Basic Trope: A marriage that sucks.
- Straight: Alice and Bob are always bickering, while not engaged in passive-aggressive shenanigans, and they are living in a nearly Sexless Marriage.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice and Bob have fights that involve actual violence or threats of violence.
- Alice and Bob were arguing and sniping at one another at their own wedding!
- Downplayed: Even though they don't really go on "date night" or have sex too frequently anymore, neither Alice nor Bob seems to be unhappy or regret their choice to marry.
- Justified:
- Alice and Bob married for the wrong reasons and/or rushed into marriage.
- The challenges of day-to-day life and raising three kids have started to take a toll on the marriage.
- Alice and Bob have personal problems that are starting to affect their marriage.
- Alice and Bob's relationship has stagnated, but they don't believe in divorce, or deny that they have problems, or whatever.
- The work is a period drama set at a time when divorce was heavily stigmatized or difficult to obtain.
- Alice and Bob don't have the money for a divorce.
- Alice and Bob are Catholics and the Catholic Church officially prohibits divorce.
- Inverted: Alice and Bob are Happily Married.
- Subverted:
- Alice and Bob have the occasional foible, but it all works out in the end.
- The couple try couples' therapy, and it works quickly.
- The two are in a relationship, but not actually married.
- Alice and Bob divorce or break up.
- Alice and Bob complain about each other, but they seem to be more or less happy together.
- Double Subverted:
- But one or both of them is still unhappy.
- But the therapy only brings out more hurt feelings, which proves too much for them, leading to even more fighting.
- They try the therapist's suggestions, only to fall right back into their old patterns.
- The relationship is still an unhappy one, and the couple fight over every little thing.
- But it takes them an insanely long time before they decide to do so.
- The divorce or breakup doesn't stop them from fighting.
- Alice and Bob get back together and still haven't resolved their issues. They keep breaking up and getting back together repeatedly.
- Publicly, that is. In private, they're always fighting.
- Parodied: Slap-Slap-Kiss.
- Zig Zagged: Alice and Bob are married, then they start fighting and cheating and whatnot, then get divorced, then get back together. Rinse and repeat.
- Averted:
- Alice and Bob are Happily Married.
- Alice and Bob are not married or living together.
- Enforced: Rule of Funny.
- Lampshaded: "Why did I ever want to get married, again?"
- Invoked: Alice and Bob have a Fourth-Date Marriage and find incompatibilities cropping up everywhere.
- Exploited: Charlie is in love with Bob, and he points out their marriage problems to break them up.
- Defied: Alice and Bob don't let that bother them, and treat each other with respect and set healthy boundaries. Their relationship improves.
- Discussed: "I heard Alice and Bob fighting again last night."
- Conversed: "I don't know why they don't just get divorced. Really, I think Charles is a better match for Alice, anyway."
- Deconstructed:
- Alice and Bob are unhappy, and that may affect their families. Plus, it puts a lot of stress on Alice and Bob themselves, leading to more bickering and more stress. Rinse and repeat.
- Seeing their parents so miserable and constantly fighting makes the kids miserable in turn, and leaves them with no idea of how healthy relationships are supposed to be like.
- Played For Laughs: Bob treats every interaction with his wife as a Faux Horrific Mundane Made Awesome battle.
- Played For Drama:
- Alice and Bob have affairs.
- The relationship is portrayed as very dangerous.
- Implied:
- Alice is offered vacation time, and her boss suggests she go on a trip with her husband. Alice does not seem very excited by this idea.
- Alice and Bob divorced before the work takes place. One/both of them mentions that they had a good reason to break up with each other.
Back to Awful Wedded Life.
