History Main / TheGuardsMustbeCrazy

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* Full marks to King John's gaolers in ''Film/RoguesOfSherwoodForest'' who, on hearing a strange noise from the cell of Robin hood and Little John go to nvestigate with both of them entering the cell ''and'' leaving the cell door open behind them.

* Full marks to King John's gaolers in ''Film/RoguesOfserwoodForest'' who, on hearing a strange noise from the cell of Robin hood and Little John go to nvestigate with both of them entering the cell ''and'' leaving the cell door open behind them.

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': In Season 4 of The Blood Gulch Chronicles, Tex attempts to knock out one of the Zealots guarding a temple... but is unsuccessful and repeatedly hits him in hopes that it does knock him out. The only thing more absurd than the Zealot not becoming incapacitated from the multiple strikes his that his fellow Zealots appear unaware that he's being attacked, despite the cries for help he's making.

-->'''Tucker:''' What the fuck, are they deaf!? (''someone shoots a sniper round that narrowly misses him'') Oh right, '''that''' you heard?

-->'''Tucker:''' What the fuck, are they deaf? (''someone shoots near him'') Oh right, ''that'' you heard?

* In ''Machinima/ClearSkies 2'', the team are able to spring an informant from a prison outpost (admittedly, a very backwater one) by posing as guards for a prisoner transfer. It works, despite their credentials being stolen and very, ''very'' out of date, because the local guard was expecting a prisoner transfer at around that time. He gets chewed out later.

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': In Season 4 of The Blood Gulch Chronicles, Tex attempts to knock out one of the Zealots guarding a temple... but is unsuccessful and repeatedly hits him in hopes that it does knock him out. The only thing more absurd than the Zealot not becoming incapacitated from the multiple strikes his that his fellow Zealots appear unaware that he's being attacked, despite the cries for help he's making.

** [[ThrowingTheDistraction Abandoning their post]] to investigate these odd sounds, usually alone or if there’s a team of guards, [[Let’sSplitUpGang spreading out just beyond sight of each other.]]

** [[ThrowingTheDistraction Abandoning their post]] to investigate these odd sounds.

** [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120113 Later]], Gilgamesh discovers that all but one of his father's guards consider the fact that he's wearing an [[NiceHat extremely impressive hat]] with his name written on it (''misspelled'') to constitute definitive proof of his identity. He needs to get by that guy as well, to reach somebody who ''will'' recognize him and vouch for him, so he knocks the guard out, but promises him a promotion afterwards for not being an idiot.

** "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS4E04FlightOfTheDefender Flight of the Defender]]" has an even worse example where two stormtroopers guarding the [[SuperPrototype new TIE Defender]] leave their post to chase after some loth-cats that attacked them despite it not actually injuring them when [[TheInspectorIsComing Grand Admiral Thrawn is due to arrive at any moment]]. Worse still, they never consider just blasting the things or just trying to scare them off, and [[UpToEleven are seen later still chasing even when they are well outside the base]]. Makes you wonder how they even became stormtroopers in the first place.

* In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', the Mirkwood elves demonstrate the DrinkingOnDuty variation of this, allowing [[spoiler:the dwarves]] to escape. They don't seem to learn from the experience, since Gollum also escapes from Mirkwood in ''The Fellowship of the Ring''.

One of the AcceptableBreaksFromReality, as competent guards would cause characters to end up stuck in prison forever, and [[StealthBasedGame Stealth-Based Games]] would be unwinnable.

* Having a very particular ratio of respect for authority and independence. Just enough of the former to be [[BavarianFireDrill intimidated and release the hero when he claims higher ups might get annoyed]], but enough of the latter that they don't just pass the buck by checking with their supervisor.

* In ''Charlotte Gray'', which takes place in Nazi-occupied France, the eponymous heroine and a member of the French resistance are being held in a house by Nazis, and manage to distract the guard who's supposed to be watching them by making out, then jump him and run for it when he comes over to separate them.
* The plot in ''Condor'' pretty much is built on this: the villain had stolen the code to control the MacGuffin, and was captured and put in jail. The movie starts with the villain's breakout. The big worry? Nobody thought to change the code to the MacGuffin.

** "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E12RebelResolve Rebel Resolve]]": Two stormtroopers guarding an Imperial shuttle let a courier droid that [[PaperThinDisguise is clearly Chopper (an outdated model of astromech)]] on the ship despite the fact that this supposed courier droid's escort is nowhere to found. [[WhatAnIdiot One of them even points out this out but, their partner just dismisses it.]]

** Also [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Fina as she makes her way to Lescatie, sneaking past the guards all the while. This is later [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as she does so by blending in with the stream of travellers and refugees who sought entry and safety in the city. The guards are simply overtaxed with keeping the area secure against monsters.

* In ''Fanfic/TheGoodHunter'', Cyril [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] how Lescatie's guards are worse than useless, failing to sense the intruder within their walls who successfully intrudes upon his home. Sure, said intruder turns out to be a [[GratuitousNinja Kunoichi]] good at infiltration work, but still.

* Not confirming the authenticity of unexpected [[TrojanPrisoner prisoner shipments]], surprise inspections, [[JanitorImpersonationInfiltration new janitors]] or [[DeliveryGuyInfiltration pizza deliveries]].

* Averted in the first ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials My Little Pony]]'' special. Tirac's guards are good at their jobs. They spot Megan and the ponies slipping in, and use smart tactics against the group. However, the heroes are badass enough to win anyway.

* In ''Webcomic/TheGarden'', guards fail to notice even the most obvious noises. In [[http://thegarden.thewebcomic.com/comics/986723/chap-2-pg-27/ this page]], [[FanNickname Bathrobe Guy]] confronts his guards about why they let his prisoners escape. In response, they respond in all seriousness with "They said you let them go."

* With guards like Yippey, Yappey, and Yahooey (a.k.a. the Goofy Guards from the ''Peter Potamus'' show), who needs villains? What did the king ever do to deserve them?

* The Stuart Gibbs ‘’Funjungle’’ novels get a lot of humor from the incompetence of the parks security guards. After an animal is stolen the guards fail to realize the correct time the theft occurred (if they had the. Security footage would have easily solved the case), a guard assigned to prevent the poisoning of giraffes fails to realize that it’s his own actions of feeding then dangerous plants that’s making them sick and one of the few times they actually catch a criminal it’s because the officer pursuing the man tripped over a little kid, and accidentally tapered an old lady who the fleeing criminal then tripped over. By the third book, park owner JJ [[=McCracken=]] has tried to get around this by hiring he more professional Chief Honneker to run things smoother (which despite some initial arrogance, he arguably does) but the rank and file guards still screw up a lot.

* In ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'', Baron Ashura's mooks ''are'' this trope, as exemplified in a scene during the beach episode that so utterly ridiculous that you wouldn't believe it unless you see it.

* Happens all the day in Spanish comic book ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'', although its first story, ''ComicBook/ElSulfatoAtomico'', featured absolutely-not-Nazi soldiers that were competent in many cases (not in the rest, of course).

* ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' "Hey, uh... I'm actually supposed to be getting out of jail, not going back in..."

** In both "Night at the Museum" movies, it's more like "the museum administrators must be crazy." Larry's initiation involves being given a rule book, a uniform, a brief tour by his predecessor, and a small note of rather unusual instructions and then being left to his own devices, with no backup. If it weren't for the army of AnimateInanimateObjects, he would have been completely helpless when the inevitable robbery occurs. His British counterpart in the second movie has it even worse. While she ''is'' quite competent, and did go entirely by the rule book, the closest thing she has to a weapon, is a hammer she brings from home while Larry at least has a night-stick, a flashlight, and pepper spray. Like Larry, she also has no backup, except a long, complicated phone number to call, and then only when she's absolutely certain things have escalated to a point that she can't possibly handle it by herself. As graphically shown, this puts her completely at the mercy of any determined or marginally competent group of thieves, criminals, or malcontents intending to do her or the museum harm. She lampshades that she's starved for conversation because she doesn't have co-workers at the job.

* The Stuart Gibbs ‘’Funjungle’’ novels get a lot of humor from the incompetence of the parks security guards. After an animal is stolen the guards fail to realize the correct time the theft occurred (if they had the. Security footage would have easily solved the case), a guard assigned to prevent the poisoning of giraffes fails to realize that it’s his own actions of feeding then dangerous plants that’s making them sick and one of the few times they actually catch a criminal it’s because the officer pursuing the man tripped over a little kid, and accidentally tapered an old lady who the fleeing criminal then tripped over. By the third book, park owner JJ McCracken has tried to get around this by hiring he more professional Chief Honneker to run things smoother (which despite some initial arrogance, he arguably does) but the rank and file guards still screw up a lot.

* The ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'''s ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzVWrOmFWpU parody]].

* ''Webcomic/MinionsAtWork'': [[http://www.theminionsatwork.com/comic/watch-your-back/ Letting him keep something from his mother]].