# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 241
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4829 "2025-03-17T12:25:33Z")
Pistols at dawn! 😡 ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4830 "2025-03-17T12:41:48Z")
> [@EnolaStraight](#): > > If the cops question me about some guy in a grey Nissan SUV last week, I will truthfully have no memory of that utterly unmemorable event. (\*Discreetly hands a $20 bill over to **EnolaStraight** \*) How’s your memory now-- getting any better? ---
**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:** [March 18, 2025, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4831 "2025-03-18T03:47:38Z")
If a sidekick of the main detective finds a body or bomb-making equipment or disturbing obsession artwork or some such unusual thing, they never say, “Hey I found a body or bomb-making equipment or disturbing obsession artwork or some such unusual thing.” Instead they go over to the main detective and say, “Boss/Guv’nor/Sir you need to see this.” or “There’s something you need to see.” And then they and the camera move over to whatever it is that the sidekick found. This always takes me out of the story. If you find something, just friggin’ say so. I bet real life sidekicks are completely capable of verbalizing their discoveries without unnecessarily putting their bosses into a momentary state of suspense. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4832 "2025-03-18T10:13:46Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Is there even room for all thirteen at the table? In the painting it looks like there are settings for maybe eight and the rest are standing behind the table talking. I had a book by a woman living with back-country indians in Mexico 70-80 years ago, in which she discusses the experience of living with people who don’t have much furniture – or anything else much. > [@](#): > > 26:23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. > [@](#): > > 26:26 Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples There are always people standing behind you, waiting for their turn. Important people go first. Sometimes you dip and turn and give something to your kid standing behind you. > [@7 Pillars of Wisdom](#): > > after rum we all came forward to sink on one knee round the tray, wedging in and cuddling up till the twenty-two for whom there was barely space were grouped around the food. We turned back our right sleeves to the elbow, and, taking lead from Nasir with a low ‘In the name of God the merciful, the loving-kind’, we dipped together … When all had stopped, Nasir meaningly cleared his throat, and we rose up together in haste with an explosive ‘God requite it you, O host’, to group ourselves outside among the tent-ropes while the next twenty guests inherited our leaving. … When our backs were turned the children would run in disorder upon the ravaged dish, ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4833 "2025-03-18T12:54:50Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > I bet real life sidekicks are completely capable of verbalizing their discoveries without unnecessarily putting their bosses into a momentary state of suspense. Is it to to keep the viewer in suspense about the discovery? If so … I love the scenes where there’s a predictable conversation, and director/producer have some loud foreground noise, or otherwise makes the conversation inaudible, to make the viewer concentrate on the actors faces rather than their words. E.g. I remember Better Call Saul season 1, when Howard tells Jimmy they won’t employ him as lawyer, there’s a loud operating copier in the foreground. They could do it like: `"Boss, there's a , it looks like . Better come and look."` ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4834 "2025-03-18T14:00:41Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > If a sidekick of the main detective finds a body or bomb-making equipment or disturbing obsession artwork or some such unusual thing, they never say, “Hey I found a body or bomb-making equipment or disturbing obsession artwork or some such unusual thing.” Instead they go over to the main detective and say, “Boss/Guv’nor/Sir you need to see this.” or “There’s something you need to see.” And then they and the camera move over to whatever it is that the sidekick found. Star Trek TNG used to do this a lot as well to push the plot. “Engineering to bridge.” “What is it LaForge?” “Captain, you gotta come down here and see this.” ---
**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:** [March 18, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4835 "2025-03-18T14:46:05Z")
I’d like the sidekick to say “You need to see this” and have it turn out to be a really nice sunset and all the detectives and suspects and bystanders and even the ME all stop what they are doing and admire the sunset for about 10 minutes commenting wistfully on the colors. And then they slowly wander back to the investigation. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4836 "2025-03-18T17:51:23Z")
Or if we’re sinking to “Naked Gun”-levels of humor, a scantily dressed female sunbather who doesn’t know she’s visible to the investigators. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecc23a/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada_Jr)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4837 "2025-03-18T18:12:16Z")
> [@Chelonaut](#): > > But I’m glad cats can’t talk. > **[Tobermory by H. H. Munro (aka Saki) | shortsonline](https://xpressenglish.com/tobermory/)** > > A scientist teaches Tobermory, a house-cat, to speak perfect English. Unfortunately, he doesn't tell the cat that the truth can sometimes hurt. Text, PDF, mp3 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4838 "2025-03-18T18:35:55Z")
You can work hard for years to get your Doctor of Physical Therapy degree but apparently all they teach you is to yell at someone while they struggle to walk using the parallel bars. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4839 "2025-03-18T18:41:03Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Instead they go over to the main detective and say, “Boss/Guv’nor/Sir you need to see this.” or “There’s something you need to see.” Or call them. “Let’s meet.” But JAFO ends up dead before the meeting. Yes I know. Probably the 5th or 6th time that’s been mentioned in this thread. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4840 "2025-03-18T19:03:39Z")
But it’s still (over)used so often. I’d field that phone call with “NO, I’m not driving downtown just to find you dead. Tell you what: give me the details NOW, then go hide.” ---
**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:** [March 19, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4841 "2025-03-19T13:18:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > You can work hard for years to get your Doctor of Physical Therapy degree but apparently all they teach you is to yell at someone while they struggle to walk using the parallel bars. Which reminds me of a common trope (probably already mentioned here, possibly even by me) in which a main character becomes paralyzed from the waist down in an accident, and manages to get feeling back in their legs and eventually walk again through sheer hard work and force of will (with the help of their physical therapist yelling at them to “try harder!”). It’s the worst sort of ‘happy ending’ glurge because it carries a subtle implication that anybody in the real world who becomes paralyzed and _wasn’t_ ever able to walk again just didn’t want it badly enough. This trope used to be extremely common, especially in old TV shows, but I don’t think it’s as common anymore, so it may be a better fit in " [Dead or nearly dead tropes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797)". ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4842 "2025-03-19T13:31:25Z")
Which reminds me of one of the tropes I dislike intensely. My wife’s late husband and my late wife both passed away from brain tumors. They were not coherent, loving, and full of wisdom right up until they closed their eyes for the last time. It was the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4843 "2025-03-19T14:05:59Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > They were not coherent, loving, and full of wisdom right up until they closed their eyes for the last time. It was the opposite. Ah, dying of Ali McGraw’s Disease. However, even back then (the 70’s), there were films like [Turkish Delight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Delight_(1973_film)) (1973) an early Verhoeven film (before he started believing his own press clippings) that has a rather “bracing” take on the realities of terminal illness (including a character with a brain tumor). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4844 "2025-03-20T05:19:02Z")
“I’ve had worse.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4845 "2025-03-20T05:25:07Z")
In the immediate aftermath of the stroke I had 1. My right arm and hand were only good for hanging down from my shoulder and B. My right foot pointed down and the leg wasn’t much good for walking or standing. At no time did my leading PT yell at me. One time, though, a PT student was holding a 8" cone for me to reach for with my right hand. Each time he moved where I had to reach for it. After a while I said “You’re just fucking with me now, right?”. He was speechless and my Lead PT did a spit take with the coffee she had been sipping on. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4846 "2025-03-20T05:37:49Z")
They have to work their way up to 360 joules. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4847 "2025-03-20T13:05:21Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > In the immediate aftermath of the stroke I had 1. My right arm and hand were only good for hanging down from my shoulder and B. My right foot pointed down and the leg wasn’t much good for walking or standing. At no time did my leading PT yell at me. One time, though, a PT student was holding a 8" cone for me to reach for with my right hand. Each time he moved where I had to reach for it. After a while I said “You’re just fucking with me now, right?”. He was speechless and my Lead PT did a spit take with the coffee she had been sipping on. If you weren’t walking the parallel bars is it even PT? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/4848 "2025-03-20T16:38:10Z")
This was in between the two bars. I had to relearn how to walk sideways also. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=240) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=242)