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