Tropescilloscope: Broken Aesop
A story's narrative defies its message. (read more at tvtropes.org)
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Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Token Minority
Scary Black Man
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Kubrick Stare
Black Dude Dies First
Wham Shot
Blood from the Mouth
Psycho for Hire
Rousing Speech
Establishing Character Moment
How We Got Here
Mooks
Fatal Flaw
The Dreaded
Wretched Hive
NO INDOOR VOICE
Pimped-Out Dress
Eldritch Abomination
The Chick
Vampire Fiction
Only Known by Their Nickname
Exact Words
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Sexy Discretion Shot
Adaptation Expansion
Storming the Castle
Unreliable Narrator
Calling the Old Man Out
Bullying a Dragon
Anachronic Order
The Smurfette Principle
Brainless Beauty
Reckless Gun Usage
Big Bad Duumvirate
Big-Bad Ensemble
Intrepid Reporter
Alliterative Name
Meet Cute
Dies Wide Open
One-Word Title
Drowning My Sorrows
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
German Films
Bare Your Midriff
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Cruel and Unusual Death
Nice Hat
Artistic License Geography
Important Haircut
Groin Attack
Bittersweet Ending
The Stoic
Television Movie Index
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Combat Pragmatist
Ambiguously Gay
Our Vampires Are Different
It Can Think
Ripped from the Headlines
Skewed Priorities
Improbable Weapon User
Bi the Way
Ironic Echo
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Sealed Evil in a Can
Last-Name Basis
Meaningful Background Event
20 Minutes into the Future
Irony
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Reasonable Authority Figure
Death Glare
Not So Different
Love Triangle
No Ending
Chekhov's Gun
Race Against the Clock
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Costume Porn
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Real Life
Air-Vent Passageway
Dwindling Party
Horror Comedy
The Lost Lenore
Tranquil Fury
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Those Two Bad Guys
Foil
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Whole Plot Reference
Comically Missing the Point
Parental Abandonment
The Alleged Car
Scenery Porn
Dramatic Gun Cock
Half the Man He Used to Be
What You Are in the Dark
Antagonist Title
Ominous Latin Chanting
Rule of Symbolism
Playing Gertrude
Take That!
Arc Words
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Worthy Opponent
Overprotective Dad
Broken Pedestal
Time Skip
Fantastic Racism
Historical Villain Upgrade
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Cat Scare
Made of Explodium
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Fantasy Films
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Dogged Nice Guy
Historical In-Joke
The Dragon
An Axe to Grind
Dramedy
The Ace
Cloudcuckoolander
Curb-Stomp Battle
Visual Pun
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Undying Loyalty
The Casanova
Villain Protagonist
Italian Films
Faux Affably Evil
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Badass Bookworm
Politically Incorrect Villain
Deus ex Machina
Dual Wielding
Jerkass
Coming-of-Age Story
Informed Ability
Fun with Acronyms
Hoist by His Own Petard
Black and Gray Morality
Your Cheating Heart
The Cavalry
Arranged Marriage
The Ghost
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Properly Paranoid
Same Language Dub
Evil Sounds Deep
Adaptation Name Change
Thriller
Red Herring
Asshole Victim
Stepford Smiler
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Super Strength
You Have Failed Me
The Voiceless
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
What the Hell, Hero?
Blackmail
You Killed My Father
Disappeared Dad
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
The '60s
Jerkass Has a Point
The Cameo
Body Horror
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Index of Film Westerns
Overly Long Gag
Country Matters
Mr. Exposition
Accidental Murder
Break the Haughty
Abusive Parents
Fate Worse than Death
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Fanservice
Stalker with a Crush
The Mole
Hell Is That Noise
Parental Substitute
She Cleans Up Nicely
Action Survivor
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Big "NO!"
Obviously Evil
Trailers Always Spoil
Twist Ending
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Manchild
The Vamp
Mr. Fanservice
Mystery and Detective Films
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Break the Cutie
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Evil Laugh
Car Fu
Death by Irony
Kill It with Fire
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Adults Are Useless
Match Cut
Cassandra Truth
Christmas Movies Index
Animated Credits Opening
Ambiguous Ending
Revenge
Male Gaze
Scenery Gorn
Cluster F-Bomb
Retirony
Fanservice Extra
Horror Films
And the Adventure Continues
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Soundtrack Dissonance
Decoy Protagonist
All Just a Dream
Adaptation Dye-Job
World of Ham
Gender Flip
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Funny Foreigner
Man on Fire
Cold-Blooded Torture
Captain Ersatz
Amoral Attorney
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Pyrrhic Victory
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Adaptational Badass
Mundane Made Awesome
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Really Gets Around
Tap on the Head
Gilligan Cut
Retired Badass
Developing Doomed Characters
Curse Cut Short
Cool Shades
Back from the Dead
HeelFace Turn
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Jump Scare
Dissonant Serenity
Jerk Jock
Humiliation Conga
Bring My Brown Pants
Improvised Weapon
The Smart Guy
Hong Kong Films
Action Prologue
Covers Always Lie
Spared by the Adaptation
Pretty Little Headshots
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Yandere
Stock Footage
Pay Evil unto Evil
Serial Killer
Film Noir Index
Ms. Fanservice
BFG
Evil Plan
Papa Wolf
Badass Normal
Abhorrent Admirer
Adaptation Distillation
I'm a Humanitarian
Genre Shift
Empathic Environment
Arch-Enemy
Straight Gay
The X of Y
Expy
Badass Longcoat
Bolivian Army Ending
Fire-Forged Friends
Pretty in Mink
Anguished Declaration of Love
Didn't Think This Through
Too Dumb to Live
Pet the Dog
No Antagonist
Major Injury Underreaction
Freudian Excuse
Madness Mantra
All Men Are Perverts
Boom, Headshot!
Kill 'em All
Chiaroscuro
Deal with the Devil
No OSHA Compliance
Neck Snap
timeperiod
Precision F-Strike
Rasputinian Death
Defrosting Ice Queen
Defiant to the End
Gone Horribly Right
Oh, Crap!
Honor Before Reason
Police are Useless
Kick the Dog
Plot Hole
Toplessness from the Back
Anti-Hero
Daddy's Girl
Nothing Is Scarier
Genre Savvy
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Non-Indicative Name
Evil Is Hammy
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Five-Man Band
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Refuge in Audacity
Amusing Injuries
Demoted to Extra
For the Evulz
Star-Crossed Lovers
Police Brutality
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Heroic Sacrifice
Music Stories
Plucky Comic Relief
Never Trust a Trailer
Evil Is Petty
Film Noir
Eye Scream
Fatal Family Photo
Gory Discretion Shot
Protagonist Title
Crazy Jealous Guy
Artistic License Biology
Adaptational Attractiveness
Unusual Euphemism
Maybe Ever After
In Medias Res
Contrived Coincidence
I Need a Freaking Drink
Babies Ever After
For Want of a Nail
This Is Gonna Suck
Foreshadowing
Handicapped Badass
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Mad Scientist
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Hidden Depths
Composite Character
Loophole Abuse
Drives Like Crazy
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Pragmatic Adaptation
Evil Counterpart
Framing Device
Foregone Conclusion
Deliberately Monochrome
Armor-Piercing Question
A Minor Kidroduction
Only Sane Man
Never Found the Body
Badass Boast
Get Out!
Instant Death Bullet
What Happened to the Mouse?
Insult Backfire
Leave the Camera Running
Slashed Throat
Destination Defenestration
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Together in Death
Historical-Domain Character
Despair Event Horizon
Hair-Trigger Temper
Grey and Gray Morality
Product Placement
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Lampshade Hanging
Evil Brit
Double Entendre
Japanese Films
Public Domain Feature Films
Death by Sex
Happily Married
Laser-Guided Karma
Put on a Bus
Heterosexual Life-Partners
The Oner
Better to Die than Be Killed
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Killed Mid-Sentence
Badass Grandpa
Award-Bait Song
All There in the Script
Noodle Incident
Kids Are Cruel
Dying Moment of Awesome
Bloodless Carnage
Laughing Mad
Random Events Plot
And Starring
No-Sell
Hate Sink
FaceHeel Turn
Stylistic Suck
Artistic License Military
Punch-Clock Villain
Meaningful Echo
Mood Whiplash
Continuity Nod
Logo Joke
Here We Go Again!
Actually Pretty Funny
Sci-Fi Horror
Facial Horror
Darker and Edgier
Every Car Is a Pinto
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
The Big Guy
Mythology Gag
Reality Has No Subtitles
Everyone Has Standards
It Will Never Catch On
The Musical
Conspicuous CG
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Disguised in Drag
Darkest Hour
The Starscream
Offscreen Teleportation
Dark and Troubled Past
Black Comedy Rape
Card-Carrying Villain
Villain Song
Light Is Not Good
True Companions
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Lighter and Softer
Homage
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Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Outrun the Fireball
Nice Guy
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Book-Ends
Friend to All Children
No Name Given
Guile Hero
Does Not Like Shoes
Flipping the Bird
Shipper on Deck
He Knows Too Much
Butt-Monkey
Flashback
The '90s
Those Two Guys
Setting Update
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Fat Bastard
Narrator
Sequel Hook
Cool Guns
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Manly Tears
Cat Fight
The Lancer
Our Zombies Are Different
Anachronism Stew
Eureka Moment
Smug Snake
Aside Glance
Beta Couple
Crazy-Prepared
Disney Death
Dumb Blonde
Morality Pet
Works Set in World War II
Green-Eyed Monster
Heroic BSoD
Advertised Extra
Action Girl
Stealth Hi/Bye
Bond One-Liner
Chekhov's Skill
Spiteful Spit
Damsel in Distress
Big Bad
Cowboy Cop
Captain Obvious
MacGuffin
Shower Scene
Big Damn Heroes
I Did What I Had to Do
Not What It Looks Like
Never My Fault
Stuff Blowing Up
Rewatch Bonus
Gratuitous English
Self-Deprecation
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Actor Allusion
Intergenerational Friendship
Dark Action Girl
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Not So Above It All
Corpsing
Diabolus ex Machina
Psychopathic Manchild
Stealth Pun
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Red Shirt
Tempting Fate
Show Within a Show
Sports Stories
Rich Bitch
Hollywood Darkness
Romantic False Lead
Funny Background Event
Good Is Not Nice
French Films
The Place
Broken Bird
Canadian Movies
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Broken Aesop
Hero Antagonist
The '50s
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Bland-Name Product
Silence Is Golden
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Would Hit a Girl
Made of Iron
Woman in White
Totally Radical
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Soft Glass
Credits Gag
Alpha Bitch
Distracted by the Sexy
Biopic
Interrupted Suicide
My God, What Have I Done?
Did Not Get the Girl
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
The Mafia
Neck Lift
Sequel Escalation
Dirty Old Man
Grievous Bottley Harm
Cain and Abel
Fan Disservice
Russian Films
As the Good Book Says...
Henpecked Husband
Documentary
The Sociopath
Mighty Whitey
Evil-Detecting Dog
Ax-Crazy
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Black Comedy
Adaptational Heroism
Bound and Gagged
Action Genre
Reality Is Unrealistic
"Awesome McCool" Name
Title Drop
Becoming the Mask
Parental Incest
Jitter Cam
Lock and Load Montage
Shown Their Work
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Up to Eleven
Motor Mouth
Dark Reprise
Artistic License Gun Safety
Camp Gay
Extreme Doormat
Agony of the Feet
Double-Meaning Title
Alas, Poor Villain
Cool Car
A God Am I
Auto Erotica
Let's Get Dangerous!
Chewing the Scenery
Word of God
Character Development
Deconstruction
La Résistance
Australian Movies
Taking You with Me
Riddle for the Ages
Taking the Bullet
Hypocrite
Failed a Spot Check
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
I Have Your Wife
Naïve Newcomer
Early-Bird Cameo
Heroes Want Redheads
Zombie Stories
Red Right Hand
Celebrity Paradox
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Brutal Honesty
Author Avatar
No Celebrities Were Harmed
War Is Hell
In Name Only
He Who Fights Monsters
Bald of Evil
Big Eater
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Fainting
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Affably Evil
Death of a Child
The Atoner
Catch-Phrase
Villain Opening Scene
Sinister Minister
My Greatest Failure
Casting Gag
Dirty Coward
Dutch Angle
Vitriolic Best Buds
Call-Back
Large Ham
From Nobody to Nightmare
Tagline
Adult Fear
Take a Third Option
Redemption Equals Death
Domestic Abuse
The Bad Guy Wins
Bury Your Gays
Truth in Television
Blood Knight
Disproportionate Retribution
Guns Akimbo
Paper-Thin Disguise
Pragmatic Villainy
Woman Scorned
Bait-and-Switch
Immune to Bullets
A Father to His Men
Say My Name
The Power of Love
Humans Are Bastards
All for Nothing
The Stinger
Awesome, but Impractical
Hollywood Law
The Ditz
Military and Warfare Films
Author Appeal
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Affectionate Parody
Big Fancy House
Novelization
Bar Brawl
Took a Level in Badass
Almost Kiss
One-Man Army
Children Are Innocent
The Quiet One
Fake Shemp
Bloodier and Gorier
Fingore
The Great Depression
Superhero
Vacation Films
Wham Line
Badass in a Nice Suit
Bilingual Bonus
Adorkable
Spiritual Successor
N-Word Privileges
BrotherSister Incest
Not Using the "Z" Word
Science Fiction Films
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Spanner in the Works
Line-of-Sight Name
Moment Killer
Frame-Up
Small Name, Big Ego
Ascended Extra
Hypocritical Humor
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Wrong Genre Savvy
Even Evil Has Standards
Artistic License Law
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Male Frontal Nudity
Shirtless Scene
Crapsack World
Running Gag
The Dog Bites Back
Training Montage
Shut Up, Hannibal!
The Chessmaster
Dull Surprise
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Ass Shove
Expository Hairstyle Change
Punny Name
Eiffel Tower Effect
After the End
Artistic License History
Only One Name
Only in It for the Money
Dramatic Irony
Romantic Comedy
Older Than They Look
Death by Adaptation
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Genre Throwback
Easily Forgiven
Leitmotif
From Bad to Worse
Rape as Drama
Final Girl
Re-Cut
She's Got Legs
Adapted Out
Imagine Spot
The Stoner
Martial Arts Movie
Scare Chord
Have a Gay Old Time
Manipulative Bastard
Hope Spot
Earn Your Happy Ending
Once More, with Clarity!
Historical Hero Upgrade
Shout-Out
Insistent Terminology
Evil vs. Evil
Downer Ending
Epic Movie
Would Hurt a Child
Meaningful Name
Chase Scene
Animal Title Index
Big Brother Instinct
As Himself
Face Death with Dignity
Greater-Scope Villain
Bottomless Magazines
A Date with Rosie Palms
Rule of Cool
Love at First Sight
Batman Gambit
Blatant Lies
Dressing as the Enemy
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Sanity Slippage
Dirty Cop
Knight Templar
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
One Steve Limit
Gorn
Implacable Man
The Faceless
Canon Foreigner
Cool Old Guy
Mugging the Monster
Sacrificial Lion
Creative Closing Credits
Fish out of Water
Idiot Ball
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Camera Abuse
Femme Fatale
Your Head A-Splode
Creepy Child
Betty and Veronica
Naked People Are Funny
More Dakka
Poor Communication Kills
Central Theme
B-Movie
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Heel Realization
Crucified Hero Shot
Slasher Movie
Extremely Short Timespan
Wicked Cultured
The Reveal
Smoking Is Cool
Catapult Nightmare
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Race Lift
Bloody Hilarious
Eyepatch of Power
Karma Houdini
Mexican Standoff
Bavarian Fire Drill
The Hero Dies
Deadpan Snarker
As You Know
Married to the Job
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Fiery Redhead
Rule of Funny
Hero of Another Story
Due to the Dead
Drugs Are Bad
Enemy Mine
Authority Equals Asskicking
Famous Last Words
Insane Troll Logic
Accidental Misnaming
Rated M for Manly
Only a Flesh Wound
Daylight Horror
Obfuscating Stupidity
Room Full of Crazy
Eagleland
Sadistic Choice
Market-Based Title
The End... Or Is It?
Disney Villain Death
Ghost Fiction
Parental Neglect
Karmic Death
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
An Arm and a Leg
Vomit Discretion Shot
Call-Forward
In the Back
Villainous Breakdown
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Demonic Possession
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Chekhov's Gunman
The Bully
Does This Remind You of Anything?
British Films
The Un-Reveal
Mama Bear
Dark Is Not Evil
Ungrateful Bastard
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Bad "Bad Acting"
The Remake
Faking the Dead
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Beware the Nice Ones
Missing Mom
Animal Motifs
MayDecember Romance
The Hero
Rule of Three
Annoying Younger Sibling
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Psychological Thriller
Mind Screw
Ship Tease
Video Credits
Bad Boss
Spell My Name with an "S"
Sassy Black Woman
Monumental Damage
Beard of Evil
It's All About Me
Based on a True Story
Black Best Friend
Mercy Kill
Ambiguous Disorder
Loads and Loads of Characters
Anti-Villain
Posthumous Character
Bowdlerise
Recycled IN SPACE!
Retcon
Serious Business
Anyone Can Die
Villain with Good Publicity
Knife Nut
The '70s
Slasher Smile
Department of Redundancy Department
Deliberate Values Dissonance
The Brute
Sole Survivor
Left the Background Music On
Age Lift
Be Careful What You Wish For
Depraved Bisexual
Silent Movie
Real Life Writes the Plot
The Alcoholic
Reality Ensues
Not Quite Dead
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
It's Personal
Villain Ball
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Malevolent Masked Men
Early Installment Weirdness
The '80s
Gold Digger
Translation Convention
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Mistaken for Gay
Film Series
'80s Hair
An Aesop
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Closed Circle
Fourth Date Marriage
Death Seeker
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Bond Villain Stupidity
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
The Load
Gainax Ending
All There in the Manual
And I Must Scream
Creator Cameo
Took a Level in Jerkass
Determinator
Brick Joke
Redshirt Army
Not So Stoic
Those Wacky Nazis
Cool Old Lady
Big Applesauce
Driven to Suicide
Make It Look Like an Accident
The Film of the Book
Off with His Head!
Improbable Aiming Skills
Attempted Rape
Adaptational Villainy
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Artistic License Physics
Apocalypse How
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
My Beloved Smother
Epic Fail
Berserk Button