Bearer of Bad News: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}

 

Someone doesn't know that bad news. And you have to tell them.

 

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'', Tenma finds himself having to meet up with his ex-fiancee to let her know that her current love interest {{spoiler|is dead}}.

* Subversion of sorts: Nobody in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' wants to be the one to tell the Elric brothers that {{spoiler|their friend, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, has been brutally murdered}}. This is made even worse (for the reader) by juxtaposing scenes of the boys and their friend Winry laughing and having fun on a train at the same time that {{spoiler|the funeral is taking place}}. How do they finally find out? ''From the newspaper''.

* No one had the heart to inform Annerose von Grünwald about {{spoiler|Siegfried Kircheis's death}} in ''[[Legend of Galactic Heroes]]''. Fortunately for them, Oberstein had already done that. In general, with [[Anyone Can Die|the rate of death]] in the series, this happens often.

 

* The various Heralds of Galactus in [[Marvel Comics]] are constantly bringing bad news to people. Usually of the "your planet is going to be eaten by a space god" variety.

 

* Toward the end of the [[Elenium]] trilogy, Sparhawk dreads having to deliver the news of {{spoiler|his squire Kurik's death to his wife}}. He reaches the house only to find that she already knows, having received the information from another Bearer of Bad News.

* In the ballad ''Gorm Grymme'' by the German writer Theodor Fontane, king Gorm of Denmark loves his son Harald dearly and one yule day he tells his vassals that anyone who brought him the news of his son's death would die within an hour. So when Harald is killed in battle, nobody wants to inform the king. Queen Thyra then manages to convey the message to Gorm without words, by taking off her jewelry, dressing in black, lighting twelve candles and covering the great hall and throne with black drapes.

 

* In "Yankee White", the pilot episode of ''[[NCIS]]'', Gibbs finds out that Caitlin Todd's ex died shortly after meeting with her. He takes her aside and drops the news bluntly into the middle of their conversation, so that he can observe her reaction and gauge her guilt or innocence.

** Happens also when {{spoiler|Director Jenny Sheppard is killed}} and Ducky is told by phone, and then has to tell Abby and McGee. And again in season six, when Gibbs has to tell {{spoiler|Michelle Lee's daughter that Lee is dead}}.

* In [[Stargate SG-1]] Major Paul Davis is nicknamed "Disaster Davis" by the fans, as he usually appears with bad news, sometimes at bad times with even worse news. This is justified by the nature of his character however, he's the liaison between the Pentagon and Stargate Command, so he is really only ever sent when the Pentagon has bad news.

 

* "Bad News and Bad Breaks" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones:

{{quote|Bad news, if he could choose,

He's got an ugly job to do! }}

 

* ''[[The Wizard of Id]]''. The King, aware that his useless knight Sir Rodney is bringing news of his defeat, reminds him of the old Roman custom in which the bearer of bad tidings was put to death. A sweating Rodney replies with the 'joyous' news that one of the King's more awful provinces with its rebellious peasants, stinking swamps (etc, etc) has been given to the Huns to worry about.

 

* [[Rowan Atkinson]] in ''Pink Tights and Plenty of Props'', had the Bearer of Bad News, followed by the Bearer of Indifferent News, and then the Bearer of Bad News Who Thinks It's Good News.

* In [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Macbeth]]'', Ross must bring MacDuff the news that his wife and children were all killed. And Seyton brings Macbeth the news that his wife has killed herself.

* [http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail126.html "I'm afraid I've got some bad news, boys...]

 

* Taylor, aka Labor Day, is this when he has tell the protagonist of [[Holiday Wars]] that the [[Easter Bunny]] is out to get her.

* In ''[[Something*Positive]]'', Davan - who ''has'' to be the one to do it because he's the only one who knows - takes on the duty of informing his sisters and his two closest friends (who might as well be his sisters too) that his father, Fred, has Alzheimer's disease. He gives them this information immediately after {{spoiler|his mother's funeral, his mother having died without ever finding out that her husband was sick}}.