Everyone will have a particular set of words that are their last, both in real life and in fiction. The difference, of course, is that fictional characters get their final words carefully selected by a writer or a team of writers. As such, if they're important characters, those words will often be poignant, emotional, or ironic, depending on whose dying at that point in the story and why.
RELATED: TV Characters You Expected Might Die, But Somehow Never Did
With TV shows, these final moments with a character carry more weight than they might in a movie, as viewers will likely be more familiar with them and have spent more time watching them. As such, TV shows have given us many great final words spoken by many great characters, especially in shows of the past couple of decades, where writers haven't been shying about bumping off characters.
This list will contain spoilers for the shows and characters discussed.
"Don't you want to teach little Ned Stark how to ride horses?" — Talisa Stark from 'Game of Thrones' (2011 - 2019)
There are too many Game of Thrones character deaths to count and many characters that the show killed off unexpectedly. Westeros was a brutal place, and during the numerous conflicts on the continent throughout the show's eight seasons, it was only natural that there would be consequences.
Of all those deaths, no character's final words are quite as tragic as Talisa Stark's (Oona Chaplin). During the infamous Red Wedding, it may be Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) whose deaths themselves hit harder, but Talisa's last words were about her and Robb's unborn child and how they were to name him after Robb's deceased father, Eddard Stark. It's a cute, surprisingly pleasant moment in a dark show, which is then ruined and then some when the infamous massacre occurs, with the pregnant Talisa and her unborn child being its first horrible, traumatic casualty.
"Shut the f**k up and let me die in peace." — Mike Ehrmantraut from 'Breaking Bad' (2008 - 2013)
Breaking Bad centers on Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who starts the series as a chemistry teacher whose life changes dramatically after a cancer diagnosis. Deciding that he has little to lose and wanting to earn money for his treatment—as well as for his family, should he suddenly pass away—he turns to making crystal meth. His new life becomes like an adrenaline rush for him, and he finds himself greedily wanting more and more, and he starts to transform into a ruthless drug kingpin.
Part of this rise to power involves cutting down those in his way, and Walter becomes increasingly responsible for many deaths as the show continues. One of those is Mike (Johnathan Banks), a likable associate of Walter's who has an increasingly strained relationship with him. Walter's reasons for fatally shooting Mike are petty and drive home how terrible he's become as a person. At least Mike gets to snipe at him one more time after Walter stammers while trying to explain his fit of rage, ensuring Mike defied and calls Walter out right until his last breath.
"Well, personally, I kinda wanna slay the dragon. Let's go to work." — Angel from 'Angel' (1999 - 2004)
Angel's fifth and final season was its best. It restructured what the show was and shook things up satisfyingly, and also drastically reduced the role of one character who dominated season 4 in a way that most fans would argue hurt the show.
RELATED: Shows Where The Final Season Was The Best One
It led to a challenging but compelling finale that saw the show's surviving heroes facing a massive army of demonic creatures before a dramatic cut to black. Whether or not they survive isn't confirmed, but given the number of enemies they faced, it looked unlikely. That makes the title character's final words—and the show's—so powerful. They sum up Angel's message about fighting for what you believe in—even when the odds are against you—perfectly.
"Not Penny's boat." — Charlie Pace from 'Lost' (2004 - 2010)
In Lost, Charlie's (Dominic Monaghan) final words are not indeed spoken. They're written on his hand but serve the same purpose as more standard, spoken last words. The situation where he writes "Not Penny's boat" occurs in the show's theatrical and game-changing third-season finale.
Knowing he's about to drown, he spends his final moments writing the message so that Desmond - who's safe on the other side of a pane of glass—will know not to walk into a trap. It shows that for all his flaws, Charlie was ultimately a good person, and though his demise was sad, he died a hero's death.
"Bang." Spike Spiegel from 'Cowboy Bebop' (1998 - 1999)
Spike Spiegel is the protagonist of Cowboy Bebop, whose series-long conflict with his friend turned rival, Vicious, comes to an explosive end in the show's finale. After fighting his way through Vicious's guard, Spike bests Vicious in a one-on-one fight... but only just.
The show ends with Spike collapsing on a staircase, defiantly raising his fingers at a group of armed guards in front of him, before declaring "Bang" and falling over. Optimistic fans may think he survived, but it's unlikely. Still, what a way to go—even in death, Spike remains exceedingly casual and effortlessly cool, with his calm demeanor suggesting that if this is the end for the show's main character, he's ready to die.
"Let me get one of them- " — Omar Little from 'The Wire' (2002 - 2008)
The Wire is a brutally realistic show, and few characters get happy endings by the show's conclusion. It covers all walks of life in Baltimore during the 2000s, looking at things like crime, drug addiction, the police, politics, public schools, and journalism, among other things, over its five seasons.
RELATED: Great TV Shows Where a Supporting Character Always Steals The Spotlight
Realism is favored, even when it comes to a character like Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), who always felt like he could survive anything, largely not conforming to the city's rules that seemed to bind others. But in the third last show of the episode, it turns out even he's not safe, and his last words are interrupted by a fatal shot that claims his life inside a mundane corner store while the character is mid-order. It's sad and brutal, but fitting for The Wire that even Omar could leave it that way.
"Your shirt..." — Tara Maclay from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997 - 2003)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be as funny as it was devastating. But despite the often light-hearted tone, it's the less frequent but incredibly impactful tragic episodes that stick in fans' minds the most.
Few of those tragedies hit harder than the death of Tara (Amber Benson), who's killed in an incredibly blunt way for a fantasy show, struck by a ricochet bullet. Her selflessness is apparent even in her final moments when she tells Willow (Alyson Hannigan) that her shirt has been stained with Tara's blood. The fact she seemed more concerned about her girlfriend's shirt at the moment of her death is devastating and remains one of the show's most traumatic moments.
"Is that all right, Tony? Can I sit down?" — Salvatore "Big puss*" Bonpensiero from 'The Sopranos' (1999 - 2007)
The first of many major characters to bite the bullet on The Sopranos, Salvatore "Big puss*" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore), is executed by his three closest friends and associates after they find out he's been ratting on them to the FBI.
The whole scene is horrifying and sad to watch as it dawns on Big puss* what's about to happen. The way he goes from trying to face his demise with confidence only to panic and start to break down as his death approaches are harrowing emotionally. He seems on the verge of fainting, asking to sit down, just before Tony (James Gandolfini), Paulie (Tony Sirico), and Silvio (Steve Van Zandt) shoot him down. Death here comes suddenly, violently, and inevitably, and a powerful precedent for the rest of the series is set.
KEEP READING: 10 Times a TV Show Character "Died" But Then Got Better
