History Main / TelevisedTorture

** Season 9's "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS9E16SixHours 6 Hours]]" detailed a wealthy teenage girl being kidnapped by her [[BodyguardBetrayal traitorous bodyguard]] and about to be killed on the live internet feed unless her father paid a ransom [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin within six hours]]. According to news reporters Angela Kane and Kelly Santos, it's the first televised kidnapping, and attempted murder, in history. [[spoiler:Walker luckily finds them JustInTime and in the midst of the fight, [[BulletproofHumanShield drags the traitor in front of his own murder weapon]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard so he's shot dead by his own trap]].]]

Ideally, the villain will be somewhere far more comfortable than the victim, and usually indulging in some hedonistic relaxing ritual, such as sipping an expensive bordeaux or cognac, smoking a fine cigar or cigarette (in a holder for added decadence), while simultaneously giving orders by intercom to the less-refined minions who are paid to do their dirty work. These villains usually also use this same system to subtly (or not so subtly) verbally torment the victim.

Whatever they do, the effect is demoralizing for the prisoner, to say the least. The message is clear: "Someone is watching you and, unlike you, that someone is ''enjoying themselves''." PublicExecution and MurderDotCom are related tropes.

* In ''VideoGame/Payday2'', The end of the level "Henry's Rock" has you [[spoiler: retrace your steps to the beginning of the level, where shutters open up to reveal, among other things, a big screen picturing the Payday Gang's mastermind, Bain, who we heard being captured at the end of the ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' Heist, with his head covered in duct-tape and his body strapped into a torture chair. Behind him, we can see the silhouette of "The Dentist", who is presumably the one torturing him.]] Later, in the level "Hell's Island", one of the rooms you run through has [[spoiler: the same chair from the video, just without Bain in it.]]