1. Peter Finds Out He's From The Other Side (Fringe)
Fringe was unexpectedly one of the most heart-wrenching series of recent years, due primarily to its uniformly excellent cast. Although it is an unashamedly complex entry in the science-fiction genre, family is always at the heart of the show, and the core relationship is that of Peter and Walter. Walter took Peter from his counterpart in the parallel universe to cure him of the same disease which killed Walter's own son, but his crossing caused such instability that he couldn't return. Walter's guilt and secrecy drives a rift between father and son which is gradually repaired until Peter finds out where he comes from. At the conclusion of a late second season episode, Peter awakens in a hospital bed (after a close call in which the universes collided) to Olivia's assurance that Walter has never left the ward. Walter rushes in, jubilant at Peter's recovery, only for his son to explain that he has realised that he survived the collision because he's from the other side. He angrily rejects the clearly distraught Walter and later discharges himself from the hospital and disappears. John Noble's Walter (and later, Walternate) was always the high point of Fringe, but Joshua Jackson and the script also hold up their ends in this episode. Jackson conveys Peter's fierce anger although he's bedridden for the scene, and of course the confrontation comes only minutes after Peter calls Walter 'Dad' to his father's obvious delight. Fringe toyed with our emotions all the time, but this inevitable moment hurt the most. Are there any other shows which delivered with their revelations? Add your own favourites in the comments.
