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Author: Rognik

Sep 6th 2012 at 5:00:50 AM

^^Yes, the fifth person has to be a mediator, but doesn't necessarily have to mediate. The fifth person is what binds the two foils together as one, and keeps the band from breaking up. See my example for case 2 above and you'll see what I mean. As for {{Power Trio}}s, they have their own trope. Presumably, there is a trope in FoilAndMediator, but I don't know if that exists already. If not, go ahead and do it.

I also thought that {{Torchwood}} is probably a good example of a 5 man band without being a FiveManBand. I'm just not certain it's this trope, either. Let me try...

*Mediator: Ianto. This one is the obvious choice, because he really does little else besides play the love interest to Jack otherwise. He's closer to a butler, and rarely is seen stepping in to actually mediate.
*Foil 1: Tosh(iko) and Owen. Tosh is the shy, NerdyAsian tech whiz who does all the computer stuff the team needs. Owen, while not stupid, has a jock attitude, and likes to go out womanizing. They are completely opposite in how they approach life [[spoiler:which may be why there is so much ShipTease between them]]. 
*Foil 2: Gwen and Jack. This one is harder to label, especially since a case could be made for either being the hero and the other being his/her lancer. Gwen is a former cop and far more grounded in reality; Jack is a former time police/time bandit who lifted the WeirdnessCensor for every other member of the team. Jack is immortal and died practically OnceAnEpisode while Gwen is super aware of her mortality, and does her best to keep her MuggleLife. Jack also supports her keeping her muggle life, realizing that he could never have what she has and almost pining for the old life.

I realize these points will need some clean-up, but at least the basic concepts are present in each.