TV Tropes: Love 'em or Loathe 'em

[roseha]

I think the most clever use of a celebrity playing himself was Danny Thomas on the "It May Look Like a Walnut" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

 

Well, I did think of that, and "Walnut" is brilliant television, but technically Thomas was playing an alien in the dream.  So to me that's different, though I see what you mean.  I think what I don't like is that when the celebrity plays him/herself, the other actors usually can't  have a normal scene and generally treat them like a star, which doesn't entertain me.  The Odd Couple, which I loved, had a lot of these star turns but they weren't my favorite episodes, well, except for the Betty White/Allen Ludden Password show.  Okay, there's an exception!

 

On the other hand, that episode also gave us Carol Channing's road rage.

 

 

Sorry I missed that part :)

Edited March 19, 2016 by roseha

[legaleagle53]

I guess it depends how cartoonish the actors are playing themselves. I think MLB is really good on Extras because he's got some self-awareness. 

 

Who? I see "MLB" and only think of Major League Baseball.

[DittyDotDot]

I suspect ganesh was thinking of Episodes (not Extras) and that would be Mat LeBlanc?

[ganesh]

I meant Episodes. I do that all the time. 

[SmithW6079]

I guess it depends how cartoonish the actors are playing themselves. I think MLB is really good on Extras because he's got some self-awareness. CYE is ok because Larry tends to draw everyone into his deal, but the celebs tend to play it meaner by default, when I think they don't have to.

Who? Not everyone is familiar with every show or uses initials instead of actors' names.

[DittyDotDot]

MLB was addressed above; CYE, Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

[SmithW6079]

MLB was addressed above; CYE, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

It's really not that onerous to write out actors' names and the names of shows so people know what's being discussed, especially in general topic forums.

[DittyDotDot]

I agree...wasn't me who abbreviated them. I was just trying to be helpful.

[Neurochick]

I hate the trope that if two people fight all the time and always annoy each other they're meant to be together. A lot of TV shows have this idea that people who get along and make each other happy are too boring so the right person is apparently one who always clashes with you and gets angry around you a lot because that's supposed to mean there's passion. It makes me uncomfortable sometimes.  

 

It makes me uneasy because it's sold as passionate and normal and you're not REALLY in love unless you're screaming at each other all the time.  There was a couple on "Black Sails" that was totally wrong for each other and you'd be surprised how many women (mostly) were like, "I really like their relationship." WTF, you know you wouldn't want this dude in real life. 

[Rick Kitchen]

I think the most clever use of a celebrity playing himself was Danny Thomas on the "It May Look Like a Walnut" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

 

 

My favorite Dick Van Dyke episode.

[crowsworks]

MacGyver did one on it's pilot. The hero is inside for 20 minutes while his bud is in a boat waiting. There is another boat and he is alone...does he disable it? No there wouldn't be a speedboat chase with an explosion. No one ever flattens the Bad Guys tires.

In shows where there is a massive decrease in population, they aren't falling over deer and game (Walking Dead, Falling Skies) now that there are no cars or hunters but they still would be overpopulating like they were.

Horses are always too shiny and glossy on westerns. Even in the winter or the desert where their coat is needed.   Cars, too in shows set in the past always are super perfect so as to reflect the neon.

When people set fires they ALWAYS have a big ole Zippo lighter that they click open and toss onto the papers/gasoline/whatever. Even if they don't smoke...plus the lighter might be traceable.

On shows (NCIS's, Criminal Minds) where the heroes have to race to the person in danger instead of having local cops or nearest city cops go. They drive for miles and find the person dead. "The body is still warm...we just missed him."

And in every alien/monster/asteroid movie there is a scene where the general tells his staff to leave him -- but they tell him for the first time -- they can't obey his orders...

Edited October 5, 2016 by crowsworks

[Constantinople]

Mostly I just hate the word trope.

[topanga]

4 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

Mostly I just hate the word trope.

Ha! Before TWOP and PreviouslyTV, I had no idea what a trope was.

[DisneyBoy]

It bothers me now that every time a season finale comes up you know the writers are going to punch up the drama and kill someone off or have a couple finally have sex. It interrupts the organic flow of the storylines I find, and I miss the days when you really didn't know what was going to happen based purely on when an episode was scheduled.

[topanga]

3 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

It bothers me now that every time a season finale comes up you know the writers are going to punch up the drama and kill someone off or have a couple finally have sex. It interrupts the organic flow of the storylines I find, and I miss the days when you really didn't know what was going to happen based purely on when an episode was scheduled.

True, but if that doesn't happen, the show gets comments about the episode not feeling like a season finale. 

[DisneyBoy]

But now we have mid-season finales too, Fall finales...ugh. Annoying. You can easily guess at how storylines will play out based on the requirements of these finales.   

[ganesh]

Unless it's The Walking Dead where you can watch the finale in bed and drift gently off to sleep. 

[ennui]

11 hours ago, crowsworks said:

Horses are always too shiny and glossy on westerns. Even in the winter or the desert where their coat is needed.   Cars, too in shows set in the past always are super perfect so as to reflect the neon.

I remember taking a tour of Universal Studios when it was new. They had the vehicles from Emergency!, and I was surprised to see that they had a matte finish. Apparently, the lights when filming are so bright that a regular shiny finish on a car would be blinding. And, that matte finish still reflected lights. I imagine technology has improved since Emergency was filmed, but I thought it was interesting. When you watch the fireman having conversations in their truck and see the shiny hood, it's not shiny in real life.

[DisneyBoy]

That one scene in every TV show and movie that totally raises the stakes -  when the President looks frightened and says "Heaven help us!"

 

If I ever have to see a scene like that again I might just throw up. It takes me out of the action every single time.

Edited October 6, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[crowsworks]

or when the wife tells hubby (who's going to do something dangerous) "I won't be here when you get back"

or every cop/PI/agent having a bottle of whiskey in his desk.

[DisneyBoy]

Yup. Or someone throwing a fake "glass" when upset. It is clearly not glass and who really does that outside of a loser at a club?

[rcc]

I still don't really understand what the word trope means? Or when someone is truped. Can someone enlighten me please? Thanks in advance.

[Raja]

6 minutes ago, rcc said:

I still don't really understand what the word trope means? Or when someone is truped. Can someone enlighten me please? Thanks in advance.

A commonly recurring literary or plot device. It is a cliché. Such as the star detective no matter where he is in a city, or the world going by a recent Hawaii 5-0 episode, being the first to arrive to stop a crime rather than local patrol cops the viewer doesn't know. 

[Popples]

30 minutes ago, rcc said:

I still don't really understand what the word trope means? Or when someone is truped. Can someone enlighten me please? Thanks in advance.

If you have a spare couple of, um, hours, you could always fall down the rabbit hole of TV Tropes. You can click the blue button on top that will take you to a random trope to start off with.

A few months back I stated that I couldn't stand the one where there's a party going on and one person will say something really embarrassing very loudly just when the noise dies down. I've since learned the name of that trope is Seven Minute Lull. Although going through the page, the only one I found really funny was when it happens to Janice from the Muppet films.

WARNING: TV Tropes will ruin your life.

[Chaos Theory]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

A commonly recurring literary or plot device. It is a cliché. Such as the star detective no matter where he is in a city, or the world going by a recent Hawaii 5-0 episode, being the first to arrive to stop a crime rather than local patrol cops the viewer doesn't know. 

Cop shows almost always do this.  CSI Miami had Horatio Caine arrive almost everywhere before anyone else like he had his own transporter.  Some cop shows are less overt about it then others but expect to see the fastest smart st only people who solve next weeks jaywalking on just about every cop show

[atomationage]

8 hours ago, Popples said:

WARNING: TV Tropes will ruin your life.

I agree, and I'm definitely not going there again, but IIRC there are different ways of searching the site.  I would suggest picking a favorite show and searching what tropes have been used on that show., and then get away from there as quickly as possible. 

[CoderLady]

On cop shows, whenever there are loyal family members or friends of a victim/culprit who want to take the law into their own hands or participate in the investigation, the main characters dissuade them. There's lots of "No, no -- you can't. We have to follow the law, do this by the book, you're too close to this, etc..." until someone close to them gets into trouble, then all the rules go right out the window.

The affected cop goes full asshat. When taken off the case and warned to stay away, he (ok, I've definitely seen Olivia Benson and other women cops do it too, but I don't want to keep writing "he/she") gets all aggressively angry and stubborn and refuses to back off.  He does absolutely everything he's told civilians not to do, but it's worse because he's legally armed and has access to police resources and files.

The cop is usually vindicated for doing all this by saving the friend/relative who has been falsely accused, and there are no professional consequences for the vigilante action other than a "Well, don't do it again" from the boss. And afterwards the cop goes back to piously lecturing civilian family and friends against taking the law into their hands.

[slf]

I hate the fake poignancy of a character slowly, stoically, walking away from an impending suicide/revenge killing/etc and pausing when they hear the gunshot before continuing on. I roll my eyes every time.

[bmasters9]

Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory: basically, what this means (it would seem; I may be incorrect) is that you're to forget what the copyright disclaimers say on many shows and movies from Universal, Columbia, Paramount, et al. (that the people, places, and events, among other things, are fiction), and that you're to take everything that happens on every show and movie literally, as if every episode is trying to teach you a lesson about life. Why do I hate this? Because I want to enjoy a show for what it was and what it meant to television history, not to be taught lessons in every single episode (let alone the Very Special Episodes).

Here's the main trope page about that:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory

And here are some quotes illustrating it:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Quotes/EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory

[Apathy]

I don't know if it has a name, but I like when Character A breaks some bad news to Character B at a fancy restaurant hoping they won't make a scene, but of course Character B will ALWAYS make a scene.

I also like body-switching episodes when they're done well (a good example is "The Great Brain Robbery" from Justice League Unlimited) or anything involving magic or red kryptonite or what have you that makes characters act completely different than they normally do, and musical episodes when the actors can actually sing.

[ganesh]

You can only do the body switching episode once though, so you have to make sure it works. Farscape was the best. 

Oh and Character A just throws a handful of wadded up bills on the table and runs out after Character B. 

[topanga]

I hate it when a couple runs into an ex-boyfriend or ex-husband, and he's so wonderful and successful and handsome that the current boyfriend or husband spends the entire episode feeling insecure. And the girlfriend/wife gushes over her ex so much that her current man thinks she's still in love with him. If it's a comedy, crazy hi-jinks will ensue. If it's a drama, the man will drink heavily or do something else destructive to their relationship. And at the end, the woman will say, 'Oh, I could never love him again. He's a jerk/cheater/selfish prick. YOU'RE the only man for me.' Umm, she couldn't say that earlier? When current guy was moping around and pouting?

[SVNBob]

On 7/19/2017 at 8:06 AM, ganesh said:

You can only do the body switching episode once though, so you have to make sure it works. Farscape was the best. 

Futurama's would be a close second.  Mainly because of the real-world Futurama Theorem that was derived by executive producer Ken Keeler (PhD in mathematics) for the purposes of the episode.

[ganesh]

I think there is a difference between animation and live action simply because of the amount of work the actors put into it. You knew who was switched on Farscape without them even having to yell you. 

The voice actors did a great job on Futurama, but I don't think it's a straight comparison. 

[Chaos Theory]

I am not sure if I said this before but I think the trope I hate the most above all other tropes is star crossed and/or forbidden love.  It's not the concept that bugs me it's that to keep it going for more then a season The writers/anyone involved has to find increasingly convoluted reasons to keep the pairing apart.  

Plus romantic pairings are often the least interesting part of the show but that is a different matter.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[ganesh]

You'll all be pleased to know that on Ozark, the wife was able to figure out the husband's password to his laptop in about 90 seconds by finding his favorite magazine. 

[Chaos Theory]

48 minutes ago, ganesh said:

You'll all be pleased to know that on Ozark, the wife was able to figure out the husband's password to his laptop in about 90 seconds by finding his favorite magazine. 

Well if a wife doesn't know her husbands password there is trouble in the marriage that goes far beyond a little money laundering and cheating.  My parents know each other's passwords.  Hell I think they use the same ones.  

[ganesh]

For the husband's work laptop?

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

For the husband's work laptop?

Most people aren't that sneaky.  I know a lot of people who use their kids names or even a secret word but then use it for their home computer too.  Unless you write passwords down people only remember a few passwords so you repeat them and a wife who knows her husband can guess with some accuracy.  I know how to get into both my parents computers and phones and when I worked for my father i needed to get into his computer I guessed his passwords pretty easily.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[ganesh]

This wasn't exactly that. This is tv tropes not reasonable parallels to reality. Even someone who breaks into the house on tv can guess the password. 

[andromeda331]

10 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I am not sure if I said this before but I think the trope I hate the most above all other tropes is star crossed and/or forbidden love.  It's not the concept that bugs me it's that to keep it going for more then a season The writers/anyone involved has to find increasingly convoluted reasons to keep the pairing apart.  

Plus romantic pairings are often the least interesting part of the show but that is a different matter.

So do I. If there's going to be a "romance" between characters I'd rather see them together first and see if there's any chemistry. Then let it develop naturally or as natural as possible on TV. See where it goes. If it leads to marriage great if it doesn't work out let them move on.  So many times they declare the "it" couple and there's no chemistry. 

[Chaos Theory]

25 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

So do I. If there's going to be a "romance" between characters I'd rather see them together first and see if there's any chemistry. Then let it develop naturally or as natural as possible on TV. See where it goes. If it leads to marriage great if it doesn't work out let them move on.  So many times they declare the "it" couple and there's no chemistry. 

Its not the lack of chemistry.  Sometime two people may actually have a certain chemistry (and sometimes the chemistry is fire hot when it begins) but then three seasons later the writers have this ride or die mentality with them.    The fire has long burned out and the reasons to keep them together have gotten so muddled but kept together they are sometimes against all reason or logic.  But hey dats luv for ya.  

[MaryMitch]

10 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Well if a wife doesn't know her husbands password there is trouble in the marriage that goes far beyond a little money laundering and cheating.  My parents know each other's passwords.  Hell I think they use the same ones.  

Wow, really? I don't share my password with ANYONE. It's in a safe place that he knows about in case I die or something.

[BabyVegas]

7 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Its not the lack of chemistry.  Sometime two people may actually have a certain chemistry (and sometimes the chemistry is fire hot when it begins) but then three seasons later the writers have this ride or die mentality with them. The fire has long burned out and the reasons to keep them together have gotten so muddled but kept together they are sometimes against all reason or logic.

I hate this trope too, but it's usually because the two people involved have made everyone miserable or at least deeply uncomfortable with their nonsense and it seems so selfish. It's the same thing with the will-they-or-won't-they couple. At a certain point it becomes less dramatic and more irritating because I would want to scream if a friend did it in real life.

Another trope I hate: the snotty, useless Millenial. I am so sick of this one, you guys. I honestly can't even describe how mad it makes me. There are jackasses in every generation, but most of the Millenials I know are in school working on graduate degrees, working incredibly hard to start their careers, or, in some cases, working minimum wage jobs for numerous reasons. The idea that we're lazy is absolute crap. Schools are more competitive because there are more people, jobs are more competitive because not only are there more people, those who are in those jobs aren't aging out. The idea that we just sit on our asses Tweeting all day is ridiculous, offensive, and frankly hackneyed. I need TV writers to be better at their jobs and start writing more believable varied young characters.

[Shannon L.]

In superhero/enhanced human shows:

You live in a world of people who have super human abilities.  Men who are "unbreakable" and bullet proof, men and women with super strength, maybe you've seen an alien invasion and a God from another planet help the super human earthlings save the people of your city, etc, etc.....But, when one of them tells you about some weird shit that they are fighting, your first response is "Oh come on.  Do you know how crazy you sound?!" Many times to your own detriment.  If you're a cop, add on "We've got the full force of the police department behind us--let us do our job".  Really?  The superhuman individuals just told you that they lost round one against these enemies, but have figured out how to proceed, but you think your regular police department can handle it?

Those responses are getting old.

[ChromaKelly]

On 8/15/2017 at 10:06 AM, ganesh said:

You'll all be pleased to know that on Ozark, the wife was able to figure out the husband's password to his laptop in about 90 seconds by finding his favorite magazine. 

I did not understand that. It looked like she was typing something off the mailing label.
I would never guess my husband's passwords for big stuff, especially work. He uses one of those password generator things and complicated passwords that have nothing to do with pets, me, the kids, etc. I have to ask him the banking password almost every time. He uses a scheme for some pw's of taking a word, and then shift-upper right, so say the word is pumpkin, the password will then be -8ko9j. I can only do it if I'm looking at a QWERTY keyboard, so I'm SOL if I'm trying to enter the password on a phone. :-/
Speaking of passwords, I just got locked out of our credit card management site at work because it requires me to change the pw every 30 days and I forgot my pw. Hence, I'm messing around on PTV instead of working.

Edited September 5, 2017 by ChromaKelly

[kiddo82]

Is your husband Phil Dunphy?

[slf]

I don't know if I've mentioned this one before but: when character A sacrifices themself to save character B and character B just stands there staring at character A as they're killed (or whatever) instead of running.

Also: when character A is being attacked by a monster and they can't commit suicide for whatever reason and character B stares at them and stares at them and stares at them and stares at them as character A is struggling and there's more staring and maybe a pained expression before character B finally, finally, mercy kills the poor guy.

[Chaos Theory]

On 9/5/2017 at 10:42 AM, ChromaKelly said:

I did not understand that. It looked like she was typing something off the mailing label.
I would never guess my husband's passwords for big stuff, especially work. He uses one of those password generator things and complicated passwords that have nothing to do with pets, me, the kids, etc. I have to ask him the banking password almost every time. He uses a scheme for some pw's of taking a word, and then shift-upper right, so say the word is pumpkin, the password will then be -8ko9j. I can only do it if I'm looking at a QWERTY keyboard, so I'm SOL if I'm trying to enter the password on a phone. :-/
Speaking of passwords, I just got locked out of our credit card management site at work because it requires me to change the pw every 30 days and I forgot my pw. Hence, I'm messing around on PTV instead of working.

Passwords are complicated things.  I know both my parents passwords and my father knows mine major ones.    It all depends on how paranoid you are with them.  I have friends who change even their basic person passwords for even things like this sight  regularly and won't tell even their significant other but then my father will yell out his password to Amazon to me when I ask him for it.  

[memememe76]

With Stranger Things and Inhumans, it appears as if I am supposed to finding it amusing when aliens steal stuff from stores, whether it's Eggos or designer suits. I do not find it amusing.