The Trope of the Repeating Day: It All Comes Down to the Writing

A common trope is the repeating day. 

Everybody does it. And it ought to be rather tedious. But when written well, it is surprisingly not.

In fact, the trope goes a long way towards proving C.S. Lewis's statement that human beings crave a combination of ritual/routine and new events. This trope delivers both. 

Basically, it is...

Groundhog Day. 

Main character experiences the same day over and over. Once the main character grasps what is happening, will every day be different? Or the same? 

Stargate SG-1 tackled this plot with "Forever in a Day" and "Window of Opportunity."

So did X-Files. 

So did Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

And many, many others. 

Two themes usually emerge: what would a person do if there were no repercussions? Send golf balls to a distant planet? Drive a groundhog off a cliff? 

And--

Would a person eventually learn and grow? 

Often, the latter theme is linked to a day that ended negatively. Could it end better? Could the tragedy be averted? 

X-Files answers the question in a classic way that still manages to surprise and touch the reader. 

I recently watch a Thai drama that answered the question (about a life being relived, not a day) in an unexpected way: the second time around, it wasn't about the leads. It was about the friends and family. 

The trope is a great example of something Agatha Christie explored in Cards on the Table where she presented a closed-room mystery. Which of four plausible murderers did the murder? No "least likely suspect." And no "break the alibi." The answer comes down to motive, character, and psychology.

Accept the premise--the question becomes not, What unexpected event will happen next? But, instead, What will the author do with that premise this time?

There is surprising variation with each this time.