Plot hole
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A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot. These include such things as unlikely behaviour or actions of characters, illogical or impossible events, events happening for no apparent reason, or statements/events that contradict earlier events in the storyline.
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. However, certain genre (and some media) which require or allow suspension of disbelief are more tolerant of plot holes.
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.
Examples
- The 1984 film The Terminator it is explained the Terminator is covered in human tissue because nothing inorganic can be sent through time. The its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the villain is the T-1000 Terminator, which although looks like skin and fabric, is liquid metal therefore making it impossible for him to use the time machine.
- The 1992 film Rock-a-Doodle also has a plot that seems to contradict itself. Chanticleer is a rooster who appears to cause the sun to rise every morning. When the sun rises without him one morning, the other characters believe he is a fraud and so he leaves. It then begins to rain eternally and so the lead characters search for Chanticleer so that he can make the sun rise again. Thus the narrative contradicts whether or not Chanticleer does indeed cause the sun to rise, and if so, it never explains why it rose without him at the film's beginning.
- In the film High Tension, the main character Marie and her friend Alex travel to Alex's country house to have a vacation with Alex's family. A truck shows up at the house, the owner of which is a serial killer who eventually kills the whole family, with the exception of Alex and Marie, who are taken hostage in the truck. When Marie kills the serial killer, we find out that she and the serial killer are one and the same because Marie has multiple personality syndrome. This revelation creates many inconsistencies with the plot, many of which involve the truck, which according to the film was driven by the serial killer, aka Marie. However, at the beginning of the movie, Alex and Marie drive to the house in Marie's car, creating a physical impossibility as Marie cannot be in two places at once. This problem is introduced once again, when Marie's killer personality drives the truck, pursued by Marie's real personality in a different car.