Tear Jerker / Law & Order: UK

Series 1

• "Unloved" Steel's efforts to comfort and help a 13-year-old boy who's just pleaded guilty to murder after swallowing his barrister's argument that his genes made him a killer.
• "Alesha".
  • Matt's behavior, facial expressions and body language speak volumes throughout the whole episode:
    • His reaction to her initial complaint about her doctor touching her inappropriately.
    • Being unable to look Alesha in the eye while James tells her they don't have enough evidence to prosecute.
    • Trying Not to Cry when talking to her after her rape because he needs to put his feelings aside in order to be there for her. To the point that he has to outright look away when she herself starts to cry, visibly clenching his jaw and blinking rapidly.
    • Refusing to watch the video of the rape—very noticeably standing as far away as possible and turning his back, but cringing because he can still hear everything. He has a similar reaction during the trial, only managing to watch a few seconds before turning away in horror.
  • James himself barely being able to watch it—although he faces the TV, he repeatedly averts his eyes—and looking so thoroughly sickened that he genuinely seems to be suppressing the urge to throw up. He too has a similar reaction during the trial, turning away completely much like Matt did.
  • Alesha begging him to prosecute her assailant:
    "You're always saying we should fight for the victim. I'm the victim. (Tearfully) Fight for me."

Series 3

• "Confession":
  • Matt angrily pushing past several people, including Ronnie, at the crime scene—"I want to see him!" and Ronnie stepping in to pull him back after he sees his oldest friend's dead body.
  • Matt knocks on his friend's door. His wife Mel opens it and is initially happy to see him, then she sees both Matt and Ronnie are waiting there. We can't see Matt's face, but she can and instantly realizes what's happened and breaks down, begging Matt not to say the words. Matt simply steps forward and wraps her in a bear hug, clearly trying to comfort himself as much as her.
  • Mel's description of how Pete (her husband and Matt's friend) would wake up screaming due to everything that happened to him.
  • The end scene in the church where a weeping Matt admits that he genuinely doesn't know whether or not he was abused (after spending the entire episode denying it altogether), and Ronnie understanding that he needs to be alone after assuring him that he's done nothing wrong. "I'll be outside when you're finished."

Series 4

• For James/Alesha fans, the ending of "Skeletons". James and Alesha are walking down the street, him having just resigned as CP. They chat idly for a while, then stop as he whispers her name, making the viewer think that we're surely going to get The Big Damn Kiss or Anguished Declaration of Love. . .and then Alesha's phone rings and she's called back to work. James laughs bitterly at this and sadly watches her walk away.

Series 5

• The final minutes of "Deal", especially considering how it's resolved in the following episode.

Series 6

• Just about every scene in "Survivor's Guilt":
  • Natalie just barely keeping it together before finally breaking down in the privacy of her office, Angie's subdued, somber demeanor, Alesha sadly gazing at Matt's empty chair, then later correcting herself to use the past tense when referring to him—". . .is a police officer. (pauses, then continues tearfully) Was a police officer", as well as angrily defending him when the attorney for his killer insinuates that he was a bigot—"this man was no racist!"
  • But the best moments went to Ronnie:
    • His stunned, shell-shocked demeanor throughout the entire episode, from the very beginning at the crime scene and his haunting description of the events while confiding in his AA group.
    • Comforting Matt's sister, who sadly admitted that she always knew this day would come.
    • Wandering around Matt's now deserted apartment, absently petting his cat and telling it, "Yeah, I miss him too", clearly struggling with the temptation to drink, as evidenced by the way he stared at the beer bottles in his fridge for seemed like an eternity.
    • Initially blasting Matt's killer for his actions, then actually empathizing with him when he learns his motive (misplaced vengeance over the death of his brother) and finally reaching out to him with words that clearly referred to himself—“When someone you love dies, the hardest thing is to be left behind. You’d do anything to bring them back. You’d take their place.”
    • Reaching out to the gunman's mother the same way, "The police officer, who died? His name was Matthew Devlin. And he was like...my son."
    • In a Deleted Scene from the ending, he's seen walking off with the abovementioned cat that he's taken custody of, poignantly and powerfully symbolizing that even though he knows it's time to get on with his life, he'll never forget him.
  • Even the gunman himself. After furiously denying having any guilt over killing Matt, he finally breaks down into Tears of Remorse after Ronnie pinpoints the exact reasons for his actions, as stated above, and the impact of what he's done finally begins to sink in. By the episode's end, he manages to work up the nerve to tell Matt's sister with genuine regret, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I took your brother away from you."

Series 7

• In "Tremors", learning that Ronnie's estranged daughter named her son—born the day Matt was killed—after him.
  • Sadly, he remains estranged from his youngest daughter, despite the tentative reconciliation with the older one.

Series 8

• In "Hard Stop", DI Wes Leyton is killed, meaning Ronnie has to go through the loss of a partner/friend AGAIN. It's no wonder this one nearly breaks him once and for all. The episode ends with a voiceover of his farewell letter to him, "I won't say "goodbye", just. . ."see you around, mate.""