60840 - Worst Deus Ex Machina

[Humble Master]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/60840/

I don't think the question even addressed the worst Deus Ex Machina in Harry Potter. I would put it as either a) Volemort summoning the Sorting Hat and sticking it on Neville's head during the Battle of Hogwarts, which allowed Neville to pull out Gryffindor's sword or b) Dumbledore's De-Luminator (or Put-Outer) suddenly and inexplicably developing attributes that lead Ron back to Harry and Hermione.

[TheAnswerIs42]

I thought the worst one was wand lore. I kept thinking that Harry was screwed through books 6 and 7 because he didn't practice any magic and just let Hermione do all the thinking for him. There was no way he could have battled Voldemort and won. But hey! It will all come down to who you have said "expelliarmus" to in the end!

But HM listed some good ones too.

[Dead Cat]

SPOILER ALERT!

Avatar the Last Airbender
The lion turtle. Nuff said.

Star Trek Voyager: "Shattered"
Seven of Nine shows up and defeats Seska
(yes, I know Star Trek is full of these, but this was one I saw recently)

The Secret of NIMH
Go magical glowing stone!

The Emperor's New Groove
"Now what are the odds that trapdoor would lead me out here?"
(among others...)

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
The Great Panjandrum

END SPOILER ALERT!

Oh, wait. I need to pick a worst? I'll go with the Star Trek one.

[ahem.]

The Emperor's New Groove
"Now what are the odds that trapdoor would lead me out here?"
(among others...)

By all accounts, it doesn't make sense.

The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
The Great Panjandrum

Okay, The Great Panjandrum is a literal deus ex machina. Within the confines of BookWorld, the existence and regular use use of such plot devices is well established. Therefore, it is not so much a cop-out ending as it is a wise application of the tools at hand.

[Dragon Lady]

The Emperor's New Groove
"Now what are the odds that trapdoor would lead me out here?"

Yeah, but that one was just plain funny.