Troperville
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A Brit Com focused on two twenty-something friends at crossroads in their lives. Tim is a cynical aspiring comic book artist and hipster geek who is dumped by his girlfriend in the first episode. Daisy is a bubbly aspiring journalist who doesn't have anything to say nor the work ethic to say it. They pretend to be a couple in order to rent an inexpensive flat. The show focuses on their zany adventures as they struggle to get their lives on track. Tim's military-obsessed friend Mike, Daisy's ditzy glamour friend Twist, Mad Artist Brian in the flat below and dipsomaniac landlady Marsha complete the main cast.
The show was written by its stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. Because Pegg and Wright went on to collaborate on a string of successful films, Stevenson's contributions are often ignored by overeager marketing executives who label the show as "From the creators of Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz." Still, the show's manic camera work and frequent references to popular genre films and TV shows can ring very familiar.
Contains examples of:
Themes
- Sit Com
- Magic Realism: The show presents an exaggerated, cartoonish, and often subjective reality with extreme camerawork, fast editing, and sound effects. Frequent references to genre films and TV shows also blur the lines of reality, while outright dream sequences and fantasies are also very common.
- It happens to such an extent it prompts the characters to question if things they thought just happened really did happen, or to comment on the unbelievability of some of the situations they end up in.
- The Straight Will And Grace: Tim and Daisy share a flat, and both are single heterosexuals attempting the Masquerade of being a couple, nothing sexual happens between them. The audience's expectations of UST are the source of several misdirection jokes.
- Although it's implied that the reason Daisy attempted to move out in the final episode was partially because the UST was becoming unbearable for her, and in the Skip to the End extra, it's confirmed that they are now a real couple with a baby and are still squabbling happily in the same flat. Awwwww.
- Shout Out, Homage, The Parody: By the bucket, of everything, including some rather obscure films and TV shows. The DVDs even have a subtitle track consisting purely of the sources of each reference. This troper and one of his flatmates once made a Drinking Game of identifying them and had to abandon it when unconsciousness loomed.
- The subtitle track in question even sometimes references pure fictional references within the show. In one episode, Daisy is making up a story about working on a movie to impress someone, saying the movie's to be named Guacamole Window. The subtitle on that track then says "Film Ref: Guacamole Window, Directed by and starring Daisy Steiner."
Characters
- The Libby: Daisy's friend Twist is as shallow as a saucer, quite vicious and uncaring of her friend's feelings. And a Fag Hag.
- Mad Artist: Brian is incredibly angsty and tortured (not to mention pretentious) though not in a dangerous way. He does find he's unable to paint when he's happy.
- Ambiguously Gay: Brian is quickly asked point-blank if he is gay, to which he denies after seeming to have just now realized it. He later claims to have had "a romance between two heterosexual men" with his "post-sexual" collaborator Vulva, whom he refers to as a she.
- Mike is hinted to have feelings for Tim at several points.
- She Who Must Not Be Seen: Marsha's daughter Amber, despite her constant rows, is only ever heard, or seen storming down the stairs. Played by the producer's sister in a wig.
- Mood Swinger: Tyres, who has such a short attention span that he can't sustain a single emotion for more than a few seconds.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Marsha's daughter Amber.
- Lady Drunk: Marsha.
- Stalker With A Crush: Brian.
- "I see all of my ex-girlfriends. Well, not so much as to see as to watch."
Tropes
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