Delegation Relay: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''He's standing right there. Why don't you give the order?''|'''[[Phelous]]''', ''[[Kickassia]]''}}

 

 

[[The Lancer]] nods, then turns to the [[Gentle Giant]]. "Gentle Giant, dig a trench."

 

Definitely an example of [[Truth in Television]].

 

== Advertising ==

* There was an Australian McDonald's ad where a boss asked his secretary to get him an order, who then asked someone else to get them something. It kept going down until the list reached a guy in a dingy basement sort of office. He then makes the work experience kid get the stuff, which has accumulated several A4 pages.

'''Sergeant''': Yes sir! }}

* ''[[Bugsy Malone]]''. "Get Babyface, get Babyface, get Babyface..." and so on down the line until they actually get to Babyface.

* In ''[[Braveheart]]'' Hamish's Dad gets shot with an arrow. That night, Hamish is handed a red hot poker with the instruction: "You do it. I'll hold him down." Hamish then looks at the poker, and hands another nameless scot the poker and tells him, "You do it. I'll hold him down." The nameless scot then does what he's told and [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* ''[[Silent Movie (film)|Silent Movie]]'' has a meeting at Engulf and Devour. After getting some bad news about profits, Engulf orders Devour to punish the other men present. He slaps each of them in turn, only to get slapped himself by the last one. The next time this happens, Devour tries to invoke this trope, slapping only the first man and telling them to "Pass it on". When it gets to the last man, he slaps first, causing the slap to go all the way up the chain to Devour.

 

== Literature ==

* In [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[The Prince and the Pauper]]'', this is not actually played for laughs, but rather used as social satire to show how ridiculously overblown royal ceremonies were in Tudor England.

* In ''[[Land of Oz|Ozma of Oz]]'', the Tin Woodsman's army consists of 100 soldiers, only one of whom is not an officer. The one time they actually fight, All the generals give the order to attack, which is then passed down to all the officers of the next rank down, and so forth until every officer has sounded the order to charge in decreasing order of rank, at which point the one private attacks the Nomes.

{{quote|'''Vernon''': Get the mail, Dudley.

'''Dudley''': Make Harry get it.

'''Vernon''': Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley. }}

 

* The teaser of ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'''s [[Lower Deck Episode]] is one long shot in which we follow the progress of an order from Captain Janeway to the schlub who ends up carrying it out.

* ''[[Ashes to Ashes]]'' uses this amongst a group, when faced with acquiring evidence from a chemical toilet. (Played with in that the ''last'' link in the chain, who's dating the guy in front of her, simply rolls her eyes and tells him to get on with it.)

* ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' did this in the first episode where the Borg appeared. A Borg appears on the ship observing, as Picard, most of the command, and a [[Red Shirt]] watch. Picard orders Worf to deal with it, then Worf turns to the Red Shirt and tells him to deal with it. With predictable results.

* ''[[The Young Ones]]'' use this when someone has to answer the door.

{{quote|'''Mike:''' Someone at the door, Rik.

'''Guy 3''' (thinking) What's a memo?. }}

*** A third Dilbert example: The [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] gives Dilbert a task. Dilbert says he's too busy, so the boss tells him him to delegate it to Alice. She tells the boss she's too busy, so he tells her to delegate to Asok. He's also too busy, and told to delegate it to a random employee. The employee accepts but doesn't mention the fact that he's quitting the next day. The boss thinks "I solved four problems today."

* Happens in ''[[FoxTrot]]'' when Andy asks Peter to take the garbage. Peter says that Paige owes him a favour so that Andy should ask her. Paige says that Jason owes her a favour so Andy should ask him. Jason says that Peter owes him a favour so Andy should ask him. Andy asks Peter (again) who then willingly takes out the garbage.

 

* In ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', the Mob Penguin Supervisors of the Penguin Mafia have been known to do this:

{{quote|He orders a subordinate to beat you up. That subordinate orders his subordinate to do it, and so on. Eventually the buck stops with an elderly janitor, who frankly isn't very threatening.}}

 

== Web Original ==

== Western Animation ==

* One episode of the ''[[X-Men (animation)|X-Men]]'' animated series had Magneto and Mystique turn on Apocalypse. In an example of the "for extra fun" variation, the incredibly powerful Apocalypse summons all his henchmen, then tells the reasonably powerful Mr Sinister to kill them. Sinister then delegates this task to Vertigo, whose only power is [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|giving people vertigo.]]

** Also from ''[[The Simpsons]]'':

{{quote|'''Marge:''' (to Homer) Did you close the gate?

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:Truth in Television]]