Tropescilloscope: Pyrrhic Victory

Victory so costly it feels like a defeat. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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