Tropescilloscope: Serious Business

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

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