A Trope I Dislike

[lightofdaye]

As TV Tropes would have it the Ten Minute Retirement, where the main character decides they will no longer do what the series is about. No heroics for them. And of course it usually ends with them getting back in the saddle by the end of the episode and hero0ing up. Which means their previous hestiancy was just a big ol' waste of the watchers time.

I remember being especially annoyed with this mid-Series 7 of Doctor Who, it didn't help that his impetus for his retirement was the loss of his companions, Amy and Rory, in an equally horribly contrived episode.

But mostly this post is brought to you by Walter White who has started and stopped cooking meth at least three or four times by episode 2 of season 3.

Comments

[luna-plath.livejournal.com]

I guess the difference in Walt's case is that he is given so many outs, so many opportunities to do the right thing and protect his family (quit while you're ahead) but his greed and his pride take over and he just keeps going. It's part of the nature of his character and part of why I hate him.

[lightofdaye]

It is more understandable in Breaking Bad where the whole thing is supposed to be about Walter slowly descending into criminality. But still its a pain for waiting him to get around to getting involved again.