A lot of people were “shocked,” or maybe “pissed off” is a better term, that the killer wasn’t revealed at the season finale of the first season of Twin Peaks. Actually, he sorta had been revealed episodes earlier, but not in a way that was acceptable to most audience members, who wanted a more conventional whodunnit.
Anyway, as far as an episode not going in the direction people expected, that one ought to make the list.
I didn’t watch the show, but “Who shot JR?” became a catch phrase over the summer, and the first ep. of the following season brought in a lot of new viewers (probably beyond the writers and producers wildest dreams), so as far as an ep. shocking or at least touching people who didn’t even watch the show, that one gets special mention. It was actually a news item on the 11pm news that So-and-so shot JR (I don’t remember who it was, but I knew at one time).
Henry Blake seems to be the best example, but I’d vote for Magnum’s death in the
“real” last episode of Magnum PI. I read TV guide, but had no idea that 1) it was the series finale and 2) they were going to kill him off. Quite the shock, especially as my friend asked during the episode if Magnum was going to die, and I said “sill boy, of course not. He’s the lead.” So it was quite a shock to me.
Of course, then they brought him back to life. Oh well.
Didn’t Sonny Crockett deliberately blow away an unarmed man in Miami Vice? It’s been ages since I watched that show, but IIRC the victim had had Sonny’s wife (Sheena Easton) murdered. I remember the whole scene being pretty intense, with a big bang at the end.
It pretty much marked the beginning of Don Johnson’s noninvolvement with the series, if I’m not mistaken. (Sonny was put on “indefinite leave” afterwards, or something like that.)
Sue Ellen’s hot little sister Kristen (played by Mary Crosby), whom JR had been boning on the side.
Bobby’s resurrection wasn’t all that unexpected; hell, people disappeared and reappeared all the time in Dallas, even after being presumed dead, and EVERYBODY wanted him to come back. What was so hokey was that they tried to pass the whole previous season (including its cliffhangers) off as just one of Pamela’s dreams.
The failed attempt to replace the “presumed dead” Jock Ewing with another actor (Steve Forrest) was an absolute howler! They never did explain that one (though Bobby did finally identify him as an impostor), except for a hint at the beginning of the next season that the guy may be been under the delusion of being Jock Ewing.
I’ve always been convinced the attempt was real, and it just fizzled out when everyone realized how stupid it was (kind of like everybody, including Francesca, pretending that Frasier’s new partner was really Ray at the start of Due South’s third season).
The biggest twist for me was Lock being revealed to be in a wheelchair at the end of his first major episode of LOST. Great twist and a jaw-dropping moment for my wife and me. We just sat there shocked. Blown away.
Also from LOST, the moment where Desmond actually gets Penny on the phone. We were blown away, in tears, and had been completely manipulated by the writers and show-makers.
I had read the book, at had countless others, but I did see my wife’s reaction(yep, shocked). The Red Wedding blew it away by a mile, though. My wife was so shocked from the Red Wedding, I had to console her for a good 10-15 minutes.
What I came in to say. Completely hooked me from the first episode. Perfect use of music also - I can’t hear Bawitdaba without thinking about it. And of course later in the series Shane blowing up Lemmy with a hand grenade.
Agreed that the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones and Locke’s wheelchair reveal in episode 4 of LOST are good ones.
I thought Jane’s death was a big deal in Breaking Bad, in so far as that was not only a shock but a turning point as the final nail in the coffin that turned Walter into a really bad guy. Also, Gus’s death was both shocking and epic.
In terms of “turn of events”, not even the biggest one in that series, if you ask me.
That would be…
“He is human…and humans have a way of showing up when you least expect them.”
My choice: Maddie’s miscarriage (if you can call it that, that late in the pregnancy) on Moonlighting - even though TV Guide spoiled it by mentioning it in the next week’s issue.
Oh, also on Breaking Bad, As for an event, episode six of season one (Crazy Handful of Nothing) when Walt tells Tuco he has one thing wrong: Walt isn’t holding crystal meth… BOOM!
Richie’s (accidental) death at the hands of his long-term mentor was much more shocking, since we had many more seasons for the character in question to “sink into” the minds of viewers.
