History Main / ChoreCharacterExploration

* ''Literature/TheSecretGarden'': Mary (and the reader) learn are introduced to Martha while she preparing and lighting Mary's bedroom fire.

* This trope became [[TropeDecay overused to the point of decay]] in European theatre in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Countless plays from that period open with servant characters coming onstage and dusting/arranging furniture/polishing knickknacks/what-have-you while they [[MrExposition speak at length]] about recent events to set up the plot and characters ("It's so strange to think that [[Theatre/TheCherryOrchard Madame Ranevskaya]] is coming back home after all those years abroad!"). Creator/HenrikIbsen and Creator/AntonChekhov were particularly notorious for this, to the point where in the theatre world, this kind of action is still called "The Maid Scene" after their tendency to use maidservants for the job.

This trope is often employed to make a scene more visually interesting. Plot exposition and heart-to-heart conversations can take a long time, which can get boring if nothing else is going on. Dishwashing is a particularly popular chore used with this trope.

May overlap with TalkAboutThatThing if the chore is mostly just a pretext for the conversation. Compare CampfireCharacterExploration and DistressedWoodchopping.

* ''Literature/TheKingstonCycle'': When Robin and her WrongfullyCommitted spouse Zelinde are reunited after twenty years apart, the truth that it's too late for them to have children hits home at dinnertime. Robin flees to the kitchen, Zelinde follows, and they distract themselves with the dishes while they console each other.

* The stage adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' added the song "Human Again" (originally a CutSong from the movie that was restored in later editions), which features the castle's servants cleaning up the cluttered rooms while singing about their hopes of the Enchantress's curse being broken. In a twist on the trope, since they've all been [[BalefulPolymorph transformed into human-object hybrids]], they are using their own bodies to do the chores.

[[quoteright:227:[[ComicBook/FunHome https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/funhometalk.png]]]]

May overlap with TalkAboutThatThing if the chore is mostly just a pretext for the conversation. Compare CampfireCharacterExploration.

[[folder:Audio Play]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'': Near the end of the movie, Carol and Nick Fury discuss their plans for the future while washing dishes together at Maria's house.

* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': In the episode "[[Recap/Lucifer2016S05E09FamilyDinner Family Dinner]]", Amenadiel and his father {{God}} talk about [[HalfHumanHybrid Charlie]]'s mortality while washing dishes.

* The stage adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' added the song "Human Again" (originally a CutSong from the movie that was restored in later editions), which features the castle's servants cleaning up the cluttered rooms while singing about their hopes of the Enchantress's curse being broken. In a twist on the trope, since they've all been [[BalefulPolymorphs transformed into human-object hybrids]], they are using their own bodies to do the chores.

* The stage adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' added the song "Human Again" (originally a CutSong from the movie that was restored in later editions), which features the castle's servants cleaning up the cluttered rooms while singing about their hopes of the Enchantress's curse being broken. In a twist on the trope, since they're all AnimateInanimateObjects, they are using their own transformed bodies to do the chores.

* ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'': Just before the song "Cheer up, Charlie", Charlie and his mother have a sad conversation while working on laundry.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2ELisasSubstitute Lisa's Substitute]]", while Marge and Lisa are folding laundry, Lisa talks about how much she likes her new substitute teacher. [[FunnyBackgroundEvent At one point]], their pet cat Snowball II walks onto a sheet, and Marge has to move her out of the way.

* ''Series/FawltyTowers'': At the beginning of ''The Anniversary'', Polly and Terry are discussing borrowing money from Basil Fawlty while working in the kitchen. Not paying attention to what she is doing, Polly starts washing some artificial flowers.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Lisa's Substitute", while Marge and Lisa are folding laundry, Lisa talks about how much she likes her new substitute teacher. [[FunnyBackgroundEvent At one point]], their pet cat Snowball II walks onto a sheet, and Marge has to move them out of the way.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines'': Rick talks with Linda about the former's relationship with Katie while he washes dishes.

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* In the AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho mini-episode "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho100 My Own Private Mozart]]," Evelyn is accidentally abducted by the villain behind [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart]]'s [[WhoWantsToLiveForever unwanted immortality]] and transported back to his secret lair... which turns out to be an enormous kitchen. As it turns out, the villain is actually a servant and has an enormous amount of washing-up to get through, so in exchange for Evelyn helping him out, he agrees to explain his evil plan to her. [[spoiler: As it happens, the villain is actually a clone of Mozart - one of an entire series - created in the far future, but thanks to the collapse of the product's popularity, the Mozart clones have been reduced to the level of glorified slaves. The villain was lucky enough to be bought by a master in possession of a time machine, and is trying to make Mozart too unpopular to ever be cloned, namely by keeping him alive until he runs out of creativity and starts producing nothing but uninspired crap.]] Evelyn is horrified, and refuses to dry the dishes until the villain washes them more diligently.

* ''Film/ForrestGump'' and Bubba Blue have the overnight watch while the rest of the squad dozes. While the two are back-to-back, Bubba expounds about taking Forrest on as first mate aboard a shrimp boat, forming a 50-50 partnertship in what is destined to become the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Forrest, being a simpleton, says little except to go along.

* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': In ''The Sea of Monsters'', Tyson, Percy and Annabeth are assigned to dishwashing duty as punishment. While they wash, Percy talks to Annabeth about the dream Grover sent him, and she explains that Grover likely found the Golden Fleece, which would be able to cure Thalia?s tree and strengthen Camp Half-Blood?s borders. She also explains what the titular Sea of Monsters is.

** Later in the season, Jerome is washing dishes with Mara, who he'd had a massive crush on since the first season. At this point, Mara knew about his feelings for her, but was conflicted over them thanks to her long-distance relationship with Mick. In this scene, they ended up addressing his crush on her and he attempted to convince her to break up with Mick, only to have it backfire. While the end of the scene had Jerome's feelings remain unrequited, this conversation set his relationship with Mara into motion, and they eventually ended up together.

* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo'': In episode three, ''In Harm's Way'', [[spoiler:[[PlayerCharacter Clementine]] is forced to work alongside [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Bonnie]] in the armory of [[BigBad Carver's]] compound- they're loading magazines. Bonnie tries to apologise to Clem for ratting out her group of survivors to Carver, from who they were trying to escape from. She also says that she was planning to escape with Clem's group before, but chickened out in the last moment, and gives her reasons as to why Carver was better than running away. Before Clem is taken to her next work station, Bonnie gives her a new jacket that she wears for the rest of the season.]]

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[[folder:Comic Book]]

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]

* In episode 3 of ''Anime/ThePromisedNeverland'', Norman and Ray covertly discuss whether Mom suspects them while washing dishes together, the dishes allowing them an excuse for a covert meeting.