When I discussed the Family Guy/Simpsons crossover the other day, I
noted how much I loved the “reveal” that the Griffin’s had arrived in
Springfield. I said it was just beautiful and one of my favorite reveals
ever (haven’t seen it? Check out a clip HERE)
Then I got to thinking about other reveals from movies and TV that
brought a huge smile to my face. When I say “reveal” I am referring to a
moment in a TV show or movie where the audience is shown something they
weren’t expecting or are told some secret information that is finally
being brought to light. When done correctly, these moments are filled
with wonder and surprise (and humor) and usually become very remembered,
even famous, afterwards. Sometimes the reveal is no real shock but when
done right it is still surprising and memorable. Sometimes the fact
there will be a reveal is no secret and so we tune in (or go see the
movie) with eager anticipation. And other times creators will throw a
total curve, and surprise us with something we never thought we would
see but man are we thrilled to see it!
Here are some examples of what I am talking about, in no particular order (except the last one).
Passions
This one is obscure but I decided to include it. Soap Opera’s are no
stranger to reveals. You could probably write a book of all the times
that some show revealed a villain or some other surprise. But one of my
favorites came from an NBC soap called Passions. This show had may
gimmicks, and one was that the head of the Crane household named
Alasdair was always seen waist down or from behind. For several years we
all wondered what this guy looked like. Finally needs of the story
necessitated the face be shown, and the reveal is very lovely. It’s
quick but does the job. See it HERE
Of course this gimmick of hiding a face has been done in all kind of
other shows, some doing a reveal and others not. Home Improvement never
did show us Wilson’s face, or Vera on Cheers, but we did eventually see
what Alan Brady looked like on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Nanny did
finally let us see what Fran’s father, whose face was always hidden,
looked like. I couldn’t find a clip but he looked an awful like Steve
Lawrence. We never saw Charlie on Charlie’s Angels but Magnum P.I. did
finally reveal that Robin Masters was Higgins all along…..or was it?
Batman
One of the biggest reveals in any movie is that of the villain. It’s
important to set up how awesome the villain is, but some movies do it
better than others. The Batman movies all had good reveals, but the best
and my favorite is from the classic movie, when we first see The Joker.
Jack Nicholson owned this part and it shows. At first we never really
see Joker’s face, until this scene I have below. Truth is, it’s almost
ruined because despite the shadows his face is clearly visible. Still,
as I said Nicholson owns it and therefore this is one of the best
villain reveals, in my opinion. See it HERE
Sesame Street
I chose to include this one even though it was no surprise to the
audience. For years Snuffy was Big Bird’s friend, but no one else ever
saw him. Big Bird would try to tell the others but they always believed
Big Bird was making him up. A Snuffleupugus? Please! However when the
creators realized hat was sending the wrong message (you want to
encourage kids and believe them), it was decided to make him public
knowledge. So, with Elmo’s help Big Bird sets up a trap so the others
can all see that there is, in fact, a Snuffy. It’s a well done moment
given lots of weight for Sesame Street and I love how the others do
apologize to Big Bird for never believing him.
For some reason the clip jumps right to the reactions and leaves off
the part where Big Bird sets his trap and then wonders what is
happening. That is why he comes in the way he does. Enjoy!
Seinfeld
It has the been the biggest question that was never answered. What in
the world is Kramer’s first name? After five years no one had any clue!
Until one episode when Kramer needs to ask his mother to do a favor for
George. The name slips out, and the following scene shows George
gleefully sharing this info with his friends. Cosmo????
See it HERE (sorry about the clip best I could find)
Friends
There were lots of these. Ross’s feelings for Rachel being revealed.
Rachel’s feelings likewise for him being revealed. The reveal that
Rachel was pregnant and then that Ross was the father. But I think the
best, and my favorite, comes from the final episode. After Ross has
tried and failed to tell Rachel he loved her he returns home. On the
machine is a message from Rachel, and as she talks it becomes clear she
does love Ross. The message cuts off and Ross is frantic trying to find
out if she made it off the plane. In a well staged moment, we hear
Rachel off screen say that she had. This worked so well, I think,
because for once the audience was just as in the dark as Ross was. So we
were just happily surprised to see Rachel standing there.
See it HERE
Back to the Future
This movie seems like a run in the mill family comedy. That is until
Marty arrives at the mall one night, and sees a truck waiting. What’s in
the truck? That’s what Marty, and the audience, wonder as the door
slowly opens. The music is perfect along with Marty’s reaction. Out
comes a sleek looking car, and then the door pops open as Doc Brown
emerges. The reveal of the Delorean and Doc Brown is one of the
strongest moments in the whole movie. If we aren’t interested in what is
in that truck then the rest of the movie may fail. But the scene is
done perfectly and sets the tone for the wonder to come. This is topped
seconds later when we see the time machine in action. God I love this
movie! One of the many reasons this movie works is that fact that Marty
is reacting just as the audience does to everything he experiences, it
really feels like we’re along for the ride.
See it HERE
Star Wars
I’m to young to remember but when Empire Strikes Back was being
released, it was apparently common knowledge that there would be a huge
secret revealed in the movie. Security on he film was tight and even
many in the cast didn’t know what the big secret was! What was that
secret? Yeah like you don’t know. The scene where Vader reveals that he
is, in fact, Luke’s father has become so famous (and parodied) that the
moment is nearly iconic. It works because not only was it a surprise (no
one guessed that at the time) but Luke’s reaction is he perfect mix of
drama and hammy. By the way some might also point to the reveal in Jedi
that Leia was in fact Luke’s sister, and while nice it just stand up to
the the beauty of the scene in Empire.
See it HERE
Ellen
Sitcoms have lots of reveals, like when a character announces she is
pregnant for example. But one of the biggest and most famous had to be
from the series Ellen. When Ellen announced she was gay. This was hyped
so much, and everyone was watching. The question was, how could she do
such a serious reveal in a way that would also get a laugh? Well leave
it to Ellen Degeneres to figure it out. It involves an airport and a PA
system, and if you’ve never seen this check it out. One of the best
reveals ever.
See it HERE
Star Trek-TNG
I could have made this whole list just Star Trek reveals (Picard as a
Borg, Kirk alive in Amok Time, Khan in TWOK just to name a few) but I
chose to single out this one. And this one from The Defector is
definitely a favorite. The plot is that a Romulan has defected and
insists there is a secret base where his people are planing to launch an
attack. The Enterprise finally goes to check, and finds only a trap set
by the Romulans. It loos like they are done, until Picard places his
ace in the sleeve. Suddenly three Klingon war birds decloack, and
instantly the Romulans are the one’s outgunned. One of the best moments
ever!
See it HERE
Planet of the APES
This one is just flat out classic. Even though I was never a fan of
the film series, you gotta love the ending when we discover what planet
George Taylor has been on this whole time. Earth! How is this revealed?
He stumbles onto the remains of the Statue of Liberty! Not much else to
say, nice twist and well acted by Charlton Heston. Great moment.
See it HERE
Superman II
Sometimes the reveal isn’t a thing or a person, it’s a trick by the
hero to outwit the villain. I already talked about one example in TNG,
and here’s another I love. I’ve had issues with this movie, but the
reveal of how Superman outwits Zod was just one of my favorites. It
seems like all is lost when Superman enters a chamber meant to remove
his powers. Not quite. I especially love how Luthor puts the pieces
together. Hackman was great. This is one of my favorite Superman
moments, period.
See it HERE
Star Trek IV
For me personally, nothing..NOTHING..compares to this one. I wish I
could convey what seeing this movie for the first time was like. It was a
unique experience, watching it with a crowd of people who were true
fans. It was like watching it with fifty friends, all laughing and
cheering. But the greatest moment of them all was the end, when we see
what ship Kirk and crew were getting assigned. The shuttle clears the
excelsior, and there it is! THE ENTERPRISE A! HELL YEAH! Just a
beautiful scene with the TV show theme music and all. It’s hard to
believe now but whether or not we would ever see an Enterprise again was
a legit question. Here was our answer, they slapped an “A” on the
number. And yes today this scene would nitpicked to death. Why would hey
rebuild it? When did they rebuild? Was this the plan all along? But it
was 1986 and things were simpler. We saw that ship and APPLAUDED! I
LOVE THIS MOMENT. For me, it the most epic reveal of all time
See it HERE
Finally, we have had some great reveals from Channel Awesome too. Like
when it was revealed that 90’s Kid was the Entity on AT4W. But the best
has to be the reveal that Nostalgia Critic was back. One of my favorite
moments ever came from “The Review Must Go On”, still one of the best
things I have EVER seen.
Check it out:
Now I can imagine that I have missed dozens of examples that you guys also love. So comment and share.
I loved writing this one my friends.
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