We don't want to clog this thread since Surprisingly Realistic Outcome is an Overdosed Trope. Before posting here, check if the example you're analyzing qualifies for summary deletion from the three criteria below by keeping this trope's rigorous definition in mind.
- Does the example involve Applied Phlebotinum (Functional Magic, Science Fiction, Artistic Licence) or a character reaction? If so, it instantly violates the definition's second bullet point's realism requirements, and you should delete it without question.
- Is the example a Discussed Trope or an instance of Conversational Troping? If so, it violates the definition's third bullet point's emphasis on only counting outcomes, and you should delete it without question.
- Considering the definitions, would the example qualify better for Deconstructed Trope or Deconstructed Character Archetype from the trope page's rules? If so, move it to the appropriate one on the spot.
If the example survived all three tests, it satisfies the second and third bullet points, so you don't need to change it immediately. If you feel like it meets the first bullet point's requirements for being surprising, you can leave it. However, if you believe it doesn't meet the first bullet point or aren't sure, talk it over in the cleanup thread before deciding.
Many Stock Phrases you'll see used in this thread describe a particular type of misuse:
- Not surprising. — The outcome described isn't a Bait-and-Switch and merely follows expected genre conventions.
- Plot happens. — The example merely describes an event or series of events but not why we would expect something different.
- Too fantastical. — The causes/outcome described included the presence of stuff Impossible in Real Life such as Applied Phlebotinum, Functional Magic, or Science Fiction, meaning they're too unrealistic by default.
- No character reactions. — The outcome involves a character reacting in a certain way or having certain emotions, which we can't gauge the realism of because people's emotional reactions vary far too much.
- Not realistic. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin, but this one requires you to write a short description for why it isn't realistic.
- Too implausible. — The outcome describes an outcome that happened because of things too unlikely to count as relatively realistic compared to what they were subverting.
- Cuttable ZCE. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
- Not an outcome. — The example is either a Discussed Trope, Lampshade Hanging, Conversational Troping, or happens over too much time to be momentary.
- Too unclear. — The example is too convoluted or obtuse to judge.
- Irrelevant. — The example describes stuff utterly irrelevant to the definition of SRO.
- Bad indentation. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
A big thing I've noticed is that it's often used for anything remotely realistic, or something that's realistic but doesn't necessarily affect the story. Another problem is that the trope seems to be cherry-picked, where any instance of reality ensuing is put there, as well as when another trope could serve the example better.
Problematic examples from one sample page, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Disney Animated Series:
"Despite his attempts Wander can't make friends with Dominator who constantly rebuffs his friendly gestures throughout season 2. Even at the end of everything, she still refuses. Sylvia even lampshades it, telling him some people are just like that."
"Spider-Man's fight against Sandman and Rhino, where Spidey uses Rhino's weight against him. rather than fighting him directly."
"Beshte gets sunburns all over his body and is easily exhausted while he is lost in the Outlands. Justified due to the fact that hippos need water to survive to avoid sunburn and overheating."
"It's heavily implied that being the leader of the Lion Guard has taken a toll on Kion's social and private life."
"Milo Murphy's Law is about a boy named Milo Murphy whose entire life is centered around Murphy's Law. In another cartoon, being The Jinx would cause people to be afraid of them, resulting in an unsocial lifestyle. That does not apply here. While everyone does watch their step around Milo, they do not hate him for it. Being The Jinx does, however, give everyone Paranoia Fuel, given that Murphy's Law can happen at any time, so chances are you might need insurance, a phone in case of emergencies, among other things. Milo himself (as well as his friends Melissa and Zack) just learned to adapt to his condition, being prepared for anything. He has lived with Murphy's Law his entire life after all. That being said, that does not mean that they don't panic all the time. Examples include Milo panicking over his monthly doctor's note, and Melissa panicking over riding a rollercoaster with Milo."
" Hiro is initially not allowed to use Tadashi's former lab, as it can only be accessed by upperclassmen who earned the privilege. Subverted in the second half of the pilot when Professor Granville decides Hiro using the lab would benefit him. On a related note regarding Granville, she is tough, but fair when interacting with the students. She might be, as Wasabi describes "a hard case", but Granville being a complete sadist and picking on Hiro would be unrealistic. She is actually a decent person."
-Edited with permission from the OP-
Edited by lalalei2001 on Aug 10th 2022 at 5:47:25 AM
Bringing up the following examples from Die Another Day:
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Say what you will about the second half of the movie, the early parts are surprisingly realistic. After getting made by Colonel Moon, Bond chases him down and off a cliff. He's then captured by the North Korean forces. Bond finds himself disavowed by MI-6 and proves utterly unable to break out on his own. He is only allowed to get back to his people when M trades him with a high-ranking terrorist, and even then M still refuses to send him back to the field, instead locking him up for a thorough screening program lest he be turned.
- A side effect of the Magic Plastic Surgery that turned Colonel Moon into Gustav Graves is that he's now an insomniac, and thus must spend an hour each day in a REM machine to keep himself sane.
Showtime!
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Deeply concerned about the life this troper leads that they think "this guy's penis is so big all his rape victims die" is a realistic outcome. Cut it
Not sure about the first but the second is entirely reliant on a "realistic" portrayal of a technology that doesn't exist
Edited by Libraryseraph on Oct 13th 2021 at 11:53:39 AM
Absolute destiny... apeachalypse?
The first one seems to be missing a setup part of what makes the payoff surprisingly realistic.
I believe The Owl House section should also get a cleaning for what really counts as a SURPRISINGLY realistic outcome and not just logic at play. Like, Amity breaking her leg in "Wing it Like Witches" and needing time to heal isn’t really surprising. That’s just logical considering the show has an overarching narrative and it chose to continue not long after the incident.
I want to comment on the examples given from Amphibia. Although I cannot comment on all of them since I haven't finished the second season. I agree with most of the conclusions on what can go and what can stay, except for a few reservations:
- "Hop Popular": I think that doesn't count because it is not soemthing realistic, since Hop Pop just wanted to be mayor of Wartwood but apparently was supposed to campaign all over the valley, which would be like wanting to run for Mayor of Los Angeles, so you have to campaign in all of California. So this is more of a Artistic License – Politics example.
- "Little Frogtown": I think this counts. The episode is a parody of old detective movies. He knocks a waiter and steals his clothes and the plot continues as you would expect. But out of nowhere the newt regains consciousness and tell on him before he could continue his investigation.
"Hop Popular": In that case, then yeah, cut it. For the Artistic License – Politics part, should that even qualify considering that Amphibia takes place in another world? Politics in that world may work differently than in ours.
"Little Frogtown": If so, then it should be re-written to show the setup and the subversion.
Edited by Super_Weegee on Oct 13th 2021 at 5:02:07 AM
Yeah, I actually remember that example being discussed, but it was accepted on the basis that it was so counterintuitive that, even with different laws, it should count.
On a different note, I want to bring 2 movies here and check about this examples.
- Peter Pan
- When a boy wants to drag you to his home to be his "mother," that is to love him and sing stories and all, he's probably not going to have that much in the compassion department. Wendy finds out that even though Peter keeps her safe and takes her to see the mermaids, he's a bit too self-centered and immature to consider her feelings. Don't see anything being subverted here, just seems like plot happening.
- As it turns out, happy thoughts will not enable you to fly. Peter Pan is quick to realize this after the Darling children first attempt it. The real solution is fairy dust, a fantasy element introduced by J.M. Barrie in order to address concerns that the "happy thoughts will enable you to fly" thing could be taken seriously by impressionable children. Was a little on the fence here, I do remember Peter saying they only needed happy thoughts and throw them in the room only to fall on their beds. Then he added the fairy dust. May be valid, although I want a second opinion.
- Beauty and the Beast.
- The Beast's character gets hit with this trope hard.
- In the original, the Beast, despite being under the curse for years, still remained a kind gentleman who had a short fuse at worst. This movie turns him into an Audience Surrogate where he’s very depressed over the state of his curse and takes his anger out on anything. Not sure about this one. As it is subverting the original story, but wouldn't call it realistic due to the circumstances. Would prefer a second opinion on this one.
- The film also acknowledges the mental confusion suddenly being trapped in the body of an animal would create. The Beast at the start does animalistic things like growling and walking on all fours, while also desperately trying to retain his humanity by doing things like wearing some clothes. Doesn't seem to be subverting anything, just plot happening. Also at the start of the movie the Beast have already been in that form for years, so he probably he was probably used to it.
- Even though the Beast wins the fight against the wolves, he still gets badly wounded and is exhausted to the point of passing out. If Belle hadn't helped him back to the castle, he would have died. Truth in Television for large animals like bears, as they often have to take breaks during territorial fights to avoid exhaustion. Also true for people as well, since it's pretty common for people to pass out after a dangerous situation once their adrenaline goes down. Fighting a bunch of animals can get you hurt even if you win. Not exactly surprising here.
- The Beast, after a rocky start with Belle, starts to improve his character. He gives her his entire library, plays with her in the snow, and reads with her. The castle ornaments hope this means the two are falling in love. Right? Wrong; just as the Beast is about to confess his feelings, Belle reveals she misses her father. The mirror reveals he is dying while searching for his daughter, and the Beast has a My God, What Have I Done? expression when he remembers this is his fault. It's not until he lets Belle go to rescue her father that Belle even considers the Beast a fiend, and goes to save him from the mob. She only realizes she loves him when helping him climb from the roof. Too long just for not explaining anything. This is just plot happening regarding I Want My Beloved to Be Happy.
- Gaston learns the hard way that aggravating a wounded animal twice his size is a really bad idea. Especially if the animal is intelligent. Attacking a large animal might get it to attack you. Not exactly surprising.
- The Beast's character gets hit with this trope hard.
Edited by ElBuenCuate on Oct 13th 2021 at 3:43:01 AM
Considering they stated Wartwood was trapped in a valley with unpassable mountains and monsters? Granted which was later disproven? This was just a bullcrap excuse for Hop Pop not to win the election.
Now Grunkle Stan getting the winning votes only to find he doesn’t qualify for any political position due to being a felon, because everyone tends to forget that? that’s surprisingly realistic.
Regarding the second point in Peter Pan, it counts only in the metaphorical sense. Literally speaking, people flying is not realistic.
Edited by magnumtropus on Oct 13th 2021 at 5:28:10 PM
Peter Pan: Agreed on the first one. For the second entry, I watched the clip it's referring to
and it fits, although it needs a bit of a rewrite to show the setup and subversion:
"To get to Never Land, the Darlings children need to learn how to fly. Peter tells them to think of a happy thought and throws the three kids into the air. The music gets all cheerful and the three kids excitedly yell that they can fly...only for them to fall on the bed three seconds later. Happy thoughts can't achieve the impossible, after all. The real solution is when Peter uses Tinker Bell's fairy dust, a fantasy element introduced by J.M. Barrie in order to address concerns that the "happy thoughts will enable you to fly" thing could be taken seriously by impressionable children."
Beauty And The Beast: Agreed, the first entry is just Adaptational Jerkass.
From what I understand? I think a lot of the Western Animation section needs some seriously cleaning up in understanding the exact definition of this trope.
Found another wall of questionable shoehorns in Deadpool vs Nick Fury...
- Reality Ensues:
- The opening scene of Bryce protecting a Japanese arms dealer shows that just because you meticulously plan something, it does not mean it won't go to shit due to the possibility of something unforeseen occurring, in this case, a hitman 300 meters away, who was actually there for someone else and took the shot at Kurosawa as a target of opportunity. — An annonymous random dude dies in the opening. Shoehorn.
- Agent Garrett and his team put up a good fight, but sheer numbers and a boxed-in ambush zone eventually wipe them out. Sometimes skill and creativity aren't enough when a fresh wave of enemies can just shoot you in the back. — This is actually Zerg Rush.
- During their first fight, Kincaid collapses from the blood loss he sustained from his injured leg caused by Bryce reopening it. — Nothing "surprising" about this. CUT.
- Kincaid tries to make a risky jump off a roof to a scaffold across the street. He misses, falls, and crashes into a dumpster, hurting himself. — Trash Landing.
- At one point Bryce and Kincaid are trapped in a building with both the police and the villain's hitmen closing in. Bryce is planning to evade the hitmen by taking a different exit route, when Kincaid decides to take matters into his own hands and jumps in to shoot all of them quickly. Bryce says, "Well done. Guess what happens now?" and cut to the police yelling "Shots fired!" and immediately storming the building. — Leeroy Jenkins
- Kincaid punches a glass window and ends up cutting up his hand, averting Soft Glass. — Soft Glass
- After learning that Kincaid had killed his client and unintentionally sent his life into the downward spiral it is, Bryce, justifiably, quits protecting Kincaid, but he does come back, after realizing how serious his job is and being unable to stand around and not help protect Kincaid from the massive army of mercenaries that came out of nowhere. — Plot Happens shoehorn, CUT.
- Before going to the courthouse, Bryce takes the time to call Amelia to say that he forgives her for causing his client in the opening to get killed and ruining his life; Amelia proceeds to curse at him and tell him to hurry up. Then, later, after getting nearly tortured to death, Bryce calls Amelia again, more apologetic and humble for blaming her for every bad thing that happened to him after his client was killed, especially since it turns out Kincaid was responsible; Amelia still is indifferent and just wants Kincaid at the trial. When the fate of a piece of human garbage being punished is determined on the sole testimony of a man being in a courtroom, alive, it really isn't a good time to try to patch things up with your ex. In fact, Amelia and Bryce are only able to do that at the near end, when Dukhovich is killed. Though it's also implied that Bryce wanted to let her know his regrets in case he doesn't survive. — Plot happens. Maybe replace under If We Get Through This…, if it fits.
- Accelerating and jumping your bog-standard family van out of an underground garage straight into traffic is unlikely to end in a smooth landing and a slick departure - a lesson Bryce and Kincaid learn the hard way. — Plot happens
- After the crash, Bryce blames it on being used to right-hand drive cars, which is justifiable; despite being an American, he is shown to have lived in Britain for presumably several years and probably hasn't driven a left-handed in a long time. — Plot happens X2
- When the case turns against Dukhovich, he has his men bomb the building and tries to escape. What, you thought a psychopathic madman was going to play fair? — Crazy-Prepared
- The security bollards outside the International Criminal Court are able to stop a large truck from ramming into the building. However they cannot stop the sudden inertia caused by the stop flipping the trailer over and detonating the explosives anyway. — Zilch to do with the plot.
Bringing up the following examples from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- The new Minister of Magic specifies that Dumbledore can't just will Harry the Sword of Gryfindor, because magical school artifact or no, it's legally not his to give away.
- So what do you get when a trio of 17 year olds embark on a quest to destroy 5 magical artifacts that could be anything and anywhere in the UK, without a hint as to what? You get a very long period of our heroes plodding around, with no real plan of what to do. This is actually a sticking point for Ron leaving because he at least thought Harry would have a plan.
- Several of the hints Harry and Hermione had been looking into didn't really lead anywhere at the time, because not every bit of new information is a world shattering revelation.
Agree, go ahead and cut them.
No setup or subversions that I can see. Cut it.
You'll never find out who I am
Would it be appropriate to add this to Superman II?
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Otis, Lex Luthor's overweight henchman and cellmate keeps Luthor's hot-air balloon from taking off, prompting Luthor to leave him at the prison in order to make a successful jailbreak.
That just seems like reality happening. What's the surprise/subversion?
The Owl House was mentioned, so I decided to take a look at the SRO subpage for that one. Again, the two seasons are divided into folders for readability and potential spoilers.
- Eda's attempt at blending in with the crowd during "Covention" doesn't go so well. People may not immediately recognize Eda with her hair hiding in her hood, but they will if they get a good look at her uncovered face. - People can recognize you if they get a good look at you. Not surprising.
- "Lost in Language":
- Trying to become close to someone in an attempt to be their friend isn't going to make them friends; if anything, it will just annoy them. Sometimes, you need to give people some space. In the end, Luz simply loaning Amity a book and leaving it at that makes more of a positive impression on Amity than any of Luz's previous ham-fisted attempts at befriending her. - Nothing surprising or subversive here.
- When Luz finds out there is a magic school like in her fantasy novels, she wants to be the New Transfer Student and learn magic. Thanks to a Zany Scheme, she gets banned instead. Eda for Luz's sake goes to bargain with Principal Bump, who says he'll accept Luz as a trial student if Eda cleans up her past graffiti and sabotage...and fills out the necessary paperwork. The paperwork freaks out Eda more than a whole day of cleaning. While Bump is a Reasonable Authority Figure, there still needs to be some record of a new student, even a discreet one. - Actions have consequences. The paperwork is just reality happening.
- A comedic minor one in "Escape of the Palisman". After convincing Luz that nothing is wrong, King narrates to himself how it was a close call... only to have Luz ask what he means, since she's still just a few feet offscreen. - A Played for Laughs example that I think fits the trope.
- Played for Laughs in "Sense and Insensitivity" King submits his & Luz's story under his own name, in addition to killing off her character. He's too egotistical to realize that a publisher accepting the book on the spot is a red flag, (which Luz could have told him if he hadn't insulted her.) It turns out said publisher is exploitative, keeps authors on unfair, tight deadlines to deliver content and can tell when a writer was plagiarizing. This is why you always Read the Fine Print. - A. How is this played for laughs? B. Actions have consequences / Plot happening.
- "Understanding Willow"
- Amity tries to erase a photographic projection of one of Willow's memories (one depicting Willow & Amity back when they were friends) by using a fire spell. When the fire grows bigger, threatening to destroy more of Willow's memories, Amity tries to simply blow it out. Cue the fire spreading to the other photos. - Asides from the fantastical element not being realistic, there's nothing surprising or subversive here.
- "Wing It Like Witches"
- Luz thinks the best way to get Boscha to stop picking on Willow is to challenge her and the school team to a Grudgby match. Willow, the Only Sane Man, tells Luz it's a bad idea because none of the trio has played it. Luz convinces Willow and Gus that if they act like Azura and do a Training Montage with a "dope" soundtrack, they'll be the underdogs who never lose. They definitely put up a strong effort thanks to Amity's experience as well as Willow going Let's Get Dangerous! but Boscha wins due to knowing about a Golden Snitch that gives several hundred points automatically. At the very least, Boscha's power over the team is broken as they thank Luz and Willow for a good game and invite Willow to join. - A little iffy here. What do you think?
- In the same episode, Amity breaks her leg during the grudgby match. But while most other shows would have the injury be gone by the next episode, Amity is shown to be still recovering in "Agony of a Witch" and "Young Blood, Old Souls", and ends up having to sit out both episodes. The latter episode even briefly shows Amity with her leg raised in bed, showing that she still needs time to heal. - Actions have consequences. What other shows do is irrelevant.
- Unlike other shows featuring a human in another world, the biological differences between humans and witches are more then just pointy ears and an additional organ. Luz is physically incapable of digesting most of the food available in the Boiling Isles, and what she can eat appears to be rather pricey, thus severely limiting her diet and putting additional financial strain on Eda. - Again, what other shows do is irrelevant.
- A change in public reputation can be absolutely detrimental to a person. Because all of the Boiling Isles knows Eda is virtually powerless now? They treat her as an absolute joke and won't even give her the bare minimum for a bounty to live. Eda used her immense power and dangerous reputation to get by, and without those she's a has-been. The same goes for Lilith being seen as a traitor to Belos and having none of the power, respect or prestige she once had being the head witch of his coven. - Actions have consequences.
- You don't necessarily need to FALL INTO the Boiling Sea for it to kill you. The water is so hot even the steam can cause 3rd degree burns. Like in the human world, boiling water can still seriously hurt you without really touching you. - This is just an aversion of Convection, Schmonvection
- "Echoes of the Past":
- Early on, Eda had told Luz to play along with King's delusions to make him happy. Here, once he realizes that they were delusions, he's devastated, viewing everyone as liars who were merely mocking him. - Someone is hurt that a loved one lied to him. Nothing surprising or subversive here.
- Lilith may be a knowledgeable historian, but she can't know everything, especially about the distant past, as she finds out firsthand upon seeing the tower where King was. - This is just reality happening.
- "Keeping Up A-fear-ances":
- Trying to solve a problem you have no real knowledge of can lead to said problem getting much worse. Gwendolyn has no clue what Eda's curse is or what the cause was; covens can't help her either, and yet? She thought she knew better than experts and ended up falling for a scam that cost her tons of resources for ultimately nothing. This also leads to her almost losing Eda and Lilith to the curse forever. Gwendolyn's attempts to help made Eda afraid of her because she was overly relentless and misguided and as such, avoided her for 30 years. - Actions have consequences.
- Luz has remained on the Boiling Isles while her mom thinks she's away at summer camp. As opposed to other shows where this convenience allows her to not have to worry, Luz reveals that summer camp has ended by the time of this episode, even pointing out that her mother is probably gonna start getting suspicious about her not being home. Though the ending reveals that this isn't the case because of the doppelganger sending her mom letters physically replacing her for unknown reasons. - This just says that time passes in the Boiling Isles the same way as back on Earth.
- "Through The Looking Glass Ruins":
- Amity kisses Luz on the cheek at the end of the episode. Where in many works a kiss would lead to an immediate Relationship Upgrade, here Luz just goes into Post-Kiss Catatonia and Amity gets embarrassed and hurries off. In fact, Amity is so embarrassed by the kiss that she actually stays home from school in the next episode, terrified of seeing Luz again. - Once again, what other works do is irrelevant.
- "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door"
- Hooty tries to help Luz get together with Amity. Since he didn't ask her how she wanted to go about it, Hooty ends up making a cheesy tunnel of love in the Owl House basement, mortifying Luz. Then, Luz's reaction to the tunnel — including destroying all the lovey-dovey items in the tunnel — nearly convinces Amity that Luz doesn't like her the same way. - Actions have consequences.
- Just because you have successfully asked out your crush doesn't mean that the fear, nervousness, and awkwardness of teenage romance just go away, as it takes hard work and dedication to make a relationship work and to become comfortable with the whole situation. When Luz and Amity hold hands after their Relationship Upgrade, both girls are still awkward blushing messes. - Teenagers don't know how to go about their relationship. Nothing surprising or subversive there.
- "Eclipse Lake"
- As Kikimora and her guards learn the hard way, going high speed on a minecart is actually a fast way to get the cart derailed. Kikimora and the guards crash as a result of going too fast, nearly dying in the resulting accident. - As seen below, this gets lampshaded, but I'm still not sure the entry qualifies.
- Despite her Character Development, Amity still has issues stemming from her family she ends up projecting onto her new relationship with Luz. While she has her doubts, Amity can't help but being misled by Hunter into reading her girlfriend's messages as something more sinister then they are. - Problems don't instantly get solved because of character development. Nothing surprising or subversive here.
- Hunter points out that The Villain Knows Where You Live and uses the fact to make an effective threat to get his way. While Belos hasn't actively gone after the residents of the Owl House, the fact is he and his forces are still more than able to do so and will take action for the sake of their own plans if need be. The Owl House may effectively be a safe haven, but the truth is the Emperor Coven hasn't attacked the place yet simply because it doesn't serve any purpose for them. That quickly changes when a vital part of the Emperor's plans is revealed to be in the possession of the people living there. - Belos is just being pragmatic.
- "Yesterday's Lie"
- The kids Vee shared a cabin with at camp not only became friends with her, but given the goth girl's interest in using the magic-depleted Hexas Hold'em cards for Tarot readings, didn't really change their "weird" interests at all. One summer at camp can't make that big an impact, and if anything the shared experience brought them close even afterward. - This is just reality ensuing, nothing surprising about it at all.
Bringing up the following examples from Kingsman: The Secret Service:
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Eggsy has a huge IQ, did well in primary school, was good enough at gymnastics to be considered for the olympics and was capable of excelling in the Royal Marines training program - yet at the start of the film he's an unemployed petty criminal due to a lack of jobs where he lives, an abusive stepfather, and a need to take care of his mother. It's a depressing fact of life that even if you have everything going for you, you can still fail to get far due to a poor environment and unfavorable circumstances.
- Harry Hart is a One-Man Army and is put out of commission for some time thanks to something as mundane as a bullet to the head from the Non-Action Big Bad. There isn't even any fanfare about it. Just in case you were beginning to think Galahad was an Invincible Hero.
- And despite being a bunch of assholes and himself being a badass secret agent, Harry is still horrified at having been manipulated into killing a building full of innocent people against his will.
1. Plot Happens 2. Plot Happens 3. Completely Irrevelant to the Plot
CUT them all.
I think I speak for many of us when I say the trope needs to be reworked. It’s being seriously mislabeled or misread.
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
It's already been reworked, hence the rename. We're still in the cleanup phase, though.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Mister Doctor, we have some shoehorn problems...
- Driving at night while speeding and cutting blind corners in bad weather while talking on a phone is a very good way to get yourself in a car crash. — This is part of the Archetypal superhero origin story the MCU is known for and isn't a Realistic subversion. CUT
- Strange has a reputation for spending money as quickly as he earns it; a few seconds of screentime allows the audience to see his taste for large apartments, fancy cars, and luxury watches. Once his accident prevents him from safely performing surgery, he quickly burns through whatever money he has in a matter of months in his desperate attempts to repair his hands. — Plot happens. CUT
- Kaecilius and his followers have had years to develop their physical skills as well as their magical ones, in addition to the power they're drawing from Dormammu. Strange... has not. Thus, while his enemies are jumping about all over the place, Strange has to think on his feet and adapt what magic he's learned in order to fight them off. Strange also has no actual combat experience, so he relies on trickery: he teleports one away, has the other tangled up in the Cloak of Levitation and locks Kaecilius up in a magical trap. The one zealot he does take on toe-to-toe he fights in the astral plane, where physical prowess is unimportant. — Maybe this one's better under Combat Pragmatist.
- Wrecked hands means Strange can't shave like he used to, and has difficulty with various other mundane tasks. Similarly, when he tries to punch a mugger after he arrives in Nepal, he is overcome by the pain and essentially helpless until Mordo rescues him. — Plot happens.
- After discovering that that being a sorcerer also brings the responsibility of saving the universe from inter-dimensional beings, Strange immediately tries to pull a Screw This, I'm Outta Here as most people would if that had to do such a dangerous task. Luckily, he stays. — Moving to Screw This, I'm Outta Here
- Strange doesn't trust Kaecilius since he is Obviously Evil and killed a man in front of him. Even as his arguments resonate with Strange, the charred face is a dead giveaway that his path leads to evil. — An intelligent hero doesn't trust an Obviously Evil dude... plot happens. CUT
- Even after Strange sincerely apologizes for his past behaviour and she helps to save his life, there's just too much hurt in their past relationship for Christine to get back together with him. — Standard superhero breakup story that isn't "realistic" in the slightest sense. CUT
- When Strange is injured and flees to his old hospital, Palmer initially assumes he joined a cult, based on him claiming to have found a small group in the east who taught him the true nature of reality. — Zilch to do with the plot. CUT
- Strange, who is a doctor by training, is forced to kill one of the zealots in self defense and is visibly shaken at taking a life. When the Ancient One offers him a promotion to Master of the Sanctum, he is furious at essentially being rewarded for killing someone. — Totally normal reaction and nothing "realistic". CUT
- At the end of the film, Strange is not yet Sorcerer Supreme, only Master of the NY Sanctum. Yes, he's a mystical prodigy, and yes, he saved the world from Dormammu, but he's also the least experienced Master in the order, and the Ancient One has been in charge for centuries. There probably isn't a system in place to replace her, and even if there was, everyone isn't going to just immediately agree to put Strange in charge. — This is just "superhero is competent in his first movie but isn't a pro until the sequel" that shows up in 500+ other superhero flicks before this. Nothing "realistic" here. CUT
So a proper example would be like these. First one from Western Animation/American Dad:
- In "Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas", Stan makes a wish that he had Principal Lewis' bachelor life. Upon learning that Lewis got his old life, he basically holds the whole family hostage to convince them they're supposed to be his family. Now, at first it seems like Francine is actually going along with what he's saying... until she tricks him into letting them go so Bullock and the CIA can open fire on him. The truth is anyone would find you claiming to be their family in an alternate reality insane, especially when you're a known crazy person and wildcard like Lewis was before Stan got his life.
Another example from Dragon Ball Z:
- Without the wish to erase the memories of everyone on earth (sans Goku’s allies) of his existence? Majin Buu wouldn’t be able to live a normal life on Earth. It doesn’t matter that he decided not to kill anymore after all was said and done; he still killed millions of people, with his other forms outright destroying the planet. Without that wish nobody on Earth would forgive him otherwise.
Professor Gigachad
I don't come on this thread much but there is one example I would like to dispute being removed that being this one from Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.
- Barry and Flashpoint Batman's first attempt at recreating Barry's Superhero Origin (i.e. a chemical dousing and lightning strike) simply results in full-body third-degree burns. Attempt number 2 pans out.
The reason why I think this counts is the film is setting up a Superhero Origin to be recreated which is an unrealistic setup you expect to work due to it being a Superhero film but it actually just gives Flash third-degree burns (at first). If the problem is with how it is written I would be willing to rewrite it.
CM Sandboxes, MB Sandboxes
Agree with all these conclusions. Cut or move them.
I agree with the American Dad one on paper, since there's a setup and subversion. However, the DBZ one doesn't have a setup or subversion.
Is the movie itself leading us to believe that the first attempt will work, like the music building up and the like? Then does reality kick in as a subversion? If so, then yeah, it just needs a rewrite to show it.
Edited by Super_Weegee on Oct 16th 2021 at 10:35:36 AM
Agreed, the "horror at being stabbed in chest" is just plain shoehorning (Wow, she's "realistically horrified" after watching someone being stabbed... seriously?).
Move and cut as necessary.
Here, have a good laugh, from Succubus & Hitman
Edited by RobertTYL on Oct 14th 2021 at 3:50:39 AM