# The 2019 Identify the \_\_\_ thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399 "2019-05-03T00:23:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/1 "2019-05-03T00:23:04Z")
Has some question about a book, movie, or TV show lodged itself into your brain like a splinter out of reach? Bring your mysteries to this thread! Here are two to start with: Can anyone identify what (relatively recent?) show had a male character who was about to become a father, and when be began experiencing abdominal pain while his wife was in labor, everyone told him it was sympathy pains…but it turned out that he had appendicitis? Can anyone identify what book, movie, or TV show contains a character named Fretful? I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if this character is human, supernatural, a regular animal or an anthropomorphized animal… Any ideas? And anything that you need resolved yourself? ---
**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:** [May 3, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/2 "2019-05-03T01:38:42Z")
> **[Sir Fretful Plagiary | fictional character](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sir-Fretful-Plagiary)** > > Sir Fretful Plagiary, fictional character, the epitome of the vain, talentless playwright, in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Critic (first performed 1779). The character is based on the English dramatist Richard Cumberland, who had expressed... See also this thread about identifying science fiction stories by the way [Ask the guy who is pretty good at SF Story Identification - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482118) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/3 "2019-05-03T18:56:41Z")
I think I remember seeing the first one, but not sure where. I don’t watch a lot of medical shows, so possibly “New Amsterdam”? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2019, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/4 "2019-05-04T00:46:51Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > [Sir Fretful Plagiary | fictional character | Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sir-Fretful-Plagiary) > > See also this thread about identifying science fiction stories by the way [Ask the guy who is pretty good at SF Story Identification - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482118) Definitely not this Fretful as I’ve heard of neither the writer or the play ☹ > [@Shoeless](#): > > I think I remember seeing the first one, but not sure where. I don’t watch a lot of medical shows, so possibly “New Amsterdam”? Possibly. I do watch New Amsterdam, but I think the character’s problem was played for laughs in what I’m trying to recall. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/5 "2019-05-06T12:31:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Possibly. I do watch New Amsterdam, but I think the character’s problem was played for laughs in what I’m trying to recall. Taking another shot at this one… perhaps Howard and Bernadette from “The Big Bang Theory”? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/6 "2019-05-06T14:17:21Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Can anyone identify what (relatively recent?) show had a male character who was about to become a father, and when be began experiencing abdominal pain while his wife was in labor, everyone told him it was sympathy pains…but it turned out that he had appendicitis? _Friends_ did something like this when the gang went to the hospital for someone’s (maybe Ross’s wife?) delivery and Joey had kidney stones at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2019-identify-the-___-thread/833399/7 "2019-05-10T00:53:07Z")
Kid’s book I read when I was twelve or so (1980-ish). A couple of kids had some sort of psychic connection, and it turned out that they were both born when a UFO was spotted over the town. There was some argument about a “Galaxy Skylos,” which turned out to be “Galaxis Kylos.” I think there was some kind of magic box, and one of the kids might have even gotten shot (but not killed). In the end, the kids met the aliens, who were kind and very much like us (the leader had a daughter who played some games similar to what the psychic kids played). Hoping to read it again and maybe pass it down to my nieces and nephews when they get a little older.