Basic Trope: A dysfunctional relationship where either a Taker manipulates a Giver into giving them unconditional love, or the Giver manipulates the Taker into being cripplingly dependent.
- Straight:
- Tammi manipulates Gilbert into lavishing her with affection which she barely reciprocates.
- Gilbert undercuts Tammi's sense of self worth and independence to keep her dependent to his giving.
- Exaggerated:
- Tammi is emotionally and physically abusive of Gilbert to the point that neighbors call the police, with Gilbert still refusing to press charges and insisting his love can redeem her.
- Gilbert only dates Tammi because she is physically disabled and emotionally damaged in order to better force her into a dependent Taker position.
- Downplayed:
- Tammi does put some love and energy into the relationship, but it's clear Gilbert is the one holding it together.
- Tammi actually does need Gilbert's help, who only happens to be condescending about her attempts at independence rather than actively disabling.
- Justified:
- Tammi and Gilbert actually want this type of relationship, both have issues and agree that though dysfunctional, as long as both enter into the relationship freely and with ground rules they're at least less likely to hurt each other.
- Tammi is an inanimate object.
- Inverted:
- Tammi honestly doesn't want to date Gilbert at all, and all that that does is make Gilbert even more enthusiastic about his Giving.
- Tammi hurts herself and acts incompetent to make Gilbert dote on her.
- Subverted: Both Tammi and Gilbert insist that they be equal partners in love, neither giving nor taking in excess.
- Double Subverted:
- ...only for Tammi to monologue about how she knows that will push him into ever more extravagant Giving.
- ...only for Gilbert to make Tammi feel inadequate in the relationship so she's afraid to leave him.
- Parodied:
- Tammi is comically abusive of Gilbert, who nonetheless is unfailingly generous with his love and affection.
- Gilbert tries to undercut Tammi's sense of self worth to make her dependent, but she's so naturally ditzy that Gilbert has actually become a Cloudcuckoolander's Minder and is in over his head.
- Both Tammi and Gilbert attempt to manipulate the other. Hilarity Ensues because both suck.
- Zig Zagged: Tammi and Gilbert actually alternate the roles of Taker and Giver over the course of the story.
- Averted: Tammi and Gilbert are actually completely emotionally independent and healthy. Whatever affection they share is mutual or non-binding.
- Enforced: The executives see that this sort of relationship brings a lot of viewers in and urges the writers to pull this trope.
- Lampshaded:
- "The only way Tammi could find a boyfriend was to get an emotionally crippled puppy-love obsessed guy like Gilbert."
- "What a creep. Gilbert hangs out where those 'trick young girls into thinking unhealthy relationships are normal' movies play just so he can get girlfriends."
- Invoked:
- Tammi wants a loyal lackey, so she tricks her boyfriend into thinking she's helpless and needs love and loyalty.
- Charlie wants to break up Gilbert and Tammi, so he tricks Tammi into thinking Gilbert is trying to make emotionally fragile.
- Exploited: Charlie knows Tammi and Gilbert both like to manipulate others into having this kind of relationship. So, he tricks them into dating each other, knowing they're incompatible kinds of Giver and Taker.
- Defied: Despite having manipulative and submissive tendencies, both Tammi and Gilbert try very hard not to use each other, and they start seeing a therapist.
- Discussed: "Why is it they're together? Surely such a relationship will only end in tears and blood."
- Conversed: "Wow, if it weren't for the fact There Are No Therapists, both of these people would be in an institution now."
- Deconstructed: Their relationship is revealed to be unrealistic and unsustainable, the kinds of personalities prone to inflicting and participating in these relationships aren't able to make them work and they break up before long. This ultimately reduces the façade of the relationship to its most abusive core and leads to a cycle of breakups.
- Reconstructed: Both Tammi and Gilbert are unable to recognize the abusive type of relationship they're in due to being blinded by abusive/dysfunctional pasts... at first. Once they realize this, they try hard to leave and/or change.
- Played For Laughs: Tammi is comically needy and easy to anger. Gilbert is outrageously generous and insecure. They break up at least twice a day.
- Played For Drama: Tammi and Gilbert were only mildly dysfunctional at the start, but years of insecurity and dysfunction have warped them into thinking they're in a normal relationship. Eventually they do break up... and take their bad habits with them.
Back to All Take and No Give
