| abstract | - A character has just gotten a new gun and checks himself out in the mirror. What does he do? Nine times out of ten, he starts talking to his reflection, quoting Robert De Niro's famous monologue from Taxi Driver. He doesn't even need a real gun - if he just wants to feel Badass there's always the trusty Finger Gun. Of course, when De Niro did it, it was 10 times cooler. He also had a retractable handgun strapped to his forearm, which none of the imitators seem to have. Neither one of these defects seems to stop writers from inserting this scene at every opportunity. It doesn't matter what the character's background or psychological profile is: It seems that all TV characters, once given a gun, will immediately start to fantasize about verbally harassing people. For some reason, everyone seems to remember the line as "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well I don't see anyone else here..." In some cases, the characters may literally be talking to you. In this case, it's Breaking the Fourth Wall. Examples:
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