Danger UXB: Difference between revisions

* [[Downer Ending]]: {{spoiler|Surprisingly averted in that Ash is still alive at the end of the series, though played straight in that his prospects are poor as a disabled veteran with no relevant skills in the civilian world. There are hopeful indications however that he'll be able to get on with his life with the support of his wife and friends.}}

* [[The Dulcinea Effect]]: Cpl Salt is always willing to help a [[Damsel in Distress]], {{spoiler|which eventually leads to his death.}}

* [[Ensign Newbie]]: Every officer by default at the beginning of the war, as there's no training or experience in bomb disposal available. Furthermore there's no point wasting Sandhurst-trained officers on [[High Turnover Rate|a job that will get them killed in a few weeks]], so bomb disposal officers are just promoted up from the ranks.

* [[A Father to His Men]]: Major Luckhurst. Ivor Rodgers takes on this persona after he's promoted to command of the unit.

* [[If You Die, I Call Your Stuff]]: Ash finds himself being issued with the uniform and billet of the last man killed.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: In "Just Like a Woman" audience tension is created when a kid sneaks off to look at the bomb being defused, but when it goes off he suffers no major injuries despite having a hut collapse on him.

* [[Mad Scientist]]: Dr Gillespie is building a [[Heath Robinson Machine]] in his backyard for steaming explosives out of bombs. He even has a [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter]] in Susan Mount (who is distinctly unamused when [[Right Behind Me|she overhears Ash describe her this way]]). However the steam steriliser is the only available means of bypassing a booby-trapped detonator, so Gillespie, Susan and Ash have to work together to solve its teething problems.

* [[The Neidermeyer]]: Captain Francis chews out Ash for burning toast, purely because he's jealous of a magazine article that Ash appeared in (under orders from his superiors). He also [[Apathetic Teacher|fails to train Ash despite being Training Officer]], leaving him to pick up everything from his sergeant. When [[Tyrant Takes the Helm|Francis becomes OC of the unit]], he starts making Ash's life miserable in surrogate revenge for [[Jerkass Woobie|his own wife having an affair]] with a young officer.

* [[Never Found the Body]]: Because there's usually nothing left to find.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Several of these, usually along the lines of "It's started ticking", "We have to move the bomb to get at the fuse" or "It's that new type that's blown up anyone who's tried to defuse it so far."

* [[Really Gets Around]]: Norma Baker, who gets turned on by the danger of air raids and sleeps with any lodger who's willing.

* [[Sacrificial Lamb]]: A bomb disposal officer is killed in the opening scene. Ash is his replacement with a life expectancy of only seven weeks.

* [[Sergeant Rock]]: Sergeant James

* [[The Scrounger]]: Corporal Mould, the mess orderly. Sapper Wilkins from Ash's section.

* [[The So-Called Coward]]: Conscientious objector John Brinkley, who gets roughed up by one of the sappers on his arrival at the unit. Brinkley later becomes a bomb disposal officer {{spoiler|and gets blown up in front of the sapper who assaulted him; the latter breaks down in hysterics.}}