5 TV Fight Scenes That Pack a Punch
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There are many ways for a fight scene to miss the mark: clunky choreography, confusing editing, obvious stunt doubles. Nail all the technical elements and you have some truly cathartic classics.
Class Protector Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Like there’s any other choice?
Alias: Sydney Bristow vs. Francie's Clone
Season 2, Episode 22: “Francie doesn’t like coffee ice cream.” Such a small detail to spark a truly epic fight to the almost-death between our hero and the woman who had assumed her best friend’s identity. (That is, undergone a complete genetic makeover to look exactly like her; Alias could get a little weird.)
Game of Thrones: The Mountain vs. The Viper
Season 4, Episode 8: Oberyn “the Viper” Martell finally gets the crack at revenge he’s been thirsting after for two decades, representing Tyrion Lannister in trial-by-combat against Cersei’s champion, Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane. On paper, the hulking Mountain should be the de-facto victor. But Oberyn’s size makes him far more agile, and his use of a poisoned spear as a weapon evens out the playing field. Rather, it should even out the playing field. Maybe the best takeaway from this fight is that stopping to monologue before delivering the deathblow is a very (very) bad call.
The Real Housewives of New York City: Aviva vs. Everyone
Season 6, Episode 20: This one might seem a bit anachronistic compared to the others on this list, but anyone who finds herself so incensed during a screaming match with her frenemies that she slams her prosthetic leg on the table at New York’s fanciest restaurant, then throws it across the room, deserves a spot. Let us repeat: She threw. Her. Prosthetic leg. Who cares if she probably planned the toss ahead of time? Terrifically entertaining is terrifically entertaining.
The Flash: Flash vs. Arrow
Season 1, Episode 8: Nice guy Barry catches a nasty case of rageys, thanks to a visiting villain who can scramble people’s heads by literally making them see red. Luckily Barry’s old buddy Oliver Queen happens to be in town hunting an evildoer of his own, so he offers to catch the Flash so Dr. Wells can fix him. The visual effects are stunning, and better yet, the fight switches between Flash and Arrow’s perspectives, allowing viewers to feel the intensity of battling at superhuman speeds (Arrow) and see the gorgeous choreography in glorious slow motion (Flash).
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