Vader. Kaiser Soze. Tyler Durden. The ghost of Bruce Willis. Rosebud. "Not Penny's boat." The list goes on- films and television have given us mind-blowing reveals, decade after decade. By now, most of us know the "big" ones. Nina on 24. The Crying Game. The Red Wedding. Oldboy. Soylent Green is- you get the idea.

There are some moments, far less-heralded than the aforementioned familiars, that I find even more compelling- so much so that I decided to make a recurring bit out of them. I'm starting the series with an old favorite: Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece, Alien.

The Setup

This time last year, a local theater put on a midnight screening of Alien. I lost my mind- I had seen the film a dozen times, but never on a big screen. My friends and I arrive early to grab the best seats (first row above the aisle, feet on the rail- don't tell me otherwise). I win a button from the pre-movie trivia contest (seriously, no one else knows about H.R. Giger?). The opening credits roll, and something decidedly unexpected happens. I'm able to put myself in the shoes of a first-time viewer, imagining what it might have been like in 1979. Doing so helps me see the narrative unfold in a different light.

I know what you're thinking- "we know about the chestburster" and, hey, me too. It's a phenomenal scene if you don't know what's coming. The setup is so inviting. There's pleasant classical music, lots of laughter, and an overwhelming sense of relief for the Nostromo crew. Astute viewers will probably remain guarded, as we're only 30 minutes or so into a horror movie and there's no way it ends here, but Scott and company go the extra mile to lull the audience. Even the cast (barring John Hurt, obviously) didn't know what was coming, but that's not why I'm here today.

Imagine alongside me- it's 1979. You watch the opening credits roll. Tom Skerritt is the best-known actor in the cast (though Ian Holm is by far the most experienced). He is the Nostromo's captain and the top-billed cast member. We're 70 minutes into the film. Other than the chestburster scene and Brett's demise, it's been a slow burn. All of a sudden, Captain Dallas gets got. Our flamethrower-toting leading man gets absolutely dusted by the Xenomorph. "No blood. No Dallas." In an age where everyone tries to mimic Game of Thrones, this might not seem like much of a surprise. In 1979, we're shell-shocked in the best way.

Now we're 75 minutes in, and the crew has to deal with the fallout. Ripley (a then-unknown Sigourney Weaver) is in command and quickly losing her temper with the other 3 survivors. She decides to carry out their original plan (destroy the Alien), but she wants some answers beforehand. Ripley asks their science officer, Ash, if he or "Mother" (the AI running the ship's computers) have any suggestions. Curiously, Ash replies that they are "collating." Ripley has been fed up with Ash since the beginning- it was his decision, after all, to override her orders and let the Facehugger-laden Kane on board the Nostromo. With her captain dead and her crew falling apart, Ripley uses her new authority to access Mother and find her own answers.

The Reveal