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