Tropescilloscope: Early Installment Weirdness

The early episodes of a series are vastly different than the later installments. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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