I'm skeptical of literally all of WhamEpisode.South Park given that Status Quo Is God
One-Track Mind (he/him)
Got no response to previous question (![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
), so I decided to cut the example.
Angry babby
If you look over the examples, most of them are episodes that specifically subvert that. However, some of them are just literally any status quo change, namely the Season 20 examples, as that season is just serialized by nature.
Friends forevermore
"Kenny Dies" should count as a Wham, because it changed the status quo both in the short term (Kenny stayed dead for about a year) and the long term (once he came back, he stopped dying more than about once a season).
I had a dog-themed avatar before it was cool.
Regarding WhamEpisode.South Park, as already stated, the show does have a changing status quo that doesn't fully hit the reset button. I think "The Vaccination Special" could be edited, if only because the boys do rekindle their friendship after the COVID-19 story arc and return to business as normal on that front. And regarding Season 20, I feel the only bit that should really stay is Cartman and Heidi becoming a couple, since that stayed as an element of the show beyond that season. Everything else is just progression of that contained plotline. I'm also surprised that Mr. Garrison becoming president isn't on the page at all, since that was in place for several seasons and that stint is still brought up regularly.
Edited by RacattackForce on May 26th 2023 at 8:22:02 AM
While doing other cleanup, I noticed that nearly every recap page for the fanfic Akane no Guilty Crown has either Wham Shot or Wham Episode listed. I don't have the time to read a 20 chapter fic at the moment, but I'm certain not all of these count.
- Prologue: It shows Ayase's Steiner appearing instead of the Jumeau back in canon, showing the first surprising demonstrations that the reboot will be a different setting.
- Chapter I: The ending of the chapter shows Shu willingly join Funeral Parlor, a huge contrast of his canon self initially refuse to join.
- Chapter III: Not only that Heath and Akiko join Funeral Parlor, but it is revealed that they have Voids that are shaped like humanoid figures. Also, Heath and Akiko are the first Void wielders to retain consciousness relating to the divergence of the canon anime.
- Chapter V: This is an original event chapter that changes the dynamic by showing Ayase's Void early, alongside the first essence of character study in a first person POV flashback.
- Chapter VII: This is the chapter that establishes Persona 5 existing in this story. It is revealed that Heath and Akiko are the children of none other than Hifumi Togo herself.
- Chapter VIII: Yet another one, showing Shu's powers allow the Phantom Remnants to return to the spotlight in taking the fight to the real world. Oh, and Makoto's identity is expose to the public.
- Chapter X: Just like in the canon show, these are a series of wham events going from Jun's death to Shu remembering all his past.
- Chapter XI: The end of the chapter reveals Arisa as a traitor.
- Chapter XII: Hare's death causes Shu's descent to darkness. The last scene shows GHQ reviving Gai.
- Chapter XIII: Arisa officially becomes a villain that's more pronounce unlike the canon anime, a civil war of students occur, Gai stealing Shu's power, and Okina dies from Arisa's hands.
Angry babby
Spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but I'm wondering if this Wham Shot example is valid. It feels more like a drawn-out realization as opposed to one quick shot that alters the scene. (The three below examples about the end of the movie are, IMO, more sudden and thus valid.)
- As Miles is pleading with Miguel to let him return home so that he can save his father, two things hammer home just how ingrained his philosophy is within the society. Firstly, it gradually becomes apparent that he's completely surrounded by multiple Spiders standing in silent support of Miguel. Second, these aren't just any Spiders. Unlimited and Spectacular, two unambiguously heroic Spider-Men, have bought in as well. And to top it all off Peni shows up, with an utterly defeated look.
Edited by mightymewtron on Jun 5th 2023 at 8:50:32 AM
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Friends forevermore
Not valid, as it isn't a single shot. There's no such thing as a "Wham Sequence Of Shots".
I had a dog-themed avatar before it was cool.
he/him
One for Wham Line, from The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) (spoilers):
- Another wham line occurs in, of all things, the recap page of Amazing Spider-Man #19 which reveals for the first time to readers that Mary Jane and Paul are 'mysteriously' married. However, in a later edition of the ASM letters pages, editor Nick Lowe would go on to reveal that this line was an editorial error and no such union has occurred between the characters.
Do we count a "Previously, on..." text recap, printed on the page before the comic story itself starts, as part of the work? Because this sounds very much like someone screwed up writing the recap blurb, and it was then corrected by Word of God outside the work (again, unless we consider the letters page part of the work? And even then...) - with the narrative itself not confirming either way.
It's certainly not an intentional Wham Line, and won't appear in reprints.
Edited by Mrph1 on Aug 27th 2023 at 9:51:55 AM
Friends forevermore
Given that it had no apparent long-term impact (and was an acknowledged error), I don't think this can count as an example.
I had a dog-themed avatar before it was cool.
the Retromancer
Does it make sense for WhamLine.Shimeji Simulation to have so many examples? I've thought Wham Line is a moment where the understanding of the plot radically changes, not a list of Shocking Moments.
It's also mainly a list of quotes, which don't substitute context.
Edited by Amonimus on Oct 12th 2023 at 2:55:25 PM
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Yes, that page looks full of misuse. I don't know the work, so I can't help clean it up, but it definitely needs cleaning up.
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
he/him
Has anyone looked at ComicBook.Doomsday Clock?
- Every issue of the 12-issue comic is listed as a Wham Episode
- Six different Wham Line examples, mostly without context
- 11 different Wham Shot examples...
I haven't read the full series, but that feels excessive.
Edited by Mrph1 on Oct 20th 2023 at 10:16:13 AM
Unfortunately, I don't know the work, but it does sound suspicious.
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Found a bunch on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, I think some of these need to be cut or edited
- Episode 6, in spades.It's been 21 years since the prologue, and Suletta is only 17, which doesn't match the time frame of what age Eri *should* be since the prologue happened on Eri's fourth birthday. The Elan we know is confirmed as not just a body double, but a disposable one, making him the first character to die since the prologue and establishing that the school setting doesn't mean the cast is safe.
- Episode 12 drastically changes the nature of the story, setting it on a Darker and Edgier path. Delling gets mortally wounded while protecting Miorine during the terrorist attack on Plant Quetta. Guel accidentally kills his own father while escaping, much to his horror. Then, in The Stinger, a terrorist is about to kill Miorine and Delling until Suletta in Aerial arrives in time and crushes the terrorist like a bug. Miorine is traumatized by both the brutality of the killing and Suletta's calm and cheerful nature right after doing so, leading Miorine to call Suletta a murderer.
- Episode 14 answers some of the questions regarding Gundam Aerial after Belmeria confronts Prospera about Ericht's status. Prospera reveals that Ericht is inside Gundam Aerial, much to Belmeria's horror meaning that she turned her own daughter into a mobile suit. In the same episode, Norea and Sophie attack the school during the duels but Sophie dies after exerting herself with her Permet score.
- Episode 17 ends with Suletta losing her duel against Guel due to Miorine shutting Aerial down as part of an arrangement with Prospera. As a result, Suletta loses her position as the Holder and with it her engagement to Miorine, with Jeturk House claiming Aerial as well. And to twist the knife further, Miorine coldly admits the role she played in front of Suletta who was already on the verge of breaking down, acting like she was still just using Suletta, all so she'll no longer be involved in Prospera's plotting.
- Episode 18 reveals Suletta's origins as a "Repli-Child", a clone based on Eri's DNA, who make up the "Children of the Coven", with Suletta's role being a stand-in and pilot while Aerial's Permet Network developed. Immediately after revealing this, Eri claims she no longer needs a pilot after having reached Permet Score 8, and with Suletta's role fulfilled, casts her out, ejecting her into space. Prospera then appears, confirms everything Suletta was told, leaving her with a rescue beacon and a suggestion to return to the school, before departing with Aerial. The episode ends with Suletta, alone, abandoned, and devoid of purpose, crying in the cold, quiet emptiness of space.
- Episode 19 shows Guel learning that Shaddiq is responsible for the attack on Plant Quetta and on Asticassia and warning Miorine about it. Feng Jun tells Belmeria that Ochs Earth still exists and is supported by the Space Assembly League, meaning they're supplying the Dawn of Fold with Gundams. However, Feng Jun is shot by Prospera's right-hand man, Godoy, entrusting Guston to protect Belmeria as she's the key witness. And just when Miorine and the Earth leaders finally reach an agreement, Prospera screws everything up by doing a False Flag Operation to cause chaos so she and Aerial can destroy a cache of Gundams supplied by Ochs Earth. Miorine winds up taking the brunt of the blame for the incident, both from the media and herself as she looks out over the destruction.
- Episode 20 has Guel confront Shaddiq about what he learned in the previous episode, fighting and eventually capturing him with the help of Front Security, but in the process Lauda learns that Guel killed their father. On top of that, Shaddiq has Norea remotely freed from confinement while he and the other members of Grassley House attempt to fight off Guel and Front Security; in her rage and grief, Norea goes on a rampage through Asticassia, destroying the school campus and injuring or killing many students with her Gundams.
- Episode 21 sees the Space Assembly League declaring a forced intervention against the Benerit Group. However, their entire fleet is wiped out by Quiet Zero under the control of Aerial and Prospera. Meanwhile, Guston and Belmeria tell Suletta and Earth House about Quiet Zero and ask for Suletta's help to stop her mother. However, Suletta admits she can't do much to stop Prospera — knowing Prospera would not listen to her — and tells everybody what she knows of the Vanadis Incident and her origins as a repli-child. She then decides to pilot the Gundam Calibarn so she can speak to both Prospera and Ericht again even though she'll have no protection against the Calibarn's data storms. Elsewhere, Lauda is in the midst of a rage-filled emotional breakdown as he prepares to board the Gundam Schwarzette, blaming Miorine for the tragedies that have befallen his family and friends.
- Episode 23 has Miorine and her group successfully infiltrating Quiet Zero and shutting it down with the use of Notrette Rembran's secret code that she left for her daughter. However, the Space Assembly League reveal their interplanetary weapon called the ILTS which they use to attempt to destroy Quiet Zero. Ericht sacrifices herself to stop the blast by blocking it with Aerial.
- Wham Line:
- Right at start of Episode 6, Belmeria drops a line that turns upside down everything we thought we knew about Suletta and her mother, while also raising a lot of new questions.
Belmeria: It's no use taking revenge for a 21-year-old...
- In Episode 14, Belmeria asks Prospera about Suletta being unaffected by Permet data storms, outright stating that it means someone else is controlling the GUND-Bits. Prospera's answer confirms Belmeria's suspicions about Ericht Samaya's whereabouts.
Belmeria: You had another daughter. Where is Ericht Samaya now?
Prospera: She's there. Right at Suletta's side.
- Right at start of Episode 6, Belmeria drops a line that turns upside down everything we thought we knew about Suletta and her mother, while also raising a lot of new questions.
The 21 year stuff in episode 6 isn't revealing the twist, it's hinting at the twist. Unless you're paying close attention or have already theorized that Eri isn't sulleta then it will fly right over your head. The twist also doesn't effect anything until its properly revealed in season 2.
While Elans death is fairly shocking and dark, it doesn't really effect much going forward, nor does it represent a shift in tone.
Id say episode 12 is fine, those are three major (and shocking) events that effect the direction of multiple plotlines in season 2. And overall the finale is where the show actually shifts to a darker tone
Episode 14. The Eri reveal is the shows biggest plot twist, which ends up being a core part of the plot going forward.
The school had been an undisputed safe haven up to that point. So having an actual violent attack their is a fairly big deal. It also helps solidify the toneshift from the season 1 finale
I think this one probably works
Im not sure what to think of 17 & 18
Episode 19. Yeah I don't think this counts. Guel learning about shaddiq is not that important and quickly resolved. The ochs earth stuff is completely irrelevant, although it probably shouldn't have been. Feng jun dying is unfortunate, but also irrelevant. The attack on the earth town is sad, and it certainly upsets miorne for awhile. But im not sure its wham worthy.
Episode 20. Lauda learns about his dads death, all that results in is a like 2 minute spat with his brother a couple episodes later. I guess there's something to be said about Noreas rampage. Compared to the first attack wich was relegated to the schools arena, this time she's attacking the main campus so theres alot more collateral damage. Like the example said a bunch of students got killed or injured, but also important locations like the earth house and miornes greenhouse where destroyed. Its in the final few episodes though, so its impact is limited.
Episode 21 this is just everyone getting ready for the final part, I don't think any of it is wham
Episode 23 so I guess the "wham" is eri blocking the laser? Doesn't seem like wham to me, what do you guys think?
he/him
From Abducted in Plain Sight -
- Wham Line: When Jan's father reveals that he also had an affair with Berchtold.
The film's a documentary so the Wham Line is purely factual. So is it really a WhamLine? I'm not convinced - even if it is, the Real Life Troping rules on documentaries are pretty strict...
Friends forevermore
Does it significantly shift the narrative the documentary is trying to tell?
I had a dog-themed avatar before it was cool.
he/him
Not as far as I can see. It was omitted from a previous book about the kidnapping, but it was always there in the court documents from the trial.
The kidnapper was a manipulative friend of the family. It was widely known that he'd had an affair with the victim's mother. I'm not sure how much of a wham/twist it is to reveal he'd had a sexual relationship with her father as well.
In any case, Real Life Troping seems to limit documentaries to "the staged performance, the setting, artistic elements, or the commentary on other works" - not sure this fits any of them?
Musician/Composer
From WesternAnimation.The Incredibles 1
- Wham Line:
- When Syndrome encounters Mr. Incredible, and reveals who he really is:
Syndrome: It's finally ready! You know, I went through quite a few supers to make it worthy to fight you, but man, it wasn't good enough! After you trashed the last one, I had to make some major modifications. Sure, it was difficult, but you are worth it. I mean, after all... I am your biggest fan.
Mr. Incredible: ...Buddy?
Syndrome: MY NAME IS NOT BUDDY! And it's not Incrediboy, either! That ship has sailed. - Bob tries to convince Helen to stay with the kids while he handles the Omnidroid alone. Helen is frustrated, thinking that he's trying to prove himself with some kind of a superhero workout, when he blurts out "I can't lose you again!!!" then admitting to how scared he is and not being strong enough to risk losing them again.
- After they have defeated the Omnidroid, Helen checks her voicemail. She gets concerned as Kari leaves a few panicky messages, but the last one is a chipper Kari thanking her for sending a replacement sitter. "Replacement?! I didn't call a replacement!" Helen exclaims. The family runs inside the house, only for Syndrome to immobilize them, while holding a sleeping Jack-Jack.
- When Syndrome encounters Mr. Incredible, and reveals who he really is:
- Wham Shot:
- When Bob accesses Syndrome's computer to learn about Project Kronos, it provides him with the development history of the Omnidroid showing each prototype version and the supers that it terminated which leading to the next prototype upgrade. Bob watches image after image flash by and with growing horror on his face as he realizes the sheer volume of heroes that have been sacrificed to the ever-improving Omnidroid.
- Jack-Jack, who has been assumed to have no powers for the entire movie, is being kidnapped by Syndrome as a last resort. He begins crying as Syndrome takes him away... and then bursts into flame... and then turns into a monster... and then turns to metal... and on and on and on.
Thoughts?
He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
the Retromancer
- While it counts, it's ZCE, quotes don't substitute proper example writing.
- Not a plot twist, it just shows that Mr Incredible is unsurprisingly a good guy.
- Not a line, it's an entire chain of events a villain is doing in the background and also isn't a plot twist.
- Not unexpected. A superhero checks the superhero computer and finds Evil Plan. What is surprising though, is that most of those heroes are someone Mr Incredible knows and he himself is included, meaning he was invited into a trap. Also shocking, that the Omnidroid is now complete and is set to launch against the city.
- That's an example of 11th-Hour Superpower, but not something that changes the understanding of the plot.
Rookie Trope Repairer
Bringing up this My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic example from WhamLine.Western Animation:
- One in "The Last Roundup" for the adult fans, before it got censored:
Rainbow Dash: Careful, Derpy.
- One in "The Last Roundup" for the adult fans, before it got censored:
It's a meta wham that doesn't radically change the episode's plot at all. To be honest, it feels like a weird in-fandom case of Fan Myopia where whoever wrote it assumes the entire fandom feels the same way about this character. Also, it's not an exact transcript of the line.
Edited by Riolugirl on Dec 22nd 2023 at 4:36:47 PM
"As long as I have my comrades with me, I can do anything!" (She/Her)
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Yeah, it's not a Wham Line by any stretch. At best it's Shocking Moments.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Rookie Trope Repairer
And there's another one.
- "Slice of Life": In a purely meta sense, as most fans would never have expected this character to speak again:
Derpy: Muffin?
- "Slice of Life": In a purely meta sense, as most fans would never have expected this character to speak again:
Killing both this and the previously discussed example with fire, citing this thread in the edit reason. "As long as I have my comrades with me, I can do anything!" (She/Her)
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]")
Permission to cut?
This is Idol Tap. (My Troper Wall)