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