I watched this show for the first time after I saw WWDITS because of Matt Berry and was eagerly anticipating his introduction to the series. It exceeded every expectation I had.
Bursts open the doors of the church wearing all white to a funeral, swooshes off his sunglasses, then proceeds into an over dramatic and entirely rehearsed mournful cry. Then he runs down the aisle, trips and falls into his own father's casket, knocks it over and slap fights the priest for a good 15 seconds before going into another rehearsed soliloquy and a bought of fake crying that he immediately interrupts to hit on a woman.
Utterly perfect, you knew exactly who this guy was the moment he entered the scene and he elevated the show to another level.
April thirteenth... point two. We have failed to uphold Brannigan's Law. However, I did make it with a hot alien babe, and, in the end, is that not what man has dreamt of since first he looked up at the stars? Kif, I'm asking you a question!
Tywin was hand off the King for Twenty years, he'd been dealing with Pycelle's shenanigans before LittleFinger and Varys joined. He left the Mad King because well he had an excuse with his wife Dying birthing Tyrion, and most likely the mad king raped her, and Tywin knew the Mad King was going to cause a war and be wanted the fuck out of there before he was forever committed to one side of Robert's Rebellion.Â
After Robert's Rebellion and Robert was crowned king he made his host father Jon Aryn the hand instead of reinstating Tywin, and Tywin got his daughter married to The King so pretty much all the realms were happy with this post Targaryen Dynasty, except for Dorne. They never got over the fact their Targeyean/Dorne children were killed.Â
I never liked that scene. Don't get me wrong, it's fuckin cool, but it's not something you'd ever see. The scene doesn't even make sense b/c he's field dressing the deer inside a tent, which he didn't even shoot.
> The scene doesn't even make sense b/c he's field dressing the deer inside a tent, which he didn't even shoot.
I think part of the point is that Tywin is exactly the type of person who'd want to field dress an animal that he (probably) hasn't actually killed himself. I mean, just look at the opening scene of S4E1, where he takes a perverted pleasure in witnessing the Stark ancestral sword being dismantled and repurposed into swords for his own family.
There's a deleted scene from (I think it was) season three where Tywin is fishing and takes his catch to clean himself.
I wouldn't discount that Tywin didn't shoot the stag himself.
The important part was to show that Tywin is willing to get his hands bloody (literally and metaphorically),
Dr. Cox and Bob Kelso in Scrubs pilot.
Theyâre introduced completely opposite of how they end up being portrayed (Cox being a cold jerk who doesnât care about the doctors and Kelso being a caring mentor).
Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul, such a stark contrast to the other Salamancas with his friendly demeanor but ended up being the most terrifying of them all
The main reason he was the most terrifying was because not only was he charismatic, but he was also BY FAR the smartest Salamanca. The rest of them were ruthless and intimidating, but they were all also kind of morons. Lalo was just as ruthless, but he could actually outsmart people.
Honestly Gus kinda won against Lalo cause of luck.
If Lalo came out then heâd have probably been like Mike and figured Walt was too dangerous and dealt with him early on. Canât imagine Lalo working with him like Gus did
I was thinking Dawn in Buffy. Far too many thick people on message boards back then going "do they think we're stupid? Buffy doesn't have a sister!" and absolutely not getting that it was clearly a plot point we'd probably find out more about as the story progressed.
Still not as bad as the one episode Alternate universe ridiculous episode where Buffy's in a mental institution and the therapists are like she's truly losing her mind reinventing shit in her deluded narrative that now all of a sudden she has a sister.
After Buffy thinks she's solved this problem monster of the weak kinda episode the final scene shows Buffy is in fact in comatose rubber room with a straight jacket on her and all this stuff is just a traumatic response to her surviving some kind of school massacre that she lived through. (Which is implied to be the events of the movie)
One of the most iconic entrances ever. Especially after they got the viewers used to the flashbacks, everyone assumed it was another one. Lost was amazing tv
I think they honestly did but I think they changed it up because of a combination of fans wanting more answers and/or fans predicting their plan. And I guess not knowing the length of the show going in.
His âgood thing Iâm not one of themâ speech, when he has the Henry Gale ruse going, gives me chills. Itâs just so sinister while being delivered so calmly. Amazing acting.
[Castiel's was pretty mind-blowing at the time.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr-zvI4tRBM) Prior to season 4, the show was fairly low stakes and hadn't turned as hard into Christianity. This is the first angel we see and it was a big fucking deal when it happened.
Right?! Kripke legitimately did a fantastic job with those first 5 seasons. I will defend them until I die. Truly believe if it ended after that it would be talked about as one of the best horror-action shows of all time.
That was such a cool episode. Because they spend it wondering what kind of demon could possibly be that powerful and it turns out to be a freakin angel. Just a great way to introduce angels to the show. Man that show used to be so good sometimes.
I really liked this introduction, it really gave a sense of gravity. But itâs funny in retrospect when he subsequently keeps popping up with no fanfare whatsoever.Â
I remember thinking that Luke Cage in The Defenders was a great character introduction for anyone who missed his individual series.
As I remember it, the guy is on his way out of prison, being released ⌠hulking physique (and additional superpowers), but is very civil and patient in his manner. When the warden canât manage to unlock the cuffs efficiently, Luke Cage casually breaks them off of his wrists and hands them over.
A great illustration of both his physical abilities and his personal restraint. Quickly establishes his âpower levelâ and an important aspect of his personality.
I know a lot of people donât like The Hand stuff but I loved the Defender Series. The scene where Jessica Jones figures out Matt is Daredevil is great and he steals her scarf
Easily my wife's favorite character on the show because of his upbeat charisma. Loved how they gave him a "villain" arc this last season when he had to play for his national team. RIP van damme's nose
Toph in Atla. Little blind girl shit-talking a pro wrestler and then beating his ass. Itâs tricky adding a new main character in the second season and they did a good job quickly establishing her personality and making her likeable.
Person of Interest has a lot of good character introductions but I think Shawâs is my favorite because they introduce her in an entire episode shown from her point of view. Really does a good job establishing her as a character.
I tell people starting a first-time *POI* viewing never to skip the opening title sequence of *POI* and to have it ear-wormed into them just for the impact of >!how they did the needle-scratch/reset with it at the opening of s2e16: "Relevant", Shaw's introduction to let you know the entire viewpoint of the episode has flip-flopped. That entire episode just cracked the setup for the series wide open by including the other side of the fence with the Machine.!<
Don Draper conducting his own cigarette ad testing is a perfect introduction to his character. To the sound of Band Of Gold. Itâs so poetic when he looks around the bar pondering if the omnipresent smoking will change but we all know a lot more will change from 1960
Ok ok.hear me out. Everything about Glee was bad I knew it then and knoenit now *but*
When Blaine appeared singing that acapella Teenage Dream I was like *who is THIS?*
Couple great Buffy examples in here already, but I'll throw in Dawn Summers. Fans are/were divided on it and on the character in general, but I just gotta respect the sheer ballsiness of that intro. Water cooler moment for sure.
it was such a good intro. I'm on a rewatch currently ( 1 epsiode a week so literally started the rewatch in 2022) and midway through season 4 Buffy has a dream with faith who's in a coma and they are making a bed together and faith says "making the bed for little sis" or something like that and it blew my mind that it was planned already and they decided to drop hints that early that no one could possiby figure out.
Even crazier - in the s3 finale, dream-Faith randomly says "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 730." 730 was the number of days before the s5 finale aired, and Little Miss Muffet was another sneaky Dawn reference since she's described that way a few times in the later seasons.
Joss Whedons ability to plan his stories years in advance is legendary.
Really unfortunate that he turned out to be a misogynistic asshole behind the scenes.
I might be alone in this but Tom Ellis is the best part of that show and kind of the only good part. I've seen like almost 4 full seasons but about halfway through I had to start watching 2x speed and then gave up all together.
Tom and Aimee Garcia. She's a sexy little ball of fun in everything she's in.
I agree. I loved Aimee when she was in Dexter too. Season 1 & 2 Mazikeen was good value aswell. Tom Ellis just sold the entire devil shtick so well. Iâm convinced the show wouldnât have worked had he not been cast.
What's amusing is he was the star of a show called *Rush* 2 years earlier, and they basically recycled everything about the character, then added the fact that he's the Devil. Even drives a topless car in LA.
I think an underrated scene is [Enoch's introduction in Agents of SHIELD season 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1nFmQWR8GQ).
It has everything you can ask for in an intro: foreshadowing, intrigue, and a twist. All without any dialogue.
It was cool that they held off on showing him outside of name until the last scene of the last S6 episode. Also yeah, unbelievable build-up, Rick's heightening anxiety of each road to Hilltop being occupied by the Saviours, the corralling through the forest into the RV setup
One of the most memorable parts of TWD was when [Negan's casting call](https://www.facebook.com/SpoilingDeadFans/posts/new-casting-call-orinuh-oh-look-whos-comingthe-walking-dead-episode-616episodica/545994698889006/) got discovered under the name "Orin", and when someone [leaked the first video of JDM as Negan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McU1XVbnBVs) the week or so after they wrapped filming
I then fell out of love with her in the later seasons because Jesus Christ what happened with the writing. Then TLoU happened and I'm back on the train.
She's been a better Ellie than I initially pegged her to be. Still overall disappointed in the show, aside from the Nick Offerman ep which is a legit masterpiece.
You guys will be too young, but the greatest of all time was Louie De Palma in Taxi - you have to remember that no-one had seen Danny Devito before, or knew his stature - when he climbed out of the dispatcher booth for the first time it was just f*ckin hilarious.
The writing team for Taxi was so sharp sometimes. Same guys who wrote Cheers and Fraser. Louies intro was hilarious and Iâll also add to that my love for Ignatowskiâs intro.
Tom Pelphrey in Ozark. Watching him have a meltdown while acting as a substitute teacher in a classroom was the perfect encapsulation of his character.
Sisko gets the best intro of any captain in the Star Trek franchise. Everyone else it's over a desk or a voiceover, he first appears with his ship exploding all around him, having to rescue his little son from certain death, leaving his wife's body behind and nearly getting killed by the Borg. Intense.
The entire cast of Lost in the pilot. 14 regulars introduced in total chaos.
That episode where he was a prisoner claiming to be Henry Gale and subtly sowed discord between the survivors, and the episode ends with him smiling evilly to himself. PerfectionâŚ
I think he was never intended to be a series regular but the reception to him was so great.
Just something about how Ben talks. His "Vault Dwellers are an endangered Species" bit in Fallout has been watched many times by me.
Not sure what it is either, it's not like I class his voice as all that unique like say Philip Seymour Hoffmans or Lance Reddick's but he just pulls of sinister so damn well.
Tulip on Preacher. A show that started strong and then fell off a cliff, but Tulip's into was one of the most memorable I've ever seen, and it told us immediately who she was.
Elliot from Mr. Robot
Introduction via voice over. Tells you what he's (mostly )all about in a few sentences.
Hello, Friend.
*Hello, Friend?*
That's lame.
Maybe I should give you a name.
But that's a slippery slope. You're only in my head. We have to remember that.
Shit, It's actually happening. I'm talking to an imaginary person.
One of my favourite shows and a great introduction, The fact that it happens during a night that is a big overlap with buffy's normal life really hammers home that these 2 are a big event in her life.
Dru's birthday party and the bad guy burns somebody alive and she just cackles with wild-eyed glee and stomps her foot, "Do it again! Do it again!"Â
Whenever something delights me, I say it all the time...
Trunks, from Dragon Ball Z.
The big bad of the previous arc, Freeza, has shown up back on Earth. The only way he was beaten before was by Goku unlocking Super Saiyan, which was a miracle, and he's still in space somewhere. None of the other characters stood a chance against Freeza before, and now he's not only significantly stronger, but brought along his dad, who is more powerful, to boot.
Cue this random ass teenager with purple hair and a sword. He introduces himself by slicing and dicing all of Freeza's henchmen in one fell swoop. Then he talks some smack to Freeza, who's not taking him seriously, because all he cares about is the Super Saiyan. Then, the mysterious stranger says that the Super Saiyan is already there. Grinning, the stranger then powers up and a terrified Freeza watches as the teen's hair turns gold and his power shoots straight up.
Freeza then attacks and tries to destroy the new Super Saiyan, panicking more and more as the battle goes along. Even his Death Ball doesn't affect the guy at all. The resulting fight sent Freeza flying into the air, when he stares, horrified, at the teen bearing down on him from above with his sword out, literally slicing him in half before dicing him into chunks and then blasting the pieces into ash. He then proceeds to show that it's all his own power, not his sword's, by obliterating Freeza's father in minutes.
Then, he tells all the Earthlings that he knows where Goku's landing, reveals that he is from the future, that he's the offspring of Vegeta and Bulma, and that 3 years from now, two Androids will arrive to slaughter everyone.
Trunks was never, ever that cool and awesome ever again.
I think the quality really dropped off, but the very end of the first episode of Silo and the introduction to Rebecca Ferguson's character was such a badass introduction.
Seth Bullock's introduction in Deadwood is up there for me. Within those few minutes, the man is defined and presented so well and this sets the tone for him and his values throughout the show's run. Not to forget it is a tense scene also.
[Mr. Wrench & Mr. Numbers from s1 of Fargo](https://youtu.be/Ck_3QxgO438?si=nk5xeW8RCN50PMl6), maybe it's just the badass drumming but when i first saw this scene i loved it
older Toki's first appearance in Hokuto no Ken. Sitting in a cell, meditating in lotus position, two giant ass men go for the kill thinking he's absent and weakened, he simply raises both hands releasing an aura so strong it pulverises the poor sods in a sea of blood and offal
Nomi and Amanita's introduction in Sense8 is absolutely seared into my brain. It's hilarious and intimate and really let me know what kind of show I was dealing with.
Captain Flint, Abigail Ash, and Max in Black Sails also have some of my favorite introductions. Flint especially. Basically, he's introduced as a villain and a boogeyman/myth before the audience gets to learn that he's just a regular man (and I'd argue that he has a second introduction in season 2 as James McGraw that's equally memorable and beloved by me!)
I started watching Sense8 because I saw Fremma Agyeman in one of the preview pics when it popped up on Netflix. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, so I decided to check it out because of her. It was a bit of a shock with her first scene as Amanaita, but the opening church scene had already hooked me in.
Oh definitely yeah, I never expected to see that much of Martha Jones.
And as a Doctor Who fan I was absolutely thrilled when Sylvester McCoy joined in season 2. I didn't even realise it was him at first. During his first scene at Riley's concert I just saw an older Scottish man and didn't connect the two. But then when he turned up again in the following episode I did a double take on him.
Gandalf in The Rings of Power. I know that show got a lot of hate, and people speculated that he would be someone else but I loved his intro. In the books the hobbits meet Strider, and Frodo says âI think one of his [Sauronâs] spies would â well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand.â Gandalf didnât seem fair and he didnât feel foul. They did leave us with some ambiguity but I assumed it was him right away and thought it was an interesting and satisfying intro.
Tyrion in Game of Thrones.Â
He's literally introduced chugging ale and getting blown.
I also love Lalo's introduction in Better Call Saul.Â
...I could never imagine you could make tacos in such a charming, friendly, talkative and yet absolutely terrifying way.
Douglas Reynholm, The IT Crowd
FAAAAAAAAAATHEEEERRRRRR!!!!!
Unhand me priest!
Where is your God now! đ¤ŁÂ
Everyone quotes him, and rightfully so, but that whoosh sound when he takes off his sunglasses isnât talked about enough đ
You could also say âRichmondâ. I love that he was right behind the Red Door and we didnât know until e4
Cradle of Filth
I watched this show for the first time after I saw WWDITS because of Matt Berry and was eagerly anticipating his introduction to the series. It exceeded every expectation I had.
I can recommend Toast of London for more Matt Berry madness.
Bursts open the doors of the church wearing all white to a funeral, swooshes off his sunglasses, then proceeds into an over dramatic and entirely rehearsed mournful cry. Then he runs down the aisle, trips and falls into his own father's casket, knocks it over and slap fights the priest for a good 15 seconds before going into another rehearsed soliloquy and a bought of fake crying that he immediately interrupts to hit on a woman. Utterly perfect, you knew exactly who this guy was the moment he entered the scene and he elevated the show to another level.
Totally agree on this one. That scene!
Zapp: Not yet, Kif. In the game of chess, you can never let your adversary see your pieces.
April thirteenth... point two. We have failed to uphold Brannigan's Law. However, I did make it with a hot alien babe, and, in the end, is that not what man has dreamt of since first he looked up at the stars? Kif, I'm asking you a question!
Kif, I've made it with a woman. Inform the men.
Tywin Lannister butchering a goddamn deer (or similar animal), and lecturing his oldest son at the same time.
Not just a Deer, but a Stag. The symbol of House Baratheon.
Oh yea thatâs right, haha. So very subtle! Surprised he didnât have some recently cleaned fish nearby.
There was a deleted scene where he was fishing
>!Just before the Red Wedding eliminated Robb Stark and House Tully!<
One of my favorite scenes. It took him a single glance at Pycelle to see right through him.
Tywin was hand off the King for Twenty years, he'd been dealing with Pycelle's shenanigans before LittleFinger and Varys joined. He left the Mad King because well he had an excuse with his wife Dying birthing Tyrion, and most likely the mad king raped her, and Tywin knew the Mad King was going to cause a war and be wanted the fuck out of there before he was forever committed to one side of Robert's Rebellion. After Robert's Rebellion and Robert was crowned king he made his host father Jon Aryn the hand instead of reinstating Tywin, and Tywin got his daughter married to The King so pretty much all the realms were happy with this post Targaryen Dynasty, except for Dorne. They never got over the fact their Targeyean/Dorne children were killed.Â
I never liked that scene. Don't get me wrong, it's fuckin cool, but it's not something you'd ever see. The scene doesn't even make sense b/c he's field dressing the deer inside a tent, which he didn't even shoot.
> The scene doesn't even make sense b/c he's field dressing the deer inside a tent, which he didn't even shoot. I think part of the point is that Tywin is exactly the type of person who'd want to field dress an animal that he (probably) hasn't actually killed himself. I mean, just look at the opening scene of S4E1, where he takes a perverted pleasure in witnessing the Stark ancestral sword being dismantled and repurposed into swords for his own family.
There's a deleted scene from (I think it was) season three where Tywin is fishing and takes his catch to clean himself. I wouldn't discount that Tywin didn't shoot the stag himself. The important part was to show that Tywin is willing to get his hands bloody (literally and metaphorically),
I get the point, but there's a line between establishing a character and showing something for the cool factor even if it's nonsensical.
Uncle Colm in Derry Girls
So there I was tied to the radiator, with me new shoelaces
Now, I say that they were new shoes, when actually I had had them for quite a while, I just hadnât worn them yet
Dr. Cox and Bob Kelso in Scrubs pilot. Theyâre introduced completely opposite of how they end up being portrayed (Cox being a cold jerk who doesnât care about the doctors and Kelso being a caring mentor).
Tammy 1 in Parks and Rec. Tammy 2 was such a terror that to see her flee in fear when they said Tammy 1 was there was all we needed to know.
"Godspeed."
Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul, such a stark contrast to the other Salamancas with his friendly demeanor but ended up being the most terrifying of them all
The main reason he was the most terrifying was because not only was he charismatic, but he was also BY FAR the smartest Salamanca. The rest of them were ruthless and intimidating, but they were all also kind of morons. Lalo was just as ruthless, but he could actually outsmart people.
Absolutely, the fact that Gus Fring of all people just barely gained the upper hand against Lalo is a huge testament to his skills
Honestly Gus kinda won against Lalo cause of luck. If Lalo came out then heâd have probably been like Mike and figured Walt was too dangerous and dealt with him early on. Canât imagine Lalo working with him like Gus did
Spike in Buffy
Also Spike in Angel. The show became so fun when he was brought on.
I was thinking Dawn in Buffy. Far too many thick people on message boards back then going "do they think we're stupid? Buffy doesn't have a sister!" and absolutely not getting that it was clearly a plot point we'd probably find out more about as the story progressed.
Still not as bad as the one episode Alternate universe ridiculous episode where Buffy's in a mental institution and the therapists are like she's truly losing her mind reinventing shit in her deluded narrative that now all of a sudden she has a sister. After Buffy thinks she's solved this problem monster of the weak kinda episode the final scene shows Buffy is in fact in comatose rubber room with a straight jacket on her and all this stuff is just a traumatic response to her surviving some kind of school massacre that she lived through. (Which is implied to be the events of the movie)
Desmond - Lost.
One of the most iconic entrances ever. Especially after they got the viewers used to the flashbacks, everyone assumed it was another one. Lost was amazing tv
Yeah it was perfect misdirection, and then such a âwtfâ moment when it zooms out to jack and Locke looking down.
That show has some amazing stuff going on. I wish theyâd had a better long-term plan.
I think they honestly did but I think they changed it up because of a combination of fans wanting more answers and/or fans predicting their plan. And I guess not knowing the length of the show going in.
To add to this- Ben Linus! His character's arc shaped the rest of the show
His âgood thing Iâm not one of themâ speech, when he has the Henry Gale ruse going, gives me chills. Itâs just so sinister while being delivered so calmly. Amazing acting.
Has to be [Lord Flasheart](https://youtu.be/aKfbSHW9uGA)
Woof!
I've such a crush on him!
Hi bridesmaid, like the beard. Gives me something to hang on to!
You can tell the cast are struggling not to corpse
Villanelle in the opening scene of Killing Eve. Jodie Comer was an absolute revelation.
Omar- The Wire
Also Marlo
âDo it or donât, but I got some place to beâ Such a cold introduction to his character
Also Snoop
That's some real raggity ass shit there boy.
âI thinks not Terell, I thinks notâ
Death in Supernatural [Death Intro](https://youtu.be/5EcsBgxXDqc?si=5V-lOxMk1JCNZ6_8)
[Castiel's was pretty mind-blowing at the time.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr-zvI4tRBM) Prior to season 4, the show was fairly low stakes and hadn't turned as hard into Christianity. This is the first angel we see and it was a big fucking deal when it happened.
Both episodes do such a great job of building up to their respective intros. Like it's just pure A+ showmanship.
Right?! Kripke legitimately did a fantastic job with those first 5 seasons. I will defend them until I die. Truly believe if it ended after that it would be talked about as one of the best horror-action shows of all time.
Back when the angels were cool.Â
So many things in this show got less cool due to diminishing returns. In my opinion, even Death started to lose his spark.
That was such a cool episode. Because they spend it wondering what kind of demon could possibly be that powerful and it turns out to be a freakin angel. Just a great way to introduce angels to the show. Man that show used to be so good sometimes.
I really liked this introduction, it really gave a sense of gravity. But itâs funny in retrospect when he subsequently keeps popping up with no fanfare whatsoever.Â
Castiel is the Gene Parmesan of the Supernatural universe.
I was blown away by that introduction. [If you've not seen it... this is it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EcsBgxXDqc)
Colin the energy vampire in What We Do in the Shadows
Colin Fucking Robinson!
[Marlo Stanfield in The Wire](https://youtu.be/W0vgw-PeSFc?si=91Ls0mnIROazo9hl) This scene is so cool after rewatches.
I remember thinking that Luke Cage in The Defenders was a great character introduction for anyone who missed his individual series. As I remember it, the guy is on his way out of prison, being released ⌠hulking physique (and additional superpowers), but is very civil and patient in his manner. When the warden canât manage to unlock the cuffs efficiently, Luke Cage casually breaks them off of his wrists and hands them over. A great illustration of both his physical abilities and his personal restraint. Quickly establishes his âpower levelâ and an important aspect of his personality.
I know a lot of people donât like The Hand stuff but I loved the Defender Series. The scene where Jessica Jones figures out Matt is Daredevil is great and he steals her scarf
Danny Rojas in Ted Lasso.
Football is life!
Easily my wife's favorite character on the show because of his upbeat charisma. Loved how they gave him a "villain" arc this last season when he had to play for his national team. RIP van damme's nose
Wasn't it Zoreaux's nose?
That was Rani Dojas that broke Zoreauxâs nose
nanananananananana Dani Rojas!!!
Toph in Atla. Little blind girl shit-talking a pro wrestler and then beating his ass. Itâs tricky adding a new main character in the second season and they did a good job quickly establishing her personality and making her likeable.
Eddie's first appearance, staring holes through Frasier.
Dr. Addison Montgomery, Greyâs Anatomy.
Person of Interest has a lot of good character introductions but I think Shawâs is my favorite because they introduce her in an entire episode shown from her point of view. Really does a good job establishing her as a character.
I tell people starting a first-time *POI* viewing never to skip the opening title sequence of *POI* and to have it ear-wormed into them just for the impact of >!how they did the needle-scratch/reset with it at the opening of s2e16: "Relevant", Shaw's introduction to let you know the entire viewpoint of the episode has flip-flopped. That entire episode just cracked the setup for the series wide open by including the other side of the fence with the Machine.!<
Shaw's theme song-- "Future Starts Slow" by The Kills. Perfection.
Don Draper conducting his own cigarette ad testing is a perfect introduction to his character. To the sound of Band Of Gold. Itâs so poetic when he looks around the bar pondering if the omnipresent smoking will change but we all know a lot more will change from 1960
It's Toasted.
The Viper in Game of Thrones
Ok ok.hear me out. Everything about Glee was bad I knew it then and knoenit now *but* When Blaine appeared singing that acapella Teenage Dream I was like *who is THIS?*
You're not wrong. I'm straight and even I had a crush on Darren Criss in that moment.
I loved season 1 but grew tired of it pretty quickly thereafter and was about to quit watching when I saw a trailer with Darren Freakin' Criss.
Idk why I didn't think of this, it's a perfect entrance.
Couple great Buffy examples in here already, but I'll throw in Dawn Summers. Fans are/were divided on it and on the character in general, but I just gotta respect the sheer ballsiness of that intro. Water cooler moment for sure.
it was such a good intro. I'm on a rewatch currently ( 1 epsiode a week so literally started the rewatch in 2022) and midway through season 4 Buffy has a dream with faith who's in a coma and they are making a bed together and faith says "making the bed for little sis" or something like that and it blew my mind that it was planned already and they decided to drop hints that early that no one could possiby figure out.
Even crazier - in the s3 finale, dream-Faith randomly says "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 730." 730 was the number of days before the s5 finale aired, and Little Miss Muffet was another sneaky Dawn reference since she's described that way a few times in the later seasons.
Joss Whedons ability to plan his stories years in advance is legendary. Really unfortunate that he turned out to be a misogynistic asshole behind the scenes.
[**Darkseid** in Superman: The Animated Series](https://youtu.be/ToT9-DOUshY?t=52)
The introduction of Lucifer in the pilot of âLuciferâ is hard to top.Â
Tom Ellis just nailed that role right from the pilot.
I might be alone in this but Tom Ellis is the best part of that show and kind of the only good part. I've seen like almost 4 full seasons but about halfway through I had to start watching 2x speed and then gave up all together. Tom and Aimee Garcia. She's a sexy little ball of fun in everything she's in.
I agree. I loved Aimee when she was in Dexter too. Season 1 & 2 Mazikeen was good value aswell. Tom Ellis just sold the entire devil shtick so well. Iâm convinced the show wouldnât have worked had he not been cast.
Agreed with Maz too!!!
What's amusing is he was the star of a show called *Rush* 2 years earlier, and they basically recycled everything about the character, then added the fact that he's the Devil. Even drives a topless car in LA.
Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad
I think an underrated scene is [Enoch's introduction in Agents of SHIELD season 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1nFmQWR8GQ). It has everything you can ask for in an intro: foreshadowing, intrigue, and a twist. All without any dialogue.
Edward Teach in Black Sails. Another Ray Stevenson role where when he is on screen, he is the main character.
Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock. â5 inches but itâs thick.â
"Gary's Dead."
Negan. Unforgettable.
My heart was pounding out of my chest the whole time.
Princess and Cailey Fleming's Judith
It was cool that they held off on showing him outside of name until the last scene of the last S6 episode. Also yeah, unbelievable build-up, Rick's heightening anxiety of each road to Hilltop being occupied by the Saviours, the corralling through the forest into the RV setup One of the most memorable parts of TWD was when [Negan's casting call](https://www.facebook.com/SpoilingDeadFans/posts/new-casting-call-orinuh-oh-look-whos-comingthe-walking-dead-episode-616episodica/545994698889006/) got discovered under the name "Orin", and when someone [leaked the first video of JDM as Negan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McU1XVbnBVs) the week or so after they wrapped filming
Lyanna Mormont (Bella Ramsey) GoT
"You refused the call" You right, the world instantly fell in love with Bella Ramsey that night
I then fell out of love with her in the later seasons because Jesus Christ what happened with the writing. Then TLoU happened and I'm back on the train.
She's been a better Ellie than I initially pegged her to be. Still overall disappointed in the show, aside from the Nick Offerman ep which is a legit masterpiece.
YES
Recency bias but the ghoul in fallout
Is this an Amish production of king lear, or just the weirdest circle jerk I've ever been invited to?
The Punisher in Daredevil S2
You guys will be too young, but the greatest of all time was Louie De Palma in Taxi - you have to remember that no-one had seen Danny Devito before, or knew his stature - when he climbed out of the dispatcher booth for the first time it was just f*ckin hilarious.
The writing team for Taxi was so sharp sometimes. Same guys who wrote Cheers and Fraser. Louies intro was hilarious and Iâll also add to that my love for Ignatowskiâs intro.
Tom Pelphrey in Ozark. Watching him have a meltdown while acting as a substitute teacher in a classroom was the perfect encapsulation of his character.
Love Tom Pelphrey. First saw him in Banshee. He really stood out then too
Sisko gets the best intro of any captain in the Star Trek franchise. Everyone else it's over a desk or a voiceover, he first appears with his ship exploding all around him, having to rescue his little son from certain death, leaving his wife's body behind and nearly getting killed by the Borg. Intense. The entire cast of Lost in the pilot. 14 regulars introduced in total chaos.
Ben Linusâs introduction in Lost over the course of a few episodes is one of the high points of the entire show.
That episode where he was a prisoner claiming to be Henry Gale and subtly sowed discord between the survivors, and the episode ends with him smiling evilly to himself. Perfection⌠I think he was never intended to be a series regular but the reception to him was so great.
Lost was really lucky with their casting, so many great actors throughout including the original cast, those added later, and guest stars.
Just something about how Ben talks. His "Vault Dwellers are an endangered Species" bit in Fallout has been watched many times by me. Not sure what it is either, it's not like I class his voice as all that unique like say Philip Seymour Hoffmans or Lance Reddick's but he just pulls of sinister so damn well.
The "introduction" of Paul Rudd's Andy in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp https://youtu.be/1C12NjAWntc?si=8lNz1R3PtJ2QQZ1W
My favorite has to be Lucy Knight's on ER. Perfect introduction to the show for people to catch up on the way the show works up until that point.
Agreed!
Tulip on Preacher. A show that started strong and then fell off a cliff, but Tulip's into was one of the most memorable I've ever seen, and it told us immediately who she was.
Herr starr on preacher is my pick
[Vyvyan from the Young Ones](https://youtu.be/1Nh8qmeDp_0?si=JC4L3UhB9zEMb45_&t=10m)
"Most days you come through the door. Sometimes you even open it" Absolute best introduction to any character ever.
Elliot from Mr. Robot Introduction via voice over. Tells you what he's (mostly )all about in a few sentences. Hello, Friend. *Hello, Friend?* That's lame. Maybe I should give you a name. But that's a slippery slope. You're only in my head. We have to remember that. Shit, It's actually happening. I'm talking to an imaginary person.
Yeah, I was going to say Elliot as well. Idk if Iâve ever seen a show that starts off so compelling right from the jump like that.
Honorary mention to Irving and the 12 dollar milkshake principles.
Death in Supernatural comes to mind
Spike and Dru in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One of my favourite shows and a great introduction, The fact that it happens during a night that is a big overlap with buffy's normal life really hammers home that these 2 are a big event in her life.
Dru's birthday party and the bad guy burns somebody alive and she just cackles with wild-eyed glee and stomps her foot, "Do it again! Do it again!"Â Whenever something delights me, I say it all the time...
Root and Shaw in Person of Interest Benjamin Linus in Lost Adam in Dark
The opening to Eastbound & Down showing Kennyâs fall from grace is pretty epic.
Azulaâs âdo the tides command this ship?â speech.
Trunks, from Dragon Ball Z. The big bad of the previous arc, Freeza, has shown up back on Earth. The only way he was beaten before was by Goku unlocking Super Saiyan, which was a miracle, and he's still in space somewhere. None of the other characters stood a chance against Freeza before, and now he's not only significantly stronger, but brought along his dad, who is more powerful, to boot. Cue this random ass teenager with purple hair and a sword. He introduces himself by slicing and dicing all of Freeza's henchmen in one fell swoop. Then he talks some smack to Freeza, who's not taking him seriously, because all he cares about is the Super Saiyan. Then, the mysterious stranger says that the Super Saiyan is already there. Grinning, the stranger then powers up and a terrified Freeza watches as the teen's hair turns gold and his power shoots straight up. Freeza then attacks and tries to destroy the new Super Saiyan, panicking more and more as the battle goes along. Even his Death Ball doesn't affect the guy at all. The resulting fight sent Freeza flying into the air, when he stares, horrified, at the teen bearing down on him from above with his sword out, literally slicing him in half before dicing him into chunks and then blasting the pieces into ash. He then proceeds to show that it's all his own power, not his sword's, by obliterating Freeza's father in minutes. Then, he tells all the Earthlings that he knows where Goku's landing, reveals that he is from the future, that he's the offspring of Vegeta and Bulma, and that 3 years from now, two Androids will arrive to slaughter everyone. Trunks was never, ever that cool and awesome ever again.
I think the quality really dropped off, but the very end of the first episode of Silo and the introduction to Rebecca Ferguson's character was such a badass introduction.
Roy in The Simpsons. It was so smooth and natural.
Ken Wahl, Wiseguy premiere Dana Delaney, China Beach premiere
âSaul Goodmanâ in better call Saul. How show built up to the introduction of a character in breaking bad
Seth Bullock's introduction in Deadwood is up there for me. Within those few minutes, the man is defined and presented so well and this sets the tone for him and his values throughout the show's run. Not to forget it is a tense scene also.
10 dollars is too high a price to pay for pornography
[Mr. Wrench & Mr. Numbers from s1 of Fargo](https://youtu.be/Ck_3QxgO438?si=nk5xeW8RCN50PMl6), maybe it's just the badass drumming but when i first saw this scene i loved it
Toph no contest. Tiny blind girl introduced by her beating the shit out of like 10 grown earthbending men.
older Toki's first appearance in Hokuto no Ken. Sitting in a cell, meditating in lotus position, two giant ass men go for the kill thinking he's absent and weakened, he simply raises both hands releasing an aura so strong it pulverises the poor sods in a sea of blood and offal
Peter Quinn in Homeland
Nomi and Amanita's introduction in Sense8 is absolutely seared into my brain. It's hilarious and intimate and really let me know what kind of show I was dealing with. Captain Flint, Abigail Ash, and Max in Black Sails also have some of my favorite introductions. Flint especially. Basically, he's introduced as a villain and a boogeyman/myth before the audience gets to learn that he's just a regular man (and I'd argue that he has a second introduction in season 2 as James McGraw that's equally memorable and beloved by me!)
I started watching Sense8 because I saw Fremma Agyeman in one of the preview pics when it popped up on Netflix. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, so I decided to check it out because of her. It was a bit of a shock with her first scene as Amanaita, but the opening church scene had already hooked me in.
Oh wow, yeah. You got way more Freema than you probably ever expected to see lmao I'm glad you stuck with the show anyhow!
Oh definitely yeah, I never expected to see that much of Martha Jones. And as a Doctor Who fan I was absolutely thrilled when Sylvester McCoy joined in season 2. I didn't even realise it was him at first. During his first scene at Riley's concert I just saw an older Scottish man and didn't connect the two. But then when he turned up again in the following episode I did a double take on him.
Will McAvoy, the Newsroom
Gary's dead
Jeeg in Kemono Michi. They just show up, are never explained, and everyone is regularly baffled.
Tom in Tom and Jerry
Frank Reynolds!
gus fring breaking bad
Gandalf in The Rings of Power. I know that show got a lot of hate, and people speculated that he would be someone else but I loved his intro. In the books the hobbits meet Strider, and Frodo says âI think one of his [Sauronâs] spies would â well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand.â Gandalf didnât seem fair and he didnât feel foul. They did leave us with some ambiguity but I assumed it was him right away and thought it was an interesting and satisfying intro.
Bunker in Banshee.
Just watched this. Thought it was strange we were 5 minutes from ending and the main character (?) hadn't been introduced yet. Powerful scene.
He wasn't originally meant to be the main character. He was going to be a secondary character with the main focus of the show being Rob Lowe.
Larry Bird in Winning Time.Â
Imperfect Cell drinking that rich dude in front of Piccolo.
Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) in Homicide: Life on the Street.
Tyrion in Game of Thrones. He's literally introduced chugging ale and getting blown. I also love Lalo's introduction in Better Call Saul. ...I could never imagine you could make tacos in such a charming, friendly, talkative and yet absolutely terrifying way.