28 Movie And TV Scenes That Literally Changed Everything In Seconds

"You weren't supposed to help her."

1. Sooo many reveals in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but especially the one below (skip past this one to avoid spoilers!):

SPOILER ALERT Tap to reveal Click to reveal

Sony Pictures Releasing

From the trailers, what was *really* going at HQ was kinda obvious, and I went into the movie a little disappointed they'd given so much away in the promotional material. But whew, was I wrong. The movie had a ton more surprises in store for us, and this one was my absolute favorite. It's the only time I've ever wanted to shout "HOLY SHIT!" in a movie theater (don't worry, I refrained). The reveal of the Prowler's identity played second fiddle to this one, though that was still another spectacular plot twist. This was truly one of the best films I've seen in a while.

2. When Dexter found his wife dead in the bathtub on Dexter:

Showtime

"My number one will always be the Season 4 finale of Dexter. Specifically, the last 5-ish mins of the show. GENIUS delivery and timing, and I was WRECKED after I watched it. I hear about viewers' reactions seeing GoT's "Red Wedding" when it aired. That is how I reacted."

—barbie-girl

3. In Primal Fear, when Aaron revealed he'd been faking his dual personality, and had really been Roy the whole time:

Paramount Pictures

Suggested by patricksdaddy1967

"Basically the moment near the end of the film when Edward Norton’s character starts to slow clap right as Richard Gere’s character (and the audience) figure out what’s really going on. I remember getting chills the first time I watched it. Edward Norton’s performance in that film is absolutely incredible."

—jamied41

4. On Severance, when Ms. Casey was revealed to be Mark's "dead" wife:

Apple TV

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET SEASON 2 OF THIS SHOW?!? This is such a great reveal that I honestly never could have seen coming — for a brief moment, I thought Mark's wife was Helly, but I never would've thought it was the super-creepy Ms. Casey. What did they do to her??? It's been better because only the audience knows this twist — Mark's outie is still painfully in the dark that his wife is alive, and his innie is ignorant of the fact that Ms. Casey is anything but a coworker.

5. In The Ring, when Aidan revealed that Rachel wasn't supposed to save Samara...and that Noah, who the copied tape was given to, is going to be next to die:

DreamWorks Pictures/Asmik Ace

Suggested by tonyc007

It's a common horror trope: the hero thinks they've escaped some demon or curse (usually by doing the right thing), only to realize they definitelyyyyy didn't (Drag Me to Hell, anyone?). But this one stands out to me because she's not even the one that pays the price — this scene leads to heart-pounding anticipation and truly one of the scariest horror film deaths EVER. You also really can't beat a kid uttering some creepy line that changes everything (see #23).

6. On Succession, when Kendall betrayed his father just when it seemed like he'd take the blame for the cruises:

HBO

After a season with his tail between his legs, Kendall FINALLY came back to his senses at the very end of Season 2 and completely sabotages Logan. It's such a "HELL YEAH!" moment, and it feels like it's been a looooong time coming. Honestly, the series was starting to get a bit stagnant, and this reinvigorated things in a huge way. 

7. In The Usual Suspects, when Kujan realized Verbal is Söze:

Gramercy Pictures

Suggested by deftonesforlife

I mean, we had to mention this one. It's one of the most famous plot twists/character reveals of all time. Verbal is the last guy you'd expect to be Söze — and the reveal comes just as he gets away. It's iconic for a reason.

8. On Stranger Things, when the orderly was revealed to be Number 1 AND Henry Creel:

Netflix

Suggested by thesettledpirate

Stranger Things always does an incredible job at weaving all the stories together, and this is still their best example. At the same time Nancy discovers Vecna's true origin, El is discovering the orderly's — and the viewer is making the connection between them both. All the seeds were planted, but they don't come together until this truly spectacular sequence that brings the story in many ways full circle and finally gives El a nemesis worth fighting rather than faceless demons. 

9. In Grey's Anatomy, when Meredith realized the John Doe patient was George:

ABC

Suggested by lisamariek

This twist is especially brutal because it comes while Izzie is also dying — it makes the scene where he dies and Izzie sees him in his Army uniform all the more devastating and shocking.

10. In Lucky Number Slevin, when it was revealed that Slevin was really Henry:

MGM Distribution Co./Alliance Atlantis/Entertainment Film Distributors

Suggested by joolzr2

Like, six reveals happen in this scene: that Nick was the man Goodkat killed at the start of the movie, that Slevin has orchestrated this whole thing, that Slevin is the son of the man (Max) who was killed after bad betting on a horse race, that Goodkat was the one that killed Max and was meant to kill Slevin, too, but instead raised him as his own, and that the Rabbi and the Boss were the mobsters from the story. Each one is given its own moment to shine, and together they comprise this truly glorious twist that you realize has been in the making for the entire movie without you even realizing it. 

11. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when after five seasons, the show suddenly revealed Buffy had a younger sister:

UPN

Suggested by tracyb16

At first, I hated this twist. I felt tricked — it made absolutely no sense that Buffy had had a sister this entire time!!! How was she never mentioned? But then the show reveals that it's basically been gaslighting you and making you question your own memory and perception of the show. ... Dawn was inserted in the Scooby Gang's lives, and they were all given fake memories of her existing in the years prior. It's such a wild twist that I can't even think of any show that has pulled off something else like it — maybe for a few episodes, but certainly not for the rest of the show's run. I know some people hated Dawn, but I always loved how she changed the game and brought out a whole new side of Buffy. Plus, her plot line drove Season 5, which it feels like is the favorite season of 90% of fans. 

12. In Vanilla Sky, when David realized he was in a lucid dream:

Paramount Pictures

Suggested by eprasad60

I normally dislike "it was all a dream" reveals, but this one just works. The whole movie is trippy and creepy and weird, and this reveal fits in perfectly. The jaunty music that plays over this reveal is just perfect.

13. In Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos snapped and half the world disappeared:

Marvel

Suggested by barlowdelvaux81

Infinity War is by far the best Avengers film. It follows a classic setup: There's some epic villain our heroes need to fight, and he's got a truly horrible MO (in this case, literally erase half the world). In fact, his plan is so inconceivable that we're SURE our heroes are going to win. And then...they lose. Half the universe disappeared, including a huge number of the main characters. And then, the movie just...ends, leaving the audience reeling. The movie plays against superhero film expectations so well to deliver an utterly shocking ending.

14. On Game of Thrones, when it was finally revealed that Jon Snow was actually a Targaryen:

HBO

This twist wasn't exactly surprising, as fans had guessed at it for years. Still — its execution was flawless, and it was so satisfying to finally see it confirmed. The camera zooming in on baby Aegon's face and then out on adult Jon's face...*chef's kiss*.

15. On Game of Thrones, when Lady Olenna revealed she was the one who had murdered Joffrey:

HBO

Suggested by ropre

This may have been a smaller/less dramatic reveal than others on this list, but it's still so iconic. Olenna is SUCH a badass, and her revealing this to a shell-shocked Jamie as she dies is perfect. It's also all the more shocking because we had to wait so long not knowing who killed Joffrey — we literally went through an entire trial for Tyrion not knowing who the actual murderer was. "Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me" is still one of the most memorable GoT lines to me. 

16. In The Book of Eli, when the the Bible was in braille and it was revealed that Eli was blind:

Warner Bros. Pictures/Summit Entertainment

"Made me go back and watch the entire movie over again."

—klharr224

"The first time I saw that, I was like, WHAT."

—misstarrynj

"My friends gasped, which took me by surprise because I assumed they understood from the beginning that he was blind. He moved like a blind person (such as that scene where he didn't shoot until the cat meowed, how he constantly touched things, and how he didn't react when someone was reaching out to touch him). Never even occurred to me that I wasn't supposed to know he was blind. This makes a different kind of twist. ... I'm now realizing Denzel really did his research for that film. Great actor."

—prolix

17. In Shutter Island, when it was revealed that Teddy was Andrew Laeddis, a patient of the hospital, and responsible for the death of his wife:

Paramount Pictures

Suggested by drigs

I still think Leo should have won an Oscar for this (although I think that about most of his roles). It's devastating, and you want to deny it right along with Teddy, even as the film makes you confront all the things that didn't add up earlier in the movie.

18. In Better Call Saul, when Lalo shot Howard:

AMC

"I was floored when Howard got shot by Lalo in Better Call Saul. I was convinced there was going to be this whole new story arc involving Howard making Kim and Jimmy's life a living hell that would lead to them breaking up, and thus, Saul would join the Dark Side (for lack of a better term LOL), but Lalo came in like NOPE and shot Howard in the head like it was no big deal. 'Shhhhhh...let's talk.' CHILLS."

—funkmistress

19. In Invasion of the Body Snatchers, when Nancy realized Matthew was actually a duplicate:

United Artists

Suggested by margegunderson

Even these screenshots freak me out. I'm not always a fan of movies ending on cliffhangers, but I think this film improved upon its predecessor by leaving us with an intensely chilling ending.

20. In The Prestige, when Angier discovers that Borden is actually a set of twins:

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution / Warner Bros. Pictures

"I loved the twist in The Prestige. Hugh Jackman's character had spent the whole movie trying to figure out how Christian Bale pulled off his disappearing trick, and everyone told him it was a double. He goes as far as to commission a fantastical cloning machine, only to find out in the end that everyone was right and it was just a double/twin."

—rnd13001

21. In The Sixth Sense, when Malcolm realized he's been dead the whole time:

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Suggested by doyonmac1

We had to include this one, of course. It's famous for a reason! Like the "it was all a dream" trope, I don't normally like the "they were dead the whole time" twist, but this one was nailed so well that it really became the blueprint.

22. On The Vampire Diaries, when "Elena" revealed herself to be Katherine:

The CW

If you've read my lists before, you've probably seen me mention this one — that's because it's ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLOT TWISTS OF ALL TIME. Maybe it's not quite The Sixth Sense, but I still think it's incredibly clever for a teen show. We spend the entire season hearing about Katherine and seeing her in flashbacks, but never in the present day. There's a big buildup to meeting her that doesn't happen, and just when you've let your guard down in the last minutes of the season, BAM, there she is in all her terrifying glory. And you don't even know it's her at first!!! Talk about a character entrance.

23. In Se7en, when it turned out David's wife's head was in the box, and David was meant to fulfill the seventh sin:

New Line Cinema

It's messed up, but I still quote "what's in the box" mimicking Brad Pitt's voice whenever my cat or my roommate's cat hangs out in our Amazon boxes. Still — that just shows how memorable this scene was!!! This reveal is even more powerful because we don't actually see her head — but we know it's there even as David refuses to accept it. 

24. On Breaking Bad, when it was revealed Walt had poisoned Brock:

AMC

I love this one because of how quiet it is. Instead of seeing Walt poison Brock, or having some big fight or dramatic confession, we just get this slow zoom of the plant in Walt's yard. It makes it so much more chilling.

25. In The Others, when Grace realized that she and her family are dead and "the others" are the new family who have moved into her house:

Warner Sogefilms / StudioCanal

Suggested by carebear27203 and emilypost

Another "dead the whole time" one that actually works — I think due to the fact that ghosts are established for the entire film, and the twist is that the ghosts are actually Grace and her children, and that the "ghosts" she's seeing are the living inhabitants of the house. Kidman also truly sells it in one of her best performances, and I love how creepy the ending is. 

26. In Angel Heart, when Harry realizes he's Johnny Favorite:

Tri-Star Pictures

Suggested by jasonzeskey

Harry spends the entire movie looking for the man that ends up being him all along — I mean, how can a twist get better than that? I'll tell ya how: by also having the character realize they're a murderer and their soul belongs to the devil. It's a horrifying scene that makes you want to yell at the screen, wondering how you didn't see this coming. 

27. And finally, let's end on a couple less traumatizing ones...when it was revealed Chandler and Monica had slept together five seasons into Friends:

NBC

This one's so great because it was so unexpected, and yet it just works. There was no will-they-won't-they, no real romantic tension, just boom — they're together. It's shocking but in hindsight makes perfect sense, and I loved seeing their relationship blossom over the next season. 

28. And when Ross said Rachel's name during his vows:

NBC

This will forever be one of the most iconic sitcom moments (and it came only an episode after the above twist!). Just when you think Ross has actually done it — he's moved on from Rachel — THIS happens. It's shocking and horrible of Ross, but it's still the kind of thing that makes you yell at your TV in delight.

What movie or TV twist delivered in a single scene still blows your mind? Let us know in the comments!

Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.