Green Shirt: Are you waiting to get some punch? Yellow Shirt: No, they're still setting it up. Green Shirt: Then where's the punch line? Yellow Shirt: I don't think there is one. The Climax is one of the oldest devices in storytelling. For those who don't know, the climax is when the story reaches its head, when the most important or exciting part occurs; in an action film, the climax is almost always a large, spectacular fight.
As a result, the subversion of the climax, the Anticlimax, is probably almost as old. The anticlimax is when you're set up for a climax, such as a spectacular, battle-to-end-all-battles between the hero and the villain.
Thus is the anticlimax. A "Shaggy Dog" Story almost always features an anticlimax. Interestingly, however, cases of Shoot the Shaggy Dog usually do have a climax. Not all anticlimaxes are intentional, though. Oftentimes, they are caused when the story writes itself into a corner. Other times, it's caused when the writer realizes that their planned solution just wouldn't make sense compared with the logical one. Sometimes, it's caused when there are teams of writers that don't communicate very well.
The planned resolution of a Story Arc is nullified by another writer, who might have written out the plot device intended. Sometimes, in the case of film and television, it's caused by budget constraints or unexpected cancellation. It's rather rare for unintentional anticlimaxes to show up in single works, usually popping up in long serials where there isn't a chance to unobtrusively go back and rewrite some pivotal moments to set up the proper climax.
Anticlimaxes can work well if it's clear that the subversion of audience expectations is the point, either for humorous purposes such as the Anti-Climax Cut or as a more serious commentary on the genre of the work.
