History Main / TheEasyWayOrTheHardWay

* {{Spirit:Stallion Of The Cimarron}}

--->'''The Colonel''': You can break easy mustang, or you can break hard.

* In ''{{Wakfu}}'' season 2 episode 2 [[LoveableRogue Remington Smisse]] introduces himself to Evangelyne this way, with rhyming to boot.

* Frequently played around with, as in ''{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'': "We can do this the hard way, or... actually, there's just the hard way."

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' When the Butanian dragons refuse to side with Riboflavin against Voluptua, his response is, "[[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100525.html A pity. I guess I'll have to do this the messy way after all. And I must admit... that will be more fun!!!]]" He then starts blasting everything in sight with a BFG.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' When the Butanian dragons [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100525.html refuse to side with Riboflavin against Voluptua,]] his response is, "A pity. I guess I'll have to do this the messy way after all. And I must admit... that will be more fun!!!" He then starts blasting everything in sight with a BFG.

* One of many running gags in ''ImGonnaGitYouSucka'' is the two henchmen told that there's "two ways to leave. The stairs or the window." When they choose the stairs, they are always thrown down them, til the end, when one exasperated henchman jumps out the window to his death. Turns out the other option in that instance was the freight elevator.

* Access to Tiberius's hilltop villa on Capri was via a winding path that ran along a steep cliff. Visitors knew that there were two ways off the island: Being escorted back down the path to the dock (if you pleased the emperor); or suffering an "accident" as you walked along the clifftop (if you did not).

* ''TheOrderOfTheStick''

* ''TheATeam'', episode "Steel".

* ''TheOrderOfTheStick'':

* Mocked in ''Smash Comics'', one of the filler comics for ''{{Knights of the Old Coding}}''. Ganondorf asks Marth and Jigglypuff if they want to do this the easy way or the hard way. He then Shadowkicks them before they can answer, stating "the hard way it is." When Marth points out that he hadn't said anything yet, Ganondorf admits that he's impatient.

* Played with in the LooneyTunes short ''Operation: Rabbit''. After Bugs Bunny refuses Wile E. Coyote's invitation to give up willingly, Wile E. muses, "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"

See also {{The Window or the Stairs}}.

* Inverted in ''{{Back to the Future}}'' Part II''. Biff's {{Mooks}} say this to Marty -- "the easy way" is being knocked on the head.

* ''{{Gone in Sixty Seconds}}''

* Not exactly the same, but close, is ''{{RoboCop}}'' and "Dead or alive, you are coming with me."

-->'''Granny Weatherwax:''' "So all I'm really here for, d'you see, is to see whether you get justice or mercy... So here's my offer, you see. You hand back Magrat and the baby and we'll chop your heads off."
-->'''The Count:''' "And that's what you call justice, is it?"
-->'''Granny Weatherwax:''' "No, that's what I call mercy."

* ''TortallUniverse'': Jokingly used by the friend of Beka (both of them are Provost's Guards, or protopolice) to get her to come to a breakfast. Quickly followed by {{I Always Wanted to Say That}}.

* Variant in''{{The Colour of Magic}}'' T.V. adaption features a part in which Rincewind and Twoflower are hiding under a sacrificial pyre from [[spoiler: wizards from the [[WizardingSchool Unseen University]] attempting to drag Rincewind back.]] They tell him that he can go the easy way or the very easy way. The easy way being that he comes out and goes along with them, the very easy way being that they light the pyre with him still under it.

** Also, strip #442 is titled [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots.html "We Can Do This the Easy Way..."]]

* Although not explicitly stated, it's [[http://www.marsh-rocket.com/Pages.aspx?Pg_ID=213 implied here]].

* ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'':

* In ''{{King of the Hill}}'', Hank, Bill, and Boomhauer grabbed Dale if they want to handle this tye easy way or the hard way. "Do it the hard way."

* Parodied in ''{{Osmosis Jones}}'': Some cops go a sleazy bar, and the lead one announces, "We can make this easy... or hard." One cop behind him will apparently settle for otherwise, saying "Or, somewhere in between. Like, semi-easy, or medium hard," causing the lead cop to admonish him. "You don't get to say that!"

* One of many running gags in ''[[ImGonnaGitYouSucka I'm Gonna Git You Sucka]]'' is the two henchmen told that there's 'two ways to leave. The stairs or the window.' When they choose the stairs, they are always thrown down them, til the end, when one exasperated henchman jumps out the window to his death. Turns out the other option in that instance was the freight elevator.

* In the 45-minute video ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters]]'' a young man is threatened by a Maryland State Trooper to either "make it easy on himself" by consenting to a search of his car, or he can "make it hard on himself" (by refusing). They show two versions of the event: the guy stands on his rights, refuses the search, and gets only a traffic ticket; the guy lets the cop search, with him and all of the passengers in the car end up going to jail for possession of drugs. (Doesn't mention if he still gets the traffic ticket for which he was pulled over.)
** If he and his friends were [[WhatAnIdiot driving around with drugs in their car,]] they deserved it.

* Played with a few times in ''{{Discworld}}'' books; somebody trying to (for example) sneak into a town will corner a guard and mention that this can be done the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is for the guard to ignore them, the hard way... is for the person to leave and try to find another way in.
** In the same book (''Discworld/TheFifthElephant''), another easy way turns out to involve using wolves to pull a sled.

--->"I want it stopped. And I want it stopped the hard way."\\

--->'''Granny Weatherwax:''' And the hard way's hard, but it's not half so hard as the easy way.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Played with in SeriousSam, when adressing a group of baddies in a cutscene.
--> '''[[BadassNormal Sam]]:''' We can do this the hard way, or my way. [[PreAssKickingOneLiner They're basically the same thing.]]

* ''{{Erfworld}}'' combines this with FetishFuel in [[http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F030.jpg this strip]].

* ''{{The Order of the Stick}}'':

* ''{{The Penguins of Madagascar}}'', "Popcorn Panic": "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this [[AxCrazy Rico's]] way."

* One of many running gags in ''ImGonnaGitYouSucka'' is the two henchmen told that there's 'two ways to leave. The stairs or the window.' When they choose the stairs, they are always thrown down them, til the end, when one exasperated henchman jumps out the window to his death. Turns out the other option in that instance was the freight elevator.

* One of many running gags in ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' is the two henchmen told that there's 'two ways to leave. The stairs or the window.' When they choose the stairs, they are always thrown down them, til the end, when one exasperated henchman jumps out the window to his death. Turns out the other option in that instance was the freight elevator.

* ''TortallUniverse'': Jokingly used by the friend of Beka (both of them are Provost's Guards, or protopolice) to get her to come to a breakfast. Quickly followed by {{I Always Wanted to Say That}}.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In episode 4 of the semi-interactive Flash cartoon ''3|Way'', to deal with some mooks you are given the choice between "the easy way... or the ''sleazy'' way." The easy way is violence; since this is a pornographic series, you can guess what's the sleazy way.
[[/folder]]

-> '''[[BadassNormal Sam]]:''' We can do this the hard way, or my way. [[PreAssKickingOneLiner They're basically the same thing.]]

* ''{{Erfworld}}'' combines this with FetishFuel in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0030.html this strip]].

* ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants'':

See also TheWindowOrTheStairs.

[[folder:Film]]
* Inverted in ''BackToTheFuture Part II'', Biff's {{Mooks}} say this to Marty-- "the easy way" is being knocked on the head.

-->'''Vincent:''' We can do this the easy way or the hard way.
-->'''Emily:''' What's the hard way?
-->'''Vincent:''' It's harder... it's harder than the easy way. That's what I know.
* ''GoneInSixtySeconds''

-->'''Sam Turgenson:''' We can do this the easy way or the hard way.
-->'''Jason Price:''' Is that pillow talk, Sam?!

* Parodied in ''{{Osmosis Jones}}'', if I recall: Some cops go a sleazy bar, and the lead one announces "We can make this easy... or hard.". One cop behind him will apparently settle for otherwise, saying "Or, somewhere in between. Like, semi-easy, or medium hard.", causing the lead cop to admonish him "You don't get to say that!"
* Not exactly the same but close is ''{{RoboCop}}'' and "Dead or alive, you are coming with me."

* In the 45-minute video ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqMjMPlXzdA Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters]]'' a young man is threatened by a Maryland State Trooper to either "make it easy on himself" by consenting to a search of his car, or he can "make it hard on himself" (by refusing). They show two versions of the event: the guy stands on his rights, refuses the search, and gets only a traffic ticket; the guy lets the cop search, with him and all of the passengers in the car end up going to jail for possession of drugs. (Doesn't mention if he still gets the traffic ticket for which he was pulled over.)

* Played with a few times in {{Discworld}} books; somebody trying to (for example) sneak into a town will corner a guard and mention that this can be done the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is for the guard to ignore them, the hard way...is for the person to leave and try to find another way in.
** In the same book (''The Fifth Elephant'') another easy way turns out to involve using wolves to pull a sled.
** A more serious instance, from ''{{Discworld/Small Gods}}'':

** Another serious example, from ''{{Discworld/CarpeJugulum}}'', about the nature of good and evil:
---> '''Granny Weatherwax''': And the hard way's hard, but it's not half so hard as the easy way.
** And another in ''Making Money'' when Cosmo offers Moist a bribe to give up. After Moist refuses, he explains that giving him the opportunity to surrender was, for Cosmo, doing it the hard way.

* ''[[ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' episode "Tracy Does Conan"

* ''TheATeam'' episode "Steel"

* ''Bad Girls'' episode "Battle Lines"

* Frequently played around with, as in ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': "We can do this the hard way, or... actually, there's just the hard way."
* ''{{Chuck}}'' episode "Chuck Versus the Marlin"
-->'''John Casey:''' [to Lester and Jeff] We could do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is I shove his [Chuck's] foot up your ass.
-->'''Jeff:''' What's the hard way?
-->'''John Casey:''' I use *my* foot!
* ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' episode "My Best Girl's Wedding"
-->'''Hercules:''' [facing group of thugs] Okay, guys, look, we can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way. [thugs prepare to attack him] Nobody ever wants to do it the easy way.
* ''HowIMetYourMother'' episode "Matchmaker"
-->'''Ellen:''' You wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?
-->'''Barney:''' What's the hard way? Security roughs me up and tosses me out?
-->'''Ellen:''' No. That's the easy way. The hard way is that I slap the crap out of you myself.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''OrderOfTheStick'':
-->'''Roy Greenhilt:''' Hey gnome! There are two ways this can go down: the easy way or the hard way.
-->'''Leeky Windstaff:''' Druids always pick the hard way; it encourages natural selection.
* Jokingly used by the friend of [[TortallUniverse Beka]] (both of them are Provost's Guards, or protopolice) to get her to come to a breakfast. Quickly followed by IAlwaysWantedToSayThat.
* Mocked in ''Smash Comics'', one of the filler comics for ''KnightsOfTheOldCoding''. Ganondorf asks Marth and Jigglypuff if they want to do this the easy way or the hard way. He then Shadowkicks them before they can answer, stating "the hard way it is." When Marth points out that he hadn't said anything yet, Ganondorf admits that he's impatient.
* In [[http://www.weregeek.com/2008/03/12/ this]] strip of ''{{Weregeek}}''. Not that it worked too well.

* ''SecretSquirrel'' says this to rogue panda One Ton, who's just eaten a clove of garlic. "One Ton choose...HAAAAAAARD!"
* In ''KingOfTheHill'', Hank, Bill, and Boomhauer grabbed Dale if they want to handle this tye easy way or the hard way. "Do it the hard way."
* ''SpongebobSquarepants.''
--> "Now Gary, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Or the medium way. Or the semi-medium-easy-hard way. Or the sort of hard with a touch of awkward-easy-difficult-challenging way."
* In TransformersAnimated, Optimus gives the speech to a speeding motorist...who turns out to be another Transformer, specifically[[PsychoForHire Lockdown]].
* Played with in the ''LooneyTunes'' short "Operation: Rabbit". After Bugs Bunny refuses Wile E. Coyote's invitation to give up willingly, Wile E. muses "Why do they always want to do it the hard way?"
* ''ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', "Popcorn Panic": "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this [[AxCrazy Rico's]] way."

-->We can do this the easy way, or we can... [Archer escapes] Oh, have the decency to let me finish!

<<|StockPhrases|>>