Take That, Scrappy!/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character who is especially hated by the audience is mocked or degraded by another character in his/her series.

  • Straight: Alan is an comic relief character who annoys people. Barbara, the lead, says to his face that she's surprised that anyone puts up with him.
  • Exaggerated: Alan is an comic relief character who is hated by everybody who's ever watched the show. Barbara, all of her friends and enemies react with extreme disgust whenever Alan comes into the scene.
  • Justified: Alan did something really, really bad earlier in the series, and Barbara and the others have no intention of making him forget about it.
  • Inverted: Despite being a total jerk, Barbara and her friends tell Alan that he's not a bad person at all.
  • Subverted: Barbara and her friends look like they are going to insult Alan. But instead compliment Alan on all of his "hard work"...
  • Double Subverted: ...but the compliment is disguised as an insult that goes way over Alan's head.
  • Parodied: Alice and Bob are watching the Show Within a Show, starring Alan and Barbara. Alice mentions that she finds Alan really obnoxious. On the television they're watching, Barbara says "Hey! Alice is right! You are really obnoxious, Alan!"
  • Deconstructed: After years of being able to do anything without being called out, the Creator's Pet has a mental breakdown when someone does.
  • Reconstructed: They recover, and they get better.
  • Zig Zagged: Barbara's friends Cassie and Deborah talk about how annoying Alan is, but Barbara catches them and disagrees... until Deborah reminds her of something particularly annoying that he did. She then joins in the gossip. Alan finds them and interrupts, only to get nastily rebuked by Barbara and Deborah. After he slinks off, however, Cassie points out that maybe that was a little too harsh. Debora disagrees, while Barbara waffles, unsure whether they went too far or not.
  • Averted: The Creator's Pet is never called out.
  • Enforced: The producers have listened to the fans' complaints about Alan, and are trying to satisfy them by making sure he doesn't end up a Karma Houdini in the end.
  • Lampshaded: "God, I've been waiting to say that to you for years!"
    • "We could be on a TV show, watched by millions of people, and there still wouldn't be anyone who thinks you're funny."
  • Invoked: Barbara's Jerkass rival Eva goads Alan into doing something incredibly stupid as part of a plot to embarrass her.
  • Defied: Barbara is clearly about to rip Alan a new one...but closes her mouth, and refuses to say a word, considering herself above such petty grievances.
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: "Finally, that annoying jerk got called out! The authors do listen to our complaints!"
  • Plotted a Good Waste: Alan was deliberately made irritating so that the audience would root for Barbara to call him out, and to set up his Face Heel Turn after she gives him what-for.
  • Played for Laughs: Barbara pulls out a list and recites each and every complaint that fans have about him.
  • Played for Drama: It's revealed to the audience that Alan considers Barbara to be his only real friend, and that he's just trying to help her... right before he inadvertently pushes her Berserk Button and gets screamed at.

Back to Take That, Scrappy! (No, not you! You get out of here, you annoying little runt!)

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