Talk:Red herring (narrative)

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Maybe I´ve missunderstood something but the example from "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door", doesn't sound like a red herring, but then again I´ve never played Paper Mario.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.102.40.202 (talk) 19:03, January 14, 2008

The Scooby-Doo paragraph in its current form makes no sense. I don't know enough about the topic to fix it however: Cpeel (talk) 02:20, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

In the animated series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, every episode Freddy accuses the wrong person, the same person every time, a Red Herring (the character's actual name). Commonly, in the series and threatens Freddy every time he is accused and gives an alibi, thus giving some reason to suspect him despite the fact that the clues don't target him as the fugitive. Only twice is Freddy right about Red, once in a flashback on the Scooby-Doo Detective Agency's first case about a spook in the preschool playground when the cast was only in diapers and again in the only episode Freddy doesn't verbally accuse Red due to a bet/dare that he wouldn't accuse Red when Red's aunt's motorcycle is stolen but Red only stole it to have it repaired as a birthday present.

[edit] Plot device

A red herring is not a plot device, it's a plot element. A plot device is something introduced to a story solely for advancing the plot - a red herring doesn't advance the plot, it actually distracts from the plot. I think plot element or narrative element is the word we are looking for. DJ Clayworth (talk) 13:41, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't know - if the plot is considered to be (to grab a quote from the plot article) "all the events in a story particularly rendered towards the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect", then a red herring is positive part of that, rather than a negative distraction. It's an intentional part of the story. --McGeddon (talk) 13:50, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Prison Break

A red herring was used in Prison Break when it showed Sara's head in a box but it was later revealed she had not been a victim of decapitation and was alive and well.

[edit] Paul Cramer

A prominent example of the "red herring" in soap operas is the murder of Paul Cramer on One Life To Live. Paul was a primary character in the infamous "baby switch" storyline on One Life To Live and All My Children. When he was murdered, the killer was revealed to be Daniel Colson, who was being blackmailed by Paul because he was gay. Prior to the reveal, the two characters had no interaction with each other at all.

Where is the distracting element in this? The murder itself? The not-known-until-the-end killer or blackmail? ALL the rest of the cast, since Paul seems to have been disliked? This needs to be clarified or the example removed. -- From (talk) 12:58, 5 June 2008 (CET)