These Completely Bonkers TV Episodes Made Viewers Ask, “WTF Is Going On?”

Some television episodes are pure comfort food. Throw them on in the background, doze off, wake up when Netflix rudely asks you if you're still watching. But these WTF TV episodes are the diametric opposite. Throw them on in the background, quickly shove them to the foreground as you wonder how the hell anyone made them in the first place. So fire up your streaming stick and fix yourself a snack. It's time for some of the most WTF TV episodes ever.

Doctor Who, "Kill The Moon"

No, this isn't the classic Mr. Show sketch, or revenge for Majora's Mask. This is a Doctor Who episode in which our time-traveling hero must, well, kill the moon. Why? Because it's actually a giant egg holding the offspring of a dragon creature, of course. Fans and critics alike found this episode to be immediately polarizing.

Spongebob Squarepants, "Mid-Life Crustacean"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Spongebob Squarepants is mostly for kids, but has enough of an anarchic, surreal sensibility that adults can enjoy it, too. Sometimes the show's pendulum swings too far in this adult direction, resulting in an episode like "Mid-Life Crustacean," in which Spongebob and Patrick help Mr. Krabs get out of a mid-life crisis by embarking on a panty raid. Not a cute, sanitized version. An actual, "we're going to steal women's underwear" panty raid. Even worse -- they accidentally target Mr. Krabs' mom.

Supernatural, "Bloodlines"

The TV concept "backdoor pilot" refers to an episode of an exisiting TV show that subtly sets up the world of a new TV show. For this trick to work, however, you need to actually make that new show. When you don't, you get "Bloodlines", a confusing and apathetic entry that follows a cop we've never met before and a shoehorned mythology that involves a monster mafia. CW passed, condemning this episode to be a strange footnote.

Glee, "The Hurt Locker, Part Two"

At one point, Glee was a genuine exploration of small-town dreams with a dash of snarky humor. By season six, it was a display of audacious nonsense that lost any tethering to the real world. In "The Hurt Locker, Part Two", Sue traps Kurt and Blaine in a fake elevator(!), sends in a creepy doll version of herself(!!), and makes them kiss to be freed(!!!). Aca-creepy.

Captain Planet And The Planeteers,

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Captain Planet and his Planeteers were a socially conscious group of crime-fighters, solving problems with an environmentalist bend. It is thus a logical and completely absurd extension that in one time-travel episode they'd go after the socially worst person of all time: Adolph Freakin' Hitler. Sporting a Hulk Hogan-esque mustache, Hitler tries to acquire a nuclear bomb, only to be stopped (thank God) by the Captain.

M*A*S*H, "Dreams"

The critically acclaimed comedy-drama often experimented with form (shoutout to the episodes without a laugh track), but it took star-turned-director Alan Alda to take things to a proto-Lynchian level. "Dreams" features trippy, nightmarish imagery motivated by the doctors working for 33 hours straight with no sleep. The scariest dream: An armless Hawkeye in a lake full of mannequin arms and legs.

Ed, Edd n Eddy, "One + One = Ed"

In some ways a spiritual sequel to the Looney Tunes classic Duck Amuck, "One + One = Ed" takes our titular trio and throws them into a self-aware world of meta-chaos. The characters literally break apart the world around them in an effort to figure out what makes it tick. It may be fun to watch cartoon kids rip each other's body parts off (painlessly), but it's also utterly insane.

Little House On The Prairie, "Sylvia"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Little House On The Prairie, based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder novels, is the idyllic look at a quiet, farm life of a family who loves each other. At least until the season seven two-parter "Sylvia", about a masked rapist and killer who terrorizes the title character in a ghastly, horror movie fashion. The episode's ending is tragic, disquieting, and completely out of character for the show.

South Park, "You're Getting Old"

South Park is a lot of things. It's bold, brash, unafraid, confrontational. It makes social points with the subtlety of a jackhammer, and the humor of a stubborn, vulgar philosopher. It... examines aging with grace and sadness? The ending curveball of "You're Getting Old", in which Stan's tenth birthday precipitates many quiet tragedies in the town, haunted critics and viewers alike, scoring Stan's descent into ennui with Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide".

The Sopranos, "Made In America"

Watching the series finale of The Sopranos was a nationwide appointment. This show changed TV dramas, introduced the idea of antiheroes into the casual lexicon, and made HBO a major player in the mediascape. So in the final scene, Tony and his family sit in a diner, "Don't Stop Believin'" plays, Tony looks up, and... wait, did everyone's cable go out? Nope -- creator David Chase wanted his mob masterpiece to end with an abrupt, existential cut to black. To say fans lost their minds would be an understatement.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Once More, With Feeling"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Let's say you're a fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and her propensity to, well, slay vampires. Let's say you tune in to season six episode "Once More, With Feeling" to watch some good old-fashioned vampire slaying, only to find a full-blown old Hollywood musical episode. How would you react? The episode has gone on to be considered one of the series' best, but it's not hard to imagine a casual fan's shock at this radical stylistic departure.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, "Shake Like Me"

This is the kind of episode Yo, Is This Racist? was made for. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is known for its purposefully alienating, sardonic absurdity, but they went the extra mile in "Shake Like Me". Master Shake gets bitten by, um, a radioactive black man, and becomes, well, a black man. Depending on your point of view, the episode either traffics in gross stereotypes, or ironically riffs on the inherent nonsense behind such stereotypes.

How I Met Your Mother, "Last Forever"

How I Met Your Mother had such a polarizing finale, that a fan-edit of the episode became arguably more acclaimed than the actual episode itself. How could this have happened to such a beloved sitcom? SPOILER: Fans and critics thought the twist of the mother dying and Ted re-retreating to Robin was unearned, cheap, and insulting.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, "The Violent Years"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Normally, MST3K is harmless fun. A slacker spaceman and his lovable robots riff on bad movies for ninety minutes, everyone laughs, the end. But in "The Violent Years", the crew didn't realize a semi-graphic gang rape scene was coming, and were completely caught offguard. They tried to soften the blow with silly jokes, but the psychological damage to any viewer was already done.

30 Rock,

Yes, 30 Rock was produced in a pre-Weinstein/Me Too/Time's Up climate. Yes, Tina Fey is and should be rightfully championed as a feminist pioneer in TV comedy (despite any poor sheet cake decisions). None of this excuses a joke made in "The Fabian Strategy", in which Pete's description of having sex with his wife cuts to what looks like Pete raping his unconscious wife while she sleeps. It's jaw-droppingly unsettling, and inadvertently foreshadowed the drop in the show's consistent quality.

The Office, "After Hours"

Why didn't they just end The Office after Michael Scott left? While NBC probably made some extra duckets for letting Dunder Mifflin stay open a couple more seasons, they also subjected fans to increasingly contrived plots. In "After Hours", the post-Carrell era reached its nadir as Jim was tempted to commit infidelity inorganically by Cathy Simms, a character who was forgotton almost as soon as she was introduced. Thank goodness the series finale stuck the landing.

Diff'rent Strokes, "The Bicycle Man"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] In the golden age of TV sitcoms, "very special episodes" were ironically commonplace -- once in a while, a normally gentle, funny show would "get real" about issues plaguing society. Does this excuse Diff'rent Strokes for diving headfirst into child molestation in an aggressive, even violent matter? That's ultimately for a sociologist to decide, but "The Bicycle Man" remains an anxiety-inducing curiosity of moral panic gone amok.

Space Ghost Coast To Coast, "Fire Ant"

Fans of Adult Swim's flagship Space Ghost Coast To Coast tend to be more prepared for awkward, absurd comedic flights of fancy than the average viewer. But nothing could compare them for the brazen, anti-comic journey of "Fire Ant", in which Space Ghost abandonds an interview to get on his knees and follow a fire ant. That's it. Eleven minutes, no dialogue, no nothing. Just Space Ghost silently following a fire ant as the backgrounds change. I don't know how network execs agreed to this, but I'm glad they did.

Dexter, "Remember The Monsters?"

Even for a show about serial killers, incestuous relationships, and John Lithgow casually uttering the 'c' word, Dexter's series finale left a particularly nasty taste in fans' mouths. Forgoing the series' generally sharp use of narrative and moral ambiguity, "Remember The Monsters?" ends in an atypically sappy manner, and even has a final "he faked his death!" ending. Fans and critics were not pleased.

The X-Files, "X-Cops"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] The X-Files has trafficked in all matter of genre touchstone and homage, but it took things to another planet when it borrowed the visual grammar and techniques of one of the most well-respected TV shows of all -- I'm just kidding it's Cops. For one episode, Mulder and Scully are followed by a handheld documentary crew, capturing their supernatural dealings with gritty aplomb. Hot take: This version does the same trick better than District 9.

Stranger Things,

If there's one thing everyone can agree on, it's that Stranger Things is dope. If there's two things, it's that Stranger Things is dope and that season two episode "The Lost Sister" is aggressively not dope. Who was asking for a visit away from Hawkins to hang out with a group of thinly drawn "punks" in Chicago? The answer is far from strange: no one.

Community, "Cooperative Escapism in Familial Relations"

Fans of genius/monster Dan Harmon's cult classic Community were clamoring for two things: more paintball episodes, and a satisfying reveal of Jeff Winger's estranged father. But in season four, produced without the involvement of Harmon, we finally met Mr. Winger... and it stunk. With a sleepwalking performance from James Brolin (and an overly manic performance from Adam Devine as Winger's half-brother), the episode rushes through what should be a series of important moments with no nuance, pathos, or understandable comedy. It's garish.

Breaking Bad, "Fly"

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Most episodes of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan's meth-addled take on contemporary Greek tragedy, ram through plot and action like a tweaker behind an RV (sometimes literally). One episode stops everything completely as, for an hour, Walter and Jesse search through the lab for a fly and do nothing else. The episode split fans, though none can deny its philosophically intriguing musings nor look into Walter's true nature (namely, insane megalomaniac).

Jeopardy!, "Watson"

Scarier than any Black Mirror, in 2011, Jeopardy! held an experimental exhibition match of sorts. The three opponents? Ken Jennings, holder of the longest winning streak. Brad Rutter, winner of the most money. And Watson, an actual, literal supercomptuer from IBM. You don't need to be a futurist to guess that Watson handily beat the two humans. What is "the human race is screwed"?