Basic Trope: Protagonists are struck by a short-lived disability forcing them to rely on other skills for the duration of the episode. The disability is cured by the next episode.
- Straight: Bob temporarily becomes blind, forcing him to avoid dangerous situations until his sight returns.
- Exaggerated:
- The entire group of adventurers becomes blind, deaf and quadriplegic for an entire plot arc.
- Bob's temporary disability actually makes his goal easier; for example, if he's deaf, he would not be distracted by noises.
- Downplayed: Bob's normally 20/20 vision is slightly impaired for half of the episode.
- Justified:
- Bob's disability simply does not stop him from his goal, and it heals naturally given appropriate medical care, such as mobility impairment due to a leg fracture.
- The disability is part of a treatment. (EG: Bob received some surgery on his left eye so he's has to wear a medical eye patch for the next 24 hours to let it heal. Being half blind is just part of the parcel.)
- Inverted: Bob is normally blind, but regains his vision for one episode as the result of a genetic experiment.
- Subverted: Bob is blinded, but immediately puts on a special pair of "Electronic Eye(TM)" goggles, which allow him to continue to see normally.
- Double Subverted: The electronic eyes leave him vulnerable to the Monster of the Week, who can control what he sees through them.
- Parodied:
- Bob gets a papercut and the horrific pain makes it hard for him to do anything with his hands.
- Bob has to do without the use of his brain for one episode.
- Zig Zagged: Bob is a Handicapped Badass whose disability is temporarily cured, causing him to lose his Disability Superpower.
- Averted: Bob becomes disabled and stays disabled.
- Enforced:
- Bob's actor has to rest his eyes after being injured in an accident and they're behind schedule for that season. They're forced to write the injury into the plot so they can finish filming on time.
- Status Quo Is God applies to the series. So, unless Bob was disabled from the start, he must be cured of his disability by the end of the episode.
- Lampshaded: "You do realize you're blind, right, Bob?" "Yes, I realize, but I'm going to defeat Alice anyway. Where there's a will, there's a way."
- Invoked:
- Alice attempts to make Bob less of a threat to her Evil Plan by blinding him with a flash bomb, deafening him with a loud explosion, or otherwise putting him "out of commission" as a hero.
- Alice the Evil waits for Bob to be injured by happenstance before putting her Evil Plan into effect rather than doing it herself.
- Exploited:
- Having been temporarily blinded, Bob learns how to enhance his other senses to give himself an edge when his sight returns.
- Charlie the prankster trips Bob while he's blind.
- Defied: Bob knows that fighting Alice while blind would be risky, and waits for his vision to return.
- Discussed: "I could defeat Alice with my eyes closed." "In that case, you wouldn't mind if I blinded you."
- Conversed: "That's Bob, all right! He goes blind, and it doesn't stop him from his goal."
- Implied: In the background of a scene, Bob is seen with dark glasses and a white cane. He does not appear anywhere else in the episode.
- Deconstructed: Bob's blindness makes his goal much more difficult.
- Reconstructed: Luckily for him, Bob has a friend who helps him out in his time of need.
- Played For Laughs: Because he's blind, Bob walks straight past Alice's Schmuck Bait traps.
- Played For Drama: Bob's goal after being blinded is specifically to find a way to reverse the blindness. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the incident, Bob is forced to confront a similar situation to that which blinded him in the first place, having to get through the danger without the benefit of sight. He is severely tempted to call it quits, retire and live a secluded life with his blindness.
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