Editing Recap sequence (section)

==Purpose==
These devices are predominantly seen on [[episode|episodic]] series where every installment furthers the plot, but otherwise are used for [[plot arc]]s, that is, when an episode is going to pick up on a storyline initiated several episodes ago.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Recap |url=https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/recap#:~:text=To%20recap%20is%20to%20briefly,in%20the%20story%20so%20far. |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Vocabulary.com}}</ref> A recap will almost always be present in an episode that picks up from a [[cliffhanger]]. Recap sequences are most prevalent in dramatic television series (though daytime serials are usually excluded) and [[reality show|reality programs]], whereas [[situation comedy|situation comedies]] and other scripted genres typically use recap sequences only for two-part or in rare cases, multi-part episodes.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Read after watching: How episode recaps became part of our TV experience |url=https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2023-06-30/read-after-watching-how-episode-recaps-became-part-of-our-tv-experience |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Connecticut Public |language=en}}</ref>

These montages are inserted as the first thing into an episode so that viewers who had not seen the previous episodes or who do not remember what happened can understand from where the current episode will begin, also so that the viewers may decide to catch up on missed episodes, usually buying the DVDs.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-24 |title=What is a Montage? Definition & Examples {{!}} Boords |url=https://boords.com/blog/what-is-a-montage-definition-and-examples |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=boords.com}}</ref> They usually begin with a [[voiceover]] or [[Subtitle (captioning)|subtitle]] proclaiming, "Last week on... [the show's name]", "Last night on... [the show's name]", "Previously on... [the show's name]" or "Last time on... [the show's name]". Many shows have begun to use a main character's voice for this voiceover rather than a neutral narrator (''[[Chuck (TV series)|Chuck]]''), and some series such as ''[[Boston Legal]]'' and ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' alternate which main character says "Previously on... [the show's name]". Some shows also have a full season recap sequence that usually begins with "This season on... [the show's name]".<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Clip Show |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClipShow |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=TV Tropes}}</ref><ref name=":0" />