It's Always Sunny At Funerals

This is too beautiful a day to have to bury someone.

Weather has always been used symbolically when it comes to death. When characters die it's often a perfect day outside, with nary a cloud in the sky. There are several reasons for using the dichotomy between the bright, cheerful, cloudless sky as a counterpoint to the sadness of death. Ironic contrast, perhaps, or to show that, even in the midst of our grief life does go on. Maybe its just to give the resident Deadpan Snarker something to gripe about, or maybe the sunny day is an excuse for the characters to feel that much worse about the death of a loved one.

This trope is usually part of a Meaningful Funeral scene.

If you're thinking about putting an aversion or a subversion on this page, why not put it on It Always Rains At Funerals instead, where your Subversion or Aversion can be a straight example.

As a Death Trope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.

Examples of It's Always Sunny At Funerals include:

Anime and Manga

• Fullmetal Alchemist has a big sunny sky during Hughes's funeral, but has Roy touchingly claiming it rained to excuse his tears. It's also a callback to Riza's observation that "You're useless when it's raining"; Person of Mass Destruction or not, he still couldn't save his best friend.
• Occurs in Black Butler. It's a beautiful, sunny day without a drop of rain during Madam Red's funeral. When Ciel visits Mary Kelly's grave it's sunset, but probably because the funeral finished up not too long ago.

Comic Books

• In All Fall Down, both funerals are held on bright, sunny days.

Film

• It's bright and sunny during Harry's funeral in the third Spider-Man film.
  • Don't forget Norman Osborn's funeral. It's cold and autumnal, but it's sunny.
• The funeral in Jumpin' Jack Flash is also on a clear day.
• It was mostly sunny with only a few clouds at the funeral for Jonathan Kent in Superman.
• The weather is clear for the funeral of Ellie's father in Contact.
• It's very sunny and hot at Quatermain's Meaningful Funeral in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Justified, given the geographical climate.
• In Serenity the funeral scene for Mr. Universe, Wash, and Book is a sunny day.

Literature

• In Harry Potter, it was bright and sunny for the funeral of Albus Dumbledore.
• Meursault's maman in The Stranger is buried on not only a very sunny day, but a very hot one as well. This is actually an important plot point, and it is given a Call Back when he shoots the Arab at the end of part one.
• In the Doctor Who Expanded Universe novel Touched By An Angel, a character, sent back in time by a Weeping Angel, has the opportunity to revisit his wife's funeral. He's surprised that it's a sunny day, since he remembers it as being overcast to match his mood.
• In The Tiger Rising, it's sunny at both Rob's mother's, and the tiger's, funerals.

Live Action TV

• When the Friends gang goes to the gravesite services of Monica and Ross's grandmother, Phoebe instantly sticks her foot in her mouth by saying "It's such a great day!" Dark glances from the others. "Weatherwise!"
• It was a bright, sunny, hot Louisana day that made you feel sorry for everyone wearing black for the funeral of Grandmother Stackhouse in True Blood.
• Kate Todd's funeral in NCIS is accompanied by a bright sun. Though the funeral itself is sad, on the way home, Abby plays some jazz in true New Orleans fashion.
• Anya's meltdown about the death of Joyce Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer is contrasted with the obviously beautiful day outside of her window.
  • She was buried on a sunny and clear day. She died on one also: birds were chirping and children were heard playing.
• Scrubs had at least two funerals take place on sunny days. First was Ben, and then there was Laverne. In fact, to add to the contrast, J.D. sings "It's a Beautiful Morning" until he remembers he's at a funeral.
• Despite the variable weather on the island, every funeral on Lost has been under a clear, sunny sky.
• Haley's funeral in Criminal Minds, as well as Prentiss'.

Theater

• Occurs in Rent; Angel's funeral is sunny (but still cold, being NYC in late October), probably a symbol in and of itself that even death can't dampen his/her Manic Pixie Dream Girl -ness.

Web Comics

• We don't actually see alt-Zoe's funeral in Sluggy Freelance, but the scenes we do see on the same day are bright and sunny. Makes the whole event even more bittersweet, since to the rest of the world it's a day of celebration because the Demons are gone.

Western Animation

• Played straight and inverted when Superman seemingly dies in the Justice League episode "Hereafter." Immediately after his "death" it starts raining like there's no tomorrow, but the funeral itself is held in clear weather.
• In the Galaxy Rangers episode "New Frontier," the sun is clear and bright over BETA Mountain at Eliza's Meaningful Funeral, but the clear weather also symbolizes a new day - the Series 5 team has been formed and proven themselves the new hope of the galaxy.
• In Recess, when the school has their funeral for Speedy, the class hampster, it's beautiful outside.

Video Games

• Guy's funeral in Lufia and the Fortress of Doom gets some rather depressing music, but it is sunny throughout the scene (short though it may have been).
• Jenon's death in Blaze Union is accompanied by lovely weather, as highlighted by the Scenery Porn in the accompanying CG.