# Absolute WTF, 'what were they thinking' plots and subplots in old movies and TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** theater-stage-dance\ **Created:** [December 27, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229 "2023-12-27T13:58:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/101 "2023-12-28T21:56:13Z")
> [@solost](#): > > “Transporter goes wacky, leading to plot stuff” seemed to be exclusively TOS. By TNG, the transporter issues seemed to have all been solved, and it was the holodeck that constantly malfunctioned, endangering the crew and causing drama. Yeah, the Federation was pretty sloppy with the new tech beta-testing. Unless the Enterprise was _ **meant** _ to be the beta version 😄 In TOS, the transporter problems were usually (almost always) - “The transporter can’t work today due to plot, so you’re stuck there with the consequences of your actions for a while”; when the holodeck has a problems it’s straight to “Evil holo-Lincoln wants to kill you” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/102 "2023-12-28T22:50:18Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [_Xanadu_](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/08/xanadu-olivia-newton-john-musical-flop-1980) – although that likely is more of a case of " [what were they _taking?_](https://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/32380/) " Olivia Newton-John singing “Magic” saved that film for me. > [@terentii](#): > > One of the dumbest things _ **TNG** _ ever did was contrive that stupid story about why Klingons look different now than in _ **TOS** _. A medical experiment? Really? And the results were completely reversible? Pull the other one! I liked the idea it was caused by tribble allergies. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I just think the message “in order to be a good starship captain, you have to be a little bit rapist” is a tough sell these days. That was not the message at all. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/103 "2023-12-28T23:55:28Z")
Living abroad at the time, I missed many episodes of _ **Enterprise** _ (including the entire fourth season). I haven’t seen it on any cable channel since moving to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/104 "2023-12-29T00:35:43Z")
Every single war movie of a WW2 or older war that has an entirely male cast will always have at least one scene where the soldiers go on leave and visit a bar/are invited for dinner to someone’s home/go to a USO show and hit on a bunch of women for really no reason as unless there is a major female actress cast everyone will immediately forget about them. The charitable idea is that they’re there to have an excuse to add female characters in an entirely male cast and add some humor or romance from the horrors of war, but almost every time I see one of these scenes it really makes it seem like they’re just there to remind everyone all these dudes “aren’t gay” since they do show interest in women and not just each other. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/105 "2023-12-29T00:46:59Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Oh, is this the place where I can rant about movies no-one has seen for decades? Well, the topic is evolving cultural mores, so if it’s for that reason, sure… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/106 "2023-12-29T00:59:47Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Every single war movie of a WW2 or older war that has an entirely male cast will always have at least one scene where the soldiers go on leave and visit a bar/are invited for dinner to someone’s home/go to a USO show and hit on a bunch of women for really no reason as unless there is a major female actress cast everyone will immediately forget about them. Like the entire plot of On the Town? > **[On the Town (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Town_(film))** > > On the Town is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film with music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It is an adaptation of the Broadway stage musical of the same name produced in 1944 (which itself is an adaptation of the Jerome Robbins ballet entitled Fancy Free which was also produced in 1944), although many changes in script and score were made from the original stage version; for instance, most of Bernstein's score was dropped in fa Movies from back then couldn’t go into the real reason, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/107 "2023-12-29T01:06:31Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > The charitable idea is that they’re there to have an excuse to add female characters in an entirely male cast and add some humor or romance from the horrors of war, but almost every time I see one of these scenes it really makes it seem like they’re just there to remind everyone all these dudes “aren’t gay” since they do show interest in women and not just each other. Hollywood producers are, or at least were, of the opinion that you had to insert a romance into these types of movies to keep women interested. Women aren’t going to be interested in the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the Doolittle Raid, where’s the drama in that? Let’s add a love triangle! I think it’s why they added the romance subplot between Tom Berenger and his ex-wife in _Major League_(1989). It was just lazy writing having nothing to do with the main plot and it wasn’t even a point of character growth for Berenger. You could cut it from the movie and miss very little. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/108 "2023-12-29T01:32:21Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > I think they did it best in _DS9_. In the episode where some of the crew go back in time to the Tribbles episode, when asked why the 23rd century Klingons look so different to him, Worf says ‘we don’t like to talk about it’, or something similar. It would have been better if, when they go back in time to the TOS show, they just put Michael Dorn in the TOS Klingon makeup, and don’t acknowledge the change at all. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/109 "2023-12-29T02:10:19Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Movies from back then couldn’t go into the real reason, of course. The real reason why young servicemen who are straight pursue women while on leave is because they have pockets full of money and are horny as hell. When you know your life might be cut short at any time in combat, pretty much everything else takes a back seat to sex. Whether you’re ever going to see that woman again is entirely immaterial. The important thing is to enjoy life while you can. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/110 "2023-12-29T07:19:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yep. With Richard Pryor walking next to him looking **very** embarrassed. > > _[George is pretending to be a black man in order to evade the police]_ > _George Caldwell: I don’t think we’re going to make it past the cops. > Grover Muldoon: We’ll make it past the cops. I just hope we don’t see no Muslims._ Whoa. I forgot about his Muslim line! ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/111 "2023-12-29T08:03:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > > [@iamatractorboy](#): > > > > I think they did it best in _DS9_. In the episode where some of the crew go back in time to the Tribbles episode, when asked why the 23rd century Klingons look so different to him, Worf says ‘we don’t like to talk about it’, or something similar. > > It would have been better if, when they go back in time to the TOS show, they just put Michael Dorn in the TOS Klingon makeup, and don’t acknowledge the change at all. Ha, I like that idea. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/112 "2023-12-29T09:16:40Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > (\*Why didn’t the boy get rabies? Or was it the raccoons not the hogs that had it?) I haven’t seen or read _Old Yeller_ in a long time, but I think it was the wolf he fought that turned out to be rabid. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/113 "2023-12-29T10:04:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Casting popular actors in xxx-face just because they are a draw or really want the role often results in unintentional humor and/or embarrassment (see John Wayne’s turn in _The Conquerer_ as an extreme example) and denies employment and exposure to good non-white actors instead of just casting an actor who is appropriate for the role; it’s stupid and distracting in many cases where it is poorly considered, but it is almost never intended as a kind of ‘minstrel show’ of traditional ‘blackface’ performance, for which being intentionally offensive and belittling is actually the purpose. **Little Buddha** , in which they cast _Keanu Reeves_ as Siddhartha/Buddha, was made in 1993. I remain baffled by that casting choice. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/114 "2023-12-29T19:10:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The real reason why young servicemen who are straight pursue women while on leave is because they have pockets full of money and are horny as hell. When you know your life might be cut short at any time in combat, pretty much everything else takes a back seat to sex. Whether you’re ever going to see that woman again is entirely immaterial. The important thing is to enjoy life while you can. Oh nos! Our brave servicemen, fighting for America and God, would never even think about having sex before they are married, or with some woman not their wife! And even in the heat of battle they’d never say any word stronger than fug either. Or so Hollywood back then told us. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/115 "2023-12-29T19:13:42Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > And even in the heat of battle they’d never say any word stronger than fug either. > Or so Hollywood back then told us. I thought Norman Mailer told us that. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/116 "2023-12-29T19:57:40Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > > > Casting popular actors in xxx-face just because they are a draw or really want the role often results in unintentional humor and/or embarrassment (see John Wayne’s turn in _The Conquerer_ as an extreme example) and denies employment and exposure to good non-white actors instead of just casting an actor who is appropriate for the role; it’s stupid and distracting in many cases where it is poorly considered, but it is almost never intended as a kind of ‘minstrel show’ of traditional ‘blackface’ performance, for which being intentionally offensive and belittling is actually the purpose. > > **Little Buddha** , in which they cast _Keanu Reeves_ as Siddhartha/Buddha, was made in 1993. I remain baffled by that casting choice. He was quite good in the role. It was a non speaking part. Reeves is a very good actor. Most people don’t realize it because they haven’t seen his best, since they weren’t big hits (e.g. _Raising Minnesota_, _I Love You to Death_, _Tune in Tomorrow._) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/117 "2023-12-29T20:03:52Z")
Reeves has an expressive face. In the silent film era, he would have been a superstar. It’s just that when we hear his voice, we have flashbacks to Bill and Ted. I thought he was good in _Little Buddha_. He is playing an Important Religious Leader, so the odd speech inflections aren’t really out of place. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/118 "2023-12-29T20:15:33Z")
Keanu Reeves is a very good actor … when he’s cast in the right part. When he’s miscast, he’s awful. I’m thinking of Branagh’s _Much Ado About Nothing_ and Coppola’s _Dracula._ ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/119 "2023-12-29T20:21:06Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Keanu Reeves is a very good actor … when he’s cast in the right part. When he’s miscast, he’s awful. Especially when he’s required to attempt any accent other than ‘SoCal Valley Guy’ 😏 I kid, I kid. I like Keanu too. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2023, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229/120 "2023-12-29T20:21:47Z")
On the Town featured 6 characters - three men (sailors) and three women (a dancer, a taxi driver and a heiress/scholar). One of the men is obsessed with finding a (particular) woman - and two of the women are obsessed with finding a guy (without any interest in a long term relationship). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absolute-wtf-what-were-they-thinking-plots-and-subplots-in-old-movies-and-tv-shows/995229.md?page=7)