Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

So Help Me Todd

 So Help Me Todd
type
TVTItem
 So Help Me Todd
label
So Help Me Todd
 So Help Me Todd
page
SoHelpMeTodd
 So Help Me Todd
comment
So Help Me Todd is an American crime/legal dramedy that premiered on CBS in 2022.Todd (Skylar Astin) is a down-and-out former detective since losing his PI license two years earlier, until he's hired to work as the in-house investigator as the law firm of his mother Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden). Todd's loose ethics run a sharp contrast to Margaret's by-the-book legal approach, but together they're able to get to the bottom of cases.Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann and Rosa Arredondo also star.
 So Help Me Todd
fetched
2024-05-04T02:02:53Z
 So Help Me Todd
parsed
2024-05-04T02:02:53Z
 So Help Me Todd
isPartOf
DBTropes
 So Help Me Todd / int_1c5002bc
type
The Stoic
 So Help Me Todd / int_1c5002bc
comment
The Stoic: Played with in regards to Lawrence, Todd's Aloof Big Brother. Todd disparagingly refers to him as a cold, unfeeling robot, but we are introduced to him acting out a storybook for his daughter, and Allison doesn't seem to have trouble getting along with him. He likely plays up his stoicism with Todd, whom he strongly dislikes due to them having Sibling Yin-Yang.
 So Help Me Todd / int_1c5002bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_1c5002bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_1c5002bc
 So Help Me Todd / int_1d9a2764
type
Reality Ensues
 So Help Me Todd / int_1d9a2764
comment
Reality Ensues: Season 1 features a subplot revealing that Alistair Song, one of the firm's named partners, has been embezzling clients' money. In the season 2 premiere, we learn this has, quite understandably, led to trust in the firm hitting rock bottom and many of their existing clients pulling out, so now the firm is going under... and now that Marget is named partner, it's her responsibility to somehow turn things around, making her promoted job much less glamorous than she hoped.
 So Help Me Todd / int_1d9a2764
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_1d9a2764
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_1d9a2764
 So Help Me Todd / int_1ea248b4
type
Neat Freak
 So Help Me Todd / int_1ea248b4
comment
Neat Freak: Lyle's introduction involves him freaking out when Todd leaves crumbs on his desk, and immediately vacuums it clean the moment Todd leaves. Later, he wipes his computer down with disinfectant when Todd touches it.
 So Help Me Todd / int_1ea248b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_1ea248b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_1ea248b4
 So Help Me Todd / int_20860a0e
type
Punch-Clock Villain
 So Help Me Todd / int_20860a0e
comment
Punch-Clock Villain: Many of the opposing prosecutors. Despite clashing fervently in the courtroom, Margaret has perfectly amicable conversations with them elsewhere, with some of them even agreeing to help her client get justice after the case is finished.
 So Help Me Todd / int_20860a0e
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_20860a0e
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_20860a0e
 So Help Me Todd / int_20989d05
type
Parents as People
 So Help Me Todd / int_20989d05
comment
Parents as People: A large part of the family subplot revolves around Margaret's complicated relationship with her children. She is neither a monstrous abuser nor a saint, and both her missteps and attempts to improve fuel a lot of the family drama.
 So Help Me Todd / int_20989d05
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_20989d05
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_20989d05
 So Help Me Todd / int_302fd82f
type
Unconventional Courtroom Tactics
 So Help Me Todd / int_302fd82f
comment
Unconventional Courtroom Tactics: In the first episode, Margaret pretends to change the defendant's plea to guilty in order to bait the real perpetrator into coming forward. Played for Laughs in 1x09, where Margaret asks the witness a series of bizarre and nonsensical questions to bait him into giving enough audio for Todd to create a deep fake video. Everyone else in the courtroom thinks she's lost her mind. Played for Laughs again in 2x03, where Margret deliberately stalls the trial through a series of faked accidents and roundabout witness questioning to buy time for Todd to find the real culprit.
 So Help Me Todd / int_302fd82f
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_302fd82f
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_302fd82f
 So Help Me Todd / int_3dd3951e
type
Cowboy Cop
 So Help Me Todd / int_3dd3951e
comment
Cowboy PI: Downplayed for Todd, who is VERY willing to bend the law, but shies away from actual abuse of suspects/crime scenes to break a case.
 So Help Me Todd / int_3dd3951e
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_3dd3951e
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_3dd3951e
 So Help Me Todd / int_3f64f116
type
Glitter Litter
 So Help Me Todd / int_3f64f116
comment
Glitter Litter: Margaret gets caught in the crossfire of a prank war between Lyle and Todd and accidentally sets off a glitter bomb that's still stuck on her suit and hair when she gets to the courtroom.
 So Help Me Todd / int_3f64f116
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_3f64f116
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_3f64f116
 So Help Me Todd / int_4a6e9fd9
type
Obnoxious In-Laws
 So Help Me Todd / int_4a6e9fd9
comment
Obnoxious In-Laws: Inverted with Chet, Lawrence's husband, who if anything gets along with the family better than Lawrence himself. He even helps Margaret with some of her cases.
 So Help Me Todd / int_4a6e9fd9
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_4a6e9fd9
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_4a6e9fd9
 So Help Me Todd / int_54856973
type
Accuse the Witness
 So Help Me Todd / int_54856973
comment
Accuse the Witness: The resolution to episode 1x05. Margaret turns out to be right.
 So Help Me Todd / int_54856973
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_54856973
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_54856973
 So Help Me Todd / int_54a85cfa
type
Law Procedural
 So Help Me Todd / int_54a85cfa
comment
Law Procedural: Half of every given episode is taken up with the legal aspects of Todd and Margaret's cases.
 So Help Me Todd / int_54a85cfa
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_54a85cfa
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_54a85cfa
 So Help Me Todd / int_598513bb
type
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling
 So Help Me Todd / int_598513bb
comment
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Todd and Allison have this dynamic, respectively. Allison was a straight-A student who now enjoys life as a wealthy doctor, while Todd is a screw-up who's reduced to living in her garage. This is occasionally reversed when Allison's Stepford Smiler situation makes her snap, with Todd even lampshading how good it feels to be the responsible sibling for once.
 So Help Me Todd / int_598513bb
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_598513bb
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_598513bb
 So Help Me Todd / int_62fd5552
type
Bavarian Fire Drill
 So Help Me Todd / int_62fd5552
comment
Bavarian Fire Drill: Todd's favorite tactic for getting access to places where he's not supposed to be.
 So Help Me Todd / int_62fd5552
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_62fd5552
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_62fd5552
 So Help Me Todd / int_707193f6
type
Aloof Big Brother
 So Help Me Todd / int_707193f6
comment
Aloof Big Brother: Lawrence, the third Wright sibling, rarely visits his family and treats his siblings coldly, to the point Todd cracks jokes about him being a robot. His husband interacts with the family far more often than Lawrence himself.
 So Help Me Todd / int_707193f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_707193f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_707193f6
 So Help Me Todd / int_7286e96d
type
Idiot Ball
 So Help Me Todd / int_7286e96d
comment
Idiot Ball: Episode 1x14, "Against All Todds", relies pretty heavily on Todd and Margaret trading this off. Veronica comes to Todd begging for one last favor before she disappears from his life forever, which he accepts. That part's reasonable given his past behavior, but then, even after discovering the whole thing is a Frame-Up, Todd continues chasing Veronica's assistant and believes everything she says. Despite Margaret telling him he's a gullible idiot, Margaret herself goes along with it, and makes no attempt to disguise or legally protect herself before entering an illegal gambling ring, despite knowing Veronica already used this exact tactic as a trap against Todd earlier in the episode. Moreover, despite prior episodes establishing that Todd records everything, he conveniently forgot to do this during his initial conversation with Veronica, despite knowing Veronica is a Manipulative Bastard. To cap it all off, the ending of the episode reveals Veronica somehow got her assistant arrested for her crimes in her place, despite them looking nothing alike, extending the Idiot Ball to the entire court system.
 So Help Me Todd / int_7286e96d
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_7286e96d
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_7286e96d
 So Help Me Todd / int_762b9223
type
Played for Laughs
 So Help Me Todd / int_762b9223
comment
Played for Laughs again in 2x03, where Margret deliberately stalls the trial through a series of faked accidents and roundabout witness questioning to buy time for Todd to find the real culprit.
 So Help Me Todd / int_762b9223
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_762b9223
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_762b9223
 So Help Me Todd / int_822ff0d7
type
Relative Error
 So Help Me Todd / int_822ff0d7
comment
Relative Error: The parodic lone wolf PI mistakes Todd and Allison's sibling banter for Belligerent Sexual Tension, provoking a flabbergasted response from Todd.
 So Help Me Todd / int_822ff0d7
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_822ff0d7
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_822ff0d7
 So Help Me Todd / int_83a903f6
type
Stepford Smiler
 So Help Me Todd / int_83a903f6
comment
Stepford Smiler: Allison initially appears to have a great life as a respected doctor married to a Nice Guy. However, as the series progresses, she starts to fall apart as she reveals the childhood pressure to be the golden child has stunted her emotional development and left her with no strong sense of personal identity.
 So Help Me Todd / int_83a903f6
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_83a903f6
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_83a903f6
 So Help Me Todd / int_83b44e80
type
Straight Gay
 So Help Me Todd / int_83b44e80
comment
Straight Gay: Lawrence is a professional, humorless military graduate who works for the governor of Oregon. His sexuality is never mentioned aside from the fact he has a husband. Deconstructed in 2x06, where he experiences an existential crisis over his identity as a gay man due to his lack of engagement with the gay community or stereotypically gay interests.
 So Help Me Todd / int_83b44e80
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_83b44e80
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_83b44e80
 So Help Me Todd / int_88933ad4
type
Parental Favoritism
 So Help Me Todd / int_88933ad4
comment
Parental Favoritism: Discussed in 1x07 between the three Wright siblings. Todd and Lawrence each think the other is Margaret's favorite, citing her constant bragging over Lawrence's accomplishments and her dropping everything to keep Todd out of jail, respectively. Allison, meanwhile, self-confidently believes she's the favorite, but it's clear the stress of being the golden child has given her her own problems.
 So Help Me Todd / int_88933ad4
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_88933ad4
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_88933ad4
 So Help Me Todd / int_8af7b342
type
Sibling Yin-Yang
 So Help Me Todd / int_8af7b342
comment
Sibling Yin-Yang: Todd and Lawrence. Todd is a wild, chaotic Cowboy PI with little regard for rules who frequently gets in trouble with the law. Lawrence is a stern, stoic graduate of a military academy with a prestigious career. This causes a lot of friction between the two.
 So Help Me Todd / int_8af7b342
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_8af7b342
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_8af7b342
 So Help Me Todd / int_8cb4ea46
type
By-the-Book Cop
 So Help Me Todd / int_8cb4ea46
comment
By The Book Lawyer: Margaret, who follows the letter of the law to a fault.
 So Help Me Todd / int_8cb4ea46
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_8cb4ea46
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_8cb4ea46
 So Help Me Todd / int_8e20b0f7
type
Private Detective
 So Help Me Todd / int_8e20b0f7
comment
Private Detective: Todd — or at least, at heart. He was a professional PI until his license was revoked due to his partner's involvement in criminal enterprises, and working for Margaret allows him to claw back towards this.
 So Help Me Todd / int_8e20b0f7
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_8e20b0f7
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_8e20b0f7
 So Help Me Todd / int_9aef4f64
type
Propping Up Their Patsy
 So Help Me Todd / int_9aef4f64
comment
Propping Up Their Patsy: The central twist of episode 1x07, where it's revealed Chloe's parents, who initially present themselves as acting in her best interests, were in fact the ones who ordered Chloe to commit the crime in the first place, and were planning to use her as a scapegoat if anyone discovered the truth.
 So Help Me Todd / int_9aef4f64
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_9aef4f64
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_9aef4f64
 So Help Me Todd / int_a6bf7a7b
type
Ambulance Chaser
 So Help Me Todd / int_a6bf7a7b
comment
Ambulance Chaser: One of their clients is a notorious personal injury lawyer who's been accused of running a scheme to fake injuries, which got a guy killed. It turns out her assistant was running the scam under her name specifically to cash in on her reputation.
 So Help Me Todd / int_a6bf7a7b
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_a6bf7a7b
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_a6bf7a7b
 So Help Me Todd / int_aa58bf92
type
Working with the Ex
 So Help Me Todd / int_aa58bf92
comment
Working with the Ex: A dark take on the trope. In "The Devil You Know", to help with the case of a murdered investigative reporter, Todd goes to visit Veronica, his former partner, ex-girlfriend and the woman that got him arrested and his PI license revoked, for advice. Margaret is appalled by this. After helping him and Margaret catch the murderer, Todd tells Veronica they're finally through, only for the ending of the episode to reveal Veronica got released due to her help in catching the perpetrator. After thanking the judge for her mercy, Veronica then proceeds to walk out of the courthouse with a slightly sinister smile on her face. Happens the other way around in "Against All Todds", where Veronica comes to Todd for help: She's being hunted by a crime family, and needs him to pick up money from their old office to help her escape. Todd agrees on the condition they never see each other again. This turns out to be a trap designed to frame Todd and Margaret for Veronica's own illegal activities.
 So Help Me Todd / int_aa58bf92
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_aa58bf92
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_aa58bf92
 So Help Me Todd / int_b11ac9f5
type
Abusive Parents
 So Help Me Todd / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: The parents of Margaret's client in episode 1x07, who are revealed to have kept their children in an abusive conservatorship since they were minors and even go so far as to frame them for their own criminal activities.
 So Help Me Todd / int_b11ac9f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_b11ac9f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_b11ac9f5
 So Help Me Todd / int_c8b4278b
type
Straight Man and Wise Guy
 So Help Me Todd / int_c8b4278b
comment
Straight Man and Wise Guy: The PIs, Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and Todd, form this type of pairing.
 So Help Me Todd / int_c8b4278b
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_c8b4278b
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_c8b4278b
 So Help Me Todd / int_e70127
type
The Mole
 So Help Me Todd / int_e70127
comment
The Mole: Lyle's girlfriend Alex is a spy working to steal the firm's secrets.
 So Help Me Todd / int_e70127
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_e70127
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_e70127
 So Help Me Todd / int_name
type
ItemName
 So Help Me Todd / int_name
comment
 So Help Me Todd / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 So Help Me Todd / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
So Help Me Todd / int_name
 So Help Me Todd / int_name
itemName
So Help Me Todd

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

 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
Private Detective / int_32e1aab7
 So Help Me Todd
hasFeature
Series of the 2020s / int_32e1aab7