The Load/Playing With
< The Load
Basic Trope: A member of the hero's team is a real liability to the heroes, usually needing to be rescued.
- Straight: Linda, girlfriend to Harry, tags along on his quests to save the world, often getting herself into trouble he or another member of the team has to bail her out of.
- Exaggerated: Linda slows the team down every time she shows up.
- Justified: Harry can handle himself, Linda really can't.
- Or Linda thinks she can handle it, but can't.
- Inverted: Linda can handle all the baddies herself.
- Subverted: Linda is caught,as part of a infliltration plan. It involves escaping on her own and kicking ass.
- Double Subverted: But she bungles that one too, making Harry's mission even harder.
- Parodied: Linda slows Harry down in a "World's Slowest Man" contest.
- Deconstructed: Linda's insistence on going into these dangerous circumstances are very telling about his relationship.
- Or about Linda herself.
- Reconstructed: Despite her constantly bringing the team down, Harry needs to have this happen to Linda, it's the only way he can succeed in the first place.
- Zig Zagged: Sometimes Linda slows the team down, sometimes she doesn't, sometimes she doesn't show up at all.
- Averted: Linda is actually quite competent.
- Enforced: The writers write Linda weak thinking it will humanize Harry.
- Lampshaded: "We have to go save Linda again?"
- Defied: Linda never goes into conflict with Harry, she knows it'll cause more problems.
- Discussed: "Oh crap, Linda's here." "I know, how long before she breaks a heel and we have to carry her again?"