# Point out logic/plausibility flaws in classic movies and TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855 "2014-01-27T16:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/81 "2014-01-29T15:38:03Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > All I want to know is why Thurston and Lovey Howell felt the need to bring trunks full of stuff on a “three hour tour”. Wow! This could be a whole 'nother thread! Just how many movies and shows have had the wardrobe department go ape with costume changes for folks in isolated situations? Not long ago I rewatched [Quigley Down Under (1990)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102744/?ref_=nv_sr_1) and was astounded at the silliness of Selleck and San Giacomo being taken out in the outback (or some place far from anything) in a wagon and tossed out to die of exposure or hunger or dingo bites. They wander around trying to get to someplace where there would be some level of salvation and each scene they’re wearing new clothes! There have to be dozens to hundreds of similar cases. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/82 "2014-01-29T15:39:05Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > :smack: An entire sentence just upped and disappeared from my previous post. > > It went: > > So, the Death Star, 120 km in diameter, armed with thousands upon thousands of TIE Fighters, is being attacked by 30 Rebel fighters. Even assuming there were 10 times as many as we saw on-screen (what was it? 8? 10? flying in formation against the X-Wings?), isn’t that still kind of paltry? > > Wouldn’t the conversation go a bit more like this: An aircraft carrier can carry 90 planes, but they can’t exactly launch all at once. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/83 "2014-01-29T15:41:04Z")
Currently watching the short-lived tv version of Logan’s Run. Logan and Jessica never change outfits, despite running into different bands of humans in every episode who could presumably give them some new threads. The pursuing Sandmen never seem to think “Hey, people ARE able to live outside the City of Domes contrary to what we’ve been told! So why are we trying to take Logan back where he can be brainwashed into saying the opposite? Are they going to do the same thing to us?” Also, The Planet of the Apes tv series: Again, the protagonists never seem to change outfits. The two astronauts are forever knocking out pursuing apes but NEVER take their rifles or destroy them. Makes perfect sense! Leave your enemy alive and armed… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/84 "2014-01-29T15:54:03Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > All I want to know is why Thurston and Lovey Howell felt the need to bring trunks full of stuff on a “three hour tour”. It was a tour from Hawaii to Oahu, or something like that – in other words, they had luggage because they were travelling from Point A to Point B, and the storm left them at Point I. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/85 "2014-01-29T16:06:28Z")
> [@stegon66](#): > > Currently watching the short-lived tv version of Logan’s Run. > > Logan and Jessica never change outfits, despite running into different bands of humans in every episode who could presumably give them some new threads. > > The pursuing Sandmen never seem to think “Hey, people ARE able to live outside the City of Domes contrary to what we’ve been told! So why are we trying to take Logan back where he can be brainwashed into saying the opposite? Are they going to do the same thing to us?” > Also, The Planet of the Apes tv series: > > Again, the protagonists never seem to change outfits. > > The two astronauts are forever knocking out pursuing apes but NEVER take their rifles or destroy them. Makes perfect sense! Leave your enemy alive and armed… Dude. That’s what I love so much about Predator 2. First, it’s Old-ass Danny Glover doing a better job then Ah-nuld did. And, he takes the Predator weapon! He uses it more than once! And then at the end, “Allright, who’s next.” Badass. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/86 "2014-01-29T16:19:49Z")
I’ll list my Walking Dead ones: 1. Are we talking about a Zombiocalypse where, 90% of everyone turned into zombies via disease or is it a Living Dead situation where the dead started rising and then they killed 90% of everyone off? And if they don’t know…why TF don’t they talk about it? The distinction is critical. If it’s the latter, for all anyone knows…vast parts of the world could be zombie-free and the goal should be finding out what happened. 2. FFS wear proper clothing. At least long sleeved shirts. As I’ve written elsewhere, Ren-Faire guys and their home-made padded armor would rule the world. 3. Putting aside going out and finding more tanks and anti-personnel carriers…get in a frigging mack truck, find some highway near your base and start firing off your weapons to draw zombies. Run the zombies over. Rinse, repeat until zombies stop showing up. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/87 "2014-01-29T17:46:47Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > An aircraft carrier can carry 90 planes, but they can’t exactly launch all at once. Well, I never said they’d _launch_ all of them at once, just _send_ all of them into the battle. Geek check: The Death Star is NOT the U.S. Nimitz. [Have you seen TIE launch racks?](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DWn71Doe6p0/UHs2x5t7w2I/AAAAAAAAA0A/luTpi4ZxWY4/s1600/tormentor_2012_073.jpg) It looks like they can shoot them out at a pretty good clip. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/88 "2014-01-29T18:00:44Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It was a tour from Hawaii to Oahu, or something like that – in other words, they had luggage because they were travelling from Point A to Point B, and the storm left them at Point I. [The truth](http://www.sff.net/people/adam-troy/random/theories.htm) is more sinister. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/89 "2014-01-29T18:14:00Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > You forgot another option: The purpose of the board meeting was to discredit Ripley, not to investigate the truth or conduct a criminal investigation. > > The board doesn’t disbelieve Ripley. They know she’s telling the truth - after all, the company was the one issuing the secret order in the first film, the one that ended with “Crew expendable.” Their job is to make sure that everybody sees her as that slightly crazy, possibly dangerous crackpot. > > One has to fanwank the “why didn’t the company just kill Ripley” question - I assume that anybody found in space after 50+ years in hibernation would achieve some level of fame, therefore killing her wasn’t an option. Ok…they “know” that she’s telling the truth…but then they fabricate a story which they then feed to whatever governmental body investigates space-related mishaps in the future? And they get Ripley to go along with this…how? Even assuming that the future is as corrupt (or more so) than the present (which the film’s universe basically skewers by the concerns about about getting the Xenamorphs through “Quarantine”, a non-issue or a minor one in a corrupt system) then Ripley was still free after the hearing to tell her story to whoever would listen. A person who returns from 58 years stranded in space would have a great deal of credibility even in a future where this would be “common.” How the company would deal with that is never addressed as Ripley could have become exceptionally wealthy and famous telling such a tale. I can understand that making a two hour film is difficult. But when you have a finished script in your hands and you read it through, the plot holes in it should become apparent. If you can glaze them over, cool. If you can’t (like why wasn’t there a crew on board The Sulaco) then you really better hope that you put in enough action to distract the audience, ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/90 "2014-01-29T18:22:52Z")
I love _The Warriors_ so I try very hard when I watch it not to think about the premise. “Every gang in NYC is looking for us, so we have to bop our way on foot and by subway all the way back from Brooklyn to Coney wearing our colors.” God God, that’s the last thing you should do! Steal a couple of cars! You’re the delegates of a much larger gang, have the one guy with a shirt take his vest off, find a payphone, and make a collect call for someone to come pick you up! Get a flophouse hotel room! Run the opposite direction! Mug people for their shirts, split up, wait until the next day and go home individually! Anything! ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/91 "2014-01-29T18:23:58Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > While they do want to discredit her, they don’t necessarily know that she’s telling the truth. It’s been a long time, and those responsible for the order likely made an effort to cover their tracks when the _Nostromo_ went missing; they wouldn’t have wanted to risk being blamed for losing the ship. That, combined with decades of bureaucratic shuffling, retirements, and people dying off could plausibly leave the board ignorant of the real events. > > Burke seems to be the only one who thought she might be telling the truth, and he was–from his perspective–betting on a longshot in hopes of a big payoff in either cash or career advancement. I hadn’t mentioned Burke because that brings up another HUGE plot hole: The company was terraforming a distant moon…why again? Also, since terraforming itself would have (by definition) changed its entire ecosystem, nobody did a survey to make certain that no other sentient species was living on (or inside) of it? \*\*\*Aliens \*\*\*states that other races have been encountered by humanity (the Marines joking about having sex with aliens and their also referring to their mission as “just another bug hunt”) so it would be rather remiss (read: genocidal) to terraform a moon without first thoroughly surveying it to determine that indigenous life forms might be eradicated (or worse, declare war upon your species) for completely ravaging their home. The colonists REALLY should have found the Xenamorphs prior to Burke letting them know that they were there. They also should have been smart enough 58 years into the future to be able to handle them without killing off everyone at the complex. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/92 "2014-01-29T18:25:01Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > I love _The Warriors_ so I try very hard when I watch it not to think about the premise. “Every gang in NYC is looking for us, so we have to bop our way on foot and by subway all the way back from Brooklyn to Coney wearing our colors.” God God, that’s the last thing you should do! Steal a couple of cars! You’re the delegates of a much larger gang, have the one guy with a shirt take his vest off, find a payphone, and make a collect call for someone to come pick you up! Get a flophouse hotel room! Run the opposite direction! Mug people for their shirts, split up, wait until the next day and go home individually! Anything! Hop some cabs and cruise back to Coney Island in style ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/93 "2014-01-29T18:40:29Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > [The truth](http://www.sff.net/people/adam-troy/random/theories.htm) is more sinister. After recently viewing several episodes during the marathon which aired in the wake of Russell Johnson’s death (RIP Professor) I also notice sociopathic most the people who encountered the castaways really were. Think about it: Nobody is bothered enough by seven people stranded upon a remote island for them to contact the authorities and let them know that this was happening? Not even an anonymous letter stating the island’s coordinates and what was occurring? That’s almost Nazi levels of human depravity there as the castaways could have easily starved to death or died of illness on that island. And this is a series which was made before American television was considered to be “violent” or a dangerous influence to the young. _ **Gilligan’s Island** _ Very dark indeed. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/94 "2014-01-29T19:15:52Z")
Two in _The Middle_: 1. Sue turned 16 recently, and got her driver’s license. But in a 2012 episode it was her birthday, and it was memorable because it supposed to be her _actual_ birthday (she was born on Feb 29th- a Leap Year baby). So that means that on February 29th, 2012, Sue turned either 16 or 12. Neither situation is possible. 2. The young actor who plays Brick has a medical problem that is simply not addressed on the show. Which would be fine, except the poor guy has a terrible limp (obvious on the show) and IS WEARING BRACES BENEATH HIS PANTS (also obvious on the show). Yet no mention is ever made of Brick having any medical issues. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/95 "2014-01-29T20:03:22Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Ok…they “know” that she’s telling the truth…but then they fabricate a story which they then feed to whatever governmental body investigates space-related mishaps in the future? And they get Ripley to go along with this…how? > > Even assuming that the future is as corrupt (or more so) than the present (which the film’s universe basically skewers by the concerns about about getting the Xenamorphs through “Quarantine”, a non-issue or a minor one in a corrupt system) then Ripley was still free after the hearing to tell her story to whoever would listen. > > A person who returns from 58 years stranded in space would have a great deal of credibility even in a future where this would be “common.” How the company would deal with that is never addressed as Ripley could have become exceptionally wealthy and famous telling such a tale. > > I can understand that making a two hour film is difficult. But when you have a finished script in your hands and you read it through, the plot holes in it should become apparent. If you can glaze them over, cool. If you can’t (like why wasn’t there a crew on board The Sulaco) then you really better hope that you put in enough action to distract the audience, A “governmental body (that) investigates space-related mishaps” assumes facts not in evidence. If you assume the Marines represent some government, I’ll be glad to grant that while noting that W-Y _still_ sent a company representative who had a form of operational control. I think it’s easier to swallow the events of the movie if you assume that W-Y is a major power in this civilization, at least as influential than any single government, and that they are still wanting the alien for their weapons division. For whatever reason they still couldn’t brazenly march in and get the alien, but why not spend $ on a “multi-million dollar facility”, knowing that you can then “discover” the alien by accident and con the government (if it exists) into providing a troop of marines for support? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/96 "2014-01-29T20:13:01Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > I hadn’t mentioned Burke because that brings up another HUGE plot hole: The company was terraforming a distant moon…why again? Because, for whatever reason, they were being paid to do so. It isn’t played up much in the movies, but it seems Earth is not a very nice place anymore in the setting. It’s apparently not a total crapsack–Ripley can at least find private lodging even with her low-end job–but enough people want to move away that they’re establishing colonies. So, Weyland-Yutani got into the real estate business, terraforming other worlds for those people to move to. Finding valuable stuff on those worlds is a bonus. > [@](#): > > Also, since terraforming itself would have (by definition) changed its entire ecosystem, nobody did a survey to make certain that no other sentient species was living on (or inside) of it? This is a corporate culture that thinks nothing of sacrificing human lives on the off chance of increasing their profits. How much do you think they care about native life on any given rock they decide to set up shop on? The Marines’ derisive “bug hunt” comments bear this out–clearly, it’s a common practice to simply eliminate alien life forms that present a problem. Between the fact that there was no native life on LV-426, the derelict’s beacon being offline, and a cursory survey aimed mainly at picking a good place to set up the processing plant, it’s not that surprising they thought it was completely lifeless. Even if it hadn’t been, however, it’s unlikely that W-Y would have cared. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/97 "2014-01-29T20:50:51Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > The colonists REALLY should have found the Xenamorphs prior to Burke letting them know that they were there. Xenomorphs. The word is xenomorph (Greek for “alien form”). IIRC, Lucy Lawless had nothing to do with them. 😉 ---
**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:** [January 29, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/98 "2014-01-29T20:52:45Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Because, for whatever reason, they were being paid to do so. It isn’t played up much in the movies, but it seems Earth is not a very nice place anymore in the setting. It’s apparently not a total crapsack–Ripley can at least find private lodging even with her low-end job–but enough people want to move away that they’re establishing colonies. So, Weyland-Yutani got into the real estate business, terraforming other worlds for those people to move to. Finding valuable stuff on those worlds is a bonus. Interesting. I’ve always pictured the Earth civilization as being very wealthy and advanced, but to achieve this it became a corporatocracy, a uber-capitalist society where people are well taken care of, but only if they conform to corporate policy. > [@](#): > > This is a corporate culture that thinks nothing of sacrificing human lives on the off chance of increasing their profits. How much do you think they care about native life on any given rock they decide to set up shop on? The Marines’ derisive “bug hunt” comments bear this out–clearly, it’s a common practice to simply eliminate alien life forms that present a problem. > > Between the fact that there was no native life on LV-426, the derelict’s beacon being offline, and a cursory survey aimed mainly at picking a good place to set up the processing plant, it’s not that surprising they thought it was completely lifeless. Even if it hadn’t been, however, it’s unlikely that W-Y would have cared. Eh, again I think it makes more sense (or at least adds more to the movie) to assume that the alien has remained a corporate goal since the secret message in the first movie, and that hasn’t changed in the sequel. Hence the “colony” that was nothing more than bait. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/99 "2014-01-29T20:56:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Xenomorphs. The word is xenomorph (Greek for “alien form”). IIRC, Lucy Lawless had nothing to do with them. 😉 Too late. Headcanon accepted. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855/100 "2014-01-29T20:59:56Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > That’s almost Nazi levels of human depravity there as the castaways could have easily starved to death or died of illness on that island. And this is a series which was made before American television was considered to be “violent” or a dangerous influence to the young. > > _ **Gilligan’s Island** _ > Very dark indeed. Nah, _Gilligan’s Island_ takes place in what I call “The Wacky Hijinks Universe”, where the repeated use of supernatural power (_My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie_) has weakened the fabric of reality so that while almost any impossibly absurd thing can happen (_The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction_), in balance anything really seriously wrong or evil almost never happens. Case in point: on **Bewitched** there is a proud and arrogant race of humanoids with almost godlike power, who view “mortals” as savages as best; and yet they are content to keep themselves aloof and hidden from the world and at most play the occasional prank on people, instead of raping, torturing and killing mortals for amusement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/point-out-logic-plausibility-flaws-in-classic-movies-and-tv-shows/679855.md?page=6)