r/TopCharacterTropes • • 6h ago

miscellaneous [Loved Trope] The Comedy Suddenly Stops Joking Around Spoiler

There's nothing I love more than being in a comedy, and you get that one moment, usually a single look from a character, and all of the sudden we stop joking around. Whatever's going on from this point forward is played completely straight in stark contrast to everything that came before.

1). A moment from the comedy show Scrubs. Our man Dr. Cox is exchanging jokes with his best friend when he is asked "Where do you think we are?" Suddenly it is revealed Cox's best friend isn't actually there, and they are at his funeral.

2). An dark comedy called Haunted Hotel. The whole show specializes in dark humor with ghosts, demons, and plenty of death. But when near the end of season 1, it is revealed that always happy go lucky ghost Nathan died from suicide, everything slows way down. Suddenly the whole show gains this tiny bit of underlying seriousness they never joke about.

3). From an anime called Gintama. One two episode story arc involves an old alien dog that wants to conquer the earth now that his old owner is hospitalized. Near the end, suddenly all jokes are off as the two old timers struggle to avoid dying of old age as neither wants the other to feel lonely.

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u/MingleLinx 6h ago

Family Guy - Brian Griffon

I forget the exact premise of the episode, but I believe Stewie and Brian get locked up in a vault so they start chatting. Instead of the normal humor from Family Guy, the topic of suicide comes up and how Brian carries a gun with him in case he needs a way out.

As a side note I believe a showrunner was having a difficult time in his life which is what brought this scene to the show, but I could be misremembering

21

u/shiawase198 6h ago

This episode would've been more impactful if they didn't have parts like Brian eating Stewie's poop so that he can get a clean diaper.

5

u/QMAN4000 5h ago

ya that bit killed the otherwise stellar episode for me

5

u/DrumBxyThing 4h ago

I remember Stewie crying and getting an enormous disgusting snot bubble that needlessly took me out of the scene.

1

u/ThatOneWood 3h ago

Different episode

2

u/Libprime 1h ago

The episode sucks regardless and is nothing but McFarlane wanking at the viewer like this isn't a fucking episode of FAMILY GUY