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