23 Incredible Plot Twists From TV Shows That Literally Blew People's Minds

~It was Agatha all along!~

Hello, I'm Hannah, and I watch a LOT of TV. It's basically my job.*

Fox

*At least, that's what I tell myself. Hey, if I didn't watch a ton of TV, I couldn't write these articles, could I?

I hate drama IRL, but there's really nothing that beats a super-dramatic scene in a TV show — especially when there's some HUGE twist that you NEVER saw coming.

NBC

Here are 23 of my absolute favorite plot twists that literally had me gasping on my couch.

1. On The Good Place, when Eleanor realized they'd been in the Bad Place all along:

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AKA the best sitcom twist of all time. I truly did not see this one coming, and it changed the show from a funny comedy into something that was truly groundbreaking. 

Watch the scene here:

NBC / Via youtube.com

2. On Supernatural, when Chuck was revealed to be God:

The CW

Look, I wouldn't have put it past Supernatural to have God as a character — or even as the villain he becomes. But the fact that it's Chuck, whom we've known since Season 4, was a true shock to me. Snaps for this one, Supernatural.

Watch the scene here:

The CW / Via youtube.com

3. In Squid Game, when Gi-hun realized Il-nam was still alive and behind the whole game:

Netflix

I TRUSTED YOU, IL-NAM!!! I still can't believe Squid Game pulled off this twist, even after all its other great twists. To have fan favorite and beloved character Il-nam be behind everything was a truly chilling twist, and I love it.

Watch the scene here:

Netflix / Via youtube.com

4. On Game of Thrones, when Jon came back to life:

HBO

I know everyone was theorizing it might happen, but that didn't stop me from being SHOCKED when they actually went there. It really opened up a whole other part of Jon and revitalized the show.

Watch the scene at 3:17 here:

HBO / Via youtube.com

5. And, of course, the Red Wedding:

HBO

Do I even have to say anything here? It's one of the greatest TV twists of all time. Next! 

Watch the scene here:

HBO / Via youtube.com

6. On The Mandalorian, when the Jedi answering the call ended up being LUKE SKYWALKER HIMSELF:

Lucasfilm / Disney+

I'm so glad I didn't have this ruined for me. I know some people theorized, but still, I didn't dare to hope something so cool would happen.

Watch the scene here:

Lucasfilm / Disney+ / Via youtube.com

7. On Angel, when the gang tried to bring Angelus back, but it failed, and then they resolved basically all the season's plotlines...only for the episode to end with the reveal that this was all in Angel's head to force him to lose his soul, and that Angelus was back:

The WB

^Yes, I'm aware that reads confusingly if you've never seen the show, so let me explain: Angel's a vampire who loses his soul when he experiences true happiness. So in order to get him to lose his soul, the shaman makes him think all these good things are happening — culminating in sleeping with Cordelia — so that he achieves true happiness and becomes Angelus. Except that we as the viewers think it's actually happening, until we end up back in the cell as we were at the beginning of the episode, and Angel starts laughing maniacally, revealing himself as Angelus. It's a great reveal, and the slow zoom out as Angelus laughs is delightfully creepy.

I can't find the scene online, but it happens at the end of Season 4, Episode 10. You can watch the show on Hulu or Amazon.

8. Similarly, on Teen Wolf, when the Nogitsune was possessing Stiles, and we spent a whole episode thinking Stiles was in control, only to realize it was actually the Nogitsune:

MTV

I love a good ~things were never as they seemed~ reveal, where a character tricks not only the other character but the audience as well. This may just be a one-episode twist (like the above), but it's such a great switch-up that I had to include it on this list.

Watch the scene here:

MTV / Via youtube.com

9. On WandaVision, when Pietro showed up (and he was played by Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver in the X-Men series):

Marvel / Disney+

Okay, so this one kind of flopped later when it turned out to be a bit of stunt casting, but OMG, I thought they were introducing the metaverse with this!! It's a great end-of-episode reveal, and I was just as shocked as Wanda and Darcy.

Watch the scene here:

Marvel / Disney+ / Via youtube.com

10. Also on WandaVision, when we found out Agatha was behind everything going wrong in Westview:

Marvel / Disney+

She also gives a banger of a villain song, which is just a bonus — the twist is already a lot of fun. It makes sense while also being surprising, which is a fine line to walk for plot twists. Plus, it gives us the chance to see Kathryn Hahn as the villain.

Watch the scene here:

Marvel / Disney+ / Via youtube.com

11. When Darla was revealed to be pregnant on Angel:

The WB

I legit GASPED when she turns and you see her stomach. Angel did impossible vamp pregnancies wayy before Twilight, people. 

I can't find the scene online, but it happens at the end of Season 3, Episode 1. You can watch the show on Hulu or Amazon.

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

Showtime

This is still one of the most shocking and devastating TV deaths ever. It's so sudden and gruesome, and while it was sad, I think it was honestly such a smart decision that really drove the show forward. 

Watch an edit of the scene here:

Showtime / Via youtube.com

13. On Yellowjackets, when the woman in the tree was revealed to be Taissa:

Showtime

Yellowjackets is another show full of twists, but this is one I really didn't see coming. Sammy isn't having nightmares at all — the woman in the tree is real, and it's his mom. And Lottie wasn't imagining things either — she did see Taissa eating dirt. This was a huge twist for Taissa's character as the clear-headed one, and it was great for the show.

I can't find the clip online, but it happens at the end of Episode 6. You can watch the episode on Showtime.

14. On The Wilds, when it was revealed the plane crash was all some kind of experiment:

Amazon

The Wilds seemed like a teenage version of Lost, and then this twist brought on a wholeeee new lawyer who genuinely was the reason I kept watching. I love when twists come early (in this case, Episode 1) like that. 

The scene happens at the end of Episode 1. You can watch the show on Amazon or the first episode on YouTube (this scene is at 54:49).

15. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when Buffy's mom died:

The WB

I'm counting this twist because it was SO unexpected to have a human die of human causes on a vampire show, especially after it seemed she'd be okay. It was devastating, and I think it changed Buffy and Dawn as characters forever.

Watch the scene here:

The WB / Via youtube.com

16. Also on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when it was revealed Spike had gained a soul:

UPN

The whole time, it seems like Spike is trying to get power to kill Buffy, but really, he's fighting to get a soul. It's so unexpected for Spike as a character, but it works so well, because we'd really exhausted Spike as the "harmless" yet still-evil vampire with a crush on Buffy. 

Watch the scene here:

UPN / Via youtube.com

17. On Revenge, when David Clarke was revealed to actually be alive, then he killed Conrad:

ABC

THE WHOLE SHOW WAS PREDICATED ON DAVID CLARKE BEING DEAD. And then he's just alive??? While not necessarily realistic, this is, to me, one of the most shocking TV moments. Also, good riddance, Conrad, lol.

Watch the scene here:

ABC / Via youtube.com

18. When Mona was revealed to be alive on Pretty Little Liars:

Freeform

This was an "actually alive" reveal I liked a lot better. This wouldn't normally be unexpected for PLL's standards, but we'd actually seen Mona's body, so this was a shock. I was honestly so relieved Mona wasn't dead that I came to love this twist, unrealistic as it was.

Watch the scene here:

Freeform / Via youtube.com

19. On The Vampire Diaries, when Stefan killed Enzo and then Bonnie gave him the cure:

The CW

So much happened so quickly that it was like I couldn't catch my breath! First Enzo dies, which is heart-wrenching and shocking, especially considering Stefan carried it out. But then Stefan gets the cure too?!? I gotta give it to TVD for really upping the stakes in the last few episodes.

Watch the scene here:

The CW / Via youtube.com

20. And when it seemed that Damon was the one who was going to die, and then Stefan revealed he'd gone back, given Damon the cure, then died with Katherine instead:

The CW

I love this series finale so much. We totally think Damon has sacrificed himself and that Bonnie has died and Elena has woken up...but then we realize the conversation between Stefan and Elena is just happening in her head as Stefan moves on to find peace, because he's actually the one who's dead. Mind blown!!!

Watch the scene here:

The CW / Via youtube.com

21. On And Just Like That..., when Big died from a heart attack:

HBO

For a revival that seemed like it would capture the fun drama of the original, the spouse of the main character dying in the first episode was shocking, alright. Although...I never liked Big, so I kind of liked it. Keep us on our toes, HBO!

Watch the scene here:

HBO / Via youtube.com

22. On Lost, when Hurley realized one of the "survivors" hadn't even been on the plane:

ABC

Lost had a million plot twists, but this is a great early one. One of the people on the island wasn't even on the plane, meaning he's an impostor — and we don't even fully know what that means yet. Lost layered on all the mysteries sooo well in early seasons. 

Watch the scene here:

ABC / Via youtube.com

23. And finally, on Breaking Bad, when it was revealing Walt had poisoned Brock:

AMC

We knew Walt was evil, but we didn't know he was poison-a-kid evil. Especially the son of Jesse's girlfriend! The confirmation that he'd cooked up this entire messed-up plot just to get Jesse on board with killing Gus is truly one of my favorite reveals. 

Watch the scene here:

AMC / Via youtube.com

Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments!