Tropescilloscope: Serious Business

Treating something more seriously than necessary. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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