Best mystery TV stupidity of all time

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The X-Files picture

Soft Light - S2-E23

Stupidity: After Mulder requests a fingerprint check on light bulb, Scully wipes it down with a napkin, removing any such evidence with no possible useful outcome. (00:06:00)

More The X-Files stupidity
High Potential picture

Obsessed - S1-E8

Stupidity: S1E8 Obsessed - Morgan and the detectives respond to the beach for a possible homicide. None of the detectives or Morgan are wearing protective gloves. Throughout the series, the detectives remind Morgan to wear gloves before touching evidence. However, she takes the pulse of the victim without gloves. (00:04:02)

Snag.1

More High Potential stupidity
More Nowhere Man stupidity
Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Returns picture

The Hong Kong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case File 3 - S1-E3

Stupidity: The plan of the murderer involved tying a wire between two different building. To do that, they needed access to the victim's apartment, and to set the trick in advance. The problem is that they tied the wire to a pillar in the middle of the apartment, below eye-level and well in advance; since they spent basically the whole afternoon with Kindaichi (and they met him by chance) the timing of the plan wouldn't work. He'd have literally walked into the trap just coming back home.

Sammo

More Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Returns stupidity
Murder on the Orient Express picture

Episode #1.2 - S1-E2

Stupidity: The part when the Colonel and the governess pose as journalists does not make sense. It's far-fetched enough that after a lengthy interview about the culprit's fortune the topic of his family never came up, considering it was one of the main goals and an ideal question to lead with, but considering that "mr. Todo" does not want a picture taken and has a tight security, there's no way that a photographer carrying a large 1930 camera would have been allowed into the interview room to begin with.

Sammo

More Murder on the Orient Express 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
Lupin the 3rd picture

Is Lupin Burning... ?! - S1-E1

Stupidity: Despite the fact that there are 100 (literally) cameras around the racing circuit and (again literally) everyone from the staff to the fellow racers works for the Scorpion gang, Jigen and Lupin's switch can happen without anyone noticing, even if it involved racing side by side for a lengthy period of time.

Sammo

More Lupin the 3rd stupidity
Stranger Things picture

Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt - S3-E8

Stupidity: SPOILERS AHEAD: It has been a good minute between Hopper killing Grigory and Joyce turning the key. He could have used that time to run as quickly as he can towards her, instead of staring at her for 30 seconds. Also, Dustin didn't have to yell (through the radio) so panicky yet about closing the gate. While Mind Flayer was killing Billy, El and other kids could have used the time to run further again and get another 2-3 minutes, in that time Hopper would surely come to a safe place.

More Stranger Things stupidity
More Matlock stupidity
The Rockford Files picture

Backlash of the Hunter - S1-E1

Stupidity: Rockford knows almost nothing about the guy who is tailing him except that he noticed him while he was grabbing a bite with his client. Regardless of that, he sends the same client to seduce him, just assuming that he won't be able to recognize her. And it works. Is Lindsay Wagner this hard to forget, that this guy just an hour or two later isn't able to tell it's the same woman his target was meeting?

Sammo

More The Rockford Files stupidity
More Haven stupidity
Elementary picture

Alma Matters - S4-E10

Stupidity: Lilly says that she is compiling a criminal case against her employer, who recently had another whistleblower killed. Inconceivably, neither Sherlock nor Joan recognizes that this puts Lilly in mortal danger. (00:06:49 - 00:08:45)

Rich Janis

More Elementary stupidity
American Horror Story picture

Camp Redwood - S9-E1

Stupidity: Brooke leaves her apartment window open as she sleeps, even after telling her friends that serial killers (like The Night Stalker) strike during the summer when everybody leaves their windows open.

Scott215

More American Horror Story stupidity
Agatha Christie's Poirot picture

Murder in the Mews - S1-E2

Stupidity: Hard to swallow that a group of vastly experienced policemen smart enough to figure other tricks out (such as the abnormal position of the gun) would be in any doubt about the victim being left or right handed when she is still wearing their watch on the right wrist - and attention is called by Poirot upon that particular detail right from the start.

Sammo

More Agatha Christie's Poirot stupidity
More Are You Afraid of the Dark? stupidity
Bones picture

Bodies in the Book - S2-E15

Stupidity: Booth shoots the stalker's door lock...and then kicks the door in anyway. Shooting the lock achieves nothing, it wouldn't have made the door any easier to kick in, it's just him generating paperwork and an issue with his shrink.

Jon Sandys

More Bones stupidity
More Tales from the Crypt stupidity
Relic Hunter picture

Smoking Gun - S1-E2

Stupidity: The power generator for Al Capone's secret bunker is located exactly outside the secret entrance door. In case of emergency it would be entirely useless, on top of drawing attention to the entrance itself.

Sammo

More Relic Hunter stupidity
More Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! stupidity
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation picture

Who Shot Sherlock? - S5-E11

Stupidity: When Brass and Sarah enter the locked storage cellar where the boys are hidden, Greg, a graduated rookie, straggles along behind them when he should have known better to stay put. As anyone could have come along and locked that cellar door behind them, trapping them inside.

eaglegrad16

More CSI: Crime Scene Investigation stupidity