Given that the series deals with a man grieving the death of his beloved wife, expect to keep a box of tissues handy.
Spoilers will be unmarked.
- The videos that Tony constantly watches of Lisa, both the messages she leaves him, as well as the flashback clips which show how vibrant and loving their marriage was.
- Perhaps the most heart-breaking one (prior to the Season 2 finale, that is) is Tony filming Lisa after she's first lost her hair due to chemo treatment. Like the rest of the videos, he jokingly teases her... before he breaks down in tears and says that she's never looked more beautiful.
- Julian, the paper's delivery man starts bonding with Tony. When Tony hears of his problems, he goes from writing off Julian as a self-pitying deadbeat who blames everyone else for his problems, to offering him money so he can buy enough drugs to OD. And given how miserable Tony was in Series 1, this was considered character development for him.
- Doubles as Heartwarming, but Sandy begging Tony to "please be happy" because he has too much to offer the world.
- Brian's attempt at stand-up comedy, which opens with him warning the audience that he's done some things he's not proud of before telling two jokes that sounded awful even without the punchlines being thinly-veiled rants against his cheating ex-wife. It's little wonder he ran off the stage in pieces.
- The death of Tony's father in the penultimate episode of Season 2.
- The Season 2 finale. After his father's death, a broken Tony decides to try and commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills after watching Lisa's final video. Even more heartbreakingly, Brandy the dog, who saved Tony from slitting his wrists prior to Season 1, seems to know exactly what Tony is planning, and goes wild barking at him as if to say "stop", yet Tony seems committed to it this time. It's only the timely arrival of Emma at his doorstep that saves his life.
- "Now I can sleep." One sentence which reduces Tony to a sobbing mess for the first time in the entire series.
- After Series 2 ended with Emma coming to Tony's house, you'd think they'd become an official couple. Instead, Tony keeps her at arm's length because he's still in love with Lisa, and Emma is fully aware of this.
- Tony meeting with a child with cancer and her sister who has shaved her head in solidarity, especially when he discovers that her name is Lisa.
- The end of the Series 3 finale. Tony's attended the festival with Brandy and basks in the happiness of all the people he knows, several cases of which were of his own doing. He then decides to leave, saying goodbye only to Lenny who looks greatly concerned. The final shot is of Tony and Brandy walking away. Lisa fades into the shot, as if to say that she's with them in spirit, only to fade away a few seconds later. The season changes, and then Brandy fades away, implying that she eventually passed on as per a dog's natural lifespan. The shot then takes the Tearjerker up to eleven by showing Tony fading away mere seconds later, implying that he might not live long enough to come to terms with the death of his canine companion.
