Fride Logic

There's something to be said in regards to stock plots. They're adaptable and comfortable, great tools to let the audience know once the first frame enters the picture what transaction will take place without needing a word. It is also useful in developing characters, even if such development lacks the subtlety one desires (which, we must remind ourselves, is huge YMMV territory).

This, however, lends itself to one of the snarliest beasties in the TV Tropes oeuvre: Fridge Logic. Really, this can be applied to any instant of You Fail Logic Forever, but first things first. Fridge Logic refers to that situation where the show's over (though it needn't be a show) and you're staring at the delightfully enticing piece of pie left over from a party you threw last week. You mull over whether you should eat it now when it just now hits you: something in the show doesn't make sense! Why didn't I notice it then?

Ideally Fridge Logic occurs because the film is that engaging - and it can be difficult explaining it any other way. Of course people also don't always follow the same train of thought with any given show, whether they enjoyed it or loathed it, so some miss out on the Fridge Logic altogether. Either case, the key point with it is that the audience doesn't pick up on it until after the show's over and they're preoccupied with other concerns.

A crucial concept to consider when dealing with Fridge Logic is the MST3K Mantra: "We really should just relax." Sometimes it just isn't worth getting too wrapped up in; we can let a few inconsistencies, logic issues and similar topics slide if they are minor enough to be essentially a non-factor. This doesn't override the issues that are too major to be ignored, of course, but for the small stuff, we're capable of glossing over them. Remember Ed Wood's admonition: "Have you ever heard of the suspension of disbelief?"

Also, to continue the above point, people go through different thought processes and may find certain issues too problematic to ignore whereas others find no problem in ignoring it. Everyone's different; they are irritated by different things. People find Wolverine interesting and capable of winning any fight (which helps explain Wolverine Publicity, if not his decidedly non-Wolverine nature in any conceivable fashion) while others find him too annoying and too powerful (as an example, ask some comic fans that read his fight with Lobo in the Amalgam Universe how they feel about it).

In any event, there are numerous reasons people invoke Fridge Logic, as is the case with any similar logic tropes. Didn't Do The Research can occur on a small enough scale that for the most part the producers know what they're doing, save for one minor incident (mitosis doesn't work that way!). Producers maybe wanted to invoke the Rule of Cool and find Fridge Logic an acceptable risk (Batman rides a shark, it doesn't need an excuse - mileage may vary). As an extension of Didn't Do The Research, perhaps the issue wasn't the author's strong suit and he just had to bite the bullet on this one. Of course, there is also the lapse in judgment excuse.

Whatever the reason, we should expect it to happen every so often. No one's perfect and we may anticipate the occasional slip into Fridge Logic territory because, hey, we're human. When you face Fridge Logic in a work, as a member of the audience, you should ask yourself: how important was it to the plot, to a character, or to another major portion of the work? Could you live with the misstep in logic? Would an explanation really make it any better at the risk of ruining the message, atmosphere or other aspect? Did you enjoy it regardless of the situation and can you accept Rule of Cool/Awesome as an explanation?

For the writer: again, how important is the issue for the work? Would it require an explanation to get over that obstacle successful? This may take some work but in the end would the work benefit from it? How can you avoid it in the future if this is the case? Sometimes letting Fridge Logic happen isn't bad; a work won't die because of it. It may even be fun to watch because of said Fridge Logic, though don't expect that to happen.