Seriously. Like Wikipedia, reading one entry at TV Tropes leads to another and then another and then another and then another still, and suddenly it's like, "Hey, why is it dark outside and what have I been doing for the past ten hours?!" But unlike Wikipedia, which might actually teach you something you didn't already know (whether you retain said knowledge or not), TV Tropes mostly involves browsing humorous descriptions and examples of stuff with which you were probably already familiar... so it's like time has just vanished and you don't have any new trivia about the diet of elephants or the habitat of penguins to share.
In fact, that's the main draw of the site! When I read about a familiar trope and go down the lengthy lists of examples, I mainly scan for shows I've seen so that I can recall the relevant scenes and enjoy a hearty laugh or a knowing smile. Yes. (more...)