# What do you call it when a change in a storyline is feebly undone to restore to norm? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574 "2007-12-11T03:19:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/1 "2007-12-11T03:19:16Z")
Such as in the Simpsons Episode where the Real Seymour Skinner turns up and takes over the life of Tamzin who has been living as Seymour for all these years. (I can’t remember the details of the story, and how they re established Tamzin as Skinner but I do remember it was lame) I just read [this](http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2611150071210.gif) dilbert comic. There has been a series of about 5 comics before this involving ‘Asok’ being used to test a moon rocket, dying in the process, being cloned into a snickers/asok hybrid. And this final cartoon, in a very lame but amusing way restores things by… well … just click the link. I would very much enjoy reading other examples of this in TV/comics etc if you could post them. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/2 "2007-12-11T03:26:25Z")
It’s sort of a Deus Ex Machina - [Deus ex machina - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina) - but maybe not exactly the right concept. I’m sure someone else will be along to confirm or deny that. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/3 "2007-12-11T03:27:21Z")
Cop out? Pressing the reset button? It seems to have undertones of lampshade hanging. I’ll go explore [tvtropes.org](http://tvtropes.org) and report back if I find anything. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/4 "2007-12-11T03:31:06Z")
Not a perfect fit, but I think the idea of retcon (retroactive continuity) is close. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/5 "2007-12-11T03:48:28Z")
The movie Beerfest made a joke about this. One of the characters was killed in the movie. While the other characters are mourning their friend’s death, his previosuly unknown identical twin brother shows up. His dead brother’s friends all tell him he can hang out with them. And he can have his dead brother’s job. And they ask him if he can change his accent so he’ll sound just like his dead brother. And if he doesn’t mind, they’re going to call him by his dead brother’s name. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/6 "2007-12-11T03:50:02Z")
[QUOTE=cckerberos] Not a perfect fit, but I think the idea of retcon (retroactive continuity) is close. [/QUOTE] Retcon is what I first thought of, too. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/7 "2007-12-11T03:51:25Z")
Like the time they buried Misery, but the bee sting only put her in a coma? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/8 "2007-12-11T03:54:01Z")
A reboot was the first word that came to mind, although I may have been thinking of the word reset. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/9 "2007-12-11T04:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Such as in the Simpsons Episode where the Real Seymour Skinner turns up and takes over the life of Tamzin who has been living as Seymour for all these years. (I can’t remember the details of the story, and how they re established Tamzin as Skinner but I do remember it was lame) [/QUOTE] Judge Snyder ordered that Tamzerian should be restored as principal and only referred to from now on as Seymour Skinner. He decreed that the name “Tamzerian” should no longer be mentioned under penalty of torture. In the episode “I, (Annoyed Grunt) - bot,” Lisa’s cat, Snowball II was accidentally run over by Dr. Hibbert. After adopting two more cats and naming them Snowball III and Snowball IV, which also died, Lisa was sitting on her porch feeling sorry for herself when the Crazy Cat Lady came up, started blabbering at Lisa, and threw a cat at her. The cat causes a car to crash into a tree, leading Lisa to think the cat will survive better than her most recent cats, so she decides to adopt it. She says, “Instead of calling you Snowball V, I’ll pretend all of this never happened and just call you Snowball II.” Principal Skinner strolls by and says, “Isn’t that kind of a cheat?” Lisa replies, “I guess you’re right, _Principal Tamzerian_.” Skinner says, “I guess I’ll be moving along. Say, that is a beautiful kitty.” This was either an inside joke, or a shot at the people annoyed by the whole Tamzerian episode. I like the term “reset button” myself. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/10 "2007-12-11T05:09:23Z")
“Bobby in the shower.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/11 "2007-12-11T05:14:38Z")
I like the term reboot, which implies the return to an original state. A retcon generally means that a series has decided that its back-story no longer works so it invents a new one and then pretends this had been the back-story all along. So a reboot and a retcon are opposite means of reconciling differences between an ongoing story’s past and present; a reboot alters the present to match the past and a retcon alters the past to match the present. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/12 "2007-12-11T05:14:52Z")
Thirding retcon. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/13 "2007-12-11T05:25:59Z")
I prefer reset. Reboot is OK. Doesn’t retcon mean a change that is explained by inserting altering the history of a story retroactively? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/14 "2007-12-11T11:04:45Z")
“Hitting the reset button.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/15 "2007-12-11T11:35:33Z")
Here’s a [huge big fat one](http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/VOY/episode/71433.html) Start Trek Voyager, guess the episode. In case the link doesn’t work it is Year of Hell, a two parter where at the end things are set back exactly as they started after practically destoying the ship and killing half the crew, entire civilisations are reinstated ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/16 "2007-12-11T13:53:02Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] Start Trek Voyager, guess the episode. [/QUOTE] Uhh… all of them? ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/17 "2007-12-11T14:06:01Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Uhh… all of them? [/QUOTE] Heh, yeah. I don’t remember encountering the expression “Push the reset button” until _Voyager_. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/18 "2007-12-11T14:13:54Z")
[QUOTE=Sierra Indigo] Thirding retcon. [/QUOTE] Fourthing. The incompetent alien hunters on _Torchwood_ dose witnesses with **Retcon** in order to obliterate or replace memories of eldrich events. (And excessive doses can cause problems.) The show’s a spinoff of _Doctor Who_–one of the oldest “fandoms” around. So “retcon” is a well-known concept for those folks. (See also “fanwanking.”) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/19 "2007-12-11T14:22:10Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] (See also “fanwanking.”) [/QUOTE] Although with _Torchwood_ that term has more literal shades of meaning, I’m sure… ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574/20 "2007-12-11T14:24:18Z")
I don’t think reboot is what you want, as it has an accepted meaning of completely restarting a franchise, tossing out all previous continuity and starting afresh, like Batman with “Batman begins”. [Reboot.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reboot_%28fiction%29) I agree with [“reset button”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reset_button_technique). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-it-when-a-change-in-a-storyline-is-feebly-undone-to-restore-to-norm/429574.md?page=2)