14 Mind-Blowing TV Theories That Honestly Sound Pretty Plausible, If I Do Say So Myself
🚨 Warning: Potential TV spoilers ahead!
1.Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City used pseudonyms Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte to write about various women in New York City who shared the same personality traits (not just her three best friends).
"My belief is that Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha weren't just three people Carrie wrote about in her articles in the original series — they were names given to women that were part of her social circle in New York City.
The original series was an adaptation of each article. Charlotte was always in the middle of a serious relationship and having sex, but as the series progressed, she appeared to be very conservative when it came to sex. In my opinion, Carrie used stories from semi-conservative women before they got married, and named them Charlotte in her articles and books. A 'Miranda' was a cynical person Carrie knew — Miranda was the type of person in her circle who either loved being in a relationship or totally didn't. Samantha represented all of the women in Manhattan who had sex without wanting a relationship, and didn't carry any guilt about it — a 'Samantha's' actions sometimes countered the thesis Carrie used in her articles.
There was a freedom to their friendship, where they acted as friends would and were never concerned about how they'd appear in Carrie's articles and books. We saw that Carrie was famous for this, but it didn't affect the lives of any of these three women. In New York City social scenes, none of the men seemed to care that Carrie was writing about them — no one ever tried to correct her.
Because they're anonymous entities, they spoke freely to Carrie about their problems — I couldn't picture Miranda or Charlotte ever agreeing to have their life depicted in the public eye. Even Samantha — she was a publicist who would've made sure Carrie said the right things in her articles (so she wouldn't burn bridges with clients Carrie often talked about)."
2.The Mind Flayer from Stranger Things "preys on post-nuclear societies" in order to "cause a nuclear Armageddon and winter."
"I believe the Mind Flayer is a being that specifically targets post-nuclear societies, and my theory relies on seven major facts about the Mind Flayer and the Stranger Things universe. They are: The Mind Flayer likes the cold, it's clever, it's radioactive, the Upside Down is not a place, accessing the Upside Down requires a lot of energy, gates often draw politically important figures, and post-nuclear societies are often politically tense and logistically easy to destroy.
The Mind Flayer is an intelligent, cold-loving, sun-hating being who understands political subterfuge and advanced chemistry and biology. It probably understands that politically powerful people will bear witness to the Gate’s opening, has access to a space that can only be accessed by high-technology civilizations, and either thrives in (or possibly emits) radiation-like atmospheres.
You know what’s a great breeding ground for such a creature? A planet ravaged by a nuclear winter. The Mind Flayer’s endgame is not an insidious, creeping, sprawl-out into our world one, but a terraforming by atom bomb one. It has us destroy our planet, then breeds on the slowly dying world, and then returns to the Upside Down (or perhaps its offspring create their own Upside Down) and waits for the next civilization foolish enough to push the boundaries of science.
Season 4 appears to involve the US government and the Russian government, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they're both trying to use the Upside Down to their advantage and get manipulated by the Mind Flayer along the way."
3.Wanda from WandaVision was actually the bad character all along — NOT Agatha.
"I'm going to be completely unbiased here — so, I feel like we all had this idea that Wanda was, at the very least, being manipulated by somebody else (be it Mephisto or whoever else — it doesn't matter). My theory is that Wanda wasn't being manipulated, but that all of those antics were her doing and that SHE was really the 'bad guy' of this story.
Agnes was a red herring put into the show so that people would somewhat make the connection between her and the Agatha character from the comics who works for Mephisto. All of the people who seemed to have some control over their actions whilst in the Wanda-verse were people that came into it later on, examples being Monica and Pietro. Agnes seemed to have fit into this category as well, but unlike the previous two, we didn't get an explanation for why she had more freedom than most people did (or why no one knew who she was).
I propose that she was sent by Doctor Strange to check out the initial energy boom from Wanda, and got forced into the fantasy Wanda created. Strange then sent in Pietro (hopefully to wake Wanda out of her fantasy), but again, it didn't work. We'll see how it all plays out in the Agatha spin-off."
4.Michael Scott from The Office was actually rich the entire time because he invested in David Wallace's "Suck It" idea.
"Throughout the series, Michael always had trouble with money — at times he managed to raise some funds, but it was obvious he couldn't survive that long without work. This was further reinforced by the fact that he wanted to get a job before he started the Michael Scott Paper Company. Despite this, though, he did manage to have some funds to start up the business, and even to rent an office location. So, Michael Scott obviously had some savings.
Suddenly in Season 7, when it was Christmas party time, he was able to whip out a wad of cash to pay for a tree — he also covered the entire cost of the party, which appeared to be quite extravagant (even by party planning standards). So how did all this happen? The answer is 'Suck It.' When David Wallace pitched the 'Suck It' idea to Michael, Michael left and we assumed he didn't invest — but we knew that Michael loved his friends, and would do anything for them. He remembered that David Wallace said he was a good guy, so my belief is that Michael Scott reached into his emergency fund (and shoe), and helped Wallace fund 'Suck It.' And when it was sold, Michael Scott walked away with a few million.
Then the question would be why did nobody know Michael Scott was rich? This answer is also simple: He told everyone, and no one believed him...because he shared the news in a Michael Scott way. I could just imagine Michael Scott snickering 'Suck it,' followed by Pam or Angela rolling their eyes and going, 'Really, Michael? Suck it?' which of course would result in a 'That's what she said!'"
5.Chidi Anagonye from The Good Place ended up in the Bad Place because he drank all of that almond milk on Earth.
"So ultimately, we know that everyone (for the past 500+ years) was going to the Bad Place due to the phenomena of unintended consequences. Essentially, the act of buying an iPhone, even as a gift for grandma, was a 'bad' act because it indirectly supported child labor, lined the pockets of racist and sexist CEOs, etc. — even buying tomatoes at a supermarket was considered bad due to the economics involved. Unintended consequences threw off the algorithm, which was admittedly obsolete when it was revealed it was created when a caveman gave another caveman a gift of a rock.
A running gag since Season 1 of The Good Place was Chidi thinking he was in the Bad Place because of buying almond milk on Earth. It was unsustainable and bad for the environment. (This was revealed long before unintended consequences, which weren't discussed until a few episodes from the finale.) Little did he know he was actually right. The unintended consequences of buying almond milk were indeed why he (and everyone in existence since 1500 AD) had been going to the Bad Place.
It was therefore appropriate that Chidi rewrote the afterlife algorithm so well that even Shawn agreed to it."
6.Squidward from SpongeBob SquarePants is actually an incredible clarinet player — he just can't afford a good one, which is why he always sounds so bad.
"I believe that Squidward, as poor as he is working at a dead-end cashier job, can't afford to save up for even a low–mid range instrument. His dead-end job (and its terrible pay from the greedy Mr. Krabs) just isn't enough — Squidward's plastic, cheap, airy, and possibly second-hand clarinet is to blame. Not his skill.
The jump in musical instrument quality from low-range to mid-range is far more noticeable than from mid-range to high-range for most instruments — however, this is often a dirt-cheap end. At this very low level, you'd be lucky if it even played half in-tune and wasn't airy — plastic recorders on the low-end are decent because they're in such high supply, but most instruments aren't in demand enough to be well-made in plastic.
Supporting evidence is everywhere in SpongeBob SquarePants, but the most recent and obvious one is in the episode 'Krusty Koncessionaires.' Squidward plays a high-end clarinet intended for use in a concert and it's beautiful, and he says, 'I can't believe it. This really is the best clarinet ever made!' after playing it. If Squidward could afford an upgrade, his music wouldn't be so raspy."
7.The location in Squid Game where everyone gathers to play the deadly kid's games used to be a military base.
"The island’s location in Squid Game is never really revealed, nor is there an actual name for it. Something peculiar I noticed, though, is the large amount of tunnels and wide-open areas. It's never stated how rich Il-Nam must have been to carve this place out, so I believe that part must have been done already.
Given the amount of carved-out underground corridors, and the fact that most of the events seemed to take place underground, it’s not unreasonable to assume that the island is an abandoned mine with enough space for all of these games to take place (plus living corridors for the players, guards, VIPs, and the upper management). With the amount of infrastructure, maybe it used to be a military complex at some point, abandoned for whatever reason."
8.Monica Geller from Friends claimed Chandler was the best lover she ever had in Season 5 because he listened carefully to her sex tips in Season 4.
"Chandler was pretty much exclusively portrayed as a failure with women. He repeatedly went back to Janice because he struggled to find relationships with anyone else. But, if Chandler was always as great in bed as Monica said, then it's likely he would've had an easier time in his previous relationships. They did give other reasons that he was bad in relationships, but I think a lot of the women would have persevered with him had he been better in bed.
In a Season 4 episode, Rachel, Phoebe, and Monica mocked him for knowing nothing about women's bodies, and attempted to make him a better sexual partner by telling him about all of the erogenous zones (there are seven!). Monica clearly expressed the correct way to stimulate them, and the best order.
I think Chandler took this order to heart, and used it on women from that point on — it just seemed like the sort of thing he'd do. It was specific to what Monica liked and not anyone else, so it didn't actually improve his success in prior relationships all that much.
So by the time they were sleeping together in Season 5, Chandler not only knew exactly how to give Monica the time of her life, but had actually practiced it on Kathy (his previous relationship before Monica). He essentially became the perfect sexual partner for Monica, and the tips were a big reason why their sexual spark lasted so long on the show."
9.Susie Myerson from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actually ruins Sophie Lennon's success with Miss Julie because she puts a curse on it.
"When Susie convinces Gavin Hawke to take part in Miss Julie, it's backstage during a production of Macbeth. Saying the name 'Macbeth' backstage is notoriously taboo, and is believed to trigger the curse of a play (i.e., it causes bad luck). But, Susie says 'Macbeth' anyway, much to the chagrin of Gavin and the other person there.
As far as we know, nothing bad happens during that run of Macbeth, but the curse strikes during the opening night of Miss Julie instead.
I also think the parallels of how Lady Macbeth is the one who brings about the downfall of Macbeth through her ruthless ambition, and is the one who first starts to 'lose it' from guilt, is brilliant. It's much like how Sophie potentially damages Hawke's career with Miss Julie, which is only put on due to her ambition, and she tanks it with her instability."
10.Jazz from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was actually the birth father of Carlton Jr., not Carlton or anyone else.
"In a Season 3 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carlton’s ex-girlfriend Cindy arrived at the Banks’ family home claiming that the baby was Carlton’s. However, later in that episode, Carlton revealed he had never had sex before.
Earlier in the series (Season 2, Episode 17 to be specific), Jazz came to stay with the Banks family after an incident with the plague. In the beginning of this episode, the family began to notice things were going missing, with Carlton adding that his address book was missing. When Jazz walked into the room, the family pointed out he was adorned in their missing belongings, and Carlton pointed out Jazz was holding his girlfriend (who then ran off). This has led me to the conclusion that Cindy’s child was actually fathered by Jazz."
11.Every main character's last name in Schitt's Creek (Rose, Budd, and Schitt) was actually very significant, and held great meaning of how their relationships with one another turned out.
"In Schitt's Creek, there was a theme of opposites in the urbane-sophisticated Rose family versus the rude, 'towney' Schitt family. Just like roses smell lovely, shit smells like...well, shit.
However, in gardening, roses need manure (aka horse shit) to grow, just as the Rose family grew and developed during their time in the town and formed meaningful friendships with the Schitt family. Stevie Budd was obviously like a mini-rose, as she fit in so well with the Rose family, and was able to grow and bloom, too."
12.Every single character, storyline, and tragic moment that's happened in Grey's Anatomy is actually part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Grey's Anatomy generally shows slightly larger-than-life characters overcoming almost supernaturally long odds. In the course of the series, the team has faced mass shootings, a plane crash, massive storms, terrorist attacks, unexpected traumas, and an array of other trials, all without leaving their own besieged city.
In a world of extremes like the MCU, catastrophes happen every single day – it's up to extraordinary characters to heroically overcome these odds and save lives. In this way, thematically, the show and the MCU are similar. In addition, Grey's frequently showcases advancing technologies that might match up with the technologically advanced world of the MCU, which is seen in the Season 10 episode 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.'
Cristina Yang is invited to a cutting-edge hospital in Zurich, which she soon realizes is run by Burke (who left her at the altar). Yang thinks that Burke is trying to offer her a job in order to lure her back romantically, only to discover that he doesn't want to employ her, but to retire and place her in charge of his hospital. The way this plays out, and the hospital itself, is remarkably similar to scenes and elements from Iron Man 2. In the hospital Burke shows off a 3D holographic modeling software program that maps the human heart in real-time — this is very much like the program Tony Stark uses in his workshop (right down to the manipulable model). This kind of technology has become relatively commonplace in the MCU, and real-time monitoring of critical organs even shows up in Iron Man 3 in the form of a brain mapping software.
The conversation about Yang's job offer is also extremely similar, almost down to the dialog itself, to Tony's offering of a CEO position to Pepper Potts. In both cases, the party offering the job (Tony/Burke) struggles to find the right words to say, and the other party (Yang/Pepper) reacts indignantly and misunderstands the other’s attempt as inappropriate. Finally, in both cases, the job offer is outright stated in an exasperated burst — Tony says, 'You don’t understand. I’m trying to make you CEO!' and Burke’s line is, 'I’m not trying to hire you to work for me, I’m trying to hire you to replace me.' Only later do the other parties begin to feel some sense of excitement about their new positions."
13.The janitor from Scrubs was actually a patient in an experimental mental health program run by J.D., Turk, and the rest of the hospital staff.
"The janitor and a few others in the hospital were patients in an experimental mental health program run by Sacred Heart Hospital. It entailed giving the people a life as 'common' as possible while avoiding discussing their mental illnesses. It was an experimental approach to dealing with people who have undergone tremendous loss and unable to cope with the grief.
In the earlier episodes of Scrubs, the janitor talked about having a wife and a child (the janitor was actually an actor in real life, proven when he accepted that he was the policeman in the 1994 movie The Fugitive). But, after the death of his wife and child, he became overwhelmed by grief, and was admitted to Sacred Heart's mental health wing. The medical staff from the hospital were on board with this, and were helping conduct a novel approach to dealing with mental illness.
Scrubs gave a fairly accurate portrayal of the culture, behavior, and issues within a hospital, from medical and surgical issues to doctors dealing with patient confidentiality. The janitor's behavior was one of the few things within the show that was completely bonkers, whether it be locking J.D. in the water tower for a whole day or interfering with medical procedures at the hospital. His obsession with taxidermy was also indicative of someone having difficulty dealing with death.
Despite being a great comic relief, the janitor's antics were actually stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise very accurate portrayal of hospital life."
14.And finally, Abed from Community actually received a bequeathal from Pierce, and was mentally and emotionally tortured from filming the documentary.
"In the episode 'Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking,' Pierce tricked his friends into believing that he was dying after he was hospitalized for overdosing on prescription painkillers. While in the hospital, he concocted an elaborate scheme to emotionally and psychologically torment his friends, and gave each of them a final parting gift (or 'bequeathal') before his 'death.' Each gift had a cruelly ironic dark side that made each character miserable, and forced them to confront/question what they really wanted out of life.
The one character who apparently didn't get a bequeathal was Abed — 'Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" was one of a handful of Community episodes where Abed spent most of the time offscreen (because Pierce asked him to document his final moments before his 'death,' and the episode was presented as a documentary filmed by Abed). But, my theory is that filming that documentary was Abed's bequeathal.
Abed's defining trait was him being an aspiring filmmaker with an encyclopedic knowledge of popular culture, which gave him a heightened awareness of commonly used plot devices and storytelling techniques in fiction. He didn't know how to handle real life whenever it didn't adhere to the same rules as fiction.
Pierce gave Abed what he wanted the most: The chance to be a great filmmaker. But, that 'gift' turned dark, since it meant Abed was stuck behind the camera and forced to watch his best friends confront their flaws and failures. Abed eventually got hurt because his documentary was based on a lie, and the documentary ultimately fell apart with a messy argument between Pierce and the study group.
It served as a painful reminder to Abed that real life isn't always as poignant as the movies. For somebody like him, who believed that real life did play by the same rules as the movies, that was a horrible realization to have. By forcing him to arrive at that realization, Pierce forced him to undergo the same painful self-examination as his friends."
Note: Some posts have been edited for length and/or clarity.
