10 Most Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Episodes, Ranked

Everyone loves a good, enjoyable sci-fi show that they can play and only pay part of their attention to while they eat. Sometimes, though, all sci-fi fans get the craving for an intellectually juicier series, one capable of bending their minds and providing them with tons of food for thought. There are plenty of shows that meet those qualities, and over the years, they’ve been the source of some of the most mind-bending episodes of sci-fi television in history.

No matter which show they’re from—classic or modern, long-running or canceled before its time, aimed at families or aimed at adults—these episodes are proof of just how brainy the genre can get at its best. They may be somewhat hard to understand, but fans nevertheless love to re-watch them endlessly and dissect their every detail. For variety’s sake, there can only be one entry per show, and the entries are ranked from least to most mind-bending.

10

“The Inner Light”

‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Season 5, Episode 25 (1992)

If Star Trek: The Original Seriesrepresented the epitome of sci-fi and sci-fi television games, then Star Trek: The Next Generationcompletely changed the games’ rulebook. Many fans’ favorite piece of Star Trekmedia, this gem still holds up tremendously well all these many years later. It’s filled to the brim with iconic episodes, and one of the most memorable is undoubtedly “The Inner Light.”

Written by freelance writer Morgan Gendel based on his original pitch, TNG really struck gold with this one. The episode is all about Picard being struck by an alien beam that makes him experience four decades in the life of a scientist suffering from a delusion of being a starship captain, and you’d never expect such a goofy concept to result in the biggest tear-jerker in Star Trek history. But aside from being deeply emotional, “The Inner Light” also delights in playing with viewers’ minds, and it does so in all the most enjoyable ways.

9

“Heaven Sent”

‘Doctor Who’ Season 9, Episode 11 (2015)

Doctor Whostarted as an educational show for children all the way back in 1963, making it the longest-running science fiction show on television. Soon enough, though, it started to develop into something much more complex. Today, it’s one of the most beloved and lore-heavy time-and-space travel series out there. And yet, even though its characters are constantly dealing with paradoxes and bizarre concepts, it’s not often a particularly confusing show.

There are exceptions, however, and the most noteworthy of them is perhaps “Heaven Sent,” the kind of episode that makes Peter Capaldi‘s Twelve one of the best modern incarnations of the Doctor. Finding the Doctor trapped and alone in a unique world, it’s full of emotional catharsis and deeply moving moments, but its most salient quality is perhaps how mind-bending it is. The rules of the Confession Dial are hard to fully pin down even after multiple re-watches, but that’s a big part of what makes this episode so distinct.

8

“Shadow Play”

‘The Twilight Zone’ Season 2, Episode 26 (1961)

A pioneer of the anthology format and one of the most groundbreaking science fiction shows in history, The Twilight Zoneneeds no introduction. This absolutely legendary classic constantly mixed elements of sci-fi, horror, and even supernatural fantasy, and that usually resulted in some of the most entertaining episodes you could find on television at any point during the ’50s and ’60s.

Very often, however, Twilight Zone could also be a bit of a puzzle. Many episodes may spring to mind when one thinks of this aspect of the show, and “Shadow Play” is definitely way up there. With its central point being a man on death row who insists that everything and everyone around him is part of a nightmare, the episode constantly toys with elements of dream logic and reality-bending story elements that feel nothing if not proto-Lynchian. It’s masterpieces like this one that make this one of the best network shows of all time.

7

“The Bicameral Mind”

‘Westworld’ Season 1, Episode 10 (2016)

It may have taken a significant dip in quality after its masterful first season, but there’s no denying that Westworld(based on a movie by Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park books fame) was off to a wildly great start. Before it went slightly off the rails, it offered fans one of the best series finales of 2010s television, built on the foundation of one of the biggest sci-fi TV plot twists ever.

Detonating every deeply philosophical thematic concern that the show has been building on up to that point, “The Bicameral Mind” is as mind-blowing as it is mind-bending. The timeline snaps into place, and pieces of the puzzle finally start feeling like they’re finding their right spot, but the journey to those cathartic realizations takes quite a bit of mental effort. It’s worth every bit of it.

6

“Fall Out”

‘The Prisoner’ Season 1, Episode 17 (1968)

One of the biggest sci-fi cult classics of 20th-century television, The Prisoneris one of the best shows that the genre has ever put out. Proving that slow-burning sci-fi is always worth it, this gem also contains plenty of elements from the spy genre and from Kafkaesque surrealism, making comments on contemporary counterculture that have aged like fine wine.

But The Prisoner isn’t just any kind of great sci-fi show: It’s a great mind-bending sci-fi show, and none of its episodes require more mental effort than “Fall Out.” It’s the series’ final episode, and its complete abandonment of logic and traditional narrative turns it into a wild fever dream. It’s definitely not something that every fan of the genre will find themselves enjoying, but for those who like their sci-fi weird, it’s a must-see.

5

“The Witness”

‘Love, Death & Robots’ Season 1, Episode 3 (2019)

One of the coolest and most inventive anthology sci-fi shows in history, Love, Death & Robotsconsists of several short films that all tell significantly different stories with significantly different tones and significantly different visual styles. Those looking to get a taste of the show’s transgressive nature, distinct animation, and general sense of atmosphere needn’t look any further than “The Witness.”

Directed by Alberto Mielgo, who worked on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, “The Witness” is as gleefully bizarre as it is visually staggering. Bright, colorful, psychedelic, and an absolute mind-bender from start to finish, it’s the kind of episode that makes Love, Death & Robots one of Netflix’s most mind-boggling original shows.

4

“White Bear”

‘Black Mirror’ Season 2, Episode 2 (2013)

Strongly and clearly inspired by The Twilight Zoneand its similar successors, Black Mirrorsaw its start on the British network Channel 4, but later moved to Netflix, where it has remained since. And throughout the whole thing, this anthology cult classic has remained one of the most fascinating and entertaining—as well as one of the most weirdly prescient—dystopian sci-fi shows currently streaming.

Not every episode of Black Mirror is great, but most of them are at least enjoyably twisty, yet there’s an argument to be made that none are more mind-bending than “White Bear.” It’s all about a woman who remembers nothing about her life, and it’s not the kind of episode that tries to loudly hammer its point home. Instead, it demands the audience’s full attention and commitment, and those thoughtful enough will find in it one of the series’ most underappreciated gems.

3

“Never Ricking Morty”

‘Rick and Morty’ Season 4, Episode 6 (2020)

Pretty much since the show first came out, all the way back in 2013, Rick and Mortyfans have found pride in the fact that not just anyone can understand, enjoy, and appreciate their favorite series. Indeed, this is known for being one of the smartest sci-fi shows currently on television, and that has been consistently proven across many, many bind-twisting episodes.

But of the show’s many downright confusing outings, none have been more challenging to fully grasp than “Never Ricking Morty.” Earning the title of “most meta episode” in a show packed with meta episodes is no small feat, and though these 20 minutes of television are filled to the brim with mind-boggling concepts, bizarre twists, and subversive moments, it’s all packed with such a wild level of detail that it’s impossible not to want to re-watch the episode repeatedly and break it all down.

2

“The Constant”

‘Lost’ Season 4, Episode 5 (2008)

Whether or not its final season stuck the landing is up for debate, but the fact of the matter is that Lostremains one of the most talked-about sci-fi shows of the 21st century. Heavily mysterious and often unabashedly weird, this modern classic had plenty of episodes that could be considered mind-benders, but none more so than “The Constant.”

The best episode of Lost‘s fourth season, “The Constant” sees Desmond’s mind and awareness jumping through time again and again. It can get a bit confusing, but it’s an utter delight of an episode once you finally get the hang of things. Emotionally stirring and led by a standout performance by Henry Ian Cusick, it’s far and away one of the best episodes of the entire show, baffling though it may be.

1

“Der Ursprung”

‘Dark’ Season 3, Episode 4 (2020)

There’s a strong argument to be made that Dark, Netflix’s first-ever German-language show, is the most mind-bending science fiction show of all time. You practically need a notebook when watching Dark, trying to keep track of every character and every plotline as the narrative jumps through its time travel and multiverse narratives. For its exquisite labyrinth of a story alone, it’s one of the most rewatch-worthy mystery thriller shows ever.

But while Dark can sometimes be quite a bit challenging, it never feels like a chore, as proved by the fact that there isn’t a single episode of the series that fans deem bad. However, the title of “weirdest episode” goes to a clear one: “Der Urpsrung,” or “The Origin,” an episode that completely shifts the dynamic and logic of the entire series. It’s a hell of a mind-bender that might even need to be watched twice in order to be fully understood before moving forward—but the good news is that, aside from being a mind-twisting episode, it’s also a phenomenal one, so a re-watch shouldn’t hurt.