History PlayingWith / LongestPregnancyEver

* '''Invoked''': The writers of ''Alice and Bob'' stick to the time frame of one in-universe month per season, regardless of how long it takes to air those seasons.
* '''Defied''': Despite the in-universe time frame, the writers progress Claire's pregnancy over the course of nine real-time months.

* '''Straight''': In ''Alice and Bob'', Claire, the lovable neighbor, has been pregnant from Day One. By the seventh season finale, she still has no baby.
* '''Exaggerated''':
** The series has been running for 30 years and Claire still hasn't given birth.

** Claire is impregnated at the beginning of an episode and gives birth by the end of the episode.
** Claire gives birth at the end of an episode, even though there was no prior evidence that she was ever pregnant - even in that same episode.

* '''Zig Zagged''': Claire is pregnant in the pilot episode, and stays pregnant for three seasons (roughly three years in-universe) before it's revealed that she actually miscarried halfway through season one and never lost the weight. Except then she gets pregnant again, for another two seasons, until it's revealed that it's a hysterical pregnancy triggered by her stress from losing the first baby. Season six sees Claire get pregnant ''again'', and the GrandFinale ends with the poor girl finally going into labor with what's implied to be that same child.

[[folder:Abnormally-Long Pregnancy]]

* '''Parodied''': When asked how she could stay pregnant for so long, Claire just nonchalantly explains that she held it in. When she finally gives birth 9 years later, it's a 9-year-old boy, completely dry, fully clothed, and with the intelligence you'd expect of a 9-year-old.

* '''Played For Laughs''': Bob and Alice flash back to various points throughout their marriage and Claire is pregnant in each one.
* '''Played For Drama''': For any human pregnancy to last that long, something is probably ''very seriously wrong'', and wondering what it is causes Claire and her husband no end of anxiety and tension.

* '''Played For Drama''': For any human pregnancy to last that long, something is probably ''very seriously wrong'', and [[AdultFear wondering what it is]] causes Claire and her husband no end of anxiety and tension.

** At the beginning of the series, Claire's actress suddenly got pregnant, so they wrote it into the story. But given what they want to do with the timeline (see "subverted"), she's going to have to pretend to be pregnant for a very long time. The plan for the slow timeline is later dropped, and by then, Claire's actress has gained weight, forcing the writers to keep her "pregnant".

* '''Straight''': In ''Alice and Bob'', Claire has had at least three birthday parties since the first season, implying that three or more years have passed, but she remains pregnant.

'''Basic Trope''': A character has an extremely long pregnancy.

** Claire has had at least three birthday parties since the first season, implying that three or more years have passed, but she remains pregnant.
** Even at the end of the GrandFinale, which takes place ten years after the first episode, Claire still has yet to give birth. Dialogue confirms it is the same pregnancy and not a later one.
** Claire dies of old age in a DistantFinale, and her corpse ''still'' appears to be pregnant with what's implied to be the same child.

* '''Justified''':
** No one knows who [[BizarreAlienBiology or what]] the father of Claire's child was.
** Claire is a frilled shark, which has a gestation period of 39 months.
** The fetus died and was calcified, but never expelled.

* '''Subverted''':
** Each season actually represents a month, or a week, or a day, so she wouldn't have given birth by then.
** In the fifth season, it is revealed that Claire had a ConvenientMiscarriage in the second season and then gained weight.
* '''Double Subverted''':
** But she's still nowhere near giving birth, even after nine in-universe months have passed.
** She becomes pregnant again.
* '''Parodied''': Claire really WAS that pregnant for many years. When asked how she could pull it off, she just nonchalantly explains that she held it in. When she finally gives birth 9 years later, it's a 9-year-old boy, completely dry, fully clothed, and with the intelligence you'd expect of a 9-year-old.
* '''Zig Zagged''': Claire is pregnant in the pilot episode, and stays pregnant for three seasons (roughly three years in-universe) before it's revealed that she actually miscarried halfway through season one and never lost the weight. Except then she gets pregnant again, for another two seasons, until it's revealed that it's a hysterical pregnancy triggered by her stress from losing the first baby. Season six sees Claire get pregnant ''again'', and the DistantFinale ends with the poor girl finally going into labor with what's implied to be that same child.

** Claire's pregnancy lasts roughly nine months.
** Claire has a ConvenientMiscarriage after less than nine InUniverse months.
** No one becomes pregnant or gives birth.
* '''Enforced''':
** At the beginning of the series, Claire's actress suddenly got pregnant, so they wrote it into the story. But given what they want to do with the timeline (see "subverted"), she's going to have to pretend to be pregnant for a very long time. The plan for the slow timeline is later dropped, and by then, Claire's actress has gained weight, forcing the writers to keep her "pregnant".
** The writers can't decide whether to add a baby to the cast or [[ConvenientMiscarriage have Claire miscarry instead]].
* '''Lampshaded''':
** "It's been at least [[NoFourthWall ten seasons]], Claire! Are you going to have that baby or not?" "I wish I knew."
** "Alice, shouldn't Claire have given birth by now?"
* '''Invoked''': Claire is deliberately delaying the pregnancy, by one means or another.
* '''Exploited''': Claire and her husband use the extra time to better prepare themselves for becoming parents.
* '''Defied''': Claire decides to induce labor by the end of season one.
* '''Discussed''':
** "Boy, were you ever pregnant for a long time!" "What are you talking about? I was pregnant for nine months, and then I had my baby. Last I checked, that's perfectly normal."
** "It feels like I'm taking forever to have my baby..."

** Claire dies of old age in a DistantFinale, and her corpse ''still'' appears to be pregnant.

* '''Straight''': In ''Alice and Bob'', Claire, the lovable neighbor, has been pregnant from Day One. The seventh season finale just aired and still no baby.

* '''Discussed''': "Boy, were you ever pregnant for a long time!" "What are you talking about? I was pregnant for nine months, and then I had my baby. Last I checked, that's perfectly normal."

** Even at the end of the GrandFinale, which takes place ten years after the first episode, Claire still has yet to give birth.

* '''Justified''': No one knows who [[BizarreAlienBiology or what]] the father of Claire's child was.

* '''Parodied''': ???

* '''Exploited''': ???

** At the beginning of the series, Claire's actress suddenly got pregnant, so they wrote it into the story. But given what they want to do with the timeline (see "subverted"), she's going to have to pretend to be pregnant for a very long time...

** "It's been at least [[NoFourthWall ten seasons]], Claire! Are you going to have that baby or not?"

* '''Discussed''': ???

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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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* '''Zig Zagged''': ???

%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

* '''Parodied''': Claire dies of old age in a DistantFinale, and her corpse ''still'' appears to be pregnant.

* '''Invoked''': Claire is deliberately delaying the pregnancy, for one reason or another.

* '''Played For Drama''': Claire is worried that her child might never be born.

%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???

* '''Justified''': No one knows who or what the father of Claire's child was.

* '''Enforced''': At the beginning of the series, Claire's actress suddenly got pregnant, so they wrote it into the story. But given what they want to do with the timeline (see "subverted"), she's going to have to pretend to be pregnant for a very long time...
* '''Lampshaded''': "It's been at least [[NoFourthWall ten seasons]], Claire! Are you going to have that baby or not?"

* '''Discussed''': "Alice, shouldn't Claire have given birth by now?"

* '''UpToEleven''': Even at the end of the GrandFinale, which takes place ten years after the first episode, Claire still has yet to give birth.

* '''Invoked''': ???

* '''Discussed''': ???

%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???
%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

* '''Justified''': ???

* '''Exaggerated''': The series has been running for 30 years and Claire still hasn't given birth.

* '''Justified''': Each season actually represents a month, or a week, or a day, so she wouldn't have given birth by then.
* '''Inverted''': Claire is impregnated at the beginning of an episode and gives birth by the end of the episode.
* '''Subverted''': It seems to have been a long time, but it's later revealed that only nine in-universe months have passed since she got pregnant.
* '''Double Subverted''': But she still isn't having the kid yet.
* '''Parodied''': Bob and Alice flash back to various points throughout their marriage and Claire is pregnant in each one.

* '''Averted''': Claire's pregnancy lasts roughly nine months.
* '''Enforced''': At the beginning of the series, Claire's actress suddenly got pregnant, so they wrote it into the story. But given what they want to do with the timeline (see "Justified"), she's going to have to pretend to be pregnant for a very long time...
* '''Lampshaded''': ???

* '''Conversed''': ???

Back to LongestPregnancyEver.

%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???