Tropescilloscope: Dramatic Irony

The audience knows something the characters don't, and this is Played for Drama or Laughs. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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