Plot hole
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A plot hole is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. While many stories have unanswered questions, unlikely events or chance occurrences, a plot hole is one that is essential to the story's outcome. Plot holes are usually seen as weaknesses or flaws in a story, and writers usually try to avoid them to make their stories seem as realistic as possible.
Writers can deal with plot holes in different ways, from completely rewriting the story, to having characters acknowledge illogical or unintelligent actions, to having characters make vague statements that could be used to deflect accusations of plot holes (e.g. "I've tried everything I can think of...") to keep critics from asking why a particular action was not taken. The nature of the plot hole and the developmental stage at which it is noticed usually determine the best course of action to take. For example, a motion picture that has already wrapped production would much more likely receive an added line of dialogue rather than an entire script rewrite.
The viewing or reading audience notes a plot hole when something happens during the story that seems highly unlikely, or would be impossible to imitate in real life. It is usually seen as a mark of good writing or directing when a storyteller presents a story in such a way that the audience does not notice plot holes, or willingly chooses to overlook them in favor of enjoying the story.
[edit] Examples
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- Miami Vice (the original TV series, not the 2006 film): One of the two lead characters, undercover Miami police detective Sonny Crockett, is portrayed as a former football star at the University of Florida, who turned a screen pass into a 95-yard touchdown that won the Gator Bowl for the Gators. It would seem very unlikely that a star player for Florida, especially one who played a key role in a Gator Bowl (a game held annually in Jacksonville), would go unnoticed for over a decade while working as an undercover cop in the same state.
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day: In The Terminator, it is stated that only objects with living tissue can pass through the time displacement field; however in Terminator 2, the T-1000 managed to go back in time despite being made entirely of liquid metal. Many fans have attempted to explain this plot hole away, the most popular being based on the mimicking abilities of said liquid metal, and in the novelization an organic transport casing was described. However this raises a further problem as soldier Kyle Rees could also have used this method to bring back advanced future weaponry to combat the T-800 and better protect Sarah Connor (we know this is possible as the T-X was able to bring back an array of weapons integrated into its body). No official confirmation has been given.
- The Terminator franchise, as with many other films that use time travel as a plot device, fail to address the inherent problems with this premise. For example, the T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is the most advanced of the Terminator units. There is no reason that it should not have been sent to Terminate Sarah Connor in the first movie as one would assume it would stand a better chance. Many wonder why Skynet did not send Terminator units even further back in time to assassinate John Connor's ancestors. It is explained in the first film that Skynet only knew Sarah Connor's name and location (which is why the T-800 kills several women with her name), and had no knowledge of her personal history or lineage.
- In the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg travel to Earth, and then, facing destruction by the Federation fleet, travel back in time to successfully conquer Earth in the 21st century. However it was pointless to risk Federation intervention because they could have time traveled while still in deep space and then made their way to ancient Earth and enslaved primitive humans. One possible explanation for this is that Borg time travel technology limited them to how far they could go back, or they could only go back to periods where certain conditions were present. There is also the fact that the Borg were after human technology as much as they were after human Borg.
- Even more importantly, at the end of the movie, after their efforts have been thwarted, there is no reason for the Borg not to try again using this approach. A possible explanation for this could be that the Borg had just enough time and resources to attempt this time travel approach only once, or the fact that the Borg do not attempt the same plan twice if it fails the first time.
- 28 Days Later: It becomes apparent quite early in the film that the infected are not zombies in the traditional sense (basically walking, decaying corpses) but are normal humans consumed by a virus that makes them act in a hyper psychotic fashion and causes them to forgo things such as sustenance. As they are normal humans it is surmised by one of the characters that they can simply wait for the infected to starve to death. Following this logic it is never explained why they have not already died of dehydration which kills in days where starvation can take weeks. In essence the majority of the infected should have been dead long before Jim came out of his 28 day coma.
- Also, in 28 Days Later (as well as many other zombie films), it is not explained why the zombies only attack uninfected humans and never each other. However the Graphic Novel 28 Days Later: The Aftermath proves they discriminate from infected and human through their sense of smell.
- Spider-Man 3. After being attacked and disfigured by a Venom-crazed Peter Parker, Harry Osborn's butler informs him that he has known all along that Norman Osborn died from self-inflicted wounds and Spider-Man was not to blame. Harry declines to ask why he didn't share this information sooner. Norman's dying words to Peter, though, were "Don't tell Harry." Other plot holes include: a pumpkin bomb blows up mere inches from Harry Osborn's face which leaves him disfigured but quite alive, yet Spider-Man uses one of these same bombs to completely vaporise Venom and Eddie Brock. A possible explanation is presented when Mary Jane notes that Harry has no scar from the accident that caused his memory loss, indicating that the goblin formula may have made his tissue highly regenerative. Also, no explanation is given why Harry is able to so easily shake off the psychotic side effects of the Goblin formula when he has his change of heart and decides to help Peter. However, it must be noted that Norman Osborn mentioned in the first film that only one test out of the many they conducted caused this psychosis in the rodents they were testing on. Therefore, it is possible that Harry did not suffer the side effects and his aggression was caused by his want for revenge, something that was stayed when Bernard informs Harry how his father really died.
- Die Hard 2: Die Harder - It becomes apparent that the planes circling the airport (including one carrying John McClanes wife) cannot land as the terrorists have disabled the landing lights. This problem is solved toward the end of the movie when McClane blows up the terrorist plane, causing a huge fireball on the runway which the other planes use as a landing light. However, earlier in the film the terrorists deliberately crash a British Airways jet to show they mean business which causes a huge fireball on the runway. No explanation is given as to why the planes could not have used this as a landing beacon.
- The 2000 film Battlefield Earth is notorious for containing an alarming number of plot holes. For instance, primitive cave-dwellers with no working knowledge of electronics or science learn to operate AV-8B Harrier jets more effectively than most extensively-trained military pilots in less than a week's time, without any explanation as to how or why. Additionally, these jets were still active and fully-fueled after being in storage for over 1000 years (jet fuel has a shelf-life of four years) on an Earth that had been completely plundered of all resources by an alien race.
- In Freddy vs Jason, Freddy Kruger fights Jason Voorhees in the dream realm. It has been etablished in ths film and the Nightmare on Elm Street films that whatever damage Freddy inflicts in the dream world happens in the real world yet Jason showed no sign of the damage he got from Freddy in the dream realm when he woke up.
- The plot of Ocean's Eleven (2001) depends on the transport of a series of duffel bags supposedly stuffed with money, but actually filled with advertising flyers. The movie does not explain how the flyers were placed in the vault, and director Steven Soderbergh admits the error in his DVD commentary.
- In the video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a somewhat large plot hole lies right before the final scene, where the player confronts the last boss. In a cut scene, a giant submersible fortress, in which the player is trapped, was supposed to displace the Statue of Liberty and crash through half the island of Manhattan right before the final scene. The scene was removed, due to potential issues with the 9/11 incidents. Instead, the player wakes up on the roof of the Federal Hall, in front of the final boss.
- In the movie Signs, the aliens are defeated after the humans learn of their allergy to water. However, it is unusual that beings allergic to water would invade a planet that has 70% of its body covered by oceans. Also, an advanced alien species capable of intergalactic travel would likely realize their entire invasion plan could be thwarted by a simple thunderstorm. In addition, depending on the water vapor level, the air in most places on the planet contains water.
- Akira Toriyama's famous manga/anime series Dragon Ball, and its sequel Dragonball Z, contain several plot holes, most having to do with the fact that Toriyama continued the series, at the pressure of fans, after he intended to finish it, and others having to do with Toriyama admittedly forgetting previous established facts. An example of such would be the fact that, later on in the series, the public has no knowledge of previously widely known, and heavily publicized, events and special abilities that happened earlier within the storyline.
- "Miniryu no Densetsu" (ミニリュウのでんせつ, Miniryū no Densetsu?, lit. "The Legend of Dratini") was the second episode of Pokémon to be banned by 4Kids Entertainment; this was the 35th episode of the original Japanese series. The removal of this episode leads to multiple plot inconsistencies, as Ash captured 30 Tauros in this episode. The Tauros appear in later episodes, even being used in Pokémon Tournaments by Ash; only one episode very briefly mentions where they came from. Another plot hole caused by 4Kids in Pokémon was in episode 5, "Showdown in Pewter City". In this episode, Flint tells Ash that Brock's mom has passed away. However, in subsequent episodes, she shows up, creating a plot hole, where as in the original she merely left.
- Another example of inconsistencies in the plot was created by 4Kids' edits of One Piece. 4Kids removed the Little Garden arc, which was originally when the Straw Hat Pirates had first encountered Mr. 3, who was sent by Crocodile to deal with them. However, in the dub, during a meeting with Crocodile, he mentions that he had sent him to deal with the Straw Hat Pirates and Vivi when they left Roguetown, but not only did Baroque Works not know about them at that point, but they had also not met Vivi yet. As well, if 4Kids had continued dubbing, other inconsistencies would be created due to the removal of the Little Garden (Oimo and Karsee would have no reason to assist Usopp during the raid on Enies Lobby, since the Straw Hat Pirates would not have met Dorry and Broggy, the captains of Oimo and Karsee) and Laboon (Brook was a former crewmate of the whale that the Straw Hat Pirates met at the start of the Grand Line, so if they didn't meet Laboon, Brook's backstory would not have the effect that it did on the crew) arcs, which were skipped over for unknown reasons.
- In Superman II, after returning to his Fortress of Solitude, a powerless Superman finds a glowing crystal. The scene then shifts to General Zod attacking the Daily Planet, where Superman flies in, with no explanation as to how his powers were returned, and begins to battle. This was, however, fixed in the Richard Donner Cut.
- In Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, a group of reporters is trying to discover the meaning of Kane's dying words: "Rosebud." However, Kane died alone. When Welles was informed of this, he reportedly stared for a long time before saying, "Don't you ever tell anyone of this."[citation needed]
- Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep, a Film Noir classic known for its overly convoluted plot, is noted for a major plot hole that has baffled both audiences and the makers and even the writer of the source novel, Raymond Chandler. In the film, a chauffeur is found dead in his limousine which is fished out of the docks. In a later scene, a character admits to knocking the driver unconscious; this does not explain how the driver and limousine wound up in the ocean. This inconsistency of plot was present in the source novel as well; when he was asked who killed the driver, Chandler's reply was, "Damn! I don't know either."
- Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes features a deliberate plot hole which was pointed out in the script stages by Emeric Pressburger, but retained for overall effect. In the final scene, Vicky Page, the protagonist who stars in a ballet for the Red Shoes suddenly runs out of the theatre and onto the railway tracks near the theatre, killing herself. However the ballet had not started yet and her character within the ballet only acquires her shoes during the beginning of the performance. There was no logical reason for Vicky to wear the red shoes before the performance begins.
- Although the ending in the 2005 film of War of the Worlds is based on the ending in the 1898-written book, it is hard to believe that aliens with "intelligences greater than our own" would have spent so much time, energy and resources into studying and invading a planet which is inhospitable for them, somehow failed to notice the presence of dangerous diseases on the planet, or not have been able to deal with the problem when it became apparent. But given how this race had likely conquered disease eons ago, it is possible that as a culture, knowledge on long extinct harmful microbes were not considered practical knowledge (although they should still have been a consideration when invading a planet that had definitely not been eradicated of microbes). Also, the protagonist's son joins the battle against the tripods. The tripods respond by triggering an explosion which wipes out the entire army attacking the tripods and visibly destroys armoured vehicles nearby, yet the son somehow reaches Boston entirely unscathed.
[edit] Examples of plot holes used for comic effect
- In The Emperor's New Groove, Yzma and Kronk are struck by lightning and fall to the bottom of a chasm. A matter of moments later, they appear waiting for the protagonists inside a palace. When asked how they accomplished this feat, they openly acknowledge that it makes no sense. The story then proceeds unabated.
- In Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, a plot hole (portrayed as a physical hole) is used to transport Babs, Buster and Byron back to Acme University. Babs makes the comment "A plot hole. I wondered how the hack writers would get out of this one."
- Another term for a plot hole came up in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror X" in the "Desperately Xeeking Xena" short. Professor Frink was asking Lucy Lawless about some inconsistencies in episode plots of Xena: Warrior Princess, to which she replies each time, "A wizard did it." From then on, people have used "A wizard did it!" to explain plot holes. In another Simpsons episode, "Pygmoelian", Moe says, "When the set fell on my head, why did I go back to my old face? Why didn't I grow some third face? It don't make no s..." and then the show ends. This is a reference to how earlier in the episode, Homer and Moe exposed the plot of the soap opera, It Never Ends, and the woman cut him off at one point that she designated with "Cut him off... nnnnnnow." In another episode, “Burns, Baby Burns,” Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” starts playing at the end. Marge demands to know where it's coming from. However, Homer tells her that "It's a party! It doesn't have to make sense!" As if to prove his point, a flower necklace drapes itself over his shoulders and an unseen character hands him a piña colada. He then cheers.
- As an example of the above, in 8-Bit Theater, there is a character called Sarda (the self-proclaimed "The Wizard That Did It") who is an omnipotent sage who frequently interferes with others' lives for his own amusement (once accidentally doing it to himself) or making major changes for trivial reasons like erasing several months of history so he wouldn't have to wait to eat dinner.
- A number of cliché plot devices, including several plot holes, are used in the Stargate SG-1 episode 200. One of the inconsistencies featured is how the SG-1 team manage to escape from being chased by the Replicators and trapped from the Stargate by an army of Jaffa, with only seconds before they will be trapped on the planet forever. The scene cuts to the team walking down the ramp from the gate back at base with Cameron commenting on how difficult that was.
- Plot Holes are a running gag in the webcomic Bob and George. Typically at the end or changing point of a storyline, two characters not involved talk about the plot holes. They comment on how these impossible situations can be resolved. This is immediately followed by a large noise, which one character comments that it's the sound of the plot holes being forced shut.
- In the Pokémon episode "The Crystal Onix", Team Rocket gets caught in a trap they set for Ash and friends. They somehow get out, and Misty asks, "How did you escape?" and James answers with "That's a secret you'll never know!" Jessie remarks that, "The writers can't even figure it out!" In another episode, "Hypno's Naptime", Team Rocket uses a rather weak plan to try to get Pikachu, but later in the episode, they come up with a stronger one, and James asks, "I don't get it, why didn't we do this from the beginning?" then Jessie says, "We had to fill a half-hour!" These are also examples of breaking the fourth wall.
- In an episode of Futurama entitled "The Day The Earth Stood Stupid", Fry tricks the evil giant brain by writing a story "full of plot holes and spelling errors" that the brain thinks is real. He ends up saving the day when, as in Fry's story, the brain decides to leave Earth "for no apparent raisin".
- In the anime Excel Saga, conspicuous plot holes are constantly used as a recurring gag in the series; in fact, the character entitled "The Great Will of the Macrocosm" is personally responsible for resetting the show's timeline whenever some irreversible catastrophe (such as the death of a major character) occurs.
- In the TV series Invader Zim episode "The Most Horrible Xmas Ever" the main character Zim explains away a hole in the story line in which he has a new sidekick known as Minimoose. He states "oh, that's my sidekick, Minimoose. Yep, been here the whole time." The episode was originally to have featured a series of scenes from previous episodes with Minimoose (deliberately) badly edited into them. The hole happened as a result of Nickelodeon canceling the show, resulting in only select episodes being produced. The episode entitled "Nubs of Doom" would have explained Minimoose. Another episode features Dib and Gaz attempting to escape from a high-rise building built on a jagged coastline with intense security precautions. The scene changes to show them wearing beaver disguises and driving a beaten-down old car.
- The popular online game Kingdom of Loathing references a plot hole as a combat weapon.
- In the video game The Misadventures of Tron Bonne there is a scene near the end of the game where the main characters are fighting a battle deep underground. After the battle the ceiling begins to cave in and their escape seems impossible. In the next scene they are already home. Teisel comments that their escape was very close, and he couldn't quite remember how they escaped. Tron replies: "I guess miracles do happen."
- Plot holes were the subject of a Real Life storyline: in it, they took the form of small extra-dimensional portals and were created as the result of a storyline written 5 years prior (in which the characters traveled 5 years in the future): since the future described in the time-travel storyline didn't match up with the "present" the plot holes were created. Later, when the plot hole was explained, it disappeared (the explanation being that, as was explained in the time-travel storyline, the "time machine" in question actually sends the users to a parallel universe in the future, rather than our universe's future).
