Tropescilloscope: Not What It Looks Like

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

Film Frequency (%) Film Frequency (#)

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