Those Tropes Again!

 

I think we are on a Bouchercon Hiatus. That sounds like a medical condition where a proctologist might be of some use.

Meanwhile, here’s one of those blogs based on something that flicks up on Facebook every so often.

This was also inspired also by Annamaria's recent blog about those tropes that happen in films or TV series all the time….with my twist.

I hope all those in New Orleans are having a great time, and are asking panellists deep and incisive questions, like Where Do You Get Your Ideas From? How do you counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor?

And as Annamarie hinted, here’s what happens in films where nobody has any great ideas.

1)      The time of death is incredibly accurate to provide the main suspect with an alibi.

2)      The detective who solves the case, will be suspended from that same case, within the first three  minutes  of the episode, by the person mention in the next point.

3)       All detectives have a boss who is an idiot (that might be true in other walks of life also)

4)       One tiny light from a phone or a single cigarette lighter, will illuminate the entire park and show where  the dead body is very clearly.

5)      CSIs with very long hair, will wear their hair down and impeccably styled, then pick up a single hair from the scene with a pair of tweezers and proclaim the name of the suspect.

6)      Woman can run in high heels.

7)      Nobody buys any shopping, but the fridge is always full.

8)      Nobody goes to the toilet for the normal reasons, they go to talk about the case – or to hide by sitting   up  on the toilet lid like a distressed squirrel.

9)      Typing anything into a search engine comes back with the result wanted, instantly... sometimes after a   long stream of tech gobbledegook - I think EvKa admires this very much.....

10    Dogs know goodies from baddies, instantly. And they never need to go to the toilet either.

11     Any well-behaved dog that doesn’t come back when called, has found a body. Or a hand as       Annamaria  said. Or any body part...

12      Parking on the top floor of a multi-story car park, ends up with somebody clinging on the wall with a    very long drop below them. Goodie will grab their wrists; baddies will stand on any visible fingers.

13     Any fights in a UK TV series will be started by a drunk Glaswegian, especially if set in A and E

14      At the bar, the seat next to the person the detective wants to speak to, is always free. As is the barman.

15      In a UK crime series, the lift in a high rise is always broken.

16      Victims killed in their bedrooms will inevitably have a white carpet.

17     When two non-English speakers speak to each other, they will do it in English with an accent    borrowed from their native language, even if their native language is the same.

18     There will be a handy parade close by when a suspect is running through the city streets. St Patricks   Day, A Santa's parade etc. There’s scope here for a passing pipe band to be involved. The noise of the    bagpipes will drown out any calls for help or screams from the victim.

19    Car wheels make skidding noise even on non skiddable surfaces.

20    Mobile phone batteries die the minute the phone is really needed.

 H   Happy Bouchercon