# 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:** 1\ **Showing post:** 4841
**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)". --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311)._