comment: >
  
  "When a plot element is introduced it usually ends up getting used."
  Bravo
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  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
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  It's Chekhov’s Gun
  Edit: spelling >
  
  When watching “Everything everywhere all at once”, I saw the buttplug trophies on the desk and snickered to my brother that they are Checkovs Buttplugs… I was right >
  
  The sequence of the goons trying to penetrate themselves with the buttplugs to gain fighting abilities was crazy (as is most of the movie). >
  
  As someone who hasn’t seen or heard of the movie, W H A T
  Edit: As someone who has now seen the movie, W H A T >
  
  People get "powers" from other universes versions of themselves by doing nonsensical actions. 2 goons are trying to jump on a set off butt plugs to unlock kung fu skills from another universe. Weird movie! >
  
  Fuck me I think I missed that KEY INFORMATION when I watched it, had no fucking idea what was going on >
  
  How did you miss the whole sequence where she had to switch her shoes, and the ensuing series of conversations regarding extremely low probability actions such as chewing up a stick of chapstick? Lol >
  
  I can’t tell if this is real or satire. Am… am I having a stroke? >
  
  That's how the film feels >
  
  Another similar thing: when someone coughs in real life you don't think anything of it, people coughing is normal. However when someone coughs in a movie you already know that person is ill and probably has a serious condition. >
  
  And every woman puking is pregnant. >
  
  And every pregnant woman wants two combined foods that are so random they could be decided with a couple of d20 rols. >
  
  :rolls:
  Hotdog buns and weiners. >
  
  Weiners is how they get pregnant >
  
  The hot dogs were really just the wieners we met along the way >
  
  Yeah, Veronica, but just because you met a wiener didn’t mean you had to up and sleep with it! >
  
  Every fucking time a woman pukes on TV -- unless they're obviously overdosing -- I feel like the "Oh shit I'm pregnant" reveal is right around the corner, and lo and behold, it almost always is. >
  
  I dunno.
  Bridesmaids they just all had food poisoning. >
  
  I said it almost always is, to be fair! >
  
  This is checkovs gun. If a gun is introduced in act 1, it will be used by act 3 >
  
  Or in both acts two and four! >
  
  If not, it will definitely be used in act five or six. >
  
  Soap Opera Corollary: If a character mentions a headache, they'll be dead of a brain tumor in a week. >
  
  This is what everyone who gets migraines thinks all the time. >
  
  If I get my severe migraines, I’m willing it to happen.
  Ironically, when I did have something wrong with my brain (2 demyelinating lesions with inflammation), I didn’t have a headache in sight. >
  
  My dad actually did have brain cancer and I don't remember him complaining about his head hurting even once. 
  As someone who gets migraines though, having a family member die of brain cancer makes my anxiety really happy. Endless fuel. >
  
  Or a mention of an estranged relative.
  Welp... we know who comes in later and saves or ruins the moment. >
  
  "We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no."
  I reckon Bruno's gonna be key to this. >
  
  He told me my fish would die. The next day, dead! >
  
  And whenever there is a guy in a dark hooded suit and breathing heavily he is always the father of the protagonist >
  
  Batman is Bruce Wayne's dad? >
  
  In the flashpoint timeline, yes >
  
  So what's Bruce up to...?
  ...wha- what's Bruce doing in that timeline...?
  Oh, he's frolicking on a farm upstate, I bet! >
  
  Also, if they tell you what the plan is - it is guaranteed to go wrong.  
  If they only tell you part of or none of the plan - it will work. >
  
  This has ruined suspense ever since I learned it lol >
  
  Also bleeding during pregnancy means they’ve lost the baby. 
  Once I was pregnant I found out how common bleeding & spotting is during a perfectly fine pregnancies. Oh and the “bloody show” later on. >
  
  The quantity of blood is important though >
  
  It would take a long time to kill me with hayfever.  I'd have to sneeze myself to death.  Maybe they spray pollen at me while I'm defus8ng a bomb. >
  
  In movie, it means you'll sneeze at the exact wrong time when you're hiding from the villain and they'll discover you >
  
  That actually would happen.  Or during my sex scene. >
  
  It'd be a weird film if they mention a allergy and it has absolutely nothing to do with the plot >
  
  In the movie Moonfall the guy mentions his IBS several times, yet doesn't shit his pants at the end. >
  
  I am greatly disappointed. >
  
  By the film or the lack of poopy pants? >
  
  That this was not Chekhov's pants. >
  
  Chekhov’s Bum >
  
  My favorite is when the act like it none of your business and should never be mentioned because its embarrassing.
  Like MF we are stuck in a peanut factory and you didnt think to tell us you got a nut allergy?!?! >
  
  I didn't think it would be important >
  
  And whenever the phone rings there's never just a wrong number or a bum dial >
  
  And never a scam call >
  
  This!!! 50 spam calls a day and this guy gets none??? >
  
  I could see a Scream movie pulling this fakeout. You think it's gonna be the killer but it's someone asking about their cars extended warranty. >
  
  If you show a gun in the first act you have to use it by the third >
  
  Thanks, Anton. Chekhov’s allergies. >
  
  Marvel Phase 6
  Pepper Potts gets murdered with strawberries >
  
  Ironically she was severely allergic to pepper. >
  
  I’ve started noticing small details in movies that I feel like ruin the movie for me. If a character says something like man I can’t wait to go home and see my daughter, he’s getting killed off. Started ruining movies for myself this way >
  
  If a husband and wife are frolicking under a fluffy white blanket as the sun rises during the opening credits... she's dead now. >
  
  You always knew when someone was going to die on Walking Dead because they would have a scene where nothing is really happening but everyone is just so content and idyllic, I swear they have a filter just for that moment. >
  
  Brightness filter with added sun rays. >
  
  With a small number of exceptions of when allergies are used as part of the short hand for being an nerd/loser/outcast.  When a person is being described and "they're like allergic to everything" it usually doesn't kill them, it's just to other them.  Also, occasionally a person is allergic to chocolate and it is short hand to mean they are sad but resilient as an outsider. >
  
  Anyone see Burn After Reading? George Clooney’s character is a paranoid narcissist who mentions multiple times that he has deadly food allergies. He never once has a reaction and it has no bearing on the plot at all, other than establishing that he’s paranoid to the point of inventing illnesses. >
  
  Great movie, but also probably the exception that proves the rule. >
  
  No, danial jackson in stargate has allergies and isn’t killed or poisoned. >
  
  I'm pretty sure he gets killed and poisoned multiple times. 
  (Yes I know you were specifically referring to him getting killed by his allergies given the context it's just funny to me given your wording not specifying that.) >
  
  If it’s mentioned, it’s important. Nothing in a film is on accident >
  
  Good directors/writers of mystery plots do introduce misdirection and red herrings… but it seems to be exceedingly rare anymore. >
  
  I think it's a change in mystery philosophy.  A jigsaw puzzle with extra pieces is just sort of annoying.  A jigsaw puzzle with what seems like extra pieces that actually just intricately fit together right at the end is interesting, and provides a fun "aha" moment for people.  It's so much more satisfying when all of the elements come together, even if they seem random and unrelated. >
  
  Red herrings are fun too. I saw something in Glass Onion >!The governor has this moment where she makes a weird move and bumps into Dave Bautista and moves her arm in a way that looks like she stole his gun!< that led me down a wrong path and provided a great Ah ha. I’ve gone back and watched that scene again and it was deliberately directed that way. It was brilliant, and fun for those who saw it. >
  
  Glass Onion is a great example actually because >!almost the entire movie is a red herring. Peg, whiskey, that bit with the governor. All obfuscation the exceedingly simple answer.!< >
  
  Correct. >
  
  Reminds me of knives out, a glass onion mystery 
  Pineapple, just a pineapple >
  
  
  !Duke don't dance with pineapple.!< >
  
  It's better than the usual application of this trope because >!he doesn't explicitly mention an allergy, he just implies he doesn't like it, and quickly moves on, so even if you're aware of this trope, you may not think much of it!<. >
  
  On first viewing with my dad, I noticed >!Duke saying he doesn't do pineapple and figured it was an allergy. I connected the dots when he died after sipping Miles' drink.!< I excitedly wrote down >!"pineapple juice"!< on a piece of paper and said >!"I think I know what killed him. Not who or why but what he died of."!<
  When they explain that piece, I revealed what I wrote down. My dad flatly accused me of having seen it before and did not believe me otherwise lmao. >
  
  Haha I love the idea of writing down your theories on paper while watching a mystery film. >
  
  It's real fun especially for mysteries with a lot of twists! So many details to notice and theories to form. >
  
  I was pretty proud of myself I was able to call it that >!Duke showed Miles the Google alert on his phone for Andi’s death. As soon as we find out she’s dead I told my wife “oooooh that’s what he showed Miles on his phone.” She’s like nah. I’m like “the Google alerts babe! Why else would they mention the Google alerts?!”!< >
  
  I watched that scene it again and >!it totally jumped out how stilted that dialogue seemed compared to how they talked normally! I couldn't believe how I didn't notice it the first go around. Incredible acting to be juuust stiff enough to clue in those paying attention that something's up, but not go full-on ~wink wink, nudge nudge, hey look we're lying!~!< >
  
  That's because it isn't necessary to mention allergies that aren't integral to the story.
  Unless the mentioning of the allergy is a red herring ... or used ironically for some sort of callback or metaphor to add depth or humor. >
  
  Or a character defining element like George Clooney’s character in Burn After Reading. >
  
  I saw a movie where the person was allergic to sesame seeds, and they died from sesame oil in their salad. But sesame oil doesn’t cause a reaction like the seeds; something during the oilification process kills the allergens.
  So the whole movie was a joke >
  
  Bruh >
  
  Or if it’s shown they use an inhaler, they’ll need it later in the movie and it won’t be available >
  
  As someone with pretty severe allergies, it bothers the fuck out of me when people with allergies in movies aren’t constantly watching out for them like a hawk. The only time I feel like this was played well was in Parasite where they’d sprinkle peach fuzz on the lady. Like, no one would be able to defend against that unless they knew what was happening. >
  
  Whatever that movie was where that kid got stung to death by wasps has stayed in my brain. I saw it once when i was like 8 and havnt forgotten that scene. I dont remember what it was called, but i think it mightve been Macauley Culkin that was killed off. >
  
  My Girl. >
  
  I assume you've seen a recent Netflix movie which led you to this assumption >
  
  You mean the movie where a character says "that's like putting a loaded gun on the table and turning out the lights" and then later on that actually happens? >
  
  I have an allergy to $100 bills...
  If I'm ever given 10,000,000 or more of them I could die...
  JustSaying >
  
  In other news, local redditor crushed to death under heavy pile of $100 bills. Witnesses report his last words were “achoo” >
  
  My favorite time this happened was when Kevin Hart's character in jumanji is like,  "Cake? Nothing bad happened." Then his whole body blows up >
  
  Chekov's Gun. Writers aren't going to mention an allergy unless it's going to be relevant to the plot later. >
  
  Because good movie is supposed to show you only things that are important for the story >
  
  tell me more about this radical theory of yours >
  
  It was already mentioned, and this theory is called "checkov's gun" >
  
  My bad, you didn't pick up the sarcasm. Sorry mate. >
  
  Anytime a post is made in this subreddit, that person usually has no idea what a shower thought actually is. >
  
  One time, Velma’s allergies helped the Mystery Inc gang deduce that there were two people playing living scarecrows.  And Velma didn’t die. >
  
  She's the nerd. >
  
  I had friend from school (not very close, but i liked her) only two things I remember about her; her favourite band, and that she has a peanut allergy. Looked her up a few years ago and she'd died from eating food contaminated with peanuts, aged 24. I still think of her when I listen to Alkaline Trio. >
  
  Chekhov’s Gun. 
  My A-level film studies teacher always emphasised that films are usually edited to within an inch of their lives due to cost, time restraints, censorship etc., so everything left in is relevant to the plot and characterisations. >
  
  I love the mention of Jake's allergies as a misdirect in the TV show 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'. 
  It's mentioned that he is allergic to bees and wasps several times throughout the run of the show, and in the final season they actually have an incident involving a swarm of bees.
  While Jake loudly tells everyone to protect him because he's allergic, another character gets stung and has a severe reaction despite it never being mentioned that they are also allergic, which leads Jake to admit that stings just make his throat a little scratchy. >
  
  Generally making something obscure known about a character leads to using that information later.
  Elwood working in a glue factory in The Blues Brothers meant he was equipped to sabotage some vehicles with glue later in the film. It's more or less the same principle. >
  
  I was thinking about the times that in comedies someone who is allergic in shellfish eats it and their face gets super puffy and their eyes red and shut - but I guess that's, uh, what you mean by "poisoned" 
  You're right though that in more serious movies [cough, My Girl] more serious consequences arise from allergic reactions >
  
  This reminds me of the scene from "The Room" where one of the characters mention that she "definitely has breast cancer", but does nothing with this information. NOTHING. 
  I guess it adds to the charm of how bad the movie is, but it's definitely weird to mention something in a movie and not follow through with it in the context of a movie. >
  
  Most characteristics that are explicitly mentioned in books are normally devices for future plot development. So yeah, you're right, it's like when a book mentions a character coughing a lot, be sure that something like pneumunia will be revealed later. >
  
  Chekhov's Rifle >
  
  Chekhov’s allergy >
  
  I misread this as “allegory” and was confused for a hot thirty seconds. >
  
  This was painfully telegraphed in "The Glass Onion"
  
  !Dave Bautista's character is offered a tropical drink and asks if there's pineapple in it, because he "doesn't do pineapple"
  It was a really obvious exposition and a bit silly of the character, he has a lethal allergy, doesn't carry medication, and brushes it off as "I don't do pineapple"!<