TV Tropes: Love 'em or Loathe 'em

[DoctorAtomic]

I actually liked Don's relationship with both of them. Within the context of the show, it was fairly progressive. 

[Dr.OO7]

2 hours ago, ursula said:

  On 4/19/2020 at 1:22 AM, Danielg342 said:

 

Which leads me to another question- has there ever been a male and a female lead (who are both obviously heterosexual) who start and remain friends and there is never a hint of sex or a romance? That might be less common.

The Not Love Interest trope. I like that one. It's nice to have a man and woman interact without there being any kind of Will They or Won't They, Belligerent Sexual Tension, etc.

[ursula]

5 minutes ago, Camille said:

The Not Love Interest trope. I like that one. It's nice to have a man and woman interact without there being any kind of Will They or Won't They, Belligerent Sexual Tension, etc.

Only when it's a white couple, otherwise it's just a way of excusing racism with faux progressiveness.

[Zella]

6 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Mad Men's large ensemble cast lent itself to having platonic relationships between the main male and female characters.  Don and Joan never slept together because it was established in the first few episodes that she was Roger's mistress, and Peggy sleeps with Pete in the first episode.  Don may be a self-destructive womanizer, but he has some lines he would never cross.  The wife or mistress of a client is fair game, but not Roger; and Don would never sleep with a woman who was desperate enough to sleep with Pete Campbell.  Don not sleeping with either Peggy or Joan has to do with his moral code more than anything else.  I also think Peggy did proposition Don in like season two and he shot her down, never to speak of it again.  

Did Don ever know that Peggy slept with Pete, though? I mean, he obviously knew about the end result of that, but my impression was that she never told anybody who her baby's father was and he didn't seem particularly clued in about the affair since Pete always publicly treated her with so much disdain in that first season. 

[Luckylyn]

28 minutes ago, Zella said:

Did Don ever know that Peggy slept with Pete, though? I mean, he obviously knew about the end result of that, but my impression was that she never told anybody who her baby's father was and he didn't seem particularly clued in about the affair since Pete always publicly treated her with so much disdain in that first season. 

Don never knew that Pete was the man Peggy had slept with.   He never asked and she never volunteered the information.  He only knew about the pregnancy.  I remember Peggy telling Don that her mother assumed Don was her baby’s father because he was the only one who visited her in the hospital.  

I really enjoyed the Don and Peggy friendship.   Those two had some of my favorite scenes from the show.  I hated when they were at odds.  I also hated the way the Don/Joan friendship fell apart.   I enjoyed the episode when Don took Joan out for drinks to cheer her up over her divorce.  Don also had a strong platonic bond with Anna.  She was probably his strongest and most honest relationship.  Don could be a huge jerk but at times he could be a great friend.   

Joan and Pete had an interesting dynamic.  I remember Joan saying he was the only one who never broke a promise to her.   They seemed to have a bit of a friendship but we didn’t see it often.

Edited April 21, 2020 by Luckylyn

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

Don never knew that Pete was the man Peggy had slept with.   He never asked and she never volunteered the information.  He only knew about the pregnancy.  I remember Peggy telling Don that her mother assumed Don was her baby’s father because he was the only one who visited her in the hospital.  

I really enjoyed the Don and Peggy friendship.   Those two had some of my favorite scenes from the show.  I hated when they were at odds.  I also hated the way the Don/Joan friendship fell apart.   I enjoyed the episode when Don took Joan out for drinks to cheer her up over her divorce.  Don also had a strong platonic bond with Anna.  She was probably his strongest and most honest relationship.  Don could be a huge jerk but at times he could be a great friend.   

Joan and Pete had an interesting dynamic.  I remember Joan saying he was the only one who never broke a promise to her.   They seemed to have a bit of a friendship but we didn’t see it often.

I really enjoyed the Don/Peggy and Don/Joan friendships too. I think I may have been more distraught at Don throwing money in her face than even Peggy was. LOL

[DoctorAtomic]

It will shock you how much it never happened. 

[paulvdb]

16 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I'd like to see a show where the woman is stalked and then just pulls out a gun and blows the guy away. 

Interesting that I actually just watched the Lifetime movie The Wrong Friend. That movie ends with the stalked girl shooting the stalker in the chest multiple times. Which is actually very unusual for a Lifetime movie. Lots of psycho stalkers there (both male and female) but usually they are alive at the end of the movie.

[DoctorAtomic]

AMERICA

[Luckylyn]

Characters who eat tons of junk, never exercise, but are slim.  Gilmore Girls 

I know one person in real life with metabolism problems who eats a ton and struggles not to lose weight.  So It’s possible but not for the majority of people.   

It’s also a feature of the Cool Girls trope.  A girl who can eat whatever and have a sexy body with no effort.   There’s pressure for a woman to look fit but she can’t appear to be making an effort to look that way or she’s accused of being high maintenance. 

[Bastet]

That drove me nuts about Brenda on The Closer -- she had an insatiable sugar habit, most of her meals were take-out (and when she did cook it was clam linguine or southern food), and she hated exercise.  Yet she looked like Kyra Sedgwick.

Same with Rizzoli & Isles, where it was a character trait (one of the many anvils to show how different the besties were) that Jane ate like crap and disdained all things healthy.  You do not look like Angie Harmon if you exist on a diet of burgers, beer, and Ma's Italian cooking. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

6 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Characters who eat tons of junk, never exercise, but are slim.  Gilmore Girls 

I know one person in real life with metabolism problems who eats a ton and struggles not to lose weight.  So It’s possible but not for the majority of people.   

It’s also a feature of the Cool Girls trope.  A girl who can eat whatever and have a sexy body with no effort.   There’s pressure for a woman to look fit but she can’t appear to be making an effort to look that way or she’s accused of being high maintenance. 

Even when I was a teenager, I hated this trope, and my annoyance with it has not dulled with age.

I also don't get the writers' notion that people (namely women) who eat whatever they want and don't gain weight are automatically lovable and wonderful. I once had a co-worker who regularly ate junk food and never gained weight... and she was the most loathsome bitch I've ever encountered!

Similarly, some of the nicest people I know watch what they eat and exercise! They aren't shrewish, high-maintenance, or boring!

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

That drove me nuts about Brenda on The Closer -- she had an insatiable sugar habit, most of her meals were take-out (and when she did cook it was clam linguine or southern food), and she hated exercise.  Yet she looked like Kyra Sedgwick.

Same with Rizzoli & Isles, where it was a character trait (one of the many anvils to show how different the besties were) that Jane ate like crap and disdained all things healthy.  You do not look like Angie Harmon if you exist on a diet of burgers, beer, and Ma's Italian cooking. 

Not only were their figures great, but neither of them had even a trace of adult acne. 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Wiendish Fitch

[DrSpaceman73]

7 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

Characters who eat tons of junk, never exercise, but are slim.  Gilmore Girls 

I love Tina Fey and 30 rock, but they did this with her on that show. 

 

16 hours ago, paulvdb said:

Interesting that I actually just watched the Lifetime movie The Wrong Friend. That movie ends with the stalked girl shooting the stalker in the chest multiple times. Which is actually very unusual for a Lifetime movie. Lots of psycho stalkers there (both male and female) but usually they are alive at the end of the movie.

Have you seen Dead to Me on Netflix with Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini?  Had a great first season, haven't heard about season two and won't spoil it if you haven't seen it and its not stalkers, but it certainly doesn't follow the typical Lifetime formula of the 'distressed' women.  In multiple ways. 

[Dr.OO7]

On 4/20/2020 at 1:31 PM, Popples said:

I will never get over Jamie Bamber being killed off on Law & Order: UK. 😡🤬

Me neither. I adored Matt Devlin.

Related to Harsher In Hindsight, which I mentioned several pages back, every movie/TV show regarding an outbreak makes me cringe now.

[Armchair Critic]

The family dinner is always lasagna and salad.

[Dr.OO7]

I really hate that, "Former lovers/spouses or people who are attracted to each other are trapped somewhere and think that they're going to die any minute decide to have sex" scenario.

Aside from the fact that there's nothing arousing about their circumstances, they will of course be rescued from their impending deaths and now their joy at having survived is dampened by the fact that one or both of them cheated on their current partner. For added bonus, the woman will often get pregnant and that leads to yet ANOTHER trope of her wondering Who's The Daddy (yet another one I can't stand) and/or her scrambling around trying to prevent her boyfriend/husband from finding out.

And yet another added bonus? For some inexplicable reason, a camera will have been present to record everything, meaning someone else will get ahold of it and blackmail them.

Examples?

EVERY SOAP OPERA EVER.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Camille

[DearEvette]

33 minutes ago, Camille said:

I really hate that, "Former lovers/spouses or people who are attracted to each other are trapped somewhere and think that they're going to die any minute decide to have sex" scenario.

Ha!   This is a variant of one of mine where people decide to have sex while they are in danger period.  Being shot at by multiple bullets?  Let's have sex!   On the run from a bear in the woods during a blizzard?  While we're hiding out behind this tree, let's have sex!  A volcano is erupting and everyone has to abandon the city before it is buried under lava, but let's have a long conversation, look for that macaroni necklace junior made in kindergarten and also, let's have sex!

[Bort]

4 hours ago, Camille said:

I really hate that, "Former lovers/spouses or people who are attracted to each other are trapped somewhere and think that they're going to die any minute decide to have sex" scenario.

Because of course, they're rescued from their impending deaths and now their joy at having survived is dampened by the fact that one or both of them cheated on their current partner. For added bonus, the woman will often get pregnant and that leads to yet ANOTHER trope of her wondering Who's The Daddy (yet another one I can't stand) and/or her scrambling around trying to prevent her boyfriend/husband from finding out.

And yet another added bonus? For some inexplicable reason, a camera will have been present to record everything, meaning someone else will get ahold of it and blackmail them.

Examples?

EVERY SOAP OPERA EVER.

I love that trope, which explains my love of soap operas lo those many years ago...

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Ha!   This is a variant of one of mine where people decide to have sex while they are in danger period.  Being shot at by multiple bullets?  Let's have sex!   On the run from a bear in the woods during a blizzard?  While we're hiding out behind this tree, let's have sex!  A volcano is erupting and everyone has to abandon the city before it is buried under lava, but let's have a long conversation, look for that macaroni necklace junior made in kindergarten and also, let's have sex!

Dying from a rattlesnake bite?  Let's have sex... or at least a hand job.  (Looking at you, Jamie Fraser.)

[truthaboutluv]

So I started watching Netflix's new show, Never Have I Ever. It's an adorable show (once you get past John McEnroe of all people, random narration) that's had me laughing a lot. I haven't finished the season and this is not a spoiler but mere speculation but in my opinion, it's painfully clear that the main character is inevitably going to fall for her male rival. 

The two are constantly insulting each other, throwing jabs at each other and apparently have hated each other and been competing against each other, since middle school. And knowing this is likely going to happen is the one thing souring me off the show as I'm watching. 

Because maybe it's being older, well past my teen years of "aw look how they adorably bicker" but I am BEYOND over the tired "they bicker because they secretly like each other". Like no, sometimes two people just straight can't stand each other because they're annoying as fuck. It doesn't always have be hiding some secret desire for each other. I am beyond over this trope. It's tired, overused, cliche and too damn predictable. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[DoctorAtomic]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Dying from a rattlesnake bite?  Let's have sex... or at least a hand job.  (Looking at you, Jamie Fraser.)

Yeah over on the board we were like, 'wait, did Claire jerk him back to life?'

 

[Ohiopirate02]

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

Dying from a rattlesnake bite?  Let's have sex... or at least a hand job.  (Looking at you, Jamie Fraser.)

 

6 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Yeah over on the board we were like, 'wait, did Claire jerk him back to life?'

 

That does fit into a  series where Claire's magical vagina cures Jamie of his PTSD.  Of course her hands can bring Jamie back to life with a handjob.  And then Jamie is the most perfectest perfect man to ever walk the earth, and Claire is his one true love, so naturally anytime they have sex it can cure the body.  

[DoctorAtomic]

I like the show, but shit like that makes me think the books just suck. 

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Like no, sometimes two people just straight can't stand each other because they're annoying as fork. It doesn't always have be hiding some secret desire for each other. I am beyond over this trope. It's tired, overused, cliche and too damn predictable. 

It's because people still buy into that horrible "the opposite of love isn't hate" saying that makes people confuse love with passion. I hate Hitler, with a burning passion. There is no apathy there, if he weren't already dead I would happily kill him repeatedly. This passionate hate is not hiding some secret desire for him and he isn't just one insult away from my loving him. 

You can very much hate someone of the opposite sex (or same sex if that's where your interest lies) without there being any secret love there. love IS the opposite of hate with apathy in the middle of the spectrum. It's passion that is the opposite of apathy but passion and love aren't the same thing. 

It seems few writers quite understand that and think "these two people who can't stand each other are secretly lusting after each other". Um, only if you're 15 and only know about love through media. 

[andromeda331]

6 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

It's because people still buy into that horrible "the opposite of love isn't hate" saying that makes people confuse love with passion. I hate Hitler, with a burning passion. There is no apathy there, if he weren't already dead I would happily kill him repeatedly. This passionate hate is not hiding some secret desire for him and he isn't just one insult away from my loving him. 

You can very much hate someone of the opposite sex (or same sex if that's where your interest lies) without there being any secret love there. love IS the opposite of hate with apathy in the middle of the spectrum. It's passion that is the opposite of apathy but passion and love aren't the same thing. 

It seems few writers quite understand that and think "these two people who can't stand each other are secretly lusting after each other". Um, only if you're 15 and only know about love through media. 

Ha! Yes, people hate people. That doesn't mean their secretly in love. In most cases it means they hate each other. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know if adults hating other adults is particularly healthy anyway and just a symptom of lazy writing. 

I mean, I don't like some people either. I just don't work with them. Hating them isn't really going to help me. 

 

Edited April 30, 2020 by DoctorAtomic

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I mean, I don't like some people either. I just don't work with them. Hating them isn't really going to help me. 

Wait!??! Does this mean you don't have an arch enemy or nemesis? How do you survive? I thought we all had to have some kind of arch nemesis who always manages to just escape (if we are cops/detectives) or is just a little better at us (if we are in a competitive career like baker/sports person/artist) or stole the heart of the one we love (if we are anything else). 

[DoctorAtomic]

No, just lazy people who don't want to put in work. 

[Spartan Girl]

I am so over the long lost biological parent showing up and dragging the adoptive parents to court to get custody of the child. Sometimes they even kidnap the children if they can't win legally. And they're full of self-righteous excuses that they're the ones that deserve the child because they are the "real" parent, they're fighting for their child like any parent would do, blah blah blah...

Just once I would love someone to look this bio parent right in the eye and say: "You are not 'fighting for your child.' You are fighting for yourself and your own selfish need to be their only parent. You are turning your child's life upside down by taking them away from the only family they've ever known. And if you win, they will resent you for the rest of your life for it. If you REALLY want to be a part of their life, then grow up. Work WITH the other family so that you ease your way in and earn your child's love. But you're not going to do that by suing their family!"

Edited May 10, 2020 by Spartan Girl

[kathyk2]

I'm tired of the poor people can never get ahead trope. It doesn't matter if it's the Connors from Roseanne the Evans family from Good times or the Dimaio family from Speechless. Every time something good happens to them another shoe drops. Also I think viewers blame characters for bad decisions when the writers are to blame.

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I'm tired of the poor people can never get ahead trope. It doesn't matter if it's the Connors from Roseanne the Evans family from Good times or the Dimaio family from Speechless. Every time something good happens to them another shoe drops. Also I think viewers blame characters for bad decisions when the writers are to blame.

Good point! What's especially frustrating is when the reason they can 'never get ahead' is spelled out to be something completely DUMB on their parts rather than something beyond their control: (e.g. in Good Times, they spent an astronomical amount of 70's funds for a new job celebration party for James-only to have him lay the bombshell that he'd gotten laid off first thing so   thanks to that party they were more broker-than-broke than before)!

[methodwriter85]

On 4/29/2020 at 10:31 AM, truthaboutluv said:

So I started watching Netflix's new show, Never Have I Ever. It's an adorable show (once you get past John McEnroe of all people, random narration) that's had me laughing a lot. I haven't finished the season and this is not a spoiler but mere speculation but in my opinion, it's painfully clear that the main character is inevitably going to fall for her male rival. 

The two are constantly insulting each other, throwing jabs at each other and apparently have hated each other and been competing against each other, since middle school. And knowing this is likely going to happen is the one thing souring me off the show as I'm watching. 

Because maybe it's being older, well past my teen years of "aw look how they adorably bicker" but I am BEYOND over the tired "they bicker because they secretly like each other". Like no, sometimes two people just straight can't stand each other because they're annoying as fuck. It doesn't always have be hiding some secret desire for each other. I am beyond over this trope. It's tired, overused, cliche and too damn predictable. 

I'm on ep 4 of this series and it feels incredibly obvious that they're setting up Devi and Ben. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I am pleased to announce that I purchased a baguette at the grocery store and when I packed my bag, the bread was able to stick straight up. 

As you all might be wondering, I can confirm that my ride home was accompanied by an appropriate level of music of a whimsical nature. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

6 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I am pleased to announce that I purchased a baguette at the grocery store and when I packed my bag, the bread was able to stick straight up. 

As you all might be wondering, I can confirm that my ride home was accompanied by an appropriate level of music of a whimsical nature. 

Were there also leafy greens?  Please tell me there were leafy greens. According to TV, that combo is the must have whenever you go to the grocery store.

[DoctorAtomic]

Alas no. I'm only one man. 

[Snookums]

Not even ripe, red apples that fall out of your bag when you bump into Love Interest and then your hands touch as you pick them up?

[DoctorAtomic]

That's for the farmers market. It's not open yet. 

[methodwriter85]

On 5/10/2020 at 12:40 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I am so over the long lost biological parent showing up and dragging the adoptive parents to court to get custody of the child. Sometimes they even kidnap the children if they can't win legally. And they're full of self-righteous excuses that they're the ones that deserve the child because they are the "real" parent, they're fighting for their child like any parent would do, blah blah blah...

Just once I would love someone to look this bio parent right in the eye and say: "You are not 'fighting for your child.' You are fighting for yourself and your own selfish need to be their only parent. You are turning your child's life upside down by taking them away from the only family they've ever known. And if you win, they will resent you for the rest of your life for it. If you REALLY want to be a part of their life, then grow up. Work WITH the other family so that you ease your way in and earn your child's love. But you're not going to do that by suing their family!"

There was this wonderful movie called Like Dandelion Dust that dealt with a family who's legal adoption gets overturned because the biological mother forged the dad's signature. It was a nice, nuanced take on the subject.

[merylinkid]

20 hours ago, Snookums said:

then your hands touch as you pick them up

Yeah anyone reaches to pick up my fallen apples (wow is that a mettyfor or what?) right now can have them.   I ain't touching hands with no stranger no matter how handsome he is.

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know. You haven't seen my apples. 

[Raja]

I hate that when you are the hero cop of a show just about anything will bring Internal Affairs down on your head. However when you suspect a dirty cop in your ranks there is never enough evidence to even consider bringing in Internal Affairs unless you have a confession on film. 

[DrSpaceman73]

If you've been writing to someone repeatedly and never hear back from them in any fashion, invariably its because someone was stealing your letters or just no delivering them. 

Over time this trope has to change simply because no one writes actual letters anymore and sends email.  Though I don't know how it works in jail.  Its becoming technologically obsolete though.  Someone could erase some texts but would be tough to erase all of them without the person finding out

[DrSpaceman73]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 9:47 PM, kathyk2 said:

I'm tired of the poor people can never get ahead trope. It doesn't matter if it's the Connors from Roseanne the Evans family from Good times or the Dimaio family from Speechless. Every time something good happens to them another shoe drops. Also I think viewers blame characters for bad decisions when the writers are to blame.

This is what bothers me about Shameless. 

Admittedly I never grew up that poor or in that environment, though I assume its an exaggeration to some degree of the real life struggles of the lower class, especially the urban lower class.  And that in itself is a rather unique perspective that really isn't shown a lot on TV.  It does provide a different perspective of things. 

The problem is though, ever time on of these kids gets a chance to get ahead some of to pull the family a little out of the situation, they screw it up. 

Fiona has a good job in an office doing sales, she ends up dating the boss and then cheating on him with the alcoholic brother.  Job lost. 

Lip is supposed to be brilliant, gets into college, OK so I can't even give him a pass due to his family's history of alcoholism and his environment causing his to fail out the first time.  But he never goes back after that?  That's it?  He works as a mechanic and that's his life.  Nothing wrong with being a mechanic, he could actually make good money doing that.  Its a good job.  But ..........one chance at college and then he is done despite being a genius? 

Fiona lucks out with one business investment, decides she is going to double down and try again in a very high risk rental adventure in a poor area of town.  Smart. 

They are given chances and just screw it up. 

A show that could very much given a nice view of the struggles of the lower class ends  up just reinforcing stereotypes of the group by showing them continue to break laws, cut corners, make bad decisions and generally just persistently keep themselves down in the same situations they have been in their whole lives. 

[Raja]

17 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

If you've been writing to someone repeatedly and never hear back from them in any fashion, invariably its because someone was stealing your letters or just no delivering them. 

Over time this trope has to change simply because no one writes actual letters anymore and sends email.  Though I don't know how it works in jail.  Its becoming technologically obsolete though.  Someone could erase some texts but would be tough to erase all of them without the person finding out

Mail from most US prisons like telephone calls are stamped as being from the institution. Some mail to an intermediary to use a clean unmarked envelope to prevent the censor on the receiving end to disappear the letters. When I worked on heavier gang routes I would notice all sorts of ways to camouflage the gang identify on the envelopes among the art work many tend to carry 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Raja said:

Mail from most US prisons like telephone calls are stamped as being from the institution. Some mail to an intermediary to use a clean unmarked envelope to prevent the censor on the receiving end to disappear the letters. When I worked on heavier gang routes I would notice all sorts of ways to camouflage the gang identify on the envelopes among the art work many tend to carry 

That's interesting! We once had a prisoner mail a letter to the library where I work to ask a reference question about rap music since he didn't have internet privileges. He was vague about why he was mailing a letter rather than contacting us some other way, but the mailing address made it pretty clear where he was.

One of the odder references questions I've ever fielded, but I typed up a letter in response that answered question and told him to send us another letter if he had any other questions. This was last summer. 

[Raja]

5 hours ago, Zella said:

That's interesting! We once had a prisoner mail a letter to the library where I work to ask a reference question about rap music since he didn't have internet privileges. He was vague about why he was mailing a letter rather than contacting us some other way, but the mailing address made it pretty clear where he was.

One of the odder references questions I've ever fielded, but I typed up a letter in response that answered question and told him to send us another letter if he had any other questions. This was last summer. 

60 Minutes ran a story about prisoners running scams  by phone mail and computers from behind bars about 20 years ago, or maybe that was when I worked a gang heavy route with lots of prisoners so I noticed the change then, so now nearly all US institutions warn you that is where a call is coming from or a letter is posted. I am not sure how they do it on  computer based communications leaving the prison.

[DrSpaceman73]

All business owners on TV have a partner from the past that they split with acrimoniously.  Often one was cut out of it while the other went on to make a fortune.  At some point during the show they will try to reunite. 

[Ohiopirate02]

12 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

All business owners on TV have a partner from the past that they split with acrimoniously.  Often one was cut out of it while the other went on to make a fortune.  At some point during the show they will try to reunite. 

Or if it is a crime show, the more successful one ends up dead.  

[DoctorAtomic]

Or if it's Walter White, he becomes a drug empire. 

[DrSpaceman73]

10 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Or if it's Walter White, he becomes a drug empire. 

Right......I was thinking of Breaking Bad with that trope but they at least do an interesting take on it that I have not seen from other shows.  They take the guy who was cut out of it and got screwed over (at least in his mind) and focus on him and how he plots to retake control of the life he has lost.  Not just the business, the business is really a metaphor of his lost potential, power, future in that show. 

Typically its the simple Rich guy feels bad and tries to make it up to the poor guy who lost out

Modern Family as well has this trope, but again, a different angle where Jay splits off from his old partner and they become enemies and nemesises (is that right?  Nemesi?  Plural of nemesis)  to one another.