The world of TV is full of unanswered mysteries, many of which are left deliberately open by showrunners willing to tease and confound their audiences. For the most part, unanswered questions on TV are the result of great shows being canceled too early, never getting the chance to pay off the small seeds of mystery they planted early on before being axed by a network. In rarer cases, however, a series successful enough to dictate its own pace will knowingly leave open-ended enigmas with no concrete answer, fueling fan discussion years later.
Obviously, many fantastic mystery series are adept at getting away with this kind of ambiguous storytelling, able to leave some questions unsolved so long as concrete answers are provided for the bigger ones. But the idea of a major plot point that intentionally remains up-for-interpretation isn’t restricted to shows primarily centered on a mystery, with fun comedies and straightforward dramas also getting in on the action. For dedicated TV fans, unsolved mysteries are simply a fact of life.
What Would Happen In Lost If The Heart Of The Island’s Stone Wasn’t Replaced?
One of many bizarre lingering threads for the infamous series
Once upon a time, Lost felt like the most popular show of all time, but as the years go by, its cultural impact has quickly eroded. To this day, no other show is more infamous than frustratingly vague cliffhanger mysteries than Lost, which followed the survivors of a deadly plane crash who find themselves on a mysterious island. Of Lost’s many unanswered questions, one of the most crucial surrounds a seemingly magical location integral to the lore of the island: a small grotto called the Heart of the Island.
Is Leslie President At The End Of Parks & Recreation?
The natural conclusion of her government work
I would argue that The Office walked so that Parks & Recreation could run, finishing in a knowingly ambiguous ending that challenged protagonist Leslie Knope’s ultimate fate. The second show to get in on the mockumentary comedy format, Parks & Recreation followed the government career of the peppy Leslie Knope and her co-workers. The final episode hurls the cast forward in time until it appears that Leslie, Ben, or both may have succeeded in attaining the ultimate government office.
Did Tony Truly Die At The End Of The Sopranos?
The infamous cut to black remains up in the air
A darling of prestige TV, The Sopranos centered on the life and times of the titular family, whose patriarch, Tony, is a high-ranking member of the New Jersey mafia. Framed through Tony’s therapy sessions, the entire series is a psychological character study that also chronicles the tumultuous politics and shifting allegiances of organized crime. The Sopranos also features one of the most infamously ambiguous TV show endings of all time, ending things on a divisive note.
What Was Will Trying To Say To Alicia In The Good Wife?
A tantalizing mystery moments away from being solved
One classic trope that TV shows have made heavy use of is the idea of an important line of dialogue that is interrupted or never clearly heard by the audience, teasing frustrated viewers with a near-miss for an answer to a juicy mystery. The Good Wife has one of the most proficient uses of this cliché. The series centers on Alicia, a homemaker, wife, and mother who is suddenly forced to re-enter the workplace after her husband, Will, has his career ruined by a mortifying corruption and sex scandal.
Who Is Game Of Thrones’ Quaithe?
One of the show’s only lingering plot threads
For how complex and labyrinthine the lore of Game of Thrones is, the series actually went out of its way to leave few mysteries unsolved, with everything from the birth of the White Walkers to John Snow’s true parentage being neatly wrapped up by the end. Even if the disappointing Game of Thrones finale ended the iconic series with a whimper, it at least had the decency to answer most lingering questions. The only major exception is the identity of a certain Essos woman who helps Daenerys back in season 2.
Who Or What Is Bruce In Wilfred?
A remaining question mark the series never concludes
Another series revolving heavily around its many mysteries, Wilfred tells the story of Elijah Wood’s Ryan, a depressed lawyer whose attempts to take his own life are suddenly interrupted by his neighbor’s dog, Wilfred. While everyone else sees Wilfred as a normal dog, Ryan perceives him as an Australian man wearing a dog suit, and can even hear him talk. The mystery of this situation fuels the show’s serialized drama in between the comedy antics, but the series finale conclusively revealed that Ryan’s perception of Wilfred is totally the result of his own psychosis.
What Happened To BOB In Twin Peaks?
One of Twin Peaks’ many absurdist mysteries
Few shows can ever hope to be as shrouded in mystery as Twin Peaks, perhaps the magnum opus in the late great David Lynch’s career. What begins as an atmospheric murder mystery set in the Pacific Northwest eventually evolves into something much more aligned with other Lynchian works like Eraserhead and Inland Empire that exist on the border of dreamlike reality and nightmarish fear. The culmination of this tonal shift is the appearance of BOB, Twin Peaks’ ancient evil antagonist who was ultimately responsible for the muder of Laura Palmer.
The Mechanics Behind The Gossip Girl’s Identity
The man behind Gossip Girl certainly managed to get around
It’s telling that a series as reliant on its titular central mystery as Gossip Girl would have so many loose ends regarding the answer of the titular firestarter’s identity. Gossip Girl centers on a group of preppy high school graduates whose lives are plagued by the blogger Gossip Girl, a mysterious identity who regularly stirs up trouble by texting scandalous details about the kids’ lives. The eventual reveal of Gossip Girl’s identity leaves more questions than answers.
What Was On The Card Jim Wrote To Pam?
One of the biggest off-screen romantic gestures either
The Office is still renowned to this day for its ability to blend comedy with poignant relationship-building, especially with Jim and Pam’s slow-burn romance. One of The Office’s most emotionally devastating scenes is also one of its biggest mysteries, a key point in Pam and Jim’s relationship that remains ambiguous. During Michael’s disastrous Christmas gift exchange, Jim is eventually able to maneuver his heartfelt gift, a teapot filled with very personalized items, into Pam’s hands.
How Did The Tenth Doctor Convince Rose To Stay?
His words on Bad Wolf bay remain a whisper to viewers
The modern series of Doctor Who features a rare scene in which a previous mystery is called back to, only for the series to snub audiences of the answer once again in a tantalizing near-miss. David Tenant’s tenth Doctor, a fan-favorite, is known for his romance with companion Rose, which is complicated when he is split into two time lords, one of which being a half-human clone. At this point, Rose calls into question something the Doctor had told her earlier in Black Wolf Bay.
