20 TV Storylines We Can't Believe Are Real

In this Stephen King adaptation, retired detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) finds himself caught in a tense cat-and-mouse game with a sadistic serial killer, Brady Hartsfield.

Mr. Mercedes starts as a nerve-wracking drama, punctuated by Gleeson, who conveys Hodges with gravitas and relatability. The first season is nail-biting right up until the end when Brady is left in a coma.

Although the Brady case seemed to be closed, viewers half-expected him to resurface, since he wasn't killed off. However, nobody anticipated what came next. After being injected with an experimental drug, the comatose Brady develops the ability to link with the minds of others, forcing them to carry out crimes on his behalf.

This twist is supposed to be jaw-dropping, but bringing in psychic powers clashes with the grounded first season. Stranger still, the source material plays out like a realistic crime drama, so there's no rational explanation why Brady's telepathy was inserted into the plot.

Playing devil's advocate, this idea might've worked if it were foreshadowed earlier. But since this plot point was dumped into the second season with zero warning, it's just dumb.