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Sometimes, though, the twist is so obvious that almost everyone figures it out ahead of time. If the twist is executed well enough, viewers may enjoy the show anyway, but it can also be disappointing when a twist is too obvious. Several shows have had these types of twists in recent years.
7) Eleanor Is Really In The Bad Place
The Good Place‘s surprise twist at the end of season 1 is so well-known that many people forget that Eleanor and her neighbors didn’t know from the beginning that they were in the Bad Place rather than the Good Place. Although this is considered one of the best plot twists in TV history, many people guessed it because Eleanor’s behavior was so bad in life that it was hard to believe she’d be admitted to the Good Place.
Thus, the reveal that the Good Place is really the Bad Place isn’t as shocking as it is supposed to be, especially given how hard it was for Eleanor to follow the rules of the supposed Good Place. However, it still works as a joke because the idea that the characters didn’t know where they were, even though it was obvious, is funny.
6) The Mother In How I Met Your Mother Is Dead
There are many reasons to be frustrated with the ending of How I Met Your Mother, and one of them is that the surprise twist that the mother is dead wasn’t much of a surprise at all. Throughout the series, Ted is telling the story to the kids with no input from their mother, which leaves the question wide open of where she is.
The bigger disappointment here is that Robin isn’t the kids’ mother, and that the mother’s death is convenient for the secondary twist of Robin and Ted getting together afterward. The entire disappointing finale could have been avoided if the writers hadn’t gone for the extremely obvious twist about the mother’s fate in the first place.
5) Stranger Things‘ Hopper Didn’t Really Die
The death of Stranger Things’ Hopper at the end of Season 3 wasn’t expected to last, and fans’ theories were quickly confirmed by the marketing materials for Season 4. Obviously, this wasn’t meant to be a surprise twist since the show didn’t try to keep it secret, but it wouldn’t have worked even if the promotion for season 4 didn’t give the truth away.
The biggest clue that Hopper was really alive was that his body was not found after he supposedly sacrificed himself at the giant gate to save his family — the lack of a body is a common TV show signal that someone is still alive. However, this twist is still disappointing because it takes some of the power out of Hopper’s sacrifice. Ironically, David Harbour thinks that Hopper should have died much earlier in the series’ run.
4) Violet Was Already Dead in American Horror Story: Murder House
American Horror Story wouldn’t work without shocking twists that add to the dread and fear that viewers feel while watching. However, the series missed the mark in Murder House with its big reveal that Violet had been dead for some time.
In the episodes leading up to this reveal, Violet had many unexplained absences and wasn’t interacting much with other characters. In addition, the series had revealed that she had once attempted suicide, and there was no way to confirm that she had survived the attempt, so many viewers assumed she had not.
