27 Smartest TV Scenes Ever Made

"The counting down throughout the whole episode was genius and done so well. You have no idea what they're counting down to, and then BAM, it shoots you right in the heart. One of my favorite episodes of any show ever."

—mapmmapm

"The first episode of the season showed Hannah at the well, staring blankly into its hole, but we didn't actually learn why until the finale. The reveal in the finale of her being killed and looking down at her OWN body was chilling and brilliant."

—laurengarafano

"In the movie, Beetlejuice appears after you say his name three times. So, in Community, after Annie said 'Beetlejuice' for the show's third time, someone dressed as Beetlejuice walked across the screen in the background. It’s so subtle, and you barely notice it, but when you do, it’s pretty funny and clever."

—emo_or_die

"O'Malley was given the nickname "007" in Season 1 when he froze during his first surgery. In Season 5, he was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a bus. Everyone referred to him as John Doe because he was unrecognizable and couldn't speak, so he traced "007" onto Meredith's palm, alerting her of his real identity. It was brilliant, and I always get goosebumps the moment Meredith realizes it's George."

—noradominick

"The most clever moment in TV has to be the plot twist at the end of the first season of The Good Place. it just came out of nowhere, especially for a lighthearted sitcom. It really showcased the fact that The Good Place would be a show that redefined the genre."

—lynchgrace24

"I mean, the show was only about the '70s, so this made perfect sense. It was such a smart way to illustrate it and to end the series."

—tessafahey

"The last scene of the last episode is full of callbacks to the first one. Mitch and Cam were on a plane with their new kid (cream puffs in hand), Jay and Gloria were next to each other at their son's soccer game (now both of them were struggling to get out of their chairs), and Phil and Claire were planning. It was really neat."

—sararonai

"I absolutely loved every time the Priest noticed that Fleabag was breaking the fourth wall and talking to us. It showed that he really saw and understood her. Also, the ending of Fleabag was so clever when she turned to the camera and shook her head 'no' to the audience, as if she was choosing to leave us and focus more on the relationships she had in real life."

—districtrue

"The show had so many great plot twists, and you never knew who to trust, but that ending was perfect."

—anitar411

"I don’t think this list can be made without the jaw-dropping moment when Arya goes to attack the Night King, just for him to turn around and grab her by the neck. You think that’s the end of the biggest badass in the show, but then Arya reminds us why she has this title when she drops the dagger and catches it with her other hand and stabs the Night King and kills the Walkers. The emotional roller coaster that occurred in 45 seconds is what puts this moment in a league of its own."

—anthonym456

Suggested by brittanyarnett21:

This particular scene is so clever that it's actually kind of breathtaking. The whole montage is one longgggg, intimate, one-sided convo where Ben bombards the taxi driver with all of his hopes and fears. Then he utters the final line, which implies that Ben just shared all of that personal information unprompted, and the taxi driver merely asked how his day was. The scene does a perfect job of illustrating exactly who Ben is, and it gives the audience a closer look at his character and his mental illness.

"The finale called back to so many hilarious moments throughout the show's run, including the Tom Hanks bit in the pilot. It was brilliant."

—a48b53e4ef

Suggested by madisonarianna

About halfway through the season, Violet tried to kill herself with a bunch of sleeping pills, but they showed a scene in which Tate saved her and got her to throw up everything...or so we thought. This massive, clever twist revealed that Tate couldn't actually save Violet, and her spirit was trapped in the house where she ultimately discovered her dead, rotting body. Brilliant.

"That flicker to young Jack was perfect. It was as if Rebecca went back to her earliest memory of Jack, but then he was gone in the blink of an eye, sort of like she was trying to relive their whole relationship. What a brilliant touch to an incredible scene."

—spenceralthouse

"The first and final scenes both had Jack flat on his back, looking up through the palm fronds, and Walt's dog appearing next to him. It was a strange, confusing show, but those last scenes and the music were A+++++++."

—shewhoreadsbooks

"My jaw dropped! They had this planned for five seasons."

—sydneygarcia

"All of Sherlock was genius, but when he deduced the password to Irene Adler's phone...it was incredible. The two of them had been playing a flirty battle of wits for the whole episode, but the end to it was peak Sherlock Holmes. Such clever writing."

—iloveyou3000

"The whole 'The Box' episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so clever. In this particular scene, Sterling K. Brown’s character finally cracks during Jake and Holt's interrogation, and he reveals in detail how he murdered the dentist. It was just so smart and so well thought out!"

—allyh495

"It was definitely one of the biggest twists I've ever seen. It was so brilliantly executed. I remember not being able to move after I watched it the first time! Well done to whoever came up with that concept."

—saxophonesandowls

"Throughout the whole show, they only communicated with each other through the eye contact connection (meaning they were never actually in the same room), so I jumped when Will shoved Whispers and we found out he was actually there. It was so beautifully done."

—hannahcane and lizgrove82

"I was so shocked when it was revealed. Her whole childhood, she was being haunted by herself..."

—melissaverniest

"In Season 2, Miranda Bailey’s husband got in a car crash when she was in labor. He couldn’t be there for the delivery, so George O’Malley stepped up. He got behind her on the bed and held her shoulders and told her encouraging things while she was pushing. It was such a sweet moment. Then, in Season 16, Dr. Bailey did the same thing for Amelia Shepherd when Link couldn’t be there for the delivery of their baby. She remembered what George had done for her and carried on his legacy while helping her friend. TEARS."

—hawkeyefan0215

"The writing is so clever in pretty much any episode of Doctor Who, but ESPECIALLY during the reveal of River Song’s identity. I never saw it coming. The writers are genius, and that entire season is brilliant."

—erinburkmanr

"Don Draper coming up with the Coke advert at the end of Mad Men is brilliant. You first think he'll find peace on that mountain, but then you realize that he doesn't really change at all. Instead, he learns he can exploit a whole new movement and group of people, just like he exploited the sentimental throughout the rest of the series. A genius ending."

—fayeolivia90