View source for Talker and Doer

{{trope}}
A variety of two-person ensemble where one person has technical or artistic expertise but lacks social and commercial skills to advertise them, while the other, though lacking geeky know-how, has a silver tongue and a keen profit sense. They are partners who bicker a lot (especially about the Doer's habit of "[[Doing It for the Art]]") but grudgingly acknowledge needing each other.

Compare [[Odd Couple]] and [[Odd Friendship]].
{{examples}}

== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Extraordinary Measures]]'': Dr. Robert Stonehill is the doer as the [[Insufferable Genius]] who is developing the cure for Pompe disease; John Crowley is the talker as the CEO of a company he created to cure said disease. Since the movie was [[Based on a True Story]], this crosses over to [[Real Life]], except that Stonehill was the [[Composite Character]] of several researchers.
* ''[[Ratatouille]]''. A rat who can cook but can't be understood by humans teams up with a human who can't cook. Played with in that the human isn't really a very competent Talker either, saying things like "Appetite is coming and he's going to have a big ego!", but the rat needed ''anyone'' who could get him into a kitchen because he couldn't on his own.

== [[Literature]] ==
* From The ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'', Mark Vorkosigan, the business genius and Dr. Enrique Borgos the Escobarran scientist who was going to be sent to prison for his debts (he didn't really understanding how selling stocks works). Together they are trying to market "butter bugs" which produce a nutritious and fairly inexhaustible supply of "bug butter". 

== [[Live Action Television]] ==
* Chemistry genius Walter White and amoral attorney Saul Goodman of ''[[Breaking Bad]]''. Walt makes the world's best meth; Saul hooks him up with a distributor and money laundering services. (Walt tried this earlier with [[Troubled but Cute]] Jesse Brinkman, but Jesse proved to be as bad at selling as he is at everything else...)
* This comes up a lot in murder-of-the-week [[Police Procedurals]]. The victim will be the one who made stuff (the doer), and the partner will by the one who made the company run (the talker). Or less often, vice-versa. Either way, the still-living partner will say that s/he doesn't know how the company will be able to survive without the dead partner (when the partner isn't the Perp).
* Hank and Evan Lawson in ''[[Royal Pains]]''. Hank is a great doctor, but isn't very willing to sell himself. Accountant Evan declares himself "CFO of HankMed," and handles the business and marketing side of Hank's concierge doctor services.
* Quark and his brother Rom in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. The relationship between the two is what causes Rom's son Nog to join Starfleet as he doesn't want to be left exploited and miserable like his father.

== [[Video Games]] ==
* Master smith Wade and merchant Herren from ''[[Dragon Age]]: Origins''.

== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Lian-Chu and Gwizdo from ''[[Dragon Hunters]]''.
* Pete White (Talker) and Bill Quizboy (the one who actually does the work) of [[The Venture Brothers]].

== [[Real Life]] ==
* Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple. Not quite as clear-cut as the description might imply (they both had technical skills), but basically, Wozniak was the doer—plenty of technical knowledge but little interest in marketing—while Jobs was the talker—he had the vision and the ability to market the new company.
* [[Deviant ART]], by jark (Scott Jarkoff) and spyed (Angelo Sotira). Sadly, this time it [http://jark.deviantart.com/art/Things-That-Make-You-Go-Hmm-21117999 didn't] [http://justthorne.deviantart.com/journal/6182638/ end] [http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=522855 well].
* [[Penn & Teller]] have built their entire careers out of this, exaggerated to the point that Teller never talks on stage.
* [[Wikipedia]]. According to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Press_releases/January_2002 its own Press release], "The founders of Wikipedia are [[Bleached Underpants|Internet entrepreneur]] Jimmy Wales and philosopher Larry Sanger". Eventually, they parted ways. In the usual Orwellian style of wikipedia mentions of Larry Sanger began to disappear and his role was downplayed - which predictably ended in embarrassment, was reverted… and later repeated… and reverted… In turn, Larry Sanger's opinion on it sank quite far. As he wrote in [http://thefederalist.com/2016/12/01/3-major-mistakes-people-make-media-bias/#disqus_thread comments to his article] on media bias: "Wikipedia doesn't live up to its [neutrality] policy and in fact deliberately misinterprets it on some issues. Although I founded Wikipedia, I'm also long gone from the organization and am now probably its biggest critic, so..."


{{reflist}}
[[Category:Foil]]
[[Category:Duo Tropes]]
[[Category:Talker and Doer]]