Will's uncle Phil believes that his father is lying. The whole scene was meant to have Will brush off the whole thing, but its in this moment where we realise that it's a bit too real for the actor. You see Will himself had his father leave him when he was young despite a positive relationship that the two had. So in this sequence, he is actually crying as an actor and not as a character. Some things do hit people hard especially when the actors can relate to what happens in the shows and films they act in to their own experiences. I guess it was this moment that made us all realise how good of an actor Will is despite what he did being unscripted.
9 - Joel Lies to Ellie (The Last of Us)
The two Last of Us games are pretty tough to play. Lots of emotion and moments where you just want to escape the bad people and the infected. But of all the moments in the games, there is one that I feel is quite heartbreaking. Towards the end of the first game, Joel realises that by giving Ellie to the doctors to get the cure, she will die. Not wanting to lose another daughter (despite neither being related), he successfully attempts to save her at the cost of not curing everyone. But then chooses not to tell her the truth of what went down. This is quite heartbreaking in that he kept the truth from Ellie, but also making Ellie think that it was never meant to be. Of course she finds out the truth in the second game and is understandably p***ed off with Joel about it. But on a more happier note, she eventually forgives him and accepts that people may not like her very much because of what happened and why a cure was never made.
8 - Bruno crawls under the fence to be with his friend (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)
I will say that when it comes to children, I find it difficult to watch children be murdered or killed on screen. I mean they are our future and our legacy, plus if we are really annoyed at them, its because they are still learning about things. So when it came to finally watching
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, I kind of knew from the start that something bad was going to happen in the end and I was right. Throughout the film, young Bruno befriends a boy called Shmuel and wants to be close with him due to not having many friends to play with. Eventually Bruno decides to go under the fence with him not realising that what he is going into is a concentration camp. Then before you know it, the two boys find themselves in a thing that kills people and Bruno's parents realise too late that he got killed. Kind of sad that Bruno didn't quite realise what was happening as well as his parents not really being aware of what was happening in the end. But despite the heart breaking and sad scene that it was, at least Bruno is with Shmuel in the afterlife so it not all bad news I guess.
7 - Poussey Washington's Unnecessary Demise (Orange is the New Black)
Prison life no matter how minimal the security is, its always going to be tough. There have been lots of moments in
Orange is the New Black that have been sad and heart breaking, but nothing quite compares to killing a prisoner (accident or otherwise) during an otherwise peaceful affair. The affiar being a peaceful protest for a guard to resign because of his unnecessary brutal methods to keep order and so forth. Yeah many would say that Poussey didn't need to die, but her death kind of sets the stage for the rest of the series. The following season sees the prisoners roit and take over the facility, the season after sees the prisoners in a more maximum security prison and the final season tries to wrap up all loose ends. All being connected to this one prisoner who didn't need to die. So yeah a pretty tough scene to see and one that also hits home in the sense that officers of the law do this without any regard for human life regardless of race, sexual orientation and so forth.
6 - Sarah Lynn dies in BoJack's arms (BoJack Horseman)
As funny as
BoJack Horseman is, its kind of a sad story too. A man who was once this big star, hitting rock bottom as age gets to him. But of all the pain that the main man went through, the worst part was seeing his co-star die in his arms. Sarah Lynn long after BoJack's in-universe show comes to an end, becomes a pop star who gets addicted to drugs which puts her life into peril, not helped by BoJack's own addictions to things. So its kind of bittersweet when the two spend an episode together just having a good time making amends with people until Sarah Lynn just dies. It quite upsetting to see, but that is what happens when you get so addicted to drugs. Hits home too because some of our favourite celebrities went down this path never to return to the stardom they once had because they died or because they became disgraced.
5 - When a Task Just Becomes too Real (Heavy Rain)
Regardless of what we think of David Cage, he has been responsible for making a number of critically acclaimed games that are both innovative and cinematic. Sure its bad for a game to not really feel like a game and you basically get a non-interactive thing made for an interactive device. The most difficult thing with
Heavy Rain is how real it becomes. All the pain and suffering each character goes through (with the exception of the actual killer himself) just to find and save a little boy. Its a tough one to play, but one that shows how game developers can understand the trials and tribulations that life can throw at you. That and how to create great origami figurines.
4 - Mordin gets killed by Renegade Shepard (Mass Effect 3)
The Mass Effect games have their fair share of many sad and heart breaking moments. But nothing is more sad than not giving a salarian the chance to correct his mistake. Mordin who joined Shepard in fighting the Collectors in
Mass Effect 2, is eventually revealed to be one of the masterminds behind the genophage; a disease created by the salarians and distributed by the turians onto the krogan to prevent their rapid expansion of life. Mordin who has always felt he did the right thing in all he does, finally admits his mistake with the disease and pleads Shepard to let him undo his mistake. Now if you were playing a Renegade Shepard, the natural choice would be to shoot Mordin and thus prevent him from undoing his mistake. The music and how he tries to get to the console, just shows how that decison was not a good one. You basically prevented the evolution of a species and by doing so, you get punished for it. Well that is if Wrex is alive who finds out what happened and withdraws all krogan assets from the war at the cost of his own life. So yeah you are basically a monster once again. You want fighters and you just killed the one creature that can give you those fighters. Oh well, there is always doing another playthrough to undo this mistake or you can just let Mordin live if certain other conditions are met.
3 - Nina Turning into a Chimera (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Most anime spend a fair bit of time tackling those big emotional moments in battles and other things. But of all the sad things to happen, nothing is more sadder than trying to merge an otherwise healthy and happy dog with an equally happy and healthy child. Its not right, doesn't make sense and just makes you out to be a monster. My heart sank when I saw this happen in
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood because its just not right to do that. No dog or child should suffer that fate. They deserve so much more than being merged to make this abomination.
2 - Dobby's Sacrifice (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1)
Towards the end of the Harry Potter films, beloved characters start being killed off as a result of protecting Harry from Voldemort. Most of them are very sad, but the saddest one has to be Dobby. A sweet and innocent house elf who wanted to make amends for attempts at preventing Harry from returning to Hogwarts for his second year. Of course he is more active in the books, but him dying was not deserved. But despite this, his sacrifice gave Harry and his friends more time to find the horcruxes and they did the honourable thing of burying him without magic. Nevermind the whole slavery thing (which is also bad), death is a much worser fate for house elves no matter how pleasant or not they are.
1 - Order 66 gets put into action (Star Wars)
OK so yes mass genocide was a big deal in
Avengers: Infinity War, but mass genocide in Star Wars is a more bigger deal. So many jedi dying just so there can be peace in the galaxy, even though they are supposed to be the peace keepers. But no the dark side took over their judgement and it was too late. A handful survived sure, but it wasn't just adults who died. Little children did too and that is the worse crime. That is true sadness and heart break which makes this my number one choice.
Now I'm sure there are other sad and heart breaking moments out there. These are my personal choices and if you have your own to share, leave them in the comments below.
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