Animal Reaction Shot/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: An animal's reaction to a comedic moment is shown.

  • Straight: Something silly is revealed that is shocking to the show's characters, and we see a shot of the Team Pet looking startled.
  • Exaggerated: We get a shot of the Team Pet giving an very over the top, dramatic reaction to something that probably doesn't even deserve it.
  • Justified:
    • Most of the team is wearing masks or costumes, so we can't see their reactions- the Team Pet is the only option left at that moment.
    • Alternatively: The animal is smarter than the Real Life organism it resembles. It may be an Animal Alien, or genetically altered, or magic, and the main characters might not even know this, but the animal having a human-like reaction to the shocking thing makes sense in context and is a plot point.
  • Inverted: An animal does something comedic among a group of fellow animals, and we get a reaction shot from the group's one human.
  • Subverted: Something comedic happens, and it seems we're going to get a reaction shot from everyone on the team...and the Team Pet is not reacting due to being asleep, focusing on something else, etc.
  • Double Subverted: Something comedic happens, and it seems we're going to get a reaction shot from everyone on the team... and the Team Pet is skipped over. The conversation continues, and after a minute or so, the Team Pet finally reacts.
  • Parodied:
    • The Team Pet is given a reaction shot plenty of times, but it is inevitably just sitting there, unable to understand what is going on, being a simple animal.
    • A reaction shot from a nearby tree is shown.
  • Deconstructed: Animals have been made a repository for the emotional reactions of humans in this setting, allowing people to function more efficiently. The trauma this causes the animals and the coldness of humanity is explored in detail.
  • Reconstructed: Animals' empathy is heightened compared to humans, which teaches humans to control and deal with their feelings.
  • Zig Zagged: The Team Pet is given a reaction shot plenty of times, sometimes over the top or unrelated to the situation. The human characters find out that an animal trainer is just off screen giving directions to the pet. When he is sent away, the pet gives correct reaction shots, revealing that he is natural at it. At the end of the show the human company leaves the pet alone, and he comments: "Well, I did my part. Where's my check?". Then again, he is a midget in a pet suit. A real pet reacts to the reveal!
  • Averted: There are no animal reaction shots during comedic moments in the series.
  • Enforced: "Uh-oh, this joke is dying, so let's give the viewers a silly animal face to try and bring it to life."
  • Lampshaded: "Even the Team Pet is shocked by that, look!"
  • Invoked: Bob trains his pet to react to his jokes, to improve his comedian show.
  • Defied: Bob is so tired of his pet reacting to his jokes that he applies Botox to its face, or gets rid of him/her.
  • Discussed: "For an animal, the Team Pet in our little group is awfully expressive, odd little guy."
  • Conversed: "And whenever the joke's about to die they throw in the dog making a silly face, see... look, this joke's going bad...and there it is! Told you so!"

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