Basic Trope: A character that never speaks suddenly speaks.
- Straight: Charlie never spoke in the first episodes of "Tropers", but at one point he suddenly begins speaking.
- Exaggerated: Charlie was entirely silent, but suddenly he speaks in entire speeches.
- Downplayed:
- Charlie did speak originally, but now he has more speaking roles.
- Charlie was originally completely silent (other than possibly the occasional vocalization). He still doesn't actually speak, but does make sounds more frequently.
- Justified:
- Charlie has selective mutism, and didn't feel comfortable speaking originally.
- Charlie simply had nothing to say before.
- Charlie was mute originally, but somehow was cured.
- Charlie was originally a normal animal, but then he became an Uplifted Animal with the ability to speak.
- Charlie is a baby saying his first words.
- Inverted: Charlie used to speak all the time, but he suddenly stopped one day.
- Subverted:
- Charlie actually wasn't speaking - someone else was, but it was at the same time he opened his mouth.
- Charlie seems to be about to speak, but stops.
- Double Subverted: And then Charlie actually does suddenly speak later.
- Parodied: Charlie suddenly begins reciting Shakespeare with no explanation whatsoever.
- Zig-Zagged: Charlie is usually silent, but Once an Episode he says something.
- Averted:
- Charlie always speaks.
- Charlie never speaks, and stays this way for the whole series.
- Enforced:
- To show that something has gotten serious.
- Charlie worked well as a Cute Mute character, but the producers/Charlie's actor found that it was hard to involve a non-speaking character in some storylines, and didn't want to get rid of him.
- Charlie was originally planned to have a speaking voice from the start, but his original voice actor died, was fired, or otherwise was no longer available before being able to record any lines. However, a good replacement voice actor for him was later found.
- Lampshaded: "Woah, he can talk?"
- Invoked: Charlie is speaking because of Dr. Drachtenstein.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Charlie refuses to ever speak.
- Discussed: "Imagine if Charlie spoke!"
- Conversed: ???
- Played for Laughs:
- Charlie tells a joke as his first line.
- After a while of questioning whether or not Charlie will talk, he suddenly says "antidisestablishmentarianism".
- Played for Drama: Charlie says, "Oh, SHIT!" to show just how serious the situation really is.
- Played for Horror: Charlie gets infected by The Virus, and his first lines are the Madness Mantra that the zombies repeat.
...
Back to Suddenly Speaking
