15+ Movie And Television Tropes That Redditors Think Ruin The Plot

Some movie and TV tropes are so overused that viewers can spot them a mile away. When a story leans on them too hard, the whole plot can start to feel lazy instead of clever.

That frustration came up in a Reddit thread after one user asked which movie or television trope people dislike the most. The replies quickly filled with examples of scenes, characters, and plot devices that keep showing up, even when they make a story less believable.

This is the Reddit post that started the discussion

Gosenco

One Redditor says this one always pulls them out of the story.

Or they could explain while they're running toward where they need to be

ShelbaBarbera

There are many ways to show how strong women are and make them more relatable

svenson_26

Another commenter thinks this trope gets old fast.

There are other symptoms, and this is often an obvious spoiler

ehsteve23

If it were real life, that would be a fight waiting to happen

zarina541

"We don't have any more ideas for this one, so here's a bloody handkerchief out of nowhere"

dramallamamil

A little tip for those who plan on writing something about legal cases

Hq3473

It's trauma, not a conditional passage for strong women to endure

Lilac77777

That comment clearly hit a nerve.

This is the same kind of family tension as when OP refused to play their sister’s favorite game during family game night.

There are many tropes that would work very differently if you switched them with women

D-Money100

Couldn't hold it back for a while, could you?

[deleted]

If this keeps happening, the tension that should be for the show's plot would be diverted to doubts about the character's safety

NotAnderRivverwind1

Like there's always one. Completely unrelatable

tommytster

Then they only pass out when everything's over

Scrappy_Larue

One more reply keeps the complaints coming.

It's like the trope where they tease someone because another person is picking on them, thinking they only do that because they like the bullied one

[deleted]

And they only take a bite of that apple before it disappears

EpicBlinkstrike187

End of comment

EpicBlinkstrike187

This problem exists in real life, and it's actually serious

IStanCatwoman

Neurodivergent people can be represented better and with more variety

TheShredder315

Like it's already *gasp* pre-recorded for them

LoveAndDynamite

Love is a big deal, and...

CatLady-CatsPending-

just inserting it without any meaningful progress dilutes its significance for the characters

CatLady-CatsPending-

They could've gotten straight to the point

[deleted]

Streaming has not made bad tropes disappear, it has just given them more places to show up.

If you had to pick one movie or TV trope that instantly ruins a story for you, what would it be? Share it in the comments.

Some tropes never learn.

Still shaking your head at random plot twists? See what happened when a friend canceled plans last-minute after OP confronted her.