Basic Trope: A previously dumb character suddenly gets smart when the plot demands it, even when it contradicts previously established characterization.
- Straight: Bob, The Ditz, suddenly sees through Alice's tricks.
- Exaggerated: Bob suddenly becomes smarter than Einstein and comes up with a completely valid scientific theory.
- Downplayed: Bob, who is somewhat of an idiot, makes a clever choice.
- Justified:
- Bob isn't actually that stupid.
- Bob is smarter than he looks.
- Bob is in the middle of going from a Ditz to a legitimately smart person.
- Bob is too dumb to be fooled by this overcomplicated con cooked up by Alice.
- Inverted: Idiot Ball
- Subverted:
- Bob was joking about seeing through her tricks.
- Bob's reaction wasn't intelligent, but Pavlovian.note
- Double Subverted: ...instead he sees through Claire's tricks.
- Parodied:
- A literal Smart Ball hits Bob in the head when he sees through Alice's tricks.
- Alternatively, the Smart Ball lands in Bob's hands when he sees through Alice's tricks.
- Zig Zagged: Bob sees though Alice's tricks, but he was joking. But he sees through Claire's tricks. Oh wait, he was kidding about that too. But Bob makes up a theory rivaling Einstein's theory of relativity.
- Averted: Bob does not suddenly become smarter.
- Enforced: "I know that Bob's supposed to be an idiot, but we need somebody to see through Alice's tricks. Let's hand Bob the Smart Ball."
- Lampshaded: "Did Bob just see through Alice's tricks?"
- Invoked: Bob notices a pattern in Alice's tricks.
- Exploited: Bob uses his new-found intelligence for other purposes.
- Defied: The author carefully studies previously established canon so that none of the characters make any suddenly smart moves.
- Discussed: "How did Bob suddenly become that smart?"
- Conversed: ???
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