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