Best TV plot holes of 2001

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The Office picture

Christmas Special: Part 2 - S3-E2

Plot hole: Lee and Dawn overstay their tourist visa in the US, then fly back to the UK for the Office Christmas party. They then get into a taxi to go out to the airport in order to return to the US. They're kidding themselves. As I know (to my cost) when you overstay a tourist visa, the US Immigration Service finds out when you check in at the airport on departure. They'll be refused reentry, and probably barred from entering the US for up to six years. (I got a three year ban.) Neither Lee nor Dawn could possibly be unaware of this nor think they could beat the system as they would have been arrested when they checked in in Florida on departure (as I was), and they would have remained in small holding cells until the paperwork banning their return had been processed and their passports stamped 'Invalid for U.S. Entry', as mine was. (All this takes about seventy two hours, so they'd have missed the Christmas party anyway.) The mistake is NOT that they were able to leave the USA - that is explained (it's still not possible, but in the context of the show and the suspension of disbelief we are meant to believe it) the mistake is that they are on the way back to the airport to return. That's absurd. They would have been under no illusions as to their banned status re reentry to the USA.

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Justice League picture

Fury (1) - S1-E14

Plot hole: Hippolyta tells Hawkgirl of Aresia's background of being born in the outside world, the war in her country and right up to her drifting to the shores of Themyscira. It would be impossible for her to know anything of Aresia's background as in part two, it's explained that the captain of the ship who saved Aresia died shortly after reaching Themyscira and therefore would not have been able to tell Hippolyta anything.

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The Fairly OddParents picture

Father Time! / Apartnership! - S1-E4

Plot hole: Timmy uses his heat vision, that he previously wished for, to win the race for his future dad. But it's revealed later in "Smarty Pants" that if you use a previous wish in a contest, it is magically taken away because it's cheating.

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Suggested correction: That is true, that rule was mentioned in a later episode. However in the episode Christmas Every Day, it was revealed that new rules could be added at anytime. So it's possible that the rule simply didn't exist yet. Although, this plot hole may apply to any episode released after "Smarty Pants."

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24 (2001)

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Scrubs picture

My Lunch - S5-E20

Plot hole: Season 5, episode 20 (My Lunch). One of Dr. Cox' patients needs a heart valve transplanted. Heart valves don't have to be transplanted from another person. They can be replaced by a metal valve, or the surgeon can create a new valve from a different part of the patient's body. There was no reason to wait for a donor valve when they had other options available.

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Degrassi: The Next Generation picture

Show generally

Plot hole: In the start of season 4 we meet Liberty's little brother, Danny. J.T. and Manny are making fun of him because he is new to the school and is starting out. If he is starting out, then he should be in the 7th grade, because it is stated in the first episode that the school changed into a 7-12. Liberty, J.T., Manny, Emma,Toby etc. are all in the 10th grade so how does it end up that Danny is a grade below Liberty?

Movieman123

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Smallville picture

Lucy - S4-E16

Plot hole: In episode 4-16: "Lucy," there is no reason for the criminals to be chasing Lucy on the ski slopes at the beginning of the episode. We learn later that she's been working with them all along; she calls Lois during the chase, and the call is part of Lucy's plan with the criminals. Lucy being chased by the criminals would make sense given the story she gives Clark during the next part of the episode, but it doesn't make sense for what we ultimately learn is the truth. And nobody from Smallville is anywhere near the ski chase, so it also doesn't make sense as any kind of a ruse.

DavidK93

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Alias picture

Unveiled - S3-E18

Plot hole: Vaughan discovers Lauren is a mole when he goes through her briefcase and discovers the wig, gun and fake passport she used in Germany a few hours before - surely even the worst secret agent in the world would have enough sense to get rid of such incriminating evidence as soon as possible, and not carry it back to the USA (sneaking it onto a plane, presumably) and leaving it in the room where the man you're lying to sleeps. Lauren is a highly skilled agent, if the Covenant selected her for a mission this important, so it's out of character (without an explanation) for her to be so sloppy.

Shay

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Star Trek: Enterprise picture

Oasis - S1-E20

Plot hole: In 'Oasis,' several times in the episode, specifically when they took Trip captive, the holograms appeared out of nowhere brandishing weapons. The holograms can walk through walls, which we saw, but the guns were real. We saw them hit the deck when Liana deactivated the holograms. So how did they appear with the guns? (00:34:00)

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Lizzie McGuire picture

Rumors - S1-E1

Plot hole: When Lizzie and Gordo are sitting at lunch, Gordo says that he doesn't like broccoli (referring to the pile on his plate) and that he tries to avoid it. However it is established in many scenes that Lizzie's school has a self serve cafeteria, so why does he have broccoli? (00:56:45)

Hamster

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Grounded for Life picture

Oops!...I Did It Again - S2-E22

Plot hole: Lily was vomiting because of the antibiotics she was taking for the infected tattoo. But initially, Sean and Claudia were both puzzled by her being sick. As a teenager, how could she have seen a doctor and been prescribed medicine without a parent knowing?

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