Original Desmond

Seems to be a popular episode title

Lost had an episode named that, Jeremiah has, i swear i've seen it for at least 3 other tv shows.

Why is it such a popular episode title ?

Giantrobo

IT's funny you ask this because it seems like I've been seeing that phrase a lot lately but I can't remember where I see it.

rfduncan

Most likely because it is one of the most infamous narrative/literary devices - from Greek drama. An apparently insoluble crisis is solved by the intervention of a god. Sound like any shows you've seen?

(Surprisingly, though this was employed extensively in The X-Files, it was never an episode title.)

tasha99

I was an editor at the Northwest Review (literary fiction mag) until recently and the next issue will have a story in it called "Deus Ex Machina." There is something more okay about ending with a deus ex machina if you call it right in the title.

das Monkey

It's intended to be ironic. In modern drama, the term "deux ex machina" often carries a negative connotation as an indictment of shoddy writing.

das

Tracer Bullet

I doubt your theory. Star Trek: Voyager never had an episode titled this.

Mazje

While we're at it, what about "Tabula Rasa?" There was the "Lost" episode, and just going from memory, "Justice League," "Buffy," and I believe "X-Files."

superdeluxe

Not to mention the video game titles..Deus EX

and the smashing pumpkins great works...Machina and Machina part deux.

Quatermass

Also "Endgame" is a common title for season finales. These shows have all had an episode titled "Endgame":

Alias
Babylon 5
Once A Thief
Star Trek:Voyager
Stargate SG-1
X-Files
Xena:Warrior Princess

GuessWho

I wold like to see Alan Smithee write a deux ex machina episode

HN

The big machine head that talks to Neo towards the end of Revolutions is credited as "Deus Ex Machina"


(Sawyer's book Watership Down has a chapter titled "Dea Ex Machina")

fujishig

"dea ex machina"? really? "Goddess out of the machine" or "Gods (neuter) out of the machine"?

HN

my guess would be "goddess" from the various chapter descriptions (Chapter 48)

Jackskeleton

On that note.. what's with all these first episodes being called Pilots? I mean, what's the deal with that? Come on folks, some fuck'n originality is needed!

peon73

watch the movie adaptation. the guy guys to a screenwriting class where the teacher rails against all the things that lazy screenwriters do like voiceovers and using deus ex machinas and then the movie starts with a voiceover and ends in a deus ex machina. pretty funny.

milo bloom

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I agree. Is it really that hard to come up with some sort of title? I mean, you're writing a story, most people have names for their stories, just call it something.

I haven't read Watership Down in a while and didn't remember that. Actually, I can't remember much of the mythology: was Elarairah (sp) a god to them, or just an earthbound Christ type?

Anyone ever see the CGI Christmas special Olive, the Other Reindeer? It's about a dog convinced she's the one to save Christmas. At one point she's caught in the evil mailman's truck, and comes across a package addressed to one Deus Ex Machina, which she opens and uses the contents to escape. I can't even remember what it was, just the fact that they were so non-chalant about the joke.

Original Desmond

Yeah 'Endgame' is a universally cool sounding title

Any other popular episode titles ?

fujishig

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet...hreadid-16297/

"The Wedding"
"Homecoming"