Tropes You Wish Were Retired

[Independent George]

Which tropes do you wish writers would try to avoid? Why do they bother you so much? These are the ones that really bug me these days:

Tap on the Head - I really hate this one. This one probably pre-dates the silent film era, but it's especially egregious now because there are so many better, more plausible ways of incapacitating someone without killing them these days. A choke hold, drugs, tazer/stun gun... so why persist in using the tap on the head?

Magic Antidote - I've hated this ever since I first started to comprehend basic biology... back in Jr. High. Anybody who's ever done basic research before hiking knows that snakebite antivenom just prevents <I>further</I> damage to your internal organs.

Hollywood Hacking - I don't expect Neal Stephenson-level research, but I'm actually offended by how stupid most representations of hacking is. And it's not like you can use the excuse that most people are unfamiliar with computers anymore; by now, the 60 year-old senior execs at my office has spent twenty years working on computer networks.

Hollywood Silencer - A gunshot from the average handgun is about 155 dB loud. The very best suppressors reduce noise by about 30 dB, so even with subsonic ammunition, a suppressed handgun is about 125 dB - or about as loud as a jackhammer. It doesn't make a soft 'pffft!' sound that can't be heard from the next room.

The Main Characters Do Everything - I know some of this is necessary just because you can't hire a different actor for every peon on the logistics change - but the really egregious examples bother me. The worst non-CSI example I've seen recently is Agents of SHIELD, where the sole pilot goes out on combat missions with the non-replaceable scientists for no good reason.

[drawkcabi]

Poor Communication and Misunderstandings.

Hate these incredibly. I find I enjoy movies or TV shows much more when characters are upfront and honest or if they do conceal or hide things it's deliberate and usually the trait of a villain/antagonist or a protagonist clearly turning antagonist. No more misunderstood protagonists that could solve 95% of their problems if they could just speak plainly to someone, it has really become grating for me.

[Kyoshi]

Every once in a while a character in need of redemption or just some time off screen, usually a medical doctor, goes to do some excellent work in Africa.

The more annoying thing is that this doctor goes to AFRICA. I've tried explaining this on the board before and I feel that I failed since quite a few people still didn't get why, as an African, it matters that the name of the African country where this awesome doctor is going actually be mentioned.

At the end of the day, I'm just annoyed at the Hollywood version of Africa. At the depiction of Africa as a country and not a continent with 50+ countries and a myriad of extremely different people, who have extremely diverse problems.

[Kyoshi]

And the angry black woman. I really wish that would go away.

[Kaminsod]

The Husband is a bumbling idiot trope. You know, the one most commonly found in sitcoms, where the husband/man is a bumbling, overgrown manchild who the wife must babysit at all times, otherwise everything will ultimately fall to chaos.

[Kikajon]

Every once in a while a character in need of redemption or just some time off screen, usually a medical doctor, goes to do some excellent work in Africa.

The more annoying thing is that this doctor goes to AFRICA. I've tried explaining this on the board before and I feel that I failed since quite a few people still didn't get why, as an African, it matters that the name of the African country where this awesome doctor is going actually be mentioned.

At the end of the day, I'm just annoyed at the Hollywood version of Africa. At the depiction of Africa as a country and not a continent with 50+ countries and a myriad of extremely different people, who have extremely diverse problems.

you made me laugh!! :lol:

You're totally right. It has spread also in the local fiction of my country. Doctor and priests often disappear in "Africa", it's like we were still in the roman empire "hic sunt leones" and a map like Southyros.

And to add another trope of the kind, when they have some character coming from east Europe they make up some absurd name, which I find appropriate only in the cases of "Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Borat"

[Bluetiger]

"There are some minor characters, but their plotlines don't matter, as only main protagonist has impact on outcome"

" Antagonist is evil because he is evil for no reason. "

"When Antagonist captures Protagonist, he tells him all his plans ( see James Bond: Goldfinger)

" Main character's mother is dead"

" Main character is an idiot but he has clever friends who do everything for him"

[Lord Bowie]

"There are some minor characters, but their plotlines don't matter, as only main protagonist has impact on outcome"

" Antagonist is evil because he is evil for no reason. "

"When Antagonist captures Protagonist, he tells him all his plans ( see James Bond: Goldfinger)

" Main character's mother is dead"

" Main character is an idiot but he has clever friends who do everything for him"

Bond heard Goldfinger talking about his plans while hiding beneath the Bank's mockup without his knowledge. But I do agree with you, only with different examples.

What really irritates me, though, is the characters that pop up in the story solely to help with the protagonist's arc. Also when a lot of people die without showing their humanity or the violence of it all. A lot of times in the fantasy and sci/fi genre folks die all the time but we should only care if the person is directly close to the hero. That pisses me off.

[Independent George]

Every once in a while a character in need of redemption or just some time off screen, usually a medical doctor, goes to do some excellent work in Africa.

The more annoying thing is that this doctor goes to AFRICA. I've tried explaining this on the board before and I feel that I failed since quite a few people still didn't get why, as an African, it matters that the name of the African country where this awesome doctor is going actually be mentioned.

At the end of the day, I'm just annoyed at the Hollywood version of Africa. At the depiction of Africa as a country and not a continent with 50+ countries and a myriad of extremely different people, who have extremely diverse problems.

Oh my God - the worst part about that trope is that it goes beyond fictional representations - there are a lot of otherwise educated people who have trouble understanding that (1) Africa is a continent, and (2) it's really, really big.

[HexMachina]

Every once in a while a character in need of redemption or just some time off screen, usually a medical doctor, goes to do some excellent work in Africa.

The more annoying thing is that this doctor goes to AFRICA. I've tried explaining this on the board before and I feel that I failed since quite a few people still didn't get why, as an African, it matters that the name of the African country where this awesome doctor is going actually be mentioned.

At the end of the day, I'm just annoyed at the Hollywood version of Africa. At the depiction of Africa as a country and not a continent with 50+ countries and a myriad of extremely different people, who have extremely diverse problems.

Africa means the Lion King, duh! :D

[Winterfell is Burning]

The Husband is a bumbling idiot trope. You know, the one most commonly found in sitcoms, where the husband/man is a bumbling, overgrown manchild who the wife must babysit at all times, otherwise everything will ultimately fall to chaos.

Also, the husband is an average looking, often fat idiot, while the wife looks better than most supermodels.

[Kyoshi]

The Husband is a bumbling idiot trope. You know, the one most commonly found in sitcoms, where the husband/man is a bumbling, overgrown manchild who the wife must babysit at all times, otherwise everything will ultimately fall to chaos.

Family Guy. But I could be wrong since I watched less than ten episodes before abandoning it.

"There are some minor characters, but their plotlines don't matter, as only main protagonist has impact on outcome"

" Antagonist is evil because he is evil for no reason. "

"When Antagonist captures Protagonist, he tells him all his plans ( see James Bond: Goldfinger)

" Main character's mother is dead"

" Main character is an idiot but he has clever friends who do everything for him"

On the evil stuff, one word, drumroll...DragonballZ. watched it recently and couldn't handle how evil the bad guys were. I thought it was awesome when I was a child.

On AFRICA: It's also reached that point where I also can't help but laugh.

Oh my God - the worst part about that trope is that it goes beyond fictional representations - there are a lot of otherwise educated people who have trouble understanding that (1) Africa is a continent, and (2) it's really, really big.

That's the point I always try to make. There's a Ted Talks "episode" titled The Danger of a Single Story. The speaker is far more eloquent on the matter than I am. Most people are to be honest.

[Kyoshi]

My experience with American teenage girls is limited to Hollywood. So I can't really know if at one point, they all slam the door and scream this to their mothers, "you're ruining my life!"

I cannot state how much this annoys me every time I see it in a movie or series.

[Kat]

The one where the same U.S. cities get destroyed in the same ways in every disaster movie. Like the Golden Gate Bridge has to fall down or get zapped from space in some way. It's not that big of a target. We have another bridge which is much larger and a better earthquake target as well.

[Kyoshi]

^I forgot that one. It reminded me of the one where, when the disaster commences, they show us everyone on Hollywood-Earth sitting in front of a TV watching the same news channel i.e. the Eiffel Tower and then French people in a cafe, The Taj Mahal and then Indian people in a temple, the Colosseum and then Italian people in a cafe, big city lights [usually Tokyo, Japan] and then people drinking either tea or sake. Every time.

I'm trying to remember if they've ever shown the Great Wall or Christ the Redeemer. I know I've seen the pyramids, I just can't remember where the Egyptians watch their TV from.

[Mladen]

I actually love TV tropes about doctors. They make the job look so sexy... I am so sorry to do this, but, believe it or not, we don't have sex around the hospital. Not on daily basis, at least. And second, doctors are allowed to marry outside their work place. And after the whole day spent with your hands in someone's body, dealing with fluids and the other beauties of the job, you kinda try to avoid drama in your life. Especially whom you want to sleep with.

[SerHaHa]

One thing regarding suppressors - I agree Hollywood/TV always screw this up, but with a subsonic lightly loaded .22, I can shoot my Ruger Mk2 with a suppressor can be made very quiet, the ping of the firing pin striking and the thud of the little round hitting the ground nearby is louder than the muzzle report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzWaRDRrvkg

[Liffguard]

Yeah, the suppressor thing depends on the weapon. I've fired an mp5 suppressed and whilst it didn't make a hollywood "pew pew" sound, the working parts cycling was the loudest part of the whole operation.

[Veltigar]

Oh my God - the worst part about that trope is that it goes beyond fictional representations - there are a lot of otherwise educated people who have trouble understanding that (1) Africa is a continent, and (2) it's really, really big.

Well, part of the problem with (2) is the way Africa is represented on most maps. It looks pretty small on a normal map, which is due to the Mercator projection distorting sizes. On a realistic worldmap (which for some reason isn't standard. Anyone have any idea why?) Africa would be much, much larger.

[Winterfell is Burning]

Both poor communication and coincidences are acceptable when they are used to start a story (for example, two friends that lost contact years before meet each other on a train; a husband and a wife have a silly fight due to poor communication- she storms out of house and is hit by a car) but to sole the plot or to advance the story to the point the writer wants to it's less acceptable, IMO.