As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
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General
- Arthur. The poor guy is hardly keeping it together throughout most of the series. It's understandable why the Tick is such a hugger. The few victories and genuine smiles he gets are enough to bring out tears of joy.
Pilot
- As a child, Arthur witnessed his father and heroic idols die in front of him, all in the same day. That moment has plagued him for all of his life.
- The Flag Five's final moments. As a result of their eyes having been burned out, every one of them is blind and clearly scared. The Terror also demonstrates a Cruel Mercy by crippling Straight Shooter instead of just killing him.
- The Terror eating Arthur's ice cream. Then he sadistically taunts him over he he has lost everything.
The Terror: Oh, what you got behind your ear? It's nothing. (laughs in Arthur's face) YOU GOT NOTHING! - Arthur's sister Dot telling him that even if the Terror is still alive and planning something, does he believe he's the only one who can stop him? Arthur has no answer, and just got out of Dot's car.Arthur: I'm okay.
Dot: Good. I'm gonna need you to be.
Where's My Mind
- After another encounter with the Pyramid Gang, Arthur is left babbling, convinced that the Tick is imaginary and that he's on a deluded battle against untouchable criminals. Frankly it must be a massive weight off his shoulders when it turns out Dot can see the Tick as well.
- Before that, Arthur miserably recounts what happened to his father and his superheroes to The Tick. When The Tick hugs him, Arthur is visibly tearing up.
- In an Even Evil Has Loved Ones way, Miss Lint's flashback about the Terror implies that he was the only one to show her respect and support, and that she's still mourning him.
Secret/Identity
- Arthur's psyche is so messed up that he has daily nightmares of the Terror. It's no wonder Arthur cannot forget about him.
Party Crashers
- Arthur briefly asserting that Walter is not his father. Walter quietly backs him up, as though they've been saying this for a long time now.
Fear Of Flying
- Arthur half-screaming, half-crying as he is falling out of the sky. What is really upsetting is him exclaiming: "I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Oh, Arthur...
- Dot angrily confronting Arthur over all of the secrets he has kept from her and how he is getting way in over his head. It's such an emotional moment that Overkill no longer feels like fighting The Tick anymore.
- Even worse near the end, where Dot is pleading with Arthur not to go after the Terror. As she quite correctly points out, people like them are just collateral damage... just like their father. And yes, she is in tears when she says all this.
Rising
- Arthur trying to discourage Dot from joining them on the mission to hunt The Terror. Presents a feeling of DéjàVu only from opposite sides.
- The Tick's horrified reaction when the bus he is holding goes over... with Arthur still inside.
Tales From The Crypt
- The Tick's search for Arthur. He spends hours searching, but is so lost without him that he doesn't even think to search his apartment until someone else suggests it.
My Dinner With Android
- A possible one depending on how you interpret Bakkup. Just when he and Tick seem to be getting along, his partner presses a button to set him on the attack again. If we assume this was wholly involuntary on his part, Tick would go on to destroy him, unaware that it wasn't their fault.
- Downplayed, but this is also the first time Tick befriending someone hasn't worked out.
Risky Bismuth
- The Tick is the most despondent we've ever seen him after his belief that he'd uncovered his origin is snatched away.
Blood and Cake
- Dangerboat's past. When he became sentient, his A.E.G.I.S. handler, Michael King, should've turned him in, but instead became his friend (who he was clearly in love with). On DB's first birthday, Michael surprised him with a cake, making DB so happy he lost track of his flying, just for a moment, and his friend ends up dead. Not just dead, but pulped and smeared across Dangerboat's interior.
- Years later, DB is so traumatised by this that even being reminded that he used to be able to fly sends him into a Heroic BSoD where he locks down and cleans his interior with fire... as if he's still trying to cleanse himself of Michael's shredded remains.
- In the episode, this happens with Tick, Arthur, Dot and Overkill inside him. As they desperately work to override the cleanse, Tick mentions that DB will be crushed when he comes around and realises he's killed even more people. Arthur points out that they'll likely feel much worse. Arthur is right, but so is Tick: imagine DB coming around from his Heroic BSoD to find he's killed four people this time, including someone else (Arthur) he loves.
- Overkill sounds like he might cry when he tells the others the only way to save themselves is to sever DB's equivalent to a spinal column. He's talking about killing the oldest friend he has left.
- At some point during the above, Overkill makes an offhand comment about the Flag 5 recruiting him from an orphanage. Aside from raising some serious questions about the Flag 5's hiring practices (how old was he?), that hints at his having lost at least three families: his original family, the Flag 5, and his A.E.G.I.S. squad.
