Line #114 WebAnimation/RedVsBlueFamilyShatters


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/family_shatters.png]]
2
3	->''Sometimes when you're feeling low and the\
4	The world's out to get you\
5	Just remember your friends to help make it through\
6	Learn what it means to be a true team\
7	I won't let you down, I'll follow your lead\
8	We'll face any problem that come our way\
9	We're stronger together, we'll never betray\
10	Shatter Squad, we'll be [=BFFs=] forever\
11	Shatter Squad, we're ready for our next endeavor\
12	You've got me (You've got me)\
13	I've got you (I've got you)\
14	And together we are better\
15	Here with Red vs. Blue\
16	Shatter Squad''
17	-->-- Opening theme
18
19	''Red vs. Blue: Family Shatters'' is a ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' miniseries. It ran for eleven episodes from October to December 2021.
20
21	A non-canonical spinoff starring Shatter Squad from ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlueZero'', the miniseries is described by the showrunners as a character showcase. It is also explicitly comedic, being designed as an AffectionateParody to old-fashioned sitcoms.
22
23	'''Warning: This page will contain unmarked spoilers for ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlueZero''.'''
24	----
25	!!Contains examples of:
26	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In "Buzz:Kill", when Phase sacrifices herself to distract the wasp, complete with dramatic music.
27	-->'''East:''' ''[reaching out]'' Phase! I... love you.\
28	'''Phase:''' I... hate you all.
29	* AnswerCut: In West's dream in "Hard Boiled", Tiny comes to him for help -- some people are after her for something that's been stolen from her. When West asks what they want, Phase and Diesel burst in brandishing guns, the former commanding: "Fork over the MacGuffin, Tiny."
30	* BaitAndSwitchComment: In "Freaky Friday", Phase and East can't get anyone else to realize that they've switched bodies. East tells Phase, "We haven't talked to the smartest person here yet." Cut to them running up to [[TheSmartGuy Raymond]]:
31	-->'''East:''' Ray! Do you know… where Tiny is? We need her help.
32	* BilingualBonus: In "Buzz:Kill", One yells "Merde!" ("shit" in French) when the wasp catches her, allowing the series to get more swearing through without deviating too much from the sitcom style.
33	* BlackComedyPetDeath: West reminds them that getting a pet hasn't worked well before -- cue a tombstone in a fish bowl.
34	* BladeEnthusiast: On top of Phase's signature weapon being a knife, she is shown having an affinity for them in general. She votes to have a cat for a pet because "they have knives for hands", and when she meets Santa, she says she needs more knives.
35	* BreakingTheFourthWall: "You live here now, don't you?" "I don't know, it's non-canonical!"
36	* BrickJoke: In episode 3, "Walk & Talk", Phase is handed some papers by a guy who has scissors sticking out of the back of his helmet. In episode 7, "Phase's Reputation", One sees Phase pick up some scissors, and recounts a rumor that Phase defended Viper base against [[{{Ninja}} shinobi]] and [[OnceKilledAManWithANoodleImplement can cut off a limb with safety scissors]]. At the end of the episode, Phase [[OffhandBackhand offhandedly]] tosses the scissors into the ceiling behind her, hitting a hidden shinobi and causing him to fall down with the scissors stuck in the back of his head -- the same guy (and scissors) seen in "Walk & Talk".
37	* ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou: West's dream in "Hard Boiled" has himself and the others cast in the roles of a FilmNoir tale. West is a detective, Raymond is a rookie, Phase and Diesel are gun-toting gangsters, and Tiny is the client.
38	* CannotTellAJoke: Exploited to find a hiding Axel, as nothing can annoy a joke teller worse than bungling the punchline.
39	-->'''East:''' I had a pencil with erasers on both sides. It wasn't very functional.\
40	'''Axel:''' [revealing himself] ''It was pointless''! Come on!
41	* CantBatheWithoutAWeapon: A variant, Zero takes his sword to his bathtub to both heat the water and show his [[CardCarryingVillain cartoonish evil]].
42	* ChekhovsGun: At the start of "Buzz:Kill", Raymond mentions that Shatter Squad cleared a minefield, and the mines are shown piled up in a corner. At the end, the mines are used to blow up the base.
43	* ChristmasEpisode: "Special Guestmas", which released a few days before Christmas. It opens with a shot of a snowy Shatter Squad base to the sound of jingling bells. It's also a guest episode, bringing in a [[GratuitousLatin Latin-speaking]] Lopez, Sarge and, adequately, Santa.
44	* CrackOhMyBack: In a promo for ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'', West dodges tennis balls Neo-style, only to throw out his back.
45	* DemotedToExtra: Diesel, who was a major antagonist in ''Zero'', only has brief appearances, and his lines are "Die!" in two episodes.
46	* DenserAndWackier: The tone is significantly goofier and sillier here than it was in the fairly grim ''Zero'' storyline. Make sense, as it ''is'' a sitcom pastiche after all.
47	* DiedInYourArmsTonight: In West's dream in "Hard Boiled", Raymond is shot and dies in West's arms.
48	* DidntThinkThisThrough: In "The Unbearable Lightness of Zero", Raymond hacks Zero's calendar, from which One figures out the best time to hit Viper. They're about to prepare to head out when they realize that they don't actually know where Viper's base is.
49	-->'''Raymond:''' I'll go prep the Warthogs!\
50	'''East:''' Though, I can't help but feel like we're forgetting something...\
51	'''West:''' What's this about the Warthogs?\
52	'''One:''' Oh, West. We're about to go take down Viper! I just came up with the perfect plan.\
53	'''West:''' Oh. Great job, Agent One. I must admit, I'm impressed that you were able to pinpoint the base's location.\
54	''[The word "location" echoes repeatedly]''\
55	'''East:''' There it is.\
56	'''One:''' FUCK--
57	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: In "Phase's Reputation", Raymond sings the opening theme while walking along, and Phase hums it at the end.
58	* DoubleMeaning: In "Walk & Talk", East tells Zero that "[Creator/TahjMowry] was T.J. Henderson, smart guy" -- "smart guy" as in [[Series/SmartGuy the series that Mowry starred in as T.J. Henderson]], but also as in a sarcastic dig at Zero.
59	* DreamEpisode: "Hard Boiled" is about West falling asleep watching a FilmNoir and dreaming his own DeliberatelyMonochrome hard-boiled detective tale [[ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou starring himself and the others]].
60	* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: In "Phase's Reputation", One expresses her opinion that French is sexier than English.
61	-->'''One:''' In French, we say, "''rouge''". Why, Ax? Why can't the English language just be sexy?
62	* EvilIsHammy: "The Unbearable Lightness of Zero" showcases the villain in his most exaggerated form.
63	* FightForTheLastBite: In a ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' promo, One and East have a standoff over the last donut, which ends up being taken by Raymond while they're grappling in midair in slo-mo.
64	* FollowYourNose: In the intro, Raymond floats through the hall, following the scent of a chocolate cake in the kitchen.
65	* FreakyFridayFlip: The indicatively named "Freaky Friday" has Phase and East trading bodies for a while, although VoicesAreMental in this case.
66	* GoshDangItToHeck: Axel exclaims "crabgrass" a couple of times, reflecting his love of lawn care.
67	* HalloweenEpisode: "Night of the Living Dad", which released a few days before Halloween. It focuses on Axel's addiction to dad jokes, which are considered a possibly contagious threat akin to becoming a zombie.
68	* HeroicSacrifice: In "Buzz:Kill", Phase and East head toward the mines, but are blocked by the wasp. Phase distracts the wasp, letting herself get stung so that East can get the mines.
69	* HisNameIs: In West's dream in "Hard Boiled", Raymond dies before he can tell him where the MacGuffin is.
70	* HowWeGotHere: West's dream in "Hard Boiled" opens with him and Raymond in a shoot-out, flashes back to how West got the case that led him there, then returns to the present.
71	* HumanHammerThrow: In "Buzz:Kill", One tries kicking the wasp, but it catches her by the foot, [[MetronomicManMashing slams her into the floor]], then spins her around at high speed before launching her at the wall and sending her through it.
72	* ImmediateSelfContradiction: In "Hard Boiled", West refuses to give the squad money to eat out until East points out the upsides for him, upon which he immediately changes his tune.
73	-->'''West:''' I'm not going to say it again.\
74	'''East:''' No dishes, and we leave you alone.\
75	'''West:''' Take the company card.
76	* IResembleThatRemark: In "Shatter Squad Needs a Pet", Phase and East both vote to get a cat. One objects to them each getting a vote, saying that they're the same person. They simultaneously respond "Excuse me?" in the same tone while making identical gestures.
77	* KinderAndCleaner: Being a send-off of sitcoms, the language is much cleaner. The F-bomb only shows up twice, once [[SoundEffectBleep bleeped]] and another in a PrecisionFStrike at the end of an episode, and "shit" only shows up once, [[BilingualBonus in French]].
78	* KnowsAGuyWhoKnowsAGuy: In "Phase's Reputation", the characters discuss rumors about Phase, with the sources of those rumors getting more indirect each time.
79	-->'''One:''' A friend told me that Phase defended Viper base against an elite class of shinobi.\
80	''[later]''\
81	'''Raymond:''' Well, a friend's cousin told me…\
82	''[later]''\
83	'''West:''' Well, a friend's cousin's chiropractor told me…\
84	''[later]''\
85	'''Zero:''' Well, a friend's cousin's chiropractor's golf ball diver told me…
86	* LastSecondPhotoFailure: At the end of the intro, Shatter Squad gathers for a group photo, only for Diesel to come crashing in just as the camera goes off. The resulting photo shows Diesel standing in the middle while everyone else is being flung away with the force of his landing, the cake that Raymond was holding having gone flying into West's face.
87	* LateToTheRealization: In "Walk & Talk", One, Raymond, and East are walking along when they crash into Zero and Phase, and when the two groups go their own ways again, East and Phase have switched places. Zero takes a while to realize it, even as he continues the conversation he'd been having with Phase with East answering in her place.
88	-->'''Zero:''' Okay, I'm getting sick of this attitude, Phase!\
89	''[He turns to East and comes to a halt. [[{{Beat}} A couple seconds pass]].]''\
90	'''Zero:''' …You're not Phase.\
91	'''East:''' ''[tilts head] Technically''…\
92	'''Zero:''' You two sound so ''similar''.
93	* LaughTrack: In "Phase's Reputation", when Zero walks in, a studio audience cheers from offscreen.
94	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
95	** Taken to the next level when Raymond discusses how getting R&R will lead to a beach episode, leading One to disagree that they are characters in a TV show, and a lot of meta commentary ensues.
96	** "Special Guestmas" has Shatter Squad awaiting an appearance from a "{{special guest}}" who will come to check their base for the holidays in accordance with "[[TheCameo cameo]] protocol". The squad is putting on some kind of play when West comes to deliver the news:
97	--->'''West:''' No time for character growth, Axel. Just got word from on high.
98	** West's dream in "Hard Boiled" revolves around the hunt for a mysterious "MacGuffin".
99	* LegFocus: In West's dream in "Hard Boiled", Tiny, playing the damsel client, gets a FeetFirstIntroduction with the camera panning up her legs, playing off the "legs up to here" cliché while comically emphasizing her height.
100	-->'''West:''' She had legs up to here. ''[Camera pans up from Tiny's feet to just below her knees.]'' Okay, here. ''[Camera pans up more quickly to her hips.]''
101	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "The Unbearable Lightness of Zero" is titled after ''Literature/TheUnbearableLightnessOfBeing''.
102	* MetaGuy: Raymond is the only person who knows that narrative conventions and tropes seem to apply to their lives.
103	* MetronomicManMashing: When the wasp catches One, it slams her into the ground once on each side before [[HumanHammerThrow spinning and throwing her]].
104	* MundaneMadeAwesome:
105	** A meeting is called to discuss the most important of matters - Shatter Squad needs a pet! ("[[FlatWhat ...what.]]")
106	** A wasp is treated like the ultimate menace.
107	* NoirEpisode: In "Hard Boiled", West dreams about himself as a noir detective, with Raymond as his sidekick, Tiny as the damsel client, and Phase and Diesel as gangsters.
108	* NotActuallyTheUltimateQuestion: Phase-in-East's-body asks "Who am I?" and One responds "Is this an existential question?"
109	* NotSoAboveItAll: In "Phase's Reputation", Axel gets fed up with One and Raymond speculating about Phase. When West comes in, Axel is relieved and thinks he'll put some sense into them, but instead he joins in.
110	-->'''West:''' What's going on here?\
111	'''Axel:''' West, thank you. Finally, a voice of reason. Can you put some sense into Bebop and Rocksteady here? These two numbskulls are speculating what--\
112	'''West:''' What Danyell does in her free time, since she's introverted and no one ever sees her outside of work?\
113	'''Axel:''' Exactly.\
114	''[West looks back and forth between Raymond and One]''\
115	'''West:''' ''Weelll''...\
116	'''Axel:''' ''Crabgrass. [{{facepalm}}s]''
117	* PeriodPieceModernLanguage: In "Hard Boiled", West dreams about himself and the others in a FilmNoir story. While most of the characters use antiquated linguistics to match the setting, Tiny leans more into ValleyGirl-style speech.
118	-->'''Tiny:''' Like, I need your help, detective. [...] Whatever, Bruce. [...] Ew, I don't have it!
119	* PrivateEyeMonologue: In "Hard Boiled", West dreams of himself as a noir detective who narrates in a stereotypical gritty style, with short, choppy sentences and at least one metaphor.
120	-->'''West:''' I remember it like it was yesterday. Raining cats and dogs. All I had was breakfast. The same breakfast I always have: black coffee and two eggs, hard-boiled. Lady Luck ran out on me the moment she walked in the door. Of all the bases in all the planets in all the solar systems, she walks into mine. She had legs up to here. ''[Camera pans up, but stops short.]'' Okay, here.\
121	[…]\
122	'''West:''' Her money was no good here. And why would anyone want to spill this tall glass of milk? All I know is I could feel a cold chill down the back of my helmet.
123	* PungeonMaster: Axel's addiction to excessive dad jokes (including {{pun}}s) is treated as SeriousBusiness.
124	* RingRingCrunch: "The Unbearable Lightness of Zero" shows Zero's wakeup routine: when his alarm clock goes off, a small target pops up from it, which Zero shoots.
125	* SeinfeldianConversation: "Walk & Talk" consists of the characters [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin walking around and talking]]. Zero is talking business, while Shatter Squad's conversation topics include candy and ''Series/SmartGuy''.
126	* ServileSnarker: In "Walk & Talk", Phase sasses Zero, her superior, as they talk. When Phase switches places with East without Zero noticing, East also sasses Zero, who -- thinking that he's still speaking to Phase -- snaps that he's getting sick of her attitude.
127	-->'''Zero:''' How many times do we need to have this conversation?\
128	'''Phase:''' [[LiteralistSnarking Two, three, sometimes four times a day, apparently.]]\
129	'''Zero:''' I want answers, Phase.\
130	'''Phase:''' You want a lot of things.\
131	'''Zero:''' Don't talk to me like I'm other people.\
132	'''Phase:''' How do you want me to talk to you?\
133	'''Zero:''' Like I'm your boss, not one of your Shatter stans.
134	* ShoutOut:
135	** The title is a reference to the sitcom ''Series/FamilyMatters''.
136	** In "Phase's Reputation", Axel refers to One and Raymond as [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Bebop and Rocksteady]].
137	** In West's dream in "Hard Boiled", his monologue for Tiny's introduction riffs off ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''.
138	--->'''West:''' Of all the bases in all the planets in all the solar systems, she walks into mine.
139	** A series of promos for ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'' recreate and play off scenes from ''Film/TheMatrix''. There's One commenting "Whoa, deja vu" when she sees East and Phase walk by, One claiming to Raymond that she knows kung fu, East and One leaping at each other in a slo-mo OrbitalShot, and West dodging tennis balls Neo-style.
140	* ShroudedInMyth: "Phase's Reputation" is about the other characters exchanging wild rumors about Phase and how fearsome she is. Which in turn is full of juxtapositions of what is thought of her and what Phase actually does ("She tames the wildest beasts", as she plays with a cat).
141	* SoUnfunnyItsFunny: Discussed by Raymond in "Night of the Living Dad" as a reason for why dad jokes are lame -- supposedly the lameness itself is funny.
142	-->'''Raymond:''' It's supposed to be ironic, I think. Like it's so unfunny that it goes full circle and becomes... funny again?\
143	'''East:''' Seems inefficient.
144	* SpeakInUnison: East and Phase have moments of talking in sync. The former starts to admit it's freaky.
145	* SpecialGuest: In "Special Guestmas", Shatter Squad is alerted that they'll have a cameo from a special guest for the holidays. Lopez, Sarge, and Santa show up, but none of them turn out to be the guest in question. That turns out to be [[spoiler:an animated Gus Sorola.]]
146	* StandardSnippet: "Freaky Friday" plays "Morning Mood" as Phase-in-East's body wakes up.
147	* TruncatedThemeTune: The first episode, "Shatter Squad Needs a Pet", is the only one where the opening sequence plays in full. For all others, it's shortened to the last few seconds.
148	* VerbalTic: In West's FilmNoir dream in "Hard Boiled", most of the characters have a tendency to end sentences with "see?" to fit with the period setting.
149	* VoicesAreMental: When Phase and East swap bodies in "Freaky Friday", their voices swap along with them, although it turns out that the only member of Shatter Squad who can tell them apart by their voices is Raymond.
150	* WalkAndTalk: "Walk & Talk" is about Shatter Squad and Viper walking through the halls of Shatter Squad base, filmed mostly from the front, as they ramble about various topics. Shatter Squad and Viper's paths cross for hijinks. And then Zero and Phase note they don't even know where they're walking to!
151	* WickedWasps: "Buzz:Kill" is about a wasp that's not only wicked, but downright superpowered! It chases the characters through the base as they flee in terror, and beats up One, Axel and Raymond.
152	* WomanScorned: In "Hard Boiled", West dreams of himself as a noir detective on a case from Tiny. Later Tiny turns out to be working with the gangsters shooting at him, and holds him at gunpoint. When West demands to know why, Tiny responds:
153	-->'''Tiny:''' You and me, Bruce. We coulda had something. We coulda had... breakfast.

Context WebAnimation / RedVsBlueFamilyShatters