Tropescilloscope: Pyrrhic Victory

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

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