Have you ever watched a movie, or a show, and you predict how it will end or what will happen next, and you were right? It either makes you feel smart because you guessed it and you were right, or you guess it right and feel nothing because you’ve seen this happen so many times in other films and shows that you already saw it coming. When it happens, it feels underwhelming. It’s very bland. Entering 2025, here are some of the most washed-up tropes and cliches that we need to leave behind in 2024.
The Miscommunication Trope
Starting off strong is the miscommunication trope. This is the trope where the two characters constantly have misunderstandings because they missed little details to understand what the other character was trying to say. This is especially annoying when these two characters are each other’s love interests. What I notice about this trope is that every time there is a misunderstanding, one of them avoids the other person. And then that other person thinks that the person who is avoiding them is losing interest or ghosting them. And guess what? They NEVER talk it out. The problem or misunderstanding in question could always be easily hashed out after a one-on-one conversation. But of course, they never do it. They always figure out that they’re wrong on accident or by talking to their friends and hearing other perspectives. It is never by them talking it out with each other. This trope is not enjoyable at all…VERY stressful.
Love Triangles…
I have rarely ever seen any good love triangles. Finding an actual good love triangle is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Not only does the main character always end up with the person who was introduced first, but 99% of the time the other option is objectively better. The first love interests could have done them wrong in a billion ways and occasionally be caring and nice while the second love interests have been nothing but sweet and considerate to them. But guess who’s being chosen? It’s not the sweet considerate one. Also, I hate it when they try to make one interest look bad so that the protagonist chooses the other person-like how they do to the objectively better love interest. It will be randomly revealed that they lied about something ONCE and now the other love interest that has done the protagonist wrong in a billion ways suddenly is the one for them. While there might be some anomaly stories with love triangles that are good, there are too many bad ones that heavily outweigh anything even a quarter decent so it might as well just go.
The Vortex.
Saving the best for last, a trope that genuinely needs to go is the trope where there is a friend group and everyone in that friend group has dated each other before. There’s not much to say about this one because I just don’t like it. This mostly happens on TV shows, and I just find it unnecessary. It is either they start dating each other, or they start having random hookups or randomly kiss each other one episode. Like okay I get they’re teenagers with hormones, but it is NEVER that bad where it gets to the point where we’re doing it with our friends. Keep the friendships platonic, PLEASE.
Whenever I am watching a show or a movie, or just reading a book, I’m always making predictions. I also always make notes of what I do NOT want to see. While there are always outliers where they do these cliches and tropes well, they generally are underwhelming and predictable. That is why we should say goodbye and start our new year with a fresh perspective.