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Telecom Tree

 Telecom Tree
type
FeatureClass
 Telecom Tree
label
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree
page
TelecomTree
 Telecom Tree
comment
In our modern day and age, when communication needs to take place, we can do it with landlines, cell phones, text messages, and/or the Internet.
It is a good thing, too, because when the hero(es) need help, this trope comes into play.
There's a situation that's too big for our main character to handle on his/her own. But he/she knows a good number of people, perhaps because they are popular and friendly, or just from Walking the Earth. Either way, it's time to enlist their aid, and because the heroes are well-respected, anyone called on the phone is only too happy to pitch in and help. Not only that, but they're willing to call the next person in the chain of phone numbers to help get the giant group effort underway that much sooner.
A variation common in older productions: the viewer is treated to a split-screen as more and more people become involved in sending the message out.
Compare Gondor Calls for Aid, when unlikely allies (including enemies and a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits) are called upon to aid the heroes. Might be spurned by an "I Can't Do This by Myself" realization, as the character tries to win his allies back on their side by admitting they can't do things alone.
Can be invoked, particularly online or in print, by AstroTurfing.
 Telecom Tree
fetched
2023-11-02T17:46:57Z
 Telecom Tree
parsed
2023-11-02T17:46:57Z
 Telecom Tree
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Telecom Tree / int_11b7db91
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_11b7db91
comment
Adventure Time: In "Loyalty to the King", this is how the princesses find out about Nice King's arrival, complete with multiple little pictures of them spreading across the screen.
 Telecom Tree / int_11b7db91
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_11b7db91
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1.0
 Adventure Time
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_11b7db91
 Telecom Tree / int_16db25b9
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_16db25b9
comment
Tracy Lawrence: In the music video of "Find Out Who Your Friends Are", a redneck's truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere. He places one cell call to a friend before his phone fails, and he then gives up. Fortunately for him, his friend has friends, and those friends have friends... until a giant convoy of friends is seen converging on him, in everything from a tractor to a Jeep to a Corvette.
 Telecom Tree / int_16db25b9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_16db25b9
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1.0
 Tracy Lawrence (Music)
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Telecom Tree / int_16db25b9
 Telecom Tree / int_18ec2b28
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_18ec2b28
comment
Beverly Hills Teens: If someone wants to get everybody together, they tell Switchboard, and pretend it's a secret.
 Telecom Tree / int_18ec2b28
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_18ec2b28
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1.0
 Beverly Hills Teens
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_18ec2b28
 Telecom Tree / int_1c5e55fc
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_1c5e55fc
comment
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Buckaroo Banzai has the Blue Blaze irregulars, a group of various people who help him out of tight spots, no matter what it is or who they are.
 Telecom Tree / int_1c5e55fc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_1c5e55fc
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1.0
 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_1c5e55fc
 Telecom Tree / int_258b2e5e
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_258b2e5e
comment
Bye Bye Birdie: The teenagers of Sweet Apple Ohio are seen doing a tree in "The Telephone Hour". In this case, there's no particular help needed, they're just spreading the news that Hugo and Kim are now an item, and there's one poor sap (Harvey Johnson) who's trying to get a date.
 Telecom Tree / int_258b2e5e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_258b2e5e
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1.0
 Bye Bye Birdie (Theatre)
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_258b2e5e
 Telecom Tree / int_25a2cd76
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_25a2cd76
comment
The Crew (2000): One of the retired Mafia members uses the fact that he has kept in touch with every other former Mafioso to have retired to the greater Miami area to gather a posse to raid the base of a crime lord who had kidnapped the daughter of another member of the group. This leads to a hilarious scene where a freighter owned by a drug lord is attacked by a busload of gun-toting senior citizens.
 Telecom Tree / int_25a2cd76
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_25a2cd76
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1.0
 The Crew (2000)
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Telecom Tree / int_25a2cd76
 Telecom Tree / int_261c8d3f
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_261c8d3f
comment
The Simpsons: In "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)", Marge Simpson rallies everyone in Springfield for her plan to get rid of the U.S. army's occupation of Springfield. She even has a diagram of this, which starts with her calling Ned Flanders and Helen Lovejoy, who call two more peoplenote Selma and Lenny for Ned, Patty and Carl for Helen, who each call two more peoplenote identities unknown, and from that point forward it's eight solid chains, which includes Nelson Muntz calling Mr. Burns, and Krusty the Clown calling Ralph Wiggum and telling him to call Lindsay Naegle, who didn't get the message as Ralph had put the phone down and she wasn't present at the reservoir to put Marge's plan into action.
 Telecom Tree / int_261c8d3f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_261c8d3f
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1.0
 The Simpsons
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_261c8d3f
 Telecom Tree / int_3c21e564
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_3c21e564
comment
There she is!!: In its final episode, Nabi the cat desperately tries to get to the airport before his girlfriend Doki leaves. All the friends and relatives who have been with them since episode 2 pitch in and help get him there, including calling forward to help stop Doki so Nabi has his chance to get there.
 Telecom Tree / int_3c21e564
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_3c21e564
featureConfidence
1.0
 There she is!! (Web Animation)
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_3c21e564
 Telecom Tree / int_3e5fd692
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_3e5fd692
comment
Practical Magic: When witches Gillian and Sally need extra help to get rid of the nasty ex-boyfriend ghost of Jimmy Angelov they activate the town Phone Tree, normally used to let all the moms know of school snow days. It turns out that despite the Gossipy Hens talking smack about the witch sisters, most of the women in town are not only genuinely curious about them but happy to pitch in because they can identify strongly with having a bad ex who won't go away without a female friend having her back.
 Telecom Tree / int_3e5fd692
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_3e5fd692
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1.0
 Practical Magic
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_3e5fd692
 Telecom Tree / int_468bebb0
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_468bebb0
comment
Discworld: Working to a deadline? Need a mob to storm the castle? Just tell a member of the Ogg family. The rest will take care of itself.
 Telecom Tree / int_468bebb0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_468bebb0
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1.0
 Discworld
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_468bebb0
 Telecom Tree / int_55bfa74
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_55bfa74
comment
"Tortoise Beats Hare": Bugs Bunny has challenged Cecil Turtle to a footrace. Cecil calls his old buddy Chester and together they set up a Ringer Ploy over a phone tree.
 Telecom Tree / int_55bfa74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_55bfa74
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1.0
 Tortoise Beats Hare
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_55bfa74
 Telecom Tree / int_5fa8e894
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_5fa8e894
comment
Newsflesh: This is used to get the entire site staff online for one conference before Shaun and company left the Weed compound.
 Telecom Tree / int_5fa8e894
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_5fa8e894
featureConfidence
1.0
 Newsflesh
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_5fa8e894
 Telecom Tree / int_6d6f8656
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_6d6f8656
comment
Legally Blonde 2: One scene involves the lead activating an emergency phone tree of ex-sorority members.
 Telecom Tree / int_6d6f8656
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_6d6f8656
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1.0
 Legally Blonde
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_6d6f8656
 Telecom Tree / int_74700c46
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_74700c46
comment
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over: The Cortez children send out a desperate wrist phone call to "Everybody!". Their parents and grandparents show up, as well as their uncle Machete, Floop with the reformed Minion, the reformed Uncle and Giggles families, the Mad Scientist, and the guy who owned the theme park at the start of the second movie with his son.
 Telecom Tree / int_74700c46
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_74700c46
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1.0
 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_74700c46
 Telecom Tree / int_7680545c
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_7680545c
comment
The Nanny: When Fran gets engaged, she calls her mom, who puts her on hold to talk to someone else. She tells them. They call someone else, and so on, and so on, and so on. Each time, a picture of that person is added to the screen. By the time Mom gets back online to Fran, everyone knows.
 Telecom Tree / int_7680545c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_7680545c
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1.0
 The Nanny
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Telecom Tree / int_7680545c
 Telecom Tree / int_77fa1f5d
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_77fa1f5d
comment
Global Frequency has this as its premise. The titular Global Frequency, with 1,001 people with specialized abilities or skills spread across the world ready to be summoned by a phone call from either Big Good Miranda Zero or Mission Control Aleph. Though only a couple of agents are actively involved in any particular crisis, there are a few times when the call goes out to all 1,001 members for any help they can provide (notably the last issue of the series).
 Telecom Tree / int_77fa1f5d
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_77fa1f5d
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1.0
 Global Frequency (Comic Book)
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Telecom Tree / int_77fa1f5d
 Telecom Tree / int_7fd403f8
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_7fd403f8
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Galaxy Quest: Brandon and his friends do this for Jason Nesmith.
 Telecom Tree / int_7fd403f8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_7fd403f8
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1.0
 Galaxy Quest
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Telecom Tree / int_7fd403f8
 Telecom Tree / int_86bb8df
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_86bb8df
comment
Servant of the People: The infrastructure minister sends out Vasiliy's orders down the bureaucratic chain. When said minister gets sacked for failing to deliver on the roadworks project, the next guys down the chain get promoted in his place, and all of them eventually receive the pink slip over increasingly absurd acts of embezzlement.
 Telecom Tree / int_86bb8df
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_86bb8df
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 Servant of the People
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Telecom Tree / int_86bb8df
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_8712d1f4
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The GiW meets its match: Justified through the military chain of command, and backfires majorly on Agent K when he calls a missile silo to launch a minuteman nuke at Amity Park. The next several stories follow up the chain of command as the individual who took the call, Major Jacob Green, calls the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Derek Brown, for a clearance check, who then reports the issue to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Abraham Whitman. General Whitman then calls an emergency meeting with the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, and the President, with the actual calls between them to arrange this meeting implicit. The communications then disperse into a mixture of phone calls and emails moving up and down the chain of command as the government hurriedly tries to dig up any information they can on the Guys in White.
 Telecom Tree / int_8712d1f4
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 The GiW meets its match (Fanfic)
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Telecom Tree / int_8712d1f4
 Telecom Tree / int_90a3a7f4
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_90a3a7f4
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Kim Possible: Whenever Kim has to travel to some remote location, Kim can always count on someone she has helped before to provide free transportation.
 Telecom Tree / int_90a3a7f4
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_90a3a7f4
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1.0
 Kim Possible
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_90a3a7f4
 Telecom Tree / int_9820db50
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_9820db50
comment
The Three Investigators: Known as the Ghost-to-Ghost Hookup. A system invented by Jupiter to allow the Power Trio to inquire about anything. Each boy contacts five friends that aren't mutual to the group, with each contact promptly doing the same. According to Jupiter, this lets them "contact thousands of boys without speaking to them directly".
 Telecom Tree / int_9820db50
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_9820db50
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 The Three Investigators
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Telecom Tree / int_9820db50
 Telecom Tree / int_a8729c90
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_a8729c90
comment
The Fairly OddParents!: Timmy sends a message over the internet requesting help from all the kids in the world.
 Telecom Tree / int_a8729c90
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_a8729c90
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1.0
 The Fairly OddParents!
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Telecom Tree / int_a8729c90
 Telecom Tree / int_a92653e1
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_a92653e1
comment
The Executioner: In Dixie Convoy, the truckers helping Mack Bolan use CB radio to spread a message from one coast of the US to the others.
 Telecom Tree / int_a92653e1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_a92653e1
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1.0
 The Executioner
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_a92653e1
 Telecom Tree / int_b24ae298
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_b24ae298
comment
Morris and Chastain Investigations: The white witches in Evil Ways bring one to action when they perceive a threat against them, although theirs is magical.
 Telecom Tree / int_b24ae298
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_b24ae298
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1.0
 Morris and Chastain Investigations
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_b24ae298
 Telecom Tree / int_b8b584cf
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_b8b584cf
comment
Zits: We don't see the actual tree but Pierce calculates that in order to get 700 people to turn up to his Wild Teen Party he has to inform exactly one person (Brittney) and let the word spread. It works.
 Telecom Tree / int_b8b584cf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_b8b584cf
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1.0
 Zits (Comic Strip)
hasFeature
Telecom Tree / int_b8b584cf
 Telecom Tree / int_bd310eaa
type
Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_bd310eaa
comment
El Goonish Shive: After Hedge kidnaps Elliot.
 Telecom Tree / int_bd310eaa
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_bd310eaa
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1.0
 El Goonish Shive (Webcomic)
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Telecom Tree / int_bd310eaa
 Telecom Tree / int_c43df4d8
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_c43df4d8
comment
Doctor Who:
"A Good Man Goes To War" is all about this, with the Doctor calling in several favours to raise an army to rescue Amy and her baby.
"The Wedding of River Song": River, Amy, and Rory construct a device to send a distress signal outside the collapsing Alternate Universe they're trapped in, asking the whole universe for help, as the Doctor is about to die. Literally, billions of races across the universe agree to help. While this doesn't actively do anything, it breaks the Doctor out of his Heroic BSoD and reminds him that however much death and destruction he leaves in his wake, he's still a hero, and his life is worth something.
 Telecom Tree / int_c43df4d8
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_c43df4d8
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 Doctor Who
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Telecom Tree / int_c43df4d8
 Telecom Tree / int_cdb0e12d
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_cdb0e12d
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Mike BurnFire: In Episode 100, Mike and Zach gain the support of all their companions in the fight against Malcolm Clones (after they free them from prison).
 Telecom Tree / int_cdb0e12d
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_cdb0e12d
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 mikeburnfire (Lets Play)
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Telecom Tree / int_cdb0e12d
 Telecom Tree / int_ce765d62
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_ce765d62
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Ruby Gloom: In "Broken Records", Skull Boy calls Misery —who is with Scaredy, Frank, and Len— for a brainstorming session to help Iris and Ruby reconcile. After Misery & company exchange awkward glances, Skull Boy picks up again to tell them they are invited too.
 Telecom Tree / int_ce765d62
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_ce765d62
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 Ruby Gloom
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Telecom Tree / int_ce765d62
 Telecom Tree / int_ed9f6371
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_ed9f6371
comment
Telefang: Ubiquitous thanks to the summon-monsters-by-phoning-them mechanic.
 Telecom Tree / int_ed9f6371
featureApplicability
1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_ed9f6371
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1.0
 Telefang (Video Game)
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Telecom Tree / int_ed9f6371
 Telecom Tree / int_fab6bdd9
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_fab6bdd9
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Young Avengers: In #11, Prodigy texts a couple of friends to run interference for the team while they get close to the Big Bad. They text some friends and... The next page shows a telecom tree of young heroes that has expanded to fill a full page.
 Telecom Tree / int_fab6bdd9
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_fab6bdd9
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 Young Avengers (Comic Book)
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Telecom Tree / int_fab6bdd9
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Telecom Tree
 Telecom Tree / int_ff0bf83f
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Justice League Unlimited: The Grand Finale, "Destroyer", doesn't go tree-style, but they do summon every single member for the final fight, even allowing the bad guys to fight to save the world.
 Telecom Tree / int_ff0bf83f
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1.0
 Telecom Tree / int_ff0bf83f
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Telecom Tree / int_ff0bf83f

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

 Telecom Tree
processingCategory2
Action/Adventure Tropes
 Telecom Tree
processingCategory2
Friendship Tropes
 Telecom Tree
processingCategory2
Idealism Tropes
 Telecom Tree
processingCategory2
Phone Tropes
 Global Frequency (Comic Book) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Zits (Comic Strip) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The GiW meets its match (Fanfic) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Galaxy Quest / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Legally Blonde / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Practical Magic / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The Crew (2000) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Discworld / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Newsflesh / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The Executioner / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The Three Investigators / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Monster (Manga) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Tropes T to Z / Real Life / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Servant of the People / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 The Nanny / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Bye Bye Birdie (Theatre) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Telefang (Video Game) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 There she is!! (Web Animation) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Ruby Gloom / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Tortoise Beats Hare / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree
 Young Avengers (Comic Book) / int_beaf66d0
type
Telecom Tree