Line #7 Characters/Titus


1	!!Christopher Titus (Creator/ChristopherTitus)
2
3	-->''"A lie is a lie...unless your friends and family are in on it. Then it's a commonly-held belief."''
4
5	Most episodes follow his exploits and his point of view. He knows that his life has been and is very screwed-up but realizes that he himself has turned out okay. Even though the show is about his family, everyone calls him by his last name except for his dad and Erin.
6	----
7	* AsHimself: Creator/ChristopherTitus as... Christopher Titus.
8	* BallsOfSteel: Uses a jockstrap to nullify the effects of Amy's GroinAttack attempt.
9	* BookDumb: A poor speller, gets confused by long words, and doesn't know what Galileo is famous for, but he's not stupid.
10	* ButtMonkey: Titus REALLY can't catch a break.
11	* DeadpanSnarker: At least the five-year-old version of the character. The kid could do as much with an annoyed tone as Stacy Keach could do with a smarmy one.
12	* DopeSlap: Tends to give these out, especially to Dave when he's being an idiot.
13	* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: The fact that his father inflicted crippling emotional abuse on him is a point of ''pride'' for Ken.
14	* LastNameBasis: The only people who ever use his first name are Erin and Ken. This includes Titus himself.
15	* TheTeetotaler: Like his actor, Titus quit drinking in his teens after he fell in a bonfire during a beach party and nearly died. His falling off the wagon is a major plot point in Season Two.
16	* ToughLove: Grew up on the receiving end on this from Ken and attempts to use it himself on Amy once she comes into his care. He...can't quite pull it off as well as his father can.
17
18	!!Erin Fitzpatrick (Creator/CynthiaWatros)
19
20	-->''"So, I'm sitting in a meeting when my pager goes off with a message. It says, 'Dad's dead.' So, I race out of the meeting and drive all the way to Santa Maria because, naturally, I think 'MY DAD'S DEAD!'"''
21
22	Christopher's fiancée, a strong and independent woman whose family is just as messed-up as his. She is a calming influence on Titus, is one of the few people Papa Titus likes and is semi-openly lusted after by both Dave and Tommy. Despite her peacemaking personality, she has a buried Irish temper that everyone is afraid of. Her parents are miserably married alcoholics, her sister Kim is a sexually promiscuous drug addict, and her brother Michael is a career criminal. Her childhood dream was to become the first person in her family to not be arrested. She brings in her niece Amy (Kim's daughter) after her stepfather (Kim's boyfriend) almost punches her in the face for calling CPS on him.
23	----
24	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Erin has quite a temper. For example: when Ken and his girlfriend, who was also his home health nurse, mean to move in together, Titus is trying to remind Erin of their Reverse Psychology plan to get Ken to hate her by Titus and Co. being nice to her. Unfortunately, his wink-wink brand of mansplaining earns his dad's approval and her ire, which leads to Titus and Erin going outside, Erin judo-flipping Titus onto his backside and threatening to rip-off his eyelid.
25	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Erin is blond.
26	* TheHeart: Usually believes the best of people, is the only person that can get Ken and Titus to make up during any one of their numerous fights, and with rare exception, has a good relationship with everyone on the show.
27	%%* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood
28	%%* MsFanservice
29	* MamaBear: In "The Protector", after Amy reveals that Frank [[spoiler:molested her as a child]], Erin doesn't hesitate to elbow drop the bastard.
30	* OnlySaneWoman: She plays mediator between Titus and Ken, tempers a lot of the more harebrained ideas Titus has, and a fair number of the emotional or romantic moments are set up by her, only to get played for laughs by Titus a minute later. Furthermore, when she gets upset, the target has usually done something to earn her wrath (see BewareTheNiceOnes.)
31	* PluckyGirl: She just doesn't give up. Even when the goal is to make Titus and Ken have a healthy relationship.
32	* StepfordSmiler: Erin is [[SurvivalMantra HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY]].
33
34	!!Dave Scovill (Creator/ZackWard)
35
36	-->'''Christopher''': I want you to tell me what you want!
37	-->'''Dave''': (''between sobs'') But I told you...what I want. I...wanna...get bitten by a [[ComicBook/SpiderMan radioactive spider and get superpowers]]!
38
39	Christopher's stepbrother and close friend. He has a [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny short attention span]], [[BigEater is easily swayed by food]], [[TheStoner smokes pot]], is a CloudCuckoolander and has [[RaceFetish an obsession with Asian women]]. He is blissfully unaware of how messed-up he is.
40	----
41	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: To Titus, though the rest of the gang treats him similarly.
42	%%* BigEater
43	* BoisterousWeakling: When the Fitzpatricks come ready to throw down, he acts like a tough guy, but runs at the first small hint of trouble. He spends the rest of the confrontation yelling while safely locked indoors.
44	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first episode Dave wasn't particularly stupid, was able to follow and take part in an abstract conversation and didn't behave any weirder than the rest of the group. His [[HasAType preference for Asian women]] also didn't show up until much later in the series.
45	* CloudCuckoolander: No-one ever can follow his train of thoughts. And the appropriate distraction for him?
46	-->'''Titus''': Dave, look! A cow!
47	* TheDitz: Parts of it might be marijuana talking, but in some cases, he supposedly isn't stoned (like when he's a kid or during the episode 'Private Dave') he isn't much smarter.
48	* EruditeStoner: Titus claims that, despite Dave's stupidity, he shows flashes of brilliance, such as when he used a can of beer to save Papa Titus from dying of a heart attack ([[MST3KMantra Don't ask]]!) and has a vast knowledge of uterine biology because he once got so high, he remembered his own birth.
49	* EvenTheGuysWantHim: He occasionally dances at a bar on the gay nights and makes good money at it. He also believes himself to be a case of this trope as demonstrated by his reasoning that if Tommy isn't hot for him (Dave), he wouldn't be for any other man, thus he (Tommy) is not gay.
50	* HappilyAdopted: Subverted. Dave considers Ken to be his father and calls him "Dad", but Ken never formally adopted him. When Dave gets upset at that fact, Titus reassures him that the years of emotional abuse make up for it.
51	* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: His mom (Ken's third wife) abandoned him when he was five because Ken was emotionally abusive to her. It's not known whether she did this on purpose or not[[note]]Titus once said that the real Dave just hung around the Titus household after his mother left because he liked Ken, and everyone just rolled with it[[/note]].
52	%%* TheLancer
53	* SuperGullible: A side-effect of his being TheStoner, to the point that, upon being told that Ken has a glass eye, he decides to test it by [[EyeScream poking him in his right eye]] while he's asleep. When Ken screams in pain, Dave's reaction is to assume he simply poked the wrong eye.
54	* ThrowItIn: Dave's obsession with Asian women came about because Zack Ward is married to an Asian woman in real life. The writers thought the visual of the extremely pale Ward being with an Asian woman was hilarious.
55
56	!!Tommy Shafter (Creator/DavidShatraw)
57
58	-->'''Tommy''': Now, Mr. Titus, this is something my father taught me. (''starts making hand gestures'') Father and son start together...and then, they grow apart...until the son's ready to be a man...and then, they grow together again.
59	-->'''Ken''': Can you get him away from me?
60
61	Friend of the family and accountant for Titus' custom car shop. Growing up in a relatively stable household, Tommy is the only "normal" member of the cast, and he is just as screwed-up as everyone else. Eccentric, flamboyant and anal, his [[AmbiguouslyGay effeminate]] mannerisms are subverted as he is heterosexual, but those mannerisms are picked up from his gay father.
62	----
63	* AmbiguouslyGay / MistakenForGay: Justified in that Tommy imitated his father, who was a StraightGay who kept his true sexuality under wraps for many years.
64	* BewareTheNiceOnes: While it's hard to do, pushing Tommy too far may get him to [[spoiler:tase your juvenile delinquent ass up or kick the homophobic shit out of you and force you to scream "I'm a homo!"]]
65	* CampStraight: A downplayed version. His campish mannerisms are a direct result of [[spoiler: his father being in the closet while raising him]].
66	-->'''Ken''': Tommy's not a fruit... but he hangs out in the orchard.
67	* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: He's by far the most in-touch with his sensitive side, even moreso than Erin.
68	* ThePollyanna: As put by Titus in "Sex with Pudding", Tommy is entirely too trusting.
69	-->'''Titus''': I see a carjacker; Tommy sees a grump valet with a gun.
70	* StalkerWithACrush: In the episode "Tommy's Girlfriend," where Tommy's high school sweetheart (played by Creator/NicoleSullivan) ends up trapped in Titus's car shop after Tommy crashes his car into hers.
71
72	!!Ken 'Papa' Titus (Creator/StacyKeach)
73
74	-->'''Christopher''': (''while role-playing with Dave about how condescending their dad is'') Hey, Dad, I started my own business, and I made more money in one year than you have in any year of your life! What do you think about that?! Heh heh heh... (''Ken appears behind him, beer in hand'')
75	-->'''Ken''': (''[[ClickHello opens beer can]], [[OhCrap Christopher freezes in shock]]'') I think without me pushin' you, you never would have made it.
76
77	You could consider him to be a MagnificentBastard, to some degree. The show revolves around the relationship between him and Christopher. He is a difficult man to describe; he's gruff and difficult but has JerkWithAHeartOfGold tendencies. He seems to enjoy watching Christopher suffer, but it seems to be a form of TrainingFromHell meets WaxOnWaxOff.
78	----
79	* AbusiveDad: Believes that emotional damage keeps kids in line better than physical abuse, as he told Erin's dad in "The Perfect Thanksgiving."
80	-->'''Ken:''' See that? That's '''emotional''' damage; that's much more powerful.
81	* AlcoholicDad: Just like Titus' dad in RealLife. Titus notes that he doesn't have a single photo where Ken ''isn't'' holding a beer.
82	* DeadpanSnarker: Ken can take anyone down by a few pegs without even changing the tone of his voice, helped immensely by the fact that Stacy Keach can make even the driest of lines a gut-busting zinger.
83	* DeathGlare: He can have entire arguments by just glaring at his opponent. And win.
84	* TheDreaded: Ken's punishments were so cruel and humiliating that Titus considered going to jail to be preferable.
85	* EveryoneHasStandards: As much of a jerk as Ken makes himself out to be, even ''he's'' disgusted at Juanita's fiancee Bill. "The Reconciliation" was bad enough when Bill explained just how he and Juanita met, but "The Wedding" really drove it home.
86	--> '''Ken:''' [[spoiler: (''while Titus and Dave are holding him back'') [[WouldntHitAGirl You never hit a woman! Ever!]] Even after she beats you, stabs you, and tries to blow you up!]]
87	** And despite his constant cheating, he'd never actually ''lie'' about doing so when confronted.
88	** Also, he takes pride in never having laid a finger on his children as punishment or in anger. He takes in even more pride in the fact that all the damage he wrought is purely psychological.
89	* HiddenDepths: According to the Christmas episode "Houseboat" and the episode "Grandma Titus," Ken is a brutal parent because his mother was abusive to him in his childhood (his mother, in turn, was emotionally abused by Ken's own father).
90	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Ken shows a softer side at times.
91	** Titus repeatedly stresses that his father was a good man and a wonderful father while sober and that Ken made huge sacrifices to make sure that Christopher never went without while growing up. It's just that the fun and loving part of Ken's personality would invariably disappear around noon when Ken cracked open his first beer.
92	** Ken was an emotionally abusive, womanizing bastard who drove wives away. But when Dave's mom left, he kept taking care of Dave and Dave came to see Ken as his own father.
93	* KavorkaMan: Women find him charming... until they date and/or marry him. Then they try to kill him and/or ruin his life.
94	** This is best exemplified by a flashback where he's able to get into a random threesome ''in a movie theater'' by [[InvokedTrope invoking]] InTouchWithHisFeminineSide during the film.
95	* ParentsAsPeople: The show occasionally touched on Ken's backstory, showing that he grew up in an abusive household, had professional ambitions he gave up, and dearly loved his children but struggled to express it in a healthy manner.
96	* ParentalSubstitute: Dave is his stepson from a short-lived marriage. But when Dave's mother left, Ken raised Dave as his own son.
97	* MustHaveNicotine: When being interrogated, he's told he can't smoke.
98	-->'''Ken''': Hey, look. I just got off a 3-hour flight. I'm wearing 4 patches, swallowed 6 pieces of nicorette, and I'm under arrest. ''[[SuddenlyShouting I need a freakin' smoke]]''!
99	* SinkOrSwimMentor: In one flashback, this trope is used [[NotHyperbole literally]] when teaching Dave how to swim. When Dave fails, he throws Titus in after him.
100	** However, he ''has'' tried, on occasion, to save Titus some pain [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness by warning him ahead of time]] - [[GenreBlind said warnings are typically ignored.]]
101	* TheStoner: Occasionally touched upon throughout the series. Ken loved marijuana and never missed a chance to indulge. He was a hypocrite about it though, as he severely punished Christopher for dealing and using marijuana.
102	* ToughLove: According to him, calling Titus a "wussy" so often was to help toughen him up.
103
104	!!Juanita Titus (Creator/ChristineEstrabrook, Creator/FrancesFisher, Creator/ConnieStevens)
105
106	-->'''Juanita''': Get down! The aliens can see you!
107	-->'''Young Christopher''': They look like trash cans, Mom.
108	-->'''Juanita''': They always do! They're aliens, not morons! Go get your metal hat! ''(brandishes a shotgun and shoves the business end of it out the window)'' HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY PLANET! ''(fires)''
109
110	Titus' paranoid schizophrenic mother. A beautiful, kind, talented, extremely intelligent woman...who is also a constant danger to those around her and whose appearances are usually met with blind terror from the rest of the cast.
111
112	* AxeCrazy: Chased after Ken with a broken wine bottle at the end of "Mom's Not Nuts," and [[spoiler:shot her abusive second husband Bill when he punched her in the face during Titus' wedding]].
113	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:How Juanita died. The good news is that she didn't take anyone with her when she died.]]
114	* ManipulativeBitch: Ken and Christopher have described Juanita as this.
115
116	!!Amy Fitzpatrick (Creator/RachelRoth)
117
118	-->'''Tommy''': Well, someone's turning into a woman!
119	-->'''Amy''': Yeah, and I'm looking at her.
120
121	* AgonyOfTheFeet: Tried a GroinAttack on Titus just as she did on his friend and ended up grunting in pain after the hit (to his cup).
122	%%* DeadpanSnarker
123	* DoesNotLikeMen: Justified when you consider that [[spoiler:her mom's boyfriend beats the crap out of her when he's drunk, and she was molested by a male babysitter whose son sexually harassed her]].
124	* HiddenDepths: "The Protector" and "Amy's Birthday" shed light on why Amy is such a broken child: [[spoiler:Her mother is a drug addict who's too high to raise her own child, her stepfather is a drunk who beats her and, when Amy was a child, she was sexually molested by a family friend who offered to take care of her while her parents were in jail]].
125	* ThePigpen: Titus regularly points out that Amy has extremely poor hygiene and reacts in disgust when he gives her a kiss and gets a whiff[=/=]taste of her funk.
126	* StraightGay: [[spoiler:The episode "Errr" reveals that Amy is in love with someone named "Charlie..." who turns out to be a girl. Prior to that point, there was no mention of Amy's sexual preference]].
127	* SixthRanger: Becomes this towards the end of the series, thanks to the spotlight on her.

Context Characters / Titus