r/TopCharacterTropes • u/ErlikHan6 • 17h ago

miscellaneous (risky trope) A show changes genres mid way

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The 100: the show starts as a somewhat grounded post apocalypse where humans who have taken refuge in a space station return to earth after it has become inhabitable again and resources on the space station run out. At first the show is about survival in a hostile environment. It slowly introduces more and more sci fi elements. At first, it's an Aİ that wants control over humanity. Towards the end of the show, the main characters have traveled throughout the galaxy, met humans from other planets, some of which have settled among ruins of ancient alien species, where they try to contact more advanced alien species in order to achieve "transcendence": rid humans of their physical bodies and become a more advanced lifeform.

AOT: this one is less gradual than the 100 and the change comes after a massive plot twist. The first 3 seasons of the show are about a relatively primitive society of humans who live inside humongous walls. Outside the walls are titans: giant monstrous creatures which hunt and devour humans. After a big plot twist and reveal, the society finds out that there is a whole bigger world out there, and the rest of the world is plotting to genocide them. They quickly industrialize after this discovery and wage war against other countries.

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u/Worldly-Pay7342 17h ago

From one of the later seasons:

Burns: Well, everybody knows, ‘war is Hell.’

Hunnicutt: Remember, you heard it hear last.

Hawkeye: "War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse."

Father Mulcahy: "How do you figure that, Hawkeye?"

Hawkeye: "Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?"

Father Mulcahy: "Sinners, I believe."

Hawkeye: "Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell, but war is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for a few of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander."

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u/Axel_Farhunter 13h ago

This isn't a war, it's a murder. This ain't a war, it's a moi-dah!

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u/playful_faun 15h ago

Hawkeye was my first experience of being attracted to a much older man when I was a kid lmao

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u/CappyNaps 15h ago

My entire life I have wondered why Alan Alda works on me in a way no other man has.

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u/MollyRocket 15h ago

It's the strong nose and the pure charisma. When you're at war and everything sucks you're gonna go for the guy that makes you laugh.

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u/playful_faun 15h ago

It's because he's hot and he defends human rights.

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u/Patchy_Face_Man 9h ago

But does it like a human version of Bugs Bunny.

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u/GrandmasterChops 8h ago

Carriers of fragments of the Groucho Soul.

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u/Vismal1 13h ago

Took care of his table at a restaurant once. Was very nice.

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u/Pleasant-Flounder540 15h ago

my guess is that it's the combo of competence, confidence, humor, and self-awareness. that character is written to be sort of the perfect version of that archetype. in real life you rarely meet people that have all four to that degree. people who are mainly jokers tend to not be that competent for instance. 

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u/busman25 4h ago

Or that kind. A lot of jokers get a big head from all the laughs and start thinking their shit dont stink. They become arrogant and put others down, but it's okay, because its funny and you're a little bitch if you point it out.

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u/VastInformation1333 15h ago

Hawkeye really had no business being that charming when we were kids. Somehow he was the blueprint for the “wait, why do I like him?” moment.

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u/playful_faun 12h ago

It's the confidence

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u/purlplanter 13h ago

Maybe it was just the actor. By all accounts Alan Alda is a stand-up guy. And he has done so much for science and science education.

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u/MollyRocket 15h ago

8 year old me didn't stand a chance against that kind of charisma.

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u/playful_faun 12h ago

You don't see Prince Charming saving lives 💅

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u/Wackel81 14h ago

And he doesn't  even look  good and I would hate someone  drinking that much irl. But... that has to be that Aura stuff the kids are talking about 

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u/ratsratsra 8h ago

Hawkeye definitely has played a part in my inability to form coherent sentences around older tall men with graying hair.

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u/not_a_moogle 7h ago

He was only 36 when the show started, but it feels like they played him older.

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u/busman25 4h ago

Pretty sure he was supposed to be late 20s, early 30s during the show.

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u/ThorThulu 4h ago

Trauma and Stress ages people, War has both in spades. It would make sense that he's written that way

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u/not_a_moogle 2h ago

Yeah, im not sure if they made his hair more peppery or if thay was just his natural preying.

Side note, could you imagine if they kept Don Sutherland instead from the movie.

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u/NoTurnip4844 16h ago

Some of the best writing

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u/Careless_Excuse4150 15h ago

That scene is basically a masterclass in making a comedy suddenly hit you with the weight of war.

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u/microgirlActual 12h ago

Possibly slightly beaten by the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth.

Though if you haven't seen it I'd strongly recommend at least watching the whole of the season - if not the whole of Blackadder II and Blackadder the Third (you can skip the first season, The Black Adder; it has a completely different tone and isn't as good, IMO) - and not just the last episode, as it won't hit the same.

Each season is just 6 half-hour episodes, so it's not a lot of TV, but that last season.... Holy Fuck that's some impactful anti-war tone whiplash right there.

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u/Matt_the_Splat 5h ago

Each season is that short? I might have to go watch it then.

I miss out on a lot of shows because they're multiple long seasons in and I don't have the attention or interest to spend that much time watching. I can do a few hours here and there, though.

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u/sobrique 4h ago

Yeah. A lot of British shows work on 6 episode 'seasons'. BlackAdder never made that many in total, and it's really top tier comedy.

Well, ok, the first season was a bit rough, and still finding it's feet, but seasons 2-4 are exceptional.

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u/microgirlActual 4h ago

Yeah, this is a BBC show from the 80s. Even dramas were much shorter season than US network shows, usually only 12 episodes, though they'd usually be a full hour long (BBC doesn't do advertising). But comedies are usually only 30 min episodes and often short mini seasons.

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u/tobiasvl 3h ago

That's typical for British shows, short and sweet. The original British version of The Office was just two seasons of 6 half-hour episodes plus two Christmas special episodes, 14 in total. The American version of the Office ran for 9 seasons and a total of 201 episodes.

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u/TrainingSword 15h ago

IT WAS A BAAAAAAAABYYYYYYYYY

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u/HealthyMaximum 8h ago

Come on!

I just got over this scene from the last time Reddit reminded me about it a couple of years ago.

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u/soulreaverdan 15h ago

One of my favorite exchanges in the show.

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u/Debalic 15h ago

Always loved that line.

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u/HistoricPancake 12h ago

Holy fuck. Maybe I should watch mash

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u/Your_New_Overlord 5h ago

Easily a top 5 all time TV show.

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u/NintenDawg92 12h ago

I recommend starting with season five; this quote is from the episode Hepatitis, I believe. You can start at the beginning, but it's a show that ages better the further into the show you watch.

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u/HistoricPancake 11h ago

So why not start at the beginning. Is it streaming anywhere?

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u/NintenDawg92 8h ago

You could watch from the beginning, but there are casting changes (for the better imo), and there are just so many episodes. If I remember right, in the U.S., MASH is available through Disney+'s Hulu.

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u/ThorThulu 4h ago

Some of the casting changes gave us tremendous moments in the show. They didnt just vanish with no explanation or get recast, that i remember anyway. Id highly recommend to start from the beginning

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u/NintenDawg92 3h ago

That's true, but S.C. and the original Mulcahy weren't great. Lt. Burns' incessant loyalty to the Army's mission was grating after a while, and Radar's character, although beloved by many, was cliché, being a simple, farm type. I liked Klinger more, personally, and I think Radar's departure could've been prevented, had they allowed both corporals to share screentime.

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u/busman25 4h ago

Definitely watch from the beginning, those first three seasons are hilarious, and there's still some heavy moments sprinkled in there. My only warning is that some of the jokes didnt age well, and some of the derogatory jokes about women may upset some folks.

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u/Senasayori 3h ago

You should, the entire show is good.

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u/killertortilla 11h ago

The chicken episode fucking destroyed me.

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u/ho_for_hateno 6h ago

My dad wrote “war is hell” On the back of every envelope he sent from Vietnam. I can’t imagine what it was like as an 18 year old, but he suffered from the effects thru ptsd and eventually died from cancer caused by Agent Orange exposure, so although this is a nice quote I see posted often, I agree war is hell.

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u/Budsygus 4h ago

MASH is one of those rare shows that deserves absolutely all the hype it gets and more.

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u/Lindt_Licker 8h ago

That’s in the pilot.

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u/Worldly-Pay7342 7h ago

Nope, it's from season 5, episode 20.

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u/Lindt_Licker 7h ago

Huh yeah you’re right of course. I don’t know how I mixed that up and thought it was in the opening to the pilot.

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u/Jackstripper01 6h ago

Forgive me if I’m wrong but isn’t this also a quote from Catch-22? 

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u/Tiny-Zombie 5h ago

I still remember that line.

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u/Your_New_Overlord 5h ago

Frank Burns wasn’t in the later seasons. This is season 5 of 13.

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u/GalacticMe99 12h ago

SoLdIeRs ArE jUsT fOlLoWiNg OrDeRs!