History Main / WhamEpisode

** April: [=C0dA=] has mutated again, and it now turns its victims into the Faded, who have translucent so that you can see the tissue beneath, and experience periods of rage when they attack anything in sight. They sre dangerous to be around -- if you start your turn in a city containing the Faded, you receive a scar.

Compare GenreTurningPoint, NothingIsTheSameAnymore, and CerebusSyndrome. Contrast with BreatherEpisode. Related to DramaBomb. Complete opposite of StatusQuoIsGod. If this is the first episode and/or the prologue, it's a DownerBeginning. If the WHAM aspect is concentrated in a single line, it's a WhamLine; if it’s in an image, it’s a WhamShot. See also AscendedFridgeHorror, wherein some aspects of the series leave some viewers with reason to expect a tone shift, before they see it applied by the writers. Often the first warning that the viewer is dealing with a {{Deconstruction}}. Frequently caused by or contains a GutPunch.

Compare GenreTurningPoint and NothingIsTheSameAnymore. Contrast with BreatherEpisode. Related to DramaBomb. Complete opposite of StatusQuoIsGod. If this is the first episode and/or the prologue, it's a DownerBeginning. If the WHAM aspect is concentrated in a single line, it's a WhamLine; if it’s in an image, it’s a WhamShot. See also AscendedFridgeHorror, wherein some aspects of the series leave some viewers with reason to expect a tone shift, before they see it applied by the writers. Often the first warning that the viewer is dealing with a {{Deconstruction}}. Frequently caused by or contains a GutPunch.

!!Important Notes

* '''Show that the change is not easily undone.''' Whatever causes a Wham Episode can't be something that gets resolved quickly and easily, if it can be resolved at all. It must be an event with long-lasting effects. For instance, a Character's Death is sometimes a big deal, but not always. In a series where DeathIsCheap, it may just be a way to get the character out of the story for a while or into some sort of B-plot in the afterlife. The audience is thus assured that the character will still be around in some capacity. However, if the series has made it clear that [[AllDeathsFinal there's no coming back from the dead in this universe, no matter what]], a named character dying is a really big change because they're gone for good.

It also has nothing to do with a certain British 80s [[{{Music/Wham}} pop band]] with Music/GeorgeMichael, or [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency a JoJo villain]] named after said band.

Almost always takes place at a SeasonFinale, and at times can even be a GrandFinale if it includes a high enough shock factor ([[StockSeriesFinales which isn't always]] [[WrapItUp the case]]). Alternatively, it might come ''before'' the Season Finale, which then resolves the plot twist. Earlier than that, and it could be a HalfwayPlotSwitch, or if occurs even sooner a MidSeasonTwist (which usually goes down at the end of Act I).

* '''Show that the change is not easily undone.''' Whatever causes a Wham Episode can't be something that gets resolved quickly and easily, if it can be resolved at all. It must be an event with long-lasting effects. For instance, a CharacterDeath is sometimes a big deal, but not always. In a series where DeathIsCheap, it may just be a way to get the character out of the story for a while or into some sort of B-plot in the afterlife. The audience is thus assured that the character will still be around in some capacity. However, if the series has made it clear that [[AllDeathsFinal there's no coming back from the dead in this universe, no matter what]], a named character dying is a really big change because they're gone for good.

[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's not always done well, of course.]] Particularly poorly-done wham episodes almost invariably result in a ShockingSwerve.

%% Image Pickin' thread did not produce a replacement image: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1524597572025726200

[[quoteright:346:[[Webcomic/{{VGCats}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Reaction.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:346:The standard reaction. [[note]]Take a look at [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=207 this strip]] to see [[RealityEnsues WHY]] they have that reaction.[[/note]]]]

!!Examples

It also has nothing to do with a certain British 80s [[{{Music/Wham}} pop band]] with Music/GeorgeMichael, or [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure a JoJo villain]] named after said band.

Compare GenreTurningPoint and NothingIsTheSameAnymore. Contrast with BreatherEpisode. Related to DramaBomb. Complete opposite of StatusQuoIsGod. If this is the first episode and/or the prologue, it's a DownerBeginning. If the WHAM aspect is concentrated in a single line, it's a WhamLine. See also AscendedFridgeHorror, wherein some aspects of the series leave some viewers with reason to expect a tone shift, before they see it applied by the writers. Often the first warning that the viewer is dealing with a {{Deconstruction}}. Frequently caused by or contains a GutPunch.

Almost always takes place at a SeasonFinale, and at times can even be a GrandFinale if it includes a high enough shock factor ([[StockSeriesFinales which isn't always]] [[WrapItUp the case]]). Alternatively, it might come ''before'' the Season Finale, which then resolves the plot twist. Earlier than that, and it might be a HalfwayPlotSwitch, or if occurs even sooner a MidSeasonTwist (which usually goes down at the end of Act I).

Almost always takes place at a SeasonFinale, and at times can even be a GrandFinale if it includes a high enough shock factor ([[StockSeriesFinales which isn't always]] [[WrapItUp the case]]). Alternatively, it might come ''before'' the Season Finale, which then resolves the plot twist.

[[TropesAreTools It's not always done well, of course.]] Particularly poorly-done wham episodes almost invariably result in a ShockingSwerve.

* '''Signify a shake-up the status quo.''' What happens in this episode has to be presented as something of a significant impact. A character getting their hair cut isn't a big deal. A character getting an ImportantHaircut as part of a HeelFaceTurn is.
* '''Ensure the change is not easily undone.''' This can't be something that gets reset quickly, or else the impact of the change is dulled. For instance, a CharacterDeath is sometimes a big deal, but not always. In a series where DeathIsCheap, it may just be a way to get the character out of the story for a while or into some sort of B-plot in the afterlife. The audience is thus assured that the character is out of focus at the moment, but will come back sooner or later. However, if the series has made it clear that [[AllDeathsFinal there's no coming back from the dead in this universe, no matter what]], a named character dying is a really big change.
* '''Cause a shift among the characters within the series.''' What may be heart-rending in one series could be mundane in another. What really makes an event a Wham Episode is how the characters react to this change. If they react like it's a big deal and have to apply significant effort to adapt to this change, the episode's likelihood of being a Wham Episode significantly increases. For instance: a character gets superpowers and joins the team. If this is a OnceAnEpisode common occurrence, the character gets their powers the same episode that they're introduced, or the series has established that it's relatively easy to get these powers, it's probably not a Wham Episode since the characters will not be very surprised to see it. Meanwhile, if a named BadassNormal character has taken three seasons to get superpowers, [[EleventhHourRanger finally gets them right when the team needs it most]], and doesn't get these powers taken away or removed by the episode's conclusion, it's probably a Wham Episode if the characters in-series act like this is a big deal.

Also, just because an event is dramatic or has a reveal, that doesn't make it a Wham Episode. The episode must shake up the status quo and/or drop a major bombshell.

The term was coined by Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, creator of ''Series/BabylonFive'', which is very liberally sprinkled with them.

[[TropesAreTools It's not always done well, of course.]] Particularly poorly-done wham episodes almost invariably result in a ShockingSwerve.