History Main / PlotParallel

* Near the end of ''RebuildOfEvangelion 2.0'', [[{{Meganekko}} Makinami]] decides to execute a program called ''The Beast'', which allows the Pilot to "rid itself of its humanity" and transform into a Angel-like being. After "transforming," she fights off against an Angel, which previously [[spoiler:absorbed Rei, who is now considered dead. In a way, Rei is "transforming" into an Angel.]] [[ContinuityNod This nicely parallels]] with [[NeonGenesisEvangelion the original's]] Episode 23, which had [[spoiler:Rei being absorbed by an Angel that's progressively absorbing her EVA and herself. In this case, Rei decides to [[TakingYouWithMe self-destruct the EVA]], since she would rather die than become an Angel.]]

* Also by Alan Moore, the plot of {{The Killing Joke}} is paralleled by the joke at the end. How the parallel works can be interpreted many ways.

* ''{{iCarly}}'' and it's five episode Sam/Freddie romance arc ended with one of these. In the A-Plot, Sam and Freddie were trying to become closer. In the B-Plot, Spencer and his older babysitter (he was 10, she was 15) entered a relationship that got creepy as she started acting like his babysitter again and bossing him around. Carly ends the B-Plot by telling Spencer and the babysitter that their relationship is creepy and weird, and that they were forcing a romantic connection out of their babysitter/child relationship. Sam and Freddie overhear this, and both realize that even though Carly wasn't talking about them, her words matched their dysfunctional relationship. They discuss it, then break up.

* ''{{Watchmen}}'' is chock full of parallelism, but probably the most obvious example is the fake comic "[[ShowWithinAShow Tales of the Black Freighter]];" the sailor's desperate and violent struggle to save his family from the Black Freighter ([[HeWhofightsMonsters which ends in him killing an innocent man and joining the Freighter's crew]]) is an allusion to [[spoiler:Ozymandias, who commits murder and mass murder in his attempt to restore "peace" to the Cold War world]].

** In "The Great Divide," the B-plot is about Sokka and Katara, who are bickering about one being messy while the other is neat. The A-plot is that two tribes are bickering, because one is messy and the other is neat. This leads to a subversion of the DoubleAesop, because although Sokka and Katara make up easily, the tribes don't.\\
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Essentially, the [[PlotThreads A-plot]] is repeated in miniature in the B-plot. By looking at the results of one, the main character or audience gains a greater understanding of the other. This is a fairly common variation on TwoLinesNoWaiting, as it gives the story layers and depth while remaining concise. It allows you to more fully explore each story-- they prop one another up. Sometimes takes the form of a ShowWithinAShow.

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]
* ''{{Watchmen}}'' is chock full of parallelism, but probably the most obvious example is the fake comic "[[ShowWithinAShow Tales of the Black Freighter]];" the sailor's desperate and violent struggle to save his family from the Black Freighter ([[HeWhofightsMonsters which ends in him killing an innocent man and joining the Freighter's crew]]) is an allusion to [[spoiler:Ozymandias, who commits murder and mass murder in his attempt to restore "peace" to the Cold War world]].

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Played straight in ''SitaSingsTheBlues''. The author of the movie learns [[spoiler:how to cope with her divorce]] by reading the {{Ramayana}} and eventually making it into this movie.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* In the novel ''The English Patient'', the love story of Kip and Hana provides several parallels to that of Almasy and Katherine, and points up some of the novel's major themes, particularly that of man-made divisions (geography, racial discrimination) being the source of many of the world's troubles. The movie, by diminishing the Kip/Hana story and altering its resolution, doesn't really embody this trope the way the novel does.
* In ''Rodrigo y el libro sin final'' (''Rodrigo and the unfinished book''), the titular character, a nine-year-old boy, helps a novelist suffering from writer's block to find an ending for a book he borrowed from the library. In the process, the writer discovers that some events in the book can be put in parallel with his own life: he and the pirate whose adventures he narrated left their girlfriends to live their dreams; both of them are now old men; both of them feel guilty when the past reappears and have to make a decision. The ending [[spoiler: is open: we never know whether author and character make the same decision or take different routes.]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* This happens in almost every episode of ''{{Lost}}'', with the flashbacks/sideways parallelling what is happening on the island. For instance, in one season six episode focusing on Ben, in the flashsideways Ben has to make a choice between power and Alex. In the main story, he is forced to deal with the consequences of having already made that choice.
* The troubled romance/sexual tension between Amber and one of the counselors in ''{{Huge}}'' is paralleled by the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' expy ''Phantasma'', which the girls of the camp have been fangirling over. The forbidden love comparison becomes even more apparent when scenes of Amber and the counselor are shown between scenes of the ''Phantasma'' movie.

[[AC:Theatre]]

* ''{{Oklahoma}}!'''s subplot is a comic version of the A-story's LoveTriangle, with the BetaCouple having the same issues as the main couple.

[[AC: Video Games]]
* In ''[[DeusExInvisibleWar Deus Ex: Invisible War]]'', there's a minor B-Plot about two rival coffee companies, and their desire to wipe each other out. It turns out [[spoiler: the two chains are run by the same company]]. Later on, the player discovers that two factions in the A-Plot are doing the same thing.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In the ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]'' episode "The Great Divide," the B-plot is about Sokka and Katara, who are bickering about one being messy while the other is neat. The A-plot is that two tribes are bickering, because one is messy and the other is neat. This leads to a subversion of the DoubleAesop, because although Sokka and Katara make up easily, the tribes don't.
** ''Avatar'' does this a few times. Another example is "Bitter Work": In the main plot, Aang has a hard time learning Earthbending, while in the B-plot, his rival Zuko is learning a difficult Firebending technique. The parallel shows how the two characters deal with frustration, showing their contrasting personalities all while advancing the plot.

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* This happens in almost every episode of ''{{Lost}}'', with the flashbacks/flash-whatevers parallelling what is happening on the island. The one I can think of right now is the Ben episode in season six, where in the flashsideways Ben has to make a choice between power and Alex. In the island reality he is forced to deal with the consequences of having already made that choice.

[[AC: Video Games]]
* In [[DeusExInvisibleWar Deus Ex: Invisible War]], there's a minor B-Plot about two rival coffee companies, and their desire to wipe each other out. It turns out [[spoiler: the two chains are run by the same company]]. Later on, the player discovers that two factions in the A-Plot are doing the same thing.
* In MassEffect2, the Illium PA system airs ads for ''Blasto the Hannar Spectre.'' Judging by the quotes you hear from the show, it's clear Blasto follows the Renegade path.

* The troubled romance/sexual tension between Amber and one of the counselors in ''{{Huge}}'' is paralleled by the ''{{Twilight}}'' expy ''Phantasma'', which the girls of the camp have been fangirling over. The forbidden love comparison becomes even more apparent when scenes of Amber and the counselor are shown between scenes of the ''Phantasma'' movie.

* In ''Rodrigo y el libro sin final'' (''Rodrigo and the unfinished book''), the titular character, a nine-year-old boy, helps a novelist suffering from writer's block to find an ending for a book he borrowed from the library. Some events in that book can be put in parallel with the writer's own life: he and the pirate whose adventures are narrated in the book left their girlfriends to live their dreams; both of them are now old men; both of them feel guilty when the past reappears and have to make a decision. The ending [[spoiler: is open: we never know whether author and character make the same decision or take different routes.]]

* In the novel ''The English Patient'', the love story of Kip and Hana provides several parallels to that of Almasy and Katherine, and points up some of the novel's major themes, particularly that of man-made divisions (geography, racial discrimination) being the source of many of the world's troubles. The movie, by diminishing the Kip/Hana story and altering its resolution, doesn't really embody this trope the way the movie does.

* ''TheWestWing'' also did it frequently. At the end of one episode where the A-plot is Sam finding out shocking, identity-threatening truths about people he cares about, he tells Donna, "It's just that there are certain things you're sure of, like longitude and latitude." Funny he should put it like that considering one of the B-plots was C.J. and Josh learning about the inaccuracy of common map projections and how the world literally isn't what they thought it was.

Essentially, the [[PlotThreads A-plot]] is repeated in miniature in the B-plot. By looking at the results of one, the main character (or the audience) gains a greater understanding of the other. This is a fairly common variation on TwoLinesNoWaiting, as it gives the story layers and depth while remaining concise. It allows you to more fully explore each story-- they prop one another up. Sometimes takes the form of a ShowWithinAShow.

For example, suppose the A-plot has the heroine trying to get a pair of rare birds to mate. The B-plot is the heroine is in denial about being in love with her best friend. By getting the birds together, she realizes she is in love with her friend. Another example: A lawyer defends a client who is accused of incompetence because of his age. The B-plot shows the lawyer worried that he's too old for the job. In defending his client, the lawyer realizes he's not ready to retire yet.

* In the ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "The Great Divide," the B-plot is about Sokka and Katara, who are bickering about one being messy while the other is neat. The A-plot is that two tribes are bickering, because one is messy and the other is neat. This leads to a subversion of the DoubleAesop, because although Sokka and Katara make up easily, the tribes don't.