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Took a Level In Dumbass: Difference between revisions
M*A*S*H pothole, added text
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{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Caboose''': I know where you can find O'Malley. [[Body Surf|He lived inside my helmet for a while]], maybe he left an address to send his mail. We were like roommates.
'''Sarge''': Sounds like he took some of the furniture when he left. [[Escalating Punchline|And the carpet. And the drapes.]] [[Metaphorgotten|And I wouldn't expect to get that deposit back, if you know what I mean.]]
|''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', "Episode 39"}}
A specific subtrope of [[Flanderization]] (and occasionally [[Jerkass]] also). As a series progresses, characters sometimes become more and more stupid as time goes on. Usually the reason is related to the [[Badass Decay]] phenomenon, but with the character's level of intelligence rather than his ability to kick ass, following something along the following cycle: an episode in which the characters acts like a total buffoon gets good ratings, so another one is made. It too gets good ratings. So they make another. And another. Eventually the character is so dumb that you wonder how he manages to walk across a room without injuring himself, and pretty soon everyone forgets that the character was anything other than a complete moron.
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* Matthew Brock from ''[[News Radio]]'' is another example; in the show's first season he seemed relatively normal and competent (he even secretly was {{spoiler|a registered dentist}}), but by the third or fourth season he came across as either mentally retarded or an eight-year old in a man's body. Jimmy James to an extent too, although that was more of Taking a Level in Craziness than Dumbness. Both characters were a lot funnier and more interesting due to these changes, of course, due to the quality of the writing & acting.
** While Matthew has no excuse, Jimmy James may have been engaging in [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]. Alternatively, he really is that eccentric, [[Let's Get Dangerous|and his business skills are only used as he needs them.]] This is apparent given that Mr. James is implied to be a highly successful [[Self-Made Man]], and his occasional bouts of serious behavior back up that he didn't get there by being an idiot. Most likely, he really is a goof ball and we generally only see him when he's relaxing, rather than engaging in [[Serious Business]] (which is on several occasions implied to involve questionably legal activity).
* Radar O'Reilly of ''[[
** Possibly justified. A recurring theme of the series was that people found odd and near-insane ways to cope with what they were experiencing. Radar's steady retreat towards childhood is actually one psychological response people have to stress in the real world.
** Radar's character regressed in a lot of ways. Early in the series, he was seen smoking cigars, drinking Henry's booze, and had several references to him peeping in the nurses' showers and enjoying developing their chest x-rays. As the show progressed, he got dumber, more naive, and less experienced to the point that even grape Nehi was a strong drink for him. He also lost almost all of the psionic powers which gave him his nickname, until all that was left was his ability to hear the helicopters before anyone else.
*** To be fair, [[G-Rated Drug|grape Nehi]] is a strong drink for ''anyone.'' [[Bill Bryson]] [[I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!|solemnly swears that he once saw the edge of the universe after drinking it as a child.]]
* Nate Archibald on ''[[Gossip Girl]]''. While he wasn't as intelligent as Chuck or Blair in season one he was still a guy of normal intelligence. By season four even his actor is complaining about what a moron he has become.
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