Tropescilloscope: Dark and Troubled Past

Tragic Back Story. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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