![]() ![]() This has led to a variant of the trope rising in popularity–a trope called The Tomato in the Mirror. The Tomato Surprise is an easy trope to overuse, and as it became more prevalent, it became easier for observers to identify and predict it before it happens. The use of forced perspective keeps us from seeing the details that are already known to everyone in-universe, so we’re taken by surprise when it turns out that what is “malformed” in our reality is the norm in theirs. As observers, we come into the story believing that it takes place in our world, and assume as much because nobody ever says otherwise. As we pan back and finally see the faces of the hospital staff, they are revealed to be have gnarled, twisted, piglike features. At the climax of the episode, the bandages are removed to reveal a stunning Donna Douglas–and that the operation was a total failure. Their images are always somehow obscured, be it by shadows, curtains, etc. Forced perspective should be noted here, as all of the other characters–predominately hospital staff–never have their faces shown. In the wake of her most recent surgery, her face is bandaged, and remains covered for most of the episode. Our protagonist is a woman who suffers from hideous facial deformities, and who has undergone numerous procedures in an attempt to correct them so she can have a more normal appearance. Only the observers are taken by surprise, as the detail that the twist hinges on is often something so mundane that the characters in the story wouldn’t even think to mention it.Ī classic example is the iconic Twilight Zone episode The Eye of the Beholder. A story about a man using a knife to butcher his victim, with red liquid oozing everywhere could seem like a tale of vicious murder–until the end of the story, when it’s revealed that he’s simply dicing a tomato.Ī key element of the Tomato Surprise is that the characters in the story aren’t learning anything new at the point of the twist. The twist in the story comes not from the characters learning new information, but from the reader learning new information that changes the framing of the story completely. By withholding information or forcing perspective, the story creates tension for the viewers when there is none for the characters. There has been a doorway right there the entire time! The problem is that the door is on the left side of the hallway, and given the forced, top down perspective, you, as the player, would never realize it’s there–even though from the perspective of the character in the game, it’s totally obvious.Ī forced perspective that keeps the observer from seeing what the characters see can be used as a storytelling device as well it’s a trope that goes by the name of the Tomato Surprise. After what is either a moment of sheer luck or consulting a guide, however, the solution becomes clear. You retrace your steps a thousand times but no matter what, you can’t seem to figure out how to get to the next section of the dungeon. Have you ever played one of those retro video games with a forced, top down perspective (or alternatively a modern game intentionally trying to look retro)? If you have, you’ve probably hit a point in the game where you’re traipsing through a dungeon only to stumble upon a dead end. Reality TV and Tropes examines these tropes as they apply to specific instances within the world of Reality TV. ![]() These tropes are not, as the name of the site implies, simply bound to television, and can be seen in all forms of media. TV Tropes is a wiki that compiles and deconstructs the myriad of recurring devices and conventions that appear in storytelling.
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