4. "Mother's Day" - Rugrats
NickelodeonIt's safe to say that "Mother's Day" is the most heartbreaking episode that Rugrats ever produced, even eclipsing other tearjerkers in "I Remember Melville" and "Spike Runs Away". So what makes this episode such a difficult one to watch? Well, the fact that everybody but Chuckie having a mom to be with on Mother's Day could be it - furthermore the very clear implication that Chuckie's mom had died from a terminal illness of some kind is pretty dark in comparison to everything else in the show. Her death hangs over the episode like a spectre, even to the point of the final moments of the episode where Chuckie's father, Chas, finally talks to him about his mom. It's enough to bring grown men to tears as Chas tells Chuckie about Melinda's illness and even reads a poem that she wrote before her death, culminating in Chuckie attempting to accept it and forge ahead. Themes of reincarnation are also present, as Chuckie reinforces that Melinda is still with him in spirit and exists in all the beautiful things in the world.