Tropescilloscope: Central Theme

A philosophy, message, idea, or question at a story's core. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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