| 1 | !!TV series with their own pages |
| 2 | [[index]] |
| 3 | * ''EstablishingCharacterMoment/GameOfThrones'' |
| 4 | [[/index]] |
| 5 | ---- |
| 6 | %%% |
| 7 | %%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct alphabetical order. |
| 8 | %%% |
| 9 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[folder:#]] |
| 12 | * ''Series/YediYuz'': Pınar's diffident and clumsy persona is established within the first minutes "Hayatın Musikisi" when she nearly stumbles over a janitor's cart on her way to the office and fails to make small talk with a colleague while riding the elevator. |
| 13 | * Every single person on ''Series/TwentyFour'' gets one of these, to the extent that Website/TelevisionWithoutPity has started timing how many seconds it takes a new cast member to establish their character. (The record is Morris O'Brien, at 4.) |
| 14 | * In the pilot of ''Series/ThirtyRock'', Liz "buying all the hot dogs" and the ''tour de force'' that is Jack's first scene. |
| 15 | [[/folder]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[folder:A]] |
| 18 | * In ''Series/{{Alphas}}'', nearly all the main characters get one. Nina uses her [[CompellingVoice powers]] to get out of a speeding ticket, Bill uses [[SuperStrength his]] to shove a van out of the way, and Gary flips through electromagnetic wavelengths while measuring out the precise amount of milk for his cereal. |
| 19 | * ''Series/{{Angel}}'': |
| 20 | ** Angel tries to chat up a girl he believes is in danger but fails, showing his sexy brooding isn't gonna work on city girls. |
| 21 | ** Doyle telling Angel the world needs them to show that there's still love and compassion then [[HypocriticalHumor tells off]] [[AntiHero a homeless woman]]. |
| 22 | * ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'' had three of the same characters from ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}'', but manages to give them each an ECM for those members of the audience who weren't familiar with LOM. Gene Hunt's tour-de-force entrance - ''"Today, my friend, your diary entry will read, 'Took a prozzie hostage and was shot by three armed bastards.'"'' - Ray bouncing Markham's head off the Quattro, and Chris's insistent ''"I'm not nervous. I'm just cautious."''. For the new characters, Shaz's is her dancing to the Walkman, and Alex's know-it-all use of finger quotes when she talks to Gene, calling him a construct. |
| 23 | ** When Keats joins the cast in Season 3, his ECM is his combination FaceHeelTurn / TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Gene, where his darker nature is revealed after an episode of seeming as if he's just a harmless by-the-book pencil pusher from D&C. |
| 24 | * The ''Series/AustinAndAlly'' pilot gives us, Trish announcing her newest job... and how incompetent she is, Ally enforcing store rules, Dez clumsily filming, and Austin playing drums... with corndogs. |
| 25 | [[/folder]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[folder:B]] |
| 28 | * ''Series/{{Babylon|2014}}'' has a few in its pilot: |
| 29 | ** Liz is first seen giving her TED Talk on the new era of public relations, using her own nervousness as an example of how to utilize honesty. Within minutes, she makes it clear that the PR aspect is just as important to her as the idealism. |
| 30 | ** In a silent scene, [[MeanBoss Richard]] insists that Tom steps closer to an active drone, for no apparent reason. Tom obeys despite being visibly terrified, laying the foundation for his position as the series' ButtMonkey. |
| 31 | ** Finn sits on the toilet, watching Liz's TED Talk on his phone, and spits on the screen when she claims "the PR game as we know it is over". |
| 32 | ** Members of a TSG unit try to give a warm welcome to the cameraman accompanying them [[NoSocialSkills by hazing him]]. |
| 33 | * In ''Series/BabylonFive'', Londo gets one for not only himself but the entire Centauri Republic in the pilot movie. |
| 34 | -->There was a time when this whole quadrant belonged to us! What are we now? Twelve worlds and a thousand monuments to past glories. Living off memories and stories, and selling trinkets. My god, man! We've become a tourist attraction. "See the great Centauri Republic - open 9 to 5 - Earth time." |
| 35 | ** The Shadows get a good one too. Up until their arrival, the recurring villains have been a group of raiders: simple, money-oriented pirates with considerably less armament than any actual military. Then we discover that they have a lot better equipment than we thoughts, and can fight right up against the station and get away with it, and have high-ranked contacts in the Centauri government, and are smart enough to avoid overreaching, and are about to double or triple their threat level... And then a Shadow Battlecrab shimmers into existence next to them -- breaking the established rules of how you reach normal space -- and wipes them out in one shot. With enough precision to leave a piece of jewelry inside the ship intact. |
| 36 | * ''Series/BandOfBrothers'': |
| 37 | ** Captain Ron Speirs has a very memorable first scene, wherein he offers cigarettes to a group of German [=POWs=] and then promptly guns them all down. This cements his reputation as a BloodKnight, in-universe as well. |
| 38 | ** Buck Compton getting reprimanded for gambling and getting overly chummy with his men. |
| 39 | ** Dick Winters does the reprimanding, showing him as a [[ByTheBookCop By the Book Soldier]] and also caring deeply for his men. His exact words to Buck are, "What if you'd won? Never put yourself in a position where you can take from these men." |
| 40 | ** [[TheNeidermeyer Captain Sobel]] revoking an entire company's weekend passes for a couple of minor offenses. |
| 41 | ** Janovec fraternizing with a German girl. |
| 42 | * ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaBloodAndChrome'': In the very first scene, Bill Adama's in a dogfight with two Raiders. When he gets his Viper's windscreen damaged destroying one, he jettisons it despite the radiation hazard and uses his handgun to destroy the other. It also foreshadows/[[CallForward Calls Forward]] to his mature self's tolerance of Starbuck's antics. |
| 43 | * In the first few episodes of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' they manage to firmly establish each character's personality fairly well. |
| 44 | ** In the pilot we learn everything we needed to know about Sheldon when Penny accidentally stole "his spot". |
| 45 | --->'''Sheldon:''' Um Penny...that's where I sit.\ |
| 46 | '''Penny:''' [flirtatiously Sit next to me.\ |
| 47 | '''Sheldon:''' [clueless] ...no, I sit there.\ |
| 48 | '''Penny:''' What's the difference?\ |
| 49 | '''Sheldon:''' "What's the difference?"\ |
| 50 | '''Leonard:''' Here we go.\ |
| 51 | '''Sheldon:''' In the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer, it's directly in the path of a cross-breeze created by opening windows there and there. It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide as to create a parallax distortion. I could go on, but I think I've made my point. |
| 52 | ** Leonard's moment is basically the entire pilot, his friendly demeanor leads him to invite the pretty girl to lunch but his desire to get close to her also leads him to do stupid things to get on her good side. |
| 53 | ** Howard's first scene has him awkwardly hitting on Penny in multiple languages and trying to act suave and cool even while offering her a juice box. |
| 54 | ** Penny's moment comes in the second episode when she gets outraged that Sheldon cleaned up her apartment when she was sleeping using their spare key, but after some time to cool down and work it out she freely forgave them. |
| 55 | ** Raj's moment also comes in the second episode when he manages to have an entire conversation with Penny without him saying a word, also including his mind wandering off while Penny kept on talking. |
| 56 | ** Amy's first scene solidifies her very well as being Sheldon's DistaffCounterpart, to the point Howard (who found her through a dating site prank) exclaimed "MyGodWhatHaveIDone." |
| 57 | ** Bernadette's key scene came in her second episode when Howard tries to apologize for his rude behavior by doing this over-the-top declaration of love while playing the keyboard at the restaurant she worked at. Penny responded with a FacePalm but Bernadette smiled brightly and considered it the most romantic thing anyone has done for her. |
| 58 | * ''Series/BlackBooks'' opens with Bernard ignoring a customer while on the phone to his accountant. When the customer tries to get his attention, he writes "On phone" on a post-it note and sticks it on his forehead. He then proceeds to make fun of the customer's admittedly strange request ("I need to know if they're real leather because they have to go with a sofa.") to the point of outright preventing a sale. "Sorry, I need leather-bound pounds or they won't go with my wallet". Next, Manny enters searching for ''The Little Book of Calm'' and Bernard proceeds to agitate him as much as he can. Then, to cap the scene off, he kicks everyone out of the shop to close up in the early afternoon and visit his accountant. |
| 59 | ** This scene also establishes Bernard's love of books as he refuses to sell the man Charles Dickens books when he is only interested in their appearance. |
| 60 | * The very first scene of ''Series/TheBlacklist'' involves a well-dressed, harmless-looking late-middle-aged man having an enigmatic conversation about returning home with a young man who delivers him a briefcase. He then walks into the FBI headquarters, politely asks to see a high-ranking assistant director with no appointment, gives his name as Raymond Reddington, and calmly sets down his briefcase and removes his hat and coat (to the bemused stares of onlookers) while she checks his identity... only for him to be flagged as one of the FBI's most wanted and instantly surrounded by armed response officers. And tellingly, he's already assumed "the position" (on his knees, hands visibly interlocked behind his head) seconds before they show up. Before the series has even entered the two minute mark, we have learned that Raymond Reddington is a powerful criminal and has been for a long time, is elegant and refined, is AffablyEvil but is also a lot more dangerous than he seems at first glance, is brazen, is cool and collected under pressure, and is clearly several steps ahead of everyone else. |
| 61 | * ''Series/BlakesSeven'': |
| 62 | ** Vila trying to take Blake's watch shows he's a thief, though it's presented initially as being a compulsive behaviour rather than something he does because he's good at it, as in later episodes. When Blake catches him at it... |
| 63 | -->"Easy! Take it easy! I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person". |
| 64 | ** Jenna is introduced with a reputation that Vila's in awe of and grounded realism in contrast to Blake's optimism, shown when she bluntly tells Blake that he can forget about any last-minute reprieves. |
| 65 | ** Avon keeping to himself as Blake formulates an escape plan, then chiming in with technical details as to how the doors work for no reason other than to show how smart he is. |
| 66 | --->'''Vila:''' Blake, Kerr Avon. When it comes to computers, he's the number two man in all Federated Worlds.\ |
| 67 | '''Nova:''' Who's number one?\ |
| 68 | '''Vila:''' The guy who caught him. [To Avon] You've got nothing to be ashamed of. D'you know, he came close to stealing five million credits out of the Federation Banking System.\ |
| 69 | '''Blake:''' What went wrong?\ |
| 70 | '''Avon:''' I relied on other people. |
| 71 | ** Gan smilingly threatening to tear a guard's hand off to open a door. |
| 72 | ** Cally knocking Blake over with her gun, then speaking to him telepathically combines her fighter nature with her dislike of actual violence, and demonstrates her telepathy. |
| 73 | ** Dayna's BigDamnHeroes moment by saving Avon from some angry natives with her bow and arrow. |
| 74 | ** Tarrant, disguised as a Federation officer, casually introducing himself to Avon and Dayna and asking what they're doing on ''his'' ship. |
| 75 | * ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'' does well with these too. |
| 76 | ** Nucky Thompson tells a story to the Temperance League about how he had to catch rats for his family to eat because his alcoholic father couldn't support them. Just afterward, he tells his driver it was all a lie: "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." |
| 77 | ** In season 3, Gyp Rosetti and his boys are stuck in the middle of nowhere trying and failing to change a flat tire. A good Samaritan stops and offers some "3-in-1" to help them get the lug nuts off. When Rosetti doesn't know what that is, and the man comments that ''obviously'' it's a kind of oil, Rosetti is so offended by this seeming disrespect that he ''kills the man''. And then steals his little dog, cementing his status as easily offended, psychotic, and bizarrely eccentric. |
| 78 | * ''Series/BreakingBad'': |
| 79 | ** The very first scene is of Walter White recording a video confession to his family when he thinks that he's about to be busted for cooking meth. Though seemingly innocuous on first watch, Walt's argument in his own defense--that he only had the best intentions, and wanted to provide for his family--gives valuable insight into how he rationalizes his criminal acts; [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain the series that follows]] is essentially one long dismantling of that claim, as we gradually find out that it's not nearly as true as Walt wants it to be. As several people have pointed out, [[ExactWords the specific phrasing of Walt's claim]] ("I only had you in my heart!") is particularly telling, as it can be understood both as "I only wanted to help you!" and "I don't care what happens to anyone but you!" |
| 80 | ** Jesse is introduced escaping a meth lab in the middle of a bust, but he's putting his clothes back on in the process and ends up falling off of the roof. It establishes that he's wily and knows how to get out of dangerous situations, but he's also a bit of an idiot. |
| 81 | ** Skylar introduces herself by going over Walt's use of the family's credit cards, including criticizing his use of one as "the card we don't use". Skylar can be domineering, but she's protecting the family finances and is good with money, which foreshadows her eventual use as Walt's money launderer. |
| 82 | ** Hank is introduced essentially taking over Walt's birthday party, including by taking Walt's drink seemingly without realizing it, but is then revealed to have executed a multi-million dollar drug bust earlier in the day. For all that Hank is loud and a bit selfish, he's a DEA agent for a reason. |
| 83 | ** Marie is asked how Skylar looks pregnant; while her friend says she's barely even showing, Marie casually says that she clearly is, stopping the conversation dead in its tracks. |
| 84 | ** Saul Goodman runs into Hank and Gomez in a hallway. After Hank jokes about Saul's bad commercials, Saul responds with a YourMom joke - only to immediately ponder out loud why Badger's small-scale drug bust has attracted the attention of two federal agents, reasoning that this must be part of something bigger. This shows the audience that for all of Saul's quirks and immaturity, he's Albuquerque's "criminal lawyer" for a reason. |
| 85 | ** Gus Fring pretends to be a measly fast food manager, even when Walt directly tells him that he knows Gus was his contact, up until the moment Walt says that they're alike, at which point Gus drops his mask and coldly tells him all the ways that they're not alike. It establishes Walt and Gus as foils in one moment, showing that unlike Walt, Gus actually ''is'' a cautious man who knows how to hide in plain sight. |
| 86 | ** Mike Ehrmantraut walks into the scene of a drug overdose and within a few minutes, he meticulously cleans up the scene of any contamination, comes up with a cover story and beats it into Jesse by slapping him repeatedly, and says that if Jesse has any questions, to contact Saul Goodman. It shows him to be a complete ConsummateProfessional who does his job, does it well, and doesn't care about any pain he causes along the way. |
| 87 | ** On his first mission out with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, Todd Alquist [[spoiler:murders a child in cold blood just because the child saw them (and Walt said earlier that no one can know they were there). The next episode has him dismiss it as "shit happens", showing how he genuinely just thinks of such a horrific act as just part of the job.]] |
| 88 | * ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'' has these for a couple of the characters: |
| 89 | ** Gordon Brittas' first scene in "Laying the Foundations" has him attempt to show his stepsons how to play cricket, annoy the hell out of them and then confiscate the cricket bat when they don't listen. This displays how he is a person who tries to help but is too annoying to be truly helpful. |
| 90 | ** Helen's Brittas' first scene in the same episode has her wearily agreeing with everything Brittas says, then hitting the bottle once he leaves the room. This shows how she is a wife who is so broken down by her husband, that she has become an AddledAddict. |
| 91 | ** Colin's first scene has him rattle off all his various infections and treatments much to the displeasure of Laura. This shows how he is basically a physically disgusting character who has a tendency to give off TooMuchInformation about his afflictions. |
| 92 | ** Carole's first scene has her having a meltdown in reception, showing off how she is not the happiest person and that she’s perpetually struggling (especially when it’s revealed that it’s because her husband has left her and she’s suffering from post natal depression). |
| 93 | * ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': The first scene of the first episode features Detective Jake Peralta goofing around in an electronics store that's been burgled while his more strait-laced partner Amy Santiago questions the owner. Initially, his smart-ass, flippant and immature behaviour makes him look like he's just going to be a dumb goofball detective — until he reveals he got there several minutes before Santiago, dug around the place on a hunch, and located a camera that secretly recorded the burglars as they were robbing the place, having correctly deduced that in a store full of cameras at least ''one'' had to have seen something useful. The scene thus clearly establishes him as immature and goofy, but smart and competent at his job. |
| 94 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': |
| 95 | ** In [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E1WelcomeToTheHellmouth the first episode]], Giles attempts to remind Buffy of her duties, she sneers, "Blah, blah, I've heard it okay?" Cements her character pretty solidly, but she has many much cooler moments. |
| 96 | ** Darla's very first scene is the first scene of the first episode. Well, you know the plot, so it isn't a spoiler that the cute blonde in the Catholic schoolgirl outfit being led astray by the tough guy in the biker jacket is not an innocent. It's Darla, luring him into a place where she can rip his throat out. Not only an [=ECM=] for Darla but a defining moment for the show and a scene with a gigantic HSQ for the unprepared. |
| 97 | ** The pilot episode has Xander babbling incoherently when confronted with a pretty girl (Buffy). |
| 98 | ** Cordelia seeming nice until she's confronted with shy, nerdy Willow. |
| 99 | ** Willow herself eating lunch alone and offering to move when someone comes to sit in her spot. More specifically, Willow talks about losing her Barbie doll as a child and when Buffy asks if she got it back, Willow replies happily "Most of it" as if this was a positive. Saying the line that way got Creator/AlysonHannigan the role and it establishes the character for the first three seasons. |
| 100 | ** Spike's very first scene in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E3SchoolHard School Hard]]" is smashing into a "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign in his car and strutting out wearing a leather coat and Music/SidVicious mannerisms. He proceeds to march up to the current villains all vamped out, OffhandBackhand one of them and [[BadassBoast boast about how he can solve their problems for them]]... and then at the sight of his DelicateAndSickly girlfriend, immediately take off the vamp face and insist that she should be resting. [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes He then gives her his jacket without hesitation when she complains of cold.]] Establishes his character well... but then at the end of the episode [[MakeWayForTheNewVillains he kills the previous season's Chosen One villain and his prophecy devoted mooks saying that from now on there would be less ritual and more fun which sets him up as the new]] BigBad and his role of subverting the traditional ancient villain behavior. |
| 101 | ** Riley's friend Forrest seemed nice enough until he suggested that they use Buffy as bait to lure Spike. |
| 102 | ** Richard Wilkins asking the deputy mayor to show his hands. |
| 103 | ** Mr. Trick greets a drive-in guy then eats him. |
| 104 | ** Faith casually beating up a vamp while greeting Buffy. |
| 105 | ** The very first thing Adam does upon being created is impale his "mother" [[spoiler:Maggie Walsh]] ForTheEvulz. |
| 106 | ** When we first see Giles, Buffy asks him about books (she means school books) and he gleefully slams a thick tome with the title "Vampyr" in front of her. It's clear from there on that Giles will be a constant source of supernatural book smarts for the slayer. |
| 107 | ** Spike roughs up the Anointed One's minions but then an OminousMusicBoxTune rises and everyone turns to see this spooky woman in white. Drusilla has arrived. |
| 108 | ** The Judge disintegrating Dalton [[DisproportionateRetribution because he likes reading too much.]] |
| 109 | ** Oz explaining his decision not to become a Corporate Computer Suit Guy... [[BrilliantButLazy or a work-of-any-kind guy.]] |
| 110 | ** At the Wiccan meeting where we first see her, Tara sits on the floor because she doesn't have the confidence to insist on a chair. She perks up when Willow mentions magic, but then stutters and retreats when all the attention is on her. |
| 111 | * ''Series/BurnNotice'' |
| 112 | ** The first we see of Michael Westen is him being cut off by the titular notice in the middle of making a payment to a warlord. Since he can no longer come up with the money, the warlord promptly orders him killed. Mike lures his captors into the bathroom, uses his signature CombatPragmatist ways to take them out, then escapes on a nearby motorbike. Then he lures the warlord's men, who are chasing him in a car, into crashing in the middle of a marketplace, which causes everyone there to point guns at them while Michael makes his way to the airport. Cool head in a crisis, a good fighter, a gift for [[IndyPloy improvisation]], and a BatmanGambit that lures his stronger foes into a vulnerable position: Michael Westen, ladies and gents. |
| 113 | ** Fiona's is her sitting at Michael's bedside in a Miami hotel room, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments kicking him awake]] and then [[SexIsViolence picking a fight while flirting with him]]. |
| 114 | ** The first view we get of [[TheCasanova Sam Axe]] is him flirting with a hot girl in a bikini and drinking, putting the [[ObfuscatingStupidity "Crouching Moron"]] in CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass. |
| 115 | ** Madeline doesn't even have to be onscreen for hers - Fiona tells Michael his mother knows he's in Miami, and all you see is Michael's ''terrified'' reaction, as well as his voiceover admission that Maddie should have been a communications specialist for the NSA. She later shows up to nag Michael into taking her to the hospital for imaginary medical problems and nag him about never spending any time at home. |
| 116 | ** Jesse shooting his way out of an ambush after he was sold out by his handler showed he wasn't just some desk jockey. |
| 117 | ** Carla, [[TheVoice before even appearing in person]], directed Michael to the site of a nasty shootout and a terrified, BoundAndGagged man who, as she explained, had tried to escape her organization with his family, [[IHaveYourWife who are now hostages]]: she's the ruthless, {{manipulative|Bastard}} [[TheHandler handler]] who will ''not'' [[ResignationsNotAccepted accept your resignation]]. |
| 118 | ** Victor, the subject of the page quote, meets Michael [[ChessMotifs in a chess park]], makes some graphically violent "jokes", and when Michael tests him, threatens to [[GroinAttack shoot him in the crotch]]: He's Michael's LaughingMad, AxCrazy EvilCounterpart. |
| 119 | ** Larry shows up smiling, laughing, joking with Michael, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick offering to cut him in on a murder-for-hire job]]: he's a FriendlyEnemy with aspirations to TheCorrupter. |
| 120 | ** Brennen is introduced having already [[IHaveYourWife kidnapped a child to extort cooperation from his mother]], circumvents the heroes' intervention without even knowing about them by strapping a hidden ''bomb'' to the kid, walking away clean with everything he wanted, and being ''incredibly smug'' about it: he's evil and unfortunately an InsufferableGenius. |
| 121 | ** PsychoForHire Gilroy has his when he, as Michael puts it, "introduces himself by firebombing a hotel room." |
| 122 | [[/folder]] |
| 123 | |
| 124 | [[folder:C]] |
| 125 | * One of the first scenes in ''Series/{{Cadfael}}'' is the eponymous monk, played by the white-haired Creator/DerekJacobi, intervening when a soldier is harassing a peasant by ''knocking the sword from his grip'' using nothing more than his hands. Because Cadfael is a man of the cloth who takes seriously his duty to look after the weak--and was a soldier in the Crusades before his vows. |
| 126 | * ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': |
| 127 | ** Castle is at a party where he is signing the breasts of an attractive woman. His teenage daughter and his mother are both present: doing her homework and scouting for singles, respectively. As Castle mentions his boredom of the celebrity life to his daughter, someone taps on his shoulder. He turns around and immediately likes what he sees. He asks her where she'd like ''her'' signature...and Beckett flashes her badge and drags him down to the precinct. Thus begins a beautiful partnership. |
| 128 | ** The very first glimpses we see of Castle and Beckett individually tell us all about who they are before we even hear them speak. When we first see Castle, he's all smiles and charm, flirting with the ladies, signing books, and being the centre of attention, but the camera frequently cuts away from him to show what's happening all around the party -- he's charming, lively, ostentatious and fun, but for all the noise and fun of the celebrity lifestyle we get the sense he's getting a bit lost and unfocussed inside of it. When we first see Beckett, she's walking down a darkened corridor towards a murder scene with a sober, driven expression on her face, with the camera very tightly close-up on her face except when it cuts away to the scene of the crime; she's driven, focussed and determined, but we get the sense that her life is a bit dark, she doesn't have very much fun and there's not much else for her outside of her work. They kind of need each other, in other words. |
| 129 | * ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': |
| 130 | ** Diane is stopping in at a bar in the opening segment of the first episode. Temporarily abandoned, she hears the phone ringing, answers it, and then Sam walks in. His mouth is full, so he uses body language to tell her how to handle the caller. It's quite obvious Sam is pantomiming a haircut, but Diane declares to the woman on the phone, "He had to go to mime class!" When Diane hangs up, Sam asks her what the message is. "You're a magnificent pagan beast." "Thanks. What's the message?" Not soon after, Coach answers the phone and asks loudly to the bar, "Is there an Ernie Pantuso here?" Sam replies, "That's ''you'', Coach". Coach then responds to the caller, "Speaking!" The astonished look on Diane's face cannot be described with words. |
| 131 | ** Carla appears storming into the bar in a foul mood, explaining at a mile a minute exactly what she's so pissed about without breaking stride, while Sam and Coach don't say a word. |
| 132 | ** Cliff comes into the bar and rattles off a LittleKnownFact, which is inane, wrong, and utterly stupid. Then he asks Diane her opinion, showing the man not only has no knowledge, he has no shame either. |
| 133 | ** In series 4, Lilith gets an unintentional one, given she was supposed to be a one-off character. Her scene establishes she is an IceQueen with BrutalHonesty, bluntly shutting down Frasier's pathetic attempts at getting with her and verbally demolishing him, before ducking out while he's at the toilet. It sets the whole tone of their relationship. |
| 134 | * ''Series/ChicagoPD'' opens with Hank Voight giving a death glare to a frightened and beaten drug dealer, forcing him to drive outside Chicago city limits. Voight then gets out of the car, kicks his ass some more, gets him to give up his supplier, takes his money (four thousand dollars of it), and tells him that if he ever steps inside Chicago again, he'll kill him. Then he leaves him a hundred bucks for bus fare. |
| 135 | * Bryce Larkin's first scene in ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', immediately after Chuck said that he thought Bryce was an accountant. Cut to Bryce, falling from a ceiling. |
| 136 | -->Bryce Larkin (not an accountant) |
| 137 | * ''Series/CityOnAHill'': Sinclair Dryden is introduced raping a young woman while she's unconscious. It's later shown she's his daughter's friend who stayed over at their house that night, and he drugged her wine. His wife also knows about it, and doesn't care beyond insuring he's covered it up, showing them both to be awful people, indicating it's [[SerialRapist hardly the first time he did it]] either. |
| 138 | * ''Series/CobraKai'' has a flashback to the fateful tournament over 30 years ago, then Johnny waking up in a crappy apartment and washing his mouth out with a stubby bottle of Coors signature. He's unshaven, and we see his old trophy stuffed at the back of his closet. We then meet Miguel, who is eager to connect with his neighbour. Johnny insults him twice, then takes off in his red sports car, and pulls up to a young woman who promptly tells him off when he tries to pick her up. This is a guy stuck in the 80s, who peaked a loooong time ago. |
| 139 | ** In that same episode, despite all of this, he [[CurbStompBattle easily trashes]] the young punks bullying Miguel, showing he's StillGotIt, and reopens Cobra Kai, showing that HesBack. |
| 140 | * ''Series/{{Community}}'': |
| 141 | ** In "[[Recap/CommunityS1E01Pilot Pilot]]": |
| 142 | *** The whole episode is one long ECM for Jeff, establishing his AntiHero status. |
| 143 | *** The series begins with [[PointyHairedBoss Dean Pelton]] giving a speech to the campus. He starts by going on about how they've all heard that community college is for losers, then says "That's what you've ''heard''. However: I wish you luck! Wait... there was a middle part of that speech, if you see a card..." |
| 144 | *** [[MetaGuy Abed]] notes how much the study group is like ''Film/TheBreakfastClub''. |
| 145 | *** [[NotSoAboveItAll Britta]] ''almost'' sees through Jeff's claim to be a tutor, and challenges him to say "I actually tutor Spanish" in Spanish. However, she knows so little Spanish herself that she can't tell what he's actually saying and just ''assumes'' he got the answer right, meaning that asking was completely pointless. |
| 146 | *** Jeff mentions that Duncan "seemed less concerned with ethics the day [Jeff] convinced twelve of [Duncan's] peers that when [Duncan] did a U-turn on a freeway and tried to order chalupas from an emergency call box, [his] only real crime was being an American." |
| 147 | *** Pierce introduces the rest of the study group to Jeff-and [[AccidentalMisnaming gets all of their names wrong]], except for himself and Shirley. |
| 148 | *** Shirley's passive-aggressiveness is established when she responds to Annie's insinuation that she's made "bad life decisions" by saying "[[TranquilFury Well, I’m sure I’ve made bad life decisions. [...] And maybe Annie’s decisions will be better.]] And I think she should decide whether she wants to be considered a child or an adult, because a child gets pity, but not respect, and adults can get respect but they can also get ''grabbed by the hair and have their faces put through jukeboxes.''" |
| 149 | *** After Abed invites Pierce, Troy, Shirley, and Annie to join Jeff's (initially non-existent) study group, their very first lines when they arrive say a lot about their respective personalities: Pierce is naïve and clueless, Troy is snarky and immature, Shirley is a caring mother figure, and Annie is the smartest of the bunch (and very good at reading people). |
| 150 | ---->'''Pierce:''' Are you the board-certified tutor?\ |
| 151 | '''Troy:''' That means you do my homework, right, Seacrest?\ |
| 152 | '''Shirley:''' I need to call my babysitter if we're gonna be later than 10.\ |
| 153 | '''Annie:''' What "board" certifies a ''tutor''? |
| 154 | ** In the second episode, Chang's rant about how he's a "SPANISH GENIUS" at the beginning of class establishes his insanity. |
| 155 | * ''Series/CriminalMinds'': |
| 156 | ** The pilot episode "[[Recap/CriminalMindsS1E1ExtremeAggressor Extreme Aggressor]]" gives us a few ECM's. Gideon has two, first when he has a bit of SensoryOverload and completes the profile hours before anyone else, and second, when he takes on the Footpath Killer completely unarmed. Morgan's is his flirting with the FBI trainees. Reid's is his rattling off of his eidetic memory, IQ level, and the fact that he can read 20,000 words a minute and concluding with a deadpan "yes, I'm a genius". Hotch's is when he confesses to Gideon that the reason he keeps shooting down Haley's choices for baby names is that they're all first names of well-known serial killers. Elle's is her startling transformation from InnocentBystander to ActionGirl when she gets the [=UnSub=] to walk into a house with her, then cuffs him before he can flee. Garcia's is her phone banter with Morgan: |
| 157 | --->'''Morgan''': I thought I was calling the Office of Supreme Genius.\ |
| 158 | '''Garcia''': Well, gorgeous, you've been re-routed to the Office of Too-Frickin'-Bad. |
| 159 | ** Emily Prentiss joins the team in "[[Recap/CriminalMindsS2E9TheLastWord The Last Word]]", but doesn't get hers until "[[Recap/CriminalMindsS2E10LessonsLearned Lessons Learned]]", when she proves her usefulness to the team by speaking flawless Arabic and allowing them to realize the next suicide attack is set for the next crescent moon. |
| 160 | ** David Rossi's very first scene, in "[[Recap/CriminalMindsS3E6AboutFace About Face]]", establishes that he's the anti-Gideon: he shoots down a bird (something always associated with Gideon). |
| 161 | ** Ashley Seaver is introduced at an FBI training course where she beats the other trainees at figuring out a solution, showing her as quick-thinking, and when Hotch and Rossi ask her for some information, she immediately volunteers to change clothes and join their team, showing her as impulsive and somewhat reckless. These character traits sort of disappeared after her introductory episode, but they play a key role until then. |
| 162 | ** Alex Blake is introduced with a RightBehindMe to Garcia, wherein she breaks down the etymology of the word "nice," twisting it into an insult, which shows off her focus on linguistics and also sets her up as unfriendly and confrontational, while later in the episode she withholds some profile background from the local authorities and explains to Morgan that she doesn't trust them with it because she knows they've already formed their opinions. All of which establishes her as smart (almost on par with Reid) and competent, but also someone who has trouble with teamwork. |
| 163 | ** Kate Callahan was introduced similarly to Elle, as part of an undercover sting of a pedophile, but focuses more on her guile, coaxing a confession out of him by being sweet and coy, but instantly getting serious once she has the incriminating evidence in her hands. She also mentions that the undercover operation took months (though it was all online communication), which demonstrates she's able to invest in a long game, setting up the season's arc. When she's properly introduced to the team, it's by chatting with Reid in an elevator. She engages with him and doesn't let the conversation lag despite his awkwardness; she teases him ("Seriously? You don't twerk?"), but lightens up when he doesn't engage, showing her as social and friendly. |
| 164 | [[/folder]] |
| 165 | |
| 166 | [[folder:D]] |
| 167 | * ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'': After an entire pilot where his forces attempt to kill Karen Page to prevent her from exposing some of their shady dealings, once she's done that, Wilson Fisk says about her, "Forget her. Everything she knows is in the papers." He's uninterested in killing her now that she has no more information that can damage him, not even for revenge. |
| 168 | * ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'': When the librarian gets Brea's books and then she asks if he had a copy of another book she wanted to read. Once Tavra arrives and notifies her that she'd be able to attend the ceremony, Brea giddily wonders if she'd be able to ask the lords the many questions she has. This highlights not only her lust for knowledge but also her wanting to understand the world around her and wanting to come to her own conclusions based on what she learns. |
| 169 | * The first thing we see UsefulNotes/DavyCrockett do in his Creator/{{Disney}} mini-series? Kill a {{bear|sAreBadNews}} with a knife. Badass status set. |
| 170 | * Rube from ''Series/DeadLikeMe'' had a memorable one when he took George to her own autopsy and compared her corpse to a ruined peach cobbler, establishing his interest in food. |
| 171 | ** Grandma Phyl inspecting her daughter's roof. She meant it when she said she's not gonna lend Joy money if she doesn't inspect the roof herself. |
| 172 | * In Season 8 of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', Clare and Alli are given an effective moment, based on the comparison between the two, setting their roles in the series. Clare is with Darcy (Clare's older sister), who is telling Clare to be more normal 'like Sav's sister.' Due to Clare's wearing her old private school uniform to a public school and spouting off random facts as Darcy comments on how different they are. On the other side, we see Sav trying to tell Alli to stop wearing clothes that are so evocative, as their parents won't approve. Due to Alli's desire to be seen and popular. While Clare had appeared in an earlier season, this defined her character a lot more. |
| 173 | * The first episode of the Indian sitcom ''Series/DekhBhaiDekh'' dedicates its premise to establishing Balraj as a ForgetfulJones. The episode's conflict is that he forgets to mention to his family that he has invited his boss over for dinner. |
| 174 | * ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': The first scene of the series portrays [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]] as your typical intimidating killer, but once his inner monologue explains [[EvenEvilHasStandards he's targeting Mike Donovan because he's disgusted that the latter murdered a child]], we know he's a SympatheticMurderer. |
| 175 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 176 | ** As each [[TheNthDoctor incarnation]] of the Doctor is often vastly different, each of them has at least one Establishing Character Moment in their respective first appearances. |
| 177 | *** The First Doctor [[ObfuscatingStupidity persistently acting like a senile old man]] to the two teachers in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E1AnUnearthlyChild An Unearthly Child]]". |
| 178 | *** The Fourth Doctor's bizarre choices for new outfits in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot Robot]]". It establishes him as [[CloudCuckooLander completely loopy]] and with an [[HumansThroughAlienEyes alien attitude towards humanity]], but note also that the outfits he chooses are 1) [[HornyVikings a Viking]] (e.g. a warrior whose tactic is to land a ship somewhere, burn everything down and leave) 2) a King (a noble, similar to a Lord) and a 3) a ridiculous [[CommediadellArte Pierrot]] clown with [[SadClown tears painted on his cheeks]]. This pretty much sums up each side of the Fourth Doctor's personality. |
| 179 | *** The Sixth Doctor's first line being a bit of pure snark directed at his companion in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E6TheCavesOfAndrozani The Caves of Androzani]]". |
| 180 | *** An arguably unintentional example, given that the character wouldn't really be taken in this direction until the following season, but the very first thing the Seventh Doctor does upon regaining consciousness after regenerating in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]" is start to organise his schedule ("That was a nice nap; now, down to business! I'm a bit worried about the temporal flicker in Sector Seventeen..."). Later series and the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse would make [[TheChessmaster the Seventh Doctor]] actively seek out conflicts rather than just stumble across them, and start planning ahead. Also, when considering the Rani controlling the universe, rather than bluster about it, the Seventh Doctor quietly muses that "[[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]], [[Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti Michelangelo]], Louis Pasteur, [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis]], even [[Theatre/TheRivals Mrs Malaprop]] will never have existed". The Seventh Doctor sees grandiloquent plans to rule the universe in terms of their destruction of life's small, everyday pleasures, like art and music. He would be the first Doctor to really embrace human popular culture, enjoying rock'n'roll, going to outdoor jazz sessions on summer afternoons, and reading the Sunday papers. |
| 181 | *** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose "Rose"]]: The Ninth Doctor's first line is "Run!", which pretty much sums up the entire show in a single word. Later, he gives a speech to Rose about how he can feel the Earth revolving, which also counts. |
| 182 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays The Parting of the Ways]]", the Tenth Doctor's first reaction was to be intrigued and confused by his new teeth and then offer to take Rose to Barcelona (just as the Ninth Doctor had offered to her before regenerating). Then in "[[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion The Christmas Invasion]]", he then lands in London, announces he's forgotten something very important, which turns out to be "Merry Christmas", and passes out. This all quickly establishes how seriously he takes his relationships as well as how incredibly weird and dippy he is. |
| 183 | *** At the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]], [[MoodWhiplash after a painful regeneration, immediately preceded by the loss of his entire race]] ''[[MoodWhiplash again]]'', [[CloudCuckooLander the very first line out of Eleven's mouth is to cheerfully note that he still has legs, then kiss said legs before checking to make sure all his other body parts are in order. This is before he remembers that he's about to crash into Earth, at which point he only gets more excited.]] |
| 184 | *** Twelve's second episode, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek Into the Dalek]]" establishes his GoodIsNotNice personality, when he [[spoiler: purposefully gets someone killed in order to evade capture by Dalek antibodies.]] |
| 185 | ---->'''Journey Blue:''' ''I thought you were saving him!''\ |
| 186 | '''The Doctor:''' He was dead already, I was saving ''us''! |
| 187 | *** Not to be outdone by his very first, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath Deep Breath]]" when the Doctor warns the cybernetic villain of that episode, the Half-Faced Man not to cross him, and that if he doesn't stop, the Doctor will force him to. Suddenly, all the robots attacking the Doctor's friends [[KeystoneArmy suddenly deactivate]]. Cut to [[spoiler:the Half-Faced Man [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaled on the spire of Big Ben]], leaving it ambiguous whether the Doctor [[GoodIsNotNice threw him out of the balloon]] or [[BreakThemByTalking goaded him into killing himself.]]]] |
| 188 | ** Note that, as well as showing what makes [[TheNthDoctor their Doctor]] different, each regeneration ''also'' needs a moment where they establish themselves as still essentially being the Doctor. This will normally be the moment where they step up to save the day with a brilliant, improvised plan and declare themselves as humanity's (and the universe's) protector: |
| 189 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E3ThePowerOfTheDaleks The Power of the Daleks]]", the Second Doctor looking around at the destruction he caused saving Vulcan from the Daleks and asking in an extremely pleased voice, "Did ''I'' do that?" |
| 190 | *** The Fourth Doctor's "he is the Doctor" scene is unusual in this regard. His regeneration filled him with energy and temporary super-strength and he's out saving the world almost the second he's regenerated, so the moment we realise he is the Doctor isn't the moment he starts coming up with clever plans to defeat the robot, but the moment he displays his Doctorly ''compassion'' for the first time by offering Sarah Jane (who he'd previously been ignoring and attempting to abandon) a jelly baby. This is highlighted by the fact that he attempts to repeat the BrickBreak he'd done easily while in the supercharged post-regenerative state, but instead just injures his hand. |
| 191 | *** Endured a heavy LampshadeHanging in [[Recap/DoctorWho2005CSTheChristmasInvasion "The Christmas Invasion"]], as the Tenth Doctor wonders who he is, eventually receiving his own Moment as he kills the Sycorax leader, remarking [[BewareTheNiceOnes "No second chances. I'm that sort of man"]]. |
| 192 | *** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E1TheEleventhHour "The Eleventh Hour"]] has the Eleventh Doctor's now-legendary speech to the Atraxi, in which he literally takes his place among the other regenerations: |
| 193 | ---->'''The Doctor:''' Hello. [[MyNameIsInigoMontoya I'm the Doctor]]. [[PrepareToDie Basically...]] ''run.'' |
| 194 | *** Our first real look at the War Doctor in "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]" has him [[BatmanGrabsAGun asking a Gallifreyan soldier for his gun]], hinting that he's different and more warlike to the other Doctors. However, this is just so he can blast a message into the wall, and as the special goes on, we see that he is [[NotSoDifferentRemark more similar to the other Doctors]] than they might like to think. |
| 195 | ---->'''War Doctor:''' ''[to himself, while examining the Moment, a.k.a. "the Galaxy Eater", the supreme Time Lord Superweapon]'' ... Why is there never a big red button? |
| 196 | *** At the climax of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E1TheWomanWhoFellToEarth "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"]], after spending much of the episode not remembering her identity, the Thirteenth Doctor finally introduces herself during the climactic confrontation with Tzim-Sha, where she reveals that she had the foresight to take his ride home and threatens to destroy it if he activates the "DNA Bombs" he planted on her and her friends. When he detonates the bombs anyway, it turns out that the Doctor had already extracted them and tricked him into absorbing them earlier. |
| 197 | ---->'''The Doctor:''' I know exactly who I am. I'm the Doctor. Sorting out fair play across the universe. Now, please, get off this planet. While you still have a choice. |
| 198 | ** Similarly, each incarnation of the Master receives their own Establishing Character Moment, though due more to the length of time between appearances than the disparity of the portrayals. Examples include Roger Delgado's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g10uWQ7zsXM introductory scene]], while Creator/JohnSimm had the less immortal but no less impressive "Why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me, I ''don't'' think!" Anthony Ainley's ECM doesn't even involve lines — it's his signature [[EvilLaugh sinister cackle]] during "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E7Logopolis Logopolis]]". When [[spoiler:his character O is revealed to be the Master,]] Creator/SachaDhawan starts giggling and clapping his hands relishing in the Doctor's reaction to his joke, whilst Creator/MichelleGomez' Missy is stunned the Doctor ''hasn't'' clicked who she is yet. |
| 199 | ** Companions get a similar treatment: |
| 200 | *** The first three companions in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E1AnUnearthlyChild An Unearthly Child]]": Barbara is introduced being neurotic about a girl in her class. Ian is introduced supporting her and suggesting a plan of action. Susan is introduced alienating everyone around her and dancing to pop music coming from a strange futuristic radio. |
| 201 | *** The first shot of Polly in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E10TheWarMachines The War Machines]]" is of her privately pulling a silly face to make fun of her [[YouGetMeCoffee nagging sexist boss]], and quickly turning it into a forced smile before looking around. Her male counterpart Ben is introduced moping in a bar, beating up a man who sexually harasses Polly, and then blaming Polly for the assault. |
| 202 | *** Zoe's first scene in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E7TheWheelInSpace The Wheel in Space]]" has her relay instructions from her boss, only to be distracted by a mathematical problem she is completing in her head, establishing her as a human calculator. |
| 203 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E1SpearheadFromSpace Spearhead from Space]]", Liz is escorted into UNIT via a limousine with sexy music. |
| 204 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E1TerrorOfTheAutons Terror of the Autons]]", Jo is introduced barging in on the Doctor's experiment and accidentally causing it to explode by trying to be helpful. |
| 205 | *** Sarah Jane Smith is introduced in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E1TheTimeWarrior The Time Warrior]]" infiltrating UNIT by impersonating her aunt and getting belligerent when the Doctor asks her to make coffee. |
| 206 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot Robot]]", Harry is introduced bursting in on the recently regenerated Doctor with an offer of help — the Doctor finishes his self-quotation — "...and stupid!" just as he enters. |
| 207 | *** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E4TheFaceOfEvil The Face of Evil]]" opens with Leela being tried and banished from her tribe. This scene establishes her defiance (questioning the wisdom of her superiors) and compassion (offering to take a fatal trial in place of her father). |
| 208 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E1TheRibosOperation The Ribos Operation]]", Romana is introduced in a [[MaleGaze slow pan up her legs]] wearing a stunning white feather cape. |
| 209 | *** Adric's first appearance in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E3FullCircle Full Circle]]" has him trying to join the gang which his brother, Varsh, has formed. This scene includes a close-up of Adric's badge for mathematical excellence, as well as establishing that he has a rather high opinion of himself. "Of course I'm better than you. I'm an Elite." |
| 210 | *** Turlough's first scene in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E3MawdrynUndead Mawdryn Undead]]" has he and a friend steal the Brigadier's car. |
| 211 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E5PlanetOfFire Planet of Fire]]", Peri is introduced with a closeup of her in a bikini, indicating [[MsFanservice what kind of companion she is]]. |
| 212 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E4Dragonfire Dragonfire]]", Ace is introduced getting sacked from her cafe job by dumping a milkshake on an annoying customer's head. |
| 213 | *** Rose Tyler is introduced getting out of bed and going about her normal day. |
| 214 | *** Jack Harkness' first line in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild The Empty Child]]" is "Excellent bottom." ... While staring at Rose Tyler's ass through binoculars, as she dangles thousands of feet in the air from a rope tied to a barrage balloon. His fellow soldier thinks the line is aimed at him, to which Jack responds by patting the guy's bottom before setting out to go rescue Rose. |
| 215 | *** Donna Noble, interrupting the very end of the tear-jerking season 2 finale "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday Doomsday]]" while the Doctor splutters in confusion: "Who are you? ''Where am I?!'' '''WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE??!'''" |
| 216 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones Smith and Jones]]", Martha Jones is introduced on her way to work taking various phone calls from members of her family, calmly mediating everyone's issues for her brother's upcoming birthday party. |
| 217 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E6TheVampiresOfVenice The Vampires of Venice]]", Rory's first episode as a companion after our earlier glimpses of him as a seemingly somewhat unimpressive individual; he and Amy both run to help when they hear a scream, and whilst Amy chases after the vampire attacker, Rory stays to help the girl because he's a nurse. |
| 218 | ** "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" That one word sums up the [[OmnicidalManiac Daleks]] in a nutshell. |
| 219 | *** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]] has an unusual one to sum them up for the new series: the Dalek doesn't actually ''do'' anything. It's the Doctor's complete and total OhCrap reaction upon realizing he's locked in a room with one, leading to him begging to be let out of the room. That's right, it's so dangerous that the Doctor's first instinct is to get as far away from it as possible. |
| 220 | ** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]", the Time War incarnation of Rassilon disintegrating a member of his own Council for daring to suggest that their time is over, then shouting, "I WILL! NOT! ''DIE!"'' establishes straight away that Rassilon isn't a leader desperate to save his people but a dictator desperate to save himself. |
| 221 | ** For anyone who missed or forgot her appearance back in "The Runaway Bride", Sylvia Noble makes her second episode appearance in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E1PartnersInCrime Partners in Crime]]" treating Donna like a wayward teenager, then spends several hours nagging Donna about her choices in life. [[SarcasmMode What a great mother she is.]] |
| 222 | -->"It's no good just ''sitting'' there, this isn't the 1980s anymore. No one's unemployed these days, except ''you''!" |
| 223 | ** For single-episode characters: |
| 224 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma The Twin Dilemma]]", Mestor has one when he sentences someone to death by embolism for the first time. |
| 225 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis Silver Nemesis]]", De Flores is first seen preparing to shoot an inoffensive and attractive parrot with a bow and arrow. |
| 226 | *** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E3ThinIce Thin Ice]]", it only takes one scene for [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Sutcliffe]] to establish himself as a completely unsympathetic character. |
| 227 | ** In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' (the DarkerAndEdgier spinoff of ''Series/DoctorWho''), team member Owen gets an extremely nasty EstablishingCharacterMoment in his first episode when he drugs a girl and her boyfriend for date rape purposes. Since his plot is a constant TraumaCongaLine, it's a very effective starting point for his character and his steady CharacterDevelopment. |
| 228 | ** In ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' (the LighterAndSofter spinoff of ''Series/DoctorWho''), Sarah Jane is seen talking to an ethereal, gorgeous, floating alien at night. An alien of that same species appeared earlier in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' as a manipulative, sex-obsessed murderer. But this one is just a sweet and sensitive woman — she and Sarah Jane were casually discussing poetry. Also counts as a very effective EstablishingSeriesMoment to contrast ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' with ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. |
| 229 | * Thomas' first line in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': "You're late when I say you're late." |
| 230 | ** Also Mary's first reaction to finding out that her cousin (and sort-of fiance) has died on the Titanic was to ask if she had to be in full mourning. |
| 231 | ** Lord Grantham showing remorse for the non-aristocratic victims of the Titanic. |
| 232 | ** [[WideEyedIdealist Sybil]] saying her father and the new valet (who was his war comrade) have a romantic relationship. |
| 233 | ** [[SocialClimber Cora]] reading the paper, showing more concern for the high-class Titanic survivors. |
| 234 | ** O'Brien explains to Anna and Gwen the complications caused by the deaths of Lord Grantham's heirs. It shows she has the inside track on the Crawley family's affairs. |
| 235 | ** Violet's first few minutes reveal she has the inside scoop on the family, she is a DeadpanSnarker, is imperious, and all business. |
| 236 | ** Isobel making the faux pas of trying to shake Violet's hand. |
| 237 | * ''Series/DueSouth'' provides a beautiful two-part introduction to Benton Fraser. First, having established that he's chasing down a criminal on a dogsled in a horrendous blizzard (and that his coworkers think he's crazy), the door bursts open to reveal Fraser, fresh from the blizzard with the fugitive slung over his shoulder, delivering the immortal first line: "That's the last time ''he'll'' fish over the limit." However, once that's had a minute to establish itself in everyone's minds, he politely explains to his apoplectic boss that the man was in fact ''dynamiting'' the streams with plastic explosive and nitroglycerin, which Frasier has confiscated. Oh yes, and he's donated the resultant four-and-a-half tons of fish to the nearest Native village, who are very happy with the police force about now. Benton Fraser: completely insane, but a hell of a cop. |
| 238 | [[/folder]] |
| 239 | |
| 240 | [[folder:E]] |
| 241 | * ''Series/ExtraordinaryAttorneyWoo'': [[NiceGuy Joon-ho]]'s first scene has him patiently helping [[EndearinglyDorky Young-woo]] through revolving doors (which scare her) and then politely escorting her up to Hanbada's offices. He just gets nicer from there. |
| 242 | [[/folder]] |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[folder:F]] |
| 245 | * ''Series/FakingIt'': The first thing we see Karma doing is pretending to be blind for popularity's sake, presenting her as someone obsessed with popularity (to the point where she ropes her best friend Amy into pretending to be lesbians after being [[MistakenForGay mistaken for lesbians]] by the most popular guy in school). Amy's moment comes at the end of the pilot... with a nervous AsideGlance telling us that kiss she just shared with Karma was ''way'' more than pretend for her... |
| 246 | * ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'': John Walker very first appearance is being the unnamed replacement of Captain America with the main characters horrified and betrayed. Yet when he's properly introduced as a character, the show went out of its way to portray him as nervous about his forthcoming interview and give him a Hispanic wife and Black best friend. In other words, he's not a secret Nazi who's been dreaming of the day that he could soil Steve's legacy; he's a good man at heart, but he has no idea how to fill Captain America's shoes, and his attempts to do so are not going to go well. |
| 247 | * ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has many such moments. |
| 248 | ** In the first season, John Crichton hadn't quite developed into the awesome character he became in series 2, but season 1 episode "Exodus From Genesis" did give the audience a preview: it involved commandeering a unit of clones produced by a gigantic HiveQueen alien to defeat the squad of Peacekeeper commandoes attacking the ship, ultimately fooling them into thinking that humans can clone themselves. |
| 249 | *** [[NiceGuy Another side]] of John Crichton's personality is firmly established when he fixes the damaged DRD at the end of the premiere. |
| 250 | ** Zhaan gets a good one in "Throne For A Loss": after having to keep watch on a drug-addicted prisoner, she decides to help when the man begins showing signs of a very painful withdrawal. The man almost immediately attacks her in a frenzy, only for Zhaan to very calmly fling him aside; then, after quickly mixing a few chemicals, she applies the makeshift potion to her lips, and administers it to the prisoner by ''[[IntimateHealing kissing him]]''. |
| 251 | ** Aeryn got one in her very first episode; after awakening to find herself in a cell with Crichton, she ignores his attempt to introduce himself by kicking the crap out of him, pinning him to the ground, and demanding to know his rank, regiment and the reason for him being out of uniform. |
| 252 | ** After a long introductory episode, in which she's gone out of her way to kick, kiss, and cry her way out of any danger that comes her way, Chiana is asked if she was the one who killed Sallis, her jailer. Chiana just grins. Possibly more telling is that after John leaves, the smile becomes a look of pain and regret. |
| 253 | ** Scorpius gets one in his first episode, too: already introduced as a mysterious, leather-clad figure that even the base commander fears, the [[TheStoic true]] [[LivingLieDetector nature]] of his [[MagnificentBastard character]] are revealed when he passes Crichton in one of the base hallways, glances at him for a moment, and without raising his voice, promptly announces, "That man is an impostor. [[SeizeThem Seize him.]]" |
| 254 | * ''Series/FatherTed'': [[AxCrazy Tom]] first shows up sitting on a low stone wall, where he turns toward a crow that's standing next to him and blasts it with a shotgun for no apparent reason. Then laughs. |
| 255 | * Mrs. Richards in the ''Series/FawltyTowers'' episode "Communication Problems" sets the tone for her general behaviour by barging into a conversation, demanding Polly's attention, and refusing to listen to anything anyone says. This leads to about the only episode in the show where [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Basil]] comes off as sympathetic, because he's dealing with Mrs Richards. |
| 256 | * ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': |
| 257 | ** At the end of [[Recap/FireflyE02TheTrainJob the first aired episode]], Mal [[spoiler:kicks TheDragon (already defeated) into the ship's engine rather than bother arguing when he swears revenge on him]]. |
| 258 | ** A deeper one from the same episode is when he [[spoiler:gives back the medicine he robbed from a train after finding out how badly it was needed.]] |
| 259 | ** Also, in the same episode: |
| 260 | --->'''Drunk:''' The Independents were a bunch of inbred cowardly pisspots should have been killed offa every world spinning.\ |
| 261 | '''Mal:''' Say that to my face.\ |
| 262 | '''Drunk:''' I said, you're a coward and a pisspot. So what are you going to do about it?\ |
| 263 | '''Mal:''' Nothing. I just wanted you to face me so she could get behind you.\ |
| 264 | [''And '''* WHACK!* ''' Zoe lays the drunk out with the butt of her mare's leg.''] |
| 265 | ** Niska's introduction in the same episode is one long lampshade of the trope. |
| 266 | ** In [[Recap/FireflyE01Serenity the ''intended'' pilot]], the first glimpse the audience gets of Wash is a scene of him [[NonActionGuy playing with plastic dinosaurs while he's supposed to be piloting the ship]]. That's all we needed to know. |
| 267 | *** From the same pilot: |
| 268 | ---->'''Mal:''' You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me, and you'll be armed. |
| 269 | ** ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' also pulls a fake example with Simon in the (intended) pilot: [[spoiler: the first shot of him is all sinister, including ScaryShinyGlasses, setting him up as the number one suspect to be [[TheMole the Alliance agent aboard ship]]. Needless to say, he isn't, though the cold, "almost reptilian" behavior would indicate his drive to protect his sister.]] |
| 270 | *** His ''real'' ECM comes later, [[spoiler:along with his sister's.]] |
| 271 | * In the first scene of the first episode of ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'' Henry sees a vision of [[TheLostLenore Abigail]], checks the time on his [[IconicItem pocket watch]], shows off his SherlockScan talent, then dies violently and [[ResurrectiveImmortality reawakens]] in the East River. |
| 272 | * ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Donny Douglas' first scene in "To Tell The Truth". He initially appears to be a distracted slob who changes out of his gym clothes and eats in front of potential clients. It then turns out that he was in fact paying close attention to what Niles was saying about his nightmarish divorce proceedings. Donny picks up the phone, calls Maris' team and within ''seconds'' they're agreeing to move up the court date by seven months. Niles is so impressed he immediately hires Donny. |
| 273 | * Hilary Banks' first scene in ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' has her telling her dad she needs $300 for a hat, all the while ignoring the newly-arrived Will. |
| 274 | * ''Series/{{Friends}}'': |
| 275 | ** The first dialogue showed Monica as a hopeless dater, Chandler as a DeadpanSnarker, Phoebe as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, and Joey's blunt views on relationships. |
| 276 | --->'''Monica''': There's nothing to tell! He's just some guy I work with!\ |
| 277 | '''Joey''': C'mon, you're going out with the guy! There's gotta be something wrong with him!\ |
| 278 | '''Chandler''': Alright Joey, be nice. [to Monica] So does he have a hump? A hump and a hairpiece?\ |
| 279 | '''Phoebe''': Wait, does he eat chalk? [The others stare, bemused] Just, 'cause, I don't want her to go through what I went through with Carl- oh!\ |
| 280 | '''Monica''': Okay, everybody relax. This is not even a date. It's just two people going out to dinner and- not having sex.\ |
| 281 | '''Chandler''': Sounds like a date to me. |
| 282 | ** ButtMonkey Ross shows up. |
| 283 | --->'''Ross''': Hi.\ |
| 284 | '''Joey''': This guy says "hi" it makes me want to kill myself. |
| 285 | ** [[LovableAlphaBitch Rachel]] appears in her wedding dress recounting how she ran away from Barry. |
| 286 | ** The Pilot as a whole counts: You've got Monica taking care of everyone while dealing with her own problems, Joey telling Ross to experience more women and forgetting the name of his dates, Chandler remembering all their names and personal details, Rachel asking if everyone 'has these job things', Phoebe trying to cheer people up by singing the sound of music and Ross getting over Carol leaving. |
| 287 | ** In Season 5, after Monica and Chandler get together, the writers' commentary talks about how they had an establishing relationship moment. After making up from a fight, Monica walks away and Chandler starts his infamous HappyDance. Without turning around Monica quip's 'Don't do the dance' and he looks sheepish. In a second you've got their friendship and integral understanding of each other. |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | |
| 290 | [[folder:G]] |
| 291 | * On ''Series/GetSmart'', Larabee was once disguised as a chauffeur, standing by his car. As a KAOS agent escaped in his own vehicle, Max yelled, "Larabee! FollowThatCar!" Larabee promptly ran after the KAOS agent's car, revealing for the first time that Larabee was a massive [[TheDitz ditz]]. |
| 292 | * ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': |
| 293 | ** The opening scene, which takes place in Luke's Diner, firmly establishes Lorelai and Rory's unique mother-daughter relationship, as well as a glimpse into grumpy Luke. It also contains many trademark Gilmore features, such as the girls' caffeine addiction, the rapid-fire dialogue, and pop culture references. |
| 294 | ** The very first Friday night dinner does this for Richard and Emily, too. Richard nonchalantly handing a newspaper to Rory as he reads his became representative of his character and appears in the opening. |
| 295 | * ''Series/Gladiators2024'': Viper debuts in the very first episode's "Collision" challenge. He swiftly cements his {{Heel}} role by abandoning the rings he's supposed to swing back and forth from, dropping down to directly wrestle a contender instead. He's promptly disqualified for cheating and there's a glimpse of him getting very close and personal with the referee immediately afterwards. He remains menacingly silent throughout all of this. |
| 296 | * Finn Hudson gets an excellent establishing moment on ''Series/{{Glee}}'', when he sees his fellow footballers and friends about to throw a protesting [[CampGay Kurt]] into a dumpster. Finn intervenes long enough to take Kurt's designer jacket (which Kurt was very worried about damaging), before telling his friends to go ahead and throw Kurt into the dumpster. This establishes Finn as kindhearted, but unwilling to go against the flow, both character traits that remain central throughout. |
| 297 | ** This scene actually is a good moment for Kurt: the flamboyant, and outwardly confident victim of constant bullying: he's far more worried about damaging his Marc Jacobs jacket than being thrown into a dumpster. |
| 298 | * ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': |
| 299 | ** A criminal had a cop hostage, demanding his pills. Jim Gordon distracted him with a bottle of aspirin before taking him out with the hostage out of harm's way and then tried to stop the other cops from unnecessarily beating the unarmed criminal. |
| 300 | ** Another moment for Gordon is that he was the only officer who actually tried to comfort Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed. |
| 301 | ** Meanwhile, Bullock just casually read the newspaper when the hostage situation started and later berated Gordon for not shooting the criminal. |
| 302 | ** Selina Kyle demonstrated her skill and boldness at pickpocketing, as well as her fondness for cats by stealing a jug of milk for them. |
| 303 | [[/folder]] |
| 304 | |
| 305 | [[folder:H]] |
| 306 | * ''Series/HometownChaChaCha'': |
| 307 | ** Hye-jin awkwardly fends off an attempt at conversation from an elderly lady who lives on her floor, showing her to be poised but closed-off. Later, however, she defends her treatment plan for that same lady from her boss who is trying to rip the patient off, showing her to be an intelligent and caring dentist. |
| 308 | ** Du-sik is introduced conversing with a local fisherman complaining that the new employee Du-sik recruited for him isn't working as well as he'd like. Du-sik reminds him that everything has a learning curve, and goes to speak to the employee — who is revealed to be a Russian immigrant. Du-sik speaks to him in Russian and gives him advice, as well as earplugs to help with seasickness. This shows him to be a caring and practical man, which is bolstered by the succeeding scene where he walks through the market and greets everybody individually, asking after them and agreeing to do odd jobs for them. |
| 309 | * ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': |
| 310 | ** After arriving in Homicide, [[NaiveNewcomer Bayliss]] tells Giardello that he's always wanted to work in Homicide, while making it clear he has a romanticized view of the job. It sets him up as idealistic and naive, and inexperienced with police work. He also initially mistakes the white Crosetti for his black superior Giardello when the man is standing right in front of hi, setting up his InnocentBigot tendencies. |
| 311 | ** Giardello is first seen casually talking with his subordinate Crosetti and then showing Bayliss around Homicide while [[StealthInsult subtly snarking at his idealized view of Homicide.]] It shows that Giardello is AFatherToHisMen who genuinely gets along with his detectives, but one who won't hesitate to call them out on their flaws when they screw up because of them. |
| 312 | ** After hearing a suspect give him a blatantly false alibi, Munch angrily accuses him of saving his good lies for his partner Bolander and launches into an angry rant [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext analogizing the situation to Montel Williams and Larry King.]] |
| 313 | --> '''Detective John Munch:''' You're saving your really good lies for some smarter cop, is that it? I'm just a donut in the on-deck circle. Wait until the real guy gets here. Wait until that big guy comes back. I'm probably just his secretary. I'm just Montel Williams. You want to talk to Larry King.\ |
| 314 | '''Bernard:''' [[BlatantLies I'm telling you the truth.]]\ |
| 315 | '''Munch:''' I've been in murder police for ten years. If you're going to lie to me, you lie to me with respect. What is it? Is it my shoes? Is it my haircut? Got a problem with my haircut? Don't you ever lie to me like I'm Montel Williams. I am not Montel Williams I am not Montel Williams!\ |
| 316 | ** Meanwhile, Munch's partner Bolander establishes himself as being gruff exceedingly more experienced and compassionate than Munch by coercing him into investigating a hit-and-run by guilt-tripping and espousing his own philosophy on the job, all the while insulting him. |
| 317 | ** Pembleton isn't seen at first, only talked about in annoyance by his coworkers. When he finally is seen, he doggedly searches a garage full of Chevy Cavaliers to find ''his'' Cavalier by attempting to use the key on each of them rather than take the easier option of going back upstairs, showing both his pride and his commitment to finding the truth. Finally, he effortlessly gets a perp to confess during an interrogation, showing that he's a brilliant detective. |
| 318 | ** Crosetti and Lewis are introduced searching a crime scene for a shell casing in the middle of the night. Crosetti rambles pseudo-philosophically about something he read in an excerpt of a book, while [[VitriolicBestBuds Lewis snarks at him and calls him a moron.]] It establishes them as a PluckyComicRelief StraightManAndWiseGuy duo. |
| 319 | ** Felton and Howard are first seen snarking about Bayliss's inexperience behind his back. Then, they get a call about a murder, and Felton convinces Howard to be the primary because of her clearance rate. When they arrive at the crime scene, Howard instantly figures out who the killer is all the while Felton wonders aloud how she does it. It establishes Howard as hyper-competent and working hard to earn the respect of her male peers, and Felton as being much less competent but still genuinely respecting her. |
| 320 | * ''Series/{{House}}'': |
| 321 | ** Dr. House manages to have a few of these in the pilot, showing off his assholishness ("Brain tumor, she's gonna die, boring"), his pride ("Patients don't want a sick doctor"), and his need to butt into other people's lives. But what really stands out for most people is this little bit of conversation: |
| 322 | --->'''Rebecca''' (patient of the week): Did you think you were dying [when you had the infarction]?\ |
| 323 | '''House''': I hoped I was dying.\ |
| 324 | '''Rebecca''': So you hide in your office, refuse to see patients because you don't like the way people look at you. You feel cheated by life so now you're gonna get even with the world. You want me to fight this. Why? What makes you think I'm so much better than you?\ |
| 325 | '''House''': When you're scared, you'll turn into me.\ |
| 326 | '''Rebecca''': I just want to die with a little dignity.\ |
| 327 | '''House''': There's ''no such thing''! Our bodies break down, sometimes when we're 90, sometimes before we're even born, but it always happens and there's never any dignity in it. I don't care if you can walk, see, wipe your own ass. It's always ugly, always. [Pause] You can live with dignity, we can't die with it. |
| 328 | ** Wilson too in the pilot, when he lies to House about the patient being his cousin so that House can get out of his funk of the moment and start seeing regular patients again. This set up his "Trying to do good by being a ManipulativeBastard" side. |
| 329 | ** House established himself pretty well to a clinic full of patients early in the first season with this little number: |
| 330 | --->"Hello, sick people and their loved ones! In the interest of saving time and avoiding a lot of boring chit-chat later, I'm Doctor Gregory House; you can call me Greg. I'm one of three doctors staffing this clinic this morning. This ray of sunshine is Doctor Lisa Cuddy. Dr. Cuddy runs this whole hospital, so unfortunately she's far too busy to deal with you. I am a ''[[DoubleEntendre bored]]'' [[DoubleEntendre ...certified]] diagnostician with a double specialty of infectious disease and nephrology. I am also the only doctor currently employed at this clinic who is forced to be here against his will. But not to worry, because for most of you, this job could be done by a monkey with a bottle of Motrin. Speaking of which, if you're particularly annoying, you may see me reach for this. This is Vicodin. It's mine. You can't have any. And no, I do not have a pain-management problem; I have a pain problem. But who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm too stoned to tell... Now, who wants me?" |
| 331 | * ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': |
| 332 | ** In his very first scene, Daemon Targaryen lounges on his brother's throne, gloating to his niece about how it shall be his one day and that he only returned upon the news of a tourney as politics bore him. His speech alone would make him pass off as an uncaring Prince, unbothered by everything, but his fondness for Rhaenyra is evident and only further pressed when he softly tells her he brought her a gift that holds significance to their heritage. |
| 333 | ** In her first scene, Alicent Hightower refuses Rhaenyra's offer to bring her along on a dragon flight, establishing that she's a ShrinkingViolet and highlighting the fact that she's not a Targaryen. |
| 334 | ** Viserys's first scene involves him joking around with his daughter and councilors while also brushing aside a possible threat to his realm without taking it seriously and preferring to talk about his upcoming tournament, showing him to be an amiable man but a fairly lightweight king and lending credence to Daemon's later accusations that he's weak. |
| 335 | * The pilot of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' does this: |
| 336 | ** Future!Ted makes his kids sit down and listen to him talk, telling them they're gonna be sitting there for a ''long'' time. |
| 337 | ** Marshall anxiously but earnestly practicing his marriage proposal to Lily on Ted. |
| 338 | ** Barney's first line: "You know how I've always had a thing for half-Asian girls?" Also, he says this on the phone while getting a shave at a ritzy salon. |
| 339 | ** Lily brassily gives a cab driver TMI on her and Marshall's sex life. Also, an establishing moment for the Lily/Marshall relationship: when the cab driver thinks Lily's black eye is from Marshall hitting her, they both burst into hysterics. |
| 340 | ** Robin rhapsodizes at length (in the form of a montage) about loving scotch, dogs, the {{Franchise/Ghostbusters}}, etc. |
| 341 | ** Past!Ted steals the blue French horn Robin was admiring during their date from under the restaurant owner's nose and presents it to Robin while standing in the street under her window. |
| 342 | ** [[spoiler: The Mother]]'s first appearance is helping a stranger on the train, trying to comfort them. |
| 343 | * ''Series/HumanTarget:'' [[TheShortGuyWithGlasses Guerrero]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY5pbGZOxF0 being confronted]] by two big heavyset guys in a diner, who [[BullyingADragon ask him to step outside]], only for him to address both of them ''by name'' and [[SociopathicHero intimidate them]] into leaving the diner without violence. |
| 344 | [[/folder]] |
| 345 | |
| 346 | [[folder:I]] |
| 347 | * In ''Series/ICarly'', "[[Recap/ICarlyS01Ep01IPilot iPilot]]" introduces Mrs. Briggs as a SadistTeacher, Principal Franklin as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, Sam as a mean bully, Carly as sassy and the only one who can control Sam, and Freddie as the DoggedNiceGuy tech nerd ButtMonkey with a crush on Carly (to be honest, for Freddie, it's more like a constant [[ExaggeratedTrope Establishing Character]] ''[[ExaggeratedTrope Episode]]'' as ''nothing'' goes right for him), and finally, Spencer as a wacky artist. |
| 348 | * ''Series/TheInbetweeners'': |
| 349 | ** In the very first episode, we see Will's overall social status and mistreatment by everyone from teachers to classmates. But his very first interaction on the show also features him saying the wrong thing to Mr. Gilbert, then later insulting Gilbert in front of the entire class, showcasing his socially awkward qualities. |
| 350 | ** Simon's major one comes with the introduction of Carli; we see how nervous he is around her to the point where even her sniffing him gives him a RagingStiffie. |
| 351 | ** Jay is introduced bragging to Simon and Neil about his sexual conquests in a manner that it makes it clear that he's talking out of his arse. |
| 352 | ** Neil blithely believes Jay's lies about his sexual prowess as opposed to Simon's skeptisism, establishing his gullibility and simple-mindedness. |
| 353 | * ''Series/{{Intimate}}'': Over the course of the first few scenes of the pilot, we get good first impressions of the five [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonists]]: |
| 354 | ** Bruno, a low-level TV actor, argues with his director about the plot of his show and his character's appearance, then tells him that he has only a vague idea of the script and is planning to improvise, establishing his SmallNameBigEgo tendencies. |
| 355 | ** Max has awkward sex with his girlfriend and becomes uneasy when he discovers she has watched porn on her tablet, showing him to be uptight and an InsecureLoveInterest. Afterwards he gets [[TheDragAlong dragged]] into a ZanyScheme by Emil. |
| 356 | ** Emil's DoggedNiceGuy and KnowNothingKnowItAll persona is established with said scheme, as he is trying to win his girlfriend back and convinced a FakingTheDead stunt will do the trick, despite Max and the audience seeing how obviously stupid it is. |
| 357 | ** After having sex, Leo shrugs off his lover's complaint that he paid no attention to him; then it's revealed that he just cheated, as he has a boyfriend; when they meet up, he gets annoyed after a passerby dares to smile at him. All of this goes to show that he is inconsiderate, has unresolved issues regarding his masculinity and sexuality and [[HairTriggerTemper problems with his temper]] to boot. |
| 358 | ** Oskar, Bruno's co-star, is shown to be even less serious about learning his lines, approaches a girl in a very brazen way (taking coffee out of her hand, claiming it's terrible, and throwing it away) and tells her his character is a lead and Bruno's is supporting despite them clearly having equal roles, making him stand out as [[TheCynic cynical]] and [[TheShameless shameless]] even among this bunch of guys. |
| 359 | * ''Series/TheITCrowd'' is full of this. [[TheSlacker Roy is introduced by eating while completely ignoring a ringing phone.]] Moss is introduced giving a long TechnoBabble explanation for a common computer problem, only to discover that they hung up halfway through it, which he shrugs off as a mistake on their part. Jen and Denholm Reynholm are introduced together - he by giving her a [[LargeHam 'long]], [[BunnyEarsLawyer hard stare']], her by how she takes his weirdness [[OnlySaneMan mostly in her stride, and trying to take advantage of it.]] [[PerkyGoth Richmond is introduced by his horrifying entrance immediately followed by him engaged in pleasant conversation.]] Douglas Reynholm was introduced [[LargeHam by barging into his father's funeral, yelling]] "'''FATHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!'''" and getting into an extended slap-fight with the priest for no reason. |
| 360 | [[/folder]] |
| 361 | |
| 362 | [[folder:J]] |
| 363 | * ''Series/{{JAG}}'': The resolution of the PilotMovie is where Harmon Rabb, Jr. is firmly established as the self-confident heroic figure that would remain throughout the rest of the series. [[spoiler:When Harm saves the CAG’s life in an F-14 Tomcat he gets redemption from the dishonor of having been forced to turn in his wings, despite the diagnosed night blindness, and proving that he’s still a capable aviator, just as his father once was. From the CAG's perspective, it's the son of the man he couldn't save who now saved him.]] |
| 364 | * ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'' managed to use this trope on top of its own inversion. When Jeeves first shows up, he very calmly tidies up Bertie's room in what seems to be a matter of seconds and whips him up a hangover antidote, completely unfazed by the fact that his new employer is ''so preposterously hungover that he can't even form any semblance of coherent speech''. Bertie doesn't act like himself for the full first 5 minutes of the show. He doesn't even ''talk''. |
| 365 | ** That said, once Bertie sobers up and ''does'' talk, he quickly proves himself to be an UpperClassTwit surrounded by more {{Upper Class Twit}}s, the difference being that good ol' Wooster is ''slightly'' better adjusted. On his good days, at least. |
| 366 | * Since the characters on ''Series/TheJoeSchmoShow''[[note]]a reality parody show in which everyone other than the chosen schmoes were actors with a script[[/note]] were intended as archetypes such as "The RichBitch", "[[{{Jerkass}} The Asshole]]" and "[[CampGay The Gay Guy]]", the show tried to have these early on in the first episode to get both the viewers and schmoes acquainted. One of the most memorable of these, in ''Joe Schmo 2'', was certainly that of Cammy, "[[TheDitz The Moron]]". All of the prospective suitors of Austin and Piper (this season parodying reality-romance shows) were supposed to give them gifts. Cammy gave Austin her cellphone, saying that now whenever he wanted, he would be able to call her. |
| 367 | -->'''Ingrid:''' ''[interview segment, {{Beat}}]'' ...But she just gave him her phone...? |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | |
| 370 | [[folder:K]] |
| 371 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 372 | ** Ryotaro's first scenes in ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' establish him as an extreme case of TheChewToy. He's first seen getting rescued from the top of a tree, having crashed his bicycle up there in a freak accident (with his lack of concern implying that it's just another day for him). Then once he's down, a bottle breaks in his path and gives him a flat tire, leading him to run into a street gang that promptly mug him -- and they find that he's placed a name tag in his wallet, because this isn't his first rodeo and he hopes someone might return it after they empty it and toss it out. And then as the gang walks off, Ryotaro picks up a can to throw into the trash, only for it to bounce off the rim and hit one of the gang members, provoking them into beating him up. And this is all ''before'' he gets caught up in the monster-fighting and [[DemonicPossession body-jacking]] weirdness. |
| 373 | ** In ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', Tsukasa's first action outside of being Decade is looking at some pictures, ducking and weaving from people attacking him, and only lamenting that his picture taking is a failure, perfectly summing up his character. But for his introduction ''as'' Decade? How does killing every single Rider sound? |
| 374 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' introduces Shotaro by having him explain his life philosophy as a HardboiledDetective to Akiko -- [[HypocriticalHumor and then immediately undermine it]]. |
| 375 | --->'''Shotaro:''' ["Hardboiled"] means I never let my feelings dictate my actions. I maintain a stoic composure at all times. That's what it means... to be [[GratuitousEnglish hardboiled]].\ |
| 376 | ''[Akiko rummages in her bag before pulling out a paper]''\ |
| 377 | '''Akiko:''' I'm evicting you. I have the deed, see?\ |
| 378 | '''Shotaro:''' ''[does a SpitTake in shock]'' |
| 379 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'': In the first episode, [[TheSmartGuy Kengo]] receives a letter that seems to be a LoveConfession, but throws it in the river before even bothering to read it. We're then introduced to Gentaro Kisaragi, the main protagonist, who tells Kengo not to reject an offer of kindness before reading it, jumps off the bridge into the river to get the letter back, and yells happily about hurting both legs. When he's introducing himself to his new classmates, Gentaro then walks back to Kengo's desk, slaps the drenched love letter on it, and says that even though Kengo's a jerk he still wants to be friends with him. It establishes Gentaro's ThePowerOfFriendship attitude, self-sacrifice, and utter stupidity that loops back around to awesomeness. |
| 380 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' has two separate moments in the first couple episodes that establish main characters not only on their own but in direct contrast to each other: |
| 381 | *** In the first episode, Kouta finds a kid who got separated from his parents. Kouta comforts him by turning "find Mom" into a game that he helps "play" until they're reunited, showing him as an AllLovingHero. |
| 382 | *** The next episode has TheRival Kaito come across a kid in similar trouble, having climbed up a tree and become too scared to jump down. Kaito pointedly does ''not'' help, instead giving the boy a DareToBeBadass; and when the kid does work up the nerve to jump, Kaito catches him and compliments him on developing the strength to do so. It's a "teach a man to fish" philosophy opposing Kouta's "give a man a fish"; and sets Kaito up as TheSocialDarwinist, but an unusually [[NobleDemon noble one]]. |
| 383 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': |
| 384 | *** While Taiga Hanaya debuts in the first episode, it's not until episode 3 where his character becomes apparent. After an infected kid's turned into a monster that towers over Taiga, his response is to calmly transform and knock the protagonist away when he tries to help him fight it. And whereas the two heroes so far have shown to need to use quite a bit of effort to break monsters of this type, Taiga needs only a few seconds and he's done. But after the patient's freed and still stressed out, Taiga does nothing to help him and continues fighting the monsters. In a few minutes, the viewers learn that not only is Taiga [[SmugSuper skilled]], but he's laser-focused on defeating the Bugsters and nothing else. |
| 385 | *** While Kuroto Dan first appears in Episode 1, when he's revealed to be [[spoiler: Kamen Rider Genm, the no-nonsense threat that's been going after the others for the past few episodes]] in Episode 5, he has one line. And it tells you all the basics about who he really is. |
| 386 | ---->'''Kuroto Dan:''' What's terrifying is my own talent! |
| 387 | *** Kuroto gets a bigger one later on that's also an instance of ThrowItIn. According to actor Tetsuya Iwanaga, one episode's script simply said "[[{{Jerkass}} Kuroto laughs at]] [[TheHero Emu Hojo's]] [[{{Jerkass}} misfortune]]", leaving the details up to him. He chose to go full-on LaughingMad, which instantly redefined the character from a SmugSnake into a [[LargeHam ham of epic proportions]] while still maintaining the [[AGodAmI God complex]] established earlier, turning Kuroto into someone who could be over-the-top hilarious and absolutely terrifying at the same time. |
| 388 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': |
| 389 | *** The entire first episode nicely establishes [[TheHero Sento Kiryu]] as a genius who loves [[InsufferableGenius rubbing his inventions and intellect into anyone around]]. However, it takes until near the end of the episode for the audience to see what he truly is underneath. Right in front of him, the government has cornered [[TheLancer Banjou Ryuga]], an escaped convict who claims to have been framed for his crime. With absolutely no evidence that what Ryuga is saying is true, Sento decides to believe and rescue him, knowing full well [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight the consequences of doing so]] (albeit while still [[ThisIsGonnaSuck complaining about it]]). |
| 390 | *** Gentoku Himuro is such a DynamicCharacter that he actually gets ''four'' different moments for each of the stages his character goes through. |
| 391 | *** During the first episode, he sends his troops after Sento and Ryuga to capture them, dead or alive. When his aide questions him about killing them, he angrily retorts that "we don't need toys that break easily." Unsurprisingly, he turns out to be Night Rogue, leader of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Faust]]. |
| 392 | *** Gentoku's second moment comes after a long absence. We're first introduced to a new villainous Kamen Rider with a terrifying TransformationSequence and enough power to deliver a CurbStompBattle to the heroes, only speaking at the end to introduce himself as Kamen Rider Rogue. The heroes immediately recognize the similar alias, which he confirms by canceling his transformation, revealing both his [[BeardOfSorrow grown-out hair]] and ThousandYardStare. Whatever happened to him during his absence, it's changed him into a [[ShellShockedVeteran completely different person]] from the original maniacal tyrant we knew. |
| 393 | *** The third moment occurs some episodes later. In the previous episode Gentoku [[spoiler: passed on vital information about Nanba performing a KillAndReplace on Seito Prime Minister Mido and helped them get through by throwing his fight, claiming that he couldn't help more because he has a [[ExplosiveLeash kill-chip installed in his heart]]]]. There's a lot of reason to doubt whether any of the spoiler was genuine, but he proves it in this episode by [[spoiler: sparing Kazumi's hostage friends from an execution and letting them escape, even at risk of his kill-chip activating (which it does, shocking him into immobility)]]. |
| 394 | *** The last moment occurs as the show enters its final arc, after Gentoku [[spoiler: cements a HeelFaceTurn]]. Said moment is [[spoiler: showing up in an incredibly hideous RumageSaleReject outfit that he honestly believes is fashionable, demonstrating that he's [[NotSoAboveItAll just as silly as the rest of the heroes]]. While his more serious traits are still present, he does become the main comic relief for the next few episodes.]] |
| 395 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'': |
| 396 | *** During the first episode, Isamu Fuwa and the rest of [=AIMs=] are losing to the Magia attack. Against his advisor's orders, he grabs the experimental Shot Riser and uses it anyways, aiming it at her face to shoot down a Magia right behind her. Later on in the next episode, said advisor has reinforced his arsenal so he isn't authorized to use it. He simply brute forces it open, suffering a broken arm afterwards. And on a lighter note, his reaction to the protagonist's terrible jokes is a genuine laugh he constantly holds back. Even if he'll never follow orders or common sense, Fuwa's still a good guy without a doubt. |
| 397 | *** Jin's first introduction scene is him bouncing up and down like a kid at a candy store during his attack. Then, when one of his own soldiers attacks him in a malfunction, Jin nonchalantly grabs it and shoots it in the face without missing a beat or losing his smile. |
| 398 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGeats'': |
| 399 | *** In the first episode, Ace is competing in the show's DeadlyGame, but when the round starts and monsters attack he's AchillesInHisTent and doesn't follow the other Riders into battle, unconcerned about the low-scoring {{Mooks}}. He doesn't act until the boss monster shows up, at which point he jumps in, handles the {{Mooks}} and the boss with ease, and even flirts with one of the endangered civilians (if unsuccessfully); establishing that he's a SmugSuper but one [[TheAce with the skills to back it up]]. A second moment comes in the next episode, where he convinces Keiwa to give him a powerup he found since he's fighting to protect the happiness of children... and then admits afterwards that he ''was lying through his teeth'' and had fed Keiwa a sob story to get ahead. He may be one of the heroes, but he's still a ManipulativeBastard; and he even points out his own {{Animal Motif|s}} of being CunningLikeAFox. |
| 400 | *** Keiwa is first seen at a job interview, promoting his resumé of charity and volunteer work, but when the interviewer presses him for more specific personal goals, all Keiwa can come up with is "world peace". His heart's in the right place, but he's wishy-washy and kind of aimless. Later in the episode, when he's caught up in the monster attack and thinks the world is ending, his cynical side comes out as he mourns the state of the world and his powerlessness to change anything; revealing that he's not quite the WideEyedIdealist he first seemed to be. |
| 401 | *** Neon is introduced livestreaming her attempt to run away from home (''again'') until her bodyguards catch up with her (also again). She's a LonelyRichKid who [[IJustWantToBeNormal Just Wants To Be Normal]] and is stubborn enough to keep trying, but is also too naive to realize that broadcasting her location while doing so isn't a great idea. |
| 402 | *** Michinaga starts out playing the DeadlyGame just like Ace, but he accuses another player of only saving civilians for game points and is later pleased to see the same player get killed in action, as it means less competition. Future episodes humanize him and explore how he got this way, but he's nonetheless a cynical {{Jerkass}}. |
| 403 | * The very first scene of ''Series/KungFu1972'' shows, for what feels like a ''long'' time, our hero Kwai Chang Caine reacting to the taunts and assaults of a local brute by only doing the bare minimum of what is necessary to physically defend himself, while in the process making it tremendously clear that if he really wanted to do more, the guy wouldn't stand a chance against him. |
| 404 | [[/folder]] |
| 405 | |
| 406 | [[folder:L]] |
| 407 | * ''Series/TheLawAccordingToLidiaPoet'': Lidia is introduced while having sex in her bed with a young man, against the rules of her landlady, whom she owes rent, and is a female attorney in 1800s Italy. This shows her as a progressive, freespirited rule-breaker from the start. |
| 408 | * ''Series/LawAndOrderSVU'': ADA Rafael Barba's introductory episode culminates with Barba goading a defendant into ''strangling him with a belt'' from the witness stand -- in front of the judge, jury, and courtroom gallery. He wins the case. (Unsurprisingly, the actor, Raul Esparza, was [[BreakoutCharacter promoted to series regular]] at the beginning of the next season and became the first ADA since Novak to stay for more than a year.) |
| 409 | * ''Series/LazyTown'': In the pilot episode, everyone in town has a scene that quickly establishes their personality and key character traits. Pixel is playing video games, Ziggy is eating candy, Stingy isn't sharing his popcorn, and Trixie is laughing at Pixel after he loses his game. |
| 410 | * ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'': |
| 411 | ** The first we see of Richard is him building a bridge, and being friendly and helpful to a kid who comes to use it -- showing him to be a cheerful, down-to-earth NiceGuy. The first we see of Kahlan is her escaping from enemy soldiers through cool action stunts and dazzling magic, and being forced to leave her sister behind to die to escape and continue with their mission -- showing her to be a romantic hero who puts the greater good first. And then there's Zedd's naked-and-talking-to-a-chicken scene... |
| 412 | ** The first time we see Cara, she criticizes and subtly mocks Darken Rahl to his face for the failed efforts to stop Richard, saying he would have had him long ago if he'd sent her. Rahl tolerates this and also appears to appreciate her spirits. |
| 413 | * ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' gives all of the main characters one in the first episode: |
| 414 | ** Nate starts off as a downtrodden man drinking in a bar with another man who's pleading with him to recover stolen property. Nate refuses to take the job, even when he realizes that the people his client has hired to work on the job will need someone skilled to coordinate them. Nate repeatedly insists that he's not a thief, but an honest man (and continually states this), but when the client tells him that the people who stole his property had links to the people who killed Nate's son, Nate agrees to work on the job. We also get a flashback to Nate's son Sam dying, wherein Nate practically knocks down the door to get into the hospital room and tries to revive Sam's lifeless body. Throughout the job, he's calm, effective, and unfazed, a skilled leader despite his alcohol problem. |
| 415 | ** Sophie is initially shown as [[BadBadActing one of the worst actresses you will ever see]]. A flashback shows that she forged art (and she and Nate once shot each other). All of this clues in the audience that while she's a terrible actor, Nate wouldn't have approached her unless she had some useful skill, and she's not afraid to get rough. She then immediately turns around and gives an amazing performance as a grifter, despite being unable to act. As Nate tells Hardison, "Sophie Devereaux is the finest actress you've ever seen...when she's breaking the law". |
| 416 | ** Eliot's ECM is a flashback, where he walks into a building, looking very calm and non-threatening (especially with his glasses) while sipping coffee, and calmly states that he's there for the merchandise. Almost all of the men in the room pull guns on him. Cue a huge gunfight, and when we see the room next, all of the men who drew guns on him are dead, Eliot doesn't have a mark on him and his coffee has remained within his mug. The last remaining man calmly gives him the merchandise- a baseball card. This combined with his intro, where he playfully banters with Hardison, shows the audience that Eliot's very dangerous, very deadly, but won't go off at the drop of a hat. He's willing to fetch small things, can outlive the worst situations, and really likes coffee. |
| 417 | ** Hardison is first shown as the arrogant, playful hacker, who shows off his much more up-to-the-minute technology and constantly snarks with Eliot. His flashback shows that he managed to hack into a hotel's computers to make it look like Mick Jagger was staying in his rooms, and he hired women to have a scantily-clad lightsaber fight. Security busts in and Hardison waves his hand slowly, "This is not the room you're looking for." Major geek. |
| 418 | ** Parker's intro shows her abruptly hanging upside down from above Hardison and Eliot to ask if she can have one of their comm units. She perches above them, smiling happily. Her subtitles, unlike those of the others, fail to sugar-coat her profession and simply put 'Thief'. Then we get her flashback, where her foster father hits her foster mother, mocks her for thinking that he wouldn't find her toy bunny, and tells her to be a good girl 'or, I don't know, a better thief'. Then she walks out of the house with her bunny... and the former blows up. |
| 419 | ** Everything you need to know about [[TheCracker Chaos]] is summed up in his first scene with Hardison. |
| 420 | --->'''Hardison:''' Chaos. Heard you were dead. Guess they were wrong.\ |
| 421 | '''Chaos:''' Hardison. [[SmugSnake Heard you sucked]]. [[{{Jerkass}} Guess they were right]]. |
| 422 | ** Tara first appears as the client's lawyer in "The Lost Heir Job". By the time the team realizes that she's not who she says she is, she's broken into Nate's house and is waiting for them, with her introduction from Sophie. Throughout the ensuing conversation, she's calm, gracious, and always has an answer ready. |
| 423 | ** In "The Underground Job" the corrupt mine owner's first reaction when a large explosion happens at his mine, with fire still spewing out of the entrance, is to tell his assistant to call his attorney, not emergency services. |
| 424 | ** Damien Moreau is summed up quite nicely in his meeting with Hardison and Eliot. He handcuffs the former to a swivel chair, kicks him into a pool, and tosses the keys in after about a minute of Hardison's flailing, all the while sipping brandy and chatting with Eliot, who can't do anything because he's surrounded by armed men who will riddle him with bullets if he makes a move. |
| 425 | * ''Series/{{Life|2007}}'': |
| 426 | ** The first episode begins with a series of clips talking about how Detective Charlie Crews was imprisoned for murdering his best friend and said friend's family after the friend was skimming money from the bar they owned together. After serving twelve years and being treated horrifically for being a cop in jail, he was released, sued the police department, and got his job back (along with millions of dollars). Then we see Charlie in action: he spends several seconds staring at the sun, looks at the crime scene, ignores his partner, and finally asks if anyone talked to the victim's dog. For a few seconds, it looks like he'll stab the dog (who got shot) and then he digs into the dirt, revealing that the dog bit off the man's finger. Crews in a nutshell: eccentric, headstrong, intuitive, and generally refuses to follow anyone else's path but his own. |
| 427 | ** His partner, Dani Reese, also gets her ECM: The first few scenes show her acting like the average cop who's got a crazy partner after she informs Crews that she didn't ask to be partnered with him and that he needs to follow her lead. He asks her what she did to get him as a partner, thus clueing the audience in that while Dani seems capable and good at her job, she evidently did ''something'' wrong to get stuck with him. |
| 428 | ** Another example is Ted Early, who is interviewed and explains that he was arrested and convicted for white-collar crime, met Crews in jail, and came to him for help when he got out, being left with nowhere else to go. He now lives with Crews and manages his finances. The interviewer asks pointedly if it's true that Ted lives in Crews' garage, and Ted corrects him, saying that he lives ''above'' the garage. Ted, we can see, is someone who's proud, but not too proud to ask for help or admit the truth, and who obviously isn't that bad, given that Charlie trusts him. |
| 429 | ** Detective Carl Ames was one of the lead investigators of the murder case Crews was convicted for. He goes over the details of the case in a voice that suggests that he's seen a lot of things like it, and says that 'no DNA is gonna tell me we got the wrong guy'. This clues in the audience that while Ames is a good cop and one who will fight for justice, he isn't willing to believe that things could have happened differently (and possibly that he refuses to move with the times since the case happened before DNA testing became a thing and when it became a thing, it was made perfectly obvious that none of the DNA belonged to Crews.) |
| 430 | * ''Series/{{Limitless}}'' begins with protagonist Brian evading the FBI using the NZT powers, dodging traffic perfectly, and evading being shot at by jumping into the path of a moving subway train. Then it freezes, and the narration begins. |
| 431 | -->'''Brian:''' The first thing you need to know is that I didn't do anything wrong. |
| 432 | * ''Series/{{Llanargollen}}'': The first thing Prys is seen doing in the first episode, "Y Parsel Coll", is to not realize that letting go of his new painting would help him to get the nail he needs to hold it on the wall quicker, establishing him as slow-witted compared to Ceri. |
| 433 | * ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': |
| 434 | ** The first time we meet Galadriel in the prologue, she’s only a young child but is already getting into a scuffle with another bratty elf child who deliberately sinks her paper boat, pushing him to the ground and moving as if to punch him before she’s stopped by Finrod. This seems to be a common occurrence as a clearly amused Finrod asks, ''"Did you lose your footing again, Galadriel?"''. |
| 435 | ** The first time he appears, Halbrand is in the middle of nowhere, floating adrift with a group of people on a piece of driftwood. He stops Galadriel from trying to get on the driftwood, and his first speech to her is cryptic: "The tides of fate are flowing, yours might be heading in, or out". The other survivors decide to help Galadriel and while they are questioning her, Halbrand's next line is "looks can be deceiving", which is the first hint of Halbrand's true identity and powers as a shapeshifter. |
| 436 | ** When Adar makes his first appearance on screen, he says no words for a few minutes, but it's the way he carries himself that establishes important things about his character. He is introduced as an Elf-orc hybrid, resembling Sauron more than Sauron himself, making other characters to wonder if he is the Dark Lord. The Orcs kneel when he appears, paying their respects to him. Before mercifully killing a wounded Orc, Adar caresses his head while being on the verge of tears for having to put down the orc, establishing him as an AntiVillain leader of the Orcs who genuinely looks out after his kin, contrasting Morgoth and Sauron who traditionally only used them as pawns. |
| 437 | * ''Series/{{Lost}}'': |
| 438 | ** The pilot episode is filled to the brim. In the very first scene, we have: |
| 439 | *** Jack waking up in the middle of the jungle, running to the crash site, saving no less than four lives in rapid succession, and only ''then'' walking away from the group to treat his own injury. |
| 440 | *** Boone attempting to resuscitate an unconscious Rose and [[FailureHero botching it]]. |
| 441 | *** John Locke helping Jack save one of the people caught underneath debris, with a later episode revealing that he regained the ability to walk only a few minutes prior. |
| 442 | *** Charlie, high as a kite, wandering around the crash site completely out of it; his drug addiction will prove crucial to his character arc. |
| 443 | *** Claire fretting about whether or not her baby is okay after the crash, showing how her baby is always her first concern. |
| 444 | *** Hurley, also very out of it, agreeing to watch Claire when Jack asks him to, showing how he cares for others and is willing to help at the drop of a hat. |
| 445 | *** Michael [[PapaWolf screaming for his son Walt]]; Jin is also screaming for his wife nearby, but in Korean. |
| 446 | *** Shannon [[TheLoad literally standing around just screaming at the top of her lungs]]. |
| 447 | ** The first day and night after the crash, we also have: |
| 448 | *** Kate showcasing her fear stitching up Jack's wound but getting it done anyway; she's sometimes out of her depth, but she's brave when the chips are down. |
| 449 | *** Sayid immediately getting to work building a signal fire and roping Charlie into it, highlighting his desperation to get off the Island and his leadership material. |
| 450 | * ''Series/Lucifer2016'': Lucifer Morningstar only needs a couple of seconds to show the audience what sort of character he is. Lucifer gets pulled over for speeding, he's asked for his license and registration, so he pulls out a wad of bills and starts counting them. |
| 451 | -->'''Cop:''' Are you trying to ''bribe'' me, sir?\ |
| 452 | '''Lucifer:''' [[BluntYes Yes, of course]]. ''[continues counting]'' |
| 453 | [[/folder]] |
| 454 | |
| 455 | [[folder:M]] |
| 456 | * ''Series/MadMen'': |
| 457 | ** Rachel Menken's two scenes in the pilot episode establish her character wonderfully. But if you have to pick just one moment, it would have to be when she puts out her cigarette in the cocktail shrimp. |
| 458 | ** Don Draper's is when he drives home from the train station at the end of the episode - after we've seen him having sex with his mistress - and arrives at a home, where we realize he has a wife and children. |
| 459 | ** One possible ECM for Joan Holloway's is the moment from the pilot, where she tells Peggy to "go home and put a paper bag over your head", but a case can be made for the stunningly perfect meta-shot in "Babylon" where she bends over a table facing away from what she knows to be two-way glass, letting all the execs get a nice, long look at her ass. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKTNDgCTyVU&feature=related And then they salute it.]] |
| 460 | ** Peggy Olsen's has to be when she lets Pete into her apartment in the pilot; she knows she shouldn't be sleeping with a drunken, soon-to-be-married man, but does it anyway because she thinks she's grown-up enough to handle it. |
| 461 | ** Roger Sterling, in "Red in the Face", having hit on Betty Draper in front of Don: "At some point, we've all parked in the wrong garage." |
| 462 | * ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'': Proving you can do this before the show even airs, is Creator/EdONeill's audition for one Al Bundy. Upon walking through the door, he was supposed to read his line. But he added something beforehand that nobody thought to add at all: a weary sigh indicating Al wasn't happy to be home. He locked the part up. |
| 463 | * In ''Series/{{MASH}}'', during Charles Emerson Winchester's first episode, he spends a lot of time showing his spoiled upper-class roots. But at the end of that episode, it's made it clear he was going to be a much more complex and capable character than Burns: He calmly listens to his phonograph as Hawkeye loudly discovers his snake-in-the-bed prank has been turned back on him. |
| 464 | -->'''Hawkeye:''' Clever. Very clever.\ |
| 465 | '''Winchester:''' [[MeaningfulEcho Please. Mozart.]] |
| 466 | * ''Series/Merlin2008'': |
| 467 | ** Guinevere's introduction was particularly sweet and understated. While Merlin is put in the stocks for assaulting [[JerkAss Arthur]], she introduces herself and playfully banters with him but assures him that what he did was heroic. Especially lovely is the fact that she dismisses Arthur as "a bully" and later says to Merlin (about Morgana): "Some people are just born to be queen! Not that I'd want to ''be'' her. I mean, [[ForegoneConclusion who'd want to marry Arthur]]?" Oh, delicious irony. |
| 468 | ** Merlin also gets a pretty decent EstablishingCharacterMoment when he first enters Camelot. After witnessing a man get executed for the crime of sorcery and learning that magic is forbidden in Camelot, what's one of the first things he does? [[ChronicHeroSyndrome Use his magic to save someone's life]]. |
| 469 | ** Gwaine in season 3 appeared throwing the first punch in a bar fight (it originally had nothing to do with him) and he joined in for the fun of it. He later [[TakingTheBullet took a hit]] for Arthur despite not even knowing him. |
| 470 | ** From his first appearance in the last episode of season 3, we hardly know anything about Percival other than he arrived with Lancelot to help save Camelot. The first episode of Season 4 shows him endangering his own life to save three frightened children by carrying them to safety and abandoning his only means of a weapon. |
| 471 | * ''Series/MimpiMetropolitan'': |
| 472 | ** Bambang is introduced arriving in the city of Jakarta, then accusing the bus driver of lying about them being in the city because a sign in the bus station writes Rambutan ''Village'' Terminal (Rambutan Village is an actual bus station in Jakarta), establishing Bambang as a rather clueless CountryMouse. |
| 473 | ** In the middle of the series, new character Juna is introduced aweing women and taking the spotlight from Prima, establishing his casanova-ness and future rivalry with Prima. |
| 474 | * ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' gives all five of the main characters their [=ECM=] in the introduction of the first episode, while being given a pep talk by their probation worker: [[JerkAss Nathan]] interrupts the speech with some of his trademarked [[DeadpanSnarker sarcasm]] and gets into an argument with another young offender; [[AlphaBitch Alisha]] gets a phone call and answers it, ignoring the probation worker's demands that she hang up; [[OnlySaneMan Curtis]] requests to be transferred to a different group, declaring that he doesn't belong here; [[{{Tsundere}} Kelly]] demands to know why Curtis thinks that he's better than the rest of them, and gets offended when the others [[TheUnintelligible can't understand her accent]]; finally, [[ShrinkingViolet Simon]] remains completely silent throughout the introduction, looking completely terrified in the process. |
| 475 | * The first scene of ''Series/{{Monk}}'' has him at a crime scene in a woman's home, when he says "stove". A policeman points him to it, and he responds "No. The one at home. I think I left it on". He then proceeds to reconstruct the events leading to the victim's death and describe the suspect using minor details about the murder scene, all while continuing to fidget and fuss about the stove being left on. |
| 476 | * Ivo and the Cholito, from ''Series/MunecaBrava''. When Ivo and Cholito first met, in the first episode. Ivo kissed her, "to find out if she's really a girl". The Cholito [[GroinAttack kicked him in the groin]], "to find out if he's really a man". |
| 477 | * The main characters of ''Series/TheMusketeers'' each have one. |
| 478 | ** D'Artagnan fought off two men attempting to rob him and proceeded to recklessly hunt down the man he believed murdered his father, showing his talent with the sword and how he let his emotions rule over his head. |
| 479 | ** Athos woke up extremely hungover and surrounded by empty bottles before sticking his head in a bucket of freezing water. But then he put on his uniform, establishing his dedication to his duty, and set off to gather his friends. |
| 480 | ** Porthos beat a Red Guard at cards, was accused of cheating (which he did), and fought the Guard with a fork while laughing the whole time, displaying his love for a good fight and overall sense of humor. |
| 481 | ** Aramis was having an affair with the Cardinal's mistress and professed that he loved her more than the Cardinal, revealing his love for women and romantic nature. When the Cardinal himself arrives unexpectedly Aramis is forced to [[BedroomAdulteryScene climb out the window]] to avoid him. Athos and Porthos happen to approach as Aramis is dangling by his fingertips and proceed to laugh at their friend's predicament. |
| 482 | ** Constance, Queen Anne, and King Louis all have one too. |
| 483 | *** Constance threatens D'Artagnan with a knife and admonishes him when he mistakes her for a prostitute and then immediately helps him when his injuries become clear. She also follows him to the garrison and stops the duel. This shows her bravery, her compassion, and her outspoken, adventurous nature. |
| 484 | *** Queen Anne is watching the king's shoot despite her dislike for the sport and quietly contradicts his assertion about it making you feel alive '"except for the birds"'. She also interjects to state her disbelief about the Musketeers being murderers and commend the regiment for their 'loyalty and law-abiding'. All of this hints at her empathy, her respect and faith in the musketeers, and her determination to be an equal in important matters (all of which become more important in the series). |
| 485 | *** King Louis has his in the same scene. He's more concerned with hunting than his soldiers being potential murderers, is annoyed by Queen Anne's gentle rebuttal, teases Treville, and is reluctantly cajoled by Richelieu. His respective relationships with all three characters is established as is his attitude to being king and his preference for the perks of the role over the responsibilities. |
| 486 | * ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': |
| 487 | ** Mike Nelson's moment in his first episode as "host" is when he makes Dr. Forrester wait in ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E13TheBrainThatWouldntDie The Brain That Wouldn't Die]]'' to show that he would be much more belligerent towards the Mads and wouldn't take being imprisoned lying down, unlike Joel, who never showed any ill-will towards them. |
| 488 | ** The episode featuring ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S04E21MonsterAGoGo Monster A Go-Go]]'' featured Tom Servo's as, when Gypsy tries to get Tom's goat by telling him "I don't get you.", he replies "Nobody does! I'm the ''wind'', baby!" and leaves off humming. |
| 489 | [[/folder]] |
| 490 | |
| 491 | [[folder:N]] |
| 492 | * In the very first episode of ''Series/NoahsArc'', Ricky has two. The opening scene has him flirting up and getting a number from a guy on the beach. The third or so scene that we see him in next, he's in his store having sex with his employee. |
| 493 | * ''Series/{{Nevertheless}}'': Jae-eon is established as a ladykiller from his first scene — he's supposed to meet someone at the bar for a date, meets Na-bi instead, and then cancels his date to hang out and flirt with her. |
| 494 | [[/folder]] |
| 495 | |
| 496 | [[folder:O]] |
| 497 | * ''Series/OddSquad'': |
| 498 | ** When we're first introduced to Olive, Otto, Oprah and Oscar in "Zero Effect", it's quickly established that Otto is the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} of the duo who loves to goof around, while Olive is the more serious one who stays on task and keeps him in line. Similarly, Oprah becomes established as a MeanBoss within the very first scene, where she rudely shuts up a client, rudely sends Olive and Otto on their way with what would end up being her catchphrase, and is referred to as having "a better mood than usual" by Otto when she orders them into her office. Oscar also becomes established as a GeniusDitz when he explains the concept of number hogs to Olive and Otto and punctuates it with a slurping sound effect (meant to represent how the number hog steals numbers) as well as long running gags (him exemplifying how the number hog acts by repeating the number 4 over and over, to demonstrate how there are many fours in the world). Polly Graph is also established as being one of Odd Squad's strongest allies, with an affinity for graphs and a very good eye for business. |
| 499 | ** "First Day", the Season 2 premiere, introduces Olympia and Otis to the show. Olympia is first shown as an excitable GenkiGirl student of the Odd Squad Academy, who is often first to answer questions from her rather-bored teacher with great enthusiasm and frequently gets top grades on tests. She's also revealed to be an Odd Squad history buff, which comes in handy in future episodes. Otis, on the other hand, is shown to be the complete opposite -- an agent with NoSocialSkills and a MysteriousPast who has a more hardened personality and doesn't have the same energy and enthusiasm as his partner. |
| 500 | ** "Back To the Past" brings Oona into the core cast for Season 2. Although she starts out as a GeniusDitz much in the vein of Oscar who kickstarts the plot of the episode, she quickly comes into her own as a nice girl who is very eccentric and comedic. |
| 501 | ** The Season 3 two-part premiere, "Odd Beginnings", introduces four new agents as the new core cast. Opal and Omar are both introduced together in Part 1, and the episode wastes no time in establishing Opal as a CuteButCacophonic GenkiGirl who is starving for adventure and treats something as small as finding a similarly-shaped snowflake as a big deal. Likewise, Omar is established as being a fun but ditzy [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]] who also serves as the voice of reason at times, especially when it comes to keeping tabs on Opal. Part 1 also introduces Oswald as an agent working at the Odd Squad Museum of Natural Odd who is dressed in a Security department outfit, which emphasizes how he doesn't go out on the field. Meanwhile, Orla's first scene involves her rushing up to Omar, Opal and Oswald and attacking them on sight without hesitation, which alludes to [[LeeroyJenkins her tendency to rush into situations without thinking things through first]] as well as her [[PintsizedPowerhouse physical strength and prowess.]] |
| 502 | * ''Series/OnceUponATime'': |
| 503 | ** Emma shows up under the guise of an internet date, she confronts a married embezzler who tries to get away. She chases him through busy traffic and wearing heels to get to his car, which she had already booted. When he smarts off to her, she slams his head against the steering wheel. |
| 504 | ** In Cora's first [[spoiler: unmasked]] scene, she critiques her daughter's horseback riding. When the daughter walks away mid-argument, Cora uses magic force her to apologize. And claims she'd "helping" her. Sums up her insanity, power, and evil behavior pretty well. This also serves as a good establishing moment for her daughter, Regina, who we know becomes the Evil Queen. Cora establishes Regina's past and demonstrates how Regina became the person she is. |
| 505 | ** Snow White, upon seeing the Evil Queen interrupting her wedding, immediately pulled out Prince Charming's sword and threatened the Queen with it. Prince's soon followed as he tossed said sword at the Queen. |
| 506 | *** If the ExpositoryHairstyleChange has you wondering who Mary is supposed to be, her lecturing children about how birds are loyal creatures and letting a bluebird fly out of her hand in a similar way to Snow White shows that they are one and the same. |
| 507 | ** Rumplestiltskin's comes when he tells Snow and Charming about the curse in exchange for the name of their unborn child. The first of many deals we see him make, and none without purpose. |
| 508 | ** One of King George's first moments is talking with Rumplestiltskin about a deal to ensure [[ExactWords his son]] [[GoldDigger will marry into a rich family]]. He sells out the Fairy Godmother, his family's patron, to Rumplestiltskin as part of the deal. A few episodes ago, we saw the consequences of that selling out and the ensuring suffering that Cinderella had to endure from Rumple. That sets the long road ahead for [[{{Jerkass}} King]] [[AbusiveParents George]]. |
| 509 | * ''Series/{{Oz}}'': |
| 510 | ** Right before the new inmates are admitted into the prison, Alvarez is stabbed and left bleeding on the floor while Beecher screams in horror. [[ButtMonkey This pretty much tells you what they're in for for the rest of the series.]] |
| 511 | ** [=McManus=]'s meeting with Dino, where he tries to talk him into accepting rehabilitation, then blowing his top when Dino repeatedly insults him and harshly punishing him. It establishes both his idealism and his vindictiveness and short temper. |
| 512 | ** Adebisi steals Beecher's stuff, puts him in a headlock when he protests, and gleefully taunts him about how he's going to rape him, setting him up as a cheerfully boisterous psycho. |
| 513 | ** Schillinger is introduced as one of the only inmates to sympathize with Beecher, and helps him escape from Adebisi by having him moved into his pod. Then he reveals that he only did it so he could use Beecher as a sex slave and brands him with a swastika. It firmly establishes his racism, cruelty, and sadism, as well as his cunning nature. |
| 514 | ** Glynn's argument with [=McManus=] over the cigarettes ban establishes him as a savvy and intelligent man and a fair warden, but one who doesn't really give a damn about any of the inmates. |
| 515 | ** Healy complaining about [=McManus=]'s policies for no real reason establishes him as a confrontational {{Jerkass}}. |
| 516 | ** Immediately upon getting into Oz, Said threatens to start a riot, amassing followers on his first day in prison, and having one of them beat him up to prove his dedication to his ideals. It succinctly establishes his ego, hatred for the legal system, and his genuine commitment to his principles and faith. |
| 517 | ** [[NiceGuy Rebadow]] kindly inviting Beecher to sit with him after he's rebuffed by everyone else. |
| 518 | [[/folder]] |
| 519 | |
| 520 | [[folder:P]] |
| 521 | * In ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', the episode that introduces Chris and Ben has one for each. First, Chris's talking head segment in which he explains that he does everything necessary to be healthy and that he plans on becoming the first human being to live to 150 years. Then Ben finally opens up to Leslie about his [[FreudianExcuse reasons]] for trying to be so responsible and serious. The second they are introduced also has a much smaller example. Leslie claims that Chris is so positive that making eye contact with him is like staring at the sun, and Ben's first few words make him Chris's scapegoat as he explains that they intend to reduce everything by 50%. |
| 522 | * Throwing almost all ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' clichés out the window, the opening of ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' had the Red Ranger Andros infiltrating the Council of Evil wearing a concealing cloak. He was working to get information on this "Grand Plan" being set up by the council. After being discovered, he fought his way out and escaped. No prior Ranger was this devious or bold as to try something like that. Said cloak later becomes his IconicOutfit in both team-up episodes he appears in. |
| 523 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersBeastMorphers'' introduces it's core trio very well. We're introduced to Devon, our Red, listening to music while at karate practice, and the instructor, Blaze, ends up fighting him, which Devon wins. He's later chewed out by his father in a car for being a bit of a slacker/gamer. Devon sneaks into Grid Battleforce to find their VR systems to play games with but ultimately ends up doing the right thing by stopping Evox from corrupting Ravi. Good-natured but lazy, who can accomplish good things when he puts his mind to it, distant from his dad. Ravi is introduced worrying about the nature of his relationship with Roxy having to stop because they're becoming Rangers, and it's against the rules for Rangers to date other Rangers. He's the only one of the three who was actually chosen to become a Ranger after Blaze and Roxy get corrupted and put into comas by Evox. His mother is also his boss. A bit of a momma's boy, heartbroken because of his girlfriend being turned evil, but also the one with the most experience. Zoey is introduced as a laundry girl with greater ambitions who likes to solve problems, who also ends up saving Ravi when Evox attacks, and actually did try to volunteer for a Ranger but was turned down. This sets her up as a smart and ambitious young lady who puts her mind to things she wants to do and does her best. |
| 524 | ** The original ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' manages to establish Rita Repulsa's LargeHam, WickedWitch, and SealedEvilInACan traits with nothing more than her ''incredibly'' cheesy first line in the intro: |
| 525 | -->"Ahhhh! After ten thousand years I'm free! It's time to conquer Earth!" |
| 526 | * ''Series/PrincessAgents'': Yan Xun and his friends gallop recklessly through the streets, nearly damaging the shops' merchandise. A man's cart overturns when he can't get out of the way in time. Yan Xun is the only one who stops to let the man pick up the cart, while the others gallop past without looking back. |
| 527 | * ''Series/TheProfessionals''. This is probably why the episode "Private Madness, Public Danger" is shown OutOfOrder instead of the intended pilot "Old Dog with New Tricks", which properly introduces the audience to [=CI5=], because Bodie and Doyle are introduced just slouching into the corridor when [[DaChief Cowley]] yells at them. In "Private Madness, Public Danger" however, they're shooting cans off a wall and then engaging in WittyBanter with Cowley when he turns up to give them their assignment, a better introduction to the dynamic that would make the characters so popular. |
| 528 | * ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn's opening scene has him calling into a police tip hotline to prove a criminal's guilt while in the early stages (his partner is kissing and undressing him) of a one-night stand. It establishes his social inappropriateness, his abilities as a ladies man, and his compulsiveness. |
| 529 | [[/folder]] |
| 530 | |
| 531 | [[folder:Q]] |
| 532 | * ''Series/QueenForSevenDays'': Within minutes of his first appearance, Lee Yung pointedly ignores everything his ministers tell him, cuts them off before they have a chance to give full reports, and throws a document away. |
| 533 | [[/folder]] |
| 534 | |
| 535 | [[folder:R]] |
| 536 | * ''Series/{{Rome}}'': |
| 537 | ** The show is full of all kinds of CharacterDevelopment, but the opening scene with main character [[TheStoic Lucius]] [[HonorBeforeReason Vorenus]] is fairly defining of his character. He suggests, under duress, that the best way to find a thief among the conquered tribes would be to crucify members of each clan one by one until they talk. He shows no pleasure at this, even slightly pained by their screams, but still does it, but when one gives him the information, he orders all of them to be taken down (while lamenting his own situation - pretty rich for a guy at the foot of a currently occupied cross). This sets up the [[ValuesDissonance moral overtones]] of most of the series, and shows how honor-bound Vorenus is. |
| 538 | ** Mark Antony's ECM has to be the bit where he's shagging a random shepherdess under a tree ''with his entire personal escort watching''. |
| 539 | ** Incorrect. That was ''a'' moment, but his actual first scene did more to establish his character: strolling into Caesar's tent covered in blood, bantering with Brutus, and then, when given a mission to accomplish on a strict budget, unabashedly stealing half the money anyway. |
| 540 | ** After being rescued by Pullo and Vorenus, Octavian fills them in on the political situation and coldly beats to death the man who was whipping him moments before. |
| 541 | ** Julius Caesar mourning his daughter for a few moments, then says "Pompey is going to need a new wife". It shows his political mindedness and tendency to see people as game pieces. |
| 542 | ** Servilia having sex in front of her slaves. |
| 543 | ** Atia of the Julii, [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl who allows her son to see her in the nude]]. |
| 544 | [[/folder]] |
| 545 | |
| 546 | [[folder:S]] |
| 547 | * ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'': |
| 548 | ** John Druitt aka Jack the Ripper aka Helen Magnus' ex-fiancé is first seen as murdering a prostitute (very subtle, show, ''very subtle'') after which he longingly looks at an old photo of Helen. Cue the crazy, romantic serial killer. |
| 549 | ** Helen in her first scene accidentally hits Will with her car while chasing an abnormal, her second one is performing an autopsy while casually chatting about her weekend plans, but her true moment is when she proudly shows off her Sanctuary to Will. ForScience, indeed. |
| 550 | ** Ashley spends the whole pilot chasing an abnormal in leather clothes. |
| 551 | * ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' has several in the pilot. |
| 552 | ** JD messing around with shaving cream ("I get a little goofy when I'm nervous") and then being completely overwhelmed when he walks into the hospital. |
| 553 | ** Turk: "Dude, be whiter." |
| 554 | ** Carla calling out Elliot for being judgmental about her hooking up with Turk, as well as rescuing JD and calling him "Bambi" for the first time. |
| 555 | ** Doctor Kelso seems like a sweet old man to be there for his staff, but at the end of the episode, he reveals himself to be concerned only with money with no care for any sort of human emotion. |
| 556 | --->''Dr. Dorian, do you not understand you are nothing but a large pair of [[TitleDrop scrubs]] to me?'' |
| 557 | ** Similarly, Dr Cox's moment appears to be when he forbids JD from talking in his presence, but it actually comes later when he walks in after Dr Kelso's ECM: |
| 558 | --->'''JD'''': So if he's the villain, who's the good guy?" ''[enter Dr. Cox]'' |
| 559 | ** The episode "My Two Dads" serves to establish the characters' motivations further, particularly the golfing scene. |
| 560 | * ''Series/TheShadowLine'' has several of these: |
| 561 | ** Jay Wratten's first scene has him delivering a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown in a lift to a man who insulted him. |
| 562 | ** Glickman's first appearance sees him tracking down and murdering a man who recognised him when he was in hiding, to establish that he ''really'' doesn't want to be found. |
| 563 | * ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': |
| 564 | ** The eponymous Sherlock has a show-stopping one when he first meets [[TheWatson John]] in "[[Recap/SherlockS01E01AStudyInPink A Study in Pink]]. It is, naturally, a startlingly accurate analysis of John and his background after having known the man for [[SherlockScan all of two minutes]]. Watch the epicness [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4foH4HCzKA&feature=related here]]. |
| 565 | --->'''John''': Is that it?\ |
| 566 | '''Sherlock''': Is that what?\ |
| 567 | '''John''': We've only just met, and we're gonna go look at a flat?\ |
| 568 | '''Sherlock''': Problem?\ |
| 569 | '''John''': We don't know a thing about each other. I don't know where we're meeting, I don't even know your name.\ |
| 570 | '''Sherlock''': I know you're an army doctor and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan; I know you've got a brother who's worried about you but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him; possibly because he's an alcoholic - more likely because he recently walked out on his wife, and I know that your therapist thinks your limp's psychosomatic; quite correctly, I'm afraid. [[DeadpanSnarker That's enough to be going on with, don't you think?]] |
| 571 | ** [[InHarmsWay John]]'s ECM goes like this: |
| 572 | --->'''Sherlock:''' You're a doctor. An Army doctor.\ |
| 573 | '''John:''' Yes.\ |
| 574 | '''Sherlock:''' Any good?\ |
| 575 | '''John:''' ''Very'' good.\ |
| 576 | '''Sherlock:''' Seen a lot of injuries, then. Violent deaths.\ |
| 577 | '''John:''' Well, yes.\ |
| 578 | '''Sherlock:''' Bit of trouble too, I bet?\ |
| 579 | '''John:''' Of course, yes. Enough for a lifetime, far too much.\ |
| 580 | '''Sherlock:''' Want to see some more?\ |
| 581 | '''John''': [[JumpedAtTheCall Oh God, yes.]] |
| 582 | ** Moriarty gets two in "[[Recap/SherlockS01E03TheGreatGame The Great Game]]". His first appearance has him [[spoiler: masquerade as "Jim from IT", the [[TransparentCloset obviously gay]] boyfriend of Molly which retrospectively shows how capable he is at being HiddenInPlainSight]], while his second appearance has him introduce himself while holding John hostage with a suicide-vest, being alternatively affable and menacing, in addition to establishing him as a complete sociopath and Sherlock's EvilCounterpart. |
| 583 | --->'''Sherlock''': People have ''died''.\ |
| 584 | '''Moriarty''': That's what people ''[[SuddenlyShouting DO!]]'' |
| 585 | ** Irene Adler gets a particularly memorable one in "[[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal in Belgravia]]". The audience sees her debating a variety of dresses to wear for her eventual run-in with Sherlock, only to be sitting completely ''naked'' when he finally does show up. In addition to establishing her as TheTease, it shows her as smart enough to realize that by giving him absolutely nothing to read, she could completely throw off his SherlockScan altogether. Furthermore, when they're later held hostage and Sherlock is forced to figure out the code her safe at gunpoint, he does so because she ''knew'' that he'd [[CovertPervert size her up]], the code being her measurements. |
| 586 | * In ''Series/TheShield'', the Pilot is one big establishing moment for Vic Mackey. We get to see how he polices and gets results, and then finally learn that [[spoiler:he is a guy who will do anything to save his own skin, even if it means killing a fellow cop in cold blood, making it clear that he is very much a VillianProtagonist]]. |
| 587 | * ''Series/{{Silk}}'' gives nearly all of its main characters an ECM, but the best one is probably Nick Slade, extending a hand to the other trainee lawyer, who happens to be the daughter of a judge. She informs him that "barristers don't really shake hands." |
| 588 | ** Throughout the entirety of the series, he's either [[ButtMonkey made fun of]] for [[OopNorth his background]] or having to compensate for the lack of cash and know-how that goes with it. |
| 589 | * The first 10 minutes of the pilot of ''Series/{{Skins}}'' show Tony working out, coolly covering for his little sister, and calling Sid to promise to get him laid. Sets him up as the bastard he is, and also shows his soft spot for Effy. |
| 590 | * A good introduction episode does this with the main cast. While they get more 'real' moments later, ''Series/SpaceCases'' actually gets credit for the shortest version ever. Each main cast member gives a single line, in some cases, but it gives an impression of their personality. |
| 591 | * Samantha Carter's first scene in ''Series/StargateSG1'' is well remembered... for its cringe-inducing hilarity, including the [[SarcasmMode so-not-cheesy line]] "just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle". Thankfully, she improved after her actress, Amanda Tapping, pointed out that she should just contribute to the team without constantly going "Hey, I'm a girl! Girls rock!" The "reproductive organs" line was mocked ''twice'' in later seasons. |
| 592 | ** Nonetheless, her early defensiveness is not so strange if you consider her position in two male-dominated fields. She's probably gotten plenty of crap before coming to the SGC. |
| 593 | ** Naturally, the cringe-worthy line was completely ''removed'' in the 10th Anniversary ''Children of the Gods ReCut''. Instead, Carter's ECM is winning the argument by matching her male colleagues with combat experience and wit, responding to Kawalsky's claim that Gate travel to being like pulling out of a combat dive at plus-8G by mentioning that she ''had'' done that several times before, in addition to logging over ''100 hours'' of flight time over enemy airspace during the Gulf War. |
| 594 | --->'''Carter:''' Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to ''arm wrestle?'' |
| 595 | ** See Daniel and Jack's memorable introductions in TheMovie in the appropriate section. |
| 596 | ** Teal'c had a good ECM in ''Series/StargateSG1'' as the leader of a Jaffa raiding party into what turned out to be a nearly deserted top-secret storage facility. His men mop the floor with the guards, abduct one and leave. Teal'c is clearly a particularly badass ProudWarriorRaceGuy... but as you can tell from his facial expressions throughout this scene, he's really not happy about this. He gets another one in the second part when he finally performs his HeelFaceTurn to help them escape. |
| 597 | --->'''O'Neill:''' I can ''save'' these people, help me! Help me!\ |
| 598 | '''Teal'c:''' Many have said that... ''[shoots the guard next to him]'' But you are the first I believe can do it! |
| 599 | ** The subsequent episode has O'Neill admit that he considers the above to be Teal'c's ECM as far as he's concerned. |
| 600 | --->'''O'Neill:''' Teal'c, I saw you stand up to a ''god''. You ''refused'' to kill. I saw you make that decision... In that moment I learned everything I needed to know to trust you. |
| 601 | ** General Hammond actually gets ''three'' such moments over the first two episodes, each establishing a different aspect of his character. They also serve to establish him as a ContrastingSequelMainCharacter to General West from the movie, and set up the close relationship that he will have with SG-1 for the rest of the show. |
| 602 | *** "Countdown's already started... Unless you have something to add." After the first time aliens reopen the stargate (which shouldn't have been possible), he has O'Neill taken to the gateroom and shows him the nuke they're about to send back through the stargate, then asks him once again if there's nothing he'd like to change about his report. O'Neill caves. Establishing that Hammond is plenty smart enough to keep up with him, and enough of a hardass to put him in his place. |
| 603 | *** "How many people did you say are on Abydos?" After his initial (and fairly justified) anger at O'Neill passes, he scraps the initial idea of sending a nuke through the stargate to eliminate the possible threat at the other end, instead opting to send a couple of teams through to perform reconnaissance before any further action is taken. [[WouldNotShootACivilian Establishing that Hammond has a moral center and tries to avoid things like the loss of innocent life.]] |
| 604 | *** "Just what kind of an officer are you, Colonel?" In the second episode, one of Hammond's men has been infested by a hostile alien, and he's told that they have a chance of saving the man by having it removed (which would kill it). When Colonel Kennedy, the ObstructiveBureaucrat sent by the Pentagon, argues that the parasite should instead be allowed to remain so that it can be studied and bargained with, Hammond tells him in no uncertain terms to get stuffed and gives the doctor the order to proceed. [[AFatherToHisMen Establishing that he cares deeply about the men under his command.]] |
| 605 | * Many characters from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' get their moment in the episode "The Naked Time". It establishes the dichotomy that defines Kirk's character (MarriedToTheJob vs. BoldlyComing) as well as the one that defines Spock's character (he's NotSoStoic after all, forever cementing him as the StoicWoobie). [=McCoy=] is shown to be [[SourSupporter a hardworking and dedicated medic, who is also gruff and deeply stubborn]]; Scotty is established as MrFixit and a GadgeteerGenius (especially when working in tandem with Spock), and the episode marks his first use of ScottyTime. Sulu's rampage with the fencing foil establishes him as a FanOfThePast and sets him up to take [[TookALevelInBadass take several levels in badass]] over the course of the series and films. |
| 606 | * ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. All the characters get an establishing moment at some point in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E1EncounterAtFarpoint Encounter at Farpoint]]": |
| 607 | ** Captain Picard appears in silhouette through the window of the ''Enterprise-D'', making a captain's log entry. The first appearance of a remarkably different captain to Kirk. |
| 608 | *** And then there's his [[PatrickStewartSpeech speech to Q]]. There's a reason he's the Trope Namer there, folks. Plus the moment when he commands them to take an ''untested'' starship on its maiden voyage to well-beyond-regulation-safety-limits. |
| 609 | ** Commander Riker boards the ''Enterprise'' and immediately has a talk with Captain Picard about his previous service. Picard brings up a time when Riker refused to let a previous CO beam down to a planet (which becomes a running theme between the two of them in the later series). Picard gruffly asks if Riker has any respect for a Captain's rank. Riker, without being either defensive or smug, says that a Captain's ''life'' means more. Picard suddenly smiles and says "Welcome aboard the ''Enterprise''." This scene is more or less sums up how their relationship is going to go for the rest of their time serving together. |
| 610 | *** This scene received a CallBack in the Season 7 episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E11ThePegasus The Pegasus]]" when Picard points out that said incident was what sold him on Riker as his first officer: He was, "someone who would stand up to me. Someone who was more concerned with doing what was ''right'' than how it might look on his record." |
| 611 | ** [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Data]] gets confused by a human figure of speech--and upon discovering its meaning, immediately reels off various synonyms like the walking encyclopedia he is. |
| 612 | *** And then there's a little later in the episode when Riker finds him trying to whistle in the holodeck (he finds how easily humans can do it amazing) and makes the statement: |
| 613 | ---->'''Data:''' I am superior [to humans], sir, in many ways. But I would gladly give it up to be human.\ |
| 614 | '''Riker:''' Nice to meet you, Pinocchio. |
| 615 | ** Geordi's establishing shot was probably during his checkup in sickbay, where we get a pan across the VISOR - the means by which he sees - and Geordi offers the Doctor an explanation for its purpose: |
| 616 | --->'''Geordi''': A remarkable piece of bioelectronic engineering by which I quote "see" much of the EM spectrum ranging from simple heat and infrared through radio waves etcetera etcetera and forgive me if I've said and listened to this a ''hundred'' times before. |
| 617 | ** After harassing the crew, Q appears on the ''Enterprise's'' main viewer. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf]] draws a gun and is ready to shoot, prompting Picard to ask him if he wants to put a hole in the main screen. The Son Of Mogh may be a little hot-headed, like all Klingons, but damned if he's gonna back down from people screwing with his Captain and his ship. |
| 618 | *** Worf is re-established on ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' when he arrives on the station and promptly walks up to a jerkass Klingon who's being all loud and rude in Quark's bar and proceeds to knock his ass clean out. |
| 619 | *** Also in "Encounter at Farpoint", when Picard orders Worf to take command of the Saucer section of the ''Enterprise'' and continue to Farpoint Station. |
| 620 | ---->'''Worf:''' Sir, I am a Klingon. For me to seek escape when my Captain goes into battle...\ |
| 621 | '''Picard:''' You're a ''Starfleet officer'', Lieutenant.\ |
| 622 | '''Worf:''' (''pause'') Aye, sir. |
| 623 | ** [[CreatorsPet Wesley might have some unfortunate associations]] but to be kind, his early appearances (begging to get to see the bridge of the Enterprise, getting overexcited in a holodeck and falling in the water, etc.) established him pretty well as a smart, eager ''kid'' and probably would've been okay if they left it like that. It was [[TheScrappy all downhill from there...]] |
| 624 | ** Q's first appearance--as a middle ages Sea Captain taking in iambic pentameter, is almost jocular (SoundtrackDissonance aside)--but a few seconds later he's freezing a crewman solid with a glimpse. Enter...''chaos''. |
| 625 | ** Tasha's impassioned speech about how much the Federation did for her and how much of a mockery Q's "Court and Jury" setting was established her attitude, and hinted heavily at her background. |
| 626 | ** The first thing [[TheEmpath Deanna Troi]] does on screen is start sensing things and recounting what she's feeling. Then later she ''talks right into Will's head'' via a kind of telepathy, establishing their romantic history. |
| 627 | ** The first thing [[DrJerk Dr. Pulaski]] does in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E1TheChild The Child]]" is ''not report for duty.'' She's in the bar at the time, talking with Deanna. As Worf says, "Not the best way to meet your captain." Most of the more notable moments she has in the rest of her first episode involve insulting Data repeatedly, even though he ''can't'' be insulted, which just comes off as pure spitefulness rather than the ribbing [=McCoy=] would give Spock. And ''she's not even doing it on purpose''. She just doesn't think of Data as a "real" person. [[note]]She warms to him the longer she's on the Enterprise. In an episode later in the season, she is the first to defend Data's care and affection for a little girl he's been communicating with.[[/note]] |
| 628 | *** The ''reason'' she was in the bar with Deanna is also part of the establishment (and probably is the only one that speaks to ''positive'' characteristics). Deanna is dealing with a shocking and somewhat upsetting situation, and Pulaski promptly sets aside protocol to help Deanna however she can. It speaks to her general attitude towards medicine and patient care. |
| 629 | * ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': |
| 630 | ** The first thing we see of Kira Nerys is her shouting match with a member of the provisional government. Although her character [[DefrostingIceQueen softens]] over the course of the series--and we find out [[DarkAndTroubledPast why she is]] the [[BrokenBird way she is]]--she never loses that [[HotBlooded fire]]. Or, for that matter, her contempt for most of the provisional government. |
| 631 | ** The scene that immediately follows is arguably the same for [[TheCaptain Sisko]]: A firm, but polite and pleasant officer...''[[BewareTheNiceOnes who is not to be trifled with]].'' |
| 632 | ---> '''Kira''': Yes?\ |
| 633 | '''Sisko''': (smiles) I'm Benjamin Sisko.\ |
| 634 | '''Kira''': I suppose you want the office.\ |
| 635 | '''Sisko''': Well, I thought I'd say hello first...(smile gains the ''tiniest hint'' of malevolence) and ''then'' take the office. ''But we can do it in any order you like.'' |
| 636 | *** The seventh episode of the series really establishes what kind of commanding officer Sisko is in comparison to the then standard, Picard. When confronted by Q, the first thing that Sisko does [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome is knock his ass to the floor with one punch.]] |
| 637 | ----> '''Q''': (astonished) [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu You hit me!]] Picard never hit me!\ |
| 638 | '''Sisko''': [[LampshadeHanging I'm not Picard]]. |
| 639 | ** Bashir is first introduced ineptly flirting with Jadzia, and putting his foot in his mouth by expressing his enthusiasm for 'frontier medicine' to Kira, demonstrating his high-energy idealistic personality along with a naive inexperience dealing with reality. Also foreshadows the show's [[DarkerAndEdgier darker tone]] than previous installments in the franchise and the inevitable conflict between Bajoran traditionalism and Starfleet's heavy-handed approach to the situation. |
| 640 | *** Bashir gets a second one later in the episode when he responds to the injuries on the Promenade during the scuffle with the Cardassians. He may be naive and socially inept, but he's a more than competent doctor, he keeps his calm in a crisis, and he doesn't shy away from taking charge of a situation when it's needed. |
| 641 | ---->'''Bashir:''' (''to Odo, while tending to an injured patient'') Press there, hard.\ |
| 642 | '''Odo:''' Look, Doctor, maybe I should find you someone -- \ |
| 643 | '''Bashir:''' (''firmly'') [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Hold. It. There.]]\ |
| 644 | '''Odo:''' (''complies silently'') |
| 645 | ** A rather minor character, but nonetheless memorable, Koloth establishes himself as an OldMaster with AwesomeEgo by sneaking up quietly on Odo and offering his name, completely seriously, as an explanation. |
| 646 | --->'''Odo''': How did you get in here?\ |
| 647 | '''Koloth''': I am Koloth.\ |
| 648 | '''Odo''': That doesn't answer my question.\ |
| 649 | '''Koloth''': Yes, it does. |
| 650 | * On ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', [[DashingHispanic Cristóbal Rios]] is introduced [[CigarChomper smoking a cigar]] and [[DrinkBasedCharacterization drinking aguardiente]] while paying little heed to the piece of tritanium in his shoulder. He also eschews the dermal regenerator once the shrapnel is removed and doesn't seem to care that he's still bleeding. Why, yes, he ''is'' a rugged badass, thanks for noticing. |
| 651 | * ''Series/StathLetsFlats'': The pilot opens with two prospective customers, waiting for Stath to arrive to show them a flat. When he arrives, he parks awkwardly on the curb, runs right by them – even though they're standing right next to a sign advertising his family business – only to circle back and introduce himself with, "Uh, 14-B Needham Road? Sorry I'm late. (jerks thumb behind him) I just ran over there." Right away, the show makes it abundantly clear that Stath isn’t very bright, says things that don't make any sense and is woefully bad at his job. |
| 652 | * ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'': |
| 653 | -->'''Jerri:''' Hello, I'm Jerri Blank and... and I'm an alcoholic. I'm also addicted to amphetamines, as well as mainline narcotics. Some people say I have a sex addiction, but I think all those years of prostitution was just a means to feed my ravenous hunger for heroin. It's kinda like the chicken or the nugget. The point is, I'm addicted to gambling. Thank you. (pauses) Oh, and... my daddy's in a coma. |
| 654 | * ''Series/StrangerThings:'' The opening D&D game between the four main boys in the pilot serves effectively as one for the entire party: |
| 655 | ** Mike's creativity and intelligence is shown off when he [[HammyHerald enthusiastically GMs]] for the other three, which also establishes him as TheLeader of the group. Later, when Will confesses that the Demogorgon got him, Mike reassures him and tells him to keep safe on his way home, demonstrating how he's AFatherToHisMen, of sorts. |
| 656 | ** Dustin plays defensively and urges Will to use a protection spell, demonstrating that he's TheSmartGuy with a thoughtful and pragmatic worldview. He then [[BigEater eats the last piece of pizza]]. |
| 657 | ** Lucas plays aggressively, is the first into the fray, and urges Will to take the offensive with a risky fireball spell, showing off his HotBlooded personality, but also his courage as TheLancer of the group. He later tells Will that if Mike didn't see him roll a seven, then it doesn't count, showing Lucas isn't afraid to bend the rules a little for the sake of his friends. |
| 658 | ** Will is unable to decide on a move in time, and his PC gets killed by the Demogorgon. Afterwards, despite the dice rolling off the table and no one seeing the result, he meets with Mike alone afterwards and admits that "[[{{Foreshadowing}} the monster got me]]", showing off his remarkable honesty and ultimate decency. When the Demogorgon is hunting him, Will's first instinct is to run to the shed and get the gun, showing that he's much smarter and braver than anyone gives him credit for. |
| 659 | ** Hopper wakes up on a filthy couch in a nauseatingly cluttered trailer, smokes a cigarette, brushes his teeth, washes down some pills with Schlitz, smokes another cigarette... and then puts on a police uniform. |
| 660 | ** [[BigBrotherInstinct Jonathan]] Byers nearly breaks down in tears towards the end of the pilot when Will is still missing and blames himself for it even though literally no part of it was his fault. Jonathan is '''''the''''' [[NiceGuy sweetest and most loyal]] big brother in television history. |
| 661 | ** Max drops a piece of paper in the trash can and then leaves, seemingly unaware that she's being watched by the party. When the boys dig through the can and find out what it was, it turns out the paper says "[[DeadpanSnarker stop stalking me, creeps]]". |
| 662 | ** Bob comes into Joyce's place of business and asks if she has Halloween decorations in any color other than orange. After a SmashCut to the two of them [[MakeoutKids making out like teenagers]] in the back room of the store, Joyce reminds him that they have plans that night, and Bob, without being prompted to, notes that it's [[CoolBigBro Jonathan]]'s night to pick the movie, showing what a great guy he is to Joyce and her sons, then leaves after 1) asking that Jonathan not pick something too scary and 2) snarkily pointing out a plastic pumpkin... [[BrickJoke that isn't orange.]] |
| 663 | ** Billy displays what a [[SarcasmMode lovely person]] he is in Season 2x02 when his younger sister Max meets up after his school to get driven home. |
| 664 | --->'''Billy:''' You're late.\ |
| 665 | '''Max:''' I had makeup homework...\ |
| 666 | '''Billy:''' [[{{Jerkass}} Yeah, I don't care! You're late one more time, and you're skateboarding home.]] |
| 667 | *** He follows this up by emotionally abusing her during a conversation in the car and then trying to ''run over Mike, Lucas, and Dustin'', and laughing about it afterwards. [[HateSink Billy is]] [[{{Understatement}} an unpleasant person.]] |
| 668 | * ''Series/{{Succession}}'': |
| 669 | ** Kendall's first scene is him (badly) rapping in the back of a limo while wearing noise-canceling headphones, much to his driver's chagrin; this shows how immature and out-of-touch he is (and also displays his unfortunate affinity for white boi rap). He then arrives at an important business meeting and immediately starts using casual youth lingo, showing that he's pretty unfit for the world of business. |
| 670 | ** Connor's first lines are explaining to a child how he's developing a parcel of land and wants to hoard the water on it for himself when the world starts to run out. This touches on Connor's lack of interest in the family business, his mild personality in most situations (talking to a child), and his weird political views. |
| 671 | ** In his first scenes, Greg gets fired from a low-level GoofySuit job at an amusement park after suffering a bad reaction to pot and then tries to unsuccessfully blame the entire situation on a contact high. This establishes him as a slacker, a loser, and a ConsummateLiar. |
| 672 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': |
| 673 | ** During the pilot, Dean was this snarky, flirty, junk-food-loving badass and the fans loved him for it but when it came to "I can't do this alone." "Yes, you can." "Yeah, well, I don't want to," his fate as a complicated [[TheWoobie woobie]] was sealed. |
| 674 | ** While remaining still quite whiny and closed off, Sam's first defining moment as the snarky little brother came with this line in the pilot: "You smell like a toilet." |
| 675 | ** Castiel gets a good one. He uses telekinesis (or possibly just the power of his presence) to break open the sealed door of the barn where Dean and Bobby are waiting and then proceeds to walk slowly over the line of salt (which would keep a demon or normal spirit out) and past every single binding circle Bobby drew without breaking stride while Dean and Bobby repeatedly shoot him, the entire building is shaking, and the overhead lights are exploding(the last two are direct results of his presence). Despite the chaos, he never flinches or even blinks, only seeming mildly curious about the sigils on the walls. |
| 676 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDzIS26aDK8 Death]], often considered by the fans to be the best entrance in the history of television. He pull ups in a [[CoolCar Cadillac El Dorado]], with the song "[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic O Death]]" playing in the background, and steps out of the car in his BadassLongcoat complete with ClassyCane. A random passerby, while texting, brushes him, then has the nerve to tell him to watch where he's going. The passerby walks a little bit further then abruptly drops dead, while Death never stops walking. |
| 677 | ** Crowley's very first interaction with the Winchesters sees him examine his immediate environment and discover the Devil's Trap under his rug, whereas [[BloodKnight most Demons]] would have [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard come right at the Winchesters and gotten themselves stuck]], and then [[DeadpanSnarker asking them if they have any idea how much the rug they defaced cost]]; foreshadowing him as a dangerously savvy antagonist and a Demon who is interested in more than death and destruction. |
| 678 | ** Charlie Bradbury comes into work listening to "Walking on Sunshine." When finally out of sight in an elevator, [[BlitheSpirit she rocks out happily to the music]] but composes herself the moment the elevator doors open again. |
| 679 | ** Ruby is introduced killing three of the Seven Deadly Sins with a knife, something until then thought impossible, establishing what an ActionGirl she is. When Sam asks who she is upon meeting her, she tells him "the girl who just saved your ass", establishing her mysteriousness and snarkiness. |
| 680 | ** Bela Talbot is introduced dressed up as a waiter and [[DistractedByTheSexy manages to distract Sam]] in order to [[FiveFingerDiscount steal the rabbit's foot from his pocket]] without him realizing. |
| 681 | ** Rowena is introduced [[DissonantSerenity calmly reading a book from her hotel room as blood drips from the ceiling.]] |
| 682 | [[/folder]] |
| 683 | |
| 684 | [[folder:T]] |
| 685 | * In the pilot episode for ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', [[RobotGirl Cameron]] has several moments that could count, from [[CarFu running over Cromartie with a truck]] and uttering the iconic "Come with me if you want to live" line, to her [[KungShui brawl with Cromartie that levels a house]] to her nonchalantly [[FullFrontalAssault beating up a group of drunks while stark naked.]] It's up to the viewer to figure out which one works best. |
| 686 | ** Her flirting with John showed she operated differently than [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger Ahnold]]. |
| 687 | * The very first two scenes of ''Series/TetanggaMasaGitu'' quickly establish the BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple dynamics between the four main characters. |
| 688 | ** Bastian shows Bintang their new house as a surprise even though she has already seen it. Because Bastian just wants to be romantic, Bintang happily plays along. |
| 689 | ** Angel disrupts Adi in an attempt to make him help her clean up the house. Adi is completely uncaring and just wants to paint. |
| 690 | * Malcolm Tucker in ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' with the first line he speaks in the series ("As useless as a marzipan dildo."), and his first action: first reassuring [[DecoyProtagonist Cliff Lawton]] that the Prime Minister doesn't want him to resign after a less-than-stellar run... and then comes "That's what makes it so difficult..." |
| 691 | * ''Series/ThisIsWonderland'': Alice is introduced waiting outside the courthouse for someone who isn't coming. Nancy shows up, says he isn't coming, and then leaves because her job is done. Zona is trying to keep multiple phone conversations going simultaneously but still has time to help Alice if only a little. Elliot is some scruffy weirdo who knows his way around the courtroom and checks out Alice's legs. James - the guy who didn't show up - doesn't show up, and when he does, he's wearing no pants under his desk. And Judge Frasier wears running shoes into court, sings to himself, and calls Alice "kiddo". |
| 692 | * ''Series/Titans2018'': |
| 693 | ** Donna's adult self is introduced happily retired from being a hero but good-naturally chiding Dick for burning his suit rather than just putting it in the closet like she did with hers, is happy to see Dick, says he can sleep on her couch [[NoodleIncident again]], playfully calls him Boy Wonder, challenges him to [[LeParkour a short race with some acrobatic jumps]], then invites him to a party a lot of civilians will be at to give him some perspective for his decision. All of which provides a good indicator of her character and relationship with Dick (especially for season one). |
| 694 | ** Rose makes a very dynamic entrance. Her first scenes have her stealing a car, then being filmed in real time beating the shit out of some cops. The Titans watch the news, very impressed by her abilities with Jason even calling Rose "a total badass". Later, Dick wanders the streets searching for the mysterious girl. Barely at the end of the episode, Jason discovers she is the daughter of Deathstroke. Her mere existence is very polarizing, creating disputations among the Titans, which serve as a foreshadow about [[spoiler:her being in cahoots with Slade]]. |
| 695 | ** Jason appears the first time in the show, in episode 5 of Season 1, saving Dick by [[BloodKnight enthusiastically]] beating the crap out of some soldiers sent by a cult named the Organization. As Robin, he was shown being cocky and confident. |
| 696 | ** We meet Hawk when he's chained up, being tortured, and snarking at the people torturing him. |
| 697 | ** The opening scene for Season 2 involves the Candlemaker massacring the spectators and the showman of a circus where Dorothy was held captive. |
| 698 | * Creator/WilliamShatner expressing his dislike for marshmallows in ''Series/TJHooker''. |
| 699 | * In ''Series/TrueBlood'', Lafayette walks up to a bunch of homophobic rednecks at a table in his restaurant and asks the question no fan will ever forget. "'Scuse me, who ordered the 'hamburger with AIDS'?" |
| 700 | * Officer Paul Woodrugh from ''Series/TrueDetective'''s second season is introduced being offered SexForServices by an actress after he catches her driving while intoxicated. After he refuses, she turns the story around and claims that ''he'' [[FalseRapeAccusation was the one who propositioned her]]. Since Paul happens to be ArmoredClosetGay and could easily refute the accusations if he just admitted the truth, this ends up demonstrating what a FatalFlaw his sexuality is for him. |
| 701 | * ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': |
| 702 | ** In "Dead Woman's Shoes", Maddie Duncan's first scene involves her walking down the street and immediately stepping out of the way of everyone in her path without saying a word, indicating that she is very shy, mousy, and withdrawn. |
| 703 | ** In the first scene of "Red Snow", KGB Colonel Ilyanov arrests a young dissident named Ivanovich for [[CulturePolice possessing banned books]] and orders the guards to send him to TheGulag. It turns out that Ivanovich is well known for his contact with Western agents and this is not his first offense. As such, his crimes warranted the death penalty. A high-ranking minister overrules Ilyanov's order and has Ivanovich put to death. Ilyanov is upset when he hears this but does not say anything. |
| 704 | ** "The Last Defender of Camelot" opens with Lancelot being approached by Tom and two other punks who intend to take him to Morgan le Fay. As Lancelot appears to be in his early 60s, they don't think that he will put up much of a fight. However, he proves to be extremely agile and, using his cane as a weapon, effortlessly defeats all three of them in less than a minute. |
| 705 | ** In the first scene of "Acts of Terror", Louise Simonson is shown to be a timid abused woman as she [[ClothingConcealedInjury nervously tries to hide the most recent of the many bruises]] given to her by her husband Jack, telling the mailman that she had an accident. When she goes back inside, Jack verbally abuses her because his lunch is five minutes late. |
| 706 | ** "Cat and Mouse" opens with the shy and timid Andrea Moffatt reading a RomanceNovel while avoiding any meaningful human contact. |
| 707 | [[/folder]] |
| 708 | |
| 709 | [[folder:U]] |
| 710 | * The first scene in ''Series/{{Utopia}}'' sees two hitmen, Arby and Lee, walk into a comic shop. Lee starts killing customers with [[TapOnTheHead a club]] and [[DeadlyGas poison gas]] whilst Arby quizzes the owner of the shop about the whereabouts of a manuscript. After everyone in the shop is dead, they MakeItLookLikeAnAccident and are just leaving when Arby spots a small boy hiding under the counter; [[HopeSpot Arby smiles and offers him some chocolate raisins]]. And then: |
| 711 | -->'''Arby''': [[WouldHurtAChild Don't put the gas away yet]]. |
| 712 | * ''Series/UtopiaFalls'': Brooklyn first appears when she comes late to a class, casually apologizing without being concerned. She's soon confirmed to be a bold, confident person, quite unlike her much more quiet, shy LoveInterest Sage. |
| 713 | [[/folder]] |
| 714 | |
| 715 | [[folder:V]] |
| 716 | * ''Series/VeronicaMars'' begins with Veronica's [[OpeningMonologue monologue]] while she's spying on a couple. The kind of character Veronica is becomes especially clear when she says "$40 an hour is cheap compared to the long-term financial security sordid photography can secure you... your offspring... your new lover." Cynical, jaded, witty, and sexy. Veronica in a nutshell. |
| 717 | [[/folder]] |
| 718 | |
| 719 | [[folder:W]] |
| 720 | * ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'': |
| 721 | ** The ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeNonDinosaurianReptiles Postosuchus]]'' in "New Blood" is introduced eating a ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeNonDinosaurianReptiles Placerias]]'' alive. |
| 722 | ** The ''[[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursTrueDinosaurs Allosaurus]]'' in "Time of the Titans" is introduced attacking a group of ''[[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursTrueDinosaurs Diplodocus]]'' infants. |
| 723 | ** The ''[[UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs Liopleurodon]]'' in "Cruel Sea" is introduced snatching a ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeLargeTheropods Eustreptospondylus]]'' in its mouth and eating it. |
| 724 | ** The ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeMammals Basilosaurus]]'' in "Whale Killer" is shown eating sharks in its first appearance. |
| 725 | * ''Series/TheWestWing'': |
| 726 | ** President Bartlet enters a meeting with Religious Right representatives, answering a question that was just asked by loudly quoting, "'I am the Lord, your God; thou shalt worship no other god before me!' Boy, those were the days, huh?" He then blows right through the demands they were making of his staff (they were wanting compensation for being publicly insulted by Josh), relays a story of an implied death threat being sent to his 12-year-old granddaughter by an extremist Christian group, and then demands that they publicly denounce said group -- "...and until you do, you can all get your fat asses out of my White House. CJ, show these people out." Not only was it an EstablishingCharacterMoment, it ''made'' the character; before then, the plan was to focus mainly on the White House staff with the president only appearing about four times a season, but Martin Sheen turned in such an impressive performance that they made Bartlet a regular. |
| 727 | ** Toby grumpily complaining to stewardesses while showing detailed knowledge of the aircraft and refusing to shut his cell phone off. |
| 728 | ** Sam sarcastically dismissing a journalist, while catching an attractive woman's eye... |
| 729 | ** Josh is in trouble for speaking too candidly to a right-winger. And Donna's reaction to Josh's problem, being supportive yet sassing him for his faux pas. |
| 730 | ** CJ at the gym, talking about her busy life and seeming to have it all together--and then falling off the treadmill. |
| 731 | ** The 7-minute walk-and-talk at the beginning of the pilot is Leo's, showing his competence, prickly nature, and the affection he holds for both the job and the people he works with. |
| 732 | *** There's also an argument to be made for his calling out Bartlet in "A Proportional Response": |
| 733 | ---->''"So, my friend, if you want to start using American military strength as the arm of the Lord, you can do that. We're the only superpower left. You can conquer the world, like Charlemagne! But you better be prepared to kill everyone. And you better start with me, because I will raise up an army against you and I will beat you!"'' |
| 734 | ** Some minor characters also get some very notable ones including Lord John Marbury ("Geraaaaaaaaaaaald?"), Ainsley Hayes (a smart and loquacious [[BlondeRepublicanSexKitten blonde Republican sex kitten]]) and Lionel Tribbey ("I will kill people today, Leo!"). |
| 735 | * ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'': |
| 736 | ** An openly naked Lan enters Moiraine's bath without any sexual reaction or comment from either of them, thus showing that their Warder bond is platonic and non-sexual in nature. |
| 737 | ** Eamon Valda, a [[KnightTemplar Questioner]] and one of the nastier Whitecloaks, is shown eating a roasted whole song-bird of some sort whose bones causes him to bleed from the mouth, visibly enjoying it and talking about the beauty of brutality, while a maimed Yellow Aes Sedai is being burned at the stake in front of him. He also flashes seven rings taken from executed Aes Sedai. |
| 738 | ** Liandrin Guirale, an Aes Sedai from the Red Ajah, leads a party of Red sisters in pursuit of Logain and tells him calmly about how male channelers make the Source 'filthy'. She's clearly enjoying gentling him while he screams in agony. |
| 739 | ** Logain Ablar seemingly single-handedly (his army is mentioned storming the walls, but no soldiers are shown) climbs the wall of the royal castle of Ghealdan, throws the king's soldiers aside, shrugs off arrows, forces the king on his knees and heals him -- all simply to persuade the king he's the true Dragon. All the while two figures woven out of Saidin keep nagging that nobody understands Logain and everybody's going to betray him. |
| 740 | ** Subverted for Siuan Sanche. Her behavior towards Moiraine in the Hall of Sitters, towards Nynaeve in her study and towards her lover ([[spoiler:also Moiraine]]) while in her bedroom (as well as her outfits and hairdos) differ so much, she may just as well be three different people. She's got many masks. |
| 741 | ** The first view of the Blight is a valley filled with some weird leafless weeping trees, whose thick branches curve slightly above human height and grow back into the ground. When Rand passes under one tree, he notices a human skull embedded in its trunk. |
| 742 | * The opening scene of the ''Series/{{White Collar}}'' pilot was ConMan [[BadassBookworm Neal]] [[LoveableRogue Caffrey]] escaping from prison and [[RefugeInAudacity walking right out the front door.]] |
| 743 | * ''Series/{{Wilfred}}'' seemed nice enough until he started [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist digging up Ryan's yard]]. |
| 744 | * ''Series/WillAndGrace'': Jack asked Grace if she thought he was gay and she says [[CampGay he's so gay]] that even dead people know. |
| 745 | * ''Series/TheWire'': |
| 746 | ** In the first episode, narcotics cop Shakima "Kima" Greggs is part of an operation to arrest some drug dealers in possession. Which they do. Carver pulls a pistol out of the car when Kima casually walks to the car and pulls out a shotgun. "Two guns." |
| 747 | ** Also the introduction of Ziggy Sobotka in season 2. "You're not getting your dick out in here again!". Cue MaleFrontalNudity. |
| 748 | ** In Marlo Stanfield's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0vgw-PeSFc&feature=related first appearance]], we see Bubbles and Johnny have a gun pulled on the both of them. Marlo enters and asks what's going on. When told, he simply says "Either do it or don't, but I've got someplace to be." Characterizing him as someone who, in all honesty, doesn't give a fuck about human life if it doesn't affect him. |
| 749 | ** "[[FlippingTheBird These are for you]], [=McNulty=]. This one is going up your narrow fucking Irish ass. And this one is in your fucking eye." Rawls' introductory scene is nothing if not memorable, and it establishes his adversarial relationship with [=McNulty=] right from the get-go. "You have my attention, Detective." |
| 750 | ** Omar patiently and methodically staking out a Barksdale stashhouse before he and his crew rob it. |
| 751 | * In the first episode of ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' Alex is introduced by having her convince her dad to do what she wants with puppy dog eyes. That was just the beginning. |
| 752 | * ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'' has a few in its first episode -- Herb hitting on Jennifer to let you know what a total sleazebag he is, for one -- but none are in grander fashion than the DJ, Johnny, who after losing a previous big job for saying "booger" on the air, leaving him stuck at WKRP in a ceaselessly boring "easy listening" format, seemingly has lost the will to live and sleepwalks through his shifts. When Andy gives him a big stack of rock records and tells him to change the format to rock & roll right in the middle of the day, ''Doctor Johnny Fever'' takes the mic -- a persona Johnny makes up on the spot -- and shows the on-air badass he truly is, giving him a new lease on life and instantly becoming the spirit of the show. |
| 753 | -->'''Johnny (over the intro to a rock song):''' And I almost forgot, my babies... ''BOOGERRRRRRR!!!'' |
| 754 | [[/folder]] |
| 755 | |
| 756 | [[folder:X]] |
| 757 | * ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' wandering through a burnt-out village with memories of her past showed her as TheAtoner. |
| 758 | ** A unique ECM was Najara. Xena beats up her men then Najara draws her sword. But instead of a battle, she sticks her sword in the ground, takes off her mask, and [[ApologeticAttacker tearfully asks Xena for forgiveness for attacking her]]. |
| 759 | ** Draco had an impressive one before he got demoted to joke character. He fights to the death a subordinate [[YouHaveFailedMe who failed him]] while nonchalantly issuing his orders to his lackey. |
| 760 | ** Callisto made quite the impression by becoming the first villain to catch Xena's chakram, establishing her as Xena's equal. |
| 761 | * On ''Series/TheXFiles'', the very first scene Mulder and Scully have together perfectly showcased both their personalities and firmly establishes the believer vs. skeptic dynamic. After Mulder explains the case he is working on: |
| 762 | -->'''Mulder:''' Do you believe in the existence of ''extraterrestrials''?\ |
| 763 | '''Scully:''' Logically, I would have to say no. Given the distances needed to travel from the far reaches of space, the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft's capabilities... \ |
| 764 | '''Mulder:''' Conventional wisdom. You know this Oregon female? She's the fourth person in her graduating class to die under mysterious circumstances. Now, when convention and science offer us no answers, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility? \ |
| 765 | '''Scully:''' The girl obviously died of something. If it was natural causes, it's plausible that there was something missed in the post-mortem. If she was murdered, it's plausible there was a sloppy investigation. What I find fantastic is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. The answers are there. You just have to know where to look. |
| 766 | [[/folder]] |
| 767 | |
| 768 | [[folder:Y]] |
| 769 | * In the pilot episode of ''Series/TheYoungOnes'', we learn everything we need to know about [[TheQuincyPunk Vyvyan]] when he [[ThereWasADoor crashes through the kitchen wall of the guys’ flat]] holding a severed human leg, then stomps over to the sink and kicks the basin clean off the wall. |
| 770 | [[/folder]] |
| 771 |
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