The Silent Bob: Difference between revisions
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[[File:silence.jpg|link=Mahou Sensei Negima|frame|That [[The Voiceless|Zazie]] is [[Sarcasm Mode|quite a chatterbox.]] ]]
This can overlap with any stereotypically quiet character type: [[The Voiceless]], [[The Quiet One]], the [[Silent Snarker]], or the [[Heroic Mime]]. What matters is their uncanny ability to communicate complex thoughts non-verbally.
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This can be done to preserve the [[Badass]] factor of a speechless character without sacrificing his ability to communicate. Or it can be played for laughs, with other characters responding to the quiet guy's looks as if they're long, poignant soliloquies on the nature of love, life, or liberty. They may even inspire the odd [[Placebo Eureka Moment]]. More often than not, it turns into a [[Bilingual Dialogue]] with the other person just not talking.
Another aspect of this trope is that it's normally incredibly significant when these characters speak; either they have something profound to say which will give the heroes incredibly useful insight, or another character's irritant tendencies are thrown into sharp relief when they manage to push
Very commonly a trait of the [[Optional Party Member]], as he/she is often added at the last minute or as an extra feature in a port (or is deemed simply too much trouble to add to the script) and is given very little or no dialogue. However, what little they do say, no matter how [[Ignored Epiphany|groundbreaking]] or [[Ignored Confession|important to the plot]] it is, is completely ignored, because it is usually just inserted between other characters' speech in cutscenes.
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* Boomhauer in ''[[King of the Hill]]'' isn't ''silent'', exactly, but his complete and utter unintelligibility goes unnoticed by most characters, especially Hank, who according to Bobby often quotes Boomhauer's wisdom.
* In ''[[Theodore Tugboat]]'', some of the docks are characters who only ever say a certain phrase - like "Uh-huh," or "Nope," which often leads to the character facing a moral dilemma in the story extracting [[Hidden Depths|profound wisdom]].
* Ms. Mimi in one episode of ''[[
{{quote|'''Patron:''' Uh hi, this is kind of awkward. I guess your used to it by now, huh?
'''Artist'' ''(Says nothing)''
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'''Artist''' ''(Still says nothing)''
'''Patron''' ''(flustered)'': Oh, you’re right! I did it because I’m in love with that monkey and I should leave my husband! ''(Gets up and walks off.)''}}
▲:* Unfortunately, the three protagonists don’t “get it” (as in, they don’t understand why this is considered art) and start listing other things they don’t get (like why Hawaii has interstate highways or what the best thing was before sliced bread) and eventually she breaks her silence and starts ranting because she realizes that [[The Cloud Cuckoolander Was Right| ''she'' doesn’t truly “get” it either]].
== Real Life ==
* The ironically
** Teller does, however, speak freely when he is not "in character", i.e. after shows to fans and in print and radio interviews (though in the latter he often jokes that he can't be the real Teller - because, of course, Teller never talks). In stage and television appearances he is always silent, though on some rare occasions he has been shown speaking in documentaries with his face obscured.
** Additionally, Penn Jillette has said that in their magic shows, Teller talks at least once during every show - but it has to be a gimmick. Things like being inaudible because a loud woodchipper is drowning out his voice, or speaking audibly but while pretending to be an animatronic puppet of himself, or simply arguing with Penn off-mic.
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