To Absent Friends: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

''[[Grim Reaper|Charon]], here's to you as man against man,<br />

''I wish I could pick 'em the way you can!''|'''Grantland Rice'''}}

* The focus of the first half of volume ten (appropriately titled the Wake) of ''[[The Sandman]]''.

** Also invoked in "Season of Mists".

* In ''[[The Mighty Thor]]'', after Skurge the Executioner [[More Hero Than Thou|settles whether he or Thor]] will say [[You Shall Not Pass]] (by knocking out Thor), Skurge asks them to remember him at Asgard. Later, when Thor and Skurge meet in Hel, Skurge asks, and Thor is grieved to have to tell him that crises have kept them too busy to do so.

* This trope is the title to Chapter II in ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'', showing the funeral of the Comedian and how his attending colleagues remember him.

** Later, alone in his office, he pours himself a glass and drinks "To {{spoiler|Princeps Daekin}}". Captain Eshara joins him, and they exchange condolences over the deaths in their respective forces.

* One of [[George Macdonald Fraser]]'s ''[[McAuslan]]'' stories features an impromptu informal party with the narrator (a young officer) and a handful of his men. They use the old four-part toast to lost friends:

"And they're a' deid." }}

* Fairly common amongst [[Star Wars|New Republic]] fighter pilots, especially [[X Wing Series|Rogue and Wraith squadrons]]. Notably, whenever the Wraiths do it, ''somebody'' is obliged to [[Mood Whiplash|make a smartass remark]]. For example, the end of ''Iron Fist'', after Face has been released from the medical ward:

'''Face''': "Dia, this is Wraith Squadron. You're ''never'' going to have that." }}

* [[John Ringo]] and [[David Weber]] have this as pretty much the toast whenever characters drink. Often the reason why people drink in the first place. Their joint series, [[Prince Roger]] has this in spades.

* In one episode of ''[[M*A*S*H|Mash]]'', Colonel Potter acts oddly. At the end, he reveals that he and some comrades had found some cognac in an abandoned French chateau during [[World War I]], saved the last bottle, and declared that the last survivor would drink a toast to the rest. Potter is now the last survivor, and draws in the MASH staff to hear his story and share the bottle.

* ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'' has this trope, like many others, to an art form. It's played quite frequently in the Viper rec room, especially. Apollo's retirement toast is an awesome example of the trope. (involving five shots of a potent drink--quite possibly [[Military Moonshiner|eau de flight deck]]):

''(quietly)'': "To absent friends." (The room respectfully falls silent) }}

** I just got goosebumps from reading that... ''and I've never even seen the show''.

** There's a great one in the season two episode "Scar," where Starbuck tries to toast all the deceased pilots by name/callsign. This one is especially moving given that she had earlier claimed that she didn't remember any of their names and didn't care to because they were dead and gone so who cares…

Starbuck: So say we all. }}

* [[News Radio]] had one of these episodes for Phil Hartman's character [[The Character Died with Him|after Phil's real-life death]]. Despite the attempts of the writers to inject some humor into the scene it fell painfully flat as the cast was barely holding it together.

* [[The Next Generation]] has an episode in which they find Scotty persevered in a transporter beam for over seventy years. As the events of the episode wear down on Scotty, he takes a private moment alone in a holodeck simulation of the original Enterprise where he toasts to his now gone comrades.

* In the ''[[Deep Space 9]]'' episode 'The Sound of Her Voice', the crew of the Defiant holds a wake for {{spoiler|Lisa Cusak}} which ends with Miles O'Brien making a speech that brings this troper close to tears. Made even more moving by the fact that this is {{spoiler|the very end of the episode before Jadzia's death, arguably the first true main cast kill outside of the films.}}

** Done more lightheartedly when Julian and O'Brien come off the holodeck dressed as Spitfire pilots, and raise a pint of bitter "To Clive!"

* The closing in scene of "The Breaking Point" in ''[[Band of Brothers (TV series)|Band of Brothers]]'' has Sgt. Lipton narrating while he and the rest of Easy Company are resting in a church. He begins listing off the casualties they suffered over the course of the Battle of the Bulge and the corresponding soldiers start fading away until the church looks ''far'' emptier than it did before. [[Tear Jerker|It's a particularly heart-rending scene.]]

* [[Country Music]] has many tributes to American veterans; "The Eighth of November" describes the life of a [[Sole Survivor]] from a horrific battle in the [[Vietnam War]]. The last verse deals with [[Shell Shocked Senior|themes of PTSD]] and describes the character's yearly ritual:

''And swallows it down with his tears...'' }}

* [[Opeth]] has a song titled "For Absent Friends".