Deus ex machina, (Latin: “god from the machine”) a person or thing that appears or is introduced into a situation suddenly and unexpectedly.
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deus ex machina
1. A god in an ancient Greek or Roman play that suddenly appears in the storyline in order to solve a problem or decide an outcome. The Latin phrase translates to 'god from a machine,' referring to the machinery that lowered it onto the stage. The ancient Greek play makes use of a deus ex machina in which Apollo arrives on stage to restore order among the other characters.
2. By extension, some narrative element that concludes the story or resolves a conflict in a way that seems too contrived and convenient to be believable. Suddenly, when all hope seems lost for the main characters, an alien sets down and gives them everything they need to survive. Talk about deus ex machina!Modern critics tend to pan 1980s-era television shows for the typical deus ex machina that writers often used to neatly wrap up episodes.
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In a movie, when the plot is really complex and then something ridiculous comes in at the end and solves everything, that ridiculous thing is a deus ex machina, an unlikely solution to an impossible situation.
Deus ex machina is Latin for “god from a machine,” and comes from Greek plays where actors playing gods would descend from above and tidy up the mess that humans made. For example, in the play Medea, the title character kills a king, a princess, and her own two children, and just before being captured, her grandfather enters on a golden chariot pulled by dragons and rescues her. It's a narrow escape that only a deus ex machina could provide.