9 TV Show Twists That Completely Ruin a Rewatch

When it is executed well, a great plot twist can feel truly rewarding. The best plot twists in television have since changed their shows and gone down in TV history. Some of these include The Good Place's Season 1 finale, Game of Thrones' Red Wedding, and a number of Severance's reveals about just how deep Lumon's secrets and misdeeds go. Sometimes, though, television shows will prioritize shock value over what makes sense for the story.

When a TV show is more concerned with pulling off a major twist than what the show will look like afterwards, this can really hurt the series. Many shows out there have pulled off twists like these that have hurt the series so badly, that fans cannot even go back and rewatch later. This can be anything from killing off a beloved character in a gruesome way, bringing someone back from the dead, or making characters act out of character in a way that can't be undone. These are 9 TV show plot twists that ruin a rewatch.

Dan Being Gossip Girl

'Gossip Girl' Season 6, Episode 10

From the very beginning of Gossip Girl, the show's central question was who was behind the account that had been exposing the main characters' deepest secrets for years. In the series finale, Gossip Girl's identity is revealed, but it makes no sense. There are a number of people who could have been behind the account, and which would have made sense. Instead, as it turns out, Gossip Girl was none other than Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley).

In order to rewatch Gossip Girl after this reveal, fans need to compartmentalize enough to nearly forget that Dan is Gossip Girl. Otherwise, his actions don't make any sense, and every one of his interactions with the other characters doesn't feel authentic. Dan's identity as Gossip Girl has always felt out of sync with every other existing piece of information about his character, and it makes both him and the show just feel off on future watches.

Billy and Ruby Betraying Each Other

'Run' Season 1, Episode 7

For almost the entirety of its seven episodes, Run is an excellent and suspenseful series. It follows Ruby (Severance's Merritt Wever) and Billy (Domhnall Gleeson), two exes who once made a pact that they would drop everything and take a cross-country train ride together if the other ever texted them "RUN." The season sees the two go on the run together, in spite of the fact that they are both busy in their lives, and she has a family now.

In the Season 1 finale, it is revealed that Billy only reached out to Ruby to have this adventure so that he could write a book about it. It is such an awful reveal that makes it hard to rewatch the show, knowing that his motives have been about his work instead of his love for her, this entire time. Additionally, Ruby gets revenge for this by turning in Billy for the accidental death of his assistant, Fiona (Archie Panjabi). Knowing how things end for these two taints the entire relationship, especially with the new context of why Billy sent that text.

Clarke Killing Bellamy

'The 100' Season 7, Episode 16

For fans of The 100, there are a number of deaths to choose from that made them stop watching the show, or even ruined the series for them. It might be Lexa's (Alycia Debnam-Carey) sudden and accidental death by friendly fire that reinforced harmful tropes. It could also be Jasper's (Devon Bostick) extremely devastating and disheartening choice to die a season later. Even for those who stuck around until the end, though, the series finale ruined any rewatch potential for the show.

In the last episode of The 100, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) kills Bellamy (Bob Morley), after many years of friendship and unfulfilled romantic tension. It is impossible to enjoy the show in the same way upon rewatching, knowing how each of these characters changes to the point of becoming nearly unrecognizable, and knowing the horrifying way that one of the show's most important dynamics ends.

The Reveal That David Clarke Was Never Dead

'Revenge' Season 3, Episode 22

Revenge follows a woman who was once known as Amanda Clarke (Emily VanCamp), but who goes undercover under the name of Emily Thorne. Emily's whole world fell apart as a child when her father, David Clarke (James Tupper), was framed for an act of terrorism. David ended up in jail, where he was killed. Emily spends the series getting revenge on the people who did this to him, no matter the cost.

In Revenge's Season 3 finale, it is revealed that David was alive this whole time, and that he had been held captive ever since he was seemingly killed. David being alive makes all of Emily's actions have less meaning, as she is avenging someone who eventually comes back to live his life. Even worse, David turns out to be very different from the version of him that Emily built up in her head, and he is so insufferable and cruel that the revenge plan seems pointless.

Freddie Being Beaten to Death by Effy's Psychiatrist

'Skins' Season 4, Episode 7

Skins was always the teen drama who covered the heaviest and most taboo topics, and didn't shy away from real problems. It contains a number of heartbreaking scenes and deaths that are sad yet well-handled. Freddie McClair's (Luke Pasqualino) death in Season 4 is not one of these, and is so horrific that it makes his two seasons impossible to rewatch after knowing what eventually happens to him.

In the Season 4 finale of Skins, Effy's (Kaya Scodelario) psychiatrist (Hugo Speer) brutally beats Freddie to death in a jealous rage. It's a disturbing and way too vivid scene that is done more for shock value than for any other reason. It's a horrible way to write off an important character, and it's such an awful death that it makes the show much more difficult to watch again in retrospect.

The Reveal That Michael Was Never Dead (and Has Amnesia)

'Jane the Virgin' Season 4, Episode 17

In the first season of Jane the Virgin, the narrator (Anthony Mendez) revealed that Michael (Brett Dier) would love Jane (Gina Rodriguez) until his dying breath. From there, even as fans grew to love Michael more and more, it was always clear that his time was limited. Michael's death in Season 3 months after being shot was devastating, but it was also really well-written, and it felt inevitable.

Michael's death certainly changed the tone of the show, but Jane the Virgin was still excellent after. In the Season 4 finale, though, it was revealed that Michael was still alive. Rose (Bridget Regan) had faked his death and given him amnesia. It was an awful way to bring him back that seemed to only have the purpose of shock value. It is so hard to rewatch the show now, knowing that Michael will lose his memories, and that he and Jane will ultimately choose to split up because of the ways in which they've changed in the time that he was presumed dead.

Daenerys Becoming a Dictator

'Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 6

The ending of Game of Thrones ruined the show for pretty much all of the series' fans. There are a number of awful plot twists, like Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) being chosen to rule. The worst plot twist in Game of Thrones, though, is the sharp and out-of-character turn that Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) took at the end of the series. It made no sense for this caring person who is so devoted to doing what's right, to suddenly become a vicious dictator.

Rewatching Game of Thrones is just not the same with the knowledge of what Daenerys becomes, or what happens to her. Jon's (Kit Harington) arc, too, is tainted by the fact that he will one day kill the woman with whom he's in a relationship. Primarily, though, it's just so disheartening to see Daenerys become this brave and just leader, knowing that she will eventually become a completely different person.

Bobby Nash Dying

'9-1-1' Season 8, Episode 15

Bobby Nash's (Peter Krause) death in 9-1-1 very recent, but already, it has permanently changed the show for the worse. In a two-part emergency in 9-1-1's eighth season, Bobby is infected with a biological weapon that kills him soon after. It's very hard to go back and rewatch old episodes of 9-1-1 now, knowing that Bobby's journey of healing from his grief and forgiving himself for the apartment fire ends in him sacrificing his life.

Every old episode of 9-1-1 is now tainted with the knowledge of what happened to Bobby. It had previously been established that the main characters would never be killed off, and the show had a more comedic tone that was less concerned with being realistic. Now, though, Bobby's death feels so out of place compared to everything else that has occurred in 9-1-1, that fans can no longer be immersed in that past version of the show.

Tracy Dying, and Ted Reuniting With Robin

'How I Met Your Mother' Season 9, Episode 24

There is no greater comfort than rewatching a beloved sitcom, and if How I Met Your Mother had stuck its landing, it could have been up there with other rewatchable comedies like Community and New Girl. Unfortunately, though, the show's eventual ending hangs over every rewatch. Watching the show again requires serious compartmentalization, so that fans can still have the hope that things will work out for Ted (Josh Radnor) and Tracy (Cristin Milioti).

Ted's entire journey over the course of How I Met Your Mother is about letting go of Robin (Cobie Smulders), and opening his heart up to meeting someone new. Tracy's death taints her and Ted's love story, but him returning to Robin completely undercuts his character development. It's hard to rewatch knowing that eventually, Robin and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) get divorced, Ted has to watch Tracy die, and that he is still pining after Robin all those years later.