10 Greatest Unspoken TV Plot Points
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Transcript
00:00 We're all familiar with the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words".
00:04 But when it comes to the world of television, they can be worth a lot more, since viewers
00:08 can debate forever about the meaning behind every line of dialogue and every minor background
00:13 prop.
00:14 To casual viewers, it may seem fanatical to focus on trivial elements like this, rather
00:19 than the actual plot.
00:20 Who cares what a random poster says?
00:22 Why does it matter what a background extra is doing?
00:25 But by over-analysing every frame of a sitcom or drama, you can stumble upon something that
00:30 other viewers missed.
00:31 We're not talking about easter eggs or cameos.
00:34 If you're paying attention, you can spot a secret storyline.
00:38 The second episode of WandaVision implies there's a dead body hidden in the house.
00:41 In Community, Abed helped deliver a child without his friends noticing.
00:46 There's more than enough evidence to prove Rick and Morty and Gravity Falls take place
00:50 in the same reality.
00:51 Even though a lot of these unspoken plots will never be resolved, especially if the
00:56 show has been finished for decades, it won't stop viewers from discussing them until the
01:00 end of days.
01:01 So, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with WhatCulture, and here are 10 Greatest Unspoken TV Plot
01:07 Points.
01:08 10.
01:09 Marie Nearly Gets Skyler Arrested in Breaking Bad
01:14 Every episode of Breaking Bad develops the overarching story, as well as each of the
01:18 main players.
01:19 Even though there was a lot of plot threads, the show made a special effort to tie up every
01:24 loose end, no matter how minor.
01:27 Except one.
01:28 While Skyler is having a baby shower in season one, her sister Marie gifts her with a tiara
01:33 for her nephew-to-be.
01:34 When Skyler tries to return the present to the store, she learns the tiara was stolen.
01:40 Although Skyler tries to tell the staff that her sister was the one who took the tiara,
01:44 they attempt to detain her.
01:46 Fortunately, Skyler manages to leave by pretending she's going into labour.
01:50 Now, anyone would assume Marie's kleptomania would serve as a source of contention between
01:55 her and her sister later in the series.
01:58 But that's not the case.
02:00 Even though Marie's illegal activities nearly resulted in her heavily pregnant sister getting
02:04 arrested, the two never discuss the matter.
02:07 In Skyler's defence, she's had to deal with the revelation that her dying husband
02:12 is a drug lord, so she probably doesn't have time for a sibling rivalry.
02:16 Nevertheless, it's odd why this issue was implied if the writers had no intention of
02:21 following through with it.
02:23 9.
02:24 The Demons Taking Part In Michael's Experiment In The Good Place
02:27 Before I go any further, major spoiler warning ahead, so you have been warned.
02:33 In The Good Place, a demon called Michael has grown bored of torturing souls in Hell,
02:37 or the Bad Place, and so looks to make some drastic changes.
02:41 Believing it would be more enjoyable to torment his victims psychologically rather than physically,
02:47 Michael constructs a fake reality and convinces four damned souls - Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani
02:52 and Jason - that it's Heaven, or The Good Place.
02:56 To make this reality more believable, Michael has hundreds of demons posing as good-natured,
03:01 sin-free souls.
03:02 But after Eleanor realises they're in the Bad Place, Michael is forced to restart the
03:07 experiment.
03:09 As Eleanor's gang keeps finding out the truth, Michael ends up rebooting the whole
03:13 thing 802 times.
03:16 This means that the demons populating this afterlife were forced to take part in Michael's
03:20 scheme for years, possibly decades.
03:23 So what was that like?
03:24 What did they do when Eleanor's gang weren't around?
03:27 How bored must they have been performing the same lines for years?
03:31 Did some of them rebel?
03:33 Did any of them mess up their lines or break character while in Eleanor's presence?
03:37 There are so many hilarious scenarios that must have happened to the demons, it could
03:41 fill up a whole spin-off.
03:42 8.
03:43 Seven Became a Missing Child in Married With Children
03:48 In season seven of Married With Children, Peggy's cousin drops off her son, Seven,
03:53 forcing the Bundys to take him in.
03:55 This decision was made by the studio in a vain attempt to spice up the drama, but since
03:59 the comedic banter between the main cast was set in stone by this point, Seven felt out
04:04 of place in every scene.
04:06 Almost immediately, this cute little kid became the most hated character on the show.
04:11 When the creators realised they were on the verge of jumping the shark, they wisely decided
04:15 to remove the character in the following season.
04:18 Due to his disappearance, fans naturally assumed Seven was reunited with Peggy's cousin.
04:23 But in series 8, episode 22, "Ride Scare", Seven's face appears on the Bundys' milk
04:28 carton with the words "missing" written above it.
04:31 Sadly, the Bundys don't notice or care, so Seven's disappearance is never officially
04:36 addressed.
04:37 So, what happened?
04:39 Was he kicked out?
04:40 Did he go back to his parents and they left him again?
04:42 Did he run away?
04:43 Was he ever found?
04:45 If Married With Children wasn't abruptly cancelled, maybe some of these questions would
04:49 have been answered.
04:50 7.
04:51 The Connection With Gravity Falls In Rick and Morty
04:55 Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland and Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch are the
04:59 best of friends.
05:01 Because both cartoons have similar characters, plots and humour, Roiland thought it would
05:05 be funny to incorporate elements from Hirsch's work and vice versa.
05:09 Throughout Rick and Morty, you can see Dipper's three journal, Bill's cipher, the talking
05:13 chair that Ford encountered, and alternate reality Mortys who were modelled off Dipper
05:18 and Mabel.
05:19 Now, just because elements from one show appear in another doesn't necessarily mean they're
05:24 connected.
05:25 Nods like this are usually throwaway gags that shouldn't be considered canon.
05:28 But since Roiland and Hirsch are so tight, it's safe to assume the Gravity Falls gang
05:32 do exist in the Rick and Morty multiverse and are more connected than they seem.
05:37 Ford's journal contains a silhouette of a Zygerian, which Rick encountered when he
05:41 met Prince Nebulon, implying the two scientists have mutual acquaintances as well as mutual
05:47 enemies.
05:48 Because Ford is a super genius who spent years hopping through different realities, it's
05:52 feasible he and Rick are aware of each other.
05:55 Although the references to Gravity Falls are appreciated, we're hoping the characters
05:58 are officially acknowledged in the future.
06:01 6.
06:02 Fatherhood on Mandalore - The Mandalorian
06:05 In The Mandalorian, bounty hunter Din Djarin is tasked with locating and eliminating a
06:10 specific target.
06:12 When he learns his target is an orphaned child, he abandons his mission and decides to care
06:17 for the youngster.
06:18 Because the child, Grogu, is highly desirable due to his force powers, Din finds himself
06:23 being hunted by assassins, former imperialists, and his own friends.
06:27 At first it seems obvious why Din refused to kill Grogu.
06:31 Being an orphan himself, he had an immediate bond with the child, causing him to develop
06:35 a father-son relationship with him.
06:37 But that's not the only reason.
06:39 On Mandalore, the father acts as the central parent, not the mother.
06:44 This notion is so prominent in Mandalorian culture, adult males with no children are
06:48 pushed to adopt foundlings.
06:50 If a father does not care for their child, they are seen as a traitor and a coward to
06:54 their kin.
06:56 This concept is implied throughout the series, which is why the other Mandalorians accept
07:00 Din's decision to care for the foundling, but it's never outright discussed.
07:04 Hopefully this aspect of Mandalorian culture will be looked at eventually, allowing us
07:08 to gain further insight into Din's people.
07:12 5.
07:13 The Weapon Builders Sent Into The Past - Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles
07:18 Even though Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles had many intricate storylines, one of the
07:23 best plot points is referenced in the pilot episode.
07:25 But since it's only touched upon briefly, most viewers don't comprehend the significance
07:30 of it.
07:31 After John Connor is rescued by a reprogrammed T-900 called Cameron, they track down an isotope
07:37 gun and time machine hidden in a safe vault.
07:40 When John is asked if the machines are from the future, Cameron reminds him that inorganic
07:44 matter cannot time travel.
07:46 To get around this, the Resistance sent an engineer to the 1960s to construct the isotope
07:51 gun and time machine.
07:52 Because technology was so primitive back then, the engineer would have spent decades scouring
07:57 the planet looking for every piece of equipment to ensure the gun and time machine were operational.
08:02 As fascinating as the engineer's life must have been, we never learn anything else about
08:06 him.
08:07 We don't even know what his name is.
08:09 It would have been amazing to have at least one episode revolving around the enigmatic
08:13 engineer who gave up his entire life and willingly died in a timeline that wasn't his for the
08:19 greater good.
08:20 4.
08:21 Stan Lee worked for the TVA in Loki
08:24 In the Loki pilot, the titular character is arrested by the Time Variance Authority and
08:29 transported to a reality that exists outside time and space.
08:33 The TVA explain to Loki that they arrested him after he inadvertently created a time
08:38 paradox.
08:39 Before Tom Hiddleston's character is transported to the Time Court, there is a mural in the
08:44 background depicting multiple TVA agents.
08:47 If you're an eagle-eyed viewer, you would have noticed the man in the forefront of this
08:50 picture is none other than Stan Lee.
08:53 Being the co-creator of Marvel Comics, Stan the Man has popped up in some way or another
08:58 in nearly every adaptation of his work.
09:00 At a glance, casual viewers probably assumed this image was simply a nice way to commemorate
09:06 the generalissimo's work.
09:08 But as we know from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, all the characters that Lee has portrayed
09:12 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the same person.
09:16 If that's the case, his visage on this mural isn't just an in-joke.
09:20 It confirms Stan Lee was and perhaps still is an active member of the TVA.
09:26 3.
09:27 Abed and the Pregnant Woman in Community
09:30 Even though the Beetlejuice references are the most famous background joke in Community,
09:34 there's another hidden gag with a better payoff that most viewers missed.
09:39 In series 2 episode 22, Applied Anthropology and Culinary Arts, Abed Nadir casually mentions
09:44 how he once delivered a baby in the back of a car.
09:48 Upon hearing this, the majority of fans were worried they may have missed an episode.
09:51 But if you were paying attention, you would have seen this moment had already played out.
09:56 In series 1 episode 11, The Politics of Human Sexuality, there is a scene where a young
10:02 couple discards a condom.
10:04 In series 2 episode 3, The Psychology of Letting Go, Abed constantly appears in the background
10:09 helping out this same couple, with the woman now heavily pregnant.
10:13 Throughout the episode, you can see Abed speaking to the pregnant woman, checking her belly,
10:17 arguing with her partner, helping her out of a restaurant after her waters break, and
10:22 delivering the baby in the back of a car.
10:24 When Shirley sees Abed at the end of the episode and asks what he's been up to, he modestly
10:28 responds with "not much".
10:30 2.
10:31 Scarlet Witch Kills Someone in WandaVision
10:34 No property does easter eggs like Marvel.
10:38 Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe is based on a 60-year-old comic series, every film
10:42 and TV show is overstuffed with references to the source material.
10:46 And Disney+'s first new MCU series, WandaVision, is no exception.
10:51 The Bova Milk commercial makes a reference to Wanda's carer in the comics when she
10:55 was a baby.
10:56 The white vision is a nod to how the character was supposed to look when he debuted.
11:01 Even jokes like this can be regarded as harmless fan service and shouldn't be over-analyzed
11:05 to death.
11:06 But there are some subtle details which allude to something far more sinister.
11:09 In the intro to the second episode, a helmet and bones can be seen hidden under Wanda's
11:15 floorboards.
11:16 Any casual Marvel reader who spotted this will recognise this headgear belongs to the
11:20 super villain the Grim Reaper.
11:22 If you're up to date with your comic lore, you'll know that Vision's wife in the comics,
11:26 a synthetic being called Virginia, murdered the Grim Reaper and buried the scythe-wielding
11:30 criminal in the backyard.
11:32 So what does this mean?
11:33 Did Scarlet Witch murder Reaper to maintain her family?
11:36 Did Vision kill him?
11:37 Now, it's totally possible this blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment was just a visual gag.
11:41 But as we all know, the MCU has a habit of making seemingly innocuous references that
11:46 pay off years later.
11:48 1.
11:49 Anything to do with Creed Bratton in The Office
11:53 In many ways, Creed Bratton is the most fascinating character in The Office, despite the fact
11:57 almost nothing is known about him.
11:59 Even though he's been an employee at Dunder Mifflin longer than anybody, no one knows
12:03 what he does at the company, including himself.
12:07 Every time it looks like we're about to learn some fascinating aspect of his life,
12:10 the scene cuts away, forcing viewers to eternally speculate about the goings-on of Creed Bratton.
12:16 Each time there is mention of the police, he becomes unmistakably nervous, implying
12:20 he committed some heinous crime or he's a fugitive.
12:24 One time, he showed up to work caked in blood, but nobody noticed since it was Halloween.
12:29 Others made outlandish claims, suggesting he's been homeless, incarcerated, been involved
12:32 in multiple cults, was raised in an iron lung, and killed a man called Creed Bratton before
12:38 stealing his identity.
12:39 But because of his atrocious memory and possible psychosis, it's impossible to tell if what
12:44 he says is true or not.
12:46 Even though Creed's exploits would probably be too zany for the show, you always want
12:50 to know more about his personal life.
12:53 And that concludes our list.
12:55 If you can think of any other examples, then do let us know in the comments below.
12:58 And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification
13:02 bell.
13:03 Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias
13:07 just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
13:08 I've been Ellie with WhatCulture, I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you