2. M Dies At The End
Easily the most speculated and talked-about aspect of Skyfall is the fate of Judi Dench's M. Given that reports began to emerge this year that Dench's eyesight was faltering, and that this film would therefore mark her exit from the series, many began to wonder how her swan song would occur; would she die, or would she simply retire? From the beginning of the film, it's clear that something major is going to happen with her character, as she is being eased into forced retirement by her superiors, and the evident focus on her character development with Bond signifies that, yes, the end is coming in some form. And that end arrives during the virtuoso finale, in which Judi Dench is mortally wounded by a bullet. Bond spends most of his time trying to protect M from Silva, who is hell-bent on murdering her for cutting him loose in the days of old. Eventually, Silva corners M inside a church, but before he can finish her off, Bond shows up and drives a knife into Silva's back, killing him. However, it is too late for M; in a tender moment, she succumbs to her bullet wound, and all a grief-stricken Bond can do is cradle her as she departs. It just might be the most affecting moment in the entire half-century Bond saga, but Mendes is smart not to milk it for easy sentiment; it is a brief, quietly sombre scene that evokes from Dench and Craig two of their best moments individually, and probably their best one together, in their three-film run.