Tropescilloscope: Serious Business

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

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