Other: A - C | D - F | G - L | M - R | S - T | U - Z
open/close all folders
D
- Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: In "King Daniel for a Day", Daniel is crowned king temporarily and is told to buy King Friday a dessert and a loud instrument, and most importantly to be kind. Daniel buys the dessert (a cake), but then he sees O having dropped his ice cream. Daniel is torn over whether to keep the cake to deliver, or give it to O.
You'd Expect: For Daniel to cut the cake in half and give half to O and half to King Friday, or to go back to the store and buy another cake (the store stocked plenty of cakes, they seemed to have plenty of time, and there was no mention of them being short on money).
Instead: He gives the whole thing to O and doesn't replace it.
Later: Daniel has bought the loud instrument (cymbals), but then he sees Miss Elaina crying because her astronaut toy is in the wash. He knows that cymbals are Miss Elaina's favourite instrument, but he needs to deliver these ones to the king.
You'd Expect: For Daniel to give one cymbal to Miss Elaina and the other to King Friday, or for him to just play the cymbals for her until she cheers up, or for him to find a different way to cheer Miss Elaina up (such as reminding her that the doll will come back) or for him to give her the cymbals and then come back to the store and buy a different loud instrument.
Instead: He gives Miss Elaina both cymbals and doesn't buy a new instrument, leaving him with nothing to give to the king.
On the Plus Side: That is a good way of driving home the moral that morality is more important than assigned tasks.
But on the Other Hand: Daniel had his mother with him, so even if he wasn't old enough to be able to think of the other solutions, there's no stopping her from thinking of them. Also, if he'd followed the other solutions, then the moral could be that you could be both kind and pragmatic, which is also a good thing to learn. If they wanted to, the writers could still go with the "kindness > pragmatism" thing by having King Friday assign Daniel with a deadline, or for them to go back to the store only to find the items have sold out. - Danny Phantom:
- "Double Cross My Heart" has Danny spying on Gregor, whom he is hanging out with Sam, suspecting him of working for the Guys in White. Sam has talked about it the next day at school.
You'd Expect: He should be careful in what he said and keep his cover maintained.
Instead: Danny gives out a hint he's spying on her by saying "spaghetti sauce", leading Sam to realize of what he just did. Boy, she's really pissed off by this one. - "The Fright Before Christmas":
- It turns out that Danny has a legitimate reason to hate Christmas; every year, his parents stage an embarrassing public fight about if Santa is real or not. The first time, they were so embroiled in arguing that they let a dog pee on him. This year, an innocent Mall Santa gets caught in the crossfire as the mother says to a bunch of watching kids that Santa isn't real. Danny hits his Rage Breaking Point while trapped in the Ghost Writer's version of events and asks them why they have to ruin Christmas. He walks out in a huff.
You'd Expect: That Jasmine would join him in calling out Danny's parents, along with his friends. As his sister she's been witnessing the fight every year.
Instead: They assume that Danny is being a "Scrooge". Jasmine only encourages Danny to walk it off rather than call their parents nuts and full of Skewed Priorities.
The Result: It turns out that Danny's friends and family can't do anything to teach him the True Meaning of Christmas, leading to the Disaster Dominoes that follow. His worst enemies have to do that, by revealing they have a truce until sundown on the 25th. They decide to fix the damage while the truce is up, and it's Danny realizing that anyone can be kind that allows him to make up with everyone and finish the story. - Later on in the special, Danny accidentally destroys a Christmas novel created by the Ghost Writer while taking out his frustrations on the holiday and is initially remorseful about it and soon, he learns it was a Christmas novel.
You'd Expect: Danny to still be remorseful and at least make it up to him. He may hate Christmas, but that doesn't mean he has to ruin it for others.
Instead: He grabs the Jerkass Ball and becomes proud of destroying the book, which instigates the special's conflict. - When Ghost Writer tries to set Danny's Rogues Gallery on him, it's revealed that he accidentally broke the truce by doing so. The rogues all confront him, giving a What the Hell, Hero? that Ghost Writer was trying to torture Danny on the one day he has off. They still fall under his power, however, because Danny didn't finish the story.
You'd Expect: Ghost Writer would type in a loophole and explain that Danny broke the truce first by accident, though Danny did apologize and say that he didn't mean to destroy the book.
Instead: He tries to compel them to fight each other using the typewriter so they all violate the truce for his amusement.
The Result: When he can't find a rhyme for orange, the spell breaks. The rogues proceed to kick Ghost Writers ass and arrest him, while Danny smashes the magic computer. Ghost Writer spends Christmas in ghost jail, realizing he Didn't Think This Through.
- It turns out that Danny has a legitimate reason to hate Christmas; every year, his parents stage an embarrassing public fight about if Santa is real or not. The first time, they were so embroiled in arguing that they let a dog pee on him. This year, an innocent Mall Santa gets caught in the crossfire as the mother says to a bunch of watching kids that Santa isn't real. Danny hits his Rage Breaking Point while trapped in the Ghost Writer's version of events and asks them why they have to ruin Christmas. He walks out in a huff.
- "The Ultimate Enemy": In the aftermath of the fight at the Nasty Burger, Danny accidentally obtains the answers to the C.A.T.. Although later on, Mr. Lancer soon discovers the answers are in fact missing from his briefcase after he overheard Tucker talking about Danny cheating on the C.A.T..
You'd Expect: Mr. Lancer, the vice-principal of a high school, as well as an administrator of education, would be rational, if not sensible, about the whole situation and therefore conduct a thorough investigation as to how some teenager, if not any student in general, would be able to steal the answer sheet right from under his nose, when he had the only key to his briefcase and had said briefcase handcuffed to his wrist the whole time.
Instead: He blows it way out of proportion. He literally had no physical, solid, and/or concrete evidence to prove Danny DID steal the answers. But, regardless, he was going to fail Danny anyway.
On that note: This is the same teacher who plays favorites with the school football star-who is a Jerk Jock, wears his pride on his sleeve on a constant basis, as well as see "his students work as a reflection of his work" (Teacher of the Year). In short, he is the epitome of cynicism, egocentrism, and biasness at its finest, in the entire series, itself.
Even Worse: To add injury to insult, he was going to make a scene by asking Mr. and Mrs. Fenton to bring Danny to the still-standing Nasty Burger, minutes away from exploding, just to make an example out of Danny.
As a (Possible/Almost) Result: He, along with Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Mr. & Mrs. Fenton, end up dead. And thus, setting off a cataclysmic chain of events that would set Danny on the path to Evil, and destroy the whole world. - In "Urban Jungle", Jack and Maddie try to stop plant themed ghost villain Undergrowth from taking over Amity Park. While Maddie ends up getting mind controlled by his vines, Jack is initially unaffected by the vines.
You'd Expect: Jack to take advantage of this and try to continue fighting off Undergrowwth's forces.
Instead: He just stands there and comments on how he isn't affected until the mind control vine manages to take control by crawling in his ear, causing him to be turned into one of Undergrowth's slaves too.
- "Double Cross My Heart" has Danny spying on Gregor, whom he is hanging out with Sam, suspecting him of working for the Guys in White. Sam has talked about it the next day at school.
- Daria: Is It Fall Yet? has one for Mack of all people! While on his ice cream shift, Kevin and Brittany visit to gripe about being fired from their lifeguarding jobs, just as he's nearly made the money he needs to pay back his father and a gift for Jodie.
You'd Expect: Mack to question Kevin and Brittany regarding how and why they were terminated, and not to do anything before getting the whole story. He's known these two for at least three years, and is fully aware that the pair rarely understand their own actions.
Instead: He decides that getting out as soon as possible is all that matters, and recommends them to take over his route, no questions asked!
You'd Than Expect: Mack to at least insist that the company place them in separate trucks, and to have them each partnered with other employees who actually know what they're doing.
Instead: Mack does none of this, and the lovebirds are united in labor once more.
Result: Kevin and Brittany's combined inability to make correct change ends up costing the truck company untold hundreds (if not thousands) in losses over what remains of the summer.
What's More: It's never directly stated whether any actions were taken by the truck operators to recoup their damages; However, the next film (Daria: Is It College Yet?) reveals that Mack cannot afford college without a major scholarship-and it's very possible that this incident played a major role in said predicament. - Dennis the Menace: In "Shark Treatment", Dennis stumbles into a robotic shark and finds the remote control inside.
You'd Expect: Anyone with eyes to see that the shark is obviously a fake and that Dennis is in there just by listening to his voice.
Instead: Both PeeBee and Mr. Wilson are fooled into thinking that the shark is real and that it can talk. Neither can tell that it's Dennis' voice until he jumps out. - Near the end of a Disenchantment episode, The Princess of Darkness, Bean and Elfo successfully rescued Luci from Big Jo. They prepared to release him from the jar.
You'd Expect: Like Luci suggested to them, simply pull the cork out of the jar.
Instead: Elfo just grab a nearby rock (which was used to stop Big Jo's cart from rolling) and smash the bottle, not only releasing Luci but releasing the surviving demons after Big Jo's cart rolled off the cliff and smashes to the ground. - In Dougnote
- Doug Battles The Rulemeister: What kicks off the plot of the episode is when Roger tries to convince Doug that it's school anniversary day, and on said day, they always decorate the school founder's statue by putting polka dot underwear on his head.
You'd Expect: Doug to realize this is obviously a trick, since, A. No school would ever decorate its founder's statue with a pair of underwear. B. If there was such a holiday, why had Doug never heard about it before? C. It's Roger.
Instead: Doug falls for the prank and goes along with it, only to be told afterwards by Patty, Skeeter, Chalky, and Bebe that he's been tricked. Then Doug accidentally bumps the statue, almost knocking it over, but thankfully, the other kids catch it just in time.
Unfortunately: Mr. Bone sees this and gives Doug a Saturday Detention for his supposedly bad intentions, as well as the others, just for being near the crime when it was committed. - "Doug Ripped Off", Doug's parents decide to surprise him by getting him a new bike and donating his old one.
You'd Expect: For them to donate his old bike when they get the new one.
Instead: They go ahead donate it and then go out and buy the new bike without telling Doug not to worry about his old one.
The Result: Doug goes into the garage and finds that his bike isn't there and freaks out because he thinks it's been stolen. The police tell him that since nothing else appears to be missing, it was probably a kid causing Doug to develop trust issues with his friends, and it gets worse when he sees that Al and Moo have his old bike. He goes after them and takes it back, and that's when he finds out about his parents' surprise. It's too late, Al and Moo reported Doug to the police. Doug gives the bike back and for some reason, gets grounded for a week. He does seem to take the punishment in stride though. - Doug's Mail Order Mania, Doug has been suckered by a fraudulant mail order sweepstakes from a company called "Ponzi Publishing". The contest is obviously a scam, offering an unrealistically high sum of money simply for completing several rounds of word jumbles, each demanding a higher fee to send in, and Phil's, Theda's and Judy's BS meters go off instantly.
You'd Expect: That they would tell Doug directly that he's being ripped off. He's only eleven years old after all.
Instead: They only try to subtly drop the hint to him, e.g. "Those contests aren't what they seem to be","I hope you know what the chances of winning this are". None of their remarks get through to Doug, as he believes the word jumbles are much more complicated than they actually are, and he's one of the few people with the brains to figure them out, and he continues to waste time, along with Skeeter, attempting to raise the money to pay each fee. Even when Doug is ready to cash a fifty dollar savings bond from his grandmother to pay the "Grand Super Bonus Finals" fee, Phil only asks Doug to think about what he's doing. Doug cashes the bond.
The Result: It's only after Doug drops off the letter at the post office and sees it dropped into a mail cart containing hundreds of other "Grand Super Bonus Finalist" applications that he realizes he's been ripped off. - Doug's New Teacher, Doug's teacher, Mrs. Wingo, is out for a week, and Ms. Cecilia Newberry is subbing for her. Roger is ready to play pranks on her (he's brought a slingshot, among other things). Doug takes all of Roger's other prank supplies (e.g. a whoopee cushion and a spitball kit), and when Ms. Newberry (the most beautiful teacher the boys have ever seen) enters, she bumps into Doug and notices him with said supplies. She remarks to him, "Don't you think that's a lot of ammunition for just one substitute teacher?".
You'd Expect: The rest of the class (especially Patti and Skeeter) would tell Ms. Newberry that Doug was trying to stop Roger from making trouble for her.
Instead: Nobody says anything, even though everybody could clearly see that Doug was trying to prevent Roger's mischief.
The Result: Ms. Newberry thinks Doug is a troublemaker and Roger is a good kid ("You seem like a sensitive boy, Roger. What can I do to get through to him?").
Even Worse: As she continues to misjudge both Doug and Roger throughout the week, Doug's friends continue to be unhelpful.
—>Connie: Wow, Doug; Ms. Newberry really nailed you.
Patti: Yeah, Doug; everybody's talking about it.
Skeeter: I don't know what you did, man. She seems nice; she even likes...Roger.
- Doug Battles The Rulemeister: What kicks off the plot of the episode is when Roger tries to convince Doug that it's school anniversary day, and on said day, they always decorate the school founder's statue by putting polka dot underwear on his head.
—>Ms. Newberry (looking at the card that Doug made for her): This isn't the homework assignment, Douglas.
Doug: I know, Ms. Newberry, but...I worked on it for hours.
Ms. Newberry: I am very disappointed, Douglas.
Skeeter: Wow, Doug. I've never seen you without your homework.
Patti: You're changing, Doug. This isn't like you at all.
- In the Dragon Booster episode "The Mouth that Roared" there's obviously someone dealing in black market gear during an incredibly important racing qualifier. Dragon City Security is contacted by a child who claims that while he was playing near the racing area, he saw the dealer meeting with one of the racers.
You'd Expect: The police to send a small group to stake out the area for the rest of the qualifier and thank the kid for their only tip.
Instead: The cops scope the area out, wait a few minutes, and denounce the kid as a liar. Shortly after they leave, the dealer makes a deal in that very location. - The Dragon Prince:
- King Harrow has two heirs that are children: his son Ezran and his stepson Callum. He also expects to pay for his life after killing Thunder and allowing Viren to destroy Thunder's egg. Ezran is barely out of toddler years, and Callum despite being clever is still a kid.
You'd Expect: He would have assigned a regent to them, such as their Aunt Amaya.
Instead: He doesn't.
The Result: Season 3 focuses on the Succession Crisis and reality ensues when Ezran has to take the throne. Despite him being proven right that storming Xadia is the wrong thing to do, and trying to advocate for peace, Prince Kasef threatens to invade Katolis unless Ezran either agrees or abdicates the throne, the latter of which Ezran does. Corvus is the Only Sane Man who tells Ezran he was brave and stuck to his convictions, and it wasn't his fault that things went wrong. - King Harrow is preparing himself to face the Moonshadow Elf Assassins, fully expecting to die in the process as punishment for his past sins. Earlier in the day, he gets into a disagreement with Viren when he suggests that he uses a Two-Headed Soulfang Serpent to switch bodies with one of his guards to survive, which culminates in him telling Viren to Get Out!. Later on, Viren comes by to discuss his plan again and says he wants to talk to Harrow not as a servant or advisor, but as a friend and brother, intending on offering to be the sacrifice instead of one of the guards.
You'd Expect: Harrow to just stay quiet and hear Viren out. While there's definitely some issues between them, Viren is still his oldest friend and his most trusted advisor and, while definitely shady, his suggestion to use the Soulfang Serpent was for the intent of saving his life, which he has nothing to benefit from politically speaking considering characters later point the multiple way he could benefit from his death. And even if Harrow still refuses to do the bodyswap, he could at least make sure the two of them part on good terms with no bad blood between them.
Instead: He snaps and yells at Viren for, of all things, forgetting his place by asking to speak to him as his friend and brother, and decides to rub his position as servant in by forcing him to bow to him.
As A Result: Viren takes this as a sign to give into his ambitions and darker impulses and seek the throne for himself, which leads to him making many attempts to escalate things with Xadia and try to kill Harrow's sons, who he tried to send away to protect in the first place. - Rayla, Callum, and Ezran have found out that Viren stole the Dragon Prince, who is still in an egg, and they make their escape from Claudia when she claims she needs to hold onto the egg and that Rayla can't be trusted. Callum realizes he needs to tell his father when Runaan refuses to listen to reason and call off the assassination. Viren, Soren and his guards are barring the throne room door.
You'd Expect: Callum to tearfully beg he wants to see his dad one last time or make a Last Stand with him or shout through the door that the Dragon Prince is alive before making his getaway because he doesn't want Harrow to die for a senseless cause. At least, don't goad Viren or Soren.
Instead: He tells Viren that the latter is a traitor for stealing the egg and prolonging an exhausting war. You know, why should you taunt the mage that engages in dark magic?
Predictably: Viren points out that logically Harrow may already know about the egg. He then steals away Callum's voice before the latter can shout out a warning to his father, with the intent of interrogating him later. The elves come, and Callum is forced to abandon his father to his fate so as to save the egg and smuggle it out of the kingdom. - Amaya sees the boys at the abandoned winter lodge, and they are acting suspiciously. She then captures a child elf that has been rummaging in the game room. Ezran mentions they could tell Aunt Amaya the truth, but Callum is worried that Amaya will kill Rayla regardless due to Fantastic Racism.
You'd Expect: At some point, they would come clean to their aunt. Just because two adults failed to listen to them doesn't mean the third time will be a downer as well. Amaya may just disagree about her two nephews going on a dangerous quest and that Ezran at least needs to stay behind and rule, but she could send a retinue of soldiers to escort the egg safely. Either way, she'd know that Rayla is an ally, not an enemy.
Instead: They bust Rayla out with Bait's help, and the guards know that Bait is Ezran's pet. When they get cornered, Callum lies that Rayla is holding them hostage and will kill them.
The Result: Amaya is less likely to trust Rayla, who angrily tells Callum that he made things worse as they get away. Even though Amaya suspects nothing is as it seems, she delegates a scout to follow the trio without engaging to make sure her nephews aren't hurt. As we find out later, she would have believed them about the hopes of ending the war. - During Amaya and Viren's argument after she interrupts his coronation, he points out that logically she could rule the throne until the boys are found, and he will support her.
You'd Expect: Amaya to realize that Viren has a point. Ezran is a child and needs a regent; she would only rule in his name until the boys are found. It also means she could keep a closer eye on Viren.
Instead: She refuses on principle, and to leave the throne empty.
The Result: Viren seizes the opportunity when Amaya has to return to the borders to consolidate his power. - When Viren offers to send Soren and Claudia to search for Ezran and Callum, Amaya refuses due to suspecting he's up to something and instead gives the task to Gren, explicitly telling him to not trust Viren before leaving for the border. After she's gone, Viren abruptly tells Gren that there's been a change of plans and that Soren is in charge of the search, and offers for the two of them to meet later to discuss any grievances Gren may have with the arrangement "somewhere quiet".
You'd Expect: Gren to be naturally suspicious and instead take the search party out without Viren noticing, seeing as Amaya warned him to be wary of him right before she left.
Instead: He seemingly goes and meets with him unprepared.
As A Result: Viren traps him and has him locked in the dungeon, preventing him from going on the search and allowing Viren to send Soren and Claudia with the intent of killing the boys and reclaiming the egg. - Early in Harrow's reign as King of Katolis, he's visited by Queens Annika and Neha of Duren, who ask for assistance in combating a famine plaguing their kingdom. He agrees to help by offering to share Katolis' resources and food, but Viren protests that Katolis barely has enough to feed themselves, let alone another kingdom.
You'd Expect: Harrow to rethink his offer and either say he can't help or perhaps seek out an alternative solution.
Or Maybe: See if he can beseech the other kingdoms for assistance in this matter, like how Viren is trying to get their help for attacking Xadia in the present. Assuming they're the same people we met in the present were in charge back then (and based on their apparent age they likely were) and weren't suffering the same or similar problems, they'd probably be willing to help how they can.
Instead: He decides to go through with it, even after Viren tells him that thousands of their own people will die as a result.
Even Worse: This leads to Viren having to come up with a quick yet risky solution of solution of sneaking into Xadia, where humans aren't exactly welcome, and killing a Magma Golem to take it's heart, which ends in Annika, Neha and Sarai losing their lives to Thunder as they're making their escape. - Related to the above, when the group is escaping from Xadia with the Magma Titan Heart, Annika and Neha stay behind to hold Thunder off and allow the others to escape.
You'd Expect: That Viren, the only guy who can use the spell on the heart to solve the famines and the guy who previously suggested leaving behind the soldiers who were injured fighting the Magma Titan to make their escape quicker, would pragmatically honor their Heroic Sacrifice and flee with the others.
Instead: In an rare but very ill-timed moment of kindness, he decides to go back to assist the two.
As A Result: Not only did he potentially guarantee their deaths, since his use of a Ice Spell on Thunder causes to two of them to recklessly charge in and get caught off guard when he breaks out, but then Sarai dies when she comes back to save him.
Even Worse: If he was to have died in his attempt of stalling Thunder, then not only would have Duren lost both their Queens, but both kingdoms would have been doomed to starve to death unless they could find another, equally skilled mage, which considering Viren's skill is unlikely. - In season 3, Kasef forces Ezran to surrender and abdicate the throne. Ezran is willing to be put in shackles and locked up, while Kasef installs Viren on the throne of Katolis, ignoring all precedent that one of royal blood can only be king.
You'd Expect: He would take the prince as a royal hostage, to ensure that no one in Katolis rebels. It worked in Game of Thrones with Theon Greyjoy, after all. Even if Viren doesn't care, Amaya and Opeli sure do.
Instead: He and Viren think to lock Ezran in his own castle dungeons. Brilliant.
The Result: Soren has a Heel–Face Turn, busts out Ezran, and smuggles him out with Opeli and Corvus. He knows all the secret passages out of the castle and covers for them when a guard gets suspicious. This allows Ezran to defend Xadia and reclaim is throne at the end of season 3, as well as for everyone to see that Kasef and Viren are off their rockers. - In The Great Bookery, Rayla comes clean about how she has possession of her parents and foster father trapped in cursed coins by Viren, and was sneaking around in Viren's old sealed-off lab looking for a way to free them. Callum recalled glancing at a passage on breaking such a spell in the search for other information they and several others had braved venturing into the abandoned Lux Aurea to find, but the area around the corrupted Sunfire Forge draws creatures twisted and corrupted by Dark Magic who will infect any they injure in the slightest when the sun sets, and they are almost out of time.
You Would Think: Callum would use his Photographic Memory to make note of where he saw the information, get to safety for the night, and (presuming those concerned find it is worth the delay in their current quest note ) return to the Bookery in the morning.
Instead: Callum overrides Rayla's objections and heads straight back to the stacks to find it. By the time he does so, Stella rips the desired page out, and Amaya bodily drags him off... night has fallen and their steeds are banther-chow.
As A Result: They are besieged by several Grizzly Bear sized abnormally persistent wildlife and about to be overwhelmed when the arch-dragon Zubelia shows up, and even that rescue goes south to the degree that they are forced to leave Amaya and Corvus hiding in a book-drop as they flee... while Zubelia is bitten.
- King Harrow has two heirs that are children: his son Ezran and his stepson Callum. He also expects to pay for his life after killing Thunder and allowing Viren to destroy Thunder's egg. Ezran is barely out of toddler years, and Callum despite being clever is still a kid.
- In the Dragon Tales:
- In a Compressed Vice episode, Ord has developed a phase where he doesn't like sharing. While preparing for a beach party, he picks up a shell that reflects his face and says he wishes for a hat like Max's. A hat appears, then and there. His friends gather, with Cassie explaining that it must be a Wish Shell. It turns out that one person or dragon can make three wishes; if they try for number four then the shell will shatter into dust. There is no limit on how many people or dragons can use the shell, however, and Cassie knows this. Everyone starts asking Ord if he'll share the Wish Shell.
You'd Expect: Cassie the smart one would tell Ord that he only has three wishes first before making her requests. Ord may be the same age as her but doesn't know as much about Dragonland.
Instead: She joins in, albeit politely, in asking if she can use the shell to wish for more books.
The Result: Ord grumpily refuses and accidentally wishes himself to Kingdom Come when wanting to be somewhere where he wouldn't have to share. In Kingdom Come, the land itself won't allow you to fly home even if you're a dragon, and the Mayor has a key to the exit that he won't share. Ord in a panic wastes his last wish summoning his friends, who go Mass "Oh, Crap!" on learning they can't go back home.
You'd Then Expect: Cassie would quickly tell Ord to give the Wish Shell to one of them, and she, Zak, Weezie, Max or Emmie can wish them back home. Problem solved, and Ord learns to share! If Ord still protests, tell him if he doesn't then the shell will break and they're stuck.
Instead: She lets Zak (who isn't wrong) ream out Ord for using his last wish on bringing them to Kingdom Come rather than wishing himself back at the beach.
The Result: Cassie only reveals this important Wish Shell fact after Ord tries to make a fourth wish and shatters the Shell, leaving them with no way to get to the beach party unless they bargain with the mayor. Zak goes This Is Gonna Suck when this happens, and Ord has to share half of his giant dragonberry cupcake to get the mayor's key so they can fly back and attend the festivities. - "Knot A Problem":
- Max doesn't know how to tie knots, and is struggling with getting past the basic loop. It's just as well, since a group of sapient carousel ponies come to Quetzal and the dragons for help. They explain that their foal Whinny has gone missing, and she's probably wandering in the woods. Quetzal orders everyone to split into pairs and learn to tie knots. He hears Max yelling in frustration and teaches him a mnemonic device.
You'd Expect: Quetzal and Ord would have Max practice his knots a few times, and the poem, before sending him to fly with Ord to find Whinny.
Instead: They assume once is enough for Max.
The Result: Max forgets the poem at several crucial times, which causes the rest of the plot to continue when it could have ended a few minutes earlier. - By good luck, Max and Ord find Whinny. She can't talk to them like her parents can, but she understands they've come to rescue her. Ord says that he can't carry her because she's too heavy, and he doesn't want to leave Max with her, and Max can't fly to get help. They don't think of doing signal fire, but simply tether her to a tree. Max insists on trying out a knot.
You'd Expect: Ord would double-check Max's handiwork. He knows Max is still struggling with knots.
Instead: He takes a snack break after tying a halter around Whinny's shoulders.
The Result: Max tied the knot wrong again, and Whinny pulls free easily. She ends up in a ravine where it's too steep for the dragons to climb down and pull her up, so they create a makeshift harness instead.
- Max doesn't know how to tie knots, and is struggling with getting past the basic loop. It's just as well, since a group of sapient carousel ponies come to Quetzal and the dragons for help. They explain that their foal Whinny has gone missing, and she's probably wandering in the woods. Quetzal orders everyone to split into pairs and learn to tie knots. He hears Max yelling in frustration and teaches him a mnemonic device.
- "Ord's Unhappy Birthday," the main cast prepares a Surprise Party for Ord's birthday.
You'd Expect: That they would prepare for it at least a day in advance, so that on the day of his birthday they have something for him right away when they first see him, as is common with surprise parties.
Instead: They wait until the day of his birthday before doing any sort of preparation. This forces them to awkwardly have to hide away from him while they rush to set everything up, misleading him into thinking he's fallen victim to a Forgotten Birthday. - "Zak's Song": The dragons call for the kids to come to Dragon Land early in the morning, to see Do-Re-Mi birds singing. Weezie accidentally scares the birds away with loud singing and dancing, against Zak's advice. Zak keeps telling the group that the Do-Re-Mis are easily startled so invite them back with soft singing or music.
You'd Expect: Cassie and Emmy would take charge and listen to Zak. After all, Cassie is the bookish person that knows about Dragon Land best.
Instead: Everyone goes along with Weezie's schemes to make bird calls and dress themselves up as birds.
The Result: The birds don't come back thanks to the Zany Scheme. Zak finally tells Weezie to knock it off and plays a gentle melody on his flute. She's forced to eat her words about them being "wild birds" that like her style when the Do-Re-Mis join in and return to their perch, though she appreciates that Zak's soft approach works. - "A Smashing Success": While goofing around with Wheezie's trumpet before the latter is performing, Emmy accidentally breaks it. She's worried about how Wheezie loves music and will get angry at who broke her instrument hours to concert time.
You'd Expect: She would ask Quetzal to fix it when asking him for advice. Quetzal had previously repaired Max's bike with magic, so a trumpet would be child's play.
Instead: She first tries hiding the trumpet, leading to Wheezie starting to blame her friends in the vicinity when she inevitably finds it. Ord gets accused, though he was nowhere near the trumpet. When Cassie tries to help Emmy, Wheezie blames her, causing Cassie to shrink and run off in tears.
The Result: Only after Cassie gives Emmy a What the Hell, Hero? does Emmy go to Quetzal for advice. He does fix the trumpet, but only after convincing Emmy to tell the truth so that it doesn't weigh on her forever or cause collateral damage. - Due to Ord giving the group permanent paint instead of a washable kind for fingerprinting, everyone is covered from head to toe. They go to Quetzal for help, and he tells them the steps they need to take so as to get the paint off: douse themselves in fairy berry juice, wipe themselves with Tiger Tree leaves, and wash off in the mountain snows.
You'd Expect: Cassie would take notes on the instructions. While they're not rocket science, they are a little complicated. Heck, Weezie does this later when Dr. Booboogone gives her steps on restoring her firebreath.
Instead: The group assumes they will be fine just memorizing them and later the mnemonic device that Quetzal gives them.
The Result: Quetzal can't help but laugh when the group comes covered in dragon berry juice, and later with dandelion seeds stuck to them. After the mnemonic device fails, he splits it up into verses and gives one to each of them. Only then do they complete the steps correctly and remove the paint. - Zak, a bit of Neat Freak, hates how his sister Weezie and her side of their room is messy. He thinks it would be a great idea to show her how cleaning would make it look nicer. To do so, he blindfolds and covers her ears so she won't stop him and it will be a surprise.
You'd Expect: He would gather what he considers "junk" and then ask Weezie what she wants to keep, or what could be put away in her drawers. What brings her joy, and what doesn't, to quote Marie Kondo. Even if this was the 90s, it is very rude to not ask.
Instead: Zak tosses it all in the trash, which is taken out to the main dumpster and to the large garbage dump.
Predictably: It turns out what he tossed out, including Weezie's handmade button bracelet and foil ball, were what she considered her greatest treasures. Weezie gets upset with him, and Max and Emmie find it hard to take his side on this one. Arlo the dumpster dragon even later says the button bracelet was too pretty to be thrown away and he asks rhetorically Who Would Be Stupid Enough?. In a giant fit of Laser-Guided Karma, they have to dig through the dumpster and then the main dump, with Weezie reminding Zak that he wouldn't be having to put his hands on trash if he had left her stuff alone.
- In a Compressed Vice episode, Ord has developed a phase where he doesn't like sharing. While preparing for a beach party, he picks up a shell that reflects his face and says he wishes for a hat like Max's. A hat appears, then and there. His friends gather, with Cassie explaining that it must be a Wish Shell. It turns out that one person or dragon can make three wishes; if they try for number four then the shell will shatter into dust. There is no limit on how many people or dragons can use the shell, however, and Cassie knows this. Everyone starts asking Ord if he'll share the Wish Shell.
E
- Ever After High:
- In "Spring Unsprung", Bunny falls off a balcony, while very high up.
You'd Expect: That Alistair would not immediately jump after her, as that would only get both of them killed.
Instead: He does, and only survives the fall because they happen to land in Soft Water. - In "The Day Ever After", Raven and Apple manage to persuade two feuding political factions to stop fighting.
You'd Expect: That, having resolved the issue, they would move on.
Instead: Apple goes on to say something extremely inflammatory about one of the factions, for no reason other than spite, and starts them fighting all over again.
- In "Spring Unsprung", Bunny falls off a balcony, while very high up.
- Exo Squad:
- During the retaking of Australia, the Neo Sapiens reveal their newest weapon of war-the Neo Warriors. Due to insane regeneration or durability, they can tank laser blasts and most explosions, and could get into melee range with the Frames and effortlessly destroy them. After narrowly escaping with their lives, Able Squad returns to Exofleet.
You'd Expect: Since lasers and other weapons were ineffective against the Neo Warriors, and that they regularly get into melee range, the engineers at Exofleet would counter with putting at least a combat knife, sword, mace, or laser cutter onto each frame to deal with close range combat.
Instead: They continue to arm the Frames with the same old configuration, and in several battles, the Exoframes are overwhelmed by superior numbers of Neo Warriors and don't have any real way to defend themselves, and get destroyed. Things get even worse when the Neo Lords are revealed. - In the first early season Admiral Marcus upon hearing news that the homeworlds were getting destory by the Neos' invasion.
You'd Expect: Marcus to make sure Exofleet arrive their at full strengths to take on whatever threat.
Instead: General Failure Marcus order the Carriers to go at full speed leaving the support ships behind fighting at half power at best. And putting JT Marsh in jail for calling his plan stupid.
The Result: On the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle from the Neos that have Exofleet running away with their tail inbetween their legs.
- During the retaking of Australia, the Neo Sapiens reveal their newest weapon of war-the Neo Warriors. Due to insane regeneration or durability, they can tank laser blasts and most explosions, and could get into melee range with the Frames and effortlessly destroy them. After narrowly escaping with their lives, Able Squad returns to Exofleet.
F
- The Fantastic Four (1967) episode "The Three Predictions of Doctor Doom" begins with the Fantastic Four receiving a warning that Doctor Doom will remove The Heart of their team, then he will remove their greatest strength, then the most powerful force will conquer all. Doom proceeds to disguise as a photographer in hopes of kidnapping the Invisible Girl.
You'd Expect: The Invisible Girl would recognize Doctor Doom's very distinctive voice, then try to prevent him from taking her.
Instead: She fails to recognize Doom until he ties her up by shooting vines from his camera. He then carries her off to his lair, fulfilling the first prediction. - The Fantastic Four (1978): In the episode "The Menace of Magneto", Mr. Fantastic crafts what appears to be a gun which will rob Magneto of his powers. Magneto can't take control of the gun and concedes defeat. As he is taken by the police, Reed explains that he tricked him with a gun made out of wood and thus Magneto's powers were ineffective.
You'd expect: Magneto to take control of the situation and start attacking again, especially after such an embarrassment.
Instead: He puts up no resistance and whines about being beaten with a wooden gun. - In the second Joe Oriolo Felix the Cat cartoon "Into Outer Space", the Professor has Felix trapped inside of his laboratory and has a clear shot at getting the Magic Bag away from him.
You'd Expect: Professor to take the Magic Bag then and there and imprison Felix somewhere else in the lab.
Instead: For some unfathomable reason, he instead decides to trap Felix and the bag in a satellite and launch him out into outer space, the exact opposite of what would've helped get the bag. On top of that, it gets Felix recognized as a worldwide hero by being launched into space. And Professor decides to go to the trouble of travelling all the way to the antarctic where Felix landed to steal the bag anyway. Even the Professor realizes he didn't think things through by the end. - Fanboy and Chum Chum
- In "Fangboy", Fanboy spots a bite on his neck (really his lower left cheek); believing it's a vampire bite when it's actually a mosquito bite, as Chum Chum points out.
You'd Expect: Chum Chum to explain to Fanboy that it isn't a vampire bite and to not worry.
Instead: He is pulled right in to believe Fanboy full-on, and even don't believe Kyle who is even more serious to know the truth.
As a Result: They eventually encounter a real vampire, Dr. Acula, where Fanboy finally learns the truth, only to turn into an actual vampire by him. - In "Fan VS Wild", Kyle accidentally loses the group's only rope, leaving himself and Fanboy and Chum Chum stuck on the roof.
You'd Expect: Kyle to at least teleport the boys back home.
Instead: He apparently Forgot About His Powers and tries to reach for the rope himself, uttering "I wish I had my wand!", when he doesn't need his wand to teleport in the first place.
You'd Also Expect: Either boy to shout for Lenny and ask him to get a ladder so he can get them down.
Instead: Again, they do nothing.
Then: Later, when Fanboy goes to get help, he falls off the roof and grabs a giant icicle to slide safely down right next to Yo, not to mention he stopped right above the ground.
You'd Expect: Fanboy to safely jump off the icicle to the road, and ask Yo to toss the rope back.
Instead: He does nothing to ask her about the rope, and simply asks her to push him back up, making things worse.
Then Again: Fanboy is an idiot, and doesn't think things clearly. - In "The Incredible Shrinking Fanboy", a mistake with a measuring flower causes Fanboy to believe he's smaller. Chum Chum, who's The Comically Serious, simply points out, "Or the flower grew overnight."
You'd Expect: Fanboy to listen to Chum Chum and wave off this suspicion.
Instead: He convinces him that's not the case, pointing out it's a sunflower, not a moonflower.
You'd Then Expect: For Chum Chum to explain the reason behind such and to reassure him that he isn't shrinking.
Instead: He is pulled right in to believe Fanboy entirely, kicking off the plot of the episode. - A flashback in "Brain Freeze" deals with one of Kyle's failed attempts to get reaccepted to Milkweed Academy. Right before it's finished, the titular boys are entering, induced with all the Berry Pink Frosty Freezy Freeze, which shocks him.
You'd Expect: Kyle to politely excuse himself for a moment to take care of the boys himself, maybe getting them to leave so the readmittance can go on without a problem.
Instead: He begins hesitating over the boys' entrance any minute, and even forces his former teacher Professor Flan to speed up which he refuses to do. Indeed, the boys enter, and mistake Flan for a birthday cake and escape with him, resulting in the admittance to be denied. - "The Last Strawberry Fun Finger": After FB and CC each have a Strawberry Fun Finger, they discover a third Fun Finger on the ground and can't agree on who gets it.
You'd Expect: For the two to split the Fun Finger in half, so they can both eat it and are equal.
Instead: It somehow doesn't occur to them and they try ridiculous methods, from choosing different days to jousting. It's only when they pass out during the joust and hallucinate the Fun Finger talking to them do they realize this mundane method. - In "Speed Eraser" (the biggest example yet), Kyle isn't here yet, so Chum Chum tells him he should erase the board.
You'd Expect: Fanboy to not do so and just wait for Kyle to arrive.
Instead: He does erase the board, complete with a dance routine, just as Kyle arrives. As a result, he becomes the new board eraser-er, replacing him.
Then: Jealous over his role being stolen, Kyle gives Fanboy an eraser-er that literally erases anything.
You'd Expect: Fanboy to politely refuse.
Instead: He takes it, and tries it out on the wall. Mr. Mufflin is shocked at first and appears to punish him, but then gets excited due to "freeing everyone". Kyle is angry he's praised and not punished.
Eventually: Kyle literally attaches the eraser to Fanboy's hand, which horrifies him upon hearing what will happen upon doing so.
You'd Expect: Before Kyle does this, to think of any consequences for literally attaching the eraser to the user.
Instead: He just goes through with that anyway.
You'd Then Expect: Fanboy to tell Mr. Mufflin that Kyle is ruining everything.
Instead: He is so horrified that he pleads Kyle to help him.
Then: Kyle's body gets erased when he tries to hold onto him, a backfire to Kyle's plan. He then asks Fanboy to help him out by giving him his wand. As another backfire, because the eraser is sentient, it literally controls Fanboy's movement and he keeps reaching out the hand with the eraser, as if trying to erase the head.
You'd expect: Fanboy to let Chum Chum get the wand and bring it over, which is what Kyle suggests.
Instead: He refuses to allow Chum Chum to help, because he got him into the mess and he will get him out of it himself. After several resistance from the eraser, he manages to fight hard enough against the eraser's sentience to grab the wand with the free hand.
You'd Then Expect: Fanboy to quickly give the wand back to Kyle.
Instead: The eraser takes over again when he sees dirt on the wand, causing him to erase it out of existence. He does the same to the emergency wand.
Then Again: Fanboy is dimwitted and can't follow the rules. - In "Buddy Up", this time, it is Kyle, of all characters, who is oblivious to the true lesson of the episode. It is what strands himself, Fanboy and Chum Chum in the desert while on a field trip to the Dinosaur Museum.
You'd Expect: Kyle to teleport the boys back to the bus.
Instead: He does nothing, again forgetting about his powers. The one time he thought of that, he mentioned using his wand when he doesn't need it in the first place.
- In "Fangboy", Fanboy spots a bite on his neck (really his lower left cheek); believing it's a vampire bite when it's actually a mosquito bite, as Chum Chum points out.
- In the Franklin episode, "Franklin and the Bus Patrol", Skunk is working on a drawing on the bus, but she drops it. Luckily Franklin picks it up for her. Unfortunately, he cannot return it to her because if he gets up while the bus is moving, Bear (who is acting as the bus safety officer) will give him a ticket.
You'd Expect: Franklin would say to Skunk that she'll have to wait until the bus stops so he can return her drawing.
Or: Politely ask the bus driver, Mr. Fox, to stop the bus so he can return Skunk's drawing to her.
Instead: He tosses Skunk's drawing over to her, resulting in Bear giving him a ticket for throwing things on the bus.
