History YMMV / TinkerTailorSoldierSpy

* NightmareFuel: A quick shot of Irina's husband sitting in a bath full of blood with his guts ripped out.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/AlanRickman played a hotel concierge in the ''Smiley's People'' miniseries, appearing for barely 30 seconds. [[HilariousInHindsight His character jokes]] if the bag Smiley drops off [[Film/DieHard is going to blow up]].

* {{Squick}}: The baby continuing to suckle on the woman's breast after she's been shot dead.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/AlanRickman played a hotel concierge in the ''Smiley's People'' miniseries, appearing for barely 30 seconds. [[HilariousInHindsight He even jokes]] if the bag Smiley drops off [[Film/DieHard is going to blow up]].

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/PatrickStewart as Karla in the miniseries. He doesn't even speak a single word during his one scene, but is still captivating. It doesn't hurt that for Sci-Fi fans, the scene is basically [[Franchise/StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]] and [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]] sharing the screen.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/AlanRickman played a hotel concierge in the ''Smiley's People'' miniseries, appearing for barely 30 seconds.

* OneSceneWonder: Creator/PatrickStewart as Karla in the miniseries. He doesn't even speak a single word during his one scene, but is still captivating.

* OneSceneWonder: Patrick Stewart as Karla in the miniseries. He doesn't even speak a single word during his one scene, but is still captivating.

* TearJerker: Irina's fate. [[spoiler:After Prideaux is tortured and confesses how far Control's investigation into the mole has gone, Karla drags in a beaten and tortured Irina and asks him if he knows her. Prideaux of course doesn't. Irina then smiles sweetly as if to say 'I forgive you'. Then Karla has her shot right in front of him.]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Prideaux killing a bird. {{Justified|Trope}} in the original novel, as it foreshadows how [[spoiler:Prideaux would kill Haydon.]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Prideaux killing a bird. {{Justified|Trope}} in the original novel, where it foreshadows how [[spoiler:Prideaux would kill Haydon.]]

* WaistcoatOfStyle: Almost all the male characters have one. Guillam's fits him very well indeed.

*** This troper thought it represented his lack of respect for the spies and his impatience with having to deal with them.

* NightmareFuel: a quick shot of Irina's husband sitting in a bath full of blood with his guts ripped out
* TearJerker:Irina's fate [[spoiler: After Prideaux is tortured and confesses to how far Controls investigation into the mole had gone, Karla drags in a beaten and tortured Irina and asks him if he knows her. Prideaux of course doesn't. Irina then smiles sweetly as if to say 'I forgive you'. Then Karla has her shot right in front of him.]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment Prideaux killing a bird. {{Justified|Trope}} in the original novel, where it foreshadows how [[spoiler:Prideaux would kill Haydon.]]

* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognise: A lot of viewers guessed that the traitor is [[spoiler: Colin Firth's]] character purely on the strength of him being [[spoiler: Colin Firth]].

NightmareFuel: a quick shot of Irina's husband sitting in a bath full of blood with his guts ripped out

* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognise: A lot of viewers guessed that the traitor is [[spoiler: Colin Firth's]] character purely on the strength of him being [[spoiler: Colin Firth]].

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment Prideaux killing a bird.
** {{Justified}} in the original novel, where it foreshadows how [[spoiler:Prideaux would kill Haydon.]]

* TearJerker:Irina's fate [[spoiler: After Prideaux is tortured and confesses to how far Controls investigation into the mole had gone, Karla drags in a beatenup and tortured Irina and asks him if he knows her. Prideaux of course doesn't. Irina then smiles sweetly as if to say 'I forgive you'. Then Karla has her shot right in front of him.]]

* TearJerker:Irina's fate [[spoiler: After Prideaux is tortured and confesses to how far Controls investigation into the mole had gone, Karla drags in a beatenup and tortured Irina and asks him if he knows her. Pideaux of course doesn't. Irina then smiles sweetly as if to say 'I forgive you'. Then Karla has her shot right in front of him.]]
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Peter Hitchens' [[http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/09/tinker-tailor-soldier-travesty.html review of the film]] was essentially a point-by-point list of every alteration from the novel, and why each was a change for the worse.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Peter Hitchens' [[http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/09/tinker-tailor-soldier-travesty.html review of the film]] was essentially a point-by-point list of every alteration from the novel, and why each was a change for the worse.
* NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize: Even if you haven't read the book, the fact that [[spoiler: Colin Firth plays Bill Haydon]] is a pretty big tipoff.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[TheDarkKnightSaga Commissioner Gordon]], [[{{Sherlock}} Sherlock Holmes]], [[{{Inception}} Eames]] and [[Film/GreenLantern Sinestro]] team up to figure out whether [[Series/DoctorWho the Dream Lord]] or [[TheKingsSpeech King George]] are Russian spies.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Peter Hitchens' [[http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/09/tinker-tailor-soldier-travesty.html review of the film]] was essentially a point-by-point list of every alteration from the novel, and why each was a change for the worse.