Fair Play Whodunnit: Difference between revisions

 

Done badly, this can lead to [[Conviction By Contradiction]]. Done correctly, and it turns into what Golden Age writer John Dickson Carr called "The Grandest Game in the World."

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** Carr's essay "The Greatest Game in the World" makes a key point about what makes a Fair Play Whodunnit really fair, and good when done right: the key to the case isn't just one clue - a random word hidden in chapter six - but a system of interlocking clues that allow the reader to open a tapestry of interpretation that gives a larger picture: that of the truth.

* Scott Turow's ''[[Presumed Innocent]]'' delicately scatters its clues amidst character development and the trial plotline -- all the reader needs is in the text.

* The [[Harry Potter]] books are like this; the mystery plot is deliberately littered with [[Red Herring|Red Herrings]] to lead Harry (and the reader, by extension) down the wrong path at first, but an acute reader can pick up on the actual clues and determine the true culprit before Harry does. For example, ''[[Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets]]'' drops several easily-missable clues about {{spoiler|Ginny Weasley}} being the opener of the Chamber of Secrets, the most notable being {{spoiler|Ginny crying out about having to go back and get her diary}} long before it becomes a major plot point.

** In fact, many readers who had become used to Rowling's extensive use of [[Chekhov's Gun]] and [[Chekhov's Gunman]] were able to figure out a couple of things the sixth book set up before the seventh book confirmed them: the identity of "R.A.B." and that {{spoiler|Harry himself}} is a Horcrux.

*** The writers lampshade this by ending the first part with Dr. Hibbert turning to the viewer and saying "Well, I couldn't possibly solve this mystery...can YOU?" Then the camera pans back and we realize he's actually talking to Chief Wiggum.

*** The reason the fan didn't win was because the contest was so poorly designed. The way it worked was that of all the entries, the producers would choose a thousand, out of which they would pick whoever sent in the correct answer. Unfortunately, from the thousand that they picked, no one actually had the correct answer. You would assume that they would just start again with another thousand, but the rules specifically stated that the winner had to be out of the ''first'' thousand picked. So, they just chose someone randomly. Of course, this meant that any number of people could have sent in the correct culprit, just were unlucky to not wind up in the final thousand.

** {{spoiler|While Twilight's magical aura color is seen in many episodes, one could point to [[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)/Recap/S1 E6 Boast Busters|"Boast Busters"]] as an episode that established her as one of the only unicorns capable of the large-scale magic necessary to move the rocks and repair the dam.}}

** {{spoiler|From the same scene, the Mare Do Well is seen with a unicorn horn, and then a moment later with pegasus wings. Outside of Celestia, Luna, and Cadence (who are ruled out for size considerations), no pony has both horns and wings, indicating that more than one pony is posing as the Mare Do Well.}}

** When Pinkie runs down to the caboose, {{spoiler|Rainbow Dash's mane style is visible in silhouette}}

** Next, in the engine car, {{spoiler|the "conductor" uses a female pony model and a yellow ear is seen. These put together mean Fluttershy.}}