Table of Contents
Plot Hiccup
An occurrence within a story which outwardly appears like a hole or contrivance at first glance, but which isnāt one.
Elaboration
Plot hiccups are a bit of an unusual error because they arenāt necessarily a problem with the plot lacking setupā¦but more an issue with presentation.
Basically, the story includes all (or most) of the setup needed for its payoff, but the way this is communicated to the audience is, in some way, flawedā¦which can make it appear contrived on the surface. So all the information is still there and, if it isnāt there directly, can still be inferred.
I also fully realized that this could be confused for ānot an errorā at all. Critics (such as myself) may also end up in the awkward situation of calling something a plot hiccup when it is actually just a lapse in judgment. But I think the issue being described (by myself) is real and, if the term is applied mistakenlyā¦no harm done. Just keep in mind that you could just be making a mistake.
Examples
Code Geass
Code Geass is the reason I came up with this term, and I feel it somewhat complements the plot hole and plot contrivance.
The entire show is filled with these, but the review includes on specific example of it. Iām not repeating it here because, well, spoilers and Iām also lazy.