The Best TV Moments of the Week: Game of Thrones, Barry, Riverdale, The Act

It’s been another incredible week for TV, so to relive all the moments that really stuck out, follow along below as we dole out completely useless (but fun!) prizes to our faves.

Creepiest kid: In Barry‘s latest installment, Barry (Bill Hader, in an episode he wrote and directed as well) tried to do the right thing and allow his mark — the boyfriend of a detective’s ex, whose death would make up for one of Barry’s recent misdeeds — to get out of town. However, the guy decided to fight back, and no matter how many “hey man”s Barry threw at him, wouldn’t give up. It was the surprise arrival of the guy’s daughter, however, that really ratcheted up the weirdness of this already-tense narrative. She was a skilled fighter like her father and gave Barry some serious hell, but she also moved and grunted like a feral wildcat, and no one was more amazed by it than our title anti-hero.

The best redemption: There were a lot of characters that died this week on Game of Thrones — perhaps not as many as everyone might like, but still, a lot. And most of the important characters that were lost went down in a blaze of glory, from Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey)’s last stab at that ice giant to Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) refusing to surrender while protecting his beloved queen to Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) becoming a human stab shield so that Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) could escape a hall full of wights. Perhaps the most satisfying end to a character’s arc came by way of Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), who went down defending the boy whose castle he once stole after fighting off a swarm of zombies almost single-handedly. Theon has had one of the most complex storylines of anyone — causing audiences to hate, pity, and eventually cheer for him along the way — so to see him finally earn the forgiveness of his family and go down fighting for them against what he knew were impossible odds was an emotional moment made even better by some more sublime acting by the thesp portraying him.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Complete Coverage

GIF(s) of the week: What else could it possibly be but A Girl sneaking up on the Night King himself to say “not today”? The moment might’ve required a little retconning of her exchanges with dance-fight instructor Syrio Forel in Game of Thrones‘ first season, and there is no doubt fans were expected to suspend some disbelief that she could sneak by all of those White Walkers. But between the Red Witch’s “eyes” prophecy and Arya’s long training as a fearless assassin, her arrival as the savior of summer made for one unforgettable moment of television.

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Most annoying breakup: After sleeping with a male model, the season finale of Vanderpump Rules featured Scheana trying to win back her sort-kinda-totally-not-exclusive beau Adam. But when Scheana and Adam confronted each other about her sexual tryst with the model, he revealed that he didn’t love her. When Adam attempted to storm off, Scheana literally clung to him until he begged her to let him go, both literally and figuratively.

Best impromptu musical number: It’s nice to know that not even 125 years, several galaxies, and two apocalypses later, John Murphy (Richard Harmon) is still able to surprise us with an impromptu rendition of “This Is the Sea” on The 100. Sure, it ended with him getting rage-attacked by the woman he loves and nearly stabbed, but the point is that Murphy is and always has been a kick in the pants, and we hope nothing will ever change him (or his taste in music).

Pettiest company drama: Netflix pretty much confirmed this week that they will not be allowing One Day at a Time to be rehomed at CBS All Access because it is a competitive streaming service instead of a broadcast network. Bummer.

Wildest prom scene: In an effort to finally ID the Gargoyle King on Riverdale‘s latest episode, Betty (Lili Reinhart) fixes the votes so that she can become the prom queen and lure the mysterious villain out. And while it doesn’t go quite as planned — her hold-up moment is interrupted by the arrival of the Black Hood who may or may not be in cahoots with our big bad here — she does get to don a stunning medieval dress amid all the action that ensues.

The finale that stuck the landing: Hulu‘s The Act has arrived as one of TV’s most all-out bonkers offerings, and this week’s finale, “Free,” finally brought us to Gypsy (Joey King)’s last day in that pink house. Through flashbacks and present-day shots, the episode presented the death scene without visually exploiting the murder, as well as Gypsy’s slow realization that she was indeed victimized by her mother all her life. Between her encounter with her father and her neighbor, her agonizing decision to distance herself from Nick (Calum Worthy)’s case in order to strike a plea deal, and that last shot of her imagining leaning on her mother’s shoulder despite all of it, it was a fitting end to the wild, wild story that’s made even crazier by the fact that it’s based on a real crime.

Best binge: Netflix has a ton of new original offerings to fill your binge needs this weekend, including the first season of its dark dramedy series Dead to Me (who doesn’t need some more Christina Applegate in their life?) and its animated adult comedy Tuca & Bertie, whose title characters are voiced by none other than comediennes Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, respectively.

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Drogon and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) in Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 4Photo: HBO/Helen Sloan