Tropescilloscope: Sadistic Choice

Forced to make one of two terrible choices. Morton's Fork may ensue. Can't Take a Third Option. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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