Movies and TV Shows

When the protagonist isn't actually doing anything or making any decisions, but mostly reacting to events that happen.

Movies that need to exposition dump to tell the audience what's going on. This isn't radio. If you need to explain everything to me so I can understand what's going on in the plot, it's bad story telling. Show, don't tell.

Knights getting stabbed with swords through plate armor.

We're re-watching GoT and were at the Brienne/Jaime fight on the bridge, and I was just yelling at the screen. He's in rags and she's in plate, both wielding swords, he doesn't have a snowballs' chance in hell if she protects her head and just tackles him. That's what the fucking armor is for! Coincidentally that also would be way more likely to achieve her goal to subdue but not hurt him.

"Here, I got you this gift." Hands wrapped gift to the recipient. Recipient: "What is it?"

Motherfucker I swear every movie character does this. It's like they've never received a gift before what the hell

Normalization of the protagonist using violence before any attempt of diplomacy, without the narrative condemning this action

People getting shot with a shitty handgun and they're dead as soon as they hit the ground. Even if its a fatal shot, chances are quite high you're going to die minutes or hours or days later if you make it to a hospital.

People hiding behind cars from bullets. Bullets being shot at the car and somehow not hitting them. Only the engine block could stop most bullets.

Is that not how chloroform works?

I have grown to really fucking hate deus ex machina in any form. Luck is always a factor, but c'mon. It usually comes down to lazy writing and they just couldn't be assed to come up with an explanation.

I have two.

When a woman's child is threatened she goes stupid and hysterical. Like in Lost when she just keeps screaming "my baby!". Yes parents get highly motivated when their child is in danger but they don't get stupid and lose agency.

In any setting where rope would be rare and expensive and they just cut the bonds instead of untying them. It's understandable when time is critical like a prisoner break or the building is on fire. But in a society where someone spent a week making that rope and you just cut it instead of taking 5 min to preserve the rope.

For that matter, when someone gets shot center mass and they collapse like Cypher just pulled them from the matrix

Explosive decompression in space. It seems to always last forever, suck EVERYTHING out, even if it's a tiny hole through which a giant xenomorph is liquified. The delta P is like one atmosphere, pathetic really.

Then there's noise in space.