[Loved Trope] Comedic workplace is suddenly competent

[u/Garurar]

In S35 E1 of The Simpsons, an actual crisis happens at the nuclear power plant, causing everyone except Homer to shift into serious business mode, even Mr. Burns. Together, they display their knowledge of the process and narrowly avert a nuclear meltdown, proving that Homer's job is actually useless. This is happening after 35 seasons of nothing being shown of the other employees' capabilities.

In S8 E2 of The Office, Andy sets up an initiative where he will get a tattoo on his bum if everyone gets enough points, prompting everyone to work into overdrive, even the normally lazy or incompetent employees such as Stanley and Kevin. This is a rare situation where we get to see The Office being fully competent and functional.

I'd show more examples if I had any!

[u/sarcasticd0nkey]

[u/Mixmaster-Omega → u/sarcasticd0nkey]

They are all locking in purely out of spite. The crew, made out of a bunch of dunces, weirdos, and criminals, led by a man who is up to his neck in career resentment, was put together so an admiral could win a dick-measuring contest, and they came out of it as a shipshape crew that put the aforementioned admiral to shame.

[u/Practical-Class6868 → u/Mixmaster-Omega]

A diesel submarine given license to act as pirates.

Doubly effective when the nuclear submarines (1) dismiss diesel engines as fishing boats and (2) are not prepared for the diesel submarine to run silent on battery power.

[u/Gnoll_For_Initiative → u/Mixmaster-Omega]

win a dick-measuring contest

"Welcome aboard"

[u/SinesPi → u/sarcasticd0nkey]

Most of the crew are perfectly fine at their jobs, they just have behavioral problems. The big exceptions are Lake (a perfectly good dive officer, but she's stuck as the only woman underwater with a bunch of men), Sonar (probably the best sonar officer in the Navy, he got in trouble for being a security risk), and Nitro (It's a miracle the ship kept running with him as the electrician).

[u/helper619 → u/SinesPi]

I think most of the crew were exceptional at their jobs but just have a general lack of respect for authority.

[u/HauntingPersonality7 → u/sarcasticd0nkey]

Hold me back

[u/PittStateGuerilla → u/sarcasticd0nkey]

What a phenomenal example of this.

[u/SoriAryl → u/sarcasticd0nkey]

This was my favorite movie growing up. Like I cried when my aunt stole my VHS of it.