History Main / RockBottom

-->[-'''Jenny:''' What are we gonna do? We blew a tire, and we don’t know where we are! This literally could not be any worse!-]\\
[-'''Narrator:''' Or could it!?-]

* Invoked in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'''s prologue mission. [[TheProtagonist Ryder]]'s ark, the ''Hyperion'', collides with a mysterious space phenomenon and suffers heavy damage minutes after arriving in the Heleus Cluster. The human Golden World, Habitat 7, turns out to have deteriorated into a DeathWorld in the centuries the arks were travelling through deep space. Last but not least, Ryder's very first contact with intelligent alien life on the planet ends in a deadly firefight that ultimately claims the life of mankind's Pathfinder, who's also Ryder's father. When your squadmate Liam quips at this point that it could've been worse, Ryder snaps, tears him a new one and growls that their current predicament better be rock bottom. The game then goes into an escalating spiral of follow-up problems that take pretty much the entire plot to [[EarnYourHappyEnding get even remotely back on track]].

* Invoked in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'''s prologue mission. [[TheProtagonist Ryder]]'s ark, the ''Hyperion'', collides with a mysterious space phenomenon and suffers heavy damage minutes after arriving in the Heleus Cluster. The human Golden World, Habitat 7, turns out to have deteriorated into a DeathWorld in the centuries the arks were travelling through deep space. Last but not least, Ryder's very first contact with intelligent alien life on the planet ends in a deadly firefight that ultimately claims the life of mankind's Pathfinder, who's also Ryder's father. When your squadmate Liam quips at this point that it could've been worse, Ryder snaps, tears him a new one and growls that their current predicament better be rock bottom. The game then goes into an escalating spiral of follow-up problems that take pretty much the entire plot to [[EarnYourHappyEnding get even remotely back on track]].

* In ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'', after Jane narrowly escapes a huge troop of angry baboons and ends up stuck in a tree.

* Subverted in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'', when Vimes remarks this, and his wife answers, "Oh, it would be worse if there were snakes here." The subversion here is, [[spoiler:nothing happens]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' our heroes Tulio and Miguel end up stranded in a rowboat with a horse, hundreds of miles from land, with limited supplies. After a CueTheRain moment they then talk about how at least they're in a rowboat, and the screen fades out [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks with black fins approaching them]].
* Subverted (or at least lampshaded) in ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'':

* Inverted with the Wynonna Judd song "Rock Bottom", in which she asserts that "when you get down to nothing, you've got nothing to lose" and "there are two ways to go, straight up or sideways".

* In one Episode of ''Series/LastWeekTonight'' John Oliver urges the audience to look high in the air above the clouds, then explains [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-OUxRQKByg THAT'S Rock Bottom]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3640 when Squidley thinks he's hit rock-bottom]], Baby Blue helpfully points to the FireAndBrimstoneHell and says that's rock bottom, which he hasn't hit. Yet.

* The usually GenreSavvy Crichton has one of these in the ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' episode "Natural Election". The crew has found a way to kill the space plant that is trying to digest Moya; Aeryn and John are tasked with taking care of it.

-->"Well, it could rain" said Slim, lightly. He adds "[[CueTheRain And within quarter of an hour it did]].""

* In one Episode of LastWeekTonight John Oliver urges the audience to look high in the air above the clouds, then explains [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-OUxRQKByg THAT'S Rock Bottom]].

* ''Literature/SadCypress'': Peter Lord asks HerculePoirot to investigate a case against Elinor Carlisle (the girl he's in love with. Possible double murderess.) "Investigate" is [[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents a word which here means]] that he wants Poirot to [[ClearTheirName help acquit her]]. Poirot tells him that he intends to reveal any evidence he finds, even if it makes Elinor's case worse, whereupon Lord informs him that the case against Elinor [[TemptingFate can't possibly get any worse]].

* In an episode of ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'', Mario and friends are thrown into a dungeon. Mario tells Luigi that things could be worse. Luigi asks him how, and Mario tells him that the ceiling could flatten them like a pizza. Right on cue, [[DescendingCeiling the ceiling starts descending on them]]. Mario, undaunted, says that water could flood the room until they drown like rats. [[RiseToTheChallenge You know what happens next.]] Mario, still keeping his cool, says he could think of other things that could be worse, but Luigi promptly shuts him up.

* Supposedly, someone once got a military performance report that stated the following about a particularly lackluster troop:

* [[https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/historical-events/historical-sikh-events-sikhs-in-world-war-ii This page]] recounts a RealLife example of this trope occurring to General Viscount William Slim during the Burmese Campaign in WorldWarTwo:

CueTheRain covers the specific variant where this comes in the form of [[HostileWeather a sudden downpour]]. See also FromBadToWorse, for when things in a series really, truly go to hell. Also see ConsolationBackfire.

* A classic version in ''StarWars IV: ANewHope'' where the heroes are in the trash compactor and Han complains about the situation. Leia retorts that it could be worse, only for all to hear a sound ominous enough for Han to go, "It's worse." Shortly afterward, Luke gets attacked by a dionaga. And then [[TheWallsAreClosingIn the walls start closing in]].

-->'''Homer:''' Don't be upset, Marge. At least it's not raining! (after a pause...nothing happens) [[{{Beat}} See?]]. Told you it could be worse.

* ''Literature/SadCypress'': Peter Lord asks HerculePoirot to investigate a case against Elinor Carlisle (the girl he's in love with. Possible double murderess.) "Investigate" is [[LemonySnicket a word which here means]] that he wants Poirot to [[ClearTheirName help acquit her]]. Poirot tells him that he intends to reveal any evidence he finds, even if it makes Elinor's case worse, whereupon Lord informs him that the case against Elinor [[TemptingFate can't possibly get any worse]].

All kinds of tribulations have been visited upon Character A. Either Character A or his friend, Character B, tries to cheer things up by remarking on how, at least, things can't possibly get any worse. Right on cue, things get worse. In some extreme cases, they'll even say ''how'' things could be worse, right before it actually happens.