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Differentiating "A Day At The Bizarro" and "BLAM Episode"

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Deadlock Clock: Jan 15th 2011 at 11:59:00 PM
Richie Since: Sep, 2009
#1: Oct 3rd 2010 at 12:25:15 PM

I have noticed that the summaries of each don't do much to differenciate itself from the other; BLAM's argues that unlike Bizarro, it doesn't come off as "strange" or "surreal"...Yet, one only needs to look through the examples listed to notice this is contradicted fast. Besides, many examples appear in both pages, even if BLAM is the most used by far. Any thoughts on this?

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#2: Oct 3rd 2010 at 12:59:40 PM

A title with an obscure acronym in it. Holy Mudturtles!

BLAM Episode will be renamed. Soon. If A Day at the Bizarro isn't working, and it looks like it isn't, we can come up with something new and redirect both of them to the new, merged, article.

edited 3rd Oct '10 1:01:09 PM by FastEddie

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
Deboss I see the Awesomeness. from Awesomeville Texas Since: Aug, 2009
I see the Awesomeness.
#3: Oct 3rd 2010 at 5:04:17 PM

And A Day at the Bizarro is horribly described. It has to resort to examples in the description to get it's point across.

Fight smart, not fair.
FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#4: Oct 3rd 2010 at 7:49:16 PM

It is actually more clear to me, because I get the references. It is an episode where the reality rules established by the series is thrown out.

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
Deboss I see the Awesomeness. from Awesomeville Texas Since: Aug, 2009
I see the Awesomeness.
#5: Oct 3rd 2010 at 7:52:24 PM

I've seen those as problems because it seems to result in people trying to shoe horn their favorite versions into the description. That might be me misrepresenting it though. This one managed to work it in fairly well.

Fight smart, not fair.
NateTheGreat Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Oct 3rd 2010 at 8:03:00 PM

Perhaps we could nudge the definition of BLAM Episode to focus on films and other plots where the entire story is just one bit of weirdness followed by another. You never really get your footing, you're just staring dumbfounded at the screen.

Yongary Since: Jul, 2009
#7: Oct 4th 2010 at 5:45:19 PM

I don't think that BLAM Episode should be apply to films to begin with. The definition of a Big Lipped Aligator Moment is that said moment is a non-sequitur in relation to the rest of the work. Something that's just random shit wouldn't have any "normal" to be related to.

Richie Since: Sep, 2009
#8: Oct 5th 2010 at 7:35:46 AM

You may already checked this out, but here are the results in the "Related To" feature. A Day at the Bizarro is featured in 61 articles and has brought 26 persons to the wiki. While BLAM Episode's featured in 169, and is responsible for bringing 113 guys and gals here. It's clear which one is the most popular...

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#9: Oct 5th 2010 at 8:47:52 PM

Neither. Those are all poor numbers.

edited 5th Oct '10 8:49:29 PM by FastEddie

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#10: Oct 5th 2010 at 9:54:38 PM

If we're going to merge these articles, A Day At The Bizarro is a much better title. "BLAM Episode" has an acronym, which is a reference to another trope, named after a thing from a what's-his-face internet video, named after a random scene from a movie that most tropers are too young to have seen on its first run. Names that depend on familiarity with one reference to be understood are bad, and "BLAM Episode" is three references removed from making any sense.

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#11: Oct 6th 2010 at 8:15:27 AM

Yeah, BLAM Episode is definitely out as a title. Not sure, though, that the bizarro thing is any better. It has had a long time to attract some outside interest (at least 4 years) and failed.

We need a new title for the merge target.

edited 6th Oct '10 8:15:47 AM by FastEddie

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#12: Oct 9th 2010 at 8:49:26 AM

Of course, "A Day at the Bizarro" doesn't have to be a particularly good title to be less bad than "BLAM Episode".

Yeah, a new title altogether would probably be best.

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#13: Oct 9th 2010 at 9:47:17 AM

Howabout Bizarro Day?

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
depizan Since: May, 2010
#15: Nov 2nd 2010 at 10:30:10 PM

Reality Takes a Holiday sounds good.

rodneyAnonymous Sophisticated as Hell from empty space Since: Aug, 2010
#16: Nov 3rd 2010 at 12:14:43 AM

Oppose Reality Takes A Holiday, the "break" might not be from reality (i.e. the show's "normal" might be unrealistic). Also oppose Bizarro Day, because the "break" might be longer (or shorter) than a day.

Suggest Bizarro Episode; although strictly "bizarro" is "evil twin", I think it conveys the right idea.

edited 3rd Nov '10 1:16:18 AM by rodneyAnonymous

Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.
mmysqueeant I'm A Dirty Cowboy from Essairrrrcks Since: Oct, 2010
I'm A Dirty Cowboy
#17: Nov 3rd 2010 at 9:44:44 AM

Why is BLAM Episode a bad title?

I understood what it meant long before I knew what a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment was. Because, well, BLAM is a massive, sudden noise, out of left-field (is that right usage? I know nothing about American sports terms). So, naturally, a BLAM Episode is a massive, unexpected episode.

KJMackley Since: Jan, 2001
#18: Nov 3rd 2010 at 1:21:51 PM

When I first read Big-Lipped Alligator Moment (and BLAM Episode) I figured it was a scene that goes into Mind Screw territory (or at least a very far tangent to the main story) only to snap out of it, and I'm certain that was the original intention. And I agree such things happen (The 10 minute broadway dance routine in Singing In The Rain is a famous one, it's a completely different story within the movie) but the trope is being used as anything irrelevant to the plot and almost the same as Filler. This includes surreal images in a dream, where surreal images are kind of expected.

A Day at the Bizarro makes a lot more sense to me as a name because it emphasizes the outrageous nature of the story, especially in context with the serial narrative. Although there is its relationship with Something Completely Different to consider. The difference between them is largely in the realm of subjectivity, just how "out there" does it go?

Nearly every example in both BLAM tropes goes on to say "And they never mention it again..." which to me is an irrelevant thing to comment on (and sometimes innaccurate, it is mentioned later). Greedo is never mentioned after Han Shot First, does that mean it's a BLAM? Why would characters go on to talk extensively about an inconsequential moment in the previous scene that we just saw. But that's outside the specific realm of this discussion.

mmysqueeant I'm A Dirty Cowboy from Essairrrrcks Since: Oct, 2010
I'm A Dirty Cowboy
#19: Nov 3rd 2010 at 2:24:19 PM

OK, I see why it's a bad name now. True BLAM episodes (irrelevant in every way, and inexplicable) are going to be so rare as to be untropable, and the actual definition fits "A Day At The Bizarro" better.

System32 Since: Mar, 2010
#20: Nov 3rd 2010 at 2:43:11 PM

A day at the bizarro seems like an episode where the Big Bad and The Hero make out and go on a date instead of try to kill each other. a BLAM Episode is when the Big Bad is running a hotdog stand and The Hero is going full on broadway in a hospital.

mmysqueeant I'm A Dirty Cowboy from Essairrrrcks Since: Oct, 2010
I'm A Dirty Cowboy
#21: Nov 3rd 2010 at 3:36:56 PM

Maybe, but what BLAM means is something weird that has no place in the plot. A weird episode that has no place in the plot at all is extremely rare. A Day At The Bizarro can cover any BLAM episodes AND what it already covers, AND cover the BLAM episode examples that don't really fit what BLAM episode means (even if they do fit the definition, this is about titles) - so why not make use of Tropes Are Flexible? That's how I interpret the argument for.

EDIT: Hmm, perhaps you're right that the title A Day at the Bizarro specifically caters to Inversions. Would A Day At The Bizarre be better? Has the added advantage that not everyone knows of Bizarro-world (I only learned about it from Buffy, myself), so you'll get people interpreting it as "bizarre" anyway from time-to-time.

edited 3rd Nov '10 3:38:57 PM by mmysqueeant

rodneyAnonymous Sophisticated as Hell from empty space Since: Aug, 2010
#22: Nov 3rd 2010 at 4:30:32 PM

[up][up][up] Right, "I understood what it meant long before I knew what a Big Lipped Alligator Moment was..." is actually a strong argument for a rename, because that's incorrect. The "Bizarro Episode" might be unexpected or sudden, and might not, but what's important is that it's strange and irrelevant.

Correctly understanding "BLAM Episode" requires familiarity with an obscure acronym.

"Big Lipped Alligator Moment", on the other hand, doesn't imply the wrong thing, because it doesn't imply anything. Hm. I love TGWTG too, but maybe that is a bad name. Also suggest Bizarro Moment?

IMO "A Day at the Bizarro" + "BLAM Episode" = "Bizarro Episode", which (of the suggestions so far, and the originals) I think best encompasses the idea. Then again, "The Bizarro Jerry" is literally a Bizzaro Episode of Seinfeld, and it doesn't fit these tropes. I think it is the only example, though.

edit: yeah, the American/baseball idiom "out of left field" means "ostensibly unrelated, and kind of crazy", That Other Wiki has more detail.

edit edit: hm, "out of left field" is, like, exactly the right meaning... maybe the title should involve that phrase somehow?

edit edit edit: can forum mods see post edit histories? mine tend to be a mess

edited 3rd Nov '10 4:54:52 PM by rodneyAnonymous

Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.
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