Tropescilloscope: Not What It Looks Like

Characters look like they're doing something wrong, but they aren't. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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