Living vicariously through the internet.
E-mail: White667@Googlemail.com
A slight modification on the mysterious background, this peeve is slightly less prominent but notably more annoying. This is: limitless ability. To explain better, this is when a character has the ability to do just about anything, although it’s usually focused on one specific aspect.
Obvious examples here: the spy who always makes the perfect shot, the thief who can break any safe, the poker player which always wins or the policeman who always sees what other don’t. These crop up in a lot of shows and it can be either a crutch or actually done rather well.
To be fair, I wouldn’t include the Sherlock Holmes books here, it may seem as if he knows everything but there’s always justification. His using a new form of investigative perception here and so in context he knows a lot. I would, however, include Sherlock Holmes from the recent film. Although we, as the audience, would easily be able to work out everything he does, it may all make logical sense and not everything always goes his way; he still works out things using information his not actually privy to.
People who use new technology, have a better background knowledge or are just lucky can still have faults. The problem here is when it’s overplayed or not thought out correctly.
Something pointed out by a lot of people, even the writers, is that Dr.Who’s sonic screwdriver is the ultimate tool in which to get out of trouble. The Doctor can talk his way out of any situation, he can work through any computer, he knows every piece of information necessary and with the screwdriver he can get through any door, lock or physical obstacle.
This device has changed a lot over the years, mainly for that reason. Writers have made it less powerful, creating a couple ‘kryptonite’ locks. Removing it completely from The Doctors arsenal in a few incarnations, others simply using is sparingly or keeping it as a backup. For further information on the specifics:
