Basic Trope: A character, usually a woman, believes that every (doomed) relationship will be The One.
- Straight: Alice falls in love with men at the drop of a hat and has terrible taste in men, yet is convinced that every relationship she gets into is "The One".
- Exaggerated: Alice falls in love every five seconds, and each man she falls for is more detestable than the last.
- Downplayed: Alice falls in love at the drop of a hat, but knows from the start that some of the relationships won't work.
- Justified:
- Alice really wants someone to care for her. So she thinks she's willing to look past a few (or several) flaws, but then changes her mind.
- Alice is desperate.
- Inverted:
- Alice has nothing but the most impeccable standards for who dates her.
- Alice gets into an incredibly long relationship with Bob. He has all the hallmarks of "The One", but she refuses to consider him as such.
- Subverted:
- Alice eventually finds Charles, a man who appears to be the one.
- Alice isn't really seeking a man; she's In Love with Love.
- Double Subverted:
- Alice quickly finds out that Charles is the biggest jerk she's ever dated.
- Alice was lying because she's embarrassed about her situation.
- Parodied: Bob is around - he's everything Alice wants, needs, and should look for in a man. He's handsome, has a great job, and is an all-around saint. However, Alice repeatedly ignores him to go after worse and worse men.
- Zig Zagged: She's found the one! Wait, he's a bigger jerk than usual. But that was just at first and she changed him into a better person.
- Averted:
- Everyone who is dating has regular standards.
- None of the characters are dating.
- Enforced: "We need a depressing character on this show. How about one of those women who's always trying - and failing - to find the One?"
- Lampshaded: "Well, that's the twelfth guy I've dated that's not the one."
- Invoked: Alice runs into Carol, who has found the love of her life. She starts thinking...
- Exploited: Men play along with Alice's fantasies, reasoning it's an easy way to get a date.
- Defied:
- Alice decides that she might not find a perfect man, but knows she'll find one who at least sort of suits her.
- After several failed attempts to find the one, Alice opts to remain single.
- Discussed: "So, how many guys did you date before me?" "Actually, none. I got lucky and found you on the first try."
- Conversed: "Alice is so picky! Why can't she just accept one of these men as good enough? I mean, it's not like they're abusive or anything."
- Deconstructed:
- Alice never finds the one because she's so busy dating around.
- Alice has a tough time discerning "The Butterflies" from actual love; when "The Butterflies" feeling fades, she assumes that she has fallen out of love with the guy (and/or that he has fallen out of love with her), not realizing that real love takes time and effort, and is about far more than schmoopy feelings.
- Reconstructed: Alice eventually finds her man after a great deal of searching, and puts work into the relationship.
- Played For Laughs: Alice says that a comically ugly jerk of an Abhorrent Admirer is The One.
- Played For Drama:
- Alice gets into an incredibly unhappy relationship. But she's so exhausted from searching for men that she refuses to believe he's not The One.
- Alice can't find The One because she's too desperate as a result of insecurity about her single status. Her blatantly obvious desperation and insecurity turn the good men off, and the Jerkasses use it to their advantage.
- Implied: Alice is seen blindingly in love with many different men. It's not clear what happened, but she can't seem to make them stay.
Maybe Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places is the one...
