At first glance, rondo form doesn’t appear to present a major analytical challenge: comprised of refrains and couplets, alternating between home key and various secondary keys, it seems to unfold rather predictably. Yet, concrete observation of Mozart’s piano rondos brings to light a whole series of surprise techniques destined to render the movement’s path more disorienting. Through observation of the overall form of the works, the refrain, the couplet, and the transitions between them, this article paints a portrait of a complex, at times bewildering, situation that is far from the sometimes-simplistic preconception of rondo form.