History Fridge / GrandTheftAutov

** A little note regarding the last enemy killed on Plan C: before killing him, Michael gives him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech detailing the enemy’s failings]], one point involving “offshoring”. The final enemy is killed by being put in a car that is then pushed off into the ocean. In other words: he [[HoistByHisOwnPetard got]] [[IncrediblyLamePun offshored]].

* The security guard of Franklin's Agency mention that a "guy dressed like a hobo" (implied to be Trevor) wanted to meet Franklin. But why would Franklin cut contacts with him? Multiple reasons : he never particularly liked Trevor in first place, and Franklin got married and had kids so since he knows about Trevor's unpredictable behavior, he is trying to protect his family from him. In addiction, he works in a prestigious company dedicated to help rich clients with problems and associating with Trevor could create some PR problems.

* There are eight random delivery missions for the biker businesses in ''Online''. [[note]] ever since Rockstar patched out the duffle bag delivery mission [[/note]] One of those, the motorcycle delivery that gets ambushed by the police, is exclusive to the Cocaine Lockup. Because it's exclusive to the Cocaine Lockup, it's the only delivery mission where the product is specifically mentioned in the briefing. It's also the only one guaranteed to trigger police attention due to the player getting ambushed at the drop off. It's possible that the police were monitoring the player's communication with [=LJT=] and sent their squad to the drop off once they had evidence of illegal activity.

* Although a TearJerker at first and mostly used as an EstablishingCharacterMoment for Trevor, [[spoiler: Johnny's death also serves as a case of KarmicDeath]]. It only makes sense that a backstabber like [[spoiler: Johnny]] would [[spoiler: meet his end at the hands of]] a person who values loyalty above all else, like Trevor.
** And just to add a little more to why Trevor did what he did apart from just being pissed about Michael's "resurrection", try to listen to [[spoiler: Johnny's]] line for a sec: "Trevor, I'm talking to you '''[[BerserkButton motherfucker]]'''."

* Considering that the previous game set in Los Santos had an African-American protagonist, it isn't that surprising to see [[spoiler:Franklin being given the choice to kill Michael or Trevor, or reunite them for the GoldenEnding.]]
** Franklin isn't the only one who secretly alludes to [[spoiler: taking Option C.]] Devin comments that he's going to run a '''tri'''athlon.
* [[spoiler: When that choice arises, just remember what letter '''C'''anon starts with.]]
** Here's another one for the ending. Remember this piece of [[http://i.imgur.com/7a9MN2A.jpg artwork?]] [[spoiler:Looks like Option C was the canon ending before the game was even out.]]
** Or is it [[spoiler: '''[[FireForgedFriends C]]'''[[FireForgedFriends omp]][[TrueCompanions anions]]]]? Given the above and how Ending C turns out, either makes sense.
** What about the [[spoiler: other 2 endings? Just like Ending C, remember what letters '''A'''rson and '''B'''etrayal start with.]]

* This game, more than any from previous in the series, is a serious offender of the AntiClimaxBoss. [[spoiler: Unlike past games though, this one focuses on the protagonists being TrueCompanions, so instead of large ItsPersonal narrative with a single antagonist, we're instead treated to a "No one fucks with our family."]]

*** [[spoiler:Pretty much, The Families wiping out Los Santos Triads, for good measure.]]

* The dislike between Trevor and Dave is understandably mutual. However, [[spoiler:while Dave impersonated Brad in his letters and emails, he made Brad into someone Trevor liked and respected. Enough to want to bust Brad out of prison and reintegrate into the crew]]. Given the right context, Dave himself probably could have been someone Trevor could respect.
* The take from the bank robbery in the prologue is almost laughably small compared to that of the other heists in the game (less than $200,000 vs. about $5 million for the smallest heist). But then you realize: [[spoiler: Michael planned the Ludendorff job and he planned for it to go bad, so he didn't really care how much money was in it]].

* [[spoiler: Michael makes a great effort to justify his betrayal of Trevor, and even claims that ''he'' was supposed to die instead of Brad. But replaying the prologue, it seems as though his heart wasn't in it even then. He outright begs Trevor to run away and save himself, when letting him stay would've gotten him killed like he supposedly wanted.]]

* Before the credits roll in Ending C, Trevor walks awkwardly off screen, as if he doesn't know quite what to do right now. It's because he just realized too late he doesn't have a vehicle to drive off with [[spoiler:since he pushed it off the cliff and left his truck at Devin's mansion]]. Oops.

** If the player chooses to have Franklin escape the cops alongside Lamar, the duo will talk about the old GSF. They will speculate that the [=OGs=] are either dead or live in mansions, [[spoiler: which is exactly what happened after ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]'']].

** Michael represents the Story, seeing as he's the one who puts the game's plot in motion and has (arguably) the most complex origin story. He even admits to his [[TheShrink Shrink]] that he doesn't kill people for fun and feels like he has a [[SplitPersonality Split Personality]], [[spoiler: almost as if someone was controlling him.]]

** Franklin, [[spoiler:the only protagonist who can't die in the end]], represents [[HundredPercentCompletion 100% Completion]]; he wants to "progress" in his life, and it is he who has the greatest amount of sidequests. He doesn't view senseless killing as a problem, but doesn't enjoy it either, seeing it as [[NecessarilyEvil a means to an end.]]

* Why was it that only Franklin could complete the final missions for both the spaceship pieces and the letter scraps? [[spoiler: Because Franklin was the only one of the three protagonists who was guaranteed to survive the game, no matter whether you choose ending A, B, or C.]]
** Franklin's [[spoiler:guaranteed survival]] is probably also the reason only ''his'' Strangers & Freaks missions (which include the letter scraps & spaceship parts) are required for 100% completion. Rockstar has learned its lesson from their [[UnwinnableByDesign long-ago error with]] [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII Kenji Kasen]], a {{Yakuza}} boss who you could receive a mission to kill before you had finished his]].

* It's very subtle, but during the intro, right as Dave takes the first shot that hits Brad, you see Brad walk in front of Trevor right before the bullet lands. If [[spoiler: Michael's dialogue and Trevor's suspicions concerning the event]] are to be believed, Brad may have [[TakingTheBullet inadvertently taken a shot meant for Trevor]]. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom He saved Trevor's life and]] [[spoiler: [[SpannerInTheWorks derailed a plan that would've otherwise gone perfectly]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom and given Mike a scott-free escape from the criminal life]]]].
** And if Trevor (who tends to be [[SmarterThanYouLook smarter than he looks]]) was able to piece that bit of information together after escaping North Yankton, then we might actually have [[IOweYouMyLife a very good reason]] for why he's so keen on checking in with his old teammate, even if he later admits during the post-game that he wasn't fond of the guy. [[spoiler: Might've also made an interesting thing for Dave to manipulate him with in those fake letters...]]

** Michael sleeps for six hours after saving, the shortest of all three protagonists. If you switch from one character to Michael at certain points in the storyline ([[spoiler:most commonly during the time after his family leaves him]]), there are moments where you can see him abruptly wake up, screaming. He sleeps the shortest because his increasingly-stressful home life is causing him insomnia and nightmares.

* Throughout the storyline, Franklin is repeatedly shown to have difficulty asserting himself, basically doing whatever someone tells him to, no matter how crazy or ill-advised. He is also repeatedly criticized for being distant and uncaring towards his friends. [[spoiler: In the end, he is forced to ''choose'' between killing Michael or Trevor -- for once, he can't just do whatever an authority figure tells him to. And, in the GoldenEnding, he chooses to defy both authority figures and stay true to his friends, thereby resolving both character flaws that have been haunting him through the story. In that light, the fact that the player has the option to [[DownerEnding actually kill Michael or Trevor]] makes perfect sense -- if there weren't those options, it would be ambiguous whether the GoldenEnding was truly a choice or just Franklin panicking at contradictory orders.]]
** Doubles as FridgeHorror when you realize that, if his pushover attitude hadn't been short-circuited by receiving the mutually exclusive orders to [[spoiler: kill both Michael and Trevor]] at the same time, he very well might have just kept doing whatever he was told to, [[spoiler: killing one or both of his friends in the process, probably without even considering another option.]]

* Why does Trevor get angry at the "new" crew members [[spoiler: in the "subtle" approach of the Big Score]]? Even though the crew members might be the same ones you've used throughout the game, Trevor was only present for one of the heists with the other crew members.
* Why Michael is "freaking out" about the heist in the Prologue being blown? [[spoiler: Considering the deal he made with Norton, he wanted to ensure that both Trevor and Brad had no good reason to think he was behind the heist being blown.]]

* The last thing Franklin says to Devin when he [[spoiler:tells him to kill Michael]] is "man, fuck you". [[spoiler:And if one chooses Ending C, Devin ends up fucked]].

** Franklin is always hustling to get ahead in life and can't turn down the promise of getting paid, even when he's getting that promise again from someone that ''didn't'' pay him after the first time, not to mention his Nice Guy attitude leads to him getting easily taken advantage of by others no matter how much he snarks about it. His recurring need to help others likely explains why he's the one to complete the Letter Scraps and Spaceship Parts side-quests as opposed to Michael or Trevor [[spoiler: regardless of if Franklin picks Ending C or not.]]

* Devin Weston is a textbook case study for "affluenza", or how extreme wealth can weaken your conscience and disconnect you from the suffering of others. While he started out as a self-made businessman [[spoiler: according to his obituary]], years of wealth and power have weakened his mental faculties and turned him into an immature little bastard who has no other purpose besides causing misery for his own amusement.

* Endings A and B are already pretty big [[DownerEnding downers]], but they're even worse with all the [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]] running around. [[spoiler:Because Stretch, Wei Cheng, Steven Haines, and Devin Weston are still alive, it's inevitable that they'll all eventually hunt down the surviving protagonists again; their feuds are far from over after all. And because the PowerTrio has officially broken up, they won't be able to help each other out anymore.]] No matter how you look at it, our "heroes'" future prospects look pretty dim.
** What's worse, it can be inferred that the entire game [[spoiler: will eventually end up a ShaggyDogStory for all the surviving protagonists. Franklin will have no choice but to do much of anything other than go back to banging with Lamar, now that his relationships with Michael or Trevor are severed, and if Jimmy's post-Ending A phone call is any indication, Michael's family issues will crop up again as a consequence of openly betraying someone his children knew and loved. After Ending B, Trevor, having no reason to stick around Los Santos anymore, will probably just go back to the desert and being the violent, aimless, grief-stricken junkie he was when the game started.]]

* Concerning Molly Schultz's [[spoiler: death]]: In every previous appearance, she remained calm and professional, even when [[spoiler: withholding money from an angry Franklin]]. Then, [[spoiler: after Michael storms out of Solomon's office to get the film back, he gets a call from Devin Weston saying that Molly's high-strung and won't talk it out. After that, she suddenly panics as soon as Michael's in sight and drives like a maniac trying to get away from Michael, ultimately leading to her death.]] How did she know [[spoiler: Michael]] was coming? Only two people knew [[spoiler: Michael was coming after her]], Solomon and Devin. Solomon wouldn't tell her, so clearly Devin must have called her. Devin clearly didn't tell her the truth [[spoiler: (that you just wanted to talk)]] or she wouldn't have panicked like she did. So, a normally collected, professional woman [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness completely loses it after Devin talks to her]]...the only logical conclusion is that Devin told her ''something'' to make her that afraid of you. What the hell did he say you were planning on ''doing'' to her?
* Mr. K will [[spoiler: die of his injuries. Sure may no longer be a target of the IAA or the FIB, since they both think he's dead, but how is he going to get medical help? Having been declared dead, he has no insurance policy, let alone cash to pay for medical care. The last time we left him, he was so badly hurt he tumbled down the stairs at the airport. His only chance is to disobey Trevor and try to head home, but how is he going to get there in one piece?]].
** Emergency rooms are required to at least stabilize people who come in regardless of ability to pay, so if he can get a passerby to call 911, he should be OK. He'll probably be in a lot of debt and an unpleasant legal limbo (depending on whether the FIB [[spoiler: bothered to get a death certificate, which they probably didn't]]), but he should be able to at least get basic medical attention.

* When Trevor [[spoiler:takes over the Vanilla Unicorn]], it's right on the heels of his [[spoiler:murders of Floyd and Debra]]. That means he came into the place covered in blood from head-to-toe... [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight and literally nobody in the building gave a shit about it]]. Think about it.

* During the IAA raid, after the team's helicopter pilot gets killed, Franklin suggests rapelling downward, but Michael shoots down the idea. If you use a camera mod that gives a fixed angle, you'll notice they literally ''took one floor down'' to repel downwards. What?

* When Trevor said to Debra on whether she will marry him and act abnormally (Like usual), it was because he was extremely lovesick to the point he was in DespairEventHorizon and wanted to alleviate the pain considering that he had to leave Patricia couple of days ago.

* Why do all three protagonists have a different phone each, but the online protagonist can only have an iFruit phone? Because online takes place 6 months before, when the iPhone was the main smartphone.

* The security guard of Franklin's Agency mention that a "guy dressed like a hobo" (implied to be Trevor) wanted to meet Franklin. But why would Franklin cut contacts with him? Multiple reasons : he never particularly liked Trevor in first place, and Franklin got married and with kids so since he know about Trevor's unpredictable behavior, he is trying to protect his family from him. In addiction, he works in a prestigious company dedicated to help rich clients with problems and associating with Trevor could create some PR problems.

* Devin Weston is a textbook case study for "affluenza", or how extreme wealth can weaken your conscience and disconnect you from the suffering of others. While he started out as a self-made businessman [[spoiler: according to his obituary]], years of wealth and power have weakened his mental faculties into an immature little bastard who has no other purpose besides causing misery for his own amusement.

** In short, Devin is worse than Trevor in a lot of ways. Trevor probably isn’t the only one who wanted Devin dead.
* Each of the three-story protagonists' Strangers and Freaks side-missions relate to their differing lifestyles and personality types.

* Trevor’s desire to kill Devin also stems from the fact that Devin has the very personality traits Trevor ‘’despises’’:

** It also serve as a BookEnds for all three of them. Steve killed Sanchez with a headshot and Dave killed Brad with a sniper's bullet during Mike's attempt to leave the criminal life and in turn Steve was sniped in the head, Franklin's nemesis Stretch was handled similar to how Michael handled Simeon in a fist fight and Wei and his gang was finished in a similar fashion to the O'Neil brothers in an explosive manner. Devon himself was killed in a stolen car much like how the game began proper with a stolen car.

** Dishonesty: Devin could easily pay for the cars Trevor tried to steal but makes every effort not to out of sheer pettiness.

* Why was Trevor the one to kidnap Devin Weston in [[GoldenEnding Ending C]]? Many would justifiably assume that it's Trevor, of course, he'd be the sadistic one to do this. It is, however, something Trevor actually wished for the opportunity a while back. Back in a mission involving delivering some cars with Lamar and Franklin, Trevor says he wanted Weston to be a guy who realizes that all the money in the world, can't save him from a guy like him. Trevor, probably doesn't remember this, does in fact get his wish, thanks to Weston having nothing to offer Trevor to save his ass. Trevor relished every second of it.

* The Mexican farmer claims his family had been living around Los Santos for 200 centuries. This is TruthInTelevision: there was already a community of Mexican settlers in RealLife Mexican California, known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californios Californios]], by the time the lands were annexed into the U.S. by the 1840s. The fact that the man has been harassed by people who've been in Los Santos less time than he has, one of them a Russian immigrant, is a subtle swipe at xenophobia and harassment over what side of the border you come from.

** Trevor gets mocked for his Canadian background so he could sympathize with people who were pushed around just because they were born here.

* The Mexican farmer claims his family had been living around Los Santos for 200 centuries. This is TruthInTelevision: there was already a community of Mexican settlers in RealLife California, known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californios Californios]], by the time the lands were annexed into the U.S. by the 1840s. The fact that the man has been harassed by people who've been in Los Santos less time than he has, one of them a Russian immigrant, is a subtle swipe at xenophobia and harassment over what side of the border you come from.

* Why do Patricia and Trevor get along so well? It's not StockholmSyndrome, it's a RescueRomance. Remember how Martin treats her - He's a violent maniac who has no sense of duty, loyalty, or honesty and is also verbally and emotionally abusive towards her. Trevor is the same kind of violent maniac but it's clear he has a sense of duty (he kidnapped her because Martin stiffed him on pay he felt he was due) and honesty (he freely admits he's a violent psychopathic thug) and he treats her very well even as a hostage. We also know (and Patricia likely learned) that Trevor is a very loyal person, which means he has all the major qualities Patricia favors but Martin lacks. And while we don't get to see it on screen, it's likely that Patricia's kidnapping was a huge moment of [[InUniverseCatharsis catharsis]] for her as she got to see someone finally stand up to Martin and be just as abusive towards him as he is towards her.

* Michael getting pushed and beaten around by Martin and his thugs almost immediately after easily dispatching armed Cartel goons at the end of Marriage Counseling might seems to be a case of CutsceneIncompetence. But it should be noted that Martin beats up Michael when confronting him ''right in front of his house'', as such it's very likely that the former has learned about the latter's wife and children as well. Thus it can be inferred that Michael lets himself taking the brunt of Martin's wrath in order to protect his family from the ruthless cartel kingpin if he decides to retaliate against them shall Michael fights back.

* Michael getting pushed and beaten around by Martin and his thugs almost immediately after easily dispatching armed Cartel goons at the end of Marriage Counseling might seems to be a case of CutsceneIncompetence. But it should be noted that Martin beats up Michael when confronting him in front of his house, as such it's very likely that the former has learned about the latter's wife and children as well. Thus it can be inferred that Michael lets himself to be beaten up by Martin in order to spare his family if the ruthless cartel kingpin decides to retaliate against them shall he fights back.

* Trevor reveals that, prior to turning to a life of crime, he was mere days away from becoming an Air Force pilot. Further conversation reveals that he had the desire to use the nuclear option. If it wasn't for the keen eye of the "witch" that failed Trevor's psych evaluation, Trevor may have started a nuclear war.

** Their abilities themselves reflect their specialties and personalities. Franklin's showcases that he's great at driving, Michael's is his focus and pragmatism, and Trevor... can kill [[AxCrazy everything]].

* Michael getting pushed and beaten around by Martin and his thugs almost immediately after easily dispatching armed Cartel goons at the end of Marriage Counseling might seems to be a case of CutsceneIncompetence. But it should be noted that Martin beats up Michael when confronting him in front of his house, as such it's very likely that [[AdultFear the former has learned about the latter's wife and children as well]]. Thus it can be inferred that Michael lets himself to be beaten up by Martin in order to spare his family if the ruthless cartel kingpin decides to retaliate against them shall he fights back.

* Michael getting pushed around and beaten up by Martin and his thugs almost immediately after easily dispatching armed Cartel goons at the end of Marriage Counseling might seems to be a case of CutsceneIncompetence. But it should be noted that Martin beats up Michael when confronting him in front of his house, as such it's very likely that [[AdultFear he has learned about his wife and children as well]]. Thus it can be inferred that Michael lets himself to be beaten up by Martin in order to spare his family if ruthless cartel kingpin decides to retaliate against them should he fights back.

** Michael getting pushed around and beaten up by Martin and his thugs almost immediately after easily dispatching armed Cartel goons at the end of Marriage Counseling might seems to be a case of CutsceneIncompetence. But it should be noted that Martin beats up Michael when confronting him in front of his house, as such it's very likely that [[AdultFear he has learned about his wife and children as well]]. Thus it can be inferred that Michael lets himself to be beaten up by Martin in order to spare his family if ruthless cartel kingpin decides to retaliate against them should he fights back.