The twists on TV shows went into overdrive this season.
The reason? To keep fans interested enough to watch all the way through May sweeps.
The TV Fanatic staff rounds up the best twists of the last few months for you.
Into The Badlands – Expanding World
On Into the Badlands, we saw Bajie make it to a mysterious tower, and use the book and compass to jump start the Azra storyline, giving us a cliffhanger like no other. It opens up an entire new world into the show, which will keep us theorizing all summer. – Ron
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Framework
The framework on Agents of SHIELD. The LMD storyline started off slow, but kicked into high gear once Daisy and Simmons entered the virtual reality to rescue their friends. Turning the show into Agents of Hybrid breathed fresh air into the plot and the characters. We saw how their lives could be different with the tiniest of changes. Seeing Ward and Tripp again brought a nostalgic feel to the show and it was fun seeing Fitz’s dark side. – Mandy
Scandal – Dark Olivia
Dark Olivia on Scandal. It’s fair to say that she abandoned the white hat a while ago and has been slowly wading into the gray area. Yet, it still came as a surprise that after years spent trying to destroy her father and B-613, she’s ready to take it over. Bring on bad girl, Liv! – Jasmine
Gotham – Bruce Wayne Clone vs. Cat Girl
Bruce Wayne Clone vs. Cat Girl on Gotham: Cats land on their feet, right? When the Bruce Clone comes clean with Selina in order to get her to leave before the city falls, he doesn’t expect her to turn against him. Faced with the possibility of being unmasked, he shoves her out a fourth-floor window, a fall that should’ve killed her and reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer’s fall into super villainy in Batman Returns. With the cats that gather round her fallen form and Poison Ivy’s botanical aid, it still remains to be seen how changed Ms. Kyle really is. – Diana
Arrow – Slade Not Betraying Oliver
I have to hand it to the writers of Arrow for this little gem from the finale. Many fans were certain that Oliver asking Slade Wilson for help saving his family and friends would end with Slade inevitably betraying Ollie. Last time we saw Slade, after all, he was still ranting about revenge and making Oliver suffer, after all. So who would’ve expected the audacity of Slade betraying Oliver not once, but twice in the finale — and been faking it both times? – Kathleen
Jane the Virgin – Three Years Later
Jane the Virgin jumping three years into the future immediately after Michael’s death was so startling, but a brilliant way to keep the show moving forward without watching Jane spend months grieving in her bed. The time jump has provided some interesting new directions for the characters. Time jumps can be risky, but so far Jane the Virgin has pulled it off. – Amanda
Underground – August Saving Ernestine
August saving Ernestine and the two of them working together on Underground. They always had this inexplicable connection with one another but were so clearly set up as adversaries and formidable opponents. There was no way to see a drunken, grieving, vengeful August working with the addicted, depressed mother of the woman responsible for his son’s death. Yet, despite one being a runaway and the other a slave catcher tasked with turning her over, the two bonded over parenthood and their own feelings of inadequacy and flaws. Christopher Meloni and Amirah Vann were masterful. – Jasmine
Shadowhunters – Who Is Jace Related To?
Jace getting bum rushed with revelations on the Shadowhunters. He found out that Clary wasn’t his sister and Valentine wasn’t his father. The real kicker was finding out that he, too, had angel blood. Finding that out changed the course of the series and affected Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike, when the soul sword was activated. – Jasmine
American Crime – Shae Being Murdered
Shae being murdered on American Crime Season 3. I totally didn’t expect it and it was extremely upsetting. I thought about it all week and then spent the rest of the season waiting for Kimara to find out about it! – Jack
The Flash – Savitar Revealed
Savitar being revealed to be a time remnant of Barry Allen was an interesting turn of events. After all of Barry’s meddling with time and creating Flashpoint, it was a suitable explanation and didn’t feel like the writers just pulled it out of thin air. – Steve
Timeless – NBC Reverses Time
Timeless season 1 was such a fun romp through history. It managed to be a sci-fi adventure with great team chemistry and it even taught viewers a little something about history they may not have known. When NBC decided to cancel it, we were terribly disappointed. So the best plot twist of the TV season has to be when the network actually appeared to listen to fan outrage, and the show runners pitches, and decided to give the show a second chance. We can’t wait to get a look at Timeless season 2. – Christine
Gotham – Lee Infects Herself
Lee infecting herself with the Tetch virus was not something we thought Miss Goody-Goody would do, but she did and it was the greatest thing ever. Lee turned into a totally different person both inside and out. She had incredible strength and a bold new look, but the best thing about it all was the acid tongue that came with her transformation. It’s just too bad we only got two episodes of sassy Lee before she was given the antidote and left Gotham forever. – Lisa
Gotham – Bruce Stabs Alfred
What Gotham fan didn’t gasp when Bruce plunged the sword into Alfred after being urged to do so by Ra’s al Ghul? It was one of the most shocking things Gotham has ever done, but luckily Alfred didn’t stay dead long. Bruce quickly came to his senses and used the Lazarus Pit to bring our favorite butler back to life. But what will the consequences be? We can’t wait to find out! – Lisa
Riverdale – Cheryl’s Suicide Attempt
Just as we thought things were returning to normal for the residents of Riverdale, Cheryl could not cope with all of her family revelations and set out to throw herself into the icy depths of the Sweetwater River. It was an emotionally charged scene, and she was saved. Phew. – Paul
Pretty Little Liars – Aria Works for A.D.
Viewers had been questioning whether Aria had a dark side ever since Pretty Little Liars premiered, so it was a delight when she finally started working with the villain. She’s screwed a lot of things up for her friends, but what the heck is in the file? – Paul
The Originals – Hayley’s Blood Hurts The Hollow
Hayley’s family being linked to how The Hollow began all those years ago, thus Hayley’s blood can be used to take the villain down. It was refreshing for there not to be some sort of magical loophole to kill the villain. – Paul
Prison Break – Michael Getting Jacob Sent Down
Okay, so Jacob got Michael sent down for a murder he did not commit. Michael returned the favor by getting Jacob sent down for it. It was karma. Witnessing the color disappear from Jacob’s face as he realized his sick game was finished was everything. – Paul
Empire – Leah Kills Tariq
Empire has become one of those shows I hate watch. I used to love it dearly, but it’ so bonkers and nonsensical that I can’t take it seriously anymore. Leah sticking a letter opener into Tariq’s neck just as Lucious forgave him was so shocking it almost made me like the episode. The best part of it all was getting Anika sent down for the murder. – Paul
The 100 – New Prisoners
A new group of prisoners are landing from space on The 100. Six years passed and Clarke awaited the return of her people, but she was shocked to learn it was a different ship landing and subsequently took aim with her gun. – Paul
