Basic Trope: A reference to a character's previous role.
- Straight: In Alice and Bob, the character Bob finds a nickel, a reference to the actor's previous role as Daniel, a man who lost a nickel.
- Exaggerated: Bob spends an entire episode playing out a plot from his previous work.
- Logical Extreme: Bob's entire character and storyline in Alice and Bob revolve around referencing and incorporating his previous roles in every aspect, creating a complex web of interconnected references.
- Downplayed: Bob coughs exactly the way the actor's previous character, Daniel, would cough.
- Justified:
- Robert "Bob" Luanterique is playing himself in Alice and Bob, and is referring in-universe to one of his roles.
- In a Crossover, Bob and Daniel are close friends and they reference each other while talking to others.
- Inverted:
- Every character is based on one of Bob's actor's previous roles, except for Bob.
- Daniel loses a nickel, but the viewers don't know why, until it's revealed that Daniel's actor is leaving the show to play Bob, on a show that is about Bob finding a nickel. The creators of the former show put in the detail as a sendoff tribute.
- Subverted:
- In Alice and Bob, we are shown a glimpse of a nickel, a reference to a past show wherein Bob's actor played Daniel, a man who famously lost a nickel. Alice is the one that finds the nickel, though.note
- Alice and Bob's creator eventually gets asked by a fan whether Bob finding the nickel is a reference to Daniel. It turns out that the creator wrote this detail in long before it was decided which actor would play Bob; in other words, the plot point being attributed to Bob was just a coincidence, not a deliberate reference.
- Alice and Bob frequently makes allusions to a past show wherein Alice's actress played Claire. When the plot requires Bob to have lost something, though, they choose not to have him lose any coin at all, despite his actor earlier having played a character who famously lost a nickel.
- Double Subverted: But then she loses the nickel at some point during the episode. Bob eventually finds it in the next episode.
- Parodied: In a comedy about show business, one of the characters insists that his latest work contain multiple references to his old TV show, "for the fans". It causes tremendous fan backlash leading to the failure of the movie and the end of his career.
- Zig Zagged: Bob does some things very similarly to other characters his actor previously portrayed, while in other respects he bears no resemblance to any of them whatsoever.
- Averted: Bob makes no reference to the actor's previous roles.
- Enforced:
- The producers hope they can turn fans of the actor's previous roles into fans of their own show.
- The actor's current role works as a continuation of his previous role.note
- Daniel was the first and best known instance of Mr. Luanterique referencing his tendency to loose money in would-be-over-the-top-if-it-wern't-true manners.
- Lampshaded:
- "I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine."
- "Hey, Bob, isn't it funny how you always seem to find loose change lying around? Almost like it's a running theme or something."
- Invoked: Bob becomes a fan of the work that featured Daniel and decides to emulate him.
- Exploited: Bob checks for some superhero roles of his actor, and uses that to save a girl from a villain.
- Defied: Alice tells Bob, "Stop acting like Daniel from My Heart's Desire! You're nothing like him!"
- Discussed: "Haven't I seen that guy in some movie or something?"
- Conversed: Role Association
- Played for Laughs: Bob constantly makes self-referential jokes about his past roles, often leading to comedic situations and reactions from other characters.
- Played for Drama: Bob's references to his previous roles are used as a dramatic device to explore themes of identity and the impact of past experiences on his present character.
- Played for Horror: The recurring references to Bob's previous roles take a dark turn when his past characters start haunting him, blurring the line between reality and fiction.
- Implied: In a brief scene, Bob is seen holding a nickel in his hand, suggesting a subtle nod to his previous role as Daniel, the character who lost a nickel.
- Unparodied: Despite the show's satirical nature, Bob's references to his previous roles are presented in a straightforward manner, without any subversion or mockery.
- Untwisted: The audience expects Bob to make a reference to his previous role, but he never does, surprising everyone with the lack of callback.
- Deconstructed: The constant references to Bob's previous roles become a burden for him, as he struggles to establish his own identity and escape the shadow of his past characters.
- Reconstructed: Bob's references to his previous roles are deconstructed to highlight the depth and complexity of his acting range, ultimately leading to a renewed appreciation for his talent and versatility.
Back to Actor Allusion
