Distinction between ParodiedTrope and PlayedForLaughs?

I am drawing a blank here: When is a trope Parodied and when Played for Laughs?

As an example take this Flashed-Badge Hijack scene from Hollywood Homicide. While "comically subverted" would probably be the best description here, I would like to know which of the two Parodied or Played for Laughs fits better.

edited 12th Aug '14 5:23:13 PM by eroock

Played for Laughs is doing it in a funny way.

Parodied Trope is when you make fun of the trope itself.

They're not mutually exclusive.

Not sure what I'd go with in this case. Subverted and Played for Laughs, probably.

edited 12th Aug '14 5:45:40 PM by AnotherDuck

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It's Played For Laughs, definitely. The audience is supposed to find it funny. I'd say it's two tropes in quick succession: a Flashed-Badge Hijack, of the "driver resists" version, followed immediately by a Hero Stole My Bike. Neither is parodied, both are Played for Laughs. And it's not a subversion, because Flashed-Badge Hijack doesn't have to succeed. The trope is the attempt to commandeer the car itself, not whether the driver agrees.

edited 12th Aug '14 5:40:07 PM by Madrugada

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It doesn't? Must've missed that part.

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>> And it's not a subversion, because Flashed-Badge Hijack doesn't have to succeed.

Ultimate refusal is not actually covered by the trope description. It speaks of the possibility of the driver staying in the driver seat while the hero rides along. So subverted still sounds valid to me.

Question: How could the Flashed-Badge Hijack play out as parodied? Just for me to get the idea of it.

When the attempt to execute a trope doesn't work as planned, it's not necessarily a subversion. A subversion is when the trope is set up to be played straight and then is not played, played in reverse, or played as a different trope.

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Some ways to subvert Flashed-Badge Hijack might include:

• The person being hijacked is also a cop in pursuit of the suspect, or of a different suspect.
• The cop hijacks a vehicle filled with bad guys, who take him hostage instead.
• The cop runs around, waving his badge, but can't get anyone to stop, so he jumps in a cab.

Some ways to parody Flashed-Badge Hijack might include:

• A suspect is fleeing. A dozen cops all run into the street and yank drivers out of their cars.
• The hijacked vehicle is absurd in some way, like a clunker, clown car, stoner van, pimp-mobile, cement mixer, etc.
• The chase scene involves an escalating sequence of hijacks, with the cop hopping into and out of new vehicles constantly.

Some ways to invert Flashed-Badge Hijack might include:

• A cop is hijacked by a civilian.

Some ways to play Flashed-Badge Hijack for laughs might include:

• The person who is hijacked insists on helping the cop (or the cop can't drive stick) and Drives Like Crazy. (This variation is listed in the description.)

edited 13th Aug '14 12:08:41 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

Honestly, I'm not seeing a huge distinction between Parodied Trope and Played for Laughs there.

A Parodied Trope is Played for Laughs by definition, but not vice versa. It's possible to use a trope in a funny way without pointing out its absurdity. The last example I gave above is not a parody, but rather a humorous execution of the standard trope.

A parody uses humor to illustrate the absurdity of an idea. If it's just the humor part, then it's not a parody.

edited 13th Aug '14 12:53:42 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

Point taken on the subversion.

However, like the poster above, I still have trouble to tell parody from played for laughs.

No, I get the theoretical difference. But looking at those examples you gave, I'm not seeing a clear distinction between them.

Parody generally involves a focus on the absurdity of a trope or the situation in which it is employed.

If Bob has a gun that shoots fish, that's Abnormal Ammo Played for Laughs. If Bob has a (normal-sized) gun that shoots whales, that's parodied.

edited 13th Aug '14 1:02:38 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

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