Photo: Getty, Marvel Studios, Adult Swim ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
I’ve always been a sensitive person and it’s caused some really awkward moments in my life. But nowadays, I’m grateful that we can just call ourselves “empaths” and move on about our daily sensitive-people business without any side-eyes or commentary from the peanut gallery. I cry a lot! Who cares!
However, I’m happy to say that most of my crying revolves around pop culture moments; and this year has delivered a lot of them. Now that I’m thinking about it: there were too many of them. A ridiculous avalanche of them. I mean, c’mon, you can’t even turn on a show – that’s advertised, in part, as a comedy – about a smart-mouthed chef without being reduced to ugly tears,
Through new and old movies and television shows, social commentary, and devastating cancellations, this year had me constantly buying boxes of tissues. Here’s a list of my 10 biggest pop culture cries of 2022.
1
Rewatching 'Bojack Horseman'
Let me preface this by saying that I’ve seen Bojack Horseman before and caught episodes every now and then when it was on air. But this year, I decided to watch it in its entirety and the first season was a kicker. I never realized how sad this show was. At the time of writing this, I’m nearing the fourth season and to see Bojack’s evolution build to a, sort of, nothingness breaks my heart. I’d love to say the fictional television star is the embodiment of “one step forward, three steps back,” but as the episodes pass by, he’s clearly just standing there, going nowhere.
2
Lea Michele’s 'Funny Girl' Success
Nothing brought me more joy, as a recovering Glee kid, than seeing Lea Michele step into the role of Fanny Brice in Broadway’s Funny Girl. These were truly the happiest of tears, but still, a never ending wave of emotions. As the casting was born out of controversy – both Michele and her history of bullying and Beanie Feldstein’s beef with the show’s production team – I felt like such a proud mom seeing her ace the part (with, so far, no reports of poor sportsmanship), record the revival album, and open the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
3
Basically All of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
This was a good movie. A real good movie. But beyond that, it was an emotional tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and a worthwhile journey of grief, love, and acceptance. I don’t think anybody went into their showings expecting to walk about with dry eyes. But even with that in mind, it delivered many more gut punches than I expected.
4
'The Bear' Monologue
Jeremy Allen White, my man. After doing unspeakable things for 11 seasons in Shameless, he jumped over to a new comedy drama with an eerily similar tone. While The Bear never pretends to be a happy-go-lucky series, the opening of the season finale was particularly brutal and left no stone unturned. It begins with White’s Carmy Berzatto going through a glitchy dream sequence where he is giving a cooking lesson to a fake audience and ends up having an outburst about his brother’s death and their rough relationship. This segues into him waking up in a panic and unpacking the dream during an emotional speech at an AA meeting. I found it to be one of the hardest ten minutes of television to get though of the year.
5
Brendan Fraser’s Standing Ovation for 'The Whale'
Brendan Fraser’s 7-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival made him cry, it made me cry, and, judging by the responses I saw on my Twitter feed, it made everybody else cry. There’s not much to say about this one. What was cry-worthy about it? Was it the genuine look of surprise on his face? Are we just sympathy-crying because he’s crying? Is it the inspirational comeback tale? I don’t know, all I know is that it broke me and I’m happy for that man.
6
Watching 'Princess Diaries 2' For The First Time
My friend made me watch Princess Diaries 1 and 2 for the first time this year and that dumb scene in the sequel where Anne Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis recruits a bunch of orphans to march alongside her in a parade to the beat of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” made me ugly cry. It was sweet, sue me.
7
'Spring Awakening' Performing at the 2022 Tony Awards
I’m getting too theater-kiddy in this list, sorry not sorry. But along with the Lea Micheleaissance, the resurgence of Spring Awakening – especially in the wake of the Roe v. Wade overturn – did something to me that I will never recover from. Every single time I think about their performance of “Touch Me” at the 2022 Tony Awards, I need a few minutes to recover. The choreography. The all-black costumes. The moment when Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr. wrap their arms around each other and smile. So much love. I’m in pain just thinking about it.
8
'Don’t Make Me Go' Ending
Talk about a divisive ending, am I right? The ending of Don’t Make Me Go is a rough spot for many. Some viewers felt it was a cheap shot that lessened its overall impact and turned a smooth watch into a waste of time. I, on the other hand, was too stunned to interpret anything about the tragic events playing out on the screen. Needless to say, immediately after finishing this movie, I called my dad and told him not to pull any health scares anytime soon.
9
“Under Pressure” Scene in 'Aftersun'
While all of Aftersun was soul-crushing, the “Under Pressure” scene left me inconsolable. And for some reason, A24 is using a clip of the scene (which I don’t want to talk about in too much detail because it’s a spoiler) for promotional purposes, so it’s literally impossible to escape. Not only would I name this 2022’s best needle drop, but I would also name it 2022’s most heart-wrenching scene. I’ll never be able to listen to this song again, but at least we got some good memes out of it.
10
Cancellation of 'Tuca and Bertie'
Hi, it’s me, Tuca & Bertie’s biggest fan. I discovered this show after its Netflix cancellation and didn’t fall in love with it until the release of the second season. It was the “Nighttime Friends” episode that made me go, “huh, they’re just like me” and from there, I was hooked. This show became something so dear to me and I admired it for its fearlessness in tackling taboo topics and showcasing the importance of female friendship. There’s also my ridiculous crush on Speckle. I know he’s a bird but I also think he’s the most perfect television boyfriend. The show’s cancellation on HBO Max felt like a huge betrayal. It was already canceled once, how dare they cancel it again? A big ‘old ouchie!