Flashbacks can be used in various capacities on TV. In some cases, flashbacks are used within an episode to explain or confirm something, such as flashbacks of the murder while the detective is explaining what happened on a mystery series such as Elsbeth or Murder, She Wrote. Other shows incorporate flashbacks into non-linear storytelling, most famously how This Is Us would show what had happened when the kids were little in parallel to what was happening in the present or future.
One brilliant way flashbacks can be used is in special episodes. Flashback episodes take place almost entirely in the past and can be used to upend viewer expectations about what they have been watching all along. The Good Place did this effectively as part of revealing the twist that Eleanor and the others were really in the Bad Place, and several other shows have also had incredible flashback episodes that completely changed the trajectory of the series.
7) Scandal Season 1, Episode 6 “The Trail”
This early episode of Scandal is one of its best. In flashback, the episode tells the story of how Olivia and Fitz first met. This story completely recontextualizes everything that has been shown so far. It not only deepens understanding of Olivia and Fitz’s relationship, but also explains how and why Olivia’s ethical boundaries began to blur.
This story is fascinating because it demonstrates that Olivia was not always this way and that her attraction to Fitz threatened to ruin both of their careers from the beginning. It makes Olivia somewhat more sympathetic, which is important in a series dedicated to people engaged in lies and manipulation for political gain.
6) Friends Season 2 Episode 14 “The One With The Prom Video”
This flashback episode helped define Ross and Rachel’s relationship, which was one of the most important throughlines in Friends. While it was already clear that Ross was attracted to Rachel, their history wasn’t known until this episode.
“The One With The Prom Video” utilizes flashbacks to tell the story of how Ross and Rachel were supposed to go to senior prom, but she stood him up. This changed Ross and Rachel’s relationship entirely because it was now about someone who was still in love with the woman who had rejected him years earlier, rather than only being about the present.
5) Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5, Episode 7 “Fool For Love”
This flashback episode was designed to make Spike a more understandable and relatable character, and it worked. This is one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s best episodes, and it consists of flashbacks of Spike’s past, mixed with a present-day storyline in which Buffy has been injured by a vampire.
The flashbacks are effective because they tell the story of Spike’s transformation into the antagonist he is throughout the series. Most tellingly, it shows an artistic and more sensitive side to Spike, who was once a young poet, which elevates him far above the stereotypical vampire he appeared to be.
4) Lost Season 1, Episode 4 “Walkabout”
Lost’s John Locke began as an enigmatic figure who was mostly known for his belief that he was spiritually connected with the island. However, the series didn’t waste much time changing that — Locke got this flashback episode only four weeks into the first season.
The flashbacks give Locke a rich backstory that also explains why he feels so connected to the island. He was once wheelchair bound, and he had to fight to join a walkabout in Australia because of his condition. However, when he awakened on the island after the crash, he could walk again.
The suggestion that it was necessary for Locke to become able-bodied again makes this one of Lost’s most infuriating storylines, but there is no doubt that this flashback story changed viewers’ understanding of who Locke was and made him a far more rootable character.
3) Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 3 “The Reek of Forgiveness”
Yellowstone‘s final season tried to use flashbacks to tell the story of John’s death, but ended up being a confusing mess. However, the story it told about Evelyn’s death in season 1 was far more impactful.
During the Western’s first two episodes, Beth had been established as someone who refused to take any BS, was in constant conflict with Jamie, and had trauma related to her mother’s death, but it wasn’t until episode 3 that we got the type of insight that makes her sympathetic.
Throughout “The Reek of Forgiveness,” flashbacks detail her mother’s fatal accident, demonstrating that the truth was much more complex than it sounded—Evelyn taunted Beth for being afraid of horses and insisted she be the one to get help after the accident, even though Kayce was a superior rider and might have been able to save Evelyn’s life. This sympathetic backstory turned Beth from a semi-antagonist into the fan favorite she was throughout Yellowstone’s five-season run.
2) House Season 1, Episode 21 “Three Stories”
The character of Gregory House was known for being abrasive and uninterested in social connections while also being a genius diagnostician who saved patients’ lives despite his unpleasant personality. However, “Three Stories” helped show him in a different and more sympathetic light.
In this clever story, House fills in for a sick colleague and teaches a medical school class, complete with flashbacks of three different patient stories. The third story is about how long it took for doctors to properly diagnose the issue with his bad leg. The flashbacks tell the entire story of House’s leg problem, including why it could not able to be fully resolved and how his pain contributed to his opioid addiction.
This backstory feels like a natural part of the show and makes House a more relatable figure without changing him. It’s clear that he is dedicated to patient care, partially because of the failures he experienced, and that he is not as devoid of empathy for others as his behavior makes him seem.
1) The Good Place Season 1, Episode 13 “Michael’s Gambit”
“Michael’s Gambit” is the episode that reveals the famous The Good Place twist: Michael has been working to trick the residents into thinking they are in the Good Place when they are really in the Bad Place. This reveal changed Michael’s character forever, and it was partly conveyed through flashbacks.
While most of the episode revolves around the group’s need to send two people to the Bad Place, only to realize they’re all already there, there are several flashback sequences that contribute to the reveal. These flashbacks show Michael’s frustration as a neighborhood designer and later reveal that he pitched the idea of the Bad Place as an experimental neighborhood.
Up until this point, Michael had seemed bumbling but well-intentioned, but these flashbacks helped set him up as the antagonist for the rest of the series and help strengthen the Season 1 ending twist.
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