Absentee Actor - looking for clarification

According to the trope, this is when, say, an actor who's been in all the episodes suddenly isn't in one for whatever reason.

But does it apply when you're dealing with a new series that, as it goes along, introduces new cast members? For instance, let's say a character debuts in episode 4 of a series. To me, listing them under 'Absentee Actor' for the first three episodes if they haven't even APPEARED yet is a misuse or misunderstanding of the trope. Or am I wrong?

Edited by DiScOrDtHeLuNaTiC on Aug 10th 2020 at 4:18:45 AM

Agreed; seems like misuse.

It's also used to mean "non-speaking cameo" when it should be The Cameo; this is certainly why it's Square Peg Round Trope.

That's what I thought.

Reason I asked was due to an edit conflict with someone who played the 'well it doesn't say it CAN'T be that' card.

Yes, if a show has a continually rotating cast so that it's not expected for everyone to be in every episode, then the trope cannot apply. It's the same if a show with a regular cast took some time to establish that cast.

I'm always a little leery about these cast tropes because it's very easy for them to slip into lacking context and/or troping "things that happen" rather than events with meaning.

Edited by Fighteer on Aug 10th 2020 at 5:52:43 AM

So for something like The Blacklist where there's a core team of Raymond "Red" Reddington, Liz, Harold Cooper, Dembe, Donald Ressler and Alina Park who are in every episode (with a few exceptions), that's Absentee Actor, but something like a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie or series would not count?

Correct. You also need to distinguish the trope from Lower-Deck Episode, where the main cast may appear in cameos but the focus is on the B team or secondary cast. Now, in some cases, a Lower-Deck Episode may be written because a main cast actor was not available, and that can be mentioned in the description.

Edited by Fighteer on Aug 11th 2020 at 6:59:21 AM

Fighteer, would you mind adding that clarification to AA? If I did it, this dude would probably just revert it and claim that I'm persecuting him or something. :/

Hmm. I just read over the description and it is very clear (to my magnificent brain, at least) that it applies only in cases where the character would logically be expected to be in the episode, but is not. There really is no reason why anyone should think otherwise.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense otherwise.

"There really is no reason why anyone should think otherwise." - Fighteer

And yet...:/