Idiot Plot/Western Animation: Difference between revisions

* The entirety of ''The Grim Adventures of the [[Kids Next Door]]'' was just one big Idiot Plot that involved all kinds of KND and Billy and Mandy characters falling for some of the most pathetic [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]s in fictional history. We can expect this thing from those minor Billy and Mandy characters but ''every single KND moon base operative too''? The only ones without an Idiot Ball attached were Mandy, Grim, Numbuh Five, The DCFDTL, and (most of the time) Numbuh One. Billy, on the other hand, ''is'' an idiot ball, so he doesn't count.

* As mentioned above, this is standard fare for ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]'', to the point where few episodes begin without being catalysed by Billy AKA [[Idiot Ball]] incarnate and Grim and Mandy stupidly giving in to his demands. Sure, Grim is their best friend/slave forever, but one expects better from the relatively [[Genre Savvy]] Mandy.

** If they don't know who's behind the mask, why would they assume the [[Monster of the Week]] isn't dangerous?

** Some incarnations (particularly Mystery Inc.) justify this by making the monsters total psychopaths who are perfectly willing to commit murder and widespread destruction if someone gets in their way. They may be frauds but that doesn't mean they're not dangerous.

* Happens more than it should to poor Eddie Spenser, Jr. on ''[[Filmation's Ghostbusters]]''. It doesn't help that he gets a few episodes where he's ''quite capable'' of busting ghosts along with the best of 'em.

* The various ''[[Super Mario Bros. (animation)|Super Mario Bros]]'' cartoons were often driven by the characters being suddenly weakened to the point where they walk into or can't escape traps that they would have easily dealt with before. Some ridiculous examples include them just standing and watching as [[Harmless Villain]] King Koopa tosses Chain Chomps at them, which latch onto their ankles like makeshift manacles and leave them easy to capture and, in the ''[[Super Mario World (animation)|Super Mario World]]'' cartoon, they get forced to jump into a warp pipe leading to a Magikoopa's haunted house HQ when he ''threatens to throw Bob-ombs at them''"!