# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/61 "2020-05-17T09:32:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Characters that exist only to be endangered and get rescued. Basically every child and female in any action movie before about 1990. Could be worse. In video games, you have to escort them places and keep them alive ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/62 "2020-05-17T10:45:10Z")
Person gets knocked on the head and has amnesia. Person A saves the life of person B. Out of gratitude B does so much for person A that person A gets tired of it and has to find a way to stop it. A person/corporation attempts to buy all the properties in an area. There is one holdout, thwarting the person/corporation. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/63 "2020-05-17T13:54:45Z")
Bookish people who can read all the languages. Omnicompetent scientists. (Who are equally highly trained in nuclear physics, biochemistry, electrical engineering, programming, paleontology, sociology, taphonomy, and whatever other specialty is needed for the episode.) People who can recognize everything by glancing at a microscope slide. (Yes, this blood is definitely human. AB+. They were poisoned with ricin mixed in their Van Camp brand canned chili…no, wait–it was the Walmart brand version, which is canned in the same factory, but has a different oxygen isotope ratio in the hydroxyl radicals.) ---
**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 17, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/64 "2020-05-17T13:57:40Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Bookish person who can read all the languages. > > Omnicompetent scientists. (Who are equally highly trained in nuclear physics, biochemistry, electrical engineering, programming, paleontology, sociology, taphonomy, and whatever other specialty is needed for tge episode.) > > People who can recognize everything by glancing at a microscope slide. (Yes, this blood is definitely human. AB+. They were poisoned with ricin mixed in their Van Camp brand canned chili…no, wait–it was the Walmart’s brand labled version, which is canned in the same factory–I can tell by the oxygen isotope ratio in the hydroxyl radicals!) Police: We’re looking for a guy who bought pencils here three months ago. Walmart guy: Yeah, I remember him; he was 5’8", blue eyes, blond hair and left-handed. I’ve got his address right here. I think I saved his fingerprints on this coin. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/65 "2020-05-17T14:12:58Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > When all is forgiven for the villain at the end just because they had a moment of regret. Doesn’t matter if they tortured kittens, experimented on infants, and caused the genocide of billions of people. The protagonist with a strong connection to the villain made a moving speech, and now the villain is one of the good guys again. Often the villain will get to do a heroic sacrifice at the cost of their life, so they never have to deal with the consequences of their atrocities. This is one i’ve noticed as well. Typically in older stories the bad guy who has a change of heart, if they’ve committed any atrocities like murder, only get to die a heroic death that helps out the hero, they don’t get to walk away and have a long happy life afterward. This has changed some in more modern stories, like Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/66 "2020-05-17T14:14:38Z")
> [@solost](#): > > A slight corollary to this is the hero who gets the drop on the bad guy after a fight or gun battle, seems about to kill him, but says “no, I’m not going to kill you- I’m not like you”. The hero is then momentarily distracted, most likely by the female love interest giving him a thank-you hug, giving the bad guy a chance to bring out a hidden weapon and try to kill the hero, giving the hero no choice but to kill him after all. This is also a corollary to the classic case in which the bad guy/evil robot/extraterrestrial is temporarily incapacitated by the hero/heroine, who instead of finishing him off flees, allowing the bad guy to recover and resume the pursuit. Then there’s the Law & Order trope, in which forensic autopsies and extremely complicated/rare medical tests and DNA analyses are completed within 12 hours of the homicide, allowing the case to be solved within the show’s hour-long time frame. There’s a detrimental impact in real life, since people assume such a rapid turnaround is standard, and that forensic pathologists automatically order esoteric testing on every body that comes through their doors. \*“no, I’m not going to kill you- I’m not like you”. - Sidney Poitier had lines similar to this in multiple movies. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/67 "2020-05-17T14:23:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And in that situation, you can be absolutely sure that the cure won’t be administered in the first 12 hours and 33 minutes. Exactly. It’s as if the writers don’t know any other ways of creating dramatic tension. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/68 "2020-05-17T15:08:39Z")
Anything to do with Zombies. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/69 "2020-05-17T15:15:56Z")
Super genius criminals with designs on world domination, usually based on comically flimsy motivation. They’re always 10 steps ahead! Such lazy writing. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/70 "2020-05-17T15:17:29Z")
The thermonuclear countdown girl. That is the supremely calm women’s voice with either a Middle Atlantic or English accent who voices the countdown clock of the device that is about to blow up the world. Action hero fighting/getting out of their shackles/racing across town Operator voice: “The nuclear bomb will go off in… 5 minutes” More action/ escaping/getting stuck in traffic jams Operator voice: “The nuclear bomb will go off in…4 minutes” We get the juxtaposition between the frantic action and the calm voice. Just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/71 "2020-05-17T15:47:38Z")
The police team is entering a building where an armed suspect may be hiding. After getting in the door, the leader makes some complicated hand signal, points, and a team member nods and heads in that direction. There is never any confusion about who is to go where because these hand signals are perfect and there are always just enough officers to cover every direction. Cut to one officer entering a room. There is a sound. The officer turns to shoot but the sound turns out to be a cat, a parrot, a child, or an innocent person who responds in a long frantic dialog of non-english. Meanwhile our hero enters a room where we can now see the manic-looking villain holding a gun around a concealed corner just waiting for our hero to get into position. The hero does. There is a shootout. The villain loses. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/72 "2020-05-17T16:05:54Z")
The “super spy / assassin”. James Bond / Jason Bourne trope for men, Nikita / Alias / Red Sparrow / Black Widow trope for women. IRL, spies are supposed to inconspicuously infiltrate the enemies organization, gathering information, and quietly pass it along. People who you shouldn’t notice. Like I can just picture the memo being sent to a intelligence agency’s local station: CONFIDENTIAL: TOP SECRET \*\*\*\*\* FLASH PRIORITY ALERT \*\*\*\*\* Be on the lookout for suspected enemy operatives: Suspect 1: Codename: Unknown. Possibly some form of double (or single) entendre. Sex: Female Height: 5’10" Weight: 115 lbs Appearance: Dressed in black Prada clothing. Will likely be the most attractive woman in the area. May be in “disguise” in a blond or day-glow red wig. Suspect 2: Codename: None. Likely using actual name. Sex: Male Height: 6’2" Weight: 225 lbs Appearance: May be wearing either a tuxedo or black head to toe Dolce Gabbana casualwear. Also most likely most attractive man in the area. Suspects are assumed to be armed with exotic Belgian military weaponry and extremely dangerous. Approach with extreme caution. Suspects were last scene exiting a stolen McLaren F1 supercar after it crashed through the front of a street café and then parkouring across a construction crane for the old cathedral renovations next to the Chinese embassy. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/73 "2020-05-17T16:11:00Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Crotchety-but-lovable (and just about to retire) old police inspector is teamed-up with young hotshot who’s skeptical of his partner’s old-school methods. They grudgingly begin to respect each other and go on to solve crime after crime, all the while sniping at each other’s ways of doing things. Extra points if the old guy has a hot granddaughter the young hotshot is attracted to. > > This is the basis of 90% of the shows on Acorn, BBC America, and any PBS outlet that shows British imports on Saturday night. You left out this: the about-to-retire character must die! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/74 "2020-05-17T16:18:15Z")
Let’s not forget people running away from something, having to turn and look back multiple times while fleeing. Just run away, dammit! Why risk tripping or running into a tree or falling down a hill because you needed to check over your shoulder that the baddie was still chasing you? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/75 "2020-05-17T16:39:12Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Then there’s the Law & Order trope, in which forensic autopsies and extremely complicated/rare medical tests and DNA analyses are completed within 12 hours of the homicide, allowing the case to be solved within the show’s hour-long time frame. There’s a detrimental impact in real life, since people assume such a rapid turnaround is standard, and that forensic pathologists automatically order esoteric testing on every body that comes through their doors. I think actually that’s the CSI trope, that L&O and NCIS picked up. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/76 "2020-05-17T16:40:18Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Anything to do with Zombies. Boom. Thank-you. How about a genre/category, like, almost every single TV drama?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/77 "2020-05-17T16:53:18Z")
Drinking a quart of booze is the answer to any minor setback. A really tired meme: Divorced semi-rogue cop with a rebellious daughter who is constantly berating him, but who really loves him, and who then gets kidnapped and has to be rescued by her dad, who murders all the bad guys after throwing his badge on the sarge’s desk; tearful hugs. Or any variations on that theme. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/78 "2020-05-17T16:54:55Z")
Not the main hero who usually gets a happy ending, but if one of the lesser good guys is about to do something dangerous, he better not say anything that hints of the future, like “see you on the other side” or “let’s get a beer after this” because he will almost certainly not survive it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/79 "2020-05-17T17:13:44Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Boom. Thank-you. > > How about a genre/category, like, almost every single TV drama?🙂 A zombie uprising would be put down pretty fast IRL. Zombies have no strategy and tactics, no self preservation instincts, no weapons other than their own bodies. An armored van and some rifles can easily kill hundreds of them. Anyone who walls themselves off in the second story or higher of a building could easily pick them off. I don’t get why humans are always so helpless against zombies in films. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937/80 "2020-05-17T17:20:12Z")
A man and a woman start out despising one another and then fall in love. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tired-fictional-tropes-you-hate/853937.md?page=5)