Basic Trope: A plot point is resolved, only to be unresolved, and re-resolved, often repeatedly.
- Straight: Alice and Bob finally resolve their Unresolved Sexual Tension, only to fall victim to Sex Changes Everything and have a bad breakup. Some time later, they sleep together and decide that they should give it another try, which they do. Next season, they break up again.
- Exaggerated: Alice and Bob break up and get back together Once an Episode.
- Downplayed: Alice and Bob break up, then sometime later have a one-night stand.
- Justified: Alice and Bob have feelings for one another (and possibly a creepy co-dependency) that they just can't shake.
- Inverted:
- After cycling through an on-again-off-again relationship all season (or even just resolving Belligerent Sexual Tension), Alice and Bob either get together for good or break up for good.
- Alternatively, Alice and Bob's troubled relationship doesn't end, but is drawn out for all it's worth, even though it would be much easier to end it for good.
- Subverted:
- Alice and Bob go through their romance arc, only to break up and decide they are Better as Friends.
- Alice tells Bob she's moved on, and that he should too.
- Double Subverted:
- Friends with Benefits, that is, before trying for the Relationship Upgrade again.
- This time around. Several seasons later, however, it's revealed that Alice has had feelings for Bob all this time and gets back together with him.
- Parodied: There's a Breaking the Fourth Wall moment showing the script attached to an actual yo-yo.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Alice and Bob either stay together or stay broken up; the romance arc isn't drawn out any more than necessary.
- Alice and Bob never get together in the first place.
- Enforced: "We want to prevent Shipping Bed Death and keep the audience interested in watching Prime Time Soap."
- Lampshaded: "You'll be back next week, Alice! Don't kid yourself!"
- Invoked: Alice and Bob break up, and Bob starts talking with her later about What Could Have Been.
- Exploited: Charlie devises a plan to get them to break up again so he can make his moves on Alice.
- Defied: Alice tells Bob it won't happen, and/or is dating someone else.
- Discussed: "Alice and Bob are back together again."
- Conversed: "OK, everyone place your bets: how long will Alice and Bob last this time?"
- Deconstructed:
- It breaks the audience's Willing Suspension of Disbelief and eventually alienates the audience (not to mention, Alice and Bob's friends.)
- Also, dancing The Masochism Tango and cycling through an on-again-off-again relationship isn't good for Alice or Bob.
- Reconstructed: Alice and Bob work out their issues; they either find a way to make it work in a healthy way, or break up and never get back together again.
- Played For Laughs: Slap-Slap-Kiss.
- Plotted A Good Waste: The on-and-off status is used as a way of showing the couple's lack of maturity.
You're not seriously going back to Yo Yo Plot Point again, are you?!