Line #16 Main/PetRat


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7	An unsavory and often sneaky character who is in the employ (off the books, of course) of someone with money and possibly some respected position of authority, and carries out certain dirty deeds on their patron's behalf so the patron can maintain plausible deniability in the matter. This character is often found working (secretly) for the VillainWithGoodPublicity.
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9	Compare PsychoSidekick. Not to be confused with ''actual'' pet rats (which would be Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs).
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11	!!Examples:
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13	[[foldercontrol]]
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15	[[folder:Comic Books]]
16	* Judge Fairfax from ''ComicBook/TheFallOfDeadworld'' was the Chief Judge's "fixer" before the coup d'etat staged by the Dark Judges. This is why Judge Death is interested in turning Fairfax into his fourth main lieutenant.
17	[[/folder]]
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19	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
20	* Taken literally with Rat from ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', who gladly serves the BigBad Frank Bean despite being a vermin animal by being part of his security and going into the sewers to try kidnap Mr. Fox's son and take him to the humans.
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23	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
24	* Robert G. Durant and his gang while working for Strack in ''Film/{{Darkman}}''.
25	* ''Film/TheDayOfTheJackal''. Deputy Commissioner Lebel has been tasked with finding the eponymous assassin so the French 'Action Service' (whom we see onscreen being involved in kidnapping and torture) can deal with him. When Lebel derides the Action Service as a bunch of thugs, his superior responds that "you've got to have a heavy mob for a thing like this."
26	* The Brute Squad hired by Prince Humperdinck in ''Film/ThePrincessBride''. Their job is to clear out the Thieves Quarter. And Vizzini and his crew even more so, really.
27	* Clarence Boddicker from ''Film/RoboCop1987'' is this for the BigBad, as he runs errands for him along with his own criminal businesses.
28	* The Warden does this to the main character in ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''.
29	* Beadle from ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' does a lot of dirty work for Judge Turpin.
30	* In ''Film/VForVendetta'', Alistair Harper and his gang are hired in this capacity by the government when the existing police force isn't enough.
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33	[[folder:Literature]]
34	* Invoked by Graykin in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath''. Long before Jame is in a position of power, he volunteers for this job knowing that one day she will need someone like him.
35	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, competent rulers employ pet rats as a matter of course, though they sometimes find ways to keep them on the books.
36	** Virtually the entire population of Ankh-Morpork seems to be in this relationship to the Patrician sometimes, though some are a little less rat-like than others. The Dark Clerks and Moist von Lipwig at least maintain façades of respectability most of the time, while Commander Vimes keeps Nobby Nobbs in the reformed Watch because of his keen feeling for the streets.
37	** In ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', a more sordid early version of the city has a lot of rat-like figures working unofficially for the government.
38	** In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', 71-Hour Ahmed is ''overtly'' employed as a Klatchian government agent, but his scary demeanour makes people think of him as pet rat when he's really rather more.
39	** In ''Literature/CarpeJugulum'', the de Magpyr vampire clan employ human guards who seem to have been hand-picked for viciousness.
40	** In ''Literature/GoingPostal'', Mr. Gryle is Reacher Gilt's killer rat.
41	* ''Literature/TheQuestForKarla'': The Scalphunters are the branch of [[UsefulNotes/SecretIntelligenceService the Circus]] that undertakes missions involving kidnapping, {{Blackmail}}, and murder. They are kept at "arm's length" to give the Circus some degree of plausible deniability. The department is looked down upon by other members of the Circus. When Peter Guillam is placed in charge of the unit, it's considered an insult to him.
42	* There are quite a few in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' thanks to the feudal nature of the system... although calling "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Mountain That Rides]]" a "rat" is, frankly, not doing [[AxCrazy Gregor Clegane]] justice, for all he does do some seriously dirty jobs for House Lannister beyond simply killing problems as messily as possible. And, then there is the fact that this is the [[IronicName Brave Companions]] aka "[[MonsterClown The Bloody Mummers]]" whole shtick as a "[[PsychoForHire mercenary company]]": trying to get paid to be very psychotic in particular directions. [[EvilIsPetty Lord Walder Frey]] is a notable example of the breed, though. He's certainly a [[SmugSnake very slimy rat]]... who occasionally doesn't even bother to turn up to do his job as a pet [[spoiler:and went on to throw in the towel and become a full-on [[TheStarscream Starscream]], but only with the help of more powerful backers]]. Even when [[spoiler:switching masters to gain the new job]], he still needs to have one to bolster his own position in the world.
43	* In ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', it's speculated that the criminal lowlife Edward Hyde might be this to the well-respected man of medicine, Dr. Henry Jekyll. This, [[ItWasHisSled as you already know]], turns out [[JekyllAndHyde not to be the case]].
44	* In ''Franchise/TheWitcher'', the main villain, Vilgefortz, is one of the most influential and powerful sorcerers in the world with connections to a lot of the setting's power players. Since he can't dirty his hands personally, he sends out his toadies, Rience and, less frequently, Schirrú, to do his work on the sly.
45	[[/folder]]
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47	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
48	* Michael of ''Series/BurnNotice'' is treated like this at times. A burned spy, nobody wants to be caught employing him, so all of his work is strictly off the book. Even when [[spoiler:the CIA hires him again]], Michael is warned that he'll take the fall if an op goes bad.
49	* Locke from ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the master-of-arms for the Dreadfort, is insultingly called Roose Bolton's pet rat by Jaime Lannister. Later, in season four, Locke ends up embodying the trope more accurately when Roose sends him on a secret mission beyond the Wall to assassinate Bran and Rickon Stark to prevent them from being a future threat to the Boltons' hold on the North.
50	* As Tommy Shelby of ''Series/PeakyBlinders'' becomes more and more respectable over time, even becoming [[spoiler:a Member of Parliament]] at the end of the fourth series, his right-hand man Johnny Dogs becomes this trope, doing a lot of Tommy's dirty work and serving as his link to the RoguishRomani gangs like the Lee Family and the Black Country Boys.
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53	[[folder:Theatre]]
54	* In ''Theatre/KnickerbockerHoliday'', Stuyvesant's first action after his NewEraSpeech is to secretly hire Tienhoven as his pay-off man. Tienhoven has been illegally selling guns and liquor to the Indians, a business which Stuyvesant intends to make a government monopoly. Concealing such activities will help demonstrate that the government can do no wrong.
55	* Several of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's plays have lower-class characters who are secretly hired by the VillainProtagonist nobleman to murder his rival(s), most notably the unnamed assassins in ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' and Tyril from ''Theatre/RichardIII''.
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58	[[folder:Video Games]]
59	* Ugarte is the Pet Rat of Ferarri in ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'' and ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryV''. Yes, their names are shoutouts to ''Film/{{Casablanca}}''.
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62	[[folder:Western Animation]]
63	* Zipper, Eric Raymond's go-to henchman in ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}''.
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66	[[folder:Real Life]]
67	* TruthInTelevision. Pretty much every country has a department or three of these guys. In the spy trade the [[SpySpeak word]] is "cut-out" according to ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Espionage''
68	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PetRat