Shocking TV Moments Of 2014: Recap 18 Of The Most Jaw-Dropping Scenes In Television

It’s been a wildly shocking year – especially in television. That’s why we decided to round up the many epic small screen moments of 2014. From the jaw-dropping deaths of our favorite characters, to the eye-widening scenes that had us on the edges of our seats, check out 18 of the craziest TV moments from this year:

1. “How to Get Away with Murder” – In the midseason finale of Season 1, it was revealed who killed Sam (Tom Verica). But the most insane moment followed shortly after when it was exposed that Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) knew all along that her group of savvy students were the ones behind the death of her conniving husband.

2. “True Blood” – You may think we’re going to talk about Bill’s (Stephen Moyer) self-sacrificing death, but in actuality, it was the demise of the hunky Alcide (Joe Manganiello) that had us shrieking at our TV screens. Why, Alcide? Why!

3. “Game of Thrones” – Do we really have to pick one moment? While it’s safe to say the brutal battle between The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) and Prince Oberyn (Pedro Pascal) definitely earned the No. 1 spot for the HBO series' most eye-popping moment (see what we did there?), there are a few scenes that come in at a close second:

- Sansa (Sophie Turner) getting kissed by Lord Baelish (Aidan Gillen).
- King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) meeting his (well-deserved) death.
- Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) seeking revenge and killing his despicable father, Tywin Lannister.

4. “Pretty Little Liars” – We could hear the sound of hearts breaking around the world when Mona (Janel Parrish) was killed off by what looked like a murderer with long blond hair (which suspiciously resembled Alison’s [Sasha Pieterse]) in the Season 5 episode.

5. “Vampire Diaries” – Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) found themselves stuck on the Other Side after they killed themselves in order to bring back Stefan (Paul Wesley). But they were unable to cross over before Luke (Chris Brochu) cast a spell that stranded them in the unknown, which resulted in their temporary deaths.

6. “American Horror Story: Freak Show” – There’s hardly any moments in the FX series that doesn't leave us in a puddle of emotions. But some of Season 4’s most astonishing moments include Penny (Grace Gummer) being turned into a Lizard Girl and Dandy cutting up Andy (Matt Bomer) – alive.

7. “Scandal” – Heart rates rose when Olivia (Kerry Washington) held her father at gunpoint. But to her surprise, the weapon was without ammunition. Her father filled it with blanks to test his daughter in order to see if she would kill him. I guess he found his answer.

8. “House of Cards” – It was the death that left us stopped in our tracks. During the Season 2 premiere of the Netflix series, Zoe (Kate Mara) was pushed into an oncoming subway train by a threatened – and annoyed – Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey).

9. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” – It was revealed in the midseason finale that not only is Skye (Chloe Bennet) Inhuman, but she’s also comic book character Daisy Johnson (a.k.a. superhero Quake).

10. “The Walking Dead” – Ah, what can we say about “The Walking Dead”? Well, basically the hit AMC show had us sweating it out the entire season. Not only did we get to see the true motive behind the Termites, but we also witnessed some pretty crazy deaths. Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) was attacked by Walkers, then had his infected foot eaten by the cannibals and Beth (Emily Kinney) was also shot to death during the show’s surprising winter finale.

11. “How I Met Your Mother” – In the series finale of “How I Met Your Mother,” it was revealed who Ted (Josh Radnor) really ended up with. Years following the Mother’s (Cristin Milioti) death, Ted was pushed by his kids to rekindle his relationship with Robin (Cobie Smulders). Not a lot of fans were happy with this turn of events, which is why Ted and Robin’s final blue French horn scene earned a spot on the list of most shocking TV moments in 2014.

12. “Vikings” – It was one of the most cringe-worthy scenes of 2014. In Season 2 of “Vikings,” Jarl Borg (Thorbjørn Harr) met his gruesome demise after he attempted to attack Ragnar’s (Travis Fimmel) children. So, as punishment, Ragnar performed the blood eagle – a method of execution that requires cutting the skin, breaking the ribs and pulling the lungs out through the wounds in the victim’s back to look like the wings of an eagle. If that wasn't painful to read, just imagine how gruesome it was to watch!

13. “The Newsroom” – This year marked the final season for “The Newsroom” and they managed to shock fans with the death of the lovable Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston). In the series, Charlie was arguing with Don (Thomas Sadoski) and Sloan (Olivia Munn) over the direction of the show when he collapsed and died of a heart attack.

14. “Mad Men” – Nothing had fans gasping more than when Michael Ginsberg (Ben Feldman) cut off his nipple and gave it to Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) in a jewelry box. “I mean, I think Ginsberg has had a very, very strange, tragic life,” Feldman said during an interview with Vulture, following the odd episode. “I think his life began — you know, there was the whole Holocaust thing, and him believing that he's from Mars. And he's never fit in in any kind of world; everything's just been, you know, he's strange. He's kind of crazy. Or some people would categorize him as crazy, I guess.”

15. “Revenge” – It was teased that a major character was going to be killed off during the Season 4 midseason finale, but little did fans know that it would ultimately be Daniel (Joshua Bowman) who would meet his terrible demise. Daniel died a heroic death after taking a bullet for Emily (Emily VanCamp).

16. “Sons of Anarchy” – The FX series ended with a bang – literally – when the series concluded with the bloody death of the show’s main character Jax (Charlie Hunnam). But out of all the gut-wrenching murders it was Gemma’s (Katey Sagal) demise that had us burying our faces into our pillows. Gemma was the one responsible for the death of Tara (Maggie Siff). After Jax had learned that little tidbit, he knew the only way to even the score was by killing his mother with a shot to the head.

17. "Dance Moms" - After four seasons of the Lifetime series, Abby Lee Miller’s student Chloe, 13, decided to leave the show. Chloe’s decision shocked fans, but not as much as what her mother revealed on Twitter. Christi explained that Chloe would not be returning for the show’s fifth season.

18. “Reign” – This is hands down one of our favorite TV scenes from 2014. During one momentous episode, King Henry (Alan van Sprang) was having an affair with a highborn. But their rendezvous took a deadly turn when the two were having sex against a window. King Henry thrust the woman out the window, where she fell to her death.

What was you favorite TV moment of 2014? Sound off in the comments section below!