The Critic (animation): Difference between revisions

* [[Character Development]]: For the second season, Jay's character design was tweaked to give him a friendlier appearance, and most of his harshness and down-and-out traits from the first season were taken away, giving him a warmer, more likable personality. Even Duke and Elenor got a little more friendly too.

* [[Cheerful Child]]: Alice's young daughter Penny.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: In the episode "Miserable," Jay’s #1 Fan shows Jay a cardboard cutout of himself holding a book he wrote. She tells him she hooked it up to her Clapper, and demonstrates by clapping to it, which results in the cutout waving the book up and down and saying [[Head On (Advertising)|"Buy my book!"]] multiple times. At the episode’s climax, when she madly lunges at and attempts to kill Jeremy, Jay claps his hands and triggers the cutout, hitting her on the head and knocking her unconscious.

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: In "A Day at the Races and a Night at the Opera," while Jay and Marty try on clothes at a department store, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsL8rayQbqk&t=0m31s Marty discovers he is able to move his stomach up and down.] He opens the door from the changing room to show his father, only to be told by a little girl that what he was doing was "gross." Feeling bad, he stops. Later, during a school talent show he attends, he attempts to play "Yankee Doodle" on his electric guitar, only for a string to break off just as he starts playing. Unfazed, he tells the audience "This is the only other thing I know how to do": he moves his vest out of the way and moves his stomach up and down again. The audience and Principal Mangosuthu become impressed. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItv7X8BHdw&t=3m30s Marty performs more creative belly-dancing routines], and the audience gives him a standing ovation.

{{quote| "Oh, son, if I've said it once I've said it a thousand times...Who ''are'' all you people?"}}

** His recollection of his first date was himself in a [[Popeye|1930's black and white rubber hose cartoon]].

* [[Compassionate Critic]]: Jay.

* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: In "Miserable":

* [[Denouement Episode]]: "Dukerella" serves as one, as the last broadcast episode before the [[Take That]] episode "I Can't Believe It's a [[Clip Show]]!"

* [[Deserted Island]]: The ending to "Frankie and Ellie Get Lost".

{{quote| '''Jay''': ''(after Jeremy's sister Olivia introduces herself)'' I wonder what she looks like naked?<br />

'''Jay's brain''': You idiot, you said that out loud. Better cover.<br />

'''Jay's brain''': ''(sarcastically)'' Oh, nice going. }}

** Olivia doesn't mind. She asks if he'd like her to cook naked for him. Jay's stomach just wants the cookin'.

* [[Don't You Dare Pity Me]]: Jay tries to anonymously slip money under Alice's apartment door to prevent her from getting evicted (he actually mistakenly slipped the money in the apartment of the [[Going Postal|"crazy postman"]] across from hers). Alice finds out about it and is not pleased about being given charity. Jay then offers her a job to be his personal assistant. At first she doesn't want to take the job because he feels sorry for her, but then decides to take it.

* [[Drink Order]]: Franklin is always seen with a glass of brandy in his hand.

** Satan also denies being the reason Cher won an Oscar, but takes credit for Marisa Tomei's win.

* [[Every Episode Ending]]

{{quote| '''Bear handler:''' Come, Sasha. The last time you ate a critic you spent two weeks sitting on the can!}}

** Is this possibly a reference to ''[[A Wish for Wings That Work]]''? A similar scene happens where Opus is piloting an airplane in a dream sequence...

* [[Evil Eye]]: During his Presidential campaign, Duke uses this on a reporter to avoid answering a question. After doing so, Duke asks the reporter if he has a follow-up question, to which he replies in a low monotone voice "How may I serve you, Evil One?" Also could count as [[Hypnotic Eyes]].

* [[Find the Cure]]: The plot of "Dr. Jay".

* [[First Kiss]]: Marty and Carmen in the episode "Marty's First Date."

* [[Floating Advice Reminder]]: Played with in "Marty's First Date", in which the balloon containing Jay's head gets popped by a skier's poles -- and goes flying around afterward.

* [[Florence Nightingale Effect]]: Ardeth had this when she first met Jay while he was in traction. That all changed when the bandages came off.

* [[Four Point Scale]]: Referenced in "A Little Deb Will Do Ya."

{{quote| '''Jay''': This film gets my highest rating, [[Inverted Trope|seven out of ten!]]}}

'''Franklin''': And I have one word for you too, Son: Snapple.<br />

'''Jay''': Oh, Dad, you and your nonsense words. }}

** And a parody of "Don't Rain On My Parade" from ''[[Funny Girl]]''.

* [[Kill the Poor]]: Jay's mother wants to blast the poor into outer space.

* [[Of Corset Hurts]]: [[Lampshaded]] by a maid pulling on corset strings, yelling, "Suck it in! Suck it in!", and it's revealed to be Jay Sherman. The corset, however, is put on more like a straitjacket than a corset, with Jay's ''arms'' bound as well. He mutters, "I don't think this is right." The maid scoffs at this, puts a top hat on him, and boots him out of the room.

* [[Official Couple]]: Jay and Alice, Franklin and Elenor, {{spoiler|Duke and Miranda.}}

* [[Older Than They Look]]: Jeremy is 43 years old.

* [[Organ Autonomy]]: Jay's stomach.

* [[Orson Welles]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i7ycxiog40&feature=related Another frequent target of the show.] It helps that Maurice LaMarche has a role in the show.

{{quote| '''Duke:''' Isn't that the film you described as a combination of fantasy and crap?<br />

'''Jay:''' Yes! I called it "fantacrap"! }}

* [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]: Savvy Indian Chewing Tobacco was going to be called ''Savage'' Indian, but was changed due to concerns over political correctness.

* [[Prime Time]]

'''Jay:''' ''(Smiling at her)'' Yay! }}

* [[Rousing Speech]]: In "Eyes on the Prize", Jay aims to win another Pulitzer Prize so he could get back his respectability. He writes an essay entitled "The Sorry State of Films Today" and presents it on the TV program ''English For Cab Drivers'', which ends up being a parody of the climax to ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]''.

** Understandably, some are less than pleased.

{{quote| '''[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]:''' If da moovee steenks, just don't go... ''WHAT AM I SAYING?!''}}

''(Reviewer transforms into his real form: Satan)''<br />

'''Satan''': You win another round, Siskel, but we shall meet again! ''(growls angrily and disappears)'' }}

* [[The Schlub Pub Seduction Deduction]]: Valerie Fox is a suspect of this.

* [[Sealed With a Kiss]]: Jay and Alice at the end of the episode "Lady Hawke."

'''Jerry''': Why do they call it "taking out?" I took her to a restaurant. It wasn't out, it was in. I would say I'm taking her in, but then she sounds like a pair of pants. }}

** Marty claims that is what "real people" sound like. (Do they?)

* [[Serenade Your Lover]]: See Romantic False Lead above.

* [[Servile Snarker]]: The Sherman family's butler Shackleford.

{{quote| '''Stable man:''' PATCHES! '''[[Big No|NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]]'''}}

* [[Sleeping Single]]: In Franklin and Elenor's bedroom, it is shown that they sleep in seperate beds.

* [[Sound Effect Bleep]]: Utilized when Jay interviewed Cher, who incessantly swore at him.

* [[Spork]]: This cutlery is mentioned at least twice throughout the show.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: The E.T. parody, D.T. stands for drunken terrestrial. D.T. also stands for delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawals severe alcoholics go through.

* [[Strange Minds Think Alike]]: In one episode, a research scientist uses the previously mentioned "Quzybuk" word Duke invented.

{{quote| On Oscar-winner Haing S. Ngor in ''[[The Killing Fields]]'': "If you ask me, he should have gone to the ''acting'' fields."<br />

"And that's why I'm ''glad'' [[The Beatles]] broke up."<br />

* [[Tempting Fate]]: After Jay is [[Whole Episode Flashback|rescued from Iraq]], President George H.W. Bush poses for a publicity shot with him.

{{quote| '''Aide''': Sir, are you sure it's wise to be photographed with a film critic? It's ''the'' most despised profession there is ... Except for pre-op groin shaver.<br />

''(After the photo is taken, it appears on the front page of The New York Chronicle with the headline '''"BUSH LOSES! -- [[Bill Clinton|Fat, Lecherous Hillbilly Elected]]."''')'' }}

* [[That's All Folks]]

** Actually, he attends the same UN School as Marty, and the principal made an alleged remark about him when introducing him at a talent show.

{{quote| '''[[Jerkass|Principal Mangosuthu]]''': And now the boy who used to be a girl - Oops, that ''used'' to be a secret.}}

** Can be partially explained by her self esteem issues surrounding her sister, and her abusive unfaithful ex-husband. Jay being a sweetheart helps too. Explaining the girl from the Webisodes, however, is just way off.

* [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]: Jay.

* [[Video Wills]]: Franklin and Elenor prepared [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za3EuqU385k their own video will], which was presented to Jay and Margo after their possible death from a plane crash. Orson Welles also took part in it (and made sure to also include his "declaration of love" to Mrs. Pell's Fishsticks at the end).

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9d0xoCRL90 Even his ghost loves them.] "Yes, oh, YES! They're even better when you're ''dead''!"

* [[Webisode]]: Ten of these were made throughout 2000-2001, but YMMV on them.

* [[What If]]: [http://www.comicbookmovie.com/news/?a=48896 ComicBookMovie.com made their own cast list for a live-action movie, if one was in the works.]

* [[White Anglo Saxon Protestant]]: Jay's adoptive parents embody this trope, except for the incest. They do, however, try to arrange a date between Margo (their biological teen daughter) and a teenage boy who really [[Parodied Trope|bleeds]] [[Blue Blood]] for the debutante ball.