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Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills
- 99 statements
- 18 feature instances
- 14 referencing feature instances
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | type |
FeatureClass | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | label |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | page |
PlotSensitiveSnoopingSkills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | comment |
A character who shows incredible insight into the minds of strangers is more or less blind to the secrets of their own inner circle. This is generally done because the writers want it that way; if the character were to learn the motivations of their nearest and dearest, the series would run out of material a good ten or twelve episodes early. The character is not unobservant, per se, but is only really capable of guessing whatever the writer wants them to guess - and that rarely includes devastating revelations that have a personal effect on the guesser or that would cause an untimely plot twist. A requirement for the Chaste Hero. A kind of involuntary Selective Obliviousness, insofar as it is not an intentional refusal to guess at (or acknowledge) the truth. Also a frequent cause of Failed a Spot Check. Not exactly unknown in Real Life; compare The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes. Not to be confused with Exact Eavesdropping, which is about plot-sensitive good luck in the accidental or deliberate discovery of a secret. |
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| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | fetched |
2023-07-01T17:59:05Z | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | parsed |
2023-07-01T17:59:05Z | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | processingComment |
Dropped link to DarkAndTroubledPast: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | processingComment |
Dropped link to IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_109f7814 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_109f7814 | comment |
Sherlock can work out Watson's military career and family life from scratches on his phone but doesn't work out that a woman putting on lipstick and asking him if he'd like a coffee is hitting on him. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_109f7814 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_109f7814 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Sherlock | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_109f7814 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_21795cc3 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_21795cc3 | comment |
Lex Luthor: Luthor interacts with Superman face-to-face all the time, and in a good number of continuities is also childhood friends with Clark Kent (and at the very least sees him often through Lois), and he's among the most intelligent men in the entire world. Somehow in spite of these three facts he never, ever figures out Clark Kent and Superman are the same person. Various explanations for this have cropped up over the decades, but the fact remains that Luthor only figured out Clark's true identity when it was spelt out for him via looking through Superman's memories. Even then it took him a minute. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_21795cc3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_21795cc3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Lex Luthor (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_21795cc3 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_22e860f4 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_22e860f4 | comment |
Shawn Spencer in Psych completely misreads Juliet's friendliness and touchiness with another cop as completely familial. This is in spite of having severe UST with her. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_22e860f4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_22e860f4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Psych | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_22e860f4 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_60515a97 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_60515a97 | comment |
In Fans!, Rikk seems to have some kind of mental block that prevents him from realizing that Rumy is in love with him, despite having been outright told so on multiple occasions. Frequently lampshaded by his friends and later, even by himself. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_60515a97 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_60515a97 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Fans! (Webcomic) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_60515a97 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6ae1d164 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6ae1d164 | comment |
Galaxy of Fear's Tash Arranda is an untrained Force-Sensitive. She knows her uncle is hiding something right from the start of the first book, but in The Swarm, when Zak has a secret he desperately wants to unload but can't seem to just spit out, she's totally oblivious and keeps interrupting. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6ae1d164 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6ae1d164 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Galaxy of Fear | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6ae1d164 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6f734712 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6f734712 | comment |
Chloe in early Smallville. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6f734712 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6f734712 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Smallville | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_6f734712 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_77a36606 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_77a36606 | comment |
But not always. It's implied that Commissioner Gordon has a pretty good idea as to who Batman really is, but he doesn't attempt to prove this, because if he officially knew who Gotham's top vigilante was, he'd be obliged to do something about him. During No Man's Land, Batman removed his mask but Gordon kept his eyes closed (no, really). Batman strongly suspects that Perry White figured out that Clark Kent is Superman quite some time ago and has chosen to keep silent (let alone Lois Lane, who spends the most time with him in both guises). | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_77a36606 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_77a36606 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Batman: No Man's Land (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_77a36606 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8d81bb26 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8d81bb26 | comment |
Kate (and to some extent, nearly everyone) on NCIS. Kate is supposed to be an amazing profiler because of her Secret Service training, but she was the most oblivious person on the team until McGee showed up. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8d81bb26 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8d81bb26 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| NCIS | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8d81bb26 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8dd8ec81 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8dd8ec81 | comment |
Usagi from Sailor Moon is a particularly egregious case. A number of one-shot characters fail to hide their innermost secrets from her, but she never notices her little brother's crush on Ami in the fourth season Beach Episode. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8dd8ec81 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8dd8ec81 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Sailor Moon (Manga) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_8dd8ec81 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_9c6174f9 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_9c6174f9 | comment |
Robert DeNiro's character in Meet the Parents, who discovers all sorts of unsavory things about his future son in law, but has no clue (even when said clues are waved in his face) that his own son smokes pot. He also comes to some incorrect conclusions because he didn't bother to deconflict the different people with the same name, a mistake that is only possible if everyone involved ignores the fact that there might be more than one person with his same (or similar) name. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_9c6174f9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_9c6174f9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Meet the Parents | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_9c6174f9 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_a86b7660 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_a86b7660 | comment |
Fraser on Due South, having been Raised by Wolves. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_a86b7660 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_a86b7660 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Due South | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_a86b7660 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ccf875f7 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ccf875f7 | comment |
You would think the profilers on Criminal Minds are a justified example, since they have a rule about not profiling each other, but their camaraderie is so strong that they really can't keep secrets from the team for long and they all are basically each other's therapists. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ccf875f7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ccf875f7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Criminal Minds | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ccf875f7 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ea144e40 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ea144e40 | comment |
Sostratos in the Over the Wine-Dark Sea series has an interesting justification. While he is too socially awkward to know how the sailors around him think, he can keep pace with the murderous politics of the Hellenic world because his historical studies made him accustomed to how warlords think at least, even if he can't understand ordinary people. This skill proves useful from time to time while trading in dangerous places. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ea144e40 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ea144e40 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Over the Wine-Dark Sea | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ea144e40 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0529579 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0529579 | comment |
Notably averted in the early days of the Amazing Spider-Man, as two of the sharpest folks supporting Spidey were NYPD captain George Stacy (Gwen's dad) and Bugle editor Robbie Robertson. They both worked out Spider-Man = Peter Parker, but they kept up the masquerade because they approved of Peter's actions. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0529579 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0529579 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Spider-Man (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0529579 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0c816fb | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0c816fb | comment |
Breaking Bad: Hank Schrader, a competent DEA agent, with regard to his brother-in-law Walter White. A chance discovery at Walter's house finally opens his eyes at the end of episode 5x08. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0c816fb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0c816fb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Breaking Bad | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f0c816fb | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f3e1f424 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f3e1f424 | comment |
Merlin: Arthur lives on this trope. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f3e1f424 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f3e1f424 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Merlin (2008) | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_f3e1f424 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_fa603610 | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_fa603610 | comment |
The television show Profiler, and every show like it. Sure, she can look at a handful of clues and figure out why the killer liked the color purple (or whatever), but she can't look at years of evidence and figure out who has a crush on her, or what her daughter is up to, or anything personal. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_fa603610 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_fa603610 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Profiler | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_fa603610 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ff9ab17f | type |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ff9ab17f | comment |
Star Trek: The Next Generation: This was one of the frustrating things about the way that Deanna Troi was written, or depending on your point of view, one of the things that made it difficult to write for her. When you're a psychologist and an empath whose entire job is to use your alien powers to tell other people's hidden motivations, there are a lot of stories that you ought to be able to stop dead in their tracks. As a result, telling those stories anyway often left her stuck somewhere between Forgotten Phlebotinum and Idiot Ball. | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ff9ab17f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ff9ab17f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation | hasFeature |
Plot-Sensitive Snooping Skills / int_ff9ab17f |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.