History Administrivia / TropesAreTools

Also, consider the size and/or complexity of the work. A four-part TV miniseries, 3 hour movie, or 700 page novel is going to have more tropes than a standard length work. As would very large multipart works such as a 200 episode series, 5 movie franchise, or a book trilogy. A novel with a complicaed, intricate plot will also use many more tropes than a simpler story. Consider the analogy of a house: a 7-bedroom house obviously uses more materials than a two bedroom one. Constructing a floor of a building as a twisty maze uses much more materials than a floor with just a couple of corridors, etc. Tropes are the cement that holds together the words (water) and concepts (aggregate) used to create the story (concrete).

'''Tropes don't automatically become "good" just because they appear in a "good" show.''' [[PerfectionIsImpossible Nobody's perfect]], and that includes the writers of your favorite show. Sooner or later, they'll slip up and add a PlotHole, SeriesContinuityError, have someone grab the IdiotBall or act OutOfCharacter, or they might add some UnfortunateImplications. While it might be tempting to [[Administrivia/JustifyingEdit explain why these things aren't]] ''that'' bad, or [[FanWank come up with some convoluted explanation to fit these issues into a sensical narrative]], the [[OccamsRazor simplest, and most likely true, explanation]] for this is just that the writers made an error. No, people won't turn into haters just because they read an example about a flaw in a show without an accompanying justification. If people were only allowed to like shows with zero flaws whatsoever, the world would be a much more boring place.

'''A good show doesn't need "good" tropes.''' People often search for an ideal recipe for a hit show, as if entertainment was some sort of alchemical process, and are surprised when their stitched-together creation lurches three steps before disappearing into critical oblivion. A well written show won't be any worse if it doesn't have a {{Chessmaster}}. A good show doesn't get worse if the main five characters don't form a FiveManBand. Heck, a good show doesn't even need basic and OmnipresentTropes like [[FireIsRed red fire]], and [[WaterIsBlue blue water]]}.

'''A good show doesn't need "good" tropes.''' People often search for an ideal recipe for a hit show, as if entertainment was some sort of alchemical process, and are surprised when their stitched-together creation lurches three steps before disappearing into critical oblivion. A well written show won't be any worse if it doesn't have a {{Chessmaster}}. A good show doesn't get worse if the main five characters don't form a FiveManBand. Heck, a good show doesn't even need basic and OmnipresentTropes like [[FireIsRed red fire]], [[WaterIsBlue blue water]], {{Heroes}}, or {{Villains}}.

'''All tropes can be written badly.''' This includes tropes that everyone thinks are good, like GuileHero. A badly written GuileHero may be done in such a way that everyone else in the story hold {{Idiot Ball}}s and generally gives less of an impression of intelligence and more of an impression of [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard cheating]] or changing the [[NewRulesAsThePlotDemands internal rules]] of the story. RefugeInAudacity has different breaking points for different people.

'''All tropes can be written badly.''' This includes tropes that everyone thinks are good, like MagnificentBastard. A badly written MagnificentBastard may be done in such a way that everyone else in the story are {{idiot| ball}}s and generally gives less of an impression of intelligence and more of an impression of [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard cheating]] or changing the [[NewRulesAsThePlotDemands internal rules]] of the story. RefugeInAudacity has different breaking points for different people.

'''All tropes can be overused.''' Too many {{Xanatos Gambit}}s tend to make the show [[MindScrew confusing]], no matter how well written they are. Too many [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments Of Awesome]] take up [[ActionFilmQuietDramaScene room where plot could go]], or make the audience pay less attention to the relatively boring plot bits, making the story more shallow. The SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome is supposed to be a singular moment for a character and the RuleOfCool can make up for weak points in a story, but rarely does it work ''as'' the story.

'''A good show doesn't need "good" tropes.''' People often search for an ideal recipe for a hit show, as if entertainment was some sort of alchemical process, and are surprised when their stitched-together creation lurches three steps before disappearing into critical oblivion. A well written show won't be any worse if it doesn't have a MagnificentBastard. A good show doesn't get worse if the main five characters don't form a FiveManBand. Heck, a good show doesn't even need basic and OmnipresentTropes like [[FireIsRed red fire]], [[WaterIsBlue blue water]], {{Heroes}}, or {{Villains}}.

'''{{Deconstruct|edTrope}}ing tropes is not necessarily good.''' While many acclaimed works are deconstructions, it's the careful use and analysis of tropes that makes them acclaimed, and not the mere fact that they're deconstructions. A poorly-executed deconstruction may amount to (often unrealistically) darkening a trope without providing the meaningful insight that a deconstruction is supposed to provide. Also, deconstructions are (or at least try to be) realistic, but as we've mentioned a couple of times, realism is not inherently good. Like the term "subversion", "deconstruction" is frequently misused. See Administrivia/NotADeconstruction.

Tropes are just tools. Writers understand tropes and use them to control audience expectations either by using them straight or by [[SubvertedTrope subverting them]], to convey things to the audience quickly without saying them.

Tropes are just tools. Writers understand tropes and use them to control audience expectations either by using them straight or by subverting them, to convey things to the audience quickly without saying them.

'''Almost every trope has a silver lining.''' The AllJustADream trope, which quite a few dislike for being overused and often leading to {{anticlima|x}}ctic endings, was -- let's not forget -- used in [[Series/{{Newhart}} one of the most highly regarded series finales]] in the history of television, as well as one of the [[Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari best twist endings]] in any movie. While DarkerAndEdgier revisionism isn't always a good thing, it's been used in [[Film/TheDarkKnight the biggest blockbuster of 2008]]. Even if a trope ''didn't'' have a silver lining, every trope could still be used honorably by way of subversion, parody, or appropriately employed and treated in-universe examples.\\