This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Mr Death: So, um...how is this different from Brick Joke again? Or Running Gag for that matter?
- Known Unknown: Brick Joke, despite having the word Joke in the title, isn't specifically a gag or joke. It's a seemingly minor, and easily forgotten, plot element that sets up more plot later on. This is where one joke comes and goes, and then is used to set up a later joke as well - here case, as well, this it isn't something one-off, it's a full joke that seems done and over with. This is a type of Brick Joke, but it's not necessarily the same thing. On the other hand, a Running Gag is where a joke is repeatedly... er... repeated, not necessarily setting itself up each time, while this is basically a single cause and effect.
Mr Death: Well, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. So you're saying is that Brick Joke encompasses things that seem insignificant, but come into the plot later...isn't that pretty much the definition of Chekhov's Gun? Is Chekhov's Gag just "Brick Joke with an actual joke"? Shouldn't the one with "Joke" in the name be about, well, jokes? This just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.
- Known Unknown: True. Chekhov's Gag and Brick Joke do overlap. I good way to look at it is: Chekhov's Gag is a type of Brick Joke, which is a type of Chekhov's Gun. So they of course share characteristics. Also, Brick Joke is named after something.
Darkaros: I indexed the page, though I'm not sure it's working yet, to This Index Will Be Important Later. ...Still don't understand the difference you guys are talking about though, it just sounds like the lovechild of Brick Joke and Chekhov's Gun. From what I understand, it's a Brick Joke that starts as a joke, then continues being a joke in a different way. Which I swear is another trope already... I'm still confused. to:
