Line #48 Fridge/GrandTheftAutoV


1	'''As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
2	----
3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	[[folder: Fridge Brilliance]]
7	* Although a TearJerker at first and mostly used as an EstablishingCharacterMoment for Trevor, Johnny's death also serves as a case of KarmicDeath. It only makes sense that a backstabber like Johnny would meet his end at the hands of a person who values loyalty above all else, like Trevor.
8	** 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 Johnny's line for a sec: "Trevor, I'm talking to you '''[[BerserkButton motherfucker]]'''."
9	* Remember how violent the cops are in this game? Remember how extremely efficient they are at wasting you? Well, remember that the game satirizes all aspects of American Culture, so the extremely violent police is just a part of it. it makes even more sense if you know that Los Santos is essentially a carbon-copy of Los Angeles, a place infamously known for its police brutality, especially against African-American people.
10	** Further highlighted by the game's parody of the "To Protect and Serve" tag on the LSPD squad cars, being "Obey and Survive".
11	* The second trailer for the game features the song Skeletons by Music/StevieWonder. Think about it, the song is about the damage lying can do, and one of the main conflicts of the game is Michael's betrayal.
12	** As can be learned by reading through these trope pages for GTA V, "Skeletons" is also an indicator that throughout the story, you discover a lot of secrets about secondary or tertiary characters, and some of them are pretty horrifying.
13	* Considering that the previous game set in Los Santos had an African-American protagonist, it isn't that surprising to see Franklin being given the choice to kill Michael or Trevor, or reunite them for the GoldenEnding.
14	** Franklin isn't the only one who secretly alludes to taking Option C. Devin comments that he's going to run a '''tri'''athlon.
15	* When that choice arises, just remember what letter '''C'''anon starts with.
16	** Here's another one for the ending. Remember this piece of [[http://i.imgur.com/7a9MN2A.jpg artwork?]] Looks like Option C was the canon ending before the game was even out.
17	** Or is it '''[[FireForgedFriends C]]'''[[FireForgedFriends omp]][[TrueCompanions anions]]? Given the above and how Ending C turns out, either makes sense.
18	** What about the other 2 endings? Just like Ending C, remember what letters '''A'''rson and '''B'''etrayal start with.
19	* How does Trevor do all these dangerous things with trains and planes without dying? The company flag in his trailer from his military days has Courage Wolf as its mascot, that's why!
20	* Why does Trevor start with such a low driving stat while Franklin and Michael start with high ones? Answer: Trevor is supposed to be the representation of your typical GTA player. The typical GTA player [[DrivesLikeCrazy usually crashes a lot, drives recklessly often against traffic, drives on sidewalks and runs over pedestrians]].
21	** In addition, this is why his strength and shooting skills are so high, randomly punching people and getting into shootouts are both popular pastimes.
22	** Bizarrely though, Trevor's stamina skill is noticeably very ''low'' despite GTA players likely running everywhere. This may, however, be a result of his meth addiction rather than representing the average GTA player’s behavior.
23	** There's also the reason why Trevor is an AcePilot: Aside in-story that he was a former pilot in the air force, your typical GTA player, if they're tired of driving, will fly in planes and helicopters just to explore the skies.
24	* There are points where Franklin is called out for having ATeamFiring skills, in spite of being as good a shot as the usual GTA-protagonist. But then you realize that [[OvershadowedByAwesome it's really only in comparison to]] [[BadassInANiceSuit Michael]] and [[OneManArmy Trevor]], who both have abilities that grant BulletTime (and in Trevor's case, goes full LimitBreak with taking less damage while dealing more out) - the problem isn't that Franklin's a bad shot, it's that Mike and Trev have ImprobableAimingSkills even compared to the usual GTA-protagonist!
25	** 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... [[AxCrazy can kill everything]].
26	* This game, more than any from previous in the series, is a serious offender of the AntiClimaxBoss. 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."
27	* Ending C has some brilliance in how the antagonists are dispatched, specifically with the gold requirements and the situations they find themselves in.
28	** Stretch, in his few appearances, [[DirtyCoward attempts to have Franklin and Lamar killed through ambushes and never doing it himself, face-to-face.]] The gold requirement dictates Michael killing Stretch in a one-on-one fist fight.
29	** Steve Haines spends most of the time [[ManipulativeBastard making the protagonists do his bidding behind the scenes.]] The requirement states that Trevor must assassinate him with a [[BoomHeadshot headshot]] from long range.
30	** Wei Cheng orders Michael's death via the [[CruelAndUnusualDeath slaughterhouse.]] The gold requirements has Franklin blow up Cheng inside his car via a sticky bomb.
31	*** Pretty much, The Families wiping out Los Santos Triads, for good measure.
32	** The antagonists are also placed in situations which are best suited for the protagonist they screwed over: Stretch is placed in an open area where Franklin can assassinate him with a drive-by. Haines is a moving target who can easily be dispatched with Mike's BulletTime mode. Cheng is in a heavily-armed convoy which Trevor in his LimitBreak state can easily wreck.
33	** [[RuleOfThree Also also,]] the antagonists are all paired with protagonists who mirror their traits, at least, in the eyes of others. [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Michael takes down Stretch]], [[AxCrazy Trevor kills Haines]], and [[ConsummateProfessional Franklin handles]] [[AffablyEvil Wei Cheng.]]
34	** When you come to kill Stretch, he's conversing with a group of Ballas. When they become aware of your presence, the Ballas [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves run away and leave Stretch to fight you on his own]].
35	** 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. Devin himself was killed in a stolen car much like how the game began proper with a stolen car.
36	** 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]] [[{{Pun}} offshored]].
37	** While it was done to prevent Franklin from being fingered as a known associate, Michael volunteering to be the one to kill Stretch makes a lot of sense from a class-welfare standpoint. After all, the authorities are notorious for being unable to prosecute wealthy white guys killing minorities, and the Ballas themselves likely wouldn't be able to get revenge on Michael at all (if they can even find him) without attracting all sorts of police attention.
38	* The random encounter that serves as a ShoutOut to ''Literature/NoCountryForOldMen'' happens pretty much on top of the location where Trevor can do the hunting activity. In the book, Moss came across the site of the drug deal gone bad while he was out hunting himself. Rock Star Games did everything they could to put you into Moss' shoes by even ensuring that the player has the same motivation for going to that particular locale that he did.
39	* The dislike between Trevor and Dave is understandably mutual. However, 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.
40	* 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: 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.
41	* When Trevor asked Debra whether she would marry him and act abnormally (like usual), it was because he was extremely lovesick to the point he was near the DespairEventHorizon over having to leave Patricia earlier and was simply trying to alleviate the pain.
42	* Properties are pretty worthless in terms of gameplay since they'll take such a ludicrously long amount of time before providing a return of investment. However, one could consider buying them to be a form of VideoGameCaringPotential. By purchasing the properties, you're ensuring the protagonists will have a steady income in the future so they don't just have to rely on heists to get by. 75 weeks might be a long time in-game, but life will inevitably go on for Franklin, Michael, and Trevor after all. This is how they can truly "win" the game.
43	* Why does everyone seem to give Mike and Franklin hell for being fat, even though [[InformedFlaw they really aren't]]? Because this is Vinewood and they'd be considered [[HollywoodPudgy chubby by its standards]].
44	* 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.
45	* Besides being an obvious rip off of the FBI, the FIB is a pretty appropriate name when you consider that fib is a another word for lie, which is what they're pretty much built around.
46	* 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 since he pushed it off the cliff and left his truck at Devin's mansion. Oops.
47	* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' the president of the United States' name is Joe Lawton and is a TakeThat at then President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. He is still president in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', which takes place five years later in 2013. Since the GTA games poke fun at current events and uses NoCelebritiesWereHarmed liberally, it could be a swipe at [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama Obama]] for continuing many of Bush's policies, saying the two are interchangeable.
48	* 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 still the king of the smartphone market.
49	* The little CJ/Ryder/Big Smoke Cameo in Hood Safari hints they are in this era, but why are they good friends? Because in this continuity the Families have zero qualms dealing hard drugs so Smoke and Ryder had no motive to betray CJ and Sweet.
50	** 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, which is exactly what happened after ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas San Andreas]]''.
51	** Alternatively, it could mean that the Ballas successfully killed Sweet in this timeline instead of Beverly Johnson, and Big Smoke and Ryder simply got out of the game since the GSF essentially had no leadership.
52	* Most people have come to believe that the 3 protagonists are meant to represent the 3 standard types of GTA players. A less common interpretation is that the protagonists represent 3 classic aspects of the series, and hence of [[WideOpenSandbox Wide Open Sandboxes]] in general:
53	** 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]], almost as if someone was controlling him.
54	*** An alternate interpretation of Michael is that he's already "won" the game, but you can't win the game unless you progress through the game. Who do you have to play as before you can play as Michael in the main timeline? Franklin, who wants to progress through the game.
55	** Franklin, 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.]]
56	*** His desire to get a more comfortable lifestyle and annoyance at being everyone's errand boy is like how many players want to quickly get by the small early missions in the game to the big crazy missions that have high payouts like heists.
57	** Lastly, Trevor represents the old-school murderous jerking around, rampages and the like: he admits he doesn't care about money and whatnot, just the thrill of the heist. Most of his missions are crazy and fun, but rarely lead anywhere.
58	*** Also, notice that his relationship with Michael and Franklin is rather antagonistic? Jerking around and going on rampages has been noted to be detrimental to progressing through the story and achieving 100% Completion.
59	* Why was it that only Franklin could complete the final missions for both the spaceship pieces and the letter scraps? 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.
60	** Franklin's 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]] [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII Kenji Kasen]], a {{Yakuza}} boss who you could receive a mission to kill before you had finished his.
61	* The reason why all protagonists must lose the cops in certain missions, before calling the mission giver? The police can check their phone records to see who they were working with if they get Busted.
62	* Some critics have pointed out how unlikeable the protagonists are and gives a sense of TooBleakStoppedCaring. However look at the social commentary and TakeThat on gaming. Now look at ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' telling gamers DoNotDoThisCoolThing. GTA V could easily be the same game for gangsters.
63	* 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 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]] [[SpannerInTheWorks derailed a plan that would've otherwise gone perfectly]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom and given Mike a scott-free escape from the criminal life]].
64	** 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. Might've also made an interesting thing for Dave to manipulate him with in those fake letters...
65	* How long each of the main characters sleep after saving the game:
66	** 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 (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.
67	** Trevor sleeps for twelve hours, the longest of all three protagonists. Trevor is well known for abusing meth, a stimulant. A couple of withdrawal effects of methamphetamine include fatigue, decreased movement, and sleepiness. He sleeps the longest because he is facing withdrawal from meth.
68	** Franklin sleeps for eight hours, which is usually agreed to be healthy and average for most adults. While Franklin does have psychological issues like Michael (depression) and abuses drugs like Trevor (weed), his problems are nowhere near as severe as them, and thus he has a more ordinary sleep schedule.
69	* Each of the main protagonist's smartphones resembles a real life version, Michael's iFruit 9iX is obviously the GTA Universe's equivalent to an iPhone, Franklin's Bittersweet resembles the Galaxy and Trevor's Facade's counterpart is the Nokia Lumia with Windows Phone. Each of the character also represents what people usually associate their real life counterparts with. The iPhone is seen as the phone of choice for the wealthy, the Galaxy is a popular choice for young people, and Nokias are well known for surviving in the harshest conditions, including the Lumia.
70	* In Online, in the first "Setup" of the first heist, the Fleeca job, Lester has you pick up supplies for your heists, which include all of the outfits in the "Heist" categories you can buy in clothes stores, some other outfits, and a whole lot of masks. The combined value of all the clothes and masks must reach into the millions, which seems a bit much to "invest in new talent". However, Lester does own a garment factory, and Lester, being, well, [[TheSmartGuy Lester]], would most likely know how to get all the materials either free or dirt cheap.
71	* 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. 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.
72	** Doubles as FridgeHorror when you realize that, if his pushover attitude hadn't been short-circuited by receiving the mutually exclusive orders to kill both Michael and Trevor at the same time, he very well might have just kept doing whatever he was told to, killing one or both of his friends in the process, probably without even considering another option.
73	** Franklin is aware of this fault with himself, as he comments numerous times throughout the game that he really has to learn to say 'No' to people, usually when Tonya is guilt-tripping him into helping JB ''again'' or when Dom is telling him to do something reckless and dangerous. This makes him finally breaking the habit a great personal victory, as he's finally turned someone down.
74	--->'''Franklin:''' [to BoundAndGagged Devin] My bad homie! I picked C, ain't that a bitch.
75	* Why does [[AxCrazy Trevor]] have the highest starting money out of all of the GTA protagonists with roughly $100,000? Because, as revealed in Online, he continued making money by making meth and having the player character in Online take out his competitors. It also explains why The Lost are in such a pitiful state in the single player game due to so many missions in Online involving taking out members of The Lost.
76	** Not just that, but in the prologue, Trevor is still carrying a bag when he is escaping from the ambush, so he still had some of the Take, which he probably used to start up his business, he does mention he bought and paid for the building that his meth lab is in, even a shell of a building like the lab costs a chunk.
77	* Franklin's starting car seems too high end for someone who has the lowest amount of money starting out in the game. But, at the beginning of the game, Franklin is a Repoman for Simeon. At one point before the story, Simeon [[PetTheDog gave the car to Franklin as a bonus or a gift]].
78	** Alternate explanation: One of the early missions has Franklin & Lamar repo a bike, but they end up killing the owner. Franklin then decides to just keep the bike. It's possible he got his car under similar circumstances.
79	* Trevor definitely has some... interesting opinions about Michael. There are moments when he feels that he can't live without Michael and there are moments when he wants to kill him. But regardless, they all stem from how much he cares about Michael, from being clearly jealous of Amanda to being more than willing to have Michael stay at his trailer. Given that there are also throwaway lines in the game that state that Trevor is not straight, it wouldn't be a surprise if there are hidden feelings that Trevor sees Michael as more than just a friend or surrogate brother.
80	** A more likely reason - alluded to when Trevor was talking to Wade on the way over to LS, is that Michael could rein in Trevor's more... impulsive actions, for the greater good/success of their criminal activities. This is further reflected in Trevor's missions where Michael isn't working with him, whether it be his decision to kill the Aztecas leader which resulted in the gang complicating his later meth deal, or the Merryweather heist where he basically steals a nuke by not bothering to learn just what was in that heavily-guarded boat.
81	* The area Mirror Park is located about where Glen Park is in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''. However, while Glen Park was gang-controlled territory, Mirror Park is full of {{hipster}}s and certainly can't be considered a dangerous neighborhood. Assuming that, like the 3D Universe's Los Santos, the HD Lost Santos used to have a Glen Park in 1992, how did it go from being a rough neighborhood to a trendy one? One word: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrification Gentrification.]] Granted, some of it also has to do with the fact that Glen Park is based off of [=MacArthur=] Park, and Mirror Park is meant to be Echo Park and Silver Lake. Gentrification would still be an apt explanation for the change in neighborhood, with the implicit message of "millennials try to help low-income neighborhood, but only end up pushing everyone else out and making it hipsterville."
82	* Nikki, one of the dancers at the Vanilla Unicorn, is an African-American woman who dances in purple underwear and boots. Take her home and you'll see her house is located in Strawberry, very close to the Balla-controlled Grove Street. Kind of explains her choice of clothing colour.
83	* As of the Further Adventures in Finance and Felony update, the Vapid FMJ was added to the Legendary Motorsport website in Online mode. The FMJ is based on the new 2016 second generation Ford GT. Vapid has another supercar in the game called the Vapid Bullet. What's the Vapid Bullet based on? The ''original'' Ford GT.
84	* Why do cars from ''Videogame/GrandTheftAuto2'' appear in ''Grand Theft Auto 5?'' It's because they both take place in 2013!
85	* Why do Patricia and Trevor get along so well? It's not StockholmSyndrome, it's a RescueRomance.
86	** 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.
87	** 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.
88	** It ties into a little bit of fridge horror too: if Patricia is the wife of a Mexican drug lord, she must've seen so much horrible shit that even someone like Trevor could be the lesser evil.
89	* Possibly unintentional, but even the choice of banks for all three protagonists reflect their stories and personalities: Franklin uses Fleeca because he tries to '''flee''' from life with his aunt in the ghetto and the pointless small-time robberies, car repo and street gangster crap that amounts to nothing. Michael uses MAZE - he is trapped in the '''maze''' of his own life, people he screwed or loves but can't understand, caught in the middle of the rivalry between IAA and FIB (He even tells Franklin in one cutscene that "He told so many stories he is starting to lose track of all of them") etc. And Trevor uses Bank of Liberty - what is the most important value to Trevor beside loyalty? '''Liberty''' to do whatever he wants, because no one can tell him what to do (as he told Mr. K).
90	* Why does Trevor get angry at the "new" crew members 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.
91	* Why Michael is "freaking out" about the heist in the Prologue being blown? 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.
92	** Several of his lines/reactions in the prologue make more sense, or have a much different implications after knowing Michael was behind the bust. Such as his "Depends on how you look at it" response to Trevor saying there was "enough money for us all to enjoy". or "You got that right" when Trevor said "There'll be time for grieving later", or even "It's not supposed to go down like this", when the local cops show up.
93	* Michael joining the Epsilon Program makes sense when you consider that his psychiatrist, Dr. Friedlander, is unhelpful and extorts money, which is exactly what real life ChurchOfHappyology thinks about psychiatry (by contrast, Epsilon doesn't steal his money, just forces him to buy things to move onto the next step).
94	* Why is it that no matter how much chaos you cause during delivery missions for your businesses, you don't attract police attention online? Your MC/Organization called Lester for the cops to turn a blind eye/bribed the police offscreen, two abilities you can use in actual gameplay to cause mayhem without getting the cops on your case.
95	* The last thing Franklin says to Devin when he tells him to kill Michael is "man, fuck you". And if one chooses Ending C, Devin ends up fucked.
96	* Even if Michael decides to let Dr. Friedlander go, he still ends up getting murdered. But why? Well, it's important to remember that Michael is being employed by two corrupt and ruthless FIB agents on an unofficial basis, and it's unlikely that they'd just let one of their assets be compromised, especially given the risk of someone connecting him with them. Honestly, Friedlander should consider himself lucky Haines didn't decide to "[[ColdBloodedTorture interrogate]]" him before killing him...
97	* Why is there so much content exclusive to GTA: Online? ''Online'' begins six months before the event of the SP, but the timeline moves forward with each update as confirmed by ''Gunrunning''. The SP doesn't have a lot of Online content because these content only become available years after the event of the SP in-universe.
98	* When preparing one of the heists, Trevor works on the harbor with Floyd, operating a crane. At one point, he even states to Floyd that he's "high as a kite", to Floyd's horror, but there's ingame no sign of Trevor being really on drugs at the time. It's not necessarily GameplayAndStorySegregation: as Trevor is very twisted and bullies Floyd a lot, it may very well be a sick joke he told to scare Floyd for shits and giggles.
99	* A bit minor, but according to the source code, animals can call the police to report gunshots. Which in a way makes sense: animals would logically run away from gunfire, and if Animal Control or any agency tasked with wildlife protection actually exists in the GTA world, they would figure out what happened (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) pretty fast. Especially if wilderness shootings happen on a regular basis, which, in the GTA world, they probably do.
100	* One of the prep missions for the Casino Heist is to acquire a security keycard from a dead valet whose body is still at the morgue. Lester mentions how the Casino's valets are dying all the times for unexplained reasons. Anyone who has ever played GTA Online and has gone to the Casino has killed the valet at least once, with many players being serial valet killers and killing the valet at the door any time they are about to enter the casino.
101	* During the Paleto Score, tank crews seem to suffer from a bad case of ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy, but think about it... They want that money back, which can't happen if they just shell the heisters.
102	* In Online, one of the popularity missions for the nightclub involves putting up "fly posters" around the city. After the job is complete, one of the things Tony might tell you is that ''they're practically free". This is one of the few nightclub popularity missions that can't be failed by dying and the only fail condition is running out of time. It's also the only one that doesn't tell the other players that the player is doing a popularity mission. The posters are practically free because this is the easiest popularity mission to complete.
103	* Each of the protagonists can also represent each of the the 3D era games Protagonists:
104	** Trevor is Claude, a sociopathic, killing machine whose loyalty only extends so far unless they betray him, he also holds grudges, Claude's entire motivation throughout 3 was to get revenge on Catalina, who betrayed him by leaving him to die in a heist.
105	** Michael is Tommy Vercetti, being clean-cut, an affection for 80s culture, rich, and seems to prefer sweet-talking to hostile means, has a TranquilFury sort of anger, and repays loyalty well, but will cut you out if you are unstable/untrustworthy (Lance/Trevor). Their accents even match.
106	** Franklin is CJ, Both enjoy cars, they are working to get themselves out of the hood, dissatisfied with their lot in life, and by getting involved with much bigger players, end up riding their way to success.
107	* 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. Also qualifies as FridgeLogic, as each of the antagonists are [[Film/StrangersOnATrain killed by the protagonist they had the least connection to]].
108	* Trevor’s desire to kill Devin also stems from the fact that Devin has the very personality traits Trevor ''despises'':
109	** Dishonesty: Devin could easily pay for the cars Trevor tried to steal but makes every effort not to out of sheer pettiness. Trevor refusing Devin’s desperate attempts to buy his way out of trouble isn’t just out of hate: Devin’s proven to be an untrustworthy son of a bitch who will never keep his word.
110	** Cowardice: despite being an incredibly obnoxious human being, Devin has more bark than bite and relies on thugs to do his dirty work. When Devin finally gets into a confrontation with Trevor, he hides, folds like paper and pathetically begs for mercy.
111	** Disloyalty: Trevor is a jackass but he is a jackass who values loyalty. Devin has ‘’no’’ loyalty to anyone. Even Molly, his most dedicated employee, was nothing but a tool in his eyes.
112	** Finally, Devin stooped as low as trying to kill Michael’s family out of petty revenge, something Trevor wouldn’t do.
113	** In short, Devin is worse than Trevor in a lot of ways. Yes, he hasn't committed any murders personally, but that's because he pays other people to do it. Without money, he's a cowardly little pussy whose arrogance has probably earned him the hatred of people besides Trevor.
114	* Each of the three-story protagonists' Strangers and Freaks side-missions relates to their differing lifestyles and personality types.
115	** 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 regardless of if Franklin picks Ending C or not.
116	** Michael, having the least amount of side-missions, has little need for meeting "Strangers and Freaks" with his crazy family and his phony therapist being enough for his structured affluent lifestyle. That being said, he is desperate enough to humor an obvious scammy cult such as the Epsilon Program, and considering his family leaves him around the same point in the game's plot, him joining the cult matches his loss of personal direction with his life being thrown out of whack. His family leaving him happens after the unexpected return of Trevor Philips as well, and before getting roped into being the FIB's personal servant.
117	** Trevor has no real aim in life aside from making money and causing chaos wherever he roams and fittingly enough, meets up with individuals just as kooky and off-kilter as him. The Rampage missions are particularly a good match for Trevor, lining up with his explosive short fuse temper.
118	* In the infamous mission 'By the Book,' Trevor is required to torture a man for Steve Haines to get the description of a target that Michael, supervised by Dave Norton, then has to snipe. You're initially given one of the most useless descriptions imaginable by Haines: An Azerbaijani male of average height and average build. At a party full of people. If you snipe the wrong target at this point they call off the operation because you didn't wait for an identification. If you snipe the ''right'' target, though, Norton is stunned but treats the operation as a success and confirms the kill. The only way this can be the case is if Haines and Norton already know exactly what the target looks like, down to what they're wearing (which is really the only way to tell him apart at a glance), and Haines is just having Trevor torture Mr. K. for kicks. The way he conducts the interrogation if you keep going strongly suggests this is the case.
119	* 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 takes the brunt of Martin's wrath himself in order to protect his family from the ruthless cartel kingpin if he decides to retaliate against them shall Michael fights back.
120	* According to dialogue in ''Online,'' Trevor has 'gone Vinewood' and become a 'lifestyle coach' in the years following the Union Depository heist. This makes sense. Trevor loves nothing more than to boss around, bully, and shout at vulnerable people like Ron, Wade, and Floyd, and now he's making a living getting paid to act the same way by people who ''want'' him to boss them around, bully them, and shout at them. He probably got the idea from Michael talking about Fabien. As a secondary point, though, it moves him a lot closer to Martin and Patricia Madrazo so he can continue to keep an eye on Martin and make sure he doesn't forget his promise.
121	* There are nine random delivery missions for the biker businesses in ''Online''. [[note]] ever since Rockstar patched out the duffle bag delivery mission [[/note]] Two of those, the motorcycle delivery that gets ambushed by the police and the van delivery with a pot-smoking passenger, are exclusive to the Cocaine Lockup and the Weed Farm respectively. Because they're exclusive to the Cocaine Lockup and Weed Farm, they're the only delivery missions where the product is specifically mentioned in the briefing. They're also the only ones guaranteed to trigger police attention due to the player getting ambushed at the drop off or chased en route. It's possible that the police were monitoring the player's communication with [=LJT=] and sent their squad to intervene once they had evidence of illegal activity.
122	** Considering how stoned you get from the second hand smoking to the point you can't even drive your truck in a straight line, cops wouldn't exactly be lacking in evidence in the weed delivery mission, and even after weed is legalized both in IRL California and GTA Online Los Santos, DUI would still be illegal.
123	* KDJ and Sessanta may at first look like they treat themselves as bigger than you are, despite what you've been doing... until you realize that ''they don't know how much you've done''. And why not? The player probably keeps a low profile to avoid potential threats. Lester knows your worth because you've worked with him before, and Miguel and Pavel know because of Martin, who you've also done work for. Sessanta and KDJ are implied to be somewhat newer to this whole thing, so ''of course'' they don't immediately think much of you; they're LockedOutOfTheLoop.
124	* The security guard of Franklin's Agency mentioned that a "guy dressed like a hobo" (implied to be Trevor) wanted to meet Franklin. But why would Franklin limit/cut contact with him? Multiple reasons: he never particularly liked Trevor in first place, and Franklin got married and had kids so he knows about Trevor's unpredictable behavior, he is trying to protect his family from him. In addition, he works in a prestigious company dedicated to help rich clients with problems, and publicly associating with Trevor could create some PR problems.
125	* Trevor shows one of his [[EvenEvilHasStandards few moments of humanity]] by turning on the civil border patrol guys. Why would he be disgusted with them?
126	** Trevor gets mocked for his Canadian background so he could sympathize with people who were pushed around just because they weren't born American citizens.
127	** Also, the Mexican farmer who ordered Trevor to go after them was brave enough to stand up to Trevor. Even at gunpoint. [[VillainRespect Trevor, a self-proclaimed hater of cowards, would have far more respect for someone that fearless than two idiots who pick on people]].
128	* The Mexican farmer claims his family had been living around Los Santos for 200 years. 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.
129	* 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 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.
130	* In ''Online'', the player takes some missions and a heist from Trevor before the events of story mode, and some agency contracts from Franklin after the events of story mode. Why don't they interact with Michael? Because before the events of story mode, Michael had retired, and as of the end of story mode, he's given up crime to produce movies (and a line from Franklin implies he's still doing so). None of what Michael did in either timeframe fits in with the player's activities, whereas Trevor and Franklin had/have their own criminal operations going on.
131	** This is also why you only meet Trevor and Franklin in those specific times. Before the events of the story mode, Trevor would be willing to hire the player as some extra muscle; after story mode, he's reconnected with Michael and Lester, so has access to more trustworthy people (plus, the line from Ron implying Trevor eventually went straight). Meanwhile, Franklin was just a gangbanger and repo guy before the events of the story, whereas afterwards he's used the skills he gained to set up his own business.
132	* Franklin, the guy who spent all of story mode doing whatever missions and quests he was given and not having any real control of his life, ends up making a living for himself in ''Online'' by running his own company, telling ''other'' people what to do and giving ''them'' missions.
133	* After being drugged by Jimmy, Michael hallucinates being surrounded by apes, abducted by aliens, experimented on by aliens, dropped out of the ship, and falling back into the city as he hears voices criticising him. Although it appears to be weird for the sake of weird, it does make sense when you apply it to Michael's past.
134	** '''Apes''': The apes represent the criminals that Michael associated with in his past. Apes are unofficially associated with anger and violence, which are evident by phrases like "Go ape" and "Go ape shit" are associated with rage or how "Organ grinders monkey" refers to someone who does the dirty work for someone else. Since Michael isn't a monkey like the others in his dream, it represents how he thinks he's above the other criminals and more civilised by emulating the personalities of action heroes. But as Trevor and Friedlander have pointed out to Michael, Michael isn't any better than them and should harmonise with his demons rather than deny them.
135	** '''Aliens''': The aliens represent the FIB, they lifted him out of his criminal life, changed his identity, and dropped him off in Vinewood.
136	** '''Falling''': In dreams, falling usually represents a loss of control over an important situation. After being forced to rob a jewellery store to pay a debt to Martin Madrazzo. However, in doing so, Trevor finds him and Michael's family leaves him because they believe Michael is going to get them killed through his actions.
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	[[folder: Fridge Horror]]
140	* Fans of the series always wanted a protagonist who is extremely badass and unrelenting. Well, they got what they wanted in Trevor. Unfortunately, Trevor only became that badass and unrelenting [[MoralEventHorizon because he has undoubtedly crossed a lot]] [[AxCrazy of moral boundaries]], which can result in a [[{{Understatement}} little bit]] of insanity. You know what they say, BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor.
141	* After Martin tells Michael to tell Trevor "the truth" about who he is, Michael describes Martin as "a terrifying psychopath". One wonders if [[AxCrazy Trevor]] [[EvilerThanThou took that as a challenge]].
142	* Franklin introduces Martin as someone who makes witnesses and evidence that threaten his public image and power base go "missing". Well, in the online game set months earlier, we finally get to meet his EliteMook behind those mysterious deaths and disappearances... [[YouBastard YOU.]]
143	* In Online, everyone and their mother can get the protagonist's contact information. Martin, Brucie, Dom, random people you car jack. How? The protagonist met Lamar through ''Lifeinvader'', the website notorious for selling its members' ''personal information''.
144	* Endings A and B are already pretty big [[DownerEnding downers]], but they're even worse with all the [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]] running around. 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.
145	** What's worse, it can be inferred that the entire game 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.
146	* Trevor says his father disappeared and says he "wasn't very nice". Later, when Floyd and Debra threaten him he says they "aren't very fucking nice"...guess what happens to them...and we can now assume [[{{Patricide}} what happened to Trevor's father]].
147	* 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, or at least have committed several war crimes while in service.
148	* Concerning Molly Schultz's death: In every previous appearance, she remained calm and professional, even when withholding money from an angry Franklin. Then, 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 Michael was coming? Only two people knew 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 (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?
149	* Mr. K will 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?
150	** 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 bothered to get a death certificate, which they probably didn't), but he should be able to at least get basic medical attention.
151	* In the episode of "[[ShowWithinAShow The Underbelly of Paradise]]" that can be watched in-game, a member of the Ballas cusses out Steve Haines. Given what a bastard Haines is off-camera, the gangsta may very well have [[BullyingADragon bitten off more]] [[MuggingTheMonster than he could chew]]...
152	* When Trevor takes over the Vanilla Unicorn, it's right on the heels of his 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.
153	* Bank Heists were fun for most players, but banks are places were people put their savings. So by robbing the banks, a lot of lives can be ruined.
154	** Actually, if it's remotely like real life, people's savings are insured. What you're likely to steal (and is in fact made explicit in the fleeca heist in Online) are valuables "hidden from the taxman, that no one's gonna report missing". One famous IRL bank heist in France (more of a burglary by exploiting weak security by going through a tunnel) has the exact value and contents of its take still unknown because all the deposit boxes were looted but ''not a single person'' reported their missing valuables.
155	* There's a man on Bleeter who claims that he's watched all the porn on the Internet. If he isn't joking or exaggerating anything, it's likely he could've also seen some taboo stuff, such as [[PaedoHunt child porn]], [[ILoveTheDead necrophilia]], and [[BestialityIsDepraved bestiality]].
156	* During the Bunker sell missions, Agent 14 tells you that your buyers are not the kind of people you want to meet face-to-face, and that you should be thankful you're only doing dead-drop deliveries. Even if the player hasn't completed all the heists or the Doomsday heist, its safe to say that Agent 14 is well aware of the [[AxCrazy kind of person]] the [[BadassNormal Online Protagonist]] is. If Agent 14 is not exaggerating, does Agent 14 actually consider them ''worse'' than the Online Protagonist? [[NothingIsScarier You never find out who your buyers are]], but one can only imagine what they want guns for in the first place, and you just put them in their hands.
157	** Alternatively, though not much better since it would imply a ruthless cold calculus, Agent 14 is afraid the deal could turn ugly and the Online Characters would end up killing his clients... And thus, losing the arms deal and the money involved.
158	* After completing "By The Book", check Weazel News and you'll hear that Tahir Javan actually wasn't doing anything wrong. In other words, ''the FIB roped Michael into'' '''''assassinating an innocent man'''''.
159	** Or at least, [[GovernmentConspiracy that's what they want the public to believe]].
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder: Fridge Logic]]
163	* During the IAA raid, after the team's helicopter pilot gets killed, Franklin suggests rappelling 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?
164	* Solomon Richards made Michael the Executive Producer for ''Meltdown'' in the main story. You can see the film in Online mode where the story is a prequel of the overall plot.
165	** Likely just an unintentional oversight on Rockstar's part.
166	** However, Agent 14 notes that the year is 2017 (at least around the timing of the mission "Mole Man"), and a radio station in Story mode and Online, blonded Los Santos 97.8 FM, plays music created after 2015.
167	** However, this beg the question: Why do theaters still show a mixed-reviewed movie four years after its release?
168	* The [[CoolCar Z-Type]] is said to have only ten ever made. However, you can have an entire lobby (thirty players) each with their own Z-Type out.
169	** GameplayAndStorySegregation in its purest form.
170	*** Given the game's satirical nature, it's entirely possible that the Z-Type's 'ten of a kind' gimmick is a marketing ploy.
171	*** It's entirely plausible that they meant "ten survived", which would fit well with the Online Protagonist's antics.
172	*** The Z-Type costs $10,000,000 in Story mode, and only $950,000 in Online. It could be that the Z-Types in Online are replica kit cars.
173	* Pedestrians can comment on a movie being an "epic fail". How does the term "Epic Fail" exist when the ''GTA'' world's rules mean ''VideoGame/BlazingStar'' wouldn't exist to influence it?

Context Fridge / GrandTheftAutoV