...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Secretary

352 statements
68 feature instances
26 referencing feature instances

Secretary	type	TVTItem
Secretary	label	Secretary
Secretary	page	Secretary
Secretary	comment	A 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Steven Shainberg, Secretary is either a well-loved examination of an unusual romance, or a stunningly bad portrayal of an unusual romance. Or just downright disturbing.It is a story about Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an emotionally unstable woman who starts the film having been released from a psychiatric hospital, where she was put after an incident of self-harm went too far. She finds a job as a typist under E. Edward Grey (James Spader), a demanding lawyer. After some time, the two develop a sadomasochistic relationship, and are forced to deal with the personal and professional consequences.Based on a short story by Mary Gaitskill, who is known for stories centered on emotionally damaged women and deviant sexuality. Also notable for some unusual choices in direction, particularly with regards to soundtrack; the development of the relationship between the main characters is marked by the length and quality of the silence between them.Lesley Ann Warren and Stephen McHattie play Lee's parents. Jeremy Davies plays Lee's boring would-be boyfriend Peter.
Secretary	fetched	2024-03-06T17:46:55Z
Secretary	parsed	2024-03-06T17:46:55Z
Secretary	processingComment	Dropped link to CantSpitItOut: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
Secretary	processingComment	Dropped link to FiftyShadesOfGrey: Not a Feature - ITEM
Secretary	processingComment	Dropped link to GenreBusting: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Secretary	processingUnknown	CantSpitItOut
Secretary	isPartOf	DBTropes
Secretary / int_10978c26	type	Runaway FiancÃ©
Secretary / int_10978c26	comment	Runaway FiancÃ©: Having finally decided that Edward—and BDSM—is who and what she really wants, she runs out of her wedding with Peter while wearing her wedding dress. And ends up wearing it for several days.
Secretary / int_10978c26	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_10978c26	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_10978c26
Secretary / int_127fc252	type	Creator Cameo
Secretary / int_127fc252	comment	Creator Cameo: In the scene where three people are waiting for Mr. Grey in the office, one of them is screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson.
Secretary / int_127fc252	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_127fc252	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_127fc252
Secretary / int_17dbe19a	type	Internalized Categorism
Secretary / int_17dbe19a	comment	Internalized Categorism: At first, Edward believes that bondage is bad. It makes him very unfair to himself and his submissive, who he seems to blame for tempting him. Lee eventually manages to snap him out of it.
Secretary / int_17dbe19a	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_17dbe19a	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_17dbe19a
Secretary / int_1b4f86c	type	I "Uh" You, Too
Secretary / int_1b4f86c	comment	I "Uh" You, Too: Edward finally confesses his love for Lee by stammering through it.
Secretary / int_1b4f86c	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_1b4f86c	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_1b4f86c
Secretary / int_1d22f5ec	type	Intertwined Fingers
Secretary / int_1d22f5ec	comment	Intertwined Fingers: lee and Edward touch fingers briefly after the first spanking scene, briefly and subtlely.
Secretary / int_1d22f5ec	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_1d22f5ec	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_1d22f5ec
Secretary / int_1ed91e2a	type	Revealing Hug
Secretary / int_1ed91e2a	comment	Revealing Hug: Any doubt that Lee is not interested in Peter is removed when the film shows her look of utter indifference while he's screwing her.
Secretary / int_1ed91e2a	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_1ed91e2a	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_1ed91e2a
Secretary / int_22d6b3c	type	No Sparks
Secretary / int_22d6b3c	comment	No Sparks: The reason Lee left Peter at the altar. She feels no romantic spark with him whatsoever, as opposed to the active, deep D/s relationship she has going with Edward.
Secretary / int_22d6b3c	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_22d6b3c	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_22d6b3c
Secretary / int_23473ae7	type	Adaptation Expansion
Secretary / int_23473ae7	comment	Adaptation Expansion: The original story is only 15 pages long, and the protagonist is not named.
Secretary / int_23473ae7	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_23473ae7	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_23473ae7
Secretary / int_254d3111	type	Chocolate of Romance
Secretary / int_254d3111	comment	Chocolate of Romance: Offered Lee by Edward, twice. He offers her hot chocolate during their first heart-to-heart talk, when he's trying to get her to open up about her self-harm.
Secretary / int_254d3111	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_254d3111	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_254d3111
Secretary / int_27a036db	type	Covered with Scars
Secretary / int_27a036db	comment	Covered with Scars: Lee, thanks to self-harming since she was in seventh grade. It's oddly handled since the first time we're shown the full extent of this is during the Beautiful All Along scene mentioned above, but since Lee finally feels herself — including the scars — to be beautiful this becomes only a passing (and by that point irrelevant) detail.
Secretary / int_27a036db	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_27a036db	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_27a036db
Secretary / int_2bbcd1c2	type	Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest
Secretary / int_2bbcd1c2	comment	Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest: Edward is ridden by guilt after exploring his BDSM needs with Lee. Commitment Issues ensue.
Secretary / int_2bbcd1c2	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_2bbcd1c2	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_2bbcd1c2
Secretary / int_2cc736e4	type	Bondage Is Bad
Secretary / int_2cc736e4	comment	Bondage Is Bad: Edward seems to have this mindset in the beginning, giving him some internal conflict.
Secretary / int_2cc736e4	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_2cc736e4	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_2cc736e4
Secretary / int_35dff943	type	Property of Love
Secretary / int_35dff943	comment	Property of Love: The kind of relationship Lee wants, and gets in the end. The film is a mixture between drama and Romantic Comedy, revolving around the BDSM version of this trope. The main storyline is about the main character wanting to be truly owned by her boss.
Secretary / int_35dff943	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_35dff943	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_35dff943
Secretary / int_361a1d26	type	Anguished Declaration of Love
Secretary / int_361a1d26	comment	Anguished Declaration of Love: Given by Lee near the end of the film to Edward, after she leaves her wedding.
Secretary / int_361a1d26	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_361a1d26	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_361a1d26
Secretary / int_377effa6	type	My Own Private "I Do"
Secretary / int_377effa6	comment	My Own Private "I Do": The two get married by a justice of the peace and then take off for a bondage-filled honeymoon weekend.
Secretary / int_377effa6	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_377effa6	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_377effa6
Secretary / int_38718ea8	type	Beautiful All Along
Secretary / int_38718ea8	comment	Beautiful All Along: When Lee's self-image finally becomes positive, we finally see her completely naked, relaxed, and lit with a warm yellow glow — reflecting how she now feels that she is beautiful.
Secretary / int_38718ea8	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_38718ea8	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_38718ea8
Secretary / int_3f7a958b	type	Secret Test of Character
Secretary / int_3f7a958b	comment	Secret Test of Character: Edward's behaviour towards Lee near the beginning of the movie can be interpreted as this.
Secretary / int_3f7a958b	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_3f7a958b	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_3f7a958b
Secretary / int_40cad744	type	Flower Motifs
Secretary / int_40cad744	comment	Flower Motifs: Mr. Grey's orchids and the flowers in Lee's daydream.
Secretary / int_40cad744	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_40cad744	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_40cad744
Secretary / int_4217402f	type	Power Dynamics Kink
Secretary / int_4217402f	comment	Power Dynamics Kink: This is how the relationship between Lee and Edward starts out: being punished turns her on, so she starts deliberately making errors in her typing. By the end of the movie, it moves into the territory of overt BDSM.
Secretary / int_4217402f	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_4217402f	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_4217402f
Secretary / int_45f0bb2d	type	Hope Is Scary
Secretary / int_45f0bb2d	comment	Hope Is Scary: It is strongly suggested that Lee would prefer not to leave the mental institution.
Secretary / int_45f0bb2d	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_45f0bb2d	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_45f0bb2d
Secretary / int_4a5fcde	type	Adaptational Alternate Ending
Secretary / int_4a5fcde	comment	Adaptational Alternate Ending: Gaitskill's story portrays the lawyer as a more exploitative character, and the protagonist aroused but unsettled by his advances. After he escalates the relationship she stops going to work, clearly traumatized, and receives a settlement from her boss to keep quiet; later, a reporter calls her when the lawyer announces he's running for mayor, digging for dirt from his past. The movie ends on a much happier note, the protagonist becoming empowered and happy when finding someone to share her desires with and love. The story, well...
Secretary / int_4a5fcde	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_4a5fcde	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_4a5fcde
Secretary / int_4c21a018	type	Virgin in a White Dress
Secretary / int_4c21a018	comment	Virgin in a White Dress: Strongly subverted. When Lee puts on her wedding dress, she's far from innocent. (There's indeed a wedding, but to Edward, after she leaves Peter at the altar.)
Secretary / int_4c21a018	featureApplicability	-0.3
Secretary / int_4c21a018	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_4c21a018
Secretary / int_59156e1f	type	Uncanny Atmosphere
Secretary / int_59156e1f	comment	Uncanny Atmosphere: Edward's office is filled with it. When Lee first comes to the office, the front area is an absolute mess with things scattered all over the place as if it had been ransacked, yet Edward's actual office room is spotless, and he's carefully checking his hair before talking to Lee. For some odd reason, he uses darts to push the buttons on his phone instead of touching the phone with his fingertips.
Secretary / int_59156e1f	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_59156e1f	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_59156e1f
Secretary / int_5a15b2e9	type	Mischief for Punishment
Secretary / int_5a15b2e9	comment	Mischief for Punishment: Once she realizes how much she likes spanking Lee starts making mistakes deliberately in order to get spanked, something that comes to define a large part of their dynamic. It's never identified as such in the movie but in BDSM this is usually called "bratting".
Secretary / int_5a15b2e9	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_5a15b2e9	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_5a15b2e9
Secretary / int_61375e57	type	BigDamnKiss
Secretary / int_61375e57	comment	Big Damn Kiss: Averted. The First Kiss is not shown on the screen, and all the kisses which are shown are somehow non-standard (e.g., the characters Almost Kiss, one of them doesn't close their eyes, etc.)
Secretary / int_61375e57	featureApplicability	-1.0
Secretary / int_61375e57	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_61375e57
Secretary / int_61b8f9e2	type	Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Secretary / int_61b8f9e2	comment	Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Complete with the Trope Namer in the role! Grey has an overly elaborate garden in his office, engages in kinky sex games with his secretary during work hours, and insists on things being typed rather than using computers, but by all accounts he's an excellent lawyer.
Secretary / int_61b8f9e2	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_61b8f9e2	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_61b8f9e2
Secretary / int_66805a18	type	Race for Your Love
Secretary / int_66805a18	comment	Race for Your Love: Lee, near the end, leaves Peter at the altar to run back to Edward's office and declare her love for him.
Secretary / int_66805a18	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_66805a18	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_66805a18
Secretary / int_6c87dbef	type	Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration
Secretary / int_6c87dbef	comment	Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: Lee indulges in masturbation before getting up to go to work and again inside a public bathroom stall while fantasizing about her boss Mr. Grey "punishing her" for her grammar mistakes.
Secretary / int_6c87dbef	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_6c87dbef	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_6c87dbef
Secretary / int_6d75e4d4	type	Almost Holding Hands
Secretary / int_6d75e4d4	comment	Almost Holding Hands: After Mr. Grey first spanks his typist Lee for a typo in a letter, he puts his hand close to hers on a desk, and she briefly touches his fingers.
Secretary / int_6d75e4d4	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_6d75e4d4	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_6d75e4d4
Secretary / int_701cb9a5	type	Sex at Work
Secretary / int_701cb9a5	comment	Sex at Work: A receptionist begins an S&M relationship with her boss, and many of their sexual acts take place in his office.
Secretary / int_701cb9a5	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_701cb9a5	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_701cb9a5
Secretary / int_7b0448b6	type	Paperworkaholic
Secretary / int_7b0448b6	comment	Paperworkaholic: Lee applies for a job as E. Edward Grey's secretary. At her job interview, Grey explains that the job consists of typewriting, filing etc., and warns her that "it's very dull work". Lee replies "I like dull work".
Secretary / int_7b0448b6	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_7b0448b6	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_7b0448b6
Secretary / int_7b6e47a5	type	Armor-Piercing Question
Secretary / int_7b6e47a5	comment	Armor-Piercing Question: Lee shoots one at Edward at the end of the film when he tries to protest their relationship.
Secretary / int_7b6e47a5	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_7b6e47a5	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_7b6e47a5
Secretary / int_7cd98af5	type	Potty Failure
Secretary / int_7cd98af5	comment	Potty Failure: Lee, when Edward orders her to sit in his chair without moving her hands or feet until he returns (to prove her loyalty/submission/desire to be in such a situation), stays exactly where she is for several days—including not moving when nature calls. (it's likely why, among other reasons, why the first thing Edward does after returning is bathing her).
Secretary / int_7cd98af5	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_7cd98af5	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_7cd98af5
Secretary / int_7eebe99c	type	The Alcoholic
Secretary / int_7eebe99c	comment	The Alcoholic: Lee's father, who's drunk at Lee's sister's wedding reception in the opening scene. Lee says "I thought you stopped." Later he goes on a real bender, wandering drunk and dazed around some of the seamier parts of Los Angeles. He eventually ends up in the hospital and has entered a 12-step program by the time he reconciles with Lee at the end of the film.
Secretary / int_7eebe99c	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_7eebe99c	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_7eebe99c
Secretary / int_80251be3	type	How We Got Here
Secretary / int_80251be3	comment	How We Got Here: The opening scene finds Lee in what's revealed to be Mr. Grey's office, going about her regular secretary routine—stapling some papers together, retrieving something from the printer, making coffee. The only odd thing about it is that she's wearing a spreader bar with a collar around her neck and cuffs for both wrists, which forces both her arms to extend out sideways from her shoulders. This is followed by a "six months earlier" card which takes us to the beginning of the story.
Secretary / int_80251be3	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_80251be3	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_80251be3
Secretary / int_860b267a	type	Kinky Spanking
Secretary / int_860b267a	comment	Kinky Spanking: Lee Holloway's boss, Mr. Grey, originally starts spanking Lee for typos. It later becomes intimate.
Secretary / int_860b267a	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_860b267a	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_860b267a
Secretary / int_875615dd	type	Truth in Television
Secretary / int_875615dd	comment	Truth in Television: See Extreme Doormat above. Anecdotally, there is nothing ironic about it at all. Many people who have submissive desires find themselves empowered when they are able to experience those desires with a caring partner. Furthermore, Lee acting as the strong emotional center and her strength being what allows the dominant to embrace his role in their relationship is also quite common. It's called power exchange for a reason. It's also much of a more common relationship type than what's shown in media like Fifty Shades of Grey. This movie is far more well-liked by the BDSM community because of it.
Secretary / int_875615dd	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_875615dd	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_875615dd
Secretary / int_89434320	type	Protagonist-Centered Morality
Secretary / int_89434320	comment	Protagonist-Centered Morality: Lee and Grey are, by any reasonable measure, pretty terrible to Peter—whose biggest sin in the entire film is that he's not particularly assertive. A lot of the problems Lee has with him come down to her not being able or willing to communicate with him about her feelings towards him (or lack thereof).
Secretary / int_89434320	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_89434320	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_89434320
Secretary / int_8ae880f7	type	Deconstruction
Secretary / int_8ae880f7	comment	Deconstruction: Of the brazen approach characters in love have toward their duties and job obligations. Lee's antics as she intentionally makes mistakes and tries to get Edward's attention prove problematic in that they are a distraction from the jobs they are actually supposed to be doing, even before getting into Edward's personal hangups about the nature of their relationship.
Secretary / int_8ae880f7	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8ae880f7	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8ae880f7
Secretary / int_8be2ef8d	type	Grammar Correction Gag
Secretary / int_8be2ef8d	comment	Grammar Correction Gag: Mr. Grey's displeasure with Lee's spelling errors and typos are an entry into kinky sex.
Secretary / int_8be2ef8d	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8be2ef8d	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8be2ef8d
Secretary / int_8c00901a	type	Creepy Good
Secretary / int_8c00901a	comment	Creepy Good: Edward, who is glowering and intimidating in typical James Spader style but turns out to be a kind and patient lover.
Secretary / int_8c00901a	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8c00901a	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8c00901a
Secretary / int_8c3241aa	type	One-Hour Work Week
Secretary / int_8c3241aa	comment	One-Hour Work Week: Played realistically. Between the boss' near-crippling mental issues, Unresolved Sexual Tension and some very involved sex play, not much gets done at E. Edward Grey's office. However, it's never pretended that he's a successful or busy lawyer.
Secretary / int_8c3241aa	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8c3241aa	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8c3241aa
Secretary / int_8ca9bf12	type	Sex Equals Love
Secretary / int_8ca9bf12	comment	Sex Equals Love: BDSM Equals Love. The film doesn't really show Lee and Grey sharing anything other than their fetishes—unless you count the mutual inability to open up emotionally, a very deep shyness that they handle in different ways. It's a longing to really understand each other, without really daring to let it go anywhere.
Secretary / int_8ca9bf12	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8ca9bf12	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8ca9bf12
Secretary / int_8cb59aaa	type	Bathroom Control
Secretary / int_8cb59aaa	comment	Bathroom Control: When Lee runs back to Edward and declares her love, Edward tells Lee—to prove both her love and submissiveness to him—to sit in the office chair until he returns, knowing full well she won't be able to use the toilet. She eventually wets herself.
Secretary / int_8cb59aaa	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_8cb59aaa	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_8cb59aaa
Secretary / int_920b5728	type	Sleeping with the Boss
Secretary / int_920b5728	comment	Sleeping with the Boss: Spanking With The Boss, as well; Lee and Edward have an office romance with overt BDSM tomes.
Secretary / int_920b5728	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_920b5728	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_920b5728
Secretary / int_95db314b	type	Casual Kink
Secretary / int_95db314b	comment	Casual Kink: While most of the film averts this, it does pop up twice. In the middle of the movie, Lee is listening to a tape about coming out as a dominant or submissive, assuring the listener that BDSM unlocks the potential for a wider range of experience. More importantly, the movie has a happy ending where Lee finally gets rid of her fiancÃ© (whom she never wanted; he was pushed on her and she wasn't assertive enough to say no), comes out as a masochist and finally demands a real relationship with Edward. Some people are pissed at her, but her father stands by her side and asserts that he's proud of her. Edward overcomes his fear and they live happily ever after.
Secretary / int_95db314b	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_95db314b	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_95db314b
Secretary / int_9d0cfdb9	type	Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny
Secretary / int_9d0cfdb9	comment	Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: While Lee finds immediate fulfillment in being a submissive, Edward is racked with guilt and shame over his need to be a dominant. He even writes her a letter in which he says "This is disgusting. I don't know why I'm like this." He shreds it, and fires her instead.
Secretary / int_9d0cfdb9	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_9d0cfdb9	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_9d0cfdb9
Secretary / int_a8c50563	type	Bathtub Scene
Secretary / int_a8c50563	comment	Bathtub Scene: Two of them. One of them when Lee first starts to feel good about herself and another at the end when she's finally comfortable with her self-image.
Secretary / int_a8c50563	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_a8c50563	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_a8c50563
Secretary / int_abad35b4	type	Soundtrack Dissonance
Secretary / int_abad35b4	comment	Soundtrack Dissonance: Purposeful, according to Word of God. For example, an alternative-rock rendition of "I Will Survive" plays when Peter and Lee have sex.
Secretary / int_abad35b4	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_abad35b4	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_abad35b4
Secretary / int_af3ff126	type	Idealized Sex
Secretary / int_af3ff126	comment	Idealized Sex: Averted except for the basic premise. Being one of the very few romantic comedies about BDSM, it is also one of very few romantic comedies that starts with the protagonist getting out of a mental hospital (and she didn't end up there out of some wacky misunderstanding).
Secretary / int_af3ff126	featureApplicability	-1.0
Secretary / int_af3ff126	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_af3ff126
Secretary / int_b0a529cb	type	Extreme Doormat
Secretary / int_b0a529cb	comment	See Extreme Doormat above. Anecdotally, there is nothing ironic about it at all. Many people who have submissive desires find themselves empowered when they are able to experience those desires with a caring partner. Furthermore, Lee acting as the strong emotional center and her strength being what allows the dominant to embrace his role in their relationship is also quite common. It's called power exchange for a reason.
Secretary / int_b0a529cb	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_b0a529cb	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_b0a529cb
Secretary / int_b6a868f1	type	Intimate Psychotherapy
Secretary / int_b6a868f1	comment	Intimate Psychotherapy: Her relationship with Edward cures Lee's psychological problems; it can be argued that it also helped Edward.
Secretary / int_b6a868f1	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_b6a868f1	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_b6a868f1
Secretary / int_c0d32460	type	Sexy Secretary
Secretary / int_c0d32460	comment	Sexy Secretary: The basic premise of the movie is that Lee is one, starting with the opening scene before the How We Got Here.
Secretary / int_c0d32460	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_c0d32460	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_c0d32460
Secretary / int_c2e1777	type	Conveniently Common Kink
Secretary / int_c2e1777	comment	Conveniently Common Kink: Inverted. Lee only discovers her fetish during her stint as the secretary, so Grey directly influences her "choice" of kink.
Secretary / int_c2e1777	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_c2e1777	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_c2e1777
Secretary / int_c31dc964	type	Grew a Spine
Secretary / int_c31dc964	comment	Grew a Spine: Lee, thanks to her non-standard relationship with Mr. Grey.
Secretary / int_c31dc964	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_c31dc964	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_c31dc964
Secretary / int_c660bc15	type	Fan Disservice
Secretary / int_c660bc15	comment	Fan Disservice: Maggie Gyllenhall's bare thighs are visible—when she's mutilating herself with a sharpened ballerina doll and scalding herself with a hot kettle.
Secretary / int_c660bc15	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_c660bc15	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_c660bc15
Secretary / int_d4871dd	type	Love Letter
Secretary / int_d4871dd	comment	Love Letter: Subverted. Edward's short letter is never sent, and Lee's message is a very unusual one, as it includes a living worm.
Secretary / int_d4871dd	featureApplicability	-0.3
Secretary / int_d4871dd	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_d4871dd
Secretary / int_dea5fe1	type	Kubrick Stare
Secretary / int_dea5fe1	comment	Kubrick Stare: Lee, at her desk, shoots one of these at an unseeing Edward right before she deliberately leaves a typo in one of her letters—so he can spank her for it.
Secretary / int_dea5fe1	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_dea5fe1	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_dea5fe1
Secretary / int_e13cafe	type	Office Romance
Secretary / int_e13cafe	comment	Office Romance: Between Lee—as a secretary—and her boss, Edward, with overt BDSM tones.
Secretary / int_e13cafe	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_e13cafe	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_e13cafe
Secretary / int_e8038166	type	Obsessively Organized
Secretary / int_e8038166	comment	Obsessively Organized: Edward has a pretty severe case of it, given his demanding attitude towards Lee. It manifests itself in other ways besides his sex life; in the last scene he's instructing her that the pillows have to be stacked, biggest on the bottom and smallest on the top.
Secretary / int_e8038166	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_e8038166	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_e8038166
Secretary / int_e8e3807	type	Aside Glance
Secretary / int_e8e3807	comment	Aside Glance: In the last scene, Lee suddenly looks straight into the camera, and the effect is quite powerful.
Secretary / int_e8e3807	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_e8e3807	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_e8e3807
Secretary / int_eb002293	type	Shrinking Violet
Secretary / int_eb002293	comment	Shrinking Violet: Lee at first. Unlike most movies where this would make her a cute Moe type, this is revealed in a crippling mental disorder that leaves her unable to function on a healthy level, where her only outlet is self-mutilation.
Secretary / int_eb002293	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_eb002293	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_eb002293
Secretary / int_f50b1e05	type	Shoo the Dog
Secretary / int_f50b1e05	comment	Shoo the Dog: Edward's decision to fire Lee may have been motivated by his intention not to hurt her in the future.
Secretary / int_f50b1e05	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_f50b1e05	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_f50b1e05
Secretary / int_f64a9cf7	type	Earn Your Happy Ending
Secretary / int_f64a9cf7	comment	Earn Your Happy Ending: Both characters had a hard time earning their marriage to each other.
Secretary / int_f64a9cf7	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_f64a9cf7	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_f64a9cf7
Secretary / int_fb7cc1ff	type	Master of the Mixed Message
Secretary / int_fb7cc1ff	comment	Master of the Mixed Message: Edward. He tends to bounce back and forth between enthusiastic BDSM and nothing at all; at one point he reverts to treating Lee like a regular old secretary again, after he's already had her up on his desk with a saddle on her back.
Secretary / int_fb7cc1ff	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_fb7cc1ff	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_fb7cc1ff
Secretary / int_fced5df7	type	Disposable FiancÃ©
Secretary / int_fced5df7	comment	Disposable FiancÃ©: Deconstructed. Lee agrees to marry Peter even though she doesn't really have a romantic connection with him, and doesn't enjoy the sex. The only reason she agrees to marry him is because she can't find a normal relationship after Edward fires her, and when she breaks it off she does it in a pretty insensitive way, not giving him a clear reason and not acting like she doesn't want to marry him until she delivers it as bluntly as possible.
Secretary / int_fced5df7	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_fced5df7	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_fced5df7
Secretary / int_ff7f34c5	type	Pet the Dog
Secretary / int_ff7f34c5	comment	Pet the Dog: Mr. Grey uses live traps to catch the mice that infest his office, rather than the more familiar lethal snapping mousetraps. This leads first to a scene where he gently shows Lee how to set the traps properly, and later a scene where he takes one of the traps outside to release a mouse. When Grey learns that Lee cuts herself as a form of self-harm, he talks to her about it, helping her articulate why she does it, and ordering her never to do it again. While the order itself is very firm in tone, the discussion is one of the gentler scenes they have in the entire film.
Secretary / int_ff7f34c5	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_ff7f34c5	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_ff7f34c5
Secretary / int_name	type	ItemName
Secretary / int_name	comment
Secretary / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Secretary / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Secretary	hasFeature	Secretary / int_name
Secretary / int_name	itemName	Secretary

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Secretary	hasFeature	All Women Are Doms, All Men Are Subs / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Almost Holding Hands / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Bathroom Control / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Brains and Bondage / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Casual Kink / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Compartment Shot / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Conveniently Common Kink / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Disposable FiancÃ© / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Grammar Correction Gag / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Internalized Categorism / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Job Title / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Kinky Spanking / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Letting Her Hair Down / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Mischief for Punishment / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Office Romance / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Paperworkaholic / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Power Dynamics Kink / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Property of Love / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Safe, Sane, and Consensual / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Self-Harm / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Sex at Work / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Sexy Secretary / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	Sleeping with the Boss / int_3548db7e
Secretary	hasFeature	You Make Me Sic / int_3548db7e

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.