Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Shows with jaw-dropping twists
WHEN it comes to watching television, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good plot twist (or several) that makes you channel Sally Field during the dinner scene in Mrs Doubtfire: The whole time? The whole time? The whole time?
Here’s a spoiler-free guide to some of the most shocking twists we’ve seen on TV in recent years.
Behind Her Eyes
A single mother (Simona Brown) begins an affair with her married boss (Tom Bateman), then soon finds herself drawn to his mysterious wife (Eve Hewson) in this psychological thriller, based on Sarah Pinborough’s novel of the same name. Their entanglement is just the tip of the iceberg, as the six-episode series incorporates a suspicious fire, lucid dreams and astral projection into its plot. But nothing tops the double-twist ending, which is among the wildest developments we’ve ever seen in a TV show.
WandaVision
Jac Schaeffer's miniseries, which began as a sitcom starring Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her husband, Vision (Paul Bettany), threw several curveballs at fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its best jolt revolves around the true identity of someone in Wanda and Vision’s orbit – or does it?
Westworld
All of the existential questions at the centre of HBO’s sci-fi Western dovetail into an exciting (and plausible) bombshell – revealed toward the end of the first season – that will make you want to immediately tuck into the show’s subsequent chapters. If you’re new to Westworld’s dystopian universe, you can do just that up through Season 3 (a fourth season has been announced, but there are no details on when it will air just yet).
The Good Place
The afterlife comedy concluded its first season with a game-changing reveal that took the show’s humour and philosophical musing (along with the acting of its ensemble cast) to a new level. Once the show arrived on streaming, it attracted more viewers eager to see if they could figure out the secret before they were in on it.
Orphan Black
There’s a valid argument that the
sci-fi thriller – which starred Tatiana Maslany in multiple roles – went a little too off the rails in its later seasons. Still, the cult favourite series, for which Maslany won an Emmy, is a master class in pulling off an exhilarating surprise. Whether or not you know the show’s signature twist going in, it’s a fun ride.
Dead to Me
The shocks keep coming in Liz Feldman’s dramedy, which stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as a pair of unlikely BFFs who meet at a grief support group. One of them
knows more than the other, and that’s about all we can say. No gimmicks here, though: the story is ultimately about female friendship.
Mr Robot
Sam Raimi’s techno thriller starring Rami Malek as a vigilante hacker was full of mystery and intrigue that helped the US series pull off a surreal Season 1 finale. Although the show introduced other surprises, it was that first plot shocker that made us re-evaluate everything we knew about Elliot Alderson and those around him.
Scrubs
You can’t make a show last nine seasons without throwing some detours into the narrative – like the heartbreaking twist Scrubs writers put at the centre of an Emmy-nominated Season 3 episode called “My Screw Up”. There’s a sobering reason Bill Lawrence’s dramedy has been called the most accurate medical TV show.
Game of Thrones
It would have been hard to miss the GOT episode heard round the world – the abrupt Season 3 event that stunned viewers (those who hadn’t read George
RR Martin’s novels, anyway). The violent and emotional episode of the fantasy drama was such a talker that it spurned discussions about how seriously our culture takes TV spoilers.
This Is Us
Dan Fogelman’s beloved dramedy began with a unique twist that made for a great pilot, and set the standard for the show’s time-hopping look at the Pearson family over several generations. The show’s fifth season has introduced another big one that upends the life of a fan-favourite character.