Trust-Building Blunder: Difference between revisions

 

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* The blunder in ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6717308/7/But_Who_IS_He But Who IS He?]'' is that the workforce had to have training at all; once after [[Sherlock]] informed a woman that her husband was dead (most likely in his [[Brutal Honesty|usual subtle manner]]), the police department was almost sued and had to undergo two days of sensitivity training, something which Lestrade looks back on with dread. John then [[Fridge Horror|realizes in horror]] that the only thing worse than going through a sensitivity workshop would be going through it ''with Sherlock''.

 

* The protagonists of the slasher movie ''Severance'' are a sales team out on a team building weekend in the Hungarian wilderness.

* ''[[Mean Girls]]'' had a high-school version of the falling-backwards exercise: Everyone was supposed to admit a flaw, then fall backwards. One of the members of the [[Alpha Bitch]] [[Girl Posse]] apologized for being so beautiful it made everyone jealous. After she turns around, everyone except for one girl walks away in disgust. You can probably guess the outcome.

* In ''[[Birthday Girl]]'', the bank branch managers are doing the falling backwards exercise. The catchers fail at their role because they are stunned at the sight of their model employee {{spoiler|stuffing a couple of guitar cases full of money in the vault room}} across the hall.

 

* In [[Susan Cooper]]'s ''King of Shadows'', a [[Jerkass]] drops the hero in the falling-backward exercise... and is promptly bawled out by the director and kicked out of the group on the spot.

 

* In ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'', the aliens teach a youth group a lesson on trust through one of these exercises, by not catching the faller, and delivering the [[Aesop]] "Don't trust anyone!", and then divide the group into two teams identified by different coloured bandanas, in a very [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|Gangland fashion]].

* The second episode of ''Hippies'' has Simon Pegg's character do this with the lead of a musical he's directing. The lead falls just as Pegg is turning to the others to explain the exercise.

** Also the blind egg race from the ''survivor'' style beach games Michael uses to pick his replacement. Dwight screams at Kelly so much she drops the egg out of frustration, Jim misleads Karen into the water as a prank and Stanley drops it right at the start so he can be disqualified and return to his crosswords.

* In the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' pre-movie sketch for ''[[Gamera]]'', Tom Servo and Crow try the trust building exercise and Crow lets poor Servo fall.

* ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "Detour" has the protagonists en-route to a "teamwork conference." Of course, they run into some trouble on the way and end up having their own wilderness retreat from hell.

* In the ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' episode "Retreat", the crew go to a camp to compete against a group of bankers in a series of teamwork exercises and fail miserably. For instance, in a simulated river crossing, all the bankers make it across but only one reporter does by actively sacrificing the others.

** They probably did it more than once. There was one where they were on a wilderness retreat where they used the counselor as a bridge over muddy ground and, given the option to save a coworker from a bear or eat a pile of donuts, got as far as "forming a committee to explore the donut option" before the coworker was eaten.

** In another strip, Dogbert decided to teach everyone about trust by having them all make out blank checks to him.

'''Dogbert''': It will teach you that trust is an excellent quality for others to have. }}

** In [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1993-11-11/ yet another], they had a team building exercise involving walking barefoot over hot coals, insisting that they would learn something from and about one another as they did so. Wally went first.

** In ''still'' another one (which took two days to finish), Dogbert challenged the workers to build a sundial using a donut and a pencil. Pointy Haired Boss ate the donut, and when a janitor says they could have just put the pencil in the donut, they stab him... making him a sundial!

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* Used in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "You Only Move Twice", where Homer works for a [[Affably Evil|goofy, friendly Bond villain]], Hank Scorpio:

'''Scorpio:''' Oh, my God, the guy's on the floor. ''(goes to help Homer)'' Uh, that was a phone call; don't chalk that up to mistrust, now. }}

** Another episode has Mr. Burns organizing a country in the mountains, where people worked in pairs racing towards a cabin. Mr. Burns, ditching Smithers for being overly chatty lately or something, randomly pairs himself with Homer and of course cheats by using a snowmobile. Later, when the cabin has been buried by an avalanche and nobody can find actual finish point:

'''Lenny:''' "Eh… but he said there'd be sandwhiches…" }}

** They first used the trust-fall even earlier, in "War of the Simpsons"; it's part of a marriage retreat run by Rev. Lovejoy, but Homer is out fishing instead. Lovejoy tells Marge: "Even if he were here, I wouldn't recommend it."

** It was mostly done to avert the inevitable betrayal that ends most [[Villain Team-Up|Villain Team Ups]]. Grodd was being [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] and because he did this, his villain team was one of the more successful, going so far as to cause a temporary disbanding.

* IN a ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' skit, Dr. Phil does the "fall and I'll catch you" with a criminal. He catches him, says, "I won't hurt you, but they will," before throwing to a bunch of cops who proceed to beat the guy down.

* [[El Tigre]]'s Maria holds therapy sessions for his [[Rogues Gallery]]. One of the sessions is the fall-catch trust-builder, but it fails when the faller, El Oso, is MUCH bigger than the catcher, El Cucharone, and squashes him flat. ("Hey, I trusted you, man!)

 

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[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]