Basic Trope: A character who proves their loyalty and friendship by helping their friend when it would be easier not to and other people would not blame them for not doing so.
- Straight: Alice is on the run from the police. Her friend Bob comes up with an alibi for her just because she's his friend, even though it would be easier for him not to.
- Exaggerated: Bob helps Alice with everything, even things she could very well do on her own.
- Downplayed: Bob goes and gets Alice a chocolate bar to cheer her up. It's a small favor and it only slightly inconvenienced Bob, but Alice still appreciated it.
- Justified: Alice has done the same for Bob- he's repaying a debt.
- Inverted: It would be much, much easier for Bob to help his friend Alice, but he doesn't anyway out of sheer pettiness.
- Subverted: Turns out that Charlie in fact offered Bob a million dollars if he helped Alice, and Bob did it for entirely selfish reasons.
- Double Subverted: An alternate universe in which Charlie was never born reveals that Bob would have done the same without the million-dollar incentive, and the offer was just a perk.
- Parodied: Alice is on the run from police. Bob gives her an alibi, moves out his apartment so she can make it a safe house, gives her the keys to his car, shaves his head so she can make a wig from his hair, gives her his own blood so she can use to possibly trick the cops, tells her he had been making dinner for himself but she can have all of it, gives her the clothes off his back to change into, offers to let her sleep with his girlfriend to calm herself down, and so forth. Finally, naked and holding a knife he goes to the police station, confesses to all of Alice's alleged crimes and tries to jump a cop in order to throw the police off Alice's trail. Alice, as she drives away in Bob's car, says: "Thanks, buddy. I owe you one."
- Averted:
- Bob is selfish and never helps his friends.
- Bob has no friends.
- Enforced: It's a kids' show, and the Moral Guardians want to impart a good message about helping your friends, so they make the writers add this.
- Implied: One scene shows Alice getting arrested and asking Bob to help her. The next scene shows Alice, out of jail, walking in the park with Bob.
- Lampshaded: "Better go help Alice. She's my friend, after all, and you always help your friends in need."
- Invoked: Charlie calls the police on Alice to see if Bob will help her, because he loves Alice and only wants her to have good friends.
- Exploited: Charlie, knowing that Bob will always help Alice when she's in need, threatens to spread horrible rumors about her unless Bob pays him a million dollars.
- Defied: Charlie holds Bob hostage so he can't help Alice.
- Discussed:Alice: "You didn't have to help me out, you know."
Bob: "Come on, what are friends for?" - Conversed: "Wow, that's a long way for Bob to have gone for Alice's sake. He's a true friend."
- Deconstructed: Because Bob places great importance on helping his friends, Alice takes advantage of him and asks him to do a bunch of things that no sane person would do. This eventually lands him in jail, while Alice's nose stays completely clean.
- Reconstructed: Bob is only always helping Alice because he knows she's a good person and she would never take advantage of him, and she doesn't abuse his help.
- Played for Laughs: Bob helps Alice do ridiculous stuff, like wiping her butt or cleaning out her kitty litter box.
- Played for Drama: Alice asks Bob to help her take revenge on Bob's sister, Diana, forcing Bob to choose between his friend and his sister.
- Played for Horror: Alice coerces Bob into performing a series of murderers.
It's okay, A Friend in Need, you don't owe me for this link back to your main page. I'm more than happy to help after that time in Pigeon Forge.
