History Main / ThirdActStupidity

* ''DeathNote'' is an odd example: both the protagonist and antagonist are geniuses playing XanatosSpeedChess three layers deep. The climax depends on neither of them having a plan ''D.'' It might seem unfair, but really, with the amount of prep time and AppliedPhlebotinum they had access to, they really should have.

* None of the characters in [[{{Film/Hellboy}} Hellboy II]] make intelligent decisions in the third act, which lead to the villain getting the MacGuffin and the LoveInterest dying (although critics felt it didn't hurt the overall film).

* In [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender's]] finale Zuko tells Katara that he can beat Azula alone, which turns out to be true and is about to one-hit Azula the same way he did a few episodes back with his father (and at that time he was unprepared). Then he makes the mistake of taunting her. Katara makes the mistake of standing too close to the action. Result? Azula fires at Katara and Zuko is taken out of commission, leaving Katara to finish what he started.

* In [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender's]] finale Zuko tells Katara that he can beat Azula alone, which turns out to be true and is about to one-hit Azula the same way he did a few episodes back with his father (and at that time he was unprepared), Katara is nowhere to be found through the entire battle, that's until the scene where Azula is building up a lighting bolt and we can actually see Katara [[IdiotBall coming out of wherever she was hidding and]] [[WhatAnIdiot STANDING THERE]] [[TooDumbToLive FOR NO REASON AT ALL]], Zuko gets almost killed for saving her, all she managed with this was stealing Zuko's CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* Part of the fun of ''{{Columbo}}'' was [[ZigZaggingTrope zig zagging this]]. He's seem like a fool, and even seem to fall into this, but it's all an act.

* Double-subverted in ''Artemis Fowl'': Artemis specifically refers to the "third stage of operations" as the time ''not'' to get careless, and then [[spoiler:sends Juliet downstairs to check on Holly, who has regained her magic. [[JustifiedTrope Although he didn't know it at the time]].]]

* In Avatar: The last airbender's finale Zuko tells Katara that he can beat Azula alone, which turns out to be true and is about to one-hit Azula the same way he did a few episodes back with his father (and at that time he was unprepared), Katara is nowhere to be found through the entire battle, that's until the scene where Azula is building up a lighting bolt and we can actually see Katara [[IdiotBall coming out of wherever she was hidding and]] [[WhatAnIdiot STANDING THERE]] [[TooDumbToLive FOR NO REASON AT ALL]], Zuko gets almost killed for saving her, all she managed with this was stealing Zuko's CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

* The BigBad in the ''DoctorWho'' special "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End Of Time]]" tells the Master in the most insulting terms that the moment his plan (which the Master is an essential part of) succeeds, the Master [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness will be killed]]. While the Master is standing next to the machine that forms another essential part of the plan. He also passes up numerous opportunities to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoot the Doctor]] despite having previously shown a willingness to kill people for disagreeing with him; and the Doctor ''isn't'' part of his plan.

* Double-subverted in ''Artemis Fowl'': Artemis specifically refers to the "third stage of operations" as the time ''not'' to get careless, and then [[spoiler:sends Juliet downstairs to check on Holly, who has regained her magic.]]

* In Avatar: The last airbender's finale Zuko tells Katara that he can beat Azula alone, which turns out to be true and is about to one-hit Azula the same way he did a few episodes back with his father (and at that time he was unprepared), Katara is nowhere to be found through the entire battle, that's until the scene where Azula is building up a lighting bolt and we can actually see Katara [[IdiotBall coming out of wherever she was hidding and]] [[WhatAnIdiot STANDING THERE]] [[TooDumbToLive FOR NO REASON AT ALL]], Zuko gets almost killed for saving her.

* In Avatar: The last airbender's finale Zuko tells Katara that he can beat Azula alone, which turns out to be true and is about to one-hit Azula the same way he did a few episodes back with his father (and at that time he was unprepared), Katara is nowhere to be found through the entire battle, that's until the scene where Azula is building up a lighting bolt and we can actually see Katara [[IdiotBall coming out of wherever she was hidding and]] [[DistressBall STANDING THERE]] [[TooDumbToLive FOR NO REASON AT ALL]], Zuko gets almost killed for saving her.

* The movie ''Underworld'' when the BigBad has rendered the hero completely helpless and has him on the floor at his feet...but then walks away to deal with another problem. I think there's even some corny dialogue. The hero of course recovers and saves the day.

For example, a cop protagonist has done just about everything with his/her partner, until it comes time to confront the murder, and then the cop does it all alone.

Or on the villain's side, this bad guy has been [[NoDelaysForTheWicked one step ahead of the police the whole time]], and whenever a cop gets close, that cop dies. But now it's the climax, so the villain does stupid things to drag this out (even if the villain comes out on top).

* ''{{Lost}}'', Season 5, "The Incident". Sayid [[spoiler: who has been a staunch supporter of rationality throughout the show's entire run, whose rationality reaches a veritable CLIMAX in his decision to do some good in the 'real world' in South America immediately prior to the following events, decides that Jack's plan to blow up the island with a nuke to turn back time sounds like a swell plan.]].
** Sayid's rationale can be explained in that, if the plan succeeded, both Nadia and Shannon would be alive. It would also save his own life - Sayid had been shot, and it turned out to be fatal. A better example of a character who ''never'' should have gone along with it is Jin. If the plan had worked, his daughter would never have been born.
*** Ah, Jin. You mean the guy who didn't know he had a daughter? A deleted scene shows him saying it's "worth the risk" if it could unite him and his wife.

** Sayid's rationale can be explained in that, if the plan succeeded, both Nadia and Shannon would be alive. A better example of a character who ''never'' should have gone along with it is Jin. If the plan had worked, his daughter would never have been born.

** Justified in Light's case -- {{Hubris}} is the whole reason he eventually fails. Well, that and getting his WriterOnBoard privileges pulled.

** Or to be more accurate, both had plan A and Light had expected Near to come up with plan A, so he prepared a plan B for that. Nothing else. That was all the thought they had given for this fated encounter. Compared to the level of plotting elsewhere in the series, this kind of straight-forwardness was a total anti-climax.

** Or to be more accurate, both had plan A and Light had expected Near to come up with plan A, so he prepared a plan B for that. Compared to the level of plotting elsewhere in the series, this kind of straight-forwardness was a total anti-climax.

* None of the characters in [[Film/Hellboy Hellboy II]] make intelligent decisions in the third act, which lead to the villain getting the MacGuffin and the LoveInterest dying. It still manages to be a pretty good movie in spite of this, though.