Explanation for Day repeating???? - Day Break (2006) Discussion

[–] themoonrules1 17 years ago

I realized about halfway through there wouldn't be a scientific explanation. The show was staying rooted in reality for the most part. I sort of half expected him to meet some scientist in a lab who was experimenting in black hole *beep* so they could tack on a cheesy Sci-fi aspect, and was dreading it. I'm really relieved they didn't. And I am someone who usually likes a cool explanation to strange happenings. But in some cases, there just can't be one. And if the writer's try and make one up it will fall short and make little sense.

So why did the day repeat? It just did. That's all.

Very similar to the movie that I'm sure inspired this. Groundhog Day. No explanation given there either. In the original script they did have one. A woman puts a magic curse on the main character and it makes him repeat his day over and over again until he gets it right.

So since this show was based off that movie's premise, can we assume it had the same cause? A magic curse was placed on Hopper that caused him to repeat the day over and over?

Well, that is kind of lame. IMO. Maybe that might work for some people. But honestly, I feel it would ruin the show if Hopper had a magic curse on him. But I also realize that ANY explanation would make me feel the same way.

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[–] phoenix_195 17 years ago

Like themoonrules1 said, I'm also glad they never said anything about why time repeats. I did hate it how Jared also repeats the same day and nothing is sown about him, but what did you really expect? If a show gets canceled, it will always have little things like that. Although, even if it wasn't, they probably still wouldn't explain it. I'm just g;lad they at least ended the main story instead of having it just end like Firefly did.

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[–] schottz02 17 years ago

You guys are all looking for some kind of conspiracy theory ending for the show. It was pretty simple. The day repeated to help Det. Hopper piece together all the clues as to who really killed Garza. Stop making things more complicated than they are. It was the same thing for Groundhog Day, Bill Murray kept learning things each time the day repeated to help him reach his goal of finding true love, or bagging Andie McDowell, depending on your own view. Don't overthink things when it comes to TV. It's not that smart anymore. Except for a few good shows.

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[–] williams411 17 years ago

I'm glad that they never explained why the day was repeating. I think its better that they left that open to the viewers to decide. Although, I think jared's character had something to do with it...thats just my own personal opinion though.

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[–] walking_bread 17 years ago

What was being injected into Jared at the end of the first
few episodes before another day would start? I know there is
no explanation for the day repeating, but it was like they
had some sort of explanation involving the injection, but gave up on
it. His days then started ending at different places.

IMHO, either the unexplained injection theory, or the cancellation of the show prevented them from coming up with something.

Pathetic....

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[–] dork8503 17 years ago

who the hell was the guy at the end smiling

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[–] albertskevin 17 years ago

It was Jared -- all clean-shaven and whatnot.

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[–] bill_onethroughfour 17 years ago

I am absolutely shocked that several of you said you were GLAD they didn't explain it. Now, I'm not upset about it or anything, and I can understand just accepting it, which is what I did. I actually laughed about it. But the fact is, it's just plain bad writing to leave it the way they did and I don't see why you would be glad it was badly writing when they could have easily made it better. I think 9 hours of story time is enough time in which to do it. This isn't a light-hearted movie like GHD that it can be sluffed off. It's a plot-driven mystery and to completely ignore the main plot device is as I said, bad writing.

"The day just repeated, that's all," is not an answer. To leave minor plot holes untied (and they certainly left more than one) is one thing, but to completely ignore the device the whole show revolved around is lame, which is why I laughed.

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[–] cromeyii 17 years ago

The day didn't just repeat - it repeated in order to allow Hopper to figure out all the pieces of the conspiracy puzzle. If the day didn't repeat, Rita dies, Hopper goes to prison, the judges all get killed, and anyone who causes a problem for Councilman Booth or the lawyer Coburn is assassinated by Dominguez.

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[–] Kailem 17 years ago

I thought it was pretty clearly implied at the end of the finale that Jared was the one who was making the day repeat so that Hopper could figure everything out.

How? Why? Who knows? Who cares? I was extremely satisfied with the way everything ended, and I was honestly very surprised we actually got as much of an explanation as we did given that the show was cancelled prematurely, even though it obviously wasn't uber-thorough or anything.

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[–] bill_onethroughfour 17 years ago

_______________________________________________________________________________

The day didn't just repeat - it repeated in order to allow Hopper to figure out all the pieces of the conspiracy puzzle. If the day didn't repeat, Rita dies, Hopper goes to prison, the judges all get killed, and anyone who causes a problem for Councilman Booth or the lawyer Coburn is assassinated by Dominguez.
_______________________________________________________________________________

I thought it was pretty clearly implied at the end of the finale that Jared was the one who was making the day repeat so that Hopper could figure everything out.
_______________________________________________________________________________

Nope. Because the one time he did actually solve it within the time loop, it still repeated. When it actually stopped repeating, he had not yet cleared his name. So that explanation doesn't work at all. Jared may have been making the day repeat, but it wasn't so Hopper could solve the mystery because, like I said, when he did prove his innocence and save Rita, it just repeated again.

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[–] Kailem 17 years ago

^ He hadn't solved the mystery the first time he cleared his name though. He didn't know all the players or have all the pieces of the puzzle. He says as much in the opening of the final episode. The day repeated again because there was still work to be done in figuring everything out.

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[–] bill_onethroughfour 17 years ago

But your theory of the day repeating so he could solve the mystery does not fly. Or at least, if that was the case, it was a major, major flaw because when it stopped repeating, the mystery was not solved. Thus, it could not have been the reason for the loop or it would have repeated like before.

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[–] MuggleButtons 17 years ago

The day didn't just repeat - it repeated in order to allow Hopper to figure out all the pieces of the conspiracy puzzle. If the day didn't repeat, Rita dies, Hopper goes to prison, the judges all get killed, and anyone who causes a problem for Councilman Booth or the lawyer Coburn is assassinated by Dominguez.
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Yes, but he was asking HOW it did repeat in the first place. Just to clarify, it isn't normal for a day to repeat, so you can't just say "it just did"

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[–] kmk292 17 years ago

There still could have been some explanation. There was definitely some subconscious things that Hopper did to change the day, like his sister or partner calling, Rita waking up and calling Chad, etc. This could have been explored more, but the main plot device was him piecing together the conspiracy, so that would have taken away from that. I think if they had decided to make another season, that would have to be explained, but since they didn't, I don't know if it matters. It still was entertaining.

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[–] Invictus 16 years ago

It is not bad writing to keep the audience from knowing for certain what caused the repetition. I actually think it makes the show all the more compelling. I am frustrated, but it leave something to the imagination. The bad guys are stopped and lives are saved, and that is the resolution. Meanwhile, has anyone ever considered that Jarred was God? That might raise a few eyebrows, but it makes me think of Journeyman and Quantum Leap! Why do these things happen?

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[–] matthews-21 17 years ago

Not my personal philosophy, but for the purpose of the show:

Hopper was in the center of an extraordinary amount of bad Karma.
The day kept repeating for him until the Karma leveled out around him.
You might even say the negative Karma on that day, in that place, and surrounding him created a pit in time that Hopper could not roll out of until the pit was leveled out. Clearing himself was not good enough, obviously, because more people connected to him were still involved in something terribly wrong.

For the show, all this went better without saying.

How's that for an explanation?

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[–] nate-barham 17 years ago

I have to strongly disagree with your assessment of the writing in this show. It is actually a testament to the writers' ability that they did not reveal the cause of the time loop. The writers had the presence of mind to realize that this revelation would have ruined the experience of the final episode. Regardless of how the day continued to repeat, viewers would have been disappointed by the explanation. The inclusion of Jared at the end of the show tells us that there was more to the repeating day and that he was definitely connected to it in some way. Otherwise, why show an insignificant character in the final shot of a series? It does not tell us that he was the one driving it, but it allows us to consider the possibility.

My own personal opinion is that there are many suggestions as to why the day repeats so that the viewer will choose the one that best fits his/her personality, because the real "story" here is how Hopper deals with his life and the people around him. I would suggest that the writers didn't want the audience to feel as though the "point" of the show was time loop, but rather Hopper's life and choices.

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[–] joolesasher 17 years ago

I saw Jared appearing as something of a "Yes, remember this guy, he was aware of it, even though he was "crazy". Either because he had something to do with it, or because he was the only one that could understand his pain, and he smiled out of happiness that Brett's nightmare was over.

The writers made the right call in excluding a bad answer to the timeloop. An excellent writer with a truly original/awesome idea to why could've done it better, though. It doesn't happen a lot, but you've had to have had that feeling when you get all exstatic over the answer sometime (Saw I and II are examples of my personal experiences with a truly satisfying conclusion). It happens more rarely in shows like these, but it could've been done. But rather without than with a crappy answer.

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[–] leojbramble 16 years ago

"...and I don't see why you would be glad it was badly writing when they could have easily made it better."

Exactly. :)

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[–] grillmasterj 17 years ago

I agree; probably b/c they didn't know if they were going to make it to a 2nd season, they had to tie it up right then and there. So Detweiler's role probably had more significance.

I actually thought that the Latin Disciples were going to have a hand in why Brett's day was repeating by the name alone (like some sort of Satanic cult), but it wasn't the case at all.

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[–] Anamon 16 years ago

I agree with you, except for the last bit. Day Break definitely was one of those few smart shows, because not explaining the time loop was the smartest thing the writers could do. Giving a definite explanation at the end of the show, now THAT would have been what I consider the "easy way out" for the plot writers. And it would have been a very bad choice too because, as someone else already pointed out in this thread, no matter what explanation they would have come up with, large parts of the audience would have been disappointed, which would make them love the whole show a lot less.

Knowing when to leave out what is part of the big art of screenwriting. You can let your audience develop their own theories, ideas and foreshadowings. Apart from the fact that it would have given the scriptwriters a lot more possibilities if the show was to continue, not showing and spoiling all the details makes viewers think and dream about the plot of the show, and add their own ideas. You just have to look at what most the discussions are about when people are talking about this show - they share their theories.

Just look at LOST and how successful that show is. They too give more questions than answers, and a big part of the show's success is because the huge fanbase is constantly creating, discussing and scrapping ideas. I loved the way Day Break ended. Giving closure to the dramatic storyline of that day, and giving the audience that feeling of "things are going to be allright", without spoiling the mystery of the show. And I seriously hope LOST will do the same thing, and leave some mysteries unanswered when the show ends in 2010. THAT is what I would call smart scriptwriting.

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[–] slayerjmk95 11 years ago

They were originally going to kind of offer multiple reasons and explanations of why it was happening in a second season, but since ABC canceled it not even half-way through season one, so we never even got a chance to see. This was truly one of the best, grounded sci-fi shows to ever be made for TV

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[–] Commander_Cronus 17 years ago

I got hooked watching first several episodes on TV and then suddenly it went off air. Fortunately, I was able to watch to the end on the internet but while the premise was intriguing, as the events went on, the show lost its steam and by the end there was no explanation as to WHY WAS THE DAY REPEATING? I felt very cheated that I've invested so much time into this series and got nothing at the end. So, he finally figures out the entire murder plot... so what? where is the explanation for the repeating day? Did I miss something? Anyone else feel cheated??????

It's just one of the common side effects of taking Lunesta. Next time you see the ad on tv, be sure to read the entire disclaimer.

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[–] toh-3 17 years ago

so what?
they never explane it in Groundhog Day, Deja vu, Next.
And it is not really need to. it is not sci-fi

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[–] solitaire40 7 years ago

I believe they did explain it in deja vu. Gov't had that machine.

I also like the Jared was an angel theory for Day break.

 

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[–] AtherWorld 17 years ago

Time repeats for one of three reasons: You have to right a wrong. You have to learn a lesson (watch any Christmas Every Day film), or some techno/magical reason, which fits the right wrong in keeping things working/not broken.

Brett repeated his day to prove his innocence, find the truth about his dad, and save lives, stop the corruption which otherwise would have massacred a bunch of judges. And even brought him closer to Rita. Seems a combination of the first two.

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[–] woteva23 17 years ago

i took Daybreak this way which is similar to some of the theorys but not identical if so a bit more specific.

Hoppers day repeated because he needed to find out the truth about his father. Suicide is a sin and therefore it seems that the main aim of the day repeating itself was to clear up this injustice.

Hopper was a cop because of his father because of the perception he had of his father the suicide was a taint over that and as the case unfolded he became more aware of his fathers life and the reasons he was murdered.

The case placed Hopper in the exact same place as his father had been, ready to take down the giant conspiracy shrouding the city but by achieving this hopper found out that it was his father who was murdered. It was a completion of destiny a facet probably given to him from some unscene power enbling to have a clear vision of his father and a clear concscience.

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[–] Synetech 17 years ago

Jared was a guardian angel who gave Hopper the opportunity to set things right, which is why he was the only other person who was aware of the loop.

--
Synetech

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[–] Theratron 17 years ago

Quote: "Jared was a guardian angel who gave Hopper the opportunity to set things right, which is why he was the only other person who was aware of the loop."

I think that this comes closest to what is being implied by the final shots of the series. Jared was definitely behind it all, and his smile in the end is to say to himself "well, that worked out nicely, a job well done" or something :)

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[–] andrekuz 16 years ago

This is exactly correct. Sort of a "Touched by an Angel" or "Highway to Heaven" concept. This would have allowed the show to continue into future seasons with Jared providing the continuity. Each season might consist of two different storylines, different protagonists, going through the repeated day experience to clear up an injustice. It might even have allowed for crossovers between storylines. And in the case of this one, clearly the point was for Hopper to discover his father was murdered. By episode 6 I was thinking this was a ghost story where the mexican girl who was the victim in the photo needed justice, but that mutated into understanding it was really the soul of Hopper's father who was driving things. And indeed, as soon as Hopper learns the truth about his father, his day no longer repeats.

Note also that in ep. 10 or 11, Jared apologized for biting Hopper, and end of show punchline confirming that Jared was indeed repeating days, not just hallucinating. Inserting Jared at the end of the series simply follows through on that continuity.

Great show, wish is was available on DVD with extras...

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[–] omega2010 16 years ago

I would not be surprised if the show's creator never revealed why the day repeats. One thing that made Quantum Leap so great was the lack of explanation behind the Leaps (though there were hints of a Higher Power at work).

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[–] thknave 17 years ago

Warning: Spoilers and wild speculation ahead...read at your own risk...

Jared repeats the days too, but we never see anything from his point of view. Ever. Even though we do occasionally see other characters points of view, if briefly. We even get the hint that Jared's days are repeating because of his brain issue, but nothing he *SAYS* he does ever changes things. Then at the end of it all, there's Jared, clean, smiling, and nothing like the crazy wreck we saw all through the series.

It was Jared. HE was somehow able to cause the day to repeat, and he was able to bring Hopper into it. Because of his physiological and mental condition (the brain/epileptic thing). He caused it all ON PURPOSE, and brought Hopper into it ON PURPOSE. Because he knew that Hopper would figure it out all and bring down Booth and company. And because he knew that Hopper had the integrity to follow through. Because he even took the time to "help" Jared (which I think Jared was already fine, but let Brett have closure in regard to him).

Anyway, that's just my theory. But I like it, it fits for me.

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[–] KLEBESTIFT_glue 16 years ago

IT WAS ALL A DREAM

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[–] Sirus_51 16 years ago

Isnt it Obvious.

Didnt you see him on Chandra Suresh List ?

He's a HERO thats why !!

Unlike Hiro he can only cause a temporal reset of a day until he alligns the odds of probality into his favour.

Cant wait for the episode where he meets Niki and the both get the feeling they met before in some bad horror movie.

Just kidding...even if I wouldnt mind Taye doing a guest spot on HEROES.

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[–] glocktwentyseven 16 years ago

LOL, Sirius 51, that was pretty good.

I just wanted to say that I actually liked that they never fully explained why the day was repeating.

I like that we can all put our own thoughts and opinions into it and all possibly be right?

Was it karma?

Angels?

Jared?

Hopper's dormant X-Man powers?

A premonitional dream?

Quantum Mechanics?

God?

I like that they left it open-ended.

Even if the show had continued, I'm pretty sure (or at least hoping) that the creator would have kept that aspect of the plot ambiguous.

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