About: Contractual Immortality   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : owl:Thing, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

A major character is seemingly killed, leaving the story permanently. However, the dramatic tension falls flat because we know these kind of events are very seldom permanent. There are two main causes of this. In television, actors have contracts, and if an actor's contract ends we probably would have heard that the actor has quit or been fired long before any on-screen death. Even if a character does somehow die, it is very unlikely that they are Killed Off for Real, and are probably Not Quite Dead. In books and any other media without real individuals playing the roles, there are a number of ways that the reader can be sure a character will survive, such as stories told in asynchronous order or an unfulfilled prophecy in any setting where that kind of thing is reliable.

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  • Contractual Immortality
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  • A major character is seemingly killed, leaving the story permanently. However, the dramatic tension falls flat because we know these kind of events are very seldom permanent. There are two main causes of this. In television, actors have contracts, and if an actor's contract ends we probably would have heard that the actor has quit or been fired long before any on-screen death. Even if a character does somehow die, it is very unlikely that they are Killed Off for Real, and are probably Not Quite Dead. In books and any other media without real individuals playing the roles, there are a number of ways that the reader can be sure a character will survive, such as stories told in asynchronous order or an unfulfilled prophecy in any setting where that kind of thing is reliable.
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abstract
  • A major character is seemingly killed, leaving the story permanently. However, the dramatic tension falls flat because we know these kind of events are very seldom permanent. There are two main causes of this. In television, actors have contracts, and if an actor's contract ends we probably would have heard that the actor has quit or been fired long before any on-screen death. Even if a character does somehow die, it is very unlikely that they are Killed Off for Real, and are probably Not Quite Dead. In books and any other media without real individuals playing the roles, there are a number of ways that the reader can be sure a character will survive, such as stories told in asynchronous order or an unfulfilled prophecy in any setting where that kind of thing is reliable. Guest stars and minor characters introduced in the last couple episodes, on the other hand, are very mortal. Not to mention anyone wearing a Red Shirt. Less applicable near the end of a season where contracts are up for renewal... you'll want to stay on the writer's good side at this point. Not quite as powerful as Foregone Conclusion for saving lives, but close. Compare Plot Armor, which is where the main characters don't die in the first place because of their importance to the plot. See also: Like You Would Really Do It, Joker Immunity, Popularity Power, Contractual Boss Immunity, and Disney Death. Contrast Anyone Can Die. Can lead to Opening a Can of Clones. Examples of Contractual Immortality include:
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