Repeating events
Repeating events is a common SFnal plot device. A character wakes up and goes through the day's events; something horrible (or perhaps mundane) happens; then the next day when they wake up they relive the same day again.
Variations:
- The day, or events, could be changed slightly each time
- Events could range from horrible to mundane
- Character's awareness of what happened
- How (or if) character stops the cycle
- Explanation of how the repeat happened?
Examples:
- Been There, Done That (3x02 episode of Xena: Warrior Princess)
- "Life Serial" (s6 episode of Buffy)
- "Groundhog Day" (Bill Murray vehicle)
- "Monday" (X-Files episode)
- "Tru Calling" (the entire show is premised on the one-time-only opportunity to repeat the previous day, to "fix" whatever went wrong)