"If you're wondering how he eats and breathes,
And other science facts;
(la-la-la!)
Then repeat to yourself 'It's just a show,
I should really just relax.'"— Theme song from Mystery Science Theater 3000
Basic Information
I'm sure it's happened to you. The movie or TV show is over and you go to the kitchen to get a beer or a Grape-O-Mix or something and all of a sudden it hits you: "Waittaminnit… that didn't make any sense!" Why did they try to kill Cary Grant with a crop duster? How the heck did they transport King Kong to New York City? If the Professor could build a telephone out of coconuts and old pennies, why couldn't he just fix their stinking radio?
If you notice these things in the middle of a story, they're called plot holes and they can be annoying because they ruin the Willing Suspension of Disbelief. But if the story is done well, the Willing Suspension carries you over the holes and you don't think about them until later. When you're standing in front of the fridge. That's when you start thinking about the Fridge Logic.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- This Arcanist calls this a "Russ Moment", after a friend with a ruthlessly-logical mind who could easily believe six impossible things before breakfast for the sake of a plot, but who hated inconsistencies.
- The occasional plot hole is inevitable in running a game, especially games that rely heavily on improvisation. Ideally, you want to keep things moving fast enough so that the players don't notice the logical gaps until later.
- A creative GM, when confronted with a piece of Fridge Logic, might come up with an explanation for the apparent inconsistancy which might add texture to the game.
- Or it might come off as a lame excuse. Your mileage may vary.
- A devious GM might deliberately insert a piece of Fridge Logic as a clue to the PCs that Something is Not as it Seems.
- Which is great, as long as the players don't assume that it's accidental and ignore it. Arguably at least as annoying as when they assume a plot hole is significant and latch onto it.