Pets as Reflections of Characters
In many TV shows, pets often serve as reflections or extensions of their owners' personalities. For example, in the discussion about characters being represented as animals, a husky mix is likened to a cat due to its aloof but affectionate nature [2:1]. Similarly, Gale is compared to a parrot because of his chattiness and curiosity
[2:2]. These comparisons highlight how pets can mirror and amplify certain traits of their human counterparts, adding depth to character dynamics.
Cultural and Worldbuilding Elements
Pets can also play a significant role in worldbuilding and cultural representation within TV shows. In one discussion, it was noted that the behavior of animal-like characters might be influenced by cultural elements, similar to how immigrants maintain traditions from their homeland [3:1]. This suggests that pets and animal characters can be used to explore and express cultural identities, enriching the narrative and providing opportunities for viewers to engage with diverse perspectives.
Symbolism and Metaphors
Pets in TV shows are often used symbolically to represent broader themes or ideas. For instance, in the context of a world where everyone is either an animal or human, the existence of a character like Pluto raises questions about societal roles and relationships [3:2]. Such symbolism can provoke thought and discussion among viewers, encouraging them to consider deeper meanings behind seemingly simple interactions between characters and their pets.
Emotional Connections and Humor
The presence of pets can enhance emotional connections between characters and provide comic relief. Discussions about Finn's obsession with pets illustrate how pets can evoke affection and humor, creating lighter moments in a show [4:1]
[5:1]. These interactions can make characters more relatable and endearing to audiences, fostering a sense of warmth and familiarity.
Influence on Plot Development
While not always central to the plot, pets can influence storylines and character decisions. The idea of pets or animal representations influencing dynamics is evident in discussions about how they might affect worldbuilding or character motivations [3:5]. By introducing pets into the narrative, writers can create new conflicts, resolutions, and character arcs, adding complexity and intrigue to the storyline.
Wow, now this, a dog au, is what I live for
I love dachshunds and ASOUE I am in love with your profile
Well thank you! I love your flair
I knew he was a border collie! Its all in the eyes, I tell you!
Edit: Ah, well, no thats a terrier.
EDIT 2: I can imagine him sulking in a cage.
YUP he’s a terrier Scottish deerhound mix, at first I started drawing these characters as dogs for funsies and then for some reason I turned it into a full on dog au, don’t know why I did that.
And yeah I can imagine him sulking anywhere
he's just a very sulky man.
lol! Love this
throw the rice pilaf
Feed it to him, he might get less sulky
I love it figuratively.
Gale is so a parrot. Loves chattering with the flock, curious to the point of insanity, hardcore bonds to a chosen mate. And boy if you think dogs chew things…
As a beagle owner I love the fact that it's the dog used for Gale. Beagles will eat anything and everything if left to their own will. They are total food hounds. Also, they can be very vocal (a different vocal than huskies, but still vocal). I personally love their bay/bark. They can be smart, and curious to a fault, but also silly. Those aspects fit him. I won't disagree that there are other animals that also fit him though.
Oh cool, I didn't know anything about parrots before, they also seem like a good fit
As a ferret owner, they've been done dirty here. Minsc is a ferret. They all have ADHD, are super energetic when awake, surprisingly easy to train, bond closely with others, and have many weird skills.
Gortash is a racoon. For the same reasons as already given.
Ferrets are my favourite pets and you’re 100% right. Ferrets also have zero sense of self-preservation, which is the opposite of Gortash’s whole point.
But neither of them bathe often so I’ll give that to OP.
This is exactly what I was going to write! All the ferrets I've known have been adorable goofballs with no rational or even instinctual comprehension of physics. We had one who assumed that anything she could drag around would fit with her into whatever cramped space she wanted to enter. Once she tried to drag a large bottle of canola oil into her hiding space under the dishwasher. We could only guess she wanted to fry up the potato she'd secreted away the day before.
Oh I have no quarrel with ferrets, I think they're cute. I was just going by their most common perception and I didn't realise that people have pet raccoons
I get that! I think that perceptions of ferrets in my country (UK) are quite different to in the US, we have a long history of using them as working animals, and they're generally much healthier (and less stinky) than the American ferret gene pool. So I read all that and went "that ain't a ferret"
I have a husky mix. They’re cats.
Source: winds himself around my legs, screams at me if his food bowl is empty (but won’t eat it until he’s ready), aloof, but also stage 5 clinger when he feels inclined. Also he’s brought me several dead birds.
Edited a misspelling **
Love huskies! Mine lays on the back of our couch so he can look out the window and keep an eye on things, just like his cat brother
Akshually, since she feels betrayed by Lolth, and isn’t really the type to scheme on people into her web, but rather kill and savour the kill herself, she is somewhat of a dog-snake due to her puppy eyes
i second spider minthara. someone that i enjoy living in my room but most people seem to kill on sight.
I only ask because some episodes do imply that Disney exists and tv tropes brought up how that would greatly change in this world. this is a world where everybody is either animal or human that all talk. With Mickey I took it as the same as just a guy in a suit. In yesterdayland Todd says that Pluto exists. Now how does that work: does Pluto exist as just mickeys idiot sidekick/roommate or is it like he’s like the chickens from gentle farms? After all the writers made it clear pets don’t exist.
There’s also the fact that Diane refers to Katrina as cruella. In cruellas movie she seeks to skin one hundred puppies and use their skins to make coats. And she often walks around wearing fur coats. That implies that 101 Dalmatians exists. So is cruella in their world a serial killer?
Well it was implied the chickens (and by extension all the other animals that get eater) are specially bred that way. As people don't eat dogs in America, I can't imagine any reason they would do the same (though it probably exists in parts of the world were they do eat dog).
So yeah Pluto being just another of Mickey's friends (say he might take outright take Goofy's place in this universe) makes the most sense.
I guess its possible 101 Dalmatians is a horror novel inverse (although the number of children's stories and fairy tales with actual serial killers is kind of scary). But depending on how its interpreted maybe not.
Maybe (and this pure speculation) in this universe Cruella is runs a sweatshop that exploits children her goons kidnap, so in a sense she's still making coats out of puppies.
Its utterly fascinating to think about. Of course thinking like that opens a whole can of worms at how certain real world events played out in Bojack's universe.
Say in this world was the Australian armies failed attempt to cull the Emu's a bonified war where troops were sent in to kill the indigenous inhabitants and lost through over confidence?
Was the Ramree island massacre where the Japanese troops were devoured by the crocodiles, in this universe the equivalent of a controversial act where the partisan resistance massacred the occupying soldiers who got caught attempting to retreat through the swamps?
I remember some fans who speculated that in this universe, notorious man-eaters in real life (such as Gustav the Crocodile or Avari the tigress) are infamous serial killers with the idea they ate people being an urban legend that no one really knows the truth about and most people don't like thinking about.
Really this world is so fascinating and diverse, its almost a shame the story doesn't focus on worldbuilding it. Almost.
I agree with you that it sucks they don’t focus on the worldbuilding. But it’s good we can still speculate. For example I go with PB and Pickles act so much like dogs because it’s a cultural thing. For PB he’s basically an immigrant, and if you’re a Chinese student attending CUNY, you’re probably not gonna stop celebrating Chinese New Year or you might have a Buddha statue somewhere.
Yeah that is very true, it is good we can speculate.
And I certainly agree their is clearly a cultural element to the characters, as well as hints that all races do posses their own cultures, even if their not dominant in this world.
you are reading too much into the appearance. every aspect of the show is designed to lower your guard for hen they hit you with the knife in your stomach that is YOUR problems.
Sorry tbh I’m a writer and a lore whore. When you worldbuild you often have to ask yourself stupid questions like “where does water come from” or “how does education work?” so with other works you tend to do the same. Bojack I love but I do think the worldbuilding was a wasted opportunity.
He's not obsessed. He is just obviously neglected and never gets any pets! Or atleast that's what he said...
Aw, what a demanding cutie-patootie
Sick lego collection
awww finn iss soo cutie patotie I wanna pet him
Finn is insulted you stopped before all his fur is rubbed off.
Happy puppy 😍
No you’re not allowed to stop!!!
"Ummm, why you stops?" 🥰🤣
Happy doggo
I saw “human pet” in the title and it instantly triggered my flight or fight response
do you mean something like debbie from invincible?
Apparently it's normal to fuck your pets on Viltrum.
Yeah that’s what I thought of first
Okay but imagine you’re a normal pet of a superhuman and then an animal with the same powers shows up. How pissed would you be.
I need a Superman and Lois story where Lois has a dog she brings with her when they get married, and its just incredibly jealous of Krypto
Perfect Super Pets movie sequel.
But that's just normal cat behavior
Conversely, imagine the first generation we genetically engineer superhuman, and the poor patients getting outran by their 5 year olds, let alone the comedy of errors that school will likely turn into.
Comedy of horrors. If some of the kids I taught had superpowers, I'd probably be dead by now. Even normal students would probably overthrow the teachers less violently.
yeah if children suddenly started having superpowers id probably rapidly change my worldview to one much more tolerant of pedicide out of self-preservation
Do you have a link for that meme? I can't find it but it's so good
Omg, his little feetz.
Soot sprite was a ballerina in a past life. Perfect turnout.
That’s 100% a soot sprite. 🩷
Shhhhh. It’s going to speak!
This Good Boy needs a bowl of beef-a-rino for dinner!
Idk his face tells me "idk why you taking picture of me I just booty sneezed,, im I getting treat?" He totally felt that one
He knows alright.
He knows what he did
Why would you put your daughter there to get farted on?? Also, maybe ask your vet about changing his food as my dog rarely farts.
oh man, innocent-looking dogs always have some wild stinky secrets up their sleeve, dont they? its like they put on that sweet face just to distract you while scheming their next olfactory offense. if youre trying to decode what’s going on—whether it’s a gut issue or just one of those mysterious doggy quirks—you might wanna snap a pic and run it through pupscan. it’s got this neat AI thing that can clue you in on health stuff or even decode moods, so you’re not just guessing why the air suddenly smells like a landfill. you can find it in the app store if youre curious to see what your dog’s really hiding beyond the adorableness.
My cat of fifteen years recently died at home and even though it was terrible finding him it was worth it because his 3 brothers and sister know what happened to him. We are healing together
That both made me cry and tell people to do this for my babies
Yes! Thinking about my cat or doggos just walking around, confused....omg..it literally hurts to think about. They're too intelligent to be left hanging. They deserve to understand what happened to their owner/mama/dad
When our cats and dogs have died, we have made sure to let their fur siblings get some time to sniff them and see they are gone. I truly believe it helps them.
When my mom passed the family corgi was at home with her and she was terrified when my brother came over and found my mom. I took that sweet girl up to the funeral home so she could see my mom one more time and know that she had passed away. I think it really helped her as she didn’t seem to wander around lost and started eating again.
As someone who works at a dog shelter, they 100% grieve! I also recommend giving them a blanket or shirt or something that the person used frequently so they can find comfort in the scent.
My dog is grieving so hard right now after losing his little cat brother. We’re giving him all the love we can and some of the stuff that belonged to the cat but it just breaks my heart to see him sad.
If you have more than one pet and you need to euthanize one, try to do it at home so your other pets understand and can mourn in their own way.
That’s exactly what I did with my pair of brothers. Vet came to the house and we said goodbye to M, his brother was in the room when it happened and came over to sniff his body and that was that. I’m glad it happened that way.
You gave both of them such a gift. I had 3 cats at one point (I’m failure of a foster parent to be sure) and my eldest girl got really sick and needed to be put downduring a vet visit I didn’t even think about bringing her home. I was too caught up in my own grief and had no idea how much a cat could grieve, too. My other girl mourned DEEPLY for two whole years. She really took it hard. I promised I wouldn’t ever do that again and when it was that girls time recently I had the vet come to our house and let my boy be a part of it. I also left her in her bed on the floor overnight so he could have any of the time for himself.
He seemed to understand much better and even though I know he’s lonely without her, at least he doesn’t seem to wonder where she went. I’ll do the same for him when it’s time but just for his benefit. He’ll be my last kitty for a while.
Yes, that is the way.
Our 2nd last dog had to be put to sleep - we put him in a blanket in a polytunnel.
The remaining dog got to see him and know that he was gone.
When she died only last week our blind resuce dog came to her and licked her face
A character dynamic is a relationship between two characters, the dynamic explores how two characters feel about each other. I think that this dynamic is the most interesting part of any tv-show, not the plot. When you have characters with interesting character dynamics having them do anything is entertaining itself.
It is quite sad that many of these recent bid-budged tv-shows neglect the character dynamics in favor "exciting plot", far as I'm concerned the plot ever be very interesting if I don't care about the character dynamic of the characters that undergo go it.
Nahhh.....
You need both.
Perhaps you need both, Guyver (and that’s perfectly fine), but I think the OP made it clear that s/he gives more weight to character dynamics than action (and that’s fine, too). How did s/he make it clear? By using phrases such as “…I think…” and “…as far as I’m concerned…”.
As for me, I prefer the balance. But, if I had to choose, I’d rather see multi-dimensional interactions between multi-dimensional characters I care about (even if there is relatively little action), as opposed to all action with a bunch of one-dimensional characters.
Heh, I wonder if there are folks who prefer just the action and couldn’t care less about the characters.
I wasn't using "you" specifically at OP. It was a general "you".
Plot is what gives rise to any sort of character dynamics as you need to give these characters something interesting to do to show that they are interesting. How a character overcomes an obstacle is what gives them character. OP is just watching shows with boring characters. If they wanted all character dynamics they'd be better off going to the theatre honestly. Or just shows with two people talking and nothing else.
I feel this way about a lot of modern comedy shows, I feel like they’re missing the straight man which is sooo important to comedy timing and dynamic. When everyone is the weird one certain oddities and character dynamics fall super flat. I haven’t been able to fully embrace Mr. Mayor or Space Force because too often this happens
I would argue danson is enough of straight man in Mr.Mayor
For me, I dont mind a meh plot with great character dynamics/ chemistry but I struggle with a good plot when the character dynamics/ chemistry is off.
How pets influence character dynamics in TV shows
Key Considerations:
Character Development: Pets often serve as catalysts for character growth. They can reveal softer sides of tough characters or provide comic relief, deepening the audience's connection to them.
Relationship Dynamics: Pets can influence relationships between characters. For example, a shared love for a pet can bring characters closer together, while disagreements over pet care can create conflict.
Symbolism: Pets often symbolize loyalty, companionship, or innocence. Their presence can enhance themes of love, loss, or responsibility within the narrative.
Plot Devices: Pets can drive the plot forward, such as being involved in a rescue mission or causing chaos that leads to significant character interactions or revelations.
Audience Relatability: Many viewers have pets, making it easier for them to relate to characters who share similar experiences or challenges with their animals.
Takeaways:
Enhancing Emotional Depth: Pets can add emotional layers to the story, making characters more relatable and their journeys more impactful.
Creating Humor and Lightness: They often provide comedic moments that balance heavier themes, making the show more enjoyable.
Facilitating Conflict and Resolution: Pets can be a source of tension or a means for characters to resolve their differences, showcasing the complexities of human relationships.
Recommendation: When analyzing a TV show, pay attention to how pets are integrated into the storyline and character arcs. Consider how their presence affects character interactions and the overall narrative. Shows like "Friends" with Marcel, or "The Office" with Dwight's beet farm, illustrate these dynamics effectively.
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