Reba: Difference between revisions

{{tropelist}}

* [[Aborted Arc]]: Part of the first season involved the Harts going to court-ordered therapy after a knock-down drag-out fight at divorce court. This all but disappeared after the first season, until much later in the show's run (the fifth season).

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] when she returned:

'''Kyra:''' I went to get something to eat. }}

** And then hinted at once more:

'''Van:''' OK, see you next year. }}

* [[Actor Allusion]]: in the series finale, Reba grumps, "Why couldn't I be [[Dolly Parton]]??" [[Reba McEntire]], of course, is one of [[Country Music]]'s biggest stars and is also an actress - exactly like Dolly Parton.

** An even bigger one: "I always thought I'd be a singer." Hi there, Queen of Country...

** Yet another example:

'''Reba:''' Nah. I think it would be cool to be a singer. }}

** Reba's statement towards the minor character played by Kelly Clarkson: "If she goes on TV, America's going to love her." Just about anyone who knows how the first season of [[American Idol]] ended would understand the humor from that sentence.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: Barbra Jean's account of a private investigator she hired to tail Brock during their separation: "He followed you everywhere you went: to your dental office, to the golf course... to that tanning salon you say you don't go to", much to Brock's embarrassment.

** Also, Reba about Kyra's boyfriend's parents:

* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Van and Cheyenne. They argue often, but there's no question about the authenticity of their love. One episode during Season 5 has each of them two taking turns complaining about the other in a therapist's office, embracing each other when they finish, and then getting told off for arguing soon after (in the waiting area of said therapist's office ''and'' at the parking lot outside).

** Some might say this is more a case of [[Insistent Terminology]].

** Barbra Jean loathes being called "Blondzilla", and Reba gets upset if/when she gets compared to Barbra Jean and is told [[Not So Different|she's no better]].

** Barbra Jean has one, though it only happens in one episode: "Yoo hoo! I'm here! And [[Reality Subtext|I'm thin!]]"

* [[Catchphrase Interruptus]]: Barbra Jean's announcement upon her entry (though this lasts only one episode) gets cut off by Reba once:

'''Reba''': Oh, shut up and grab a doughnut! }}

* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Surprisingly averted for a sitcom based around one of country music's most famous stars - Reba did sing, but it was rarely a big production. (On the other hand, she did sing [[Do-It-Yourself Theme Tune|the theme song]] and some of the soundtrack.)

* [[Dreadful Musician]]: Cheyenne (Reba remarks, after hearing Cheyenne's singing: "No wonder Elizabeth used to cry after Cheyenne sang to her.") and Jake (in the [[Christmas Episode]], Reba convinces Jake to sing loudly knowing Brock and Barbra Jean, who would take Jake to go Christmas caroling with them, would suffer from his singing).

* [[Dream Sequence]]: Both the second and sixth seasons start with one of these.

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Cheyenne and Barbara Jean.

* [[Early Installment Weirdness]]: The first season was noticeably different from the rest of the series. Van was more dumb than crazy. Barbara Jean was also a huge Jesus Freak, alongside her other neuroses. Cheyenne was more Libby than Ditz. Brock wasn't nearly as vain. Reba was much more the [[Only Sane Man]] instead of a control freak. Also, the fact that the show took place in Houston was a much bigger plot point, as the Hart family tried to navigate through Cheyenne's pregnancy around ultra-conservative neighbors, school principals, etc. Much like ''Married... With Children'', the show kind of Flanderized into more of a live-action cartoon, and was funnier for it.

* [[Gosh Dang It to Heck]]: Reba didn't do this at first, resulting Barbra Jean, who was present at the time, to try to "correct" Reba toward this. In latter seasons Reba is actually doing this rather involuntarily.

* [[Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!]]: Reba. Reba, Reba, ''Reba''.

* [[Halloween Episode]]: The one time Reba ''wants'' her offspring to pull pranks.

* [[Helium Speech]]: Brock talks this way when he happens to be in charge of balloons for a party Cheyenne throws for Kyra.

* [[Mistaken for Gay]]: This happens in one episode with Brock and Van, during which another person mistakenly perceives them as a gay couple. And Reba herself gets stuck with this trope in a different episode. In yet another episode Van assumes a minor character is gay who then gets offended and declares he thought ''Van'' was gay. Phew.

* [[Middle Child Syndrome]]: Kyra. The statement she gave to Brock below could serve as proof of how painfully aware she is of being left out.

* [[My Friends and Zoidberg]]: Brock, upon walking into Cheyenne's baby shower: "Look at all these beautiful women. (Looks at Lori Ann) You must be security." [[Volleying Insults|Lori Ann retorted in return with: "I thought we agreed not to hire a clown."]] In a separate episode, Reba walks into the kitchen, sees Cheyenne, Van, and Barbra Jean, and says: "Hello, loved ones. Barbra Jean."

* [[Noodle Incident]]: Lori Ann and Brock's brief relationship with each other. Brock never bothers to mention it, and Lori Ann...

** And then there's this exchange between Reba and Jake when both are at the front porch talking about Reba "going out":

'''Jake''': Hey, are we keeping secrets or not? (walks into the house) }}

** Ask Cheyenne about her experience in competing for Homecoming Queen, and all you'd get to hear would be "I was robbed!!" for your trouble.

* [[No Sparks]]: In one episode, Reba is trying to get back into the dating game and goes out with her old college boyfriend. She enjoys the date up until the goodbye kiss, in which she feels nothing. This causes her to remember why she left him for Brock.

'''Kyra''': Eighty bucks is eighty bucks. }}

* [[Playing Sick]]: Both Kyra and Jake try to do this once, and this trick fails for them both.

* [[Poor Predictable Rock]]: Van's "system" when he plays [[Rock-Paper-Scissors]].

* [[Reality Subtext]]: Melissa Peterman's weight loss and Scarlett Pomers' eating disorder are both written into the script.

* [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: The theme song was a partial rewrite of Reba's 2002 single "I'm a Survivor."

* [[Really Gets Around]]: Barbra Jean, before her affair with Brock resulted in pregnancy and marriage.

* [[Running Gag]]: "Have I told you you're my favorite?"

* [[Screaming Birth]]: How 'bout two of 'em?

** [[This Is Sparta]]: ''[[Crowning Moment of Funny|"I... need... DRUGS!"]]''

** Despite a promising performance in its sixth season (the show was the highest rated sitcom on the new network and increased the ratings from the shows previously slotted there), the show was cancelled since it was felt that it didn't hit the right demographics.

** And such moves seemed to have not gone unnoticed, if the following exchange was of any indication:

'''Reba''': [[Take That|Television network?]] }}

* [[Shower of Awkward]]: Poor Reba goes through this once when she accidentally walks into Brock taking a shower -- which doesn't help her to relax, as her next sentence makes clear: "What is that orange manatee doing in my shower?!"

* [[Standardized Sitcom Housing]]: Twice around: Barbara Jean and Brock's house is a mirror to Reba's.

* [[Slasher Smile]]: Van's "winning smile" is incredibly creepy, and he's completely oblivious to that fact.

* [[Teen Pregnancy]]: This happened to Cheyenne shortly prior to the series' start.

* [[Thanksgiving Episode]]: Two episodes are related to this holiday.

** There's more. During the fifth season finale, Reba is faced with the prospect of a surgery. Van consoles the worried Cheyenne with: "She'll be all right. She's a survivor."

* [[This Is Reality]]: Lampshaded by Van in one episode ("That speech Cheyenne gave was great, but we don't live in a speech. We live in Houston.") and Brock in another ("We don't live in a utopia. We live in suburbia, where life is cheap!").

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: Reba and B.J. Poor B.J. tries so hard...

** And when Reba actually refrains from insulting Barbra Jean, she ''takes offense'', and mentions how, as "The Other Woman," she's always victim to gossiping and false friendliness from everyone else, and prefers Reba's rather harsh (but honest) jokes and teasing instead of the false sincerity from everyone else.

* [[Volleying Insults]]: This is how Brock and Lori Ann communicate with each other. The [[My Friends and Zoidberg]] entry, listed above, has one such example.

* [[You Look Familiar]]: The minor character who was [[Mistaken for Gay]] by Van and a sales clerk in a jewelry store are played by the same guy.

** This may have been intentional. In the episode "For Sale, Cheap," where Van mistakes the man (Terry) for being gay (and vice-versa), Terry explains that he runs a jewelery store along with his wife and another business partner. In fact, his previous reference to him as his "partner" is one of the reasons why he was [[Mistaken for Gay]] in the first place.