rdfs:comment
| - The special feeling that you get when you've watched a show and realized that an unusually large number of loose ends have been left dangling. This special feeling is usually preceded by a glance at the clock, noting that it is 9:54, and saying, "Wow, they sure have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in the next six minutes. I wonder how they pull it off?" The answer: they don't. See also No Ending and What Happened to the Mouse?. Let the Kudzu Plot grow out of hand, and you have The Chris Carter Effect. If it was going to be explained, but the intended story was canceled, it's an Aborted Arc.
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abstract
| - The special feeling that you get when you've watched a show and realized that an unusually large number of loose ends have been left dangling. This special feeling is usually preceded by a glance at the clock, noting that it is 9:54, and saying, "Wow, they sure have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in the next six minutes. I wonder how they pull it off?" The answer: they don't. Some shows, such as The X-Files, actually used the principle of Left Hanging order to build an aura of mystique and uncertainty around the show. When shows that are more grounded in reality, such as CSI, wander into this territory, the results are rarely pretty. Occasionally the loose ends that are Left Hanging are picked up on much later, either as part of a Lampshade Hanging or as an "untold story" in the Expanded Universe. If, on the other hand, they're picked up later in a serious way, they might fit one of Chekhov's tropes; if the entire episode is redeemed by one of more of these, it qualifies as an Innocuously Important Episode. See also No Ending and What Happened to the Mouse?. Let the Kudzu Plot grow out of hand, and you have The Chris Carter Effect. If it was going to be explained, but the intended story was canceled, it's an Aborted Arc. It should be noted that a few of these examples are merely early plot lines that are abandoned once the main plot is kicked off. Why bother tying up loose ends on one matter when they have The End of the World as We Know It to deal with? Sometimes the result of being Screwed by the Network. This will lead to Canon Fodder and, thus, Fanfic Fuel. See also Cut Short. Examples of Left Hanging include:
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