The Common Uncommonly

There are a few things in life that are pretty much universally liked.  Chocolate.  Sunsets.  Puppies.  That kind of stuff.

I used to think The Princess Bride belonged on that list… until I heard about the guy who caught flak for scaring his fellow airline passengers with an Inigo Montoya t-shirt.  Oh well.

As far as I’M concerned, it’s still a great movie, notwithstanding any potential ties to terrorism.  But I will confess, there’s one part of the movie that bothers the heck out of me.

It’s not Andre the Giant’s acting.  Or Cary Elwes’s smugness.  Or Fred Savage’s whininess.  It’s a plot hole the size of the Grand Canyon.

Westley, gentle farmhand Westley, goes off to find his fortune so he can win over Buttercup, sweet innocent Buttercup.  When he returns, he explains how he was captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, worked his way up through the ranks, and eventually assumed the identity of the brutal, merciless pirate before returning to Florin to find his true love again.  What a heartwarming story.

Wait, WHAT?  How is sweet innocent Buttercup not bothered by the fact that her Westley spent years murdering and pillaging as Dread Pirate Roberts?! 

That’s a plot hole.  And it bothers me EVERY time I see the movie.

Plot holes can take an otherwise pleasant experience and throw a wrench into it.  Which makes it that much more important for us to be aware of plot holes in our own stories.

Take Southwest Airlines, for instance.  You know, the ones who do things a little differently, the “Bags Fly Free” guys… who just announced a $40 fee to board early.  That’s a plot hole.  Here’s another: Southwest’s CEO saying “never say never” to bag fees.

Compare that to Virgin Atlantic, where the first class experience oozes style.  Mood lighting, custom cocktails, all that jazz.  And now, an art gallery featuring works by street artist Ben Eine, with select pieces for sale if you have a few grand left over after buying that first class ticket.  It’s a crazy story… but it’s a consistent one.

We all write our own scripts.  Some of us are just a bit more careful than others.