Best drama TV stupidity of all time

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Blue Bloods picture

The Art of War - S5-E22

Stupidity: Linda suffers a gunshot while in the hospital. The doctor calls for a trauma team that responds immediately to take her to surgery. The next time Linda is shown the trauma team is still taking her to surgery through the hospital hallways, and the whole Reagan family made it to the hospital and in the hallway as Linda is being taken to surgery. The hospital hallways must be long or the trauma team took the long way to surgery to allow the family to be there. (00:03:28 - 00:05:57)

Snag.1

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Columbo picture

A Deadly State of Mind - S4-E6

Stupidity: In the final scene: Columbo lays a trap for the murderer (George Hamilton). The 'eyewitness' when Hamilton fled the murder scene was a blind man. Hamilton is aware of this. Columbo's gambit depends on Hamilton's assumption that Columbo has coached the witness to act as though he was sighted so as to convince Hamilton that there is evidence against him. In fact, Columbo has the witness' brother, who is sighted, pretend to be the eyewitness and identify Hamilton as the man he saw driving away. When Hamilton falls for Columbo's trap and, believing he is in the presence of the blind man, tries and fails to 'prove' the man can't see. By doing so he reveals his knowledge that the witness was blind, incriminating himself. The problem is, that only a minute or so previously, Columbo had placed Hamilton under arrest, and failed to read him his Miranda Rights. Considering that Hamilton's slip up is the ONLY evidence Columbo has against Hamilton, this was a spectacularly stupid move on Columbo's part. Regardless of how many officers were present to witness this, the fact is that Hamilton was under arrest and had not been advised of his right against self-incrimination; meaning nothing that he said when under arrest can be used against him.

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Mr. Sunshine picture

Episode #1.7 - S1-E7

Stupidity: When Eugene approaches Tsuda after Tsuda is shot by Ae-sin, Tsuda attempts to shoot him, but after pulling the trigger, he realises there are no bullets in the gun. Seconds later, a group of soldiers run up to him, and he attempts to shoot them, but he can't because the gun is still not loaded. Something he should have known since he only just attempted to shoot Eugene and failed because of it. (00:50:00 - 00:50:30)

Casual Person

More Mr. Sunshine stupidity
M*A*S*H picture

Radar's Report - S2-E3

Stupidity: Radar takes his glasses off, takes a sip of coffee, then props his clipboard onto the typewriter and accidentally starts typing on the desk calculator. Even if he didn't know his desk well enough to wonder what he laid his clipboard upon AND was so blind he couldn't even orient himself by the desk lamp (which he isn't), he would have felt the difference the instant he touched the keys. Note that he puts his hands on the keys, squints at the clipboard (sic!), then starts typing, he doesn't hammer away right off, which would have added at least a little plausibility to the joke.

Doc

More M*A*S*H stupidity
Charmed picture

Saving Private Leo - S4-E17

Stupidity: The brothers are angry at Leo because they say he's responsible for them dying because he chose to save other soldiers instead of them, Leo also blames himself for the same reason and says he should have stayed and gotten them out. But in the flashback it shows Leo helping them and then running off to help other soldiers, after he runs off the brothers are killed just a few seconds later. Even if Leo had chosen to stay with the brother he couldn't have gotten them out in time, the only difference would have been Leo would have died with them, but Leo dies in the same war so he didn't live much longer. Leo's guilt and the brothers' blame don't make any sense at all.

brianjr0412

More Charmed stupidity
Ray Donovan picture

Rodef - S2-E11

Stupidity: Mickey, and Terry are robbing a marijuana dispensary. They subdue the armed security guard by putting him to sleep and handcuffing and duct taping his mouth with no gloves on. They are touching door handles, door frames, shiny handcuffs, and duct tape which all are excellent sources for leaving behind fingerprints. The sticky side of tape is an excellent source of leaving fingerprints. (00:24:30)

More Ray Donovan stupidity
Adam-12 picture

Log 81: The Long Walk - S1-E14

Stupidity: They are looking for a red convertible. No other description of the car. A red convertible pulls up behind them and passes them. The ragtop roof is up but it's still matches the description. Doesn't faze them in the least.

terry s

More Adam-12 stupidity
Lupin picture

Chapter 3 - S1-E3

Stupidity: The inspector knows that his house has been bugged; he does not know how many bugs and cameras are there, he just knows there are some. He does find a bunch of them with great ease when he gets back home - making you wonder how could he have ignored them to begin with, since all it takes is for him to raise his eyes, they are fairly big black cameras who do not camouflage at all for the most part. He then proceeds to make a phone call to the big baddie from his landline. Nobody in their right mind would do such a thing. Heck, you wouldn't want to use your home phone for such a call even if you didn't know that someone just put bugs all over your house.

Sammo

More Lupin stupidity
Buffy The Vampire Slayer picture

The Harvest (2) - S1-E2

Stupidity: The master goes through all the trouble of making Luke the vessel so Luke can go and kill several people and risk getting the attention of the slayer, when all he had to do is have his minions go out and kidnap a bunch of people and bring them to him and he could've fed off them himself.

brianjr0412

More Buffy The Vampire Slayer stupidity
The Sopranos picture

Mayham - S6-E3

Stupidity: Paulie and an associate just killed 2 drug dealers or stash house guards, and they are rummaging throughout the apartment touching appliances and other surfaces without any gloves. Paulie was previously arrested and did time so his fingerprints are on file. Paulie also used a knife to stab one of the Colombians without any gloves on, and he just left it in his body. The police would have no problem linking him to this crime within a week after forensics did their sweep. (00:03:00 - 00:04:17)

More The Sopranos stupidity
Whiskey Cavalier picture

When in Rome - S1-E3

Stupidity: A supposedly covert camera is placed in plain sight on a wall in a crowded room, with a prominent antenna showing, and a blinking blue light. (00:16:55)

toroscan

More Whiskey Cavalier stupidity
Mr. Robot picture

405 Method Not Allowed - S4-E5

Stupidity: Elliot and his crew are trying to take down the Dark Army and Whiterose, they are being monitored by them via surveillance vans which Elliot just burned, etc. However, with Elliot and friends trying to be secretive he somehow manages to text Phillip Price on his cell phone about Tyrell. Phones are the easiest to intercept. Whiterose doesn't trust Phillip and plans on killing Elliot once their projects transferred to Africa. (00:07:20)

More Mr. Robot stupidity
Dallas picture

Winds of Vengeance - S1-E4

Stupidity: A hurricane is causing high winds in Dallas as it was making landfall on the coast. They say "A hurricane is coming!" as if Texas was tiny. Of course, no hurricane has ever hit Dallas, Texas; at its worst, it could be only be a storm by the time it travelled so far inland.

More Dallas stupidity
Hawaii Five-0 picture

He Lokomaika'i Ka Manu O Kaiona - S8-E20

Stupidity: After being stripped of their weapons while looking for terrorists in the jungle, Steve and Catherine meet up with Jerry, who has not had his gear taken, but didn't bring a gun because he's only a consultant. Some time later, after they open some coconuts using a small machete Jerry had on him, they hear gunshots, and go over to investigate, finding two dead hunters. They take a pistol of one of the hunters right before encountering the terrorists. So far, so good. But then to fight the terrorists, Steve has Catherine provide cover fire with the handgun while he attacks them unarmed, and hands Jerry a rock when he asks what he's supposed to do. Why doesn't one of them take the machete? You can still see it on Jerry's back.

More Hawaii Five-0 stupidity
Stargate: Atlantis picture

Show generally

Stupidity: Characters repeatedly make note of how hard to kill the Wraith are, but sometimes, especially in the final episode(s) of season 1, they go down easily in a few bullets each, and then don't even regenerate as the characters turn their attentions elsewhere.

More Stargate: Atlantis stupidity

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