Tropescilloscope: Romantic False Lead

A loves B. But C comes in and also loves B. Tension mounts. (read more at tvtropes.org)

Film Frequency (%) Film Frequency (#)

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