Monday, February 20, 2012

There's A Trope For That - Week of February 19

Each week I would like to highlight a different trope from tvtropes.org, the place where I can spend many, many hours clicking through the pages.... obsessing over plot points, themes, and the absurdities of modern storytelling... 

in lieu of, you know, actually writing.

This week's Trope: Put On A Bus

"A character is written out of a series in such a way that they can easily be returned later, if the producers so choose. They are Put On A Bus."

Gotta love it, but Downton Abbey apparently has its very own bus terminal.

Every time somebody on that show leaves Downton, whether it's to go off to war, to find someone who will appreciate them, or to return to their scheming wife, they return 1-2 episodes later to pick up where they left off. Even when you hoped they were gone for good (*ahem*Thomas*ahem*), they can't seem to stay away from Downton, almost as if the house has some kind of supernatural draw. Oh sure, they might come back slightly injured or worse for the wear, but the only way you can ever get rid of anybody on there, it seems, is to kill them off completely. Merely sending them away just doesn't seem to cut it. 


Not that I'm complaining.

(Except in Thomas's case. Then I am.)

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