Fantasy shows benefit from well-executed plot twists, but not all of them pull them off without alerting viewers to the truth — especially when so many embrace the art of foreshadowing or are based on pre-existing source material. Series with fan bases dedicated to their books, like The Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones, may surprise newcomers, but they aren’t fooling anyone familiar with their stories. (And after Ned Stark’s death, was something like the Red Wedding really unexpected?)
Videos by ComicBook.com
Even shows without a blueprint can be predictable with their plot twists, however. Viewers saw The Rings of Power‘s Sauron reveal from miles away, and attentive Supernatural fans guessed that Chuck was God long before it was confirmed. It takes work to craft a seamless twist that fans won’t see coming, and these fantasy series manage to pull that off.
5) The Good Place Is Actually The Bad Place
Eleanor Shellstrop’s revelation that “This is the Bad Place!” is now so familiar to The Good Place fans that they can hear it echoing in their heads. But there was a time when this twist was genuinely surprising. After all, the premise of Eleanor being mistakenly placed in the Good Place gave the series enough tension to grapple with. No one expected the Season 1 finale to add another layer to the series: that the characters were in the Bad Place all along, and that Michael was behind their deception. It made sense once Eleanor put it together, but it was a jaw-dropping turn to end Season 1 on. It remains one of the best TV twists overall, too.
4) Joyce Summers’ Death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had plenty of well-executed twists, but the death of Buffy’s mother, Joyce, was among the most gutting — and impressive for capturing the unexpected nature of grief. What made Joyce’s death so shocking was the fact that it wasn’t the result of the supernatural dangers that defined Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Instead, she succumbed to a brain aneurysm, proving that even in fantasy series, certain problems can’t be solved via the extraordinary. It was something new for both Buffy and the viewers to grapple with, and it truly left its mark.
3) The Upside Down Is a Bridge in Stranger Things
The execution of this particular twist was iffy, but certainly, no one going into Stranger Things Season 5 believed the Upside Down would be a bridge to the real evil alternate dimension, not the alternate dimension itself. After all, the characters spent four seasons operating under the assumption that the Upside Down was a parallel dimension where horrors like the Demogorgons originated. As a result, we all believed this too. And although fans were expecting some curveball when it came to the mysterious Stranger Things location, this wasn’t the direction most expected it to go in.
2) Alina Has Shadow Powers in Shadow and Bone Season 2
One way to ensure audiences won’t see a twist coming is to diverge from the source material — though that can backfire on a series, fantasy or otherwise. Shadow and Bone Season 2 gave it a go, though, switching up Alina’s storyline in its finale. Despite Alina losing her powers and settling down with Mal after her final fight with the Darkling in Ruin and Rising, the series blended Bardugo’s final two books — and made her Nikolai Lantsov’s queen while Mal went off to sea. The biggest surprise came from the final moments of Season 2, which showed Alina using shadow powers akin to the Darkling’s. Fans didn’t see that coming, since it never happened in the original story. Arguably, it could have made a better narrative if handled well, but unfortunately, Shadow and Bone was canceled before viewers could learn what came next.
1) The True Meaning of Hodor in Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones delivered many surprises throughout its run, but for the first four seasons, fans of the Song of Ice and Fire books weren’t caught off-guard. Once the HBO series passed George R.R. Martin’s source material, however, its turns shocked everyone watching. And one of the most jaw-dropping revelations from that point onward was the true meaning of Hodor’s name, which was revealed in the aptly titled Game of Thrones Season 6 episode “The Door.” Bran being the reason for Hodor’s inability to say anything besides “Hodor” was a surprise, and the way Game of Thrones tied Hodor’s past to his inevitable fate was devastating. It was an unforgettable twist, and (unlike some of Game of Thrones‘ later ones) not in a bad way.
What’s a fantasy TV twist that you never saw coming? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Lionhead Studios -
Courtesy of Eight-Bit -
Image via Prime Video -
Courtesy of Toei Animation
