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* HistoricalInJoke: The Narrator's initial Communist fervor burns out as the victory dies down and he becomes more and more aware of the new Communist government becoming more and more like the corrupt South Vietnam/US, up to [[spoiler:him eventually fleeing to France. This [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B9i_T%C3%ADn mimics Bùi Tín]], a former PAVN officer who became disillusioned with the postwar Vietnamese government and fled to France, albeit the Narrator goes through a lot of torture.]]
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not sure if the hollywood atheist example counts
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* DoubleConsciousness: The Captain is a mixed-race ChildOfTwoWorlds who is in the Southern Vietnamese military but secretly working as a double agent for the North, meaning that he's constantly in the throes of an identity crisis and has absolutely no idea what he should define himself as.
to:
* DoubleConsciousness: The Captain is a mixed-race ChildOfTwoWorlds who is in the Southern Vietnamese military but secretly working as a double agent for the North, meaning that he's constantly in the throes of an identity crisis and has absolutely no idea what he should define himself as. Further muddying matters is when he's sent to America to trail the rest of the Southern Vietnamese refugees, and finds himself falling in with Western ideals, despite his disgust towards them.
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* HollywoodAtheist: Invoked, lampshaded, and tied into motifs of colonial Catholicism and Communism's state Atheism to further contrast the narrator with everyone else. The narrator professes he's an atheist mostly due to his hypocritical father preaching Catholic values while breaking them by fornicating with the Narrator's mother and ignoring his own flesh-and-blood from the tryst, and during the funeral for Bon's son, he desperately wishes he could see and believe in the heaven that the priest presiding talks of, but can't.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: A minor one, but in the text, the narrator notes he's obviously of mixed descent, with his father being a French priest who came in with the rest of the colonisers. The cover portrays him as looking full-blooded Vietnamese.
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* {{Eagleland}}: Flavor 2, as while the narrator may have mixed feelings about his countrymen on either side of the war, he definitely hates the hell out of America, Americans, and white people.
to:
* {{Eagleland}}: Through the narrator's eyes, it's Flavor 2, 2 through and through -- America is (and, as while the narrator may have mixed feelings about his countrymen text implies, even ''now'') a deeply corrupt and poverty-stricken land with equally deep racial divides. A lot of the tension also comes in on how Asians in America are treated, where they either side have to be invisible or [[FlawlessToken impeccable and graceful]] while being foreign and mysterious, but not ''too'' mysterious. In the background, there's also the matter of the war, he definitely hates Vietnam War, which is all but stated to have been a boondoggle that only brought suffering on everyone involved over the hell out irrational fear of America, Americans, communism. Bon sees it as Flavor One, a land of opportunity, but it's made clear Bon's lying to himself that he's content with being a janitor living in a tiny apartment. With all that said, both North and white people.South Vietnam (and then just Vietnam) are portrayed as unflatteringly.
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Deleted line(s) 18,19 (click to see context) :
* AffablyEvil: Claude is a ruthless CIA agent who commits several unambiguously terrible deeds, but he is a relatively easygoing and friendly person when he's not gleefully trying to torture a captured prisoner or planning on murdering someone, and seems to genuinely care about the Captain, whom he's taken as his protege.
* AmbiguouslyGay: When Claude meets the Captain in the third episode, the Captain brings attention to the dog that he's walking. Claude notes that the dog is a good prop since no one pays much heed to a "homosexual walking his foofoo dog". When the Captain asks if he's gay, he doesn't answer and simply says that he's whoever he needs to be. Notably, Claude's the only one who doesn't try to interact with the prostitutes at the club he and his friends go to, instead choosing to sing a song on the piano.
* AmbiguouslyGay: When Claude meets the Captain in the third episode, the Captain brings attention to the dog that he's walking. Claude notes that the dog is a good prop since no one pays much heed to a "homosexual walking his foofoo dog". When the Captain asks if he's gay, he doesn't answer and simply says that he's whoever he needs to be. Notably, Claude's the only one who doesn't try to interact with the prostitutes at the club he and his friends go to, instead choosing to sing a song on the piano.
Deleted line(s) 23,28 (click to see context) :
* BatmanGambit: When picking the officers to go on the plane to America, the Captain knows that he can't send the competent ones, as helping them escape would undermine his mission to the North, but can't send the incompetent ones, since that would raise the General's suspicions. Thus, he deliberately chooses the incompetent officers who only ''[[KnowNothingKnowItAll seem]]'' competent.
* BerserkButton: The Captain takes great offense to his mixed-race heritage being insulted, as it's a very touchy part of his identity, and nearly attacks Niko for making a insulting remark over it when they meet.
* BlackComedy:
** The Captain and Bon's plan to kill Major Oanh is hindered by them bantering in the car over how exactly to do it, with the Captain deciding to hide the gun inside a HaveANiceDaySmile-style takeout bag because he thinks it'll put the Major at ease before he shoots him.
** In a flashback, a resistance soldier who's been captured by the CIA decides to kill himself by choking on a hard-boiled egg instead of confessing. After the Captain is able to get the egg out of the soldier's throat, Claude nonchalantly peels and eats it, explaining to a dumbfounded Captain that it's perfectly safe to eat since the shell protects the egg, seemingly oblivious to the Captain's obvious horror over everything that's just happened.
* BigDamnHeroes: When Ryan gets a little bit too into a rape scene he's filming with Lana, the Captain uses some quick thinking to cue Jamie before he's supposed to appear in the scene, causing Jamie to intervene right before Ryan can rape Lana and to beat the crap out of him, thus ruining the only take of the scene that Niko can afford.
* BerserkButton: The Captain takes great offense to his mixed-race heritage being insulted, as it's a very touchy part of his identity, and nearly attacks Niko for making a insulting remark over it when they meet.
* BlackComedy:
** The Captain and Bon's plan to kill Major Oanh is hindered by them bantering in the car over how exactly to do it, with the Captain deciding to hide the gun inside a HaveANiceDaySmile-style takeout bag because he thinks it'll put the Major at ease before he shoots him.
** In a flashback, a resistance soldier who's been captured by the CIA decides to kill himself by choking on a hard-boiled egg instead of confessing. After the Captain is able to get the egg out of the soldier's throat, Claude nonchalantly peels and eats it, explaining to a dumbfounded Captain that it's perfectly safe to eat since the shell protects the egg, seemingly oblivious to the Captain's obvious horror over everything that's just happened.
* BigDamnHeroes: When Ryan gets a little bit too into a rape scene he's filming with Lana, the Captain uses some quick thinking to cue Jamie before he's supposed to appear in the scene, causing Jamie to intervene right before Ryan can rape Lana and to beat the crap out of him, thus ruining the only take of the scene that Niko can afford.
Deleted line(s) 32,34 (click to see context) :
* BreatherEpisode: The fourth episode is a one-off {{Filler}} episode that takes a break from the main plot to follow the Captain's adventures during the production of a war movie that goes awry. It contains no relation to the rest of the story, features relatively low stakes and much more humor, and, with the exception of Niko and Ryan, the new characters that the Captain meets are fairly nice and likable people.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: James Yoon is a Korean-American actor who has long been typecast as being the token Asian guy who dies in every movie.
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevity party in the third episode is downright painful to get through owing to his social awkwardness, stilted manner of speaking, and committing a major cultural faux pas by gifting Major Oanh's mother a knife, which is considered to be bad luck in Vietnamese culture.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: James Yoon is a Korean-American actor who has long been typecast as being the token Asian guy who dies in every movie.
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevity party in the third episode is downright painful to get through owing to his social awkwardness, stilted manner of speaking, and committing a major cultural faux pas by gifting Major Oanh's mother a knife, which is considered to be bad luck in Vietnamese culture.
Deleted line(s) 40,41 (click to see context) :
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Claude is definitely not a good person, given that he enthusiastically participates in the interrogation and torture of a communist-affiliated woman in the first episode. However, he does seem to have some genuine care for the Captain, giving him records he thinks the Captain might appreciate and playfully teasing him around after the meeting with the General. He's also clearly happy to see the Captain when they reunite in America.
* ForeignCultureFetish: Professor Hammer, the Captain's Eastern Studies professor from his college days, has a fascination for Asian culture that borders on fetishization, including taking a shine to the Captain for his mixed-race background and trying to get Sofia to embrace her Japanese heritage even though she clearly doesn't want to.
* ForeignCultureFetish: Professor Hammer, the Captain's Eastern Studies professor from his college days, has a fascination for Asian culture that borders on fetishization, including taking a shine to the Captain for his mixed-race background and trying to get Sofia to embrace her Japanese heritage even though she clearly doesn't want to.
Changed line(s) 49,54 (click to see context) from:
* HostilityOnTheSet: InUniverse; the production of ''The Hamlet'' is derailed significantly when Ryan begins to pick fights with the other actors because he feels they aren't taking their work seriously enough, and he begins to target Jamie especially since he's a first-time actor. Niko and the Captain can also barely see eye-to-eye due to Niko's ego getting in the way of the Captain's valid suggestions.
* {{Jerkass}}: Niko introduces himself to the Captain by calling him a racial slur and insulting his mixed-race background, something that understandably offends the Captain and fosters an immediate dislike between the two characters.
* IncestSubtext: The narrator's recollections of his mother are closely intertwined with his growing awareness of sexuality (although his outward relationship with her is innocent), while he openly hates his father and [[spoiler:accidentally-on-purpose has Man kill him]].
* InterchangeableAsianCultures:
** James is an Korean-American actor who has apparently played every East Asian ethnicity onscreen other than his own, with ''The Hamlet'' being the first time he gets to play his actual ethnicity.
** ''The Hamlet'' runs into its first major snag when the extras hired to play the Vietnamese villagers are actually Chinese since the casting director didn't understand the difference between the two.
* {{Jerkass}}: Niko introduces himself to the Captain by calling him a racial slur and insulting his mixed-race background, something that understandably offends the Captain and fosters an immediate dislike between the two characters.
* IncestSubtext: The narrator's recollections of his mother are closely intertwined with his growing awareness of sexuality (although his outward relationship with her is innocent), while he openly hates his father and [[spoiler:accidentally-on-purpose has Man kill him]].
* InterchangeableAsianCultures:
** James is an Korean-American actor who has apparently played every East Asian ethnicity onscreen other than his own, with ''The Hamlet'' being the first time he gets to play his actual ethnicity.
** ''The Hamlet'' runs into its first major snag when the extras hired to play the Vietnamese villagers are actually Chinese since the casting director didn't understand the difference between the two.
to:
* {{Jerkass}}: Niko introduces himself to the Captain by calling him a racial slur and insulting his mixed-race background, something that understandably offends the Captain and fosters an immediate dislike between the two characters.
* InterchangeableAsianCultures:
** James is an Korean-American actor who has apparently played every East Asian ethnicity onscreen other than his own, with ''The Hamlet'' being the first time he gets to play his actual ethnicity.
** ''The Hamlet'' runs into its first major snag when the extras hired to play the Vietnamese villagers are actually Chinese since the casting director didn't understand the difference between the two.
Deleted line(s) 57 (click to see context) :
* MethodActing: Ryan Glenn is a hardcore method actor known for his intense dedication to his roles, to the point where he insists on being referred to by his character's name and adamantly refuses to be addressed otherwise. He also has a reputation for being volatile and difficult to work with as a result, and becomes increasingly erratic during the filming of ''The Hamlet''. This all comes to a head when, during a rape scene he has to film with Lana, he actually tries to rape her.
Deleted line(s) 60 (click to see context) :
* NamedByTheAdaptation: While the narrator is still not given a proper name, the television series script gives him a title by referring to him as the Captain. The General and the Major's last names, Trọng and Oanh, are given here, while The Auteur is named Niko Damianos and the congressman is named Ned Godwin.
Deleted line(s) 70 (click to see context) :
* RightForTheWrongReasons: After making it to America, the General becomes paranoid that there is a spy in the community of refugees he came with and tasks the Captain with finding out who it is. He is right that there is a mole who's out for him, but is completely wrong about who the mole is or the circumstances behind it (for example, he misconstrues a toilet seat cover nearly falling on him as an assassination attempt).
Deleted line(s) 72 (click to see context) :
* SacrificialLamb: The Captain's best friend Bon has a wife and baby. While waiting for the plane to arrive, Bon mentions to the Captain that his family brings him hope despite the war-torn state of Vietnam. [[spoiler:Any GenreSavvy viewer can immediately surmise that his wife and son won't live for very long.]]
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Changed line(s) 9,10 (click to see context) from:
The novel was later [[https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-sympathizer-robert-downey-jr-hbo-a24s-drama-series-adaptation-lead-cast-1235167822/ adapted into a mini-series]] co-developed and directed by Creator/ParkChanWook for Creator/{{A24}}, which was released by Creator/{{Creator/HBO}} on April 14, 2024.
to:
The novel was later [[https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-sympathizer-robert-downey-jr-hbo-a24s-drama-series-adaptation-lead-cast-1235167822/ [[Series/TheSympathizer adapted into a mini-series]] co-developed and directed by Creator/ParkChanWook for Creator/{{A24}}, which was released by Creator/{{Creator/HBO}} on April 14, 2024.
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* BigDamnHeroes: When Ryan gets a little bit too into a rape scene he's filming with Lana, the Captain uses some quick thinking to cue Jamie before he's supposed to appear in the scene, causing Jamie to intervene right before Ryan can rape Lana and to beat the crap out of him, thus ruining the only take of the scene that Niko can afford.
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevity part in the third episode is downright painful to get through owing to his social awkwardness, stilted manner of speaking, and committing a major cultural faux pas by gifting Major Oanh's mother a knife, which is considered to be bad luck in Vietnamese culture.
to:
* BreatherEpisode: The fourth episode is a one-off {{Filler}} episode that takes a break from the main plot to follow the Captain's adventures during the production of a war movie that goes awry. It contains no relation to the rest of the story, features relatively low stakes and much more humor, and, with the exception of Niko and Ryan, the new characters that the Captain meets are fairly nice and likable people.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: James Yoon is a Korean-American actor who has long been typecast as being the token Asian guy who dies in every movie.
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevitypart party in the third episode is downright painful to get through owing to his social awkwardness, stilted manner of speaking, and committing a major cultural faux pas by gifting Major Oanh's mother a knife, which is considered to be bad luck in Vietnamese culture.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: James Yoon is a Korean-American actor who has long been typecast as being the token Asian guy who dies in every movie.
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevity
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* HostilityOnTheSet: InUniverse; the production of ''The Hamlet'' is derailed significantly when Ryan begins to pick fights with the other actors because he feels they aren't taking their work seriously enough, and he begins to target Jamie especially since he's a first-time actor. Niko and the Captain can also barely see eye-to-eye due to Niko's ego getting in the way of the Captain's valid suggestions.
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* InterchangeableAsianCultures:
** James is an Korean-American actor who has apparently played every East Asian ethnicity onscreen other than his own, with ''The Hamlet'' being the first time he gets to play his actual ethnicity.
** ''The Hamlet'' runs into its first major snag when the extras hired to play the Vietnamese villagers are actually Chinese since the casting director didn't understand the difference between the two.
** James is an Korean-American actor who has apparently played every East Asian ethnicity onscreen other than his own, with ''The Hamlet'' being the first time he gets to play his actual ethnicity.
** ''The Hamlet'' runs into its first major snag when the extras hired to play the Vietnamese villagers are actually Chinese since the casting director didn't understand the difference between the two.
Added DiffLines:
* MethodActing: Ryan Glenn is a hardcore method actor known for his intense dedication to his roles, to the point where he insists on being referred to by his character's name and adamantly refuses to be addressed otherwise. He also has a reputation for being volatile and difficult to work with as a result, and becomes increasingly erratic during the filming of ''The Hamlet''. This all comes to a head when, during a rape scene he has to film with Lana, he actually tries to rape her.
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None
Added DiffLines:
* AffablyEvil: Claude is a ruthless CIA agent who commits several unambiguously terrible deeds, but he is a relatively easygoing and friendly person when he's not gleefully trying to torture a captured prisoner or planning on murdering someone, and seems to genuinely care about the Captain, whom he's taken as his protege.
Added DiffLines:
* DoubleConsciousness: The Captain is a mixed-race ChildOfTwoWorlds who is in the Southern Vietnamese military but secretly working as a double agent for the North, meaning that he's constantly in the throes of an identity crisis and has absolutely no idea what he should define himself as.
Added DiffLines:
* {{Jerkass}}: Niko introduces himself to the Captain by calling him a racial slur and insulting his mixed-race background, something that understandably offends the Captain and fosters an immediate dislike between the two characters.
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None
Added DiffLines:
* AmbiguouslyGay: When Claude meets the Captain in the third episode, the Captain brings attention to the dog that he's walking. Claude notes that the dog is a good prop since no one pays much heed to a "homosexual walking his foofoo dog". When the Captain asks if he's gay, he doesn't answer and simply says that he's whoever he needs to be. Notably, Claude's the only one who doesn't try to interact with the prostitutes at the club he and his friends go to, instead choosing to sing a song on the piano.
Added DiffLines:
* BerserkButton: The Captain takes great offense to his mixed-race heritage being insulted, as it's a very touchy part of his identity, and nearly attacks Niko for making a insulting remark over it when they meet.
* BlackComedy:
** The Captain and Bon's plan to kill Major Oanh is hindered by them bantering in the car over how exactly to do it, with the Captain deciding to hide the gun inside a HaveANiceDaySmile-style takeout bag because he thinks it'll put the Major at ease before he shoots him.
** In a flashback, a resistance soldier who's been captured by the CIA decides to kill himself by choking on a hard-boiled egg instead of confessing. After the Captain is able to get the egg out of the soldier's throat, Claude nonchalantly peels and eats it, explaining to a dumbfounded Captain that it's perfectly safe to eat since the shell protects the egg, seemingly oblivious to the Captain's obvious horror over everything that's just happened.
* BlackComedy:
** The Captain and Bon's plan to kill Major Oanh is hindered by them bantering in the car over how exactly to do it, with the Captain deciding to hide the gun inside a HaveANiceDaySmile-style takeout bag because he thinks it'll put the Major at ease before he shoots him.
** In a flashback, a resistance soldier who's been captured by the CIA decides to kill himself by choking on a hard-boiled egg instead of confessing. After the Captain is able to get the egg out of the soldier's throat, Claude nonchalantly peels and eats it, explaining to a dumbfounded Captain that it's perfectly safe to eat since the shell protects the egg, seemingly oblivious to the Captain's obvious horror over everything that's just happened.
Added DiffLines:
* CringeComedy: Ned Godwin's speech at the longevity part in the third episode is downright painful to get through owing to his social awkwardness, stilted manner of speaking, and committing a major cultural faux pas by gifting Major Oanh's mother a knife, which is considered to be bad luck in Vietnamese culture.
Added DiffLines:
* NamedByTheAdaptation: While the narrator is still not given a proper name, the television series script gives him a title by referring to him as the Captain. The General and the Major's last names, Trọng and Oanh, are given here, while The Auteur is named Niko Damianos and the congressman is named Ned Godwin.
* NaturalizedName: Sonny Tran's birth name is Tran Thuyet Son; however, he goes by Sonny since it's easier for Americans to pronounce.
* NaturalizedName: Sonny Tran's birth name is Tran Thuyet Son; however, he goes by Sonny since it's easier for Americans to pronounce.
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* BreakingTheFourthWall: Given that the story relies on a FramingDevice and frequent narration, the Captain will occasionally address the audience while narrating, such as when he brings up an incident involving the General in the second episode, realizes he hasn't shown it to the audience, and helpfully rewinds the scene to show us a flashback of what happened.
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Claude is definitely not a good person, given that he enthusiastically participates in the interrogation and torture of a communist-affiliated woman in the first episode. However, he does seem to have some genuine care for the Captain, giving him records he thinks the Captain might appreciate and playfully teasing him around after the meeting with the General.
to:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Claude is definitely not a good person, given that he enthusiastically participates in the interrogation and torture of a communist-affiliated woman in the first episode. However, he does seem to have some genuine care for the Captain, giving him records he thinks the Captain might appreciate and playfully teasing him around after the meeting with the General. He's also clearly happy to see the Captain when they reunite in America.
* ForeignCultureFetish: Professor Hammer, the Captain's Eastern Studies professor from his college days, has a fascination for Asian culture that borders on fetishization, including taking a shine to the Captain for his mixed-race background and trying to get Sofia to embrace her Japanese heritage even though she clearly doesn't want to.
* ForeignCultureFetish: Professor Hammer, the Captain's Eastern Studies professor from his college days, has a fascination for Asian culture that borders on fetishization, including taking a shine to the Captain for his mixed-race background and trying to get Sofia to embrace her Japanese heritage even though she clearly doesn't want to.
Added DiffLines:
* RightForTheWrongReasons: After making it to America, the General becomes paranoid that there is a spy in the community of refugees he came with and tasks the Captain with finding out who it is. He is right that there is a mole who's out for him, but is completely wrong about who the mole is or the circumstances behind it (for example, he misconstrues a toilet seat cover nearly falling on him as an assassination attempt).
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None
Added DiffLines:
* BatmanGambit: When picking the officers to go on the plane to America, the Captain knows that he can't send the competent ones, as helping them escape would undermine his mission to the North, but can't send the incompetent ones, since that would raise the General's suspicions. Thus, he deliberately chooses the incompetent officers who only ''[[KnowNothingKnowItAll seem]]'' competent.
Added DiffLines:
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Claude is definitely not a good person, given that he enthusiastically participates in the interrogation and torture of a communist-affiliated woman in the first episode. However, he does seem to have some genuine care for the Captain, giving him records he thinks the Captain might appreciate and playfully teasing him around after the meeting with the General.
Added DiffLines:
* SacrificialLamb: The Captain's best friend Bon has a wife and baby. While waiting for the plane to arrive, Bon mentions to the Captain that his family brings him hope despite the war-torn state of Vietnam. [[spoiler:Any GenreSavvy viewer can immediately surmise that his wife and son won't live for very long.]]
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None
Deleted line(s) 18 (click to see context) :
* AndStarring: The trailers for the show parody this, with Creator/RobertDowneyJr, who [[ActingForTwo plays multiple characters]], having four simultaneous credits.
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Changed line(s) 9 (click to see context) from:
The novel was later [[https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-sympathizer-robert-downey-jr-hbo-a24s-drama-series-adaptation-lead-cast-1235167822/ adapted into a mini-series]] co-developed and directed by Creator/ParkChanWook for Creator/{{A24}}, which is scheduled to release on Creator/{{Creator/HBO}} in 2024.
to:
The novel was later [[https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-sympathizer-robert-downey-jr-hbo-a24s-drama-series-adaptation-lead-cast-1235167822/ adapted into a mini-series]] co-developed and directed by Creator/ParkChanWook for Creator/{{A24}}, which is scheduled to release on was released by Creator/{{Creator/HBO}} in 2024.on April 14, 2024.
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None
Added DiffLines:
* AndStarring: The trailers for the show parody this, with Creator/RobertDowneyJr, who [[ActingForTwo plays multiple characters]], having four simultaneous credits.
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None
Deleted line(s) 10 (click to see context) :
Deleted line(s) 21 (click to see context) :
* BloodBrothers: Man, Bon, and the narrator were this since childhood, when they did the whole palm-slicing ritual.
* SwornBrothers: Man, Bon, and the narrator were this since childhood, when they did the whole palm-slicing ritual.
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* VerbalIrony: The General scares the bejesus out of the narrator when raising the possibility of Communist "sleeper agents" left behind in the expat community.
to:
* VerbalIrony: The General scares the bejesus out of the narrator when raising the possibility of Communist "sleeper agents" left behind in the expat community.community.
----
----
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disambig'd trope
* IncestSubtext: The narrator's recollections of his mother are closely intertwined with his growing awareness of sexuality (although his outward relationship with her is innocent), while he openly hates his father and [[spoiler:accidentally-on-purpose has Man kill him]].
Deleted line(s) 43 (click to see context) :
* OedipusComplex: About as straight an example as you'll find outside of an ancient Greek drama. The narrator's recollections of his mother are closely intertwined with his growing awareness of sexuality (although his outward relationship with her is innocent), while he openly hates his father and [[spoiler:accidentally-on-purpose has Man kill him]].
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A Date With Rosie Palms is no longer a trope
Deleted line(s) 24 (click to see context) :
* ADateWithRosiePalms: The narrator recounts an incident in his youth in which he pleasures himself by violating a dead squid. Which his mother then prepared and served for dinner.[[note]]It was no good throwing it away--they were too poor to waste food, and she would have noticed it missing. Instead, the narrator washed it thoroughly and marked it with a knife, so that he could snag it off the plate and eat it before she did.[[/note]]
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Added DiffLines:
The novel was later [[https://deadline.com/2022/11/the-sympathizer-robert-downey-jr-hbo-a24s-drama-series-adaptation-lead-cast-1235167822/ adapted into a mini-series]] co-developed and directed by Creator/ParkChanWook for Creator/{{A24}}, which is scheduled to release on Creator/{{Creator/HBO}} in 2024.
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Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* BuxomIsBetter: The narrator goes on at length about the general's buxom daughter Lana, describing her body shaped like a figure-8 and her deep cleavage.
to:
* BuxomIsBetter: BuxomBeautyStandard: The narrator goes on at length about the general's buxom daughter Lana, describing her body shaped like a figure-8 and her deep cleavage.
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* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Sofia Mori takes up with Sonny while the narrator is in the Philippines, working on [[Film/ApocalypseNow The Movie]]. The narrator admits that [[INeverGotAnyLetters he didn't write to her]].
* AssholeVictim: The [[VillainousGlutton "crapulent major,"]] whom the narrator throws under the bus once the General starts to suspect Communist agents have come to America among the refugees. As it turns out, the major [[spoiler:was involved with the capture, torture, and gang-rape of a real agent back in Vietnam]]; the narrator's own complicity in this case forms an important part of the book's climax, suggesting that he sacrificed the major to assuage his own guilt.
* BastardBastard: The narrator, although sympathetic, is not a good person. [[HeroicBastard He has his moments]], though.
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* ADateWithRosiePalms: The narrator recounts an incident in his youth in which he pleasures himself by violating a dead squid. Which his mother then prepared and served for dinner.
to:
* ADateWithRosiePalms: The narrator recounts an incident in his youth in which he pleasures himself by violating a dead squid. Which his mother then prepared and served for dinner.[[note]]It was no good throwing it away--they were too poor to waste food, and she would have noticed it missing. Instead, the narrator washed it thoroughly and marked it with a knife, so that he could snag it off the plate and eat it before she did.[[/note]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Lana takes a shine to the narrator when they reunite in America. Before he sets out for Thailand, the General pulls him aside and spells out that he knows they've been involved, and he has to [[TheUriahGambit send the narrator off to die]] because his daughter cannot be allowed to be with a half-French bastard.
* DeadlyEuphemism: How the General communicates that each supposed Communist agent needs to be killed.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Lana takes a shine to the narrator when they reunite in America. Before he sets out for Thailand, the General pulls him aside and spells out that he knows they've been involved, and he has to [[TheUriahGambit send the narrator off to die]] because his daughter cannot be allowed to be with a half-French bastard.
* DeadlyEuphemism: How the General communicates that each supposed Communist agent needs to be killed.
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* LoveTriangle: Between the narrator, Sonny, and [[InsistentTerminology Ms. Mori.]] It adds further complications to [[spoiler:the General's ordering of Sonny's death]].
Added DiffLines:
* OedipusComplex: About as straight an example as you'll find outside of an ancient Greek drama. The narrator's recollections of his mother are closely intertwined with his growing awareness of sexuality (although his outward relationship with her is innocent), while he openly hates his father and [[spoiler:accidentally-on-purpose has Man kill him]].
* PedophilePriest: The narrator's father, who impregnated his mother when she was thirteen.
* PedophilePriest: The narrator's father, who impregnated his mother when she was thirteen.
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* UnreliableNarrator: Guess who. Several key scenes set at the camp center around filling in the gaps in his account of [[spoiler:the Communist agent whose capture he witnessed, and his relationship with his father]]. After his mental break under interrogation (or perhaps, merely a breakthrough), practically everything he says and observes is open to question.
