| rdfs:comment | - This is a trope for all the times a characters' reflection in a mirror is different than what others (viewer included) see with the naked eye. In fiction, mirrors are treated as able to cause Glamour Failure in supernatural creatures, reveal Mind Control, and if the mirror is magical, reveal a character's true nature. The most common uses are revealing the true form of a Shape Shifter, that a character is a Vampire or soulless, and if a character is under Mind Control. A subtrope of Glamour Failure and Lie to the Beholder. Compare The Shadow Knows. Examples:
|
| abstract | - This is a trope for all the times a characters' reflection in a mirror is different than what others (viewer included) see with the naked eye. In fiction, mirrors are treated as able to cause Glamour Failure in supernatural creatures, reveal Mind Control, and if the mirror is magical, reveal a character's true nature. The most common uses are revealing the true form of a Shape Shifter, that a character is a Vampire or soulless, and if a character is under Mind Control. In the first case, the mirror is acting the same way for the viewer as for the characters. We're being shown the monster's true form. In Mind Control cases (specifically the Freaky Friday, Sharing a Body, Demonic Possession and Split Personality) we're being shown what the characters are seeing that we aren't. The mirror shows the physical body of the character, while the camera shows the character controlling the body. The characters in the show will see the mirror image, i.e. the controlled person all the time. Directors can use this to create a sense of tension by showing only the viewer a monster's reflection, and keeping the other characters in the dark. Another common variation is for the mirror to show an aspect of a person's personality. The nasty, spiteful, cruel, but beautiful girl becomes a hag in the magic mirror. Conversely, it can reveal the Reluctant Monster or balefully polymorphed character to be noble and good. A subtrope of Glamour Failure and Lie to the Beholder. Compare The Shadow Knows. Examples:
|
