# Tired fictional tropes you hate **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937 "2020-05-16T19:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/201 "2020-05-20T20:52:38Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I forgot this one! When the detectives go to someone’s workplace, the person being interviewed doesn’t stop working. They just continue stacking boxes or whatever. After brusquely answering a couple of questions, they say, “Look, I got work to do,” and walk away. Or, if it’s somebody working on a car, they slide back under it to indicate that the interview is over. They’re so blasé that you’d think cops showing up is a daily occurrence. In addition, they give a ton of irrelevant information before a one-liner that furthers the investigation. Police: \*walking up to a man gardening. We want to talk to you about your neighbor Jim who was murdered last night. Man: \*continues gardening. Yes, I heard about that. Terrible thing. You know Jim was always a great guy. Taught my son how to play baseball since I couldn’t do it after my arm surgery. He was always there to help with carrying the groceries in and drove me to my follow up appointments. His father and my father went way back. Were together on the beaches of Normandy if you can believe that. Were best buddies their whole lives. And these flowers I’m planting, we cross bred them from each others garden; beautiful aren’t they? Wonderful breed that resists frost in early spring and the wives love 'em as well and we always saved money on flowers for anniversaries and the like; my wife was impressed but Jim’s wife just thought he was cheap. \*nudges the officer. He he. Police: Did you see anything suspicious last night? Man: No. Well, come to think of it, there was a strange van in his driveway after midnight, I heard a gunshot and the van sped away. Does that help? ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/202 "2020-05-20T21:58:36Z")
Actually, according to one ex-cop I know, some people are like that. They’ve got their moment in the sun when somebody actually wants to hear what they’ve got, and by god, they are going to give you every last circumstantial detail connected with it. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/203 "2020-05-20T22:50:35Z")
I hate the plot element where one clarifying conversation, usually a \*short \*conversation, would clear up a whole big misunderstanding. The guy is about to spill it. “No, you see, I was actually talking to…” And then he’s interrupted by something. A ringing telephone; an ice cream truck going by; someone else popping their head in the door…_and he doesn’t finish what he was about to say_. He knows it’s critical! WE know it’s critical! But somehow this distraction causes amnesia or ADD or something and he never bothers to finish his thought. A marriage crumbles; friends have a major falling out; the alien invasion commences as planned–all because the guy stops in mid-sentence. It makes me want to yell at the screen. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/204 "2020-05-20T23:57:09Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > It makes me want to yell at the screen. These all make me want to yell at the screen. I often wonder if that’ll be a side effect of getting old(er), that I’ll lose that last thread of self-censorship and just go Full Monty Burns in a movie theater: **“You call _that_ suspense? We all saw Chekov’s Chainsaw half an hour ago!” “No, YOU sit down! Doesn’t this bother you, too, Numbnuts, or is the rest of you numb, too?” "Well, of _course I’m making a scene… because the DIRECTOR forgot to!"_** ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/205 "2020-05-21T00:02:56Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > In addition, they give a ton of irrelevant information before a one-liner that furthers the investigation. > > Police: \*walking up to a man gardening. We want to talk to you about your neighbor Jim who was murdered last night. > > Man: \*continues gardening. Yes, I heard about that. Terrible thing. You know Jim was always a great guy. Taught my son how to play baseball since I couldn’t do it after my arm surgery. He was always there to help with carrying the groceries in and drove me to my follow up appointments. His father and my father went way back. Were together on the beaches of Normandy if you can believe that. Were best buddies their whole lives. And these flowers I’m planting, we cross bred them from each others garden; beautiful aren’t they? Wonderful breed that resists frost in early spring and the wives love 'em as well and we always saved money on flowers for anniversaries and the like; my wife was impressed but Jim’s wife just thought he was cheap. \*nudges the officer. He he. > > Police: Did you see anything suspicious last night? > > Man: No. Well, come to think of it, there was a strange van in his driveway after midnight, I heard a gunshot and the van sped away. Does that help? Or even better when it comes back full circle and the neighbor murdered Jim and lied about the van because Jim ripped him off about a patent for the flowers, or his father claimed a medal at Normandy that belonged to HIS father, or that his son’s arm was ruined because of improper pitching techniques. Bonus points if Jim made him feel like less of a man for carrying his groceries. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/206 "2020-05-21T00:11:17Z")
The short series on Netflix **Fallet** is great, but the tired trope of, “wait, I have to tell you something very important but your leaving too fast for me to say one sentence that’ll resolve the plot” was done over and over again. Almost as bad as the, “I know I have a gun to your head but I’m here to help I just can’t say why and you have to trust me”. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/207 "2020-05-21T00:19:09Z")
[aside] The thread title makes me want to ask what a non-fiction trope would be. [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/208 "2020-05-21T00:24:55Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > “I think I’m gonna barf.” Joel Coen wanted to cut that part out thinking it was too hoaky, McDormand, his wife, convinced him the scene should stay. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/209 "2020-05-21T00:36:41Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’ve been watching a lot of “classic” TV shows on old nostalgia on-air channels like ME TV lately, and here’s one I’ve noticed that that was VERY common, but thankfully seems to have been retired in recent years: the exact double to one of the main characters who suddenly appears on the scene. > > It’s usually a sitcom trope, but it occasionally appeared on a cheesy drama (I’m thinking ‘Charlie’s Angels’ probably did a double episode). The double, who not only looked but sounded \*\*\*exactly \*\*\*like the original, was usually a bad guy who took advantage of the situation to impersonate the original for nefarious purposes. This led to a climactic scene where the double and the original both appeared before the other main characters and would say “I"M Joe Original!” “No, I"M Joe Original!”. The Red Dwarf take on this one was (as in many of the earlier Red Dwarfs), pretty classic. They toss the fake Lister a guitar, and he plays as well as the real Lister _thinks_ he plays. So they immediately shoot him ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/210 "2020-05-21T00:50:59Z")
> [@Tinker\_Grey](#): > > [aside] > The thread title makes me want to ask what a non-fiction trope would be. > [/aside] The one where every nightly news broadcast has to end with the newsreaders chuckling to each other about how amusing they found the final trivial human-interest bit at the end. Just once, I could do with “you know what, Lavinia? I’m just not that into cute roller-skating puppy dogs.” ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/211 "2020-05-21T01:02:05Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > A Christmas Carol. You _don’t_ have a unique take on it. I’m certain you believe you do, but I assure you, you do not. Also _It’s a Wonderful Life_. Movies/shows about movie/TV producers who say, “I love _A Christmas Carol/It’s a Wonderful Life_ because it’s public domain, so we don’t have to pay anyone for it!” is getting to be a trope of its own. > [@solost](#): > > This reminds me of another “phony continuity” example-- maybe not so much a trope even, as lazy writing: someone gets a call saying “Quick-- turn on your TV to channel X News!” the person turns on channel X in time to see pretty much the entire newscast on the topic the caller wanted them to see-- not just the tail end of it. Characters pointing this out within the show seems to be becoming a trope as well. > [@MrAtoz](#): > > It’s not limited to biomes, though. That’s something I used to say about _Star Trek_, back in the days when I talked about _Star Trek_ a lot: every planet has exactly one climate, one language, one culture, one religious belief, and one fashion style. _South Park_ parodied this; it turns out that Earth is the location of a reality show where aliens, as a contrast to the fairly universal “one species per planet” in reality, put different species on a single planet to see what would happen. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/212 "2020-05-21T01:02:14Z")
> [@Tinker\_Grey](#): > > [aside] > The thread title makes me want to ask what a non-fiction trope would be. > [/aside] Books written by reporters are easy to distinguish from books written by academics. If a reporter writes a book, every idea will be introduced by a portrait of and/or interview with an individual to illustrate how that idea affects the life of a person. 99% of that is worthless and drives me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/213 "2020-05-21T01:30:44Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > It’s not limited to biomes, though. That’s something I used to say about _Star Trek_, back in the days when I talked about _Star Trek_ a lot: every planet has exactly one climate, one language, one culture, one religious belief, and one fashion style. And in stories that aren’t interplanetary, every nonhuman species. (_deadpan_ “You speak Elvish? What a coincidence, I’m fluent in Human.”) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/214 "2020-05-21T01:33:17Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > …And Dishonorable Mention to the **Da Vinci Code** variation: it wasn’t “all a dream” but when we get to the end we discover that it all means… absolutely nothing. Nothing changes. Like those giant alien robots whaling away on each other for hours in the _Transformers_ movies. Other than laying waste to wherever they happen to have been fighting, nothing changes. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/215 "2020-05-21T05:03:49Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Joel Coen wanted to cut that part out thinking it was too hoaky, McDormand, his wife, convinced him the scene should stay. Hokey, or boaky? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/216 "2020-05-21T18:25:07Z")
Alien invasions that consist of gigantic city-sized spacecraft [hovering ominously](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OminousFloatingSpaceship)a few thousand feet above the world’s major cities (V, ID4, Transformers, Avengers, District 9, etc) : - If you are going to blow up the cities, why does every city need it’s own ship firing at point-blank? Why not just bombard them from orbit with nukes, death rays, inanimate carbon rods or whatever? - If you are going to deploy a ground invasion, why not land the ships somewhere and deploy the ground forces instead of shuttling them back and forth? - If you come in peace, don’t ominously hover above a major city much in the same way a brick doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/217 "2020-05-21T19:30:34Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > If you come in peace, don’t ominously hover above a major city much in the same way a brick doesn’t. Gentlemen of the Joint Chiefs, it seems that we have found our Ambassador to the Aliens. ---
**Author:** ![maxxy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@maxxy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maxxy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/218 "2020-05-21T19:50:20Z")
Every chase scene that ends with the pursuee running up to a dead end and getting caught while trying to climb a fence. I was at a writing seminar where a former Chicago sportswriter-turned-scriptwriter wanted to wow us by showing his rejected pilot, which had several familiar tropes, including this one. I asked him — in all sincerity — why he’d gone with such familiar bits. Was there some storytelling element I was missing, like tropes helping the audience focus on the plot? I have never seen a face turn sour so fast. He couldn’t even acknowledge that these were cliches. Seems like Hollywood does that to a lot of writers. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/219 "2020-05-22T20:20:04Z")
> [@solost](#): > > It’s usually a sitcom trope, but it occasionally appeared on a cheesy drama (I’m thinking ‘Charlie’s Angels’ probably did a double episode). The double, who not only looked but sounded \*\*\*exactly \*\*\*like the original, was usually a bad guy who took advantage of the situation to impersonate the original for nefarious purposes. This led to a climactic scene where the double and the original both appeared before the other main characters and would say “I"M Joe Original!” “No, I"M Joe Original!”. _ **Knightrider** _ at least lampshaded this by having the hero Michael Knight been turned into a double of villain Garth Knight by plastic surgery. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/220 "2020-05-23T02:05:57Z")
> [@maxxy](#): > > Every chase scene that ends with the pursuee running up to a dead end and getting caught while trying to climb a fence. . What’s the matter? Haven’t you ever seen a shortcut before? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937.md?page=12)