The Red Wedding And Beyond: 6 Incredibly Shocking Television Moments From 2013

"Shocking" is one of those words that tends to be very subjective, often meaning different things to different people. To me, the very idea of something being shocking is that is pushes you back a bit. It acts as a sort of curve ball, throwing you off your game. The worst shocking moments tend to shock just for the reaction and the best shocking moments are the ones that shift a storyline, or show us an evolution (or de-evolution) of a character that we have grown very used to. A shock should never be used just to be used. The one form of media that perhaps uses shocking moments more so than any other form is television. With the constant need to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and eagerly tuning in every week, the writers have to shake things up every once in a while and they do this by delivering moments that aim to shock. Sometimes, these work out quite well, but sometimes, they don't. On that note, I've decided to take a look back at several of television's most shocking moments from the past year. Inevitably, we all watch different shows, so as much as you will feel the urge to leave a comment and ask me why I left off Boardwalk Empire, or tell me how much I suck for leaving off such and such a moment from such and such a show, realize that I probably didn't see it. Just because I write for a dozen pop culture sites doesn't mean I have played every game, have seen every show and watched every movie. It never fails to amaze me that some of you still think that. Anyways, here are 6 shocking television moments from 2013. Game of Thrones: The Red Wedding I know fans of the book get very self righteous when you bring this moment up, and often feel compelled to say something stupid like: Well, if you think THAT was bad, wait until (spoiler spoiler spoiler). I think those people should be tossed out a window by Jamie Lannister, no matter their age. I understand that the fans who have loved this series for years look at us all like tourists now, but screw them. Even if you knew the Red Wedding was coming on Game of Thrones, it was still shocking. You can't deny that. For those who missed it, the Red Wedding was the trap set by Walder Frey for the Stark's breaking the marriage pact between House Stark and House Frey. Just the simple line of "The Lannisters send their regards" right as they kill Rob was shocking enough, but seeing a pregnant woman get stabbed over and over in her belly, well, that was very fucked up. On top of all that, Rob's mother had her throat cut and most of his troops were slain. Really happy stuff. It was brutal, gut-wrenching violence, and it is EXACTLY why we love this series so much. No one is safe. Ever. Just like in real life. You can check out the full scene below, in case you feel the need to re-watch it. The Walking Dead: Daryl Kills Zombie Merle I know The Walking Dead is all about shocking moments, and many think that Lori's death was the biggest shocker of last season, but I would have to argue with that. Anyone who reads the comics had a sense that Lori's death may have been coming, and honestly, we ALL hated Lori too, so it wasn't like we were really that upset about it. But Merle? Merle was kind of cool, in a sociopath kind of way, so losing him was definitely tough. But it was how Daryl dealt with it that was downright shocking. We see Daryl come across Merle after he is zombified. The kicker is, you get a real sense that Merle sort of recognized Daryl. Let's not forget, those two were in bitter opposition at the end, so it is not like they parted ways on the best of terms. Next thing you know, fan favorite Daryl sees his zombie brother munching on some brains, and he knows what he has to do. Truthfully, it was a pretty heartfelt moment. As Merle is crawling towards Daryl, you can see the apprehension in Daryl's face. You can see the tears well up in his eyes and you can sense him steadying himself. He has to do it, for Merle, but we had never seen Daryl more bothered by something up to that point. It was a shocking and powerful scene in an otherwise wildly inconsistent (but consistently entertaining) show. Dexter: The Ending Listen, shocking is shocking. Nowhere on this list does it imply that shocking means good, or well-received. In fact, in Dexter's case, it was quite the opposite. This is a textbook example of how NOT TO END a show that had enjoyed a pretty solid run. What shocked people about it? The fact that the ending was so, um, not ending like. Yeah, he killed Deb. Cool. We all knew that was coming. But then the fact the he went off and presumably turned into a fucking lumberjack was just silly. You either kill off a character like Dexter, or you keep him doing what he was best known for. You DO NOT just drop an ending that gives fans no real sense of closure and makes many people wonder what the hell just happened? Yeah, that was a shocker. A shocker as in it was so bad that it felt like a finger in my ass. You want shocking endings done RIGHT? Read the next entry... Breaking Bad: The Ending Did you know that Walter White HAD to die on Breaking Bad? Like, HAD to? Do you know why? Had he not, two things would have happened. One, it would have been a Dexter-like ending that just did not fit the rest of the show. Two, it would have ended up being pro-drugs. Honestly, as much as Walter White did some awful, Godless things, there were times where some of us would watch the show and be like: fuck this, I'm gonna cook meth. Had Walter walked off into the sunset, then all those people would have thought that that it would be possible for them to do it too. This tale had to end with the death of Walt/Heisenberg, or else the message would have been lost. But even in knowing he was going to die, that still did not detract from the impact of it. The thing is, and we all need to remember this about this show and this character, he died staying true to himself. He died staying true to his beliefs. At NO point did Walter White compromise himself. Granted, he did some REALLY awful things, (letting Jane die and poisoning a small child, to name a few), but he made it all crystal clear at the end why he did those things. He finally admitted to us that this WASN'T all for his family (which is why he claimed to have started and stayed in that world). No, he finally admitted that this was for him. That he did it all for himself and doing that made him happy and made him feel alive. In his final moments, he offered no regret. For a guy who lived as insanely as Walt did, to not have any regret was huge, and sort of shocking to find out. Keep in mind, I almost put Hank's death on here but in the end, I had to go with the finale because I have never seen a more fitting ending to a character or a show. Orange is the New Black: Final Fight I hope you were smart enough to feed into the hype and watch this amazing show on Netflix. While it could be said that the whole series prides itself on shocking moments (how about the tampon sandwich in episode one?), I would have to say that the season finale of Orange is the New Black really, truly shocked me. Not only was did it seem like Piper was about to get stabbed by that God-loving bitch, but the guards were sitting back and letting it happen, and during a CHRISTMAS play, no less. But, Piper snaps, and man do we all love when the good girl snaps. Unfortunately, we don't get a full idea of what happens next, as the season ends with Piper punching Pennsatucky's face into a pulp off-frame, while wearing the visage of a mad woman. But still, it was shocking to see Piper finally lose it, and we can't help but to wonder what happens next. Bring on season 2! Miley Makes An Ass of Herself On TV What, you thought I would stick to episodic TV? Nope, didn't say that anywhere. I said shocking, and like it or not, if there was one shocking moment this year from TV that everyone was talking about, it was stupid ass Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Music Awards (thought there was no actual music to be seen anywhere that night). Don't get me wrong, it was silly and stupid and sad, but still, it seemed to shock the world and it definitely shocked me, but not for the reasons it shocked anyone else. It shocked me because of how embarrassing it was. First of all, she wanted it to be her iconic sexual performance, like that time Britney Spears and Madonna kissed. The only thing is, neither of them had long, sickly looking tongues hanging out of their mouths while they banged themselves with a foam finger. All I kept thinking while watching this was: This is what it would be like if Justin Bieber were a chick. Honestly, she is in such desperate need for attention that she is seeking it out in the most ridiculous way ever. It was shocking that anyone who knew her would allow her to make that much a fool of herself. It was shocking how unhealthy and pallid her tongue was. It was shocking how sad and saggy her ass looked, considering she thinks it is her best feature. All those things were shocking. yes, But do understand, sticking your finger in a light socket could also be shocking, doesn't mean it's a good kind of shocking though. Ah, what a note to end on.