History Main / BuyThemOff

** Subverted in ''Literature/PeaceTalks'': Harry suggests a weregild as a resolution for a rather sticky situation involving a killing, only to be told, in the tone normally used to explain things to particularly stupid children, that a weregild is what you trot out when both sides want to avoid a BloodFeud but neither side can afford to lose face. This time, the other side doesn't care about losing face, is all but baying for blood, and their side has no leverage to obligate or compel the other side to accept a weregild.

%%* All the time in the ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' franchise.

** At the end of ''Turn Coat'', when the money put in a bank account under Morgan's name is traced back to [[spoiler:the White Court]], [[spoiler:Lara sends the White Council the heads of the culprits,]] and tells them they can keep the money. Harry comments on how the money assuages everything.
*** Additionally, unlike most examples, this is actually codified in law, with the amount of the bribe dependent on what happened and to who. Once someone is paid an appropriate weregild, they no longer have the standing to enact retribution, and would be considered in the wrong should they attempt to exact revenge.
*** [[spoiler: In ''Literature/SkinGame'', HARRY himself pays a Weregild, as he caused the death of a security guard. (He tried to prevent it, but failed.) The gild is paid to Marcone, in a bag full of diamonds.]]

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': Karen Page exposes a numbers racket that Wilson Fisk had been running at Union Allied Construction, after escaping an attempt to frame her for murder and two attempts on her life. With the information exposed, Fisk decides that all they need to do with Karen is bribe her into silence - the equivalent of six months pay at her former job. The payoff fails, instead motivating Karen to do her own digging to expose those who wronged her.

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

* ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'': [[spoiler:Reki believes herself to be this, until Rakka helps her realizes that she has become TheAtoner for real.]]

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Played for humor at the end of ''Film/SmallSoldiers''. The CEO of the company that made the self aware, murderous toys just shows up and hands out checks that convince everyone to happily keep quiet about the incident. When one family states that even ''he'' doesn't have enough money to cover this up, they take a look at the check they were handed and say "Maybe you do".

* Averted at the end of ''Film/TheWildGeese''. CorruptCorporateExecutive Sir Edward Matheson abandons the mercenaries in hostile territory, but they are able to escape though not without heavy casualties. Their leader turn up in Matheson's home with a gun and demands he hand over the agreed payment of $500,000. Matheson does so, then offers more money if his life is spared. It's not.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In Creator/CharlesDickens's ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'', at the beginning, a rich man's carriage hits and kills a small child. The man in the carriage tosses a coin at the father, who just stares at it.

** At the end of ''Turn Coat'', when the money put in a bank account under Morgan's name is tracked back to [[spoiler:the White Court]], [[spoiler:Lara sends the White Council the heads of the culprits,]] and tells them they can keep the money. Harry comments on how the money assuages everything.
*** Additionally, unlike most examples, this is actually codified in law, with the amount of the bribe dependent on what happened and to who. Once someone is paid an appropriate weregild, they no longer have standing to enact retribution, and would be considered in the wrong should they attempt to exact revenge.

* Backstory to ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' given in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' has Sauron as something of this after the defeat of [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]]; he begs clemency from the emissary of the Valar and offers his services in fixing the damage done by his master. The narration states that he was not entirely insincere in such offers (even if only driven by fear), and certain other writings imply that Sauron ultimately contrived his decision to remain in Middle-Earth against the instructions to return to Valinor for judgement as an opportunity to do good works (even if jealousy of the Elves and Númenórëans helped his true nature reassert itself).

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

** Yunkai attempts to stave off Daenerys' SlaveLiberation with chests of gold and ships to take her army to Westeros. Dany takes the gold, but refuses to leave without freeing the slaves.

* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Throughout the episode "Disharmony," Angel, having returned to Angel Investigations after an extended KnightTemplar, spends most of the episode trying to get on Cordelia's good side through other means. By the end, he's able to win back her friendship by simply buying her an entirely new wardrobe as an ApologyGift; ironically, this is ''after'' Wesley told him he couldn't just buy back Cordelia's affection. Of course, Cordelia herself admits that the primary reason she was so upset with Angel is because he sold all her old clothes:

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

* Policeman Olim in Kurt Weill's music theatre ''Der Silbersee'' (''The Silver Lake'') has a hell of a guilt trip over shooting store robber Severin. Olim wins the lottery, buys a castle, invites Severin to stay, and generally takes good care of him. However, things still get ugly once Severin discovers that Olim is the shooter.

** Used by Cyrano after he refuses to apologiyze to the Burgundy Theater's audience for interrupting ''[[ShowWithinAShow The Clorise]]'' because ''"The Clorise"'' [[FanDumb was a bad play and all the assistants are wrong because they wanted to see it]], He pays Bellerose for all the entrance fees so they can give it back to the public. He also uses it to bribe the Duenna to invoke LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone with Roxane.

--> '''LE BRET''' ''(in Cyrano's ear):'' Your play!--your 'Agrippine!'

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Similar to the ''wergild'' example below, ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'''s KarmaMeter is designed in a way that a human life is worth less than an assault rifle. So, want to kill someone without losing your good reputation? Just go down to the church in Megaton, and donate 100 caps! All is forgiven.

** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' has a similar system to ''Oblivion''. However, the game also features the [[MurderInc Morag Tong]], a government-sanctioned religious group in service of the Daedric prince Mephala that executes criminals whose victims think got off too scot-free, [[SubvertedTrope even if they payed their fine]]. Tellingly, the reward for successfully executing someone is one half of the fine for murder.
* After accomplishing a mission in ''[[VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney Hitman: Blood Money]]'', not getting the Silent Assassin rank means shelving out some of your hard earned reward money to pay off any witnesses that saw the hit you committed.

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* In ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', Autolycus the thief (played by Creator/BruceCampbell) is about to kill the man who murdered his older brother years ago. When the man tries to buy him off by offering money, Autolycus gives him a HopeSpot by asking him how much he's willing to offer. When the man responds "All I've got!", Autolycus says that's not enough and prepares to kill him. [[spoiler:Xena stops Autolycus from crossing the line between thief and killer by asking him if this is really what his brother would have wanted.]]

* ''Series/{{Medici}}'': People ''think'' Cosimo is this after [[spoiler: Reynaldo dies]] but it's unclear if he was involved. For added irony, Cosimo is wracked with guilt over it, and various things he definitely did do.

->'''Faulkner:''' See, [[PrivateMilitaryContractors I don't mind taking money from you]]. But having you offer me money for your life with all those bodies littering Africa is actually... degrading. So I turn down your arrangement.
->'''Matherson:''' I see...well... ''(nervous laugh)'' I suppose you'd better kill me!
->'''Faulkner:''' You're a remarkable man too, Sir Edward. So I suppose I better had.
->'''Matherson:''' Now just wait a minute, I--''(KilledMidSentence)''

-->-- Flavor text for the ''MagicTheGathering'' card [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=3549 Reparations]]

[[folder: Truth In Television ]]

* In ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'', Nick is sent to deliver a briefcase of cash to a former cigarette spokesman who now has terminal lung cancer and has begun speaking against his former employers. Nick explains that the money is a "gift" and has no conditional terms, so he is not legally required to stay silent if he accepts it, but Nick points out that ''ethically'' he can't denounce them publicly and keep the money. He later tells his son that only a crazy person would turn down that much money, so as soon as he saw that the guy was sane, he had nothing to worry about.

* After accomplishing a mission in ''[[VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney]]'', not getting the Silent Assassin rank means shelving out some of your hard earned reward money to pay off any witnesses that saw the hit you committed.

* Played for humor at the end of ''Film/SmallSoldiers''. The CEO of the company that made the self aware, murderous toys just shows up and hands out checks that convince everyone to happily keep quiet about the incident.

* In ''Film/ThankYouForSmoking'', Nick is sent to deliver a briefcase of cash to a former cigarette spokesman who has terminal lung cancer. The guy clearly still hates the tobacco company, but Nick points out that he can't denounce them publicly and keep the money. He later tells his son that only a crazy person would turn down that much money, so as soon as he saw that the guy was sane, he had nothing to worry about.

** Although one wonders why said victims couldn't just punch them back and return the purse …

*** [[spoiler: In ''Literature/SkinGame'', HARRY himself pays a Weregild, as he caused the death of a security guard. He tried to prevent it, but failed. The gild is paid to Marcone, in a bag full of diamonds.]]

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E18BasicGenealogy Basic Genealogy]] Pierce's solution to getting a family involves mass e-mails to his former step-children and writing checks.

--> *Headshot*

** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' lowers the assault fine to 40 gold. Nords... fight a lot. Especially against the Thalmor: You will NEVER get a murder fine from the cities if you murder a Thalmor in public. Everyone hates those fascists that much. In fact, the holds that are aligned with the Stormcloak faction will help you murder them, and then try to buy YOU off by bribing you with a "Let's sweep this assault fine under the rug, and you keep butchering Thalmor" deal. If you're in good standing with the Thieves' Guild, you can bribe away murder for a tenth of the cost, though subsequent bribes cost more.

* On ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'' this is Nucky Thompson's standard way of trying to make up for the mistakes he made or bad blood he caused. In season 4 he ends a MobWar with Joe Masseria by giving him a BriefcaseFullOfMoney to make amends for the killing of dozens of Masseria's men during a supposed truce. While Masseria took the money and left on supposedly good terms, later his [[TheDragon dragon]] Lucky Luciano reveals that on the whole ride back to New York from Atlantic City, all Masseria would talk about was how he was still going to take revenge on Nucky. This supports a general theme in the show that Nucky's attempts to buy people off seldom actually solve any problems, especially in his personal relationships.