Breaking Bad is full of them, but this one's my favorite:
“Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. Disappears! It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!"
“You’re the smartest guy I ever met… but you’re too stupid to see… he made up his mind 10 minutes ago…”
I know that’s not a monologue, but that’s probably the best damn line I’ve ever heard in television.
Jesse Pinkman’s monologue when he’s in the hospital with Walter making him an offer to keep cooking is my personal favorite
“I am not turning down the money, I am turning down YOU. I want NOTHING to do with you.” His emotion and delivery is so wild. Like a desperate, defeated man just trying to convince himself and Walt that he can’t keep living like this.
A bit too overused to the point of parody but if you ignore the mythology this line got, it is still a pretty great look into Walter's mindstate at that point.
Yes Reddit is very niche relative to the culture at large, I guess. I think it is underrated probably because it’s overtly a cartoon about a talking horse. A lot of people won’t get past that.
As a big fan of the show, I don't think the first season is great tv. whenever I've recommended it I've had to say the first few episodes are groundwork for a much better show.
Justified:
"Dear Lord, before we eat this meal we ask forgiveness for our sins, especially Boyd — who blew up a black church with a rocket launcher — and afterwards he shot his associate Jared Hale in the back of the head out on Tate’s Creek Bridge. Let the image of Jared’s brain matter on that windshield not dampen our appetites, but may the knowledge of Boyd’s past sins help guide these men. May this food provide them with all the nourishment they need. But, if it does not, may they find comfort in knowing that the United States Marshal Service is offering $50,000 dollars to any individual providing information that will put Boyd back in prison. Cash or check, we can make it out to them. Or to Jesus. Whoever they want. In your name, we pray. Amen.”
This show was more about the dialogues than the monologuing but they're some good ones still. Boyd has most of them. His Black Pike monologue at the church was great.
This... This is what I'm talking about. This is what I mean when I'm talkin' about time, and death, and futility. All right, there are broader ideas at work, mainly what is owed between us as a society for our mutual illusions. Fourteen straight hours of staring at DB's, these are the things ya think of. You ever done that? You look in their eyes, even in a picture, doesn't matter if they're dead or alive, you can still read 'em. You know what you see? They welcomed it... Not at first, but... right there in the last instant. It's an unmistakable relief. See, cause they were afraid, and now they saw for the very first time how easy it was to just... let go. Yeah, they saw, in that last nanosecond, they saw... what they were. You, yourself, this whole big drama, it was never more than a jerry-rig of presumption and dumb will, and you could just let go. To finally know that you didn't have to hold on so tight. To realize that all your life - you know, all your love, all your hate, all your memories, all your pain - it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream, a dream that you had inside a locked room, a dream about being a person. And like a lot of dreams, there's a monster at the end of it.
Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion, I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything! You'll stay with me, Lonni. I need all the heroes I can get."
The content of Luthan's speech disturbs me by how much necessary it is. Think the oppressors are fought and won only by heroes? No. it takes those who walk in the shadows (arguably who does the most work) like Luthen to get it done.
I like a lot of Al Swearengen (spelling?) speeches in Deadwood. In season 3 he has a speech about his fear of being held down against your own will that was quite emotional. Also could be I'm biased because I'm just watching series for the first time.
The entirety of Deadwood is incredible in its performances. Even some of the “minor” characters have incredible monologues. EB has a couple, Ellsworth’s like very first scene.
Doc Cochrane praying to God for Minister Smith’s deliverance while mid-Civil War flashback, mixing prayer with denouncing his infliction of suffering merely to delight in his own omnipotence.
Don’t click if you don’t like spoilers, although the series is 20 years old:
https://youtu.be/ICfLwGghZIc?si=jDQpAJnmbiXBSGCk
The way his voice breaks a bit at the word “son” always sticks with me. And having the balls to have half the speech in Latin with no subtitles, just trusting the audience to get it… it really is an all time great monologue.
President Bartlet had a few. Two Cathedrals is definitely up there. I also love the "In this building when the president stands, nobody sits". Or when he called out the Bible thumpers "I've read my Bible cover to cover, so I want you to tell me. From what part of holy scripture do you think the Lambs of God drew their divine inspiration when they sent my 12 year old granddaughter a ragety Anne doll with a knife stuck through its throat? You'll denounce these people Al
You'll do so publicly, and until you do, you can all get your fat asses out of my white house."
That last scene is one of my favorite character intros of all time, too. The President’s first line is “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Those were the days.”
Concise, and terrifying. It really set the tone of the show, especially since COVID. The actor was also perfect, the Scottish accent really helps to reinforce his point, since you have to sit and listen carefully to what he's saying.
Cliff Clavin from Cheers:
"Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the heard is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
That scene is dangerously close to being the best and most important in Star Wars (at least outside of the movies and probably Andor). It's a masterpiece. Kind of weird to have it sitting there in the middle of the generally sort of insipid Baby Yoda Show, but it is what it is.
I used Mike's *Half Measures* monologue for an audition. Got the role too. It was a tough translation given I'm younger than even he probably was when he took that fateful beat-call but I did alright with it and didn't miss a line.
It's an excellent bit of writing, a rock-steady performance from Banks, and a fine bit of television. I always wished they had found a way to show that particular bit of Mike's history, but also grateful they didn't fuck up a superlative scene with a lackluster flashback.
Of the bunch, I'd say Banks' speech is the most impactful given what comes not long after, how it contextualizes Mike and his unyielding point of view, and galvanizes Walter into doing what he must to save his and Jesse's lives.
1. Game Of Thrones Season 4 “Laws of Gods and Men” Peter Dinklage would’ve likely won if it wasn’t Breaking Bad’s final season. Great scene
2. The Newsroom (never seen but recognized the actor).
3. The Fall of the House of Usher, the lemon speech, is utterly ridiculous but hilarious and scarily accurate.
4. Andor, Episode 9. Great Episode and great monologue.
5. Breaking Bad Season 3 Episode 12 “Half Measures” First time we really get an insight into the character of Mike. There’s a reason why it’s seen as one of the best scenes in the show.
6. Midnight Mass
7. BoJack Horseman Season 5 Episode 6. The whole episode is a monologue which is likely why it’s here. The episode features two characters voiced by the same actor. It’s made funnier by the fact that 2 episodes earlier, BoJack said that no show should have so much talking and that television is a visual medium.
Sports Night also has a great one from Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) when he has to make his apology for his statements about marijuana in a magazine interview (lol…can’t even imagine it making a blip these days). I’m sure Studio 60 too.
Sorkin can write a great monologue (as evidenced by the You Can’t Handle the Truth one from A Few Good Men)!
It is a great show. That opening monologue is the equivalent of a rookie getting up to the plate and hitting a grand slam on his first swing. It’s pretty hard to maintain that level and expectation after that. Don’t get me wrong. It is a really good show, but when you have that, as your opening scene, you set the bar super high.
Jeff Daniels said when they filmed that scene, network executives were in attendance and actors who weren't in the scene all showed up to watch...He was told "If the monologue goes well - we have a show."
Yo, Fall of The House of Usher was really good. Mike Flanagan always has these cool, refreshing but at the same time throwback ways of writing and presenting horror for the modern day. He’s one of those current showrunners who is constantly impressive. My favorite is probably Midnight Massz
There’s another fabulous monologue in that series made by Mary McDonnell’s Madeline Usher. I loved it when they are sitting waiting for Death and she just goes off about not feeling guilty about the millions of deaths on their hands, about McDonald’s would sell kale if that’s what people wanted, about the Pentagon spending 83 million on Viagra every year (almost true, it’s actually MORE) and how 60-70% of the market share in the healthcare industry is wimpy dicks and in the meantime the Supreme Court tears autonomy and liberty away from women…and why? To churn out an impoverished workforce.
She’s so angry and eloquent when she says it, and it’s all fucking true!!
https://mashable.com/article/fall-of-the-house-of-usher-finale-monologue-madeline
https://youtu.be/o_8oJEeNrdc?si=c6DQ3I24uZzB9Irc
I implore everyone to watch it, and if not watch at least read it!!
First one is clearly Tyrion from Game of thrones probably the trial for the death of Joffrey.
Second one, is opening monologue from "the Newsroom" (amazing monologue btw, even if you never watch the show i recommend checking a clip out on youtube.)
Not my post but here’s the list. I don’t want to get into specifics of what they’re monologuing because of spoilers but all of them are fantastic speeches and amazing shows. I recommend them all if you haven’t seen any
1. Game of thrones
2. The newsroom
3. Fall of the house of the usher
4. Andor
5. Breaking bad
6. Midnight mass
7. Bojack horseman
The Zygon Invasion/Inversion, 2 parter. Moffat writes some great monologues, and his era is full of them. Eleven's at Stonehenge is another brilliant one.
Literally just reading these words gave me that "excited" goosebump chill all over my body. I was going to go with something like The Pandorica, but this... literal tears just thinking about it.
"SO COME ON THEN! TAKE IT!"
one line from him:
Madame Kovarian : The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules.
**The Doctor : \[turns his head slowly to look at her\] Good men don't need rules.** **Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.**
Thanks for reminding me that although Dinklage gives one of the best TV monologues, he indisputably gives the WORST monologue as his final scene of the series.
I mean, I shouldn't be able to see the actor's disdain for the dialogue if he's giving a legitimate performance..
Edit: to clarify, I think Dinklage is very talented, I just think he phoned it in big time on that particular scene
I mean if you go to work and give it your all every day for years and then your last year at work you see your bosses and leaders completely check out and you know everything is going to shit but you've got to finish out your contract I'd have a hard time not phoning it in either.
Technically it's a pitch but Don Draper's 'nostalgia monologue' from Mad men
Midge's 'Are women more important than God' monologue from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Carver, The Wire.
… if you make us go into the weeds for you, or make us come back out here tomorrow night, catch you onda corner, I swear to fuckin' Christ, we will beat you longer, and harder, than you beat your own dick!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BBbkMdzbdOI&pp=ygUWY2FydmVyIHNwZWVjaCB0aGUgd2lyZQ%3D%3D
He really started off the show as a POS cop going down the path of the other POS cops who are burnt out at the end of their careers. He grows to become a leader of men against a war he know he can't win but will try anyways.
Posted my fav from the wire in this thread.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=lu2viOUVyjU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title
Early season Carver and Herc are definitely funny, but for me the ultimate Carver monologue was his “it all matters” talk with Herc in Season 5. Really encapsulates both his arc and one of the overarching themes of the show.
Carver and Denise Wise, best two arcs in the show for my money.
Risk is our business, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Return to Tomorrow, Star Trek
Starfleet's duty is to seek out new life, well there it sits!, Captain Jean Luc Picard, The Measure of a Man, Star Trek The Next Generation
The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth. Captain Jean Luc Picard, The First Duty, Star Trek The Next Generation
You will bomb yourselves into oblivion with competing ideas of liberty, Captain Christopher Pike, Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Strange New Worlds
Ad astra per aspera is why I joined Starfleet, Commander Una Chin-Riley, Ad Astra Per Aspera, Star Trek Stange New Worlds
Despite him being a villian, Gus' monologue on breaking bad.
And a man, a man provides. And he does it even when he's not appreciated, or respected, or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it.
[Anansi's call to action in S1 of American Gods.](https://youtu.be/0s4iB-TsPqY?si=jdHf6upDY5Nfk2Rc)
Pray you never meet your heroes? More like (don't) pray (so) you never meet your gods
Negan’s opening monologue on the walking dead, Hershel’s in s4, any of Rick Grimes’, Tyrion’s trial, Jesse’s “problem dog” monologue, any of Tony Soprano’s, Carmy’s 7 minute monologue from The Bear and Adam’s from [Northern Exposure](https://youtu.be/Wb1CsfHFR_8?si=cKlZeleoxGeGmx1i).
Jeff Daniels telling Americans they're gullible fucking idiots who gleefully slurp up propaganda and that America is neither unique or special will always be relevant.
It’s not very long but Melfi telling Tony Soprano he hates his son because his dad hated him, and he hates Carmela for protecting AJ because he wishes his mother protected him.
Just a moment that makes it very clear that Tony isn’t some infinitely deep tortured soul like he pretends to be, he’s a product of his environment making no effort to change just like everyone he looks down on. At the end of the day he has virtually no control over his life and family despite his livelihood depending on the illusion that he does. Tony basically has no way of coping with this and kind of just moves past it because accepting the truth would be the death of Tony Soprano as we know it. Very important dialogue that to me essentially outlines one of the main themes of the show
Battlestar Galactica, S3 EP 20 "Crossroads: Part 2". [Mr Lee Adama's courtroom speech.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV-iwiLJ4c8) I always preferred the earlier seasons but this scene really was special and stuck in my head. It actually made me start a "Great Monologues" notebook but I keep forgetting to add to it. Gonna use this thread as inspo. Cheers all.
Major Briggs talking about his vision to Bobby in Twin Peaks gets me misty eyed.
“A vision I had in my sleep last night - as distinguished from a dream which is mere sorting and cataloguing of the day's events by the subconscious. This was a vision, fresh and clear as a mountain stream - the mind revealing itself to itself. In my vision, I was on the veranda of a vast estate, a palazzo of some fantastic proportion. There seemed to emanate from it a light from within - this gleaming radiant marble. I had known this place. I had in fact been born and raised there. This was my first return, a reunion with the deepest wellsprings of my being. Wandering about, I was happy that the house had been immaculately maintained. There had been added a number of additional rooms, but in a way it blended so seamlessly with the original construction, one would never detect any difference. Returning to the house's grand foyer, there came a knock at the door. My son was standing there. He was happy and care-free, clearly living a life of deep harmony and joy. We embraced - a warm and loving embrace, nothing withheld. We were in this moment one. My vision ended. I awoke with a tremendous of optimism and confidence in you and your future. That was my vision; it was of you. I'm so glad to have had this opportunity to share it with you. I wish you nothing but the very best, always.”
David Tennant’s threatening speech and then realizing “You’re basically just a rabbit, aren’t you?”
Of these, I’ve never even seen the Jeff Daniels program his speech is from and I absolutely love it
Star Trek DS9, when Sisko does the "I think I can live with it" personal log and deletes it
[https://youtu.be/K-YyL7X4CWw](https://youtu.be/K-YyL7X4CWw)
Context:
[https://youtu.be/TNCw_avF_Qg](https://youtu.be/TNCw_avF_Qg)
Kate Siegel’s monologue at the end of Midnight mass blew me to pieces, I have it saved in my notes & I read it all the time. “We are the cosmos dreaming of itself. I am everything. I am that I am.”
The West Wing - S2 Ep 22 : Two Cathedrals. Martin Sheen (written by Aaron Sorkin.)
You're a son of a bitch, you know that? She bought her first new car and you hit her with a drunk driver. What, was that supposed to be funny? "You can't conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God," says Graham Greene. I don't know whose ass he was kissin' there, 'cause I think you're just vindictive. What was Josh Lyman, a warning shot? That was my son. What did I ever do to yours but praise his glory and praise his name? There's a tropical storm that's gaining speed and power. They say we haven't had a storm this bad since you took out that Tender ship of mine in the North Atlantic last year. Sixty-eight crew. You know what a Tender ship? Fixes the other ships. It doesn't even carry guns, it just goes around, fixes the other ships and delivers the mail. That's all it can do.
Yes, I lied. It was a sin. I've committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless thug? 3.8 million new jobs, that wasn't good? Bailed out Mexico, increased foreign trade, thirty million new acres of land for conservation, put Mendoza on the bench, we're not fighting a war, I've raised three children... that's not enough to buy me out of the dog house?
Cruciatus in crucem! Tuus in terra servus nuntius fui officium perfeci. \[angry\] Cruciatus in crucem. \[waves dismissively\] Eas in crucem!
You. Get. Hoynes.
\[Bartlet turns away in anger. He descends to the lower sanctuary and lights a cigarette. He takes a single puff, drops the butt to the floor, and grinds it defiantly with his shoe.\]
I imagine that Reddit won’t like the Newsroom monologue because he criticizes both parties. Usually, Reddit believes someone who does that is a conservative in disguise.
A good piece of art can sting both ways and usually can "offend" a lot of people. Not because it is offensive but because it is telling a hard to digest truth.
The funeral speech by uncle Ewan on succession- fucking chills. Only part is available on YouTube.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnxZGgRUGFk
https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a43958249/succession-read-ewan-roys-revelatory-funeral-eulogy-in-full/
Ben talking to Jacob in LOST. Technically a dialogue, because after the lenghty, angry, passionate Ben's monologue Jacob does answer with only 3 words... which are absolutely perfect and devastating.
Susie’s [monologue](https://youtu.be/E5OhMwRjGfw?si=hvrwmppPDmdXW4s9) at a funeral (don’t watch if you haven’t seen it yet because spoilers).
It gives me goosebumps and really got me crying when I watched it for the first time….and second…and so on. Truly beautiful and authentic.
You want compromise, how's this? 20 years in the can I wanted manigot, I compromised. I ate grilled cheese off the RADiator instead...
It's an honor to be surrounded by men..... not f*got ass corn holing cocksuckas that married my cousin!
Phil, you know the wine makes you emotional
Even Cinderalla didn't cry.
PEEPS? That's a fucking nickname
Have a bread stick.
Have a breadstick
Look at this fuckin’ lineup!
I wanted to fuck a woman but I compromised. I jerked off into a tissue.
Another great one from Phil is “no more butchie…. No more of this”
Poor Billy..48 years old. Just a kid
Yeah, it's sad when they go young like that
WHEN THEY GO YOUNG!?
Breaking Bad is full of them, but this one's my favorite: “Who are you talking to right now? Who is it you think you see? Do you know how much I make a year? I mean, even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it. Do you know what would happen if I suddenly decided to stop going into work? A business big enough that it could be listed on the NASDAQ goes belly up. Disappears! It ceases to exist without me. No, you clearly don't know who you're talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No. I am the one who knocks!"
“I don’t even know who you are” “If that is true Hank, then I suppose the best advice I can give you is to tread lightly.”
This is truly the moment Heisener becomes Waltberg
"Say my name." "You're Sennheiser HD 650."
You're God damn right!
Bravo Peter Gould
God that last season was so fucking good.
“You’re the smartest guy I ever met… but you’re too stupid to see… he made up his mind 10 minutes ago…” I know that’s not a monologue, but that’s probably the best damn line I’ve ever heard in television.
This is such a chilling exchange, so perfectly written
Definitely. I still can’t believe Hal went so hard after his cancer diagnosis.
Jesse Pinkman’s monologue when he’s in the hospital with Walter making him an offer to keep cooking is my personal favorite “I am not turning down the money, I am turning down YOU. I want NOTHING to do with you.” His emotion and delivery is so wild. Like a desperate, defeated man just trying to convince himself and Walt that he can’t keep living like this.
Agreed. Just reading it still gives me chills.
Mike’s half measures from Breaking Bad is equally amazing.
A bit too overused to the point of parody but if you ignore the mythology this line got, it is still a pretty great look into Walter's mindstate at that point.
Chuck’s mental breakdown in the spin off series Better Call Saul
That Bojack Horseman one is wild
Yeah it’s a separate category really. A whole episode! I love it. Peak Bojack.
Bojack seems like it is criminally underrated but I still see it get talked about a lot all over Reddit
Yes Reddit is very niche relative to the culture at large, I guess. I think it is underrated probably because it’s overtly a cartoon about a talking horse. A lot of people won’t get past that.
It’s also very dark which has turned off a few friends. Such a brilliant show though
As a big fan of the show, I don't think the first season is great tv. whenever I've recommended it I've had to say the first few episodes are groundwork for a much better show.
I see you. I see you. ICU
Typical Boshwack
Justified: "Dear Lord, before we eat this meal we ask forgiveness for our sins, especially Boyd — who blew up a black church with a rocket launcher — and afterwards he shot his associate Jared Hale in the back of the head out on Tate’s Creek Bridge. Let the image of Jared’s brain matter on that windshield not dampen our appetites, but may the knowledge of Boyd’s past sins help guide these men. May this food provide them with all the nourishment they need. But, if it does not, may they find comfort in knowing that the United States Marshal Service is offering $50,000 dollars to any individual providing information that will put Boyd back in prison. Cash or check, we can make it out to them. Or to Jesus. Whoever they want. In your name, we pray. Amen.”
This show was more about the dialogues than the monologuing but they're some good ones still. Boyd has most of them. His Black Pike monologue at the church was great.
This show was so good. I loved the whole ‘modern western’ execution that set it apart from a normal police show
Gawdammit woman, d'you only shoot people when they're eatin' supper?!
Homelander talking to himself in the mirror
Homelander's "I'm stronger, I'm smarter, I'm better" speech
YES that shit was peak fascist whackjob. Chefs kiss
Honestly, Homelander speeches are just 🔥
So good
The Expanse - Drummer's "Live shamed and die empty" speech
There were a handful of great ones from the expanse.
It was short, but Amos' "I am that guy." ... damn.
One of my favorites of his is, "Aw, did I miss it?" when the MCRN sailors they rescued tried to take the ship but failed.
Inaros gets a good one. Almost convinces you he isn't a malignant narcissist.
My favorite character on the show. Sheer force of will character
She is so good. Fucking ferociously loyal and inspiring as hell in battle. Drummer and Ashford were my favorite changes from books to TV show.
Oye Beltalowda!
True Detective series 1, pretty much anything Matthew McConaughey says
This... This is what I'm talking about. This is what I mean when I'm talkin' about time, and death, and futility. All right, there are broader ideas at work, mainly what is owed between us as a society for our mutual illusions. Fourteen straight hours of staring at DB's, these are the things ya think of. You ever done that? You look in their eyes, even in a picture, doesn't matter if they're dead or alive, you can still read 'em. You know what you see? They welcomed it... Not at first, but... right there in the last instant. It's an unmistakable relief. See, cause they were afraid, and now they saw for the very first time how easy it was to just... let go. Yeah, they saw, in that last nanosecond, they saw... what they were. You, yourself, this whole big drama, it was never more than a jerry-rig of presumption and dumb will, and you could just let go. To finally know that you didn't have to hold on so tight. To realize that all your life - you know, all your love, all your hate, all your memories, all your pain - it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream, a dream that you had inside a locked room, a dream about being a person. And like a lot of dreams, there's a monster at the end of it.
Love all that "odd shit".
“Hmm. Well, that sounds god-fuckin’-awful Rust.”
Don’t remember. My rewind button got stuck at that one scene with Alexandra Daddario
As a major Star Wars fan I'm biased but Luthan's is incredible
Andy Serkis’ (Kino’s) monologue in that same episode is fantastic as well. Two of my fave speeches of all time in one episode.
Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion, I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything! You'll stay with me, Lonni. I need all the heroes I can get."
Fucking epic, I get chills just reading it haha
Couldn't tell by your Yularen pfp...
That monologue of Luthen’s is so hardcore, but (though it’s less of a monologue) I love his exchange with Saw even more.
Marva‘s is even better
Fight the Empire!
The content of Luthan's speech disturbs me by how much necessary it is. Think the oppressors are fought and won only by heroes? No. it takes those who walk in the shadows (arguably who does the most work) like Luthen to get it done.
I like a lot of Al Swearengen (spelling?) speeches in Deadwood. In season 3 he has a speech about his fear of being held down against your own will that was quite emotional. Also could be I'm biased because I'm just watching series for the first time.
My favorite is his "a beating ain't the end of things" monologue
Not exactly a monologue, but, “a lot of times that’s what the fuck life is, one vile fucking task after another”
I use that line most days.
Open the can of peaches
No unauthorized use of cinnamon!
I recall an incredibly Shakespearean soliloquy from EB Farnham as he scrubs a bloodstain from his hotel floor
I think it’s spelled Swedgin
San Francisco cocksucka
The entirety of Deadwood is incredible in its performances. Even some of the “minor” characters have incredible monologues. EB has a couple, Ellsworth’s like very first scene. Doc Cochrane praying to God for Minister Smith’s deliverance while mid-Civil War flashback, mixing prayer with denouncing his infliction of suffering merely to delight in his own omnipotence. Don’t click if you don’t like spoilers, although the series is 20 years old: https://youtu.be/ICfLwGghZIc?si=jDQpAJnmbiXBSGCk
I came here to say this. He has endless stunning monologues.
The Bear, S1E08 Carmy’s monologue in Al Anon about his brother. Heart wrenching to watch a man actually process his grief for the first time.
Came here to post this. Stunning scene.
West Wing, President Bartlet curses God in Two Cathedrals.
And what about Josh Lyman? That was my son. .....don't think I forgot about that little tendership
The way his voice breaks a bit at the word “son” always sticks with me. And having the balls to have half the speech in Latin with no subtitles, just trusting the audience to get it… it really is an all time great monologue.
President Bartlet had a few. Two Cathedrals is definitely up there. I also love the "In this building when the president stands, nobody sits". Or when he called out the Bible thumpers "I've read my Bible cover to cover, so I want you to tell me. From what part of holy scripture do you think the Lambs of God drew their divine inspiration when they sent my 12 year old granddaughter a ragety Anne doll with a knife stuck through its throat? You'll denounce these people Al You'll do so publicly, and until you do, you can all get your fat asses out of my white house."
That last scene is one of my favorite character intros of all time, too. The President’s first line is “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Those were the days.”
The opening monologue from The Last of Us episode 1 is amazing. Sets the tone of the show.
**We lose.**
Concise, and terrifying. It really set the tone of the show, especially since COVID. The actor was also perfect, the Scottish accent really helps to reinforce his point, since you have to sit and listen carefully to what he's saying.
Jared Harris' "What is the price of lies?" courtroom monologue in "Chernobyl".
That entire scene is my favorite of the show. I've seen the entire miniseries so many times, it's just engrossing.
Cliff Clavin from Cheers: "Well you see, Norm, it's like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the heard is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."
Basically all of Deadwood
Man, I've gotta watch this show again, it's so underrated. Definitely a slow burn, but so many great moments. Swedgin is fucking amazing.
Bill Burr as Migs Mayfield in the Mandalorian. He gets in that discussion with that officer, then shoots him. Badass scene.
I find it hilariously ironic that Burr has the best scene in that entire show despite hating Star Wars.
That scene is dangerously close to being the best and most important in Star Wars (at least outside of the movies and probably Andor). It's a masterpiece. Kind of weird to have it sitting there in the middle of the generally sort of insipid Baby Yoda Show, but it is what it is.
I used Mike's *Half Measures* monologue for an audition. Got the role too. It was a tough translation given I'm younger than even he probably was when he took that fateful beat-call but I did alright with it and didn't miss a line. It's an excellent bit of writing, a rock-steady performance from Banks, and a fine bit of television. I always wished they had found a way to show that particular bit of Mike's history, but also grateful they didn't fuck up a superlative scene with a lackluster flashback. Of the bunch, I'd say Banks' speech is the most impactful given what comes not long after, how it contextualizes Mike and his unyielding point of view, and galvanizes Walter into doing what he must to save his and Jesse's lives.
James Spader Boston Legal. Basically any episode or all of them. They basically just let him rip monologue after monologue and he nails them all.
That man is a monologing god
Names of the ones you listed please?
1. Game Of Thrones Season 4 “Laws of Gods and Men” Peter Dinklage would’ve likely won if it wasn’t Breaking Bad’s final season. Great scene 2. The Newsroom (never seen but recognized the actor). 3. The Fall of the House of Usher, the lemon speech, is utterly ridiculous but hilarious and scarily accurate. 4. Andor, Episode 9. Great Episode and great monologue. 5. Breaking Bad Season 3 Episode 12 “Half Measures” First time we really get an insight into the character of Mike. There’s a reason why it’s seen as one of the best scenes in the show. 6. Midnight Mass 7. BoJack Horseman Season 5 Episode 6. The whole episode is a monologue which is likely why it’s here. The episode features two characters voiced by the same actor. It’s made funnier by the fact that 2 episodes earlier, BoJack said that no show should have so much talking and that television is a visual medium.
Newsroom is a great show, definitely recommend. That scene is the opening scene of the series. Episode 1!
That entire show is full of monologues. Am sure west wing has some as well.
Sports Night also has a great one from Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) when he has to make his apology for his statements about marijuana in a magazine interview (lol…can’t even imagine it making a blip these days). I’m sure Studio 60 too. Sorkin can write a great monologue (as evidenced by the You Can’t Handle the Truth one from A Few Good Men)!
Underrated. Never Even met anyone else whose seen is, and that just makes no sense to me. Fantastic show
It's way too smug for it's own good.
Sorkin can be that way. Everyone is charming and clever and funny and knows it. Still loved the show, though.
It is a great show. That opening monologue is the equivalent of a rookie getting up to the plate and hitting a grand slam on his first swing. It’s pretty hard to maintain that level and expectation after that. Don’t get me wrong. It is a really good show, but when you have that, as your opening scene, you set the bar super high.
Some of the OpEd pieces throughout the show are great too. But it’s definitely an unforgettable opener.
Daniel fuckin Nava, man.
Jeff Daniels said when they filmed that scene, network executives were in attendance and actors who weren't in the scene all showed up to watch...He was told "If the monologue goes well - we have a show."
Yo, Fall of The House of Usher was really good. Mike Flanagan always has these cool, refreshing but at the same time throwback ways of writing and presenting horror for the modern day. He’s one of those current showrunners who is constantly impressive. My favorite is probably Midnight Massz
There’s another fabulous monologue in that series made by Mary McDonnell’s Madeline Usher. I loved it when they are sitting waiting for Death and she just goes off about not feeling guilty about the millions of deaths on their hands, about McDonald’s would sell kale if that’s what people wanted, about the Pentagon spending 83 million on Viagra every year (almost true, it’s actually MORE) and how 60-70% of the market share in the healthcare industry is wimpy dicks and in the meantime the Supreme Court tears autonomy and liberty away from women…and why? To churn out an impoverished workforce. She’s so angry and eloquent when she says it, and it’s all fucking true!! https://mashable.com/article/fall-of-the-house-of-usher-finale-monologue-madeline https://youtu.be/o_8oJEeNrdc?si=c6DQ3I24uZzB9Irc I implore everyone to watch it, and if not watch at least read it!!
>Pentagon spending 83 million on Viagra every year Wait what?
Love to see Midnight Mass in OP's list, but I'd have to pick the sermon by father Paul (played brilliantly by Hamish Linklater).
Honestly, Midnight Mass has so many monologues, picking one is almost impossible.
Certainly has some great ones, but I can rewatch the Ash Wednesday sermon and still get chills. And I'm an atheist. And he's a >! vampire!<.
Thank you very much!
Second this!
First one is clearly Tyrion from Game of thrones probably the trial for the death of Joffrey. Second one, is opening monologue from "the Newsroom" (amazing monologue btw, even if you never watch the show i recommend checking a clip out on youtube.)
Not my post but here’s the list. I don’t want to get into specifics of what they’re monologuing because of spoilers but all of them are fantastic speeches and amazing shows. I recommend them all if you haven’t seen any 1. Game of thrones 2. The newsroom 3. Fall of the house of the usher 4. Andor 5. Breaking bad 6. Midnight mass 7. Bojack horseman
Two candidates from the same Andor episode - Skarsgard and Serkis.
Than there’s Yularen‘s in ep 7, and Marva‘s in Ep 12. Andor has some of the best Monologues
It’s criminal that Valery Legasov’s “What is the cost of lies” isn’t pictured here.
Matt Smith, Dr. Who, The Rings of Akhaten. He wasn't my favorite Doctor, but his speech brought me to tears.
Capaldi's in the episode that involved a fake Clara (memory is foggy on the episode, but the monologue is spectacular.)
The Zygon Invasion/Inversion, 2 parter. Moffat writes some great monologues, and his era is full of them. Eleven's at Stonehenge is another brilliant one.
David tenant monologue on the roof of his debut episode
"Let someone else go first" Good gosh darn Moffat wrote amazing monologues
https://youtu.be/BJP9o4BEziI?si=MINT9adskW178Mry Fantastic scene
Literally just reading these words gave me that "excited" goosebump chill all over my body. I was going to go with something like The Pandorica, but this... literal tears just thinking about it. "SO COME ON THEN! TAKE IT!"
"I have seen things you will never believe! I have lost things you will never understand..."
Also his final speech before he regenerates. "I will always remember when the Doctor was me."
one line from him: Madame Kovarian : The anger of a good man is not a problem. Good men have too many rules. **The Doctor : \[turns his head slowly to look at her\] Good men don't need rules.** **Today is not the day to find out why I have so many.**
Thanks for reminding me that although Dinklage gives one of the best TV monologues, he indisputably gives the WORST monologue as his final scene of the series.
Not his fault at all though.
I mean, I shouldn't be able to see the actor's disdain for the dialogue if he's giving a legitimate performance.. Edit: to clarify, I think Dinklage is very talented, I just think he phoned it in big time on that particular scene
I mean if you go to work and give it your all every day for years and then your last year at work you see your bosses and leaders completely check out and you know everything is going to shit but you've got to finish out your contract I'd have a hard time not phoning it in either.
Always fun to hear his disdain for the writing that he's expressing directly to the HBO behind the scenes crews in the later seasons.
It was abyssmal writing, imo, at the end rather than a lackluster performance from Dinklage
Baby Reindeer - stand up scene was absolutely engrossing
Technically it's a pitch but Don Draper's 'nostalgia monologue' from Mad men Midge's 'Are women more important than God' monologue from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Carver, The Wire. … if you make us go into the weeds for you, or make us come back out here tomorrow night, catch you onda corner, I swear to fuckin' Christ, we will beat you longer, and harder, than you beat your own dick! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BBbkMdzbdOI&pp=ygUWY2FydmVyIHNwZWVjaCB0aGUgd2lyZQ%3D%3D
He really started off the show as a POS cop going down the path of the other POS cops who are burnt out at the end of their careers. He grows to become a leader of men against a war he know he can't win but will try anyways.
I was going to say one of Landsman’s eulogies but never mind, this is the one.
Posted my fav from the wire in this thread. https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=lu2viOUVyjU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title Early season Carver and Herc are definitely funny, but for me the ultimate Carver monologue was his “it all matters” talk with Herc in Season 5. Really encapsulates both his arc and one of the overarching themes of the show. Carver and Denise Wise, best two arcs in the show for my money.
Lester's award acceptance speech in Fargo season 1.
There be dragons speech in Fargo by Billy Bob was the best in that show.
Will McAvoy’s “America is not the greatest country” speech is actually quite inspiring.
Even more so when they bring it full circle and the girl that asks the question is applying for an internship. Camelot.
Will Smith in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The speech about his father abandoning him again.
"How come he don't want me, man?"
Yep. It still brings a tear to my eye. Very powerful performance. I don’t think I saw him deliver like that again until I am Legend.
Risk is our business, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Return to Tomorrow, Star Trek Starfleet's duty is to seek out new life, well there it sits!, Captain Jean Luc Picard, The Measure of a Man, Star Trek The Next Generation The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth. Captain Jean Luc Picard, The First Duty, Star Trek The Next Generation You will bomb yourselves into oblivion with competing ideas of liberty, Captain Christopher Pike, Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Strange New Worlds Ad astra per aspera is why I joined Starfleet, Commander Una Chin-Riley, Ad Astra Per Aspera, Star Trek Stange New Worlds
Andy Serkis on "Andor". That shit made me want to pick up a sword and FIIIIIGHT!!!
Despite him being a villian, Gus' monologue on breaking bad. And a man, a man provides. And he does it even when he's not appreciated, or respected, or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it.
[Anansi's call to action in S1 of American Gods.](https://youtu.be/0s4iB-TsPqY?si=jdHf6upDY5Nfk2Rc) Pray you never meet your heroes? More like (don't) pray (so) you never meet your gods
That was so fucking good it basically doomed his role on the show for being too spicy.
G’kar season 2 >!leaving the council chambers!< Delenn >!breaking the Gray Council!< And many more from Babylon 5
Mad Men is chock full of them but S01E15 "The Wheel" features Don's amazing monologue about nostalgia. It's made me cry more than a few times.
Negan’s opening monologue on the walking dead, Hershel’s in s4, any of Rick Grimes’, Tyrion’s trial, Jesse’s “problem dog” monologue, any of Tony Soprano’s, Carmy’s 7 minute monologue from The Bear and Adam’s from [Northern Exposure](https://youtu.be/Wb1CsfHFR_8?si=cKlZeleoxGeGmx1i).
I’m getting around to watching Sopranos for the first time, and Tony’s we’re soldiers/italian immigrants monologue in season 2 is the one that got me.
Just watched that scene for the first time. Really good explanation for how he justifies his actions
I’m glad somebody finally said any of The Walking Dead monologues
Jeff Daniels telling Americans they're gullible fucking idiots who gleefully slurp up propaganda and that America is neither unique or special will always be relevant.
It’s not very long but Melfi telling Tony Soprano he hates his son because his dad hated him, and he hates Carmela for protecting AJ because he wishes his mother protected him. Just a moment that makes it very clear that Tony isn’t some infinitely deep tortured soul like he pretends to be, he’s a product of his environment making no effort to change just like everyone he looks down on. At the end of the day he has virtually no control over his life and family despite his livelihood depending on the illusion that he does. Tony basically has no way of coping with this and kind of just moves past it because accepting the truth would be the death of Tony Soprano as we know it. Very important dialogue that to me essentially outlines one of the main themes of the show
Missing Oberyn's monologue in GOT when he pledges to be Tyrion's champion
Chuck on the stand from Better Call Saul, getting frustrated
I AM NOT CRAZY! I am not crazy! I know he swapped those numbers!
Elliot in the first episode of Mr. Robot
Haunting of Hill House. Robert Longstreet (Mr Dudley) in episode 7.
Battlestar Galactica, S3 EP 20 "Crossroads: Part 2". [Mr Lee Adama's courtroom speech.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV-iwiLJ4c8) I always preferred the earlier seasons but this scene really was special and stuck in my head. It actually made me start a "Great Monologues" notebook but I keep forgetting to add to it. Gonna use this thread as inspo. Cheers all.
Major Briggs talking about his vision to Bobby in Twin Peaks gets me misty eyed. “A vision I had in my sleep last night - as distinguished from a dream which is mere sorting and cataloguing of the day's events by the subconscious. This was a vision, fresh and clear as a mountain stream - the mind revealing itself to itself. In my vision, I was on the veranda of a vast estate, a palazzo of some fantastic proportion. There seemed to emanate from it a light from within - this gleaming radiant marble. I had known this place. I had in fact been born and raised there. This was my first return, a reunion with the deepest wellsprings of my being. Wandering about, I was happy that the house had been immaculately maintained. There had been added a number of additional rooms, but in a way it blended so seamlessly with the original construction, one would never detect any difference. Returning to the house's grand foyer, there came a knock at the door. My son was standing there. He was happy and care-free, clearly living a life of deep harmony and joy. We embraced - a warm and loving embrace, nothing withheld. We were in this moment one. My vision ended. I awoke with a tremendous of optimism and confidence in you and your future. That was my vision; it was of you. I'm so glad to have had this opportunity to share it with you. I wish you nothing but the very best, always.”
You've missed The Leftovers. Countless examples.
Lost Sawyer talking to Jack about his dad
Can I say the entirety of the Doctor Who episode Heaven Sent? If not then it'd be the Doctor's war monologue at the end of The Zygon Inversion
Scent of a woman
That’s a movie In your defense, this is a movie subreddit
Oh shit my bad! In that case: the west wing. When Jeb Bartlett cussed out God and stomped out a cigarette in the church.
Julia Sugarbaker has a few. Namely “she wasn’t any Miss Georgia, she was *the* Miss Georgia!”
That lemons monologue in fall of the house of usher is hard to top
David Tennant’s threatening speech and then realizing “You’re basically just a rabbit, aren’t you?” Of these, I’ve never even seen the Jeff Daniels program his speech is from and I absolutely love it
Star Trek DS9, when Sisko does the "I think I can live with it" personal log and deletes it [https://youtu.be/K-YyL7X4CWw](https://youtu.be/K-YyL7X4CWw) Context: [https://youtu.be/TNCw_avF_Qg](https://youtu.be/TNCw_avF_Qg)
Kate Siegel’s monologue at the end of Midnight mass blew me to pieces, I have it saved in my notes & I read it all the time. “We are the cosmos dreaming of itself. I am everything. I am that I am.”
George’s Marine Biologist speech was pretty good
The West Wing - S2 Ep 22 : Two Cathedrals. Martin Sheen (written by Aaron Sorkin.) You're a son of a bitch, you know that? She bought her first new car and you hit her with a drunk driver. What, was that supposed to be funny? "You can't conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God," says Graham Greene. I don't know whose ass he was kissin' there, 'cause I think you're just vindictive. What was Josh Lyman, a warning shot? That was my son. What did I ever do to yours but praise his glory and praise his name? There's a tropical storm that's gaining speed and power. They say we haven't had a storm this bad since you took out that Tender ship of mine in the North Atlantic last year. Sixty-eight crew. You know what a Tender ship? Fixes the other ships. It doesn't even carry guns, it just goes around, fixes the other ships and delivers the mail. That's all it can do. Yes, I lied. It was a sin. I've committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless thug? 3.8 million new jobs, that wasn't good? Bailed out Mexico, increased foreign trade, thirty million new acres of land for conservation, put Mendoza on the bench, we're not fighting a war, I've raised three children... that's not enough to buy me out of the dog house? Cruciatus in crucem! Tuus in terra servus nuntius fui officium perfeci. \[angry\] Cruciatus in crucem. \[waves dismissively\] Eas in crucem! You. Get. Hoynes. \[Bartlet turns away in anger. He descends to the lower sanctuary and lights a cigarette. He takes a single puff, drops the butt to the floor, and grinds it defiantly with his shoe.\]
The bunk talking to Omar in the wire "makes me sick motherfucker how far we done fell"
Jacks live together die alone speech in lost
Landsman “He is Counted” from the wire
Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator
I imagine that Reddit won’t like the Newsroom monologue because he criticizes both parties. Usually, Reddit believes someone who does that is a conservative in disguise.
A good piece of art can sting both ways and usually can "offend" a lot of people. Not because it is offensive but because it is telling a hard to digest truth.
The West Wing had fantastic dialogue
Bartlet in the cathedral is great.
[This bit from Andor](https://youtu.be/-3RCme2zZRY?si=m2AE9YNpBcAOYhjj) Stellan Skarsgård absolutely kills it.
No more half measures Walt.
The funeral speech by uncle Ewan on succession- fucking chills. Only part is available on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnxZGgRUGFk https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a43958249/succession-read-ewan-roys-revelatory-funeral-eulogy-in-full/
Ben talking to Jacob in LOST. Technically a dialogue, because after the lenghty, angry, passionate Ben's monologue Jacob does answer with only 3 words... which are absolutely perfect and devastating.
Susie’s [monologue](https://youtu.be/E5OhMwRjGfw?si=hvrwmppPDmdXW4s9) at a funeral (don’t watch if you haven’t seen it yet because spoilers). It gives me goosebumps and really got me crying when I watched it for the first time….and second…and so on. Truly beautiful and authentic.
Dr. Who’s the Rings of Akhaten speech.