Line #20 PlayingWith/AccidentalMarriage


1	'''Basic Trope''': Somebody finds that a seemingly innocuous action means they are now officially married.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob gives a small present to [[TheChiefsDaughter the chieftain's beautiful daughter]], and then finds out that it constitutes a marriage ceremony in her culture.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': Bob shares a drink with the chieftain's three beautiful daughters, and then finds out that it constitutes a polygamous marriage ceremony in their culture.
4	* '''Downplayed''':
5	** Bob shares a drink with the chieftain's beautiful daughter, and then finds out that it means they're [[AccidentalProposal engaged]].
6	** Bob strikes up a relationship with the chieftain's daughter. When he tells her his intentions to marry her, he is informed that the two are already married.
7	* '''Justified''':
8	** The culture in question is very isolated, and is not used to dealing with people who don't know their ways--nobody thought to warn Bob, and Bob had no way of finding out on his own.
9	** A marriage custom in which all marriages are arranged by a lottery-type system, and even those who know the system perfectly are surprised on the day when their number comes up and it's their time to get married. E.g., every three months there is a ritual feast attended by all members of the tribe, and there is always one single man and one single woman--the unsuspecting future groom and bride--who randomly get a wooden fertility doll in their piece of pie.
10	* '''Inverted''':
11	** Bob is already married to the chieftain's daughter, and accidentally does something which constitutes a divorce.
12	** Bob intends to marry the chieftain's daughter. In order to do so, however, he must complete a series of ''long, difficult'' (and occasionally ridiculous) tasks--an EngagementChallenge.
13	* '''Gender-Inverted''': Alice accidentally marries a NobleSavage.
14	* '''Subverted''':
15	** Bob is about to do something that would count as a marriage. His friends try to stop him, only to discover that he's in love with the chieftain's daughter and wants to marry her according to her own customs.
16	** Bob is told that according to tradition, he accidentally got married… but he's quickly reassured that nobody really follows that tradition in modern times, so he's in the clear…
17	** Bob is told that according to tradition, he accidentally got married… but then he's informed that the custom only applies if the person giving the present is a member of the tribe.
18	* '''Double Subverted''': (to Subverted #2) …only, that was before they knew it was the chieftain's daughter he'd done it with. For chieftain's daughters, following tradition is still a definite requirement.
19	* '''Parodied''': When he sees the amazingly beautiful chieftain's daughter, Bob starts doing every weird thing he can think of in the hope that he'll trigger a custom like this.
20	* '''Zig Zagged''': Bob is told that he has accidentally married the chieftain's daughter… but then he admits that he knew what he was doing, because he had fallen in love with her… and ''she'' admits that she was counting on that, because she wanted a ticket out of the village… except that the marriage isn't valid because they forgot a crucial step… which makes both of them happy, because the events of the episode have caused them to change their minds.
21	* '''Averted''': Bob leaves the village with his new bride, only to realize that it was all just a sham and that she was really after something else.
22	* '''Enforced''': The writers want to give Bob some sexual tension with the chieftain's daughter, but since she only shows up for one episode, they need a way to skip past all the normal romantic build-up.
23	* '''Lampshaded''': "You'd think they'd have mentioned that in the guidebook, wouldn't you?"
24	* '''Invoked''':
25	** Someone deliberately sets out to trick Bob into an accidental marriage.
26	** The chieftain's daughter is a SmittenTeenageGirl. She tells Bob that they were accidentally married, but they weren't really--she was lying.
27	* '''Exploited''':
28	** Someone wants Bob's real love interest to dump him, so they make sure she gets word of his "marriage" to the chieftain's daughter--not mentioning, of course, that it was accidental.
29	** Bob actually fancies the chieftain's beautiful daughter and, knowing that such strange customs tend to exist but unsure what they are, [[GambitRoulette is willing to try any friendly gesture and vaguely intimate-looking customary practice he can in order to try and "accidentally" win her.]] (Or, he's just desparate to score with one of the ladies of the tribe and long-term commitment plus GoingNative is a fair price to pay...)
30	* '''Defied''':
31	** Bob makes sure to learn about any unusual customs this culture might have before he goes.
32	** The chieftain declares the marriage null and void because Bob clearly had no idea that his seemingly-innocuous action would constitute a marriage ceremony.
33	* '''Implied''': "Hi guys, I'm back from visiting that tribe in the jungle. I might technically be married to their princess. Depending on how exactly their tribal customs work, of course it's fairly confusing."
34	* '''Discussed''': "If this was one of those wacky shows with weird situations, me giving this girl the thumbs up would result in an accidental marriage somehow! Perhaps her culture takes it as a sign of marriage."
35	* '''Conversed''': "I suppose Bob is getting used to these accidental marriages. This is only like the third one he's been in."
36	* '''Deconstructed''': Bob's accidental marriage raises questions of cultural clashes, the role of tradition, and the way that these things can shape the lives of individuals. Bob is shown to resent the way his UnwantedSpouse follows him around, while the chieftain's daughter is torn between respecting the ways of her people and the fact that her marriage will obviously be unhappy.
37	* '''Reconstructed''':
38	** Even though Bob and the chieftain's daughter are both upset and unhappy to begin with, they decide that it would be silly to let something like that dictate their future lives, and sit down together to work out how they want to deal with it.
39	** MarriageBeforeRomance
40	** Bob and the chieftain's daughter both liked each other anyway, and though it's awkward and presents many difficulties, it was a happy accident that can be worked through.
41
42	----
43	Wait--going back to AccidentalMarriage means I have to marry you? [[CurseCutShort Fu-]]
44	----
45	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
46	%%
47	%%* '''Implied:''': ???
48	%%* '''Untwisted:''': ???
49	%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???
50	%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

Context PlayingWith / AccidentalMarriage