Award Snub: Although he managed to claim the Best Actor prize from the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), Jeremy Irons failed to receive an Academy Award nomination for his dual work as Elliot and Beverly. He'd have to wait for Reversal of Fortune for his nomination — and win. Notably, one of the people he thanked in his acceptance speech was... David Cronenberg. Geneviève Bujold won the LA critics Best Supporting Actress award herself (in combination with The Moderns.)
It's next to impossible for a woman to watch Beverly's gynecological procedures without wincing. Those instruments....
The nightmare sequence itself, featuring the only moment of explicit, onscreen body horror in the film.
Squick: Speaking of the nightmare sequence... it's all kinds of squick. Watching Claire tear through the tissue that conjoins Beverly and Elliot at the stomach with her teeth is horrifyingly disgusting.
Tear Jerker: For all the Squick and Body Horror, many people find it one of the most moving of Cronenberg's films. Cronenberg talked of one film executive who said, after seeing it, "Why do I feel so fucking sad?" Cronenberg believed that something in the film said something about the intrinsic sadness of the human condition.
Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Two fairly unpleasant people descend into drug addiction and madness for two hours. It's especially egregious because a) both are very talented and could do a lot of good to help people if they put their mind to it, and b) both have the chance to step away from their self-destructive paths but end up destroying each other in the end.
The effects to create two Jeremy Ironses onscreen are remarkable for the time. Especially a scene where they walk past a bunch of candles, with none seeming to change height while crossing the screen.
Another flawless scene shows the two Jeremy Ironses walking and talking side by side.
Values Dissonance: Claire is shown to be hurt and upset by the Bed Trick Beverly and Elliott pull with her, but she forgives Beverly at least relatively quickly. There doesn't appear to be any recognition in the story that what they did to her would be considered rape today.
The 2017 special races back and forth across the line.
"Come, Mister Trump. It is time to keep your appointment with The Wicker Man."
The "Osama & Sadd" sketches from the TV Show, portraying Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein in bed together doing a Morecambe and Wise comedy routine. Especially controversial being done in 2003.
Ensemble Dark Horse: "Brexit Bulldog" David Davis, who receives a cheer from the audience every time he shows up.
The phone-call sketch where the Fourth Doctor phones a man at a home goods store telling him the Daleks have an insidious plan to use light refracted off of car indicators to turn various items into new Daleks.
President Bartlet informing his staff he is not the actual President, and their horror at seeing just who is.
What is that?!
George Lucas' editing other films to include Star Wars characters ends up with Psycho getting remade so that in the famous shower scene, Marion Crane stabs Jar-Jar Binks to death.
Gardener's Question Time getting stoned off hash brownies.
Dimbleby:Question Time, I let you go... (Dimbleby regenerates) Fiona Bruce: Oh, brilliant. I'm a woman now. The BBC will get letters.
The hosts of Today getting high rather than facing No-Deal Brexit.
John Hammond: They didn't tell us Brexit was going to be rainbow-flavoured!
From the 2019 election special, Theresa May's truly spectacular breakdown after Boris Johnson's win.
From the same special, Nicola Sturgeon's gloating over the SNP's own good luck in the election.
From the 2021 series, there's the Beeb's football coverage getting increasingly scared over England's good luck in the EUFA league... and their odd expression of this fear.
Rio Ferdinand: History shows us the danger of belief. Copernicus and Galileo both believed somethin' contrary to the teachin's of the church, and they both got a straight red for it.
Gary starts to agree.
Gary: Look at Joseph, he dared to believe he was superior to his brothers, and look what happened to him. Alan: Yeah. ... lovely coat, though, to be fair.
Alan Shearer's response to Garry Lineker asking if they "dare to dream".
Alan: Well, dreaming is an act that cannot be consciously willed, so showin' bravery in that context is logically inconsistent.
From the fifth episode, their fear has gotten so bad Alan and Rio refuse to speak about football at all, just in case.
Gary: Well, what can we talk about? Rio: Dunno. The weather? Teeth? What's your favourite cereal, Alan? Alan: Toast? Rio: See, great stuff.
Alan gets in on it, insisting Gary change the topic.
Alan: Did you have an unhappy childhood? Is there a god? Is it ethical to eat meat when octopuses can open a jam jar?
Sue Barker responding poorly to a tennis player saying he doesn't think Wimbledon is the best thing that ever happened to him.
Sue Barker: Blasphemer! Blasphemer! Remove the blasphemer!
As Boris Johnson notes that he's sounding like Donald Trump, he starts turning into Trump. The result, as he alternates between Boris mimicking Trump and vice-versa, really has to be heard to be believed.
The sketch in which Amy Winehouse sings a parody of Rehab about wanting to get into the bathroom so that she can be sick because she's incredibly drunk. Not only because she later died of alcohol poisoning, but also because it emerged that she'd suffered with bulimia.
In the 2018 series, one sketch has Laura Kuensberg making up scandals in order to generate news For the Evulz. Then, in the run-up to the 2019 election, the actual Kuensberg was embroiled in a scandal after falsely accusing a Labour party activist of assaulting a Conservative rival.
The Fourth Doctor suspected there was something alien about the London Eye. When Doctor Who returned, the first episode involved the Nestene Consciousness using the Eye as a transmitter.
After a few years of the series portraying Michael Gove with Vicky Pollard-esque mannerisms and speech patterns, Gove himself did an impression while fending off a no-confidence vote.
The sketches poking fun at Time have the characters enforcing wall-to-wall misery so the show will win at the BAFTAs. Time did indeed go on to win a BAFTA, looks like they were onto something.
Suspiciously Similar Song: Notably avoided for the most part due to their targets usually also being BBC productions, though there were a couple of exceptions.
while fending off a no-confidence vote.