One Phone Call/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: An arrested person is granted the right to call someone.

  • Played Straight: Bob is arrested for jaywalking. He calls his lawyer.
  • Exaggerated: Instead of using the call wisely and calling his attorney, Bob calls his girlfriend or one of his buddies to chat.
  • Inverted: Bob is on the receiving end of such a call.
    • Alternatively, Bob is allowed to make multiple calls.
  • Justified: Bob needs to get in contact with someone (to get a good defense attorney, to let his spouse or significant other know he's down at the precinct and therefore won't be able to pick Timmy up from soccer practice, etc.)
  • Subverted: Bob asks if he can make a phone call and the arresting officer says no.
  • Double Subverted: But when Bob explains that it's important and that he otherwise will cooperate with the officer, he is allowed to make the call, or the officer makes it for him.
  • Deconstructed:
  • Reconstructed:
  • Parodied: Bob orders a pizza or calls a phone sex line.
  • Lampshaded: "You get One Phone Call."
  • Averted: Bob either does not choose to make such a call or is not allowed to make one or isn't under arrest.
  • Enforced: Hollywood Law
  • Invoked: Bob mentions that he needs to call his wife to let her know about the situation and have her pick up Timmy from soccer practice.
  • Defied: Bob chooses not to make a call.
  • Discussed:
  • Conversed:
  • Played For Laughs: See "parodied" and "exaggerated"
  • Played For Drama: After it looks like Bob is about to be put away for a very long time, he calls his wife and tells her good bye, telling her to take care of the kids and to be sure to feed his dog every day. He then apologizes to her for not always being there for her or for being a good husband or a good father for their kids. They then end their call by saying "I love you".

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