Reset button technique

The reset button technique (based on the idea of <a href="/facts/Status_quo/kMsM2X2s">status quo</a> ante) is a <a href="/facts/Plot_device/RkNc0shX">plot device</a> for interrupting <a href="/facts/Continuity_(fiction)/8mPt7IH2">continuity</a> in works of fiction. The reset button device is used to return all characters and situations to the status quo prior to some major change. It can be employed in the middle of a program to negate some portion of what came before. It is often used in <a href="/facts/Science_fiction/d9hE2Lwt">science fiction</a> television series, <a href="/facts/Animated_series/9IWkyjon">animated series</a>, <a href="/facts/Soap_opera/oddx9g1n">soap operas</a>, and <a href="/facts/Comic_book/xGFkPrMT">comic books</a>. The reset button technique accommodates dramatic changes to characters and the <a href="/facts/Fictional_universe/ESj2DCy2">fictional universe</a> that might otherwise invalidate the show's premise with respect to future episodes or other plot details. For example, writers may use the device to improve the audience's experience of <a href="/facts/Comic_book_death/WTbSYuoq">the lead character's death</a>, which is usually impossible without effectively ending the work or significantly altering its course.

Reset button technique open-in-new

Reset button technique