Overused Plots in Movies and TV

[Drtooth]

Not really a plot, but I find ANY movie trailer that starts with a person's name, i.e. "Jared Butthat was an average school kid, until one day..." is not only overused, but should be completely outlawed, punished by being shot out of a canon straight into the sun.

 

[Dominicboo1]

How about appreciating someone or something you love after you lose it?
Like Labyrinth. By the way anyone else consider Elmo in Grouchland to be a Preschool version of Labyrinth. Why?
Sarah Elmo
Jareth takes Toby from her Huxley steals his blanket
Befriends seemingly gruff Hoggle Befriends seemingly gruff Grithy
Helped by Hoggle who was Jareth's Helped by Jareth's Henchman Bug
Henchman

 

[ZeppoAndFriends]

One I just rediscovered a distaste for are those stories where something happens (a crime, a fight, etc.) that involves the whole of the main cast and they take turns relating what happened from their perspective. As they go around, each one turns themself into the embodiment of perfection and the others into usless cowards, total idiots, obnoxious buffoons, pointless rage on legs, or groveling yesmen. When all the tales are told and they're all on the verge of killing each other, an unbiased third party comes out of the woodwork to tell what actually happened and its ego deflations all around!

I'm not sure what it is, but something about that plot rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Drtooth]

You ever see that King of the Hill one that used that plot? And Bill had the most unflattering version of himself in his story? That was a nice twist. As was Boomhaur's perspective where EVERYONE talked like him but himself.

 

[ZeppoAndFriends]

No, not a big fan of King of the Hill, but that does sound like a nice twist.

 

[D'Snowth]

I know M*A*S*H did this one during it's first season, but it seems like it's been done many other times before...

Various personal items of the cast turn up missing, and then everybody finds them hidden in someone's possession (in the aforementioned case, Hawkeye's foot locker), so everybody is quick to conclude that someone was the one responsible, so he/she spends the rest of the episode trying to prove his/her innocence.

 

[D'Snowth]

How many kids shows have done this episode (I know Hey Arnold! and Recess did)?

One of the kids sees or hears something about how "germs are everywhere", and then they absolutely FREAK, they go to extremes to disinfect everywhere the go, be it their bedroom, their classroom, etc, then they go so overboard to the point they're just plain crazy, then the rational one has to step in and explain how germs are neither bad or good, they're just a part of life, and there's nothing we can do about it.

 

[mr3urious]

How many kids shows have done this episode (I know Hey Arnold! and Recess did)?

One of the kids sees or hears something about how "germs are everywhere", and then they absolutely FREAK, they go to extremes to disinfect everywhere the go, be it their bedroom, their classroom, etc, then they go so overboard to the point they're just plain crazy, then the rational one has to step in and explain how germs are neither bad or good, they're just a part of life, and there's nothing we can do about it.

It was done in Malcolm in the Middle, where Lois (his mom) scares her youngest son Dewey straight to wean him off his old, filthy teddy bear he had since he was a child, leading him to be extremely terrified of germs.

 

[Hubert]

How many kids shows have done this episode (I know Hey Arnold! and Recess did)?

One of the kids sees or hears something about how "germs are everywhere", and then they absolutely FREAK, they go to extremes to disinfect everywhere the go, be it their bedroom, their classroom, etc, then they go so overboard to the point they're just plain crazy, then the rational one has to step in and explain how germs are neither bad or good, they're just a part of life, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Also done on Arthur...

 

[beatnikchick300]

Also done on Arthur...

I believe Rugrats did a "germs" episode as well.