Tropescilloscope: Pyrrhic Victory

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

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