2017 was a stressful year for anyone paying attention to the three-dimensional world we inhabit.
So the TV screen could offer an escape.
How much TV is too much?
Credit: FX (2)
But the human mind badly wants a bubble to pop.
Better, I think, to adjust yourself for a new normal.
These are frames that captivated my attention, the moving pictures seared in the mind.
USA Network
I promised myself Id narrow the list down to 10, so…
15.Mr.
Robots season premiere did just that.
Elliot (Rami Malek) wandered through a blacked-out Manhattan, ravaged by the aftermath of his great hack.
Bravo
Pictures of dead characters from the cast appeared, kneecapping the already-flimsy reality of this scene.
But for me, his standout creation as an image-maker this year is this final far away angle.
Elliot stands in front of the wall.
This was my fault, Elliot has told himself.
Look upon your works, ye mighty, and despair.
Its a personal triumph and an act of effacement, self-parody used as body armor.
ABC
But look at Sarandons imperial strut, the proudly raised chin.
This is high camp reclaimed as transgressive empowerment: Murphys whole career mission, accomplished.
No disrespect to actor Michael McKean.
The setup took two and a half seasons.
You say slow burn, I say meandering long way around to a showdown inevitable from minute one.
But Ive grown to likeBetter Call Sauls shaggy-dog inclinations lets track every minor incident in the Albuquerque underworld!
and Chucks spotlight episode was almost worth the wait.
In Chicanery, the two lawyer brothers meet in a courtroom.
But the visuals are beautiful, filmed rapturously in dull corporatist offices.
Theres a symphonic feeling to this episode, the courtroom genre gone Shakespearean.
And by the end of Chicanery, Chuck has ruined himself in public.
The camera slowly rises, and we hear the buzzing of the neon EXIT sign.
Theres a bleak joke in this shot, a plot that slow-burned into the season finale.
All season long, social horror had simmered between Bethenny and Ramona.
I forget the particulars Ramona said something about Bethennys daughter, the media, divorce, school?
The details are precise enough that theyd be unbelievable in fiction.
(Like, why is one person naked?)
The drunk talk would sound unconvincing even from the best Australian actor doing their best Upper West Side accent.
Netflix
I cant imagine any fictional drama pinpointing this tone of soap operatic trainwreckitude.
The emotions seem sincere, question mark?
At least, as sincere as too much tequila can make anybody?
Showtime
Princes song comes on, Raspberry Beret, (R.I.P.)
and they start dancing together, the lady and the rivals for her affection.
By this point, its clear that Lees going for something better than realism but sharper than fantasy.
The four of them dance toward the camera looking right at the audience.
Theres a cut, and were staring at them from the far corner of the room.
10.DuckTales: DayTrip of Doom!
directed by Dana Terrace, art direction by Sean Jimenez
DuckTaleshas histories within histories.
you’ve got the option to spot both traditions in this moment from the second episode.
As she watches from the shadows, Donald tries to attach some electrical generators.
Things go downhill, like a snowball rolling down a mountain of gasoline toward an ocean of fire.
(Next: The remaining 8 best shots)
8.Jimmy Kimmel Live!
: Jennifer Lawrence/Kim Kardashian/Linkin Bridge
So Jennifer Lawrence was guest-hosting for Jimmy Kimmel.
Kardashian remained Kardashian, chatty and smiling and unknowable.
The only two logical responses to this encounter were That was pleasant or I dont care.
paying homage to the internet-breaking social media Empress.
I couldnt stop watching.
Watch how the emotions cycle through her eyes, anxious, fearful, resolved.
Then that smile, thats almost not a smile.
I tried making a GIF from this sequence, but you want to focus on these frozen moments.
Its a magnum opus per millisecond.
Noah Hawley spent early 2017 exploding all sorts of visual concepts throughLegionand the thirdFargo.
the highest reaches of the government.
The season ended on an ambiguous note that felt a little too cute.
Varga was imprisoned by this seasons lawperson, Gloria Burgle (Coon).
The third-to-last shot is Varga, giving one final raspy speech, the light over his head turning dark.
The final shot is of the door,will it open?
What a discovery Coon has been, inThe Leftoversand onFargosimultaneously, and still she feels like an untapped commodity.
Theres no happy ending here, but look close for something more powerful: Endurance.
The rally is peaceful, and it is surrounded on all apparent sides by policemen.
These police officers, theyre trying to intimidate us, says Nova.
They want us to fear them.
But were not afraid.
The drama runs hot.
So of course Novas nephew Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) wanders into the rally.
But Im not sure you need that story context to understand what hes feeling.
Nova runs over to her nephew, knowing hes in a bad place, and hugs him close.
You could interpret a few different things about this moment, could say thatQueen Sugaris tackling the issues.
The 89th Academy Awards Mix-Up, directed by Glenn Weiss
How to pick just one shot, one angle?
You could spend a decade Zaprudering any static screenshot of the Best Picture mishap from this years Oscar telecast.
Im a sucker for the Oscars I wish they were longer!
but this was something special.
This was our own freakingGuernica.
Carve a skyscraper-sized statue, send it the moon!
In the season 1 finale, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) has an epiphany.
All the funny sitcom tension that shes been living through with her friends?
Creator Michael Schur directed this episode, and so credit him for the years most stunning single camera movement.
We begin over Eleanors shoulder, a typical shot-reverse-shot framing.
And then oh dear god that smile, that laugh, that puppetmaster-y amusement.
Three cheers for Danson!
Put him on Mount Rushmore!
Debbie and her former friend Ruth (Alison Brie) are both actresses whove struggled through Hollywood.
Debbie was a soap star, but that came to an end around the time her kid was born.
Ruth is an artist who wants better roles than Hollywood is giving her.
The camera lingers on Debbie as she sloooooooowly stands up on the corner, all eyes on her.
Stand tall, lady, youve earned it.
You had to wonder what the Showtime sequel series would add to the equation.
But what I remember more is Lynchs luxuriating patience.Twin Peakswas 18 parts long and it was in no hurry.
So when the payoffs came, they werebig.
And no single payoff inTwin Peaks back half felt more movingly profound than the return of the shows protagonist.
In Part 16, by electrical magic, Agent Cooper was himself again.
Cooper walked out the door, and Bushnell asked, what about the FBI?
The man turned to the camera, a myth reborn.
Iamthe FBI, he said, like he never left.
(We should be so lucky.)
