11th Apr 2025
Tales of a Third Grade Nothing - S7-E6
Other mistake: In the cutaway at Ford's Theater, Abraham Lincoln receives a cell phone call from someone who is implied to be Thomas Jefferson. While the anachronism of a cell phone in the Civil War can be ignored as humorously deliberate, Lincoln can't be talking to Jefferson; by April of 1865, when Lincoln was assassinated, Jefferson had been dead for nearly 40 years.
Suggested correction: Where are you getting the implication that it is Thomas Jefferson? You seem to have misunderstood the joke. "I hear you took that black chick home. You're welcome." is not a reference to Jefferson sleeping with one of his slaves. It's simply a reference to Lincoln freeing the slaves. Tom is just a generic name. (Besides, if you're complaining about historical anachronisms in Family Guy cutaways, you're probably missing the point.)
I concede that it's a bit of an assumption, but can you really fault me for making it? Yes, Thomas and its derivations can be common given names, but off the top of my head, I can't think of any from Lincoln's era famous enough for casual viewers to automatically make that assumption.
Conversely, since the allegations about Jefferson and Sally Hemings have endured for 220 years, Occam's Razor suggests it's the first thing probably 99% of us would immediately think of upon hearing "Thomas" and "black chick." And I have no problem with the historical anachronism of Lincoln owning a cell phone. Believe me, I get the joke; his obnoxious behaviour is why Booth shot him, and cell phones are so ubiquitous, it's something we in the 21st century can relate to.
The issue I have is of a factual nature. Even for an animated sitcom, there are certain tenets of reality that I think must be adhered to if a joke is going to be set in a specific time period, two of which are the passage of time and the finality of death. For the sake of argument, humor me and assume that it is Jefferson; it is well-documented historical fact that Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's adoption.
The reason why it's so well-documented is because, in one of the biggest coincidences in American politics, John Adams, a political frenemy of Jefferson's, and under whom he served as vice president, also died that day. My argument is that, given the limited context of the scene, under an assumption that 99% of us would make, the Thomas calling Lincoln can't be who it's implied to be, because who it's implied to be had been dead for nearly four decades.
Except Thomas Jefferson wasn't from Lincoln's era. You say yourself he had died almost 40 years earlier. This error seems to boil down to, "I'm going to assume that it is a Thomas Jefferson reference. I'm also going to assume that everyone else will see it that way. And that the producers didn't realise Jefferson was dead at the time. Therefore, it is an error based on my unfounded assumptions."
21st Sep 2018
Corrected entry: The girl with the puffs shouldn't be allowed to try and steal the candy bar at the beginning of the movie. The purge is the only time where crime is legal and it wasn't purge time yet, so theft wouldn't have been legal.
Correction: It wasn't legal, she had to give it back, that's the whole reason she came back when the purge had started, to get her candy bar.
Also, the fact that it was illegal is likely why she attempted it in the first place. With petty crimes like shoplifting, some people enjoy the thrill of breaking the law and escaping any consequences; at the end of the day, no-one is seriously hurt and, at worst, the vendor being stolen from is out a couple of bucks in profit. And if they should happen to get caught, they can use the fact that it was non-violent as leverage for a lighter sentence.
14th Oct 2021
Corrected entry: When talking to Samuel Clemens, Jack London tells him of a dream to visit Alaska. This episode is set in 1889, and Alaska wasn't a state until 1959.
Correction: But it still existed as a place. It had been known and inhabited and explored for hundreds of years. Somewhere doesn't have to be a US state for someone to want to visit it.
1st Aug 2018
Corrected entry: The Jackal has a clever way of trying to fool any would be pursuers by using a paint on his van that he is shown to easily be able to spray off in about 35 seconds to completely change the color of it. He is shown using a pressure washer to remove this paint, which works when the paint is fresh, as well as when it's been dry for a while later on in the film. It washes off, indicating that it either comes off from water, or high pressure, or both... So what would he have done if it rained? Or he had to go at interstate speeds? (00:21:40 - 00:49:20)
Correction: As a loose re-imagining of Day of the Jackal, I think it can be inherently inferred that screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer would retain most of the Jackal's basic character traits. In both the original film and the novel, the Jackal is highly intelligent and methodical, meticulously planning every aspect of the assassination down to the minutest detail; surely he would anticipate and have contingencies for things like the weather and issues regarding his getaway vehicle.
6th Feb 2018
Character mistake: Morgan asks Reid what track on the CD (Some Kind of Monster by Metallica) would help an insomniac sleep. Reid replies with "Enter Sandman" however, Some Kind of Monster doesn't feature the song Enter Sandman. (00:29:00)
Suggested correction: Morgan doesn't ask what song on that album would speak to an insomniac, he asks what Metallica song in general would. He says, and I quote, "Okay, so I'm an insomniac who listens to Metallica to get to sleep. What song could possibly speak to me?" His query is in regards to the band's discography as a whole; neither he nor Reid mention a specific album, so the fact that "Some Kind of Monster" is the CD that they find is, ultimately, irrelevant.
The team was looking for what CD Slessman listened to the most to figure out what his password could be. They had no luck going through all his metal collection. The clue was suppose to be Slessman listened to "Some Kind of Monster" CD the most to help him sleep, which is why it wasn't in the case.
26th Jan 2016
The Pants Alternative - S3-E18
Corrected entry: Sheldon claims the X-Men were named so after the X in Charles Xavier's' name. In The X-Men #1 (1963), Professor X states that mutants possess an extra power that humans do not have. Xavier then says "That is why I call my students... X-Men, for EX-tra power!"
3rd Jan 2017
Plot hole: Beckett is framed for the murder of Vulcan Simmons by someone (likely connected to Senator Bracken) who has access to her backup weapon locked in a safe in her apartment. It's never really proven that she's innocent; the murder weapon is never recovered, and the real murderer is never brought to justice. And though she's still technically a murder suspect, Beckett is allowed - after finding the evidence for which she's been searching - to act in her law enforcement capacity and arrest Senator Bracken.
Suggested correction: She had evidence, (the tape) that he was a murderer and probably explained before the arrest. That should be enough to prove her innocence, and to also prove him guilty.
The tape is proof of Bracken's guilt, not of Beckett's innocence. And as we've seen, Bracken is too careful to get caught; he wouldn't clear her name just to help her, or without something in it for himself. People would start asking questions why, and the truth of his criminal wrongdoings would be exposed. And though it was later retconned in S8 that Mr. Smith helped clear her, it took two years for the writers to address it, so as a standalone episode, it's still a gaping hole in the story.
With proof on Bracken, that could also prove Beckett's innocence. It's two birds with one stone. Nobody believed her anyway and she was accused of murder, but once the news on Bracken gets out, nobody has any reason not to take her more seriously.
2nd Nov 2017
Character mistake: When Werner asks Hendley why, as an American, he fights alongside Britain, he mentions that the British burned down the U.S. capital in 1812. While it happened during the War of 1812, the burning of Washington actually occurred in 1814. (00:11:10)
Suggested correction: The question was intended to demonstrate how far out-of-touch Werner was with United States history.
You misunderstand. Werner's question in and of itself is not the mistake; it's merely a point of contextual reference. The mistake is him giving the incorrect date of a historical event he claims to have read about; it's hard to believe that every book that he might have read on the topic are all wrong, so he must be remembering, and thus repeating it, incorrectly.
12th Jul 2016
Corrected entry: At the end of Chapter Twelve, when Harry is in Professor McGonagall's office, he repeats what Hermione said about the Ministry interfering at Hogwarts. McGonagall responds with "I'm glad you listen to Hermione Granger." However, Hermione made the statement when she, Harry, and Ron were sitting in the Great Hall during the Welcoming Feast. McGonagall was at the staff table and should not know what Hermione said.
20th Jun 2014
Corrected entry: Ginny found Riddle's diary and she started writing in it, and slowly became possessed by him as the memory in the diary, and started writing messages on the wall, opened the chamber, etc. But at some point, she realized that she was doing wrong things and threw the diary in the bathroom, and Harry found it a few days later. But if she didn't possess the diary anymore, she wouldn't be possessed by Voldemort anymore, so it's a big mistake that she smashed the Gryffindor dorm room to find the diary. Why would she try to find something that she was trying to get rid of? Riddle couldn't order her to do it because he possessed her through the diary, and she didn't write in it or even have it any more.
5th Jun 2014
A Scandal in Belgravia - S2-E1
Corrected entry: It was impossible for Sherlock to guess the password to the safe in Irene's house. Even if he knew which numbers were pressed frequently he couldn't have guessed the order. (00:20:00 - 00:21:00)
2nd Jan 2011
Corrected entry: Amazingly, although the part of Neil Perry, the student who commits suicide, is played by Ethan Hawke, the credits has him in the role of Todd Anderson Perry's roommate.
Correction: The credits are correct. Neil is played by Robert Sean Leonard, not Ethan Hawke.
21st Oct 2010
Corrected entry: Mike Scioscia's (the guest star) hat changes from red filled at the start of the roller coaster ride and ends up being white at the end.
2nd Aug 2010
Charmed Noir - S7-E8
Corrected entry: In season 6, "The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell," it's said that no one can die if they're on the grounds of the magic school, but the gnome is killed in this episode in the library in magic school.
25th Jun 2009
Corrected entry: Fletcher realizes that he cannot lie in court. So he decides to ask for a bathroom break so that he can beat himself up to buy more time. When he returns the judge asks him what his attacker looks like. Fletcher is able to lie by providing a full description of what this "mystery man" looks like. Not a minute after the judge asks if he can continue despite having been attacked, now Fletcher is back under the spell of not being able to lie as he replies that he indeed can proceed with the case.
29th Mar 2009
Corrected entry: In the scene where Edward throws down food, in the background Emmett is eating something, and in the book vampires don't eat human food.
13th Feb 2006
Corrected entry: Left Ear lost the hearing in his right ear during his childhood, but he wears an earplug for cellphone communication on that same ear.
29th Sep 2004
Corrected entry: When Frank is in the hospital visiting Nordberg, when Nordberg's wife got snot on Frank, in the very next shot of him, the snot wasn't even on there. (00:12:05)
6th Nov 2007
Corrected entry: Danny says that his parents died when he was at the age of the missing girl who is 16. At the end he tells the girl he was 11 that day. (00:14:40 - 00:36:10)
2nd Jan 2009
Corrected entry: Season 3, Episode 11 "Raising Shane" - A little over halfway through, Dr. Peyton Driscoll tells Detective Mac Taylor their relationship will not work if they're both working in the same lab. During their discussion Mac calls Peyton "Claire", the actress's real name. He says, "That's not true Claire" and then quickly calls her "Peyton".
Correction: While he does use the name "Claire", it's not referring to Claire Forlani. Claire is Mac's wife, who died on 9/11. Even though he is involved with Peyton, this Freudian slip shows how much Mac still cares about Claire.