# How hard is it for you to suspend disbelief? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009 "2011-10-08T16:49:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/41 "2011-10-09T05:54:43Z")
I thought even the names of the three alien guys were funny – Tom, Dick and Harry. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/42 "2011-10-09T05:59:18Z")
The closer a detail is supposed to match reality, the harder a time I have suspending disbelief when it doesn’t work. If there’s a reason or explanation for how things aren’t like real life, it’s usually fine. But if it doesn’t match reality for no apparent reason, then I get dragged out of the show by suspension of disbelief being stretched too far. Anything that does not match reality needs a reason why. Let’s take the new show **Revenge** as an example: A. Emily slowly gets revenge on all the people who put her dad in prison by framing him - okay They’ve explained how this is possible. Emily’s dad believed in young Nolan and invested in his company, Nolan got fabulously wealthy, and Emily got her dad’s 49% share in the company, the profits from give her a lot of leeway with her “projects.” B. Emily’s lab or retriever type dog that ended up with Jack is more than 17 years old and still spy enough to keep wandering to her house, providing the basis for a (re)meet-cute between her and Jack plus other encounters. - Nope, don’t buy it. Big dogs don’t usually live that long to begin with, nevermind being frisky and fully mobile still. There’s no super-dog explanation that’s going to fit _this_ story’s universe because it’s not science fiction, unless it’s that the dog is in fact Sammy 2.0, but that wouldn’t fit with the dog seeming to recognize her all grown up. Now, I know that more willingness to believe is required to accept the first premise than the second, but with no explanation about the dog’s incredible longevity, it actually is harder for me to accept than the elaborate back-story handed to us for the first deviation from reality. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/43 "2011-10-09T06:11:31Z")
I suspend disbelief very easily. I enjoy old school (70s-80s) pro wrestling even though I know more about the inner workings of the business than most outsiders. Then again, my undergraduate degree is in theater, so I know how to make the “magic” happen onstage, I have some experience in film & television, plus I’m an avid gamer and used to be an avid reader. I’ll suspend disbelief given pretty much any excuse to do so. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/44 "2011-10-09T06:53:06Z")
Anything has to have a good story and characters. After that, as long as it makes sense in it’s own universe it won’t bother me. I like to watch _House_. Whenever there’s a medical drama, someone will criticize incorrect medical diagnoses and treatments. But _House_ isn’t really a show about medicine, it’s a show about it’s quirky characters. As long as they don’t start making up huge amounts of crap contrary to all known medical science, I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/45 "2011-10-09T07:28:45Z")
Like others have said internal consistency matters. The show’s universe can’t bounce back and forth and have rules only apply some of the time. Unless it’s really good. If the story is firing on every other cylinder (good plot, good dialogue, good pacing, good acting, good direction, etc.), it matters much, much less whether the universe makes any sense at all. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/46 "2011-10-09T08:34:53Z")
I have no problem with suspending belief. I do expect sci-fi to be consistent. Impulse speed in Star Trek was very slow. Warp 5 was the max in TOS. Don’t write a story where the starship is going warp 12. Stay within the world and the science that you created. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/47 "2011-10-09T11:34:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s pretty easy for me. I can even notice that something is unrealistic, but then not care a few seconds later. And I love fanwanking stuff. > > The first time I’ve run into a problem was with River Song’s origins on Doctor Who. And I’m not entirely sure why. I do know I was disappointed when I found out. Maybe it was just that I had had a lot of time to formulate how it was going to go, and what really happened didn’t live up to what was in my head. It’s not that I can’t accept an almost magical explanation, just that I wanted a much better one–one that we could have figured out. One that doesn’t feel like it was written with the idea that he’d come up with a way to plug up the holes later. …in case you haven’t seen it: here is the story of River Song, from her perspective… https://www.youtube.com/embed/LcuDf25OuQo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/48 "2011-10-09T11:49:02Z")
I guess it depends on whether I’m enjoying myself. I don’t care too much about realism. I used to say: If you wanted reality, why were you at the movies? (or watching TV) I’m a tech guy and tech in shows is horrible - sometimes I’ll make a joke about it, but if I enjoy the show, I don’t care. (I watch Bones regularly and they may be the worst for abusing tech.) As has been pointed out on these boards, the point is to tell a story, not to present reality, so I will suspend disbelief for things I’m enjoying. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/49 "2011-10-10T04:15:04Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > But the one thing that takes me out of the movie is the dog outrunning a big fucking fireball, even as it’s incinerating everything in sight and literally nipping at its heels. That whole movie was stupid as hell. But yes, that scene was the A-number one “I want to punch the entire writing and directing staff in the face” moment. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/50 "2011-10-10T16:30:46Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I suspend disbelief very easily. I enjoy old school (70s-80s) pro wrestling even though I know more about the inner workings of the business than most outsiders. Then again, my undergraduate degree is in theater, so I know how to make the “magic” happen onstage, I have some experience in film & television, plus I’m an avid gamer and used to be an avid reader. I’ll suspend disbelief given pretty much any excuse to do so. The important thing about pro wrestling is that it isn’t sports, it’s opera. No one complains because Carmen always dies at the end, but somehow pro wrestling isn’t supposed to have a denouement. Well tough, if I wanted an untidy ending I’d have stayed home. But back to me. One thing that bothers me in the movies is the lack of sensible safety precautions. Look, I’m sure OSHA would have drafted an exception to the confined space policy in the event of zombie invasion if they’d thought of it, but they didn’t, and that sewer needs to be sniffed for toxic and explosive gas as well as oxygen content before you climb down into that pit to escape. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/51 "2011-10-10T17:09:19Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Like others have said internal consistency matters. The show’s universe can’t bounce back and forth and have rules only apply some of the time. > > Unless it’s really good. If the story is firing on every other cylinder (good plot, good dialogue, good pacing, good acting, good direction, etc.), it matters much, much less whether the universe makes any sense at all. I agree with this. I suspend disbelief very easily, but internal consistency still matters somewhat. I’ll totally accept that you can run a dirt sample through the GC-Mass Spec and tell me what part of Virginia a sample is from in about an hour, as long as you can do it consistently. I will not, however, be happy when supposedly smart characters act in boneheaded ways because the writers couldn’t figure out another way to advance the plot. Awesomeness trumps suspension of disbelief for me, though; it doesn’t even have to be well-plotted awesomeness. I can accept a lot of stupid crap for a big enough explosion or a hilarious payoff. If you want to show John McClane blowing up a helicopter with a car, part of my brain is rolling its eyes, but the rest is enjoying the stupid explosion. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/52 "2011-10-10T17:13:42Z")
1. If a show/movie/books violates basic Newtonian physical principles, not to advance the story/plot/setting (like FTL), but just out of sheer stupidity… that will take me out of the movie. This scene from [Spider Man 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qOXg_PMUg), from 1:19-1:25, is a perfect example. Yeah, I can buy a radiated spider conveying mutant-like powers on a teenager, but you canNOT throw something ahead of you, only to have it catch you from behind! 😛 2. If it violates its own rules, that, too, can take me out of the movie. Can’t think of any examples right now, but they are out there! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/53 "2011-10-10T17:24:36Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 1. If a show/movie/books violates basic Newtonian physical principles, not to advance the story/plot/setting (like FTL), but just out of sheer stupidity… that will take me out of the movie. This scene from [Spider Man 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4qOXg_PMUg), from 1:19-1:25, is a perfect example. Spiderman has an even better example than that. Remember the chocolate cake debacle? People _could not_ suspend disbelief when the girl called a yellow cake with chocolate frosting chocolate cake. A guy with robotic arms used to fight crimes, sure, but deciding that the flavor of frosting determined the cake flavor, most people couldn’t buy that because we all know what a chocolate cake is. ---
**Author:** ![Galileo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Galileo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galileo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/54 "2011-10-10T17:27:20Z")
> [@Vihaga](#): > > If you want to show John McClane blowing up a helicopter with a car, part of my brain is rolling its eyes, but the rest is enjoying the stupid explosion. It blowed up, [it blowed up real good.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dfoVqhQVyQ) ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/55 "2011-10-10T17:45:28Z")
I’m pretty willing to suspend disbelief in general, as long as there is internal consistency in the universe created. However, what I find most difficult is kinda a personal oddball notion - age of the actors / characters. We’ve all heard the complaints about 60 year old guys dating 22 year old girls in movies. That is one problem for me. Similar to this is the number of cops, and military men, who are well past their mandatory retirement age. It just bugs me. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/56 "2011-10-10T17:57:07Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > A guy with robotic arms used to fight crimes, sure, but deciding that the flavor of frosting determined the cake flavor, most people couldn’t buy that because we all know what a chocolate cake is. Ayup. In general, in fiction, it’s easier to believe the big breaks from reality than the little ones. “The nature of God and the Virgin birth, those are leaps of faith. But to believe a married couple never got down, well that’s just plain gullibility!” - Dogma ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009/57 "2011-10-10T18:38:45Z")
At the risk of stealing thoughts already expressed, I’m more than willing to suspend disbelief as long as the show isn’t taking itself too seriously. Third Rock, Gilligan’s Island, My Favorite Martian, Married with Children, Scrubs, and probably others if I think about it long enough - these shows are obviously having fun, being entertaining and silly, and generally not interested in being taken seriously. They can be as goofy and illogical as they want, and as long as I find them amusing, I’ll watch. However, most cop shows, doctor shows, “serious” shows seem to set a different tone. They don’t want to be mocked, they want to be accepted. Same with some SciFi offerings. As long as they don’t go too far off the deep end, I’ll overlook certain discrepancies, but if you expect me to believe your hero can travel 800 miles in 3 hours without benefit of a personal private jet and no intervening traffic, well, that just ain’t gonna happen. It’s hard enough to ignore that they always find a free and legal parking space right in front of their destination… Most of all, I have a hard time when characters on a show, any show, are inconsistent for no apparent reason than a plot twist or a convenient way to tie up loose ends. Especially trumped up “surprise” endings pulled out of a writer’s ass, like: “She couldn’t possibly be the boy’s mother, because she was born a man and therefore could not have given birth!!!” - when nothing of the kind has been hinted or suggested up to this point. Sometimes I think people who write and/or create some shows are more interested in surprise endings than telling a good story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-hard-is-it-for-you-to-suspend-disbelief/599009.md?page=2)