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** Invoked in the series finale: [[spoiler:House is trapped in a burning building and has two options: escape, but be arrested for wrecking an MRI machine in the previous episode, go to jail, and not be there for his best friend Wilson in his last days as he is dying of cancer; or stay in the burning building and die. The option he took? Escape out the back of the building, fake his death, and abandon his old life so he can be there for Wilson.]]
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** ''1969'': Subverted. Carter presents them with two undesirable options for their predicament. When Jack asks "Or...?", Carter says she can't think of a third option.
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** ''1969'': Subverted. Carter presents A freak accident involving a solar flare interfering with a wormhole sends SG-1 into the past where they're captured by the US military. While they're being transported, Jack tells them with that they have two undesirable options. They can stay captive, where they'll be split up and interrogated until they tell the truth, or they can escape, find somewhere quiet to live and avoid impacting the future. Both options for their predicament. When will affect the future because the second option means Teal'c will eventually become a Goa'uld when his symbiote matures. Jack asks "Or...?", Carter says she can't think of for a third option.option, but she doesn't know of any. The third option actually comes from General Hammond, who knew the whole thing was going to happen and sent a note to his past self that helps the team return to the future.
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** ''1969'': Subverted. Carter presents them with two undesirable options for their predicament. When Jack asks "Or...?", Carter says she can't think of a third option.
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** ''1969'': Subverted. Carter presents them with two undesirable options for their predicament. When Jack asks "Or...?", Carter says she can't think of a third option.
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%% ** ''Zero Hour'': Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed
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%% ** ''Zero Hour'': Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed
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Example clean-up. Commented out a zero context example which doesn\'t explain why it\'s this trope or what the three options were.
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* Used directly or indirectly in several episodes of ''Series/StargateSG1'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with the annoying Urgo for the rest of their lives, or have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed]]). Lampshaded in the episode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill requests a ''fourth'' option.
** In the episode "Moebius", SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
** There's also "1969", where O'Neill tries to invoke this trope:
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I can't think of an "or" at the moment, sir.
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there's a will there's an "or".
** In the episode "Moebius", SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
** There's also "1969", where O'Neill tries to invoke this trope:
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I can't think of an "or" at the moment, sir.
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there's a will there's an "or".
to:
* Used directly or indirectly in ''Series/StargateSG1'': Crops up several episodes of ''Series/StargateSG1'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with times until it's lampshaded within the show.
** ''Urgo'': SG-1 have the choice between removing the annoying Urgo from their minds, destroying him forever, or living with him inside their minds for the rest of theirlives, or lives. They choose to have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) until they arrive on his home planet and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn meet his creator. Upon discovering that the creator race are an experience-starved culture, they take the opportunity to negotiate for the creator to accept Urgo into his mind. SG-1 get rid of him, Urgo gets to survive, and the creator's people now have the chance to learn new experiences with Urgo's help. Win-win for everyone.
%% ** ''Zero Hour'': Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will bekilled]]). Lampshaded killed
** ''Fail Safe'': An asteroid is on course to hit Earth, leaving SG-1 to try and set off a bomb in theepisode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third asteroid's core to move it off course so that it misses Earth. The plans ends up failing. Their first option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill to give up, leave for the Alpha site and hope they can reach a stargate before they're hit by the explosion from the asteroid hitting Earth. The second option is to leave the asteroid by enough distance for communications to come back online and hope they can contact the Asgard in time, convince them to intervene, and then have them arrive in time to save Earth. Neither option is realistic. Daniel and Sam cook up a third option, dragging the asteroid through the centre of the Earth via a hyperspace window, materialising it on the other side of the planet. They both agree it's completely ridiculous and both agree it's their only chance. Jack requests a ''fourth'' option.
** Infourth option. When the episode "Moebius", option does inevitably succeed, he lampshades the trope with the comment "third options always work".
** ''Moebius'': SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
**There's also "1969", where O'Neill tries to invoke this trope:
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I''1969'': Subverted. Carter presents them with two undesirable options for their predicament. When Jack asks "Or...?", Carter says she can't think of an "or" at the moment, sir.
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there'sa will there's an "or".third option.
** ''Urgo'': SG-1 have the choice between removing the annoying Urgo from their minds, destroying him forever, or living with him inside their minds for the rest of their
%% ** ''Zero Hour'': Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be
** ''Fail Safe'': An asteroid is on course to hit Earth, leaving SG-1 to try and set off a bomb in the
** In
** ''Moebius'': SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
**
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there's
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** Another one was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru. Option one was respond to rescue call and be destroyed, option two was to abandon the Kobayashi Maru, potentially preventing war but leaving the crew and passengers to die. Kirk decided to Take aThird Option and cheat.
** Not really a third option within the test, in the strictest sense...
** Not really a third option within the test, in the strictest sense...
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** Another one was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru. Option one was respond to rescue call and be destroyed, option two was to abandon the Kobayashi Maru, potentially preventing war but leaving the crew and passengers to die. Kirk decided to Take aThird a Third Option and cheat.
** *** Not really a third option within the test, in the strictest sense...sense...
*** Many Star Trek novels subsequently showed how ''other'' major characters who are Starfleet officers used this trope to bypass the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Strategies ranged from Scotty negating the enemy ships' shields in a way that broke the laws of physics (but the simulation didn't know that), to Kirk's nephew challenging the leader of the enemy patrol to man-to-man combat, then instructing his crew to rescue the Maru's occupants and escape (leaving him behind to die).
*** Many Star Trek novels subsequently showed how ''other'' major characters who are Starfleet officers used this trope to bypass the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Strategies ranged from Scotty negating the enemy ships' shields in a way that broke the laws of physics (but the simulation didn't know that), to Kirk's nephew challenging the leader of the enemy patrol to man-to-man combat, then instructing his crew to rescue the Maru's occupants and escape (leaving him behind to die).
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* In ''Series/AuctionKings'', Joel owns a pawn shop down the road from Gallery 63. When he buys something he'll have trouble reselling (hoping the original seller will come back for it), he'll often bring the piece to Paul to auction instead.
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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jorah tells Daenerys that she needs to take command of the Unsullied. Not just because they're a BadassArmy, but also because they don't rape or sack. Barriston disapproves because the Unsullied are effectively an army of slaves. Both disagree that Daenerys should trade one of [[CoolPet her dragons]] for command of the army. Daenerys has a third solution: 1) Give the slavers one of the dragons and take command of the Unsullied. 2) Have the slavers killed by the Unsullied and the very dragon that she just sold to the morons. 3) Set the Unsullied free. She walks away with both the dragon ''and'' the Unsullied, and because she set them free, they're even more loyal to her than they would've been as slaves. Result, Dany. Result.
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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jorah tells Daenerys that she needs to take command of the Unsullied. Not just because they're a BadassArmy, but also because they don't rape or sack. Barriston disapproves because the Unsullied are effectively an army of slaves. Both disagree that Daenerys should trade one of [[CoolPet her dragons]] for command of the army. Daenerys has a third solution: 1) Give the slavers one of the dragons and take command of the Unsullied. 2) Have the slavers killed by the Unsullied and the very dragon that she just sold to the morons. 3) Set the Unsullied free. She walks away with both the dragon ''and'' the Unsullied, and because she set them free, they're even more loyal to her than they would've been as slaves. Result, Dany. Result.Result.
* The July 11, 1974 episode of ''{{Tattletales}}'' posited this question to the men: "If a stranger saw your one and only streaking down Sunset Boulevard, he'd be most likely to comment on her _______." Joanne Worley said that her hubby, Roger Perry would say "boobs." Roger came back on, and after nervous deliberation, he wound up saying the stranger would comment on Joanne's hair. Guest host Gene Rayburn asked "What was your second answer, Roj?" Bert Convy interjected "Second and ''third'' answer!"
* The July 11, 1974 episode of ''{{Tattletales}}'' posited this question to the men: "If a stranger saw your one and only streaking down Sunset Boulevard, he'd be most likely to comment on her _______." Joanne Worley said that her hubby, Roger Perry would say "boobs." Roger came back on, and after nervous deliberation, he wound up saying the stranger would comment on Joanne's hair. Guest host Gene Rayburn asked "What was your second answer, Roj?" Bert Convy interjected "Second and ''third'' answer!"
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* On one episode of ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'', Arnold takes karate. Later, he has a "fight" against Willis to demonstrate his skill, but Willis lets him think he beat him fair and square. Then, he watches in shock as Arnold calls up "The Gooch" and challenges him to a fight. He's left debating whether to let Arnold fight "The Gooch" and possibly get seriously hurt or tell him he let Arnold win their fight and hurt his feelings. He ends up [[spoiler: calling "The Gooch" and telling him that Arnold is taking karate. "The Gooch" ends up abandoning the fight.]]
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* On one episode of ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'', Arnold takes karate. Later, he has a "fight" against Willis to demonstrate his skill, but Willis lets him think he beat him fair and square. Then, he watches in shock as Arnold calls up "The Gooch" and challenges him to a fight. He's left debating whether to let Arnold fight "The Gooch" and possibly get seriously hurt or tell him he let Arnold win their fight and hurt his feelings. He ends up [[spoiler: calling "The Gooch" and telling him that Arnold is taking karate. "The Gooch" ends up abandoning the fight.]]]]
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jorah tells Daenerys that she needs to take command of the Unsullied. Not just because they're a BadassArmy, but also because they don't rape or sack. Barriston disapproves because the Unsullied are effectively an army of slaves. Both disagree that Daenerys should trade one of [[CoolPet her dragons]] for command of the army. Daenerys has a third solution: 1) Give the slavers one of the dragons and take command of the Unsullied. 2) Have the slavers killed by the Unsullied and the very dragon that she just sold to the morons. 3) Set the Unsullied free. She walks away with both the dragon ''and'' the Unsullied, and because she set them free, they're even more loyal to her than they would've been as slaves. Result, Dany. Result.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jorah tells Daenerys that she needs to take command of the Unsullied. Not just because they're a BadassArmy, but also because they don't rape or sack. Barriston disapproves because the Unsullied are effectively an army of slaves. Both disagree that Daenerys should trade one of [[CoolPet her dragons]] for command of the army. Daenerys has a third solution: 1) Give the slavers one of the dragons and take command of the Unsullied. 2) Have the slavers killed by the Unsullied and the very dragon that she just sold to the morons. 3) Set the Unsullied free. She walks away with both the dragon ''and'' the Unsullied, and because she set them free, they're even more loyal to her than they would've been as slaves. Result, Dany. Result.
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* On one episode of ''{{Blossom}}'', we find out that Joey recently cheated on a test because failing would have meant getting kicked off a sports team. Unfortunately, he does too well and gets promoted to a more advanced class. His options are to either try the course, fail, get sent back to his original class, and get kicked off the team; or admit he cheated, get sent back to his original class, [[MortonsFork and get kicked off the team]]. While discussing his problem with Anthony, they discover that the next test has a grade that has to be achieved to stay in the class which is slightly higher than passing. So, Joey decides to do well enough on the test to pass, but badly enough to get sent back to his original class. This proves to be harder than he thought.
to:
* On one episode of ''{{Blossom}}'', we find out that Joey recently cheated on a test because failing would have meant getting kicked off a sports team. Unfortunately, he does too well and gets promoted to a more advanced class. His options are to either try the course, fail, get sent back to his original class, and get kicked off the team; or admit he cheated, get sent back to his original class, [[MortonsFork and get kicked off the team]]. While discussing his problem with Anthony, they discover that the next test has a grade that has to be achieved to stay in the class which is slightly higher than passing. So, Joey decides to do well enough on the test to pass, but badly enough to get sent back to his original class. This proves to be harder than he thought.thought.
* On one episode of ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'', Arnold takes karate. Later, he has a "fight" against Willis to demonstrate his skill, but Willis lets him think he beat him fair and square. Then, he watches in shock as Arnold calls up "The Gooch" and challenges him to a fight. He's left debating whether to let Arnold fight "The Gooch" and possibly get seriously hurt or tell him he let Arnold win their fight and hurt his feelings. He ends up [[spoiler: calling "The Gooch" and telling him that Arnold is taking karate. "The Gooch" ends up abandoning the fight.]]
* On one episode of ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'', Arnold takes karate. Later, he has a "fight" against Willis to demonstrate his skill, but Willis lets him think he beat him fair and square. Then, he watches in shock as Arnold calls up "The Gooch" and challenges him to a fight. He's left debating whether to let Arnold fight "The Gooch" and possibly get seriously hurt or tell him he let Arnold win their fight and hurt his feelings. He ends up [[spoiler: calling "The Gooch" and telling him that Arnold is taking karate. "The Gooch" ends up abandoning the fight.]]
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** He ''always'' finds the third option. In another episode, some followers of [[TheFundamentalist Savonarola]] come to Machiavelli's door demanding [[BookBurning vanities to be burnt in a bonfire.]] He doesn't want to give them books, which is what they first ask for, but they'll break his windows if they don't get anything. So he decides to give them a stuffed owl so they'll just go away and not get anything important.
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* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's EvilPlan in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
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* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's EvilPlan in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
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** One episode with a focus on backstory shows how House got his leg in the shape it is: an aneurism in his thigh caused the muscles in his leg to become necrotic. An amputation would save his life, but House stubbornly refused to have his leg removed, even though it could kill him. His boss, Lisa Cuddy, and his girlfriend at the time and medical proxy, Stacey Warner, took a third option: an operation that would only remove the necrotic tissue and restore blood flow to his thigh. It succeeded, but because so much muscle tissue had been damaged, he needs to use a cane to walk and lives with such debilitating pain that it would lead to his Vicodin addiction.
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** Another example occurs in ''A Study in Pink''. At the climax, Sherlock is forced into playing a Russian-Roulette-style game with the villain, involving two pills, one harmless and one lethal. [[spoiler: Sherlock instead chooses to be shot, having noticed that the villain's gun is in fact a novelty cigarette lighter.]]
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* In ''TheVampireDiaries'', Katherine is faced an extremely difficult decision [[spoiler:drained of The Cure that made her human and is rapidly dying of old age.]] She gave Stefan advice on taking care of your personal problems or running from it. For her, she has to either find a way to save her life or [[spoiler:endure her own aging until the end.]] Instead of either of these, Katherine [[spoiler: attempted to commit suicide]].
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* In ''TheVampireDiaries'', Katherine is faced an extremely difficult decision [[spoiler:drained of The Cure that made her human and is rapidly dying of old age.]] She gave Stefan advice on taking care of your personal problems or running from it. For her, she has to either find a way to save her life or [[spoiler:endure her own aging until the end.]] Instead of either of these, Instead, Katherine [[spoiler: attempted to commit suicide]].
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* In ''TheVampireDiaries'', Katherine is faced an extremely difficult decision [[spoiler:drained of The Cure that made her human and is rapidly dying of old age.]] She gave Stefan advice on taking care of your personal problems or running from it. For her, she has to either find a way to save her life or [spoiler:endure her own aging until the end.]] Instead of either of these, Katherine [[spoiler: attempted to commit suicide]].
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* In ''TheVampireDiaries'', Katherine is faced an extremely difficult decision [[spoiler:drained of The Cure that made her human and is rapidly dying of old age.]] She gave Stefan advice on taking care of your personal problems or running from it. For her, she has to either find a way to save her life or [spoiler:endure [[spoiler:endure her own aging until the end.]] Instead of either of these, Katherine [[spoiler: attempted to commit suicide]].
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*In ''TheVampireDiaries'', Katherine is faced an extremely difficult decision [[spoiler:drained of The Cure that made her human and is rapidly dying of old age.]] She gave Stefan advice on taking care of your personal problems or running from it. For her, she has to either find a way to save her life or [spoiler:endure her own aging until the end.]] Instead of either of these, Katherine [[spoiler: attempted to commit suicide]].
--->'''Stefan:''' What are you doing?
--->'''Katherine:''' I told you. You can either face your problems or you run. I chose Option 3.
--->'''Stefan:''' What are you doing?
--->'''Katherine:''' I told you. You can either face your problems or you run. I chose Option 3.
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*** Meanwhile, he calls back to "The End of Time" and to Rassilon's declaration that either [[EarthShatteringKaboom Gallifrey falls]] or [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Gallifrey rises]]. Just before the climax, the Doctor declares a third option: [[spoiler:Gallifrey Stands]].
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* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', season five has Dean and Sam [[ScrewDestiny refusing]] to play along with {{Heaven}}'s will that Dean become [[ArchangelMichael Michael's]] host and Sam [[ArchAngelLucifer Lucifer's]] host so the angelic brothers can [[BecauseDestinySaysSo finish the final battle]] and fight each other to the death. Saying yes would thus raze the world either way, but result in paradise if Michael wins (as the [[LightIsNotGood angels]] believe [[DestructiveSavior he will]]). Lucifer wants Sam to say 'yes' because he believes he'll win, at which point he'll kick the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Apocalypse]] into full gear and kill everyone. If the brothers both say 'no', Lucifer will use his present inadequate host to continue the Apocalypse at the current pace.
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* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', season five has Dean and Sam [[ScrewDestiny refusing]] to play along with {{Heaven}}'s will that Dean become [[ArchangelMichael Michael's]] host and Sam [[ArchAngelLucifer Lucifer's]] host so the angelic brothers can [[BecauseDestinySaysSo finish the final battle]] and fight each other to the death. Saying yes would thus raze the world either way, but result in paradise if Michael wins (as the [[LightIsNotGood angels]] believe [[DestructiveSavior [[DestructiveSaviour he will]]). Lucifer wants Sam to say 'yes' because he believes he'll win, at which point he'll kick the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Apocalypse]] into full gear and kill everyone. If the brothers both say 'no', Lucifer will use his present inadequate host to continue the Apocalypse at the current pace.
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** In ''The Day of the Doctor'', the Doctor(s) pull this off [[spoiler: when figuring out a way to peacefully deal with the Zygon invasion of Earth and then ''spectacularly'' when they figure out a way to end the Time War, get rid of the Daleks, and still save billions of innocents on Gallifrey.]]
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* Used directly or indirectly in several episodes of ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with the annoying Urgo for the rest of their lives, or have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed]]). Lampshaded in the episode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill requests a ''fourth'' option.
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* Used directly or indirectly in several episodes of ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'', ''Series/StargateSG1'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with the annoying Urgo for the rest of their lives, or have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed]]). Lampshaded in the episode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill requests a ''fourth'' option.
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* In ''KamenRiderBlade'', Kenzaki is left with a SadisticChoice at the finale. He can ether choose to [[spoiler: seal the Black Joker, thus sealing away the innocent Hajime persona he and the others have befriended and who isn't responsible for his actions or allow the Black Joker to complete the destruction of humanity.]] So, what does he do? [[spoiler: he fights the Black Joker long enough that Blade's King Form transforms him into the Azure Joker Undead. This makes the Black Joker no longer the winner of the Battle Fight and allows Hajime to return to his human life...though it also means they can never be near one another or they'll be forced to fight.]] Still, much better than the other options.
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* In ''KamenRiderBlade'', ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'', Kenzaki is left with a SadisticChoice at the finale. He can ether choose to [[spoiler: seal the Black Joker, thus sealing away the innocent Hajime persona he and the others have befriended and who isn't responsible for his actions or allow the Black Joker to complete the destruction of humanity.]] So, what does he do? [[spoiler: he fights the Black Joker long enough that Blade's King Form transforms him into the Azure Joker Undead. This makes the Black Joker no longer the winner of the Battle Fight and allows Hajime to return to his human life...though it also means they can never be near one another or they'll be forced to fight.]] Still, much better than the other options.
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* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's XanatosRoulette in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
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* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's XanatosRoulette EvilPlan in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
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* In ''TheBorgias'', if Florence doesn't let the French enter their city, the French will probably destroy it. However, if they "surrender," they will be excommunicated. So what does Machiavelli do? Let the French come in "as friends," with their lances angled backwards to indicate they are not conquering the city. (The lances pointing straight up kept them from coming in at all, hence angling them backwards as a "symbol of Your Majesty's infinite resourcefulness," a neat turn of phrase as it was in fact Machiavelli's idea and not the king's.)
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* In ''TheBorgias'', if Florence doesn't let the French enter their city, the French will probably destroy it. However, if they "surrender," they will be excommunicated. So what does Machiavelli do? Let the French come in "as friends," with their lances angled backwards to indicate they are not conquering the city. (The lances pointing straight up kept them from coming in at all, hence angling them backwards as a "symbol of Your Majesty's infinite resourcefulness," a neat turn of phrase as it was in fact Machiavelli's idea and not the king's.))
* On one episode of ''{{Blossom}}'', we find out that Joey recently cheated on a test because failing would have meant getting kicked off a sports team. Unfortunately, he does too well and gets promoted to a more advanced class. His options are to either try the course, fail, get sent back to his original class, and get kicked off the team; or admit he cheated, get sent back to his original class, [[MortonsFork and get kicked off the team]]. While discussing his problem with Anthony, they discover that the next test has a grade that has to be achieved to stay in the class which is slightly higher than passing. So, Joey decides to do well enough on the test to pass, but badly enough to get sent back to his original class. This proves to be harder than he thought.
* On one episode of ''{{Blossom}}'', we find out that Joey recently cheated on a test because failing would have meant getting kicked off a sports team. Unfortunately, he does too well and gets promoted to a more advanced class. His options are to either try the course, fail, get sent back to his original class, and get kicked off the team; or admit he cheated, get sent back to his original class, [[MortonsFork and get kicked off the team]]. While discussing his problem with Anthony, they discover that the next test has a grade that has to be achieved to stay in the class which is slightly higher than passing. So, Joey decides to do well enough on the test to pass, but badly enough to get sent back to his original class. This proves to be harder than he thought.
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* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them, but they don't know which one to do so in order to create a better timeline. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]
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* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them, but they don't know which one to do so in order to create a better timeline. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]]]
* In ''TheBorgias'', if Florence doesn't let the French enter their city, the French will probably destroy it. However, if they "surrender," they will be excommunicated. So what does Machiavelli do? Let the French come in "as friends," with their lances angled backwards to indicate they are not conquering the city. (The lances pointing straight up kept them from coming in at all, hence angling them backwards as a "symbol of Your Majesty's infinite resourcefulness," a neat turn of phrase as it was in fact Machiavelli's idea and not the king's.)
* In ''TheBorgias'', if Florence doesn't let the French enter their city, the French will probably destroy it. However, if they "surrender," they will be excommunicated. So what does Machiavelli do? Let the French come in "as friends," with their lances angled backwards to indicate they are not conquering the city. (The lances pointing straight up kept them from coming in at all, hence angling them backwards as a "symbol of Your Majesty's infinite resourcefulness," a neat turn of phrase as it was in fact Machiavelli's idea and not the king's.)
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* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]
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* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them.them, but they don't know which one to do so in order to create a better timeline. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]
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** When an off duty police officer, who has had a few drinks, stops a robbery at first he is an hero - then he is in trouble for pulling his gun after drinking. Frank is advised to stay out of it. Instead [[spoiler: he calls a press conference and announces the man will be slightly punished, but he gets to keep his job.]]
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** When an off duty police officer, who has had a few drinks, stops a robbery at first he is an hero - then he is in trouble for pulling his gun after drinking. Frank is advised to stay out of it. Instead [[spoiler: he calls a press conference and announces the man will be slightly punished, but he gets to keep his job.]]
* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]
* In one late episode of ''QuantumLeap'', Sam's currently stuck in the guise of a lowlife married to two different wives and several kids. In order to get him to turn his life around he and Al need to break up with one of them. [[spoiler: Instead, Sam gets both of them to break up with him, allowing both women to fix their own lives as his host was making them both miserable. In turn, this event is what allows the host to turn his own life around.]]
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* The producers of SesameStreet faced two options when the actor playing Mr. Hooper died: [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] or [[TheOtherDarrin use a different actor]]. They [[TearJerker took a]] [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments third option]]: [[spoiler:they made it a part of the show that [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Mr. Hooper died]].]]
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* The producers of SesameStreet faced two options when the actor playing Mr. Hooper died: [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] or [[TheOtherDarrin use a different actor]]. They [[TearJerker took a]] [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments third option]]: [[spoiler:they made it a part of the show that [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim [[spoiler:[[TheCharacterDiedWithHim they let Mr. Hooper died]].die with the actor]] and used the situation as a learning experience.]]
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** In "Sons of Mogh", Worf has to deal with the matter of his brother, Kurn. Because he turned against the Empire to side with the Federation, their house has been dismantled and Kurn disgraced beyond redemption. Under Klingon tradition, Worf would normally ritually [[DeathEqualsRedemption sacrifice him to restore his honor]], but that's murder under Federation law, [[ThouShaltNotKill so he's not allowed to perform it]]. Since the status quo is unacceptable, neither is carrying out the ritual, Worf has to find an alternative. [[spoiler:The solution is to have Dr. Bashir alter Kurn's appearance and block his memories, allowing him to be adopted by a friendly house and be freed of Worf's dishonor without dying.]]
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* At the end of Season 5 of ''Series/{{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}'', Buffy's apparent choices, if she and The Scoobies cannot stop Glory from starting the ritual that would end the world and kill all human life, are to kill Dawn and save the world, which Giles tries and fails to convince her is the best action, or to save Dawn temporarily but let the whole world be destroyed, which is what her [[PrinciplesZealot deontological]] instincts tell her is still preferable. [[spoiler: The ritual is not prevented, and Buffy sacrifices her own life, her blood being similar enough to Dawn's, to save the world without killing an innocent]]
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', season five has Dean and Sam [[ScrewDestiny refusing]] to play along with {{Heaven}}'s will that Dean become [[ArchangelMichael Michael's]] host and Sam [[ArchAngelLucifer Lucifer's]] host so the angelic brothers can [[BecauseDestinySaysSo finish the final battle]] and fight each other to the death. Saying yes would thus raze the world either way, but result in paradise if Michael wins (as the [[LightIsNotGood angels]] believe [[DestructiveSavior he will]]). Lucifer wants Sam to say 'yes' because he believes he'll win, at which point he'll kick the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Apocalypse]] into full gear and kill everyone. If the brothers both say 'no', Lucifer will use his present inadequate host to continue the Apocalypse at the current pace.
** There is no other option until [[spoiler:they find out how to open [[SealedEvilInACan the Cage Lucifer was originally locked in]].]] Then, Sam comes up with a SelfSacrificeScheme [[spoiler:to say 'yes' to Lucifer so that [[FightingFromTheInside when Lucifer possesses him]], [[HeroicWillPower he can walk]] [[HeroicSacrifice into the Cage]] where he and a vengeful Lucifer will be [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped for eternity]].]] It only works, saving the world from widespread destruction [[spoiler:and preserving it as it is, neither a paradise nor a hell (thus letting Free Will triumph),]] because of perfectly [[HumansAreSpecial human]] [[ThickerThanWater brotherly]] [[ThePowerOfLove love]].
** In a literal example by ''Michael'', Dean is told to say 'yes' or 'no' to Michael (Well, he's told to say yes or die, but he'll die if he says yes...) When he says 'yes' but [[ILied takes it back]] so he doesn't disappoint Sam, Michael then uses Adam, Sam and Dean's half-brother, as a vessel instead (it had to be someone from that particular bloodline).
* In ''{{Series/Revenge}}'' after [[spoiler: Takeda murders Tyler]] in order to protect Emily's secret, he tells her that either her fiance Daniel or childhood love Jack must take the blame and that she can't save both. She does, however, by [[spoiler: setting up Grayson thug Lee Moran instead.]]
* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's XanatosRoulette in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Patterns of Force", Kirk and Spock are in a situation where a Nazi planet, created by a stupid Federation historian, is about to launch a genocidal invasion on a peaceful planet. One of their allies pleads with them to have the Enterprise to destroy the fleet as a lesser evil than letting the slaughter begin. Kirk balks at this bloody option, wanting to help the Nazi planet get back to normal, as well as protect its potential victims. In the end, Kirk makes the drugged Fuehrer cancel the invasion instead.
** Another ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode, "Operation: Annihilate!" confronts Kirk with a choice between allowing [[PuppeteerParasite body-snatching parasites]] to spread further or killing the existing victims (over a million people, including Spock and his own nephew). Kirk specifically tells Spock and [=McCoy=], "I want that third alternative!" They find it, but it's a near thing.
** Another one was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru. Option one was respond to rescue call and be destroyed, option two was to abandon the Kobayashi Maru, potentially preventing war but leaving the crew and passengers to die. Kirk decided to Take aThird Option and cheat.
** Not really a third option within the test, in the strictest sense...
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Emissary," Capt. Picard is told that a sleeper ship of Klingons is about to wake up with standard orders to attack the Federation. Ambassador K'Ehleyr gives only two options: Let them attack with great loss of life, or kill them before they start. However, Picard orders her and Worf to come up with better options, and after considerable difficulty, they do come up with a better solution -- [[spoiler: Worf and K'Ehleyr dress up as a captain and his first officer and berate the rather surprised Klingons for not realizing that [[ExactWords the war would already be over]] by that point, implying (but not directly stating) that the Klingons conquered the Federation.]]
** In another episode, Riker describes another Starfleet captain doing this at the Academy. There was a navigation test with three possible solutions. The captain in question (then a cadet) rejected them and offered his own. The test now has four solutions.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Author, Author", Neelix tries to invoke this when giving advice to the Doctor about the conflict of the episode, mentioning a Talaxian saying that went "When the road before you splits in two, take the third path." However, ''ScifiDebris'' points out the FridgeLogic of this:
-->'''Chuck''': The third path... [[IceCreamKoan would be back the way you came.]]
* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "The Way of the Warrior", Sisko explicitly states they need a third option. The two available are to betray the Klingons and warn the Cardassians about an invasion, or do nothing, meaning things likely won't stop there. The option Sisko finds is to get measured for a new suit by the [[TheExile resident]] Cardassian [[TheSpymaster tailor]] during a briefing, thus "accidentally" allowing him to warn the Cardassians while maintaining officially neutral.
** In "Profit & Loss", three Cardassian fugitives hide from their government on ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' while they plan how to escape Cardassian law completely. Garak is ordered by the Central Command to deal with this since he lives on the station and initially has the option of either capturing them or executing them. This option is reduced to executing them by the mission's overseer, Gul Toran, who winds up creating the choice between them being executed by Garak or himself (he prefers himself as he can take the credit). Garak solves the entire sorry mess with an option that is neither sending them back as living prisoners nor executing them: he kills Toran and helps the fugitives escape the station and Cardassian law entirely.
* An episode of ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' revolved around Hal agonising over whether or not to take a neighbour who was in a coma off life support. He eventually took a third option, but [[TheUnreveal we never find out]] [[NoodleIncident what it was]].
** It made sense when he found out the man was a bird lover. And he got everything he needed at Radio Shack. [[NoodleImplements Except for the hat]].
** If not revealed is it not heavily implied said man has been made a living scarecrow?
* In an episode of ''Series/MacGyver'', Mac chases a group of gang members through an abandoned building and suddenly comes across an open door and a staircase, not knowing through where the gang went. He then uses his penknife to open a nearby ''locked'' door... only to fall into a snare trap with a bomb (which turns out to be fake). It was all for the best though, as the gang's apparent military training coupled with the fact that they knew Mac would go through the locked door allows him to, with help, deduce the gang's ringleader's identity: ([[spoiler:his police chief friend, who is also a former Marine]]).
* The sketch show ''Series/AlmostLive'', parodies this with the sketch "You Make the Call" (which was recycled for the show ''Haywire''). Someone would have two choices, such as whether to run a red light and risk either a ticket or being late for work again. The third option was to just take a bazooka to the traffic light.
* Used directly or indirectly in several episodes of ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with the annoying Urgo for the rest of their lives, or have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed]]). Lampshaded in the episode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill requests a ''fourth'' option.
** In the episode "Moebius", SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
** There's also "1969", where O'Neill tries to invoke this trope:
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I can't think of an "or" at the moment, sir.
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there's a will there's an "or".
* In ''TheTenthKingdom'', a frog guards the exit to the dungeons, and warns the party that one way is the way out, and the other is a painful death. The heroes are [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass given one question, with the caveat that the frog always lies]]. Tony [[spoiler:frustrated with the tropes of Fairy Tale World, hurls the frog through one of the doors in a rage. When this kills the frog, they choose the safe exit.]]
* In ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'', market trader Derek Trotter is caught with a stolen microwave, and threatened with a charge of trafficking in stolen goods if he doesn't reveal the thief. If he won't talk, he and his family will suffer serious legal consequences. However, revealing the thief in exchange for immunity would make him a grass. When Derek agrees to the second option, his family is shocked... until, with full immunity in hand, he writes the name of the thief: [[spoiler:'Derek Trotter']]
* In the conclusion of the main story arc of ''Series/BabylonFive'', Captain Sheridan is [[spoiler:asked to choose between Vorlons and the Shadows. He tells both to "get the hell out of his galaxy" instead.]]
** When Delenn is facing flak from other Minbari for her choice to [[InterspeciesRomance marry Sheridan]] on racial purity grounds, Delenn goes on a vision quest which eventually causes her to realize that she is descended from Valen [[spoiler:aka Commander Sinclair, a human turned Minbari]]. She threatened the guy involved that either they will accept her choice, or she will blab how many Minbari are not as pure as they thought they were, something that would throw Minbari society into chaos. Just before Delenn storms out, he offers a third option: invoking an old Minbari tradition hailing from the bad old days when they still killed each other: that someone from the each of the clans would marry each other after the fighting stopped, as a symbol to help rebuild.
*** Delenn did this twice more in ''one episode''. First, given the choice of the Religious caste surrendering or lots of people dying, she pulls out an ancient Minbari test of dedication and publicly shames the Warrior caste leader into taking part. She then takes a Third Option for the entire Minbari caste crisis by putting the Worker caste in charge.
*** Delenn likes these. She gives the Command Staff a third option when they must deal with a psychic [[ManipulativeBastard Best]][[ObviousVillian er]]. They're choices are killing him or imprisoning if he violates PsiCop rules about unauthorized scans. [[spoiler: Delenn offers them some Mimbari telepaths to block Bester until he is drugged and power inhibited.]]
* Paul [=McDermott=] of ''GoodNewsWeek'', on the controversy over whether the New Millennium would start in 2000 or 2001:
-->"Thankfully, there's always the Australian solution: We start drinking on the 31st of December 1999, and we finish on the 1st of January 2001!"
* In the episode "Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk", ''Series/{{Monk}}'' is given a choice: Hide in a Porta-John or a dumpster. His answer? "I choose death!"
* Subverted in ''Series/DoctorWho'', ''The Beast Below''. While two of the Doctor's options are horrendous ([[spoiler:Kill everyone onboard or let the SpaceWhale suffer for eternity]]), his third option is equally horrible ([[spoiler:Lobotomise the whale]]). Lucky for us, Amy's SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome comes when she notices that [[spoiler:the whale is actually doing this voluntarily. She presses the "Abdicate" button stopping the whales torture and leaving it free to escape...and the ship actually goes FASTER. Effectively taking a ''fourth'' option.]] Five bucks, the Doctor is probably feeling very humiliated.
** [[spoiler:''Technically'' speaking, it's one of the original two options, but with unexpected consequences, since it seemed to have not occurred to anyone else that the SpaceWhale might have ''wanted'' to help the humans and that torturing it to gain it's compliance was completely unnecessary. But yes, humiliation galore, no doubt.]]
*** Possibly humiliated, but most humiliation avoided by the [[spoiler: utterly heartwarming fact that Amy knew the space whale was doing it voluntarily because it was so much like the Doctor.]]
---> '''Amy''': "It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind.... you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."
** In the Episode "Amy's Choice", the "Dream Lord" forces the Doctor, his companion, and his companion's boyfriend to pick which of two worlds was reality. [[spoiler: They were both dreams.]]
*** The choice Amy makes is itself a Third Option. [[spoiler:Given the choice between a life with Rory and a life with the Doctor, she chooses the Doctor's world ''because it has Rory in it''. His death]] effectively made the choice a lot easier for her and basically clarifies that she'll probably choose Rory in the real world in the end anyway.
** Before that, in "The End of Time," The Doctor must choose between [[spoiler:killing the Master (and supposedly severing the link Gallifrey has to Earth)]] or [[spoiler:killing Rassilon to end the threat]]. After seeing a certain Time Lady reveal her face, The Doctor [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome took a third option]]: [[spoiler: Shooting the Whitepoint Diamond and the machine that served as the actual link Gallifrey had to Earth, sparing the Master to perform his SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome]].
--->'''The Doctor''': ''Get out of the way.''
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}: Children of Earth'' has a very dark example towards the end. By the start of Day 5, [[spoiler:the options seem to be handing over millions of children to the 456 or fighting what is, from all available evidence, a losing battle to save them. Eventually Jack finds his third option - destroying the 456 by exploiting the signal they used to control the children. However, his plan will result in the death of whichever child is at the centre of the resonance, and the only one available is Jack's grandson]].
* The producers of SesameStreet faced two options when the actor playing Mr. Hooper died: [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] or [[TheOtherDarrin use a different actor]]. They [[TearJerker took a]] [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments third option]]: [[spoiler:they made it a part of the show that [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Mr. Hooper died]].]]
* In ''KamenRiderBlade'', Kenzaki is left with a SadisticChoice at the finale. He can ether choose to [[spoiler: seal the Black Joker, thus sealing away the innocent Hajime persona he and the others have befriended and who isn't responsible for his actions or allow the Black Joker to complete the destruction of humanity.]] So, what does he do? [[spoiler: he fights the Black Joker long enough that Blade's King Form transforms him into the Azure Joker Undead. This makes the Black Joker no longer the winner of the Battle Fight and allows Hajime to return to his human life...though it also means they can never be near one another or they'll be forced to fight.]] Still, much better than the other options.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[BigBad Moreau]] wants Eliot to [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten kill a general]] to prove he's still the same Eliot, before he'll give the team the address of the auction they need to take down. If they don't take down the option, a nasty bomb gets sold to terrorists, and Moreau gets away. Eliot agrees - you see the assassination take place. Cut to the hospital, they've picked up the body - Eliot swapped the general with a corpse and "killed" the corpse, then Sophie posed as the grieving wife and ID'd the "general's" body. [[spoiler:Course, the address led them to a trap... but still.]]
** Parker also pulls off this in the Long Way Down Job. When she and Eliot are trying to recover the body of the victim who was left to die on a mountain, [[spoiler:they fail also losing the evidence for their case. However they do manage to recover his cell phone that sends a message once it is brought down, both incriminating the suspect and giving a message to the victim's wife.]]
* Minor example from ''Series/LasVegas'': Sam is told that a whale with extremely sweaty palms must leave the casino because he's grossing people out, but doesn't want to hurt his feelings by expelling him from the last place he hasn't already been kicked out of. She solves the quandary by [[spoiler:setting up a high-stakes game in the hotel swimming pool, with a floating table and waterproof cards.]]
* ''Series/ICarly'': In one episode Carly and Sam get into an argument and force Freddie to decide who is correct. Freddie decides on an internet poll. After Freddie reveals who won out of the two girls, he reveals the third option which was both girls were being stupid and should make up. It won more than 200 times as many votes than the other two options.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{House}}'', the titular doctor announces he's choosing a team leader from his four minions. Three of them promptly begin competing and are soon stuck in what amounts to a game show for House's amusement. Taub stays out of it an offers to split the pay raise with House; he is promptly made team leader.
* [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in an episode of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' where, while debating Fox News's intent on a recent story, Wyatt Cenac argued that Fox was evil and John Oliver argued that they were stupid. When Jon suggested the existence of a third option...
-->'''Oliver:''' ''These are the only two possible explanations, because if they're not as stupid as I believe them to be, they are really [[PrecisionFStrike f*cking]] evil.''
-->'''Cenac:''' ''And if they're not as evil as I think they are, they are STUPID.''
* Averted in episode of TheWestWing. After Matt Santos is elected President, he has to choose between letting a political opponent be elected Speaker of the House or try to influence the election for the other candidate, who happens to be an old friend of his (which looks like blatant cronyism). They come up with a third option, convince his friend to withdraw and throw his support behind a dark horse candidate, who would then owe Santos a big pile of favors. Ultimately, Santos decides that [[HonorBeforeReason such quasi-unethical political maneuvering is not how he wants to start his presidency]], and refuses to interfere at all.
* Frank Reagan in ''Series/BlueBloods'' is very good at finding the middle ground between [[ToBeLawfulOrGood Lawful and Good]].
** Faced with public outcry against a brutal dictator coming to New York for medical treatment, [[spoiler:Frank has the police protect him before and during his surgery, then as soon as he's able to be moved he puts him on a plane back home, where a popular uprising has just deposed his government]].
** Faced with a white supremacist radio host making a live broadcast from a New York theater, [[spoiler:Frank ensures the show can technically go on, but puts the man's police protection ''inside'' the theater and staffs it entirely with non-white officers led by a [[ScaryBlackMan VERY large black sergeant]]]].
** Faced with finding a way to protect a Turkish violinist in danger of an honor killing if she returns home (the State Department's representative had wanted to grant asylum but the higher-ups vetoed it), [[spoiler:Frank [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections works]] his contacts and gets the New York Philharmonic to hire her, and the representative is only too glad to get her a work visa]].
** When an off duty police officer, who has had a few drinks, stops a robbery at first he is an hero - then he is in trouble for pulling his gun after drinking. Frank is advised to stay out of it. Instead [[spoiler: he calls a press conference and announces the man will be slightly punished, but he gets to keep his job.]]
* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', season five has Dean and Sam [[ScrewDestiny refusing]] to play along with {{Heaven}}'s will that Dean become [[ArchangelMichael Michael's]] host and Sam [[ArchAngelLucifer Lucifer's]] host so the angelic brothers can [[BecauseDestinySaysSo finish the final battle]] and fight each other to the death. Saying yes would thus raze the world either way, but result in paradise if Michael wins (as the [[LightIsNotGood angels]] believe [[DestructiveSavior he will]]). Lucifer wants Sam to say 'yes' because he believes he'll win, at which point he'll kick the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Apocalypse]] into full gear and kill everyone. If the brothers both say 'no', Lucifer will use his present inadequate host to continue the Apocalypse at the current pace.
** There is no other option until [[spoiler:they find out how to open [[SealedEvilInACan the Cage Lucifer was originally locked in]].]] Then, Sam comes up with a SelfSacrificeScheme [[spoiler:to say 'yes' to Lucifer so that [[FightingFromTheInside when Lucifer possesses him]], [[HeroicWillPower he can walk]] [[HeroicSacrifice into the Cage]] where he and a vengeful Lucifer will be [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped for eternity]].]] It only works, saving the world from widespread destruction [[spoiler:and preserving it as it is, neither a paradise nor a hell (thus letting Free Will triumph),]] because of perfectly [[HumansAreSpecial human]] [[ThickerThanWater brotherly]] [[ThePowerOfLove love]].
** In a literal example by ''Michael'', Dean is told to say 'yes' or 'no' to Michael (Well, he's told to say yes or die, but he'll die if he says yes...) When he says 'yes' but [[ILied takes it back]] so he doesn't disappoint Sam, Michael then uses Adam, Sam and Dean's half-brother, as a vessel instead (it had to be someone from that particular bloodline).
* In ''{{Series/Revenge}}'' after [[spoiler: Takeda murders Tyler]] in order to protect Emily's secret, he tells her that either her fiance Daniel or childhood love Jack must take the blame and that she can't save both. She does, however, by [[spoiler: setting up Grayson thug Lee Moran instead.]]
* The titular character from BBC's ''{{Sherlock}}'' tried to do this in answer to Jim Moriarty's XanatosRoulette in ''The Reichenbach Fall''. [[spoiler: It didn't work.]]
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Patterns of Force", Kirk and Spock are in a situation where a Nazi planet, created by a stupid Federation historian, is about to launch a genocidal invasion on a peaceful planet. One of their allies pleads with them to have the Enterprise to destroy the fleet as a lesser evil than letting the slaughter begin. Kirk balks at this bloody option, wanting to help the Nazi planet get back to normal, as well as protect its potential victims. In the end, Kirk makes the drugged Fuehrer cancel the invasion instead.
** Another ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode, "Operation: Annihilate!" confronts Kirk with a choice between allowing [[PuppeteerParasite body-snatching parasites]] to spread further or killing the existing victims (over a million people, including Spock and his own nephew). Kirk specifically tells Spock and [=McCoy=], "I want that third alternative!" They find it, but it's a near thing.
** Another one was Kirk's Kobayashi Maru. Option one was respond to rescue call and be destroyed, option two was to abandon the Kobayashi Maru, potentially preventing war but leaving the crew and passengers to die. Kirk decided to Take aThird Option and cheat.
** Not really a third option within the test, in the strictest sense...
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Emissary," Capt. Picard is told that a sleeper ship of Klingons is about to wake up with standard orders to attack the Federation. Ambassador K'Ehleyr gives only two options: Let them attack with great loss of life, or kill them before they start. However, Picard orders her and Worf to come up with better options, and after considerable difficulty, they do come up with a better solution -- [[spoiler: Worf and K'Ehleyr dress up as a captain and his first officer and berate the rather surprised Klingons for not realizing that [[ExactWords the war would already be over]] by that point, implying (but not directly stating) that the Klingons conquered the Federation.]]
** In another episode, Riker describes another Starfleet captain doing this at the Academy. There was a navigation test with three possible solutions. The captain in question (then a cadet) rejected them and offered his own. The test now has four solutions.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Author, Author", Neelix tries to invoke this when giving advice to the Doctor about the conflict of the episode, mentioning a Talaxian saying that went "When the road before you splits in two, take the third path." However, ''ScifiDebris'' points out the FridgeLogic of this:
-->'''Chuck''': The third path... [[IceCreamKoan would be back the way you came.]]
* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "The Way of the Warrior", Sisko explicitly states they need a third option. The two available are to betray the Klingons and warn the Cardassians about an invasion, or do nothing, meaning things likely won't stop there. The option Sisko finds is to get measured for a new suit by the [[TheExile resident]] Cardassian [[TheSpymaster tailor]] during a briefing, thus "accidentally" allowing him to warn the Cardassians while maintaining officially neutral.
** In "Profit & Loss", three Cardassian fugitives hide from their government on ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' while they plan how to escape Cardassian law completely. Garak is ordered by the Central Command to deal with this since he lives on the station and initially has the option of either capturing them or executing them. This option is reduced to executing them by the mission's overseer, Gul Toran, who winds up creating the choice between them being executed by Garak or himself (he prefers himself as he can take the credit). Garak solves the entire sorry mess with an option that is neither sending them back as living prisoners nor executing them: he kills Toran and helps the fugitives escape the station and Cardassian law entirely.
* An episode of ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' revolved around Hal agonising over whether or not to take a neighbour who was in a coma off life support. He eventually took a third option, but [[TheUnreveal we never find out]] [[NoodleIncident what it was]].
** It made sense when he found out the man was a bird lover. And he got everything he needed at Radio Shack. [[NoodleImplements Except for the hat]].
** If not revealed is it not heavily implied said man has been made a living scarecrow?
* In an episode of ''Series/MacGyver'', Mac chases a group of gang members through an abandoned building and suddenly comes across an open door and a staircase, not knowing through where the gang went. He then uses his penknife to open a nearby ''locked'' door... only to fall into a snare trap with a bomb (which turns out to be fake). It was all for the best though, as the gang's apparent military training coupled with the fact that they knew Mac would go through the locked door allows him to, with help, deduce the gang's ringleader's identity: ([[spoiler:his police chief friend, who is also a former Marine]]).
* The sketch show ''Series/AlmostLive'', parodies this with the sketch "You Make the Call" (which was recycled for the show ''Haywire''). Someone would have two choices, such as whether to run a red light and risk either a ticket or being late for work again. The third option was to just take a bazooka to the traffic light.
* Used directly or indirectly in several episodes of ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'', such as "Urgo" ([[spoiler:SG-1 can live with the annoying Urgo for the rest of their lives, or have him removed from their minds, effectively "killing" him]]) and "Zero Hour" ([[spoiler:Turn Camulus over to Ba'al or SG-1 will be killed]]). Lampshaded in the episode "Fail Safe", in which the presented third option is so outrageous that Col. O'Neill requests a ''fourth'' option.
** In the episode "Moebius", SG-1's ship is discovered by the Jaffa in ancient Egypt. They can attempt to attack the Jaffa but then alter history, or they could just give up and spend their lives trapped in the past (with the added headache of having to live under Ra's rule). It's Daniel Jackson who comes up with a brilliant third option of burying the thing they came for so that they wouldn't have to go back in time to begin with. There's a reason he was the SmartGuy.
** There's also "1969", where O'Neill tries to invoke this trope:
--->'''O'Neill:''' Or?
--->'''Carter:''' I can't think of an "or" at the moment, sir.
--->'''O'Neill:''' Major; where there's a will there's an "or".
* In ''TheTenthKingdom'', a frog guards the exit to the dungeons, and warns the party that one way is the way out, and the other is a painful death. The heroes are [[OnlySmartPeopleMayPass given one question, with the caveat that the frog always lies]]. Tony [[spoiler:frustrated with the tropes of Fairy Tale World, hurls the frog through one of the doors in a rage. When this kills the frog, they choose the safe exit.]]
* In ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'', market trader Derek Trotter is caught with a stolen microwave, and threatened with a charge of trafficking in stolen goods if he doesn't reveal the thief. If he won't talk, he and his family will suffer serious legal consequences. However, revealing the thief in exchange for immunity would make him a grass. When Derek agrees to the second option, his family is shocked... until, with full immunity in hand, he writes the name of the thief: [[spoiler:'Derek Trotter']]
* In the conclusion of the main story arc of ''Series/BabylonFive'', Captain Sheridan is [[spoiler:asked to choose between Vorlons and the Shadows. He tells both to "get the hell out of his galaxy" instead.]]
** When Delenn is facing flak from other Minbari for her choice to [[InterspeciesRomance marry Sheridan]] on racial purity grounds, Delenn goes on a vision quest which eventually causes her to realize that she is descended from Valen [[spoiler:aka Commander Sinclair, a human turned Minbari]]. She threatened the guy involved that either they will accept her choice, or she will blab how many Minbari are not as pure as they thought they were, something that would throw Minbari society into chaos. Just before Delenn storms out, he offers a third option: invoking an old Minbari tradition hailing from the bad old days when they still killed each other: that someone from the each of the clans would marry each other after the fighting stopped, as a symbol to help rebuild.
*** Delenn did this twice more in ''one episode''. First, given the choice of the Religious caste surrendering or lots of people dying, she pulls out an ancient Minbari test of dedication and publicly shames the Warrior caste leader into taking part. She then takes a Third Option for the entire Minbari caste crisis by putting the Worker caste in charge.
*** Delenn likes these. She gives the Command Staff a third option when they must deal with a psychic [[ManipulativeBastard Best]][[ObviousVillian er]]. They're choices are killing him or imprisoning if he violates PsiCop rules about unauthorized scans. [[spoiler: Delenn offers them some Mimbari telepaths to block Bester until he is drugged and power inhibited.]]
* Paul [=McDermott=] of ''GoodNewsWeek'', on the controversy over whether the New Millennium would start in 2000 or 2001:
-->"Thankfully, there's always the Australian solution: We start drinking on the 31st of December 1999, and we finish on the 1st of January 2001!"
* In the episode "Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk", ''Series/{{Monk}}'' is given a choice: Hide in a Porta-John or a dumpster. His answer? "I choose death!"
* Subverted in ''Series/DoctorWho'', ''The Beast Below''. While two of the Doctor's options are horrendous ([[spoiler:Kill everyone onboard or let the SpaceWhale suffer for eternity]]), his third option is equally horrible ([[spoiler:Lobotomise the whale]]). Lucky for us, Amy's SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome comes when she notices that [[spoiler:the whale is actually doing this voluntarily. She presses the "Abdicate" button stopping the whales torture and leaving it free to escape...and the ship actually goes FASTER. Effectively taking a ''fourth'' option.]] Five bucks, the Doctor is probably feeling very humiliated.
** [[spoiler:''Technically'' speaking, it's one of the original two options, but with unexpected consequences, since it seemed to have not occurred to anyone else that the SpaceWhale might have ''wanted'' to help the humans and that torturing it to gain it's compliance was completely unnecessary. But yes, humiliation galore, no doubt.]]
*** Possibly humiliated, but most humiliation avoided by the [[spoiler: utterly heartwarming fact that Amy knew the space whale was doing it voluntarily because it was so much like the Doctor.]]
---> '''Amy''': "It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind.... you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."
** In the Episode "Amy's Choice", the "Dream Lord" forces the Doctor, his companion, and his companion's boyfriend to pick which of two worlds was reality. [[spoiler: They were both dreams.]]
*** The choice Amy makes is itself a Third Option. [[spoiler:Given the choice between a life with Rory and a life with the Doctor, she chooses the Doctor's world ''because it has Rory in it''. His death]] effectively made the choice a lot easier for her and basically clarifies that she'll probably choose Rory in the real world in the end anyway.
** Before that, in "The End of Time," The Doctor must choose between [[spoiler:killing the Master (and supposedly severing the link Gallifrey has to Earth)]] or [[spoiler:killing Rassilon to end the threat]]. After seeing a certain Time Lady reveal her face, The Doctor [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome took a third option]]: [[spoiler: Shooting the Whitepoint Diamond and the machine that served as the actual link Gallifrey had to Earth, sparing the Master to perform his SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome]].
--->'''The Doctor''': ''Get out of the way.''
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}: Children of Earth'' has a very dark example towards the end. By the start of Day 5, [[spoiler:the options seem to be handing over millions of children to the 456 or fighting what is, from all available evidence, a losing battle to save them. Eventually Jack finds his third option - destroying the 456 by exploiting the signal they used to control the children. However, his plan will result in the death of whichever child is at the centre of the resonance, and the only one available is Jack's grandson]].
* The producers of SesameStreet faced two options when the actor playing Mr. Hooper died: [[PutOnABus put him on a bus]] or [[TheOtherDarrin use a different actor]]. They [[TearJerker took a]] [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments third option]]: [[spoiler:they made it a part of the show that [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim Mr. Hooper died]].]]
* In ''KamenRiderBlade'', Kenzaki is left with a SadisticChoice at the finale. He can ether choose to [[spoiler: seal the Black Joker, thus sealing away the innocent Hajime persona he and the others have befriended and who isn't responsible for his actions or allow the Black Joker to complete the destruction of humanity.]] So, what does he do? [[spoiler: he fights the Black Joker long enough that Blade's King Form transforms him into the Azure Joker Undead. This makes the Black Joker no longer the winner of the Battle Fight and allows Hajime to return to his human life...though it also means they can never be near one another or they'll be forced to fight.]] Still, much better than the other options.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[BigBad Moreau]] wants Eliot to [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten kill a general]] to prove he's still the same Eliot, before he'll give the team the address of the auction they need to take down. If they don't take down the option, a nasty bomb gets sold to terrorists, and Moreau gets away. Eliot agrees - you see the assassination take place. Cut to the hospital, they've picked up the body - Eliot swapped the general with a corpse and "killed" the corpse, then Sophie posed as the grieving wife and ID'd the "general's" body. [[spoiler:Course, the address led them to a trap... but still.]]
** Parker also pulls off this in the Long Way Down Job. When she and Eliot are trying to recover the body of the victim who was left to die on a mountain, [[spoiler:they fail also losing the evidence for their case. However they do manage to recover his cell phone that sends a message once it is brought down, both incriminating the suspect and giving a message to the victim's wife.]]
* Minor example from ''Series/LasVegas'': Sam is told that a whale with extremely sweaty palms must leave the casino because he's grossing people out, but doesn't want to hurt his feelings by expelling him from the last place he hasn't already been kicked out of. She solves the quandary by [[spoiler:setting up a high-stakes game in the hotel swimming pool, with a floating table and waterproof cards.]]
* ''Series/ICarly'': In one episode Carly and Sam get into an argument and force Freddie to decide who is correct. Freddie decides on an internet poll. After Freddie reveals who won out of the two girls, he reveals the third option which was both girls were being stupid and should make up. It won more than 200 times as many votes than the other two options.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{House}}'', the titular doctor announces he's choosing a team leader from his four minions. Three of them promptly begin competing and are soon stuck in what amounts to a game show for House's amusement. Taub stays out of it an offers to split the pay raise with House; he is promptly made team leader.
* [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in an episode of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' where, while debating Fox News's intent on a recent story, Wyatt Cenac argued that Fox was evil and John Oliver argued that they were stupid. When Jon suggested the existence of a third option...
-->'''Oliver:''' ''These are the only two possible explanations, because if they're not as stupid as I believe them to be, they are really [[PrecisionFStrike f*cking]] evil.''
-->'''Cenac:''' ''And if they're not as evil as I think they are, they are STUPID.''
* Averted in episode of TheWestWing. After Matt Santos is elected President, he has to choose between letting a political opponent be elected Speaker of the House or try to influence the election for the other candidate, who happens to be an old friend of his (which looks like blatant cronyism). They come up with a third option, convince his friend to withdraw and throw his support behind a dark horse candidate, who would then owe Santos a big pile of favors. Ultimately, Santos decides that [[HonorBeforeReason such quasi-unethical political maneuvering is not how he wants to start his presidency]], and refuses to interfere at all.
* Frank Reagan in ''Series/BlueBloods'' is very good at finding the middle ground between [[ToBeLawfulOrGood Lawful and Good]].
** Faced with public outcry against a brutal dictator coming to New York for medical treatment, [[spoiler:Frank has the police protect him before and during his surgery, then as soon as he's able to be moved he puts him on a plane back home, where a popular uprising has just deposed his government]].
** Faced with a white supremacist radio host making a live broadcast from a New York theater, [[spoiler:Frank ensures the show can technically go on, but puts the man's police protection ''inside'' the theater and staffs it entirely with non-white officers led by a [[ScaryBlackMan VERY large black sergeant]]]].
** Faced with finding a way to protect a Turkish violinist in danger of an honor killing if she returns home (the State Department's representative had wanted to grant asylum but the higher-ups vetoed it), [[spoiler:Frank [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections works]] his contacts and gets the New York Philharmonic to hire her, and the representative is only too glad to get her a work visa]].
** When an off duty police officer, who has had a few drinks, stops a robbery at first he is an hero - then he is in trouble for pulling his gun after drinking. Frank is advised to stay out of it. Instead [[spoiler: he calls a press conference and announces the man will be slightly punished, but he gets to keep his job.]]
