Tropescilloscope: Broken Aesop

A story's narrative defies its message. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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