History Main / IronicEpisodeTitle

* From ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil; you wouldn't think that an episode titled "Bon Bon the Birthday Clown" could end with [[spoiler: our protagonist breaking down in tears after losing a vital heirloom and an important ally to her enemy, on top of having to deal with growing feelings of jealously about her best friend going in a date with another girl.]]

* Step 4 of ''ThereSheIs'', entitled [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/456643 Paradise]], features a heavy, [[TearJerker heartbreaking]] dose of MoodWhiplash.

* ChristmasInJapan is a time for people to share time and joy with the people they love. So what's a better title for the ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' episode where [[spoiler: the innocent IllGirl watches her entire adopted family [[BreakTheCutie massacred right before her eyes]]]] than "Christmas Eve"?

* Most episodes of ''[[TenchiMuyo Tenchi Universe]]'' are titled "No Need for (Subject of Episode)", but "No Need For Ryoko" features [[spoiler:Ryoko's [[DisneyDeath apparent death]].]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', there's the episode called "Everything Is Wonderful". Perhaps [[PoorCommunicationKills the]] [[AmbitionIsEvil most]] [[BlatantLies misleading]] [[ScienceIsBad title]] [[TearJerker EVER]].

* ''{{Kaiji}}'''s final episode of the first season is called "Afterglow". [[spoiler: In it, Kaiji loses his bet with the chairperson, along with the four fingers of his left hand.]]

* "Taking a Break from All Your Worries" from ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined''. According to the producers, the original concept was supposed to fit the title. It turned into an episode about drowning your marital problems at the bar and interrogating Baltar with psychotropic drugs.

* From ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': The episode in which [[spoiler: Zaheer assassinates the Earth Queen]] is titled "Long Live the Queen".

* The Creator/GilbertAndSullivan operetta ''Theatre/{{Patience}}, [[EitherOrTitle or Bunthorne's Bride]]''. The SubTitleDrop comes in the final song: "Nobody be Bunthorne's bride".

* The ''Series/{{House}}'' episode "Merry Little Christmas" was anything but. It ends with House sprawling in a pool of his own vomit/drool in front of the TV after nearly overdosing on Vicodin, while his "best friend" Wilson just looks at him lying there then walks away in disgust. The irony is questionable, since this is is obviously a reference to the song ''Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'', which is really a pretty nasty piece of work in the first place. The original lyrics are even bleaker, but JudyGarland refused to sing them. It's a [[PunBasedTitle pun title]], since the patient of the week is a little person.

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' is this trope when applied to an entire show, but usually tend to avoid using these kinds of episode titles with the exception of "A Very Sunny Christmas" which has Charlie finding out he's a SonOfAWhore, a {{Mall Santa}}'s [[EarAche ear getting bitten off]], and theft.

episode is "I guess, in the end, there really is no end. Just new beginnings."

* From ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''; the three-part season finale episode of for season four was called "The End" also. However, even though it dealt with [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], it actually ended with the Earth being restored, and the show continued for another season. One of Raven's lines in the end of the

* From ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''; the three-part season finale episode of for season four was called "The End" also. However, even though it dealt with [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], it actually ended with the Earth being restored, and the show continued for another season. One of Raven's lines in the end of the episode is "I guess, in the end, there really is no end. Just new beginnings."

* As ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End Of Evangelion]]'' is basically an alternate Episode 25 and 26, it has its own episode titles. The second half of the movie [[spoiler: where [[KillEmAll everyone]] [[MindScrew basically]] [[KillEmAll dies]]]] was titled "My Purest Heart for You (Sincerely Yours)". One gets the feeling that Creator/HideakiAnno was feeling [[CreatorBreakdown especially nasty at the time]].

* The ''[[Series/{{House}} House MD]]'' episode "Merry Little Christmas" was anything but. It ends with [[spoiler: House sprawling in a pool of his own vomit/drool in front of the TV after nearly overdosing on Vicodin, while his "best friend" Wilson just looks at him lying there then walks away in disgust.]]
** The irony is questionable, since this is is obviously a reference to the song ''Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'', which is really a pretty nasty piece of work in the first place.
** The original lyrics are even bleaker, but JudyGarland refused to sing them.
** Also a [[PunBasedTitle pun title]], since the patient of the week is a little person.
* The first season finale of ''DesperateHousewives'', "One Wonderful Day." Wonderful indeed - at the end of the episode, one husband is dead, another husband is in prison, and a third character is LeftForDead. (The Stephen Sondheim song suggested by the show's IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming, however, doesn't go any darker than a SarcasticEcho.)
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' does with "Everybody Loves a Clown" (also a candidate for horrific) and again in "The Kids Are Alright." They are not. They are really really not. Not to mention "Time is on my side" given it comes an episode before [[spoiler: Dean's contract is due]].
** Also "A Very Supernatural Christmas." Anything but merry. Features evil old people and torn out fingernails.

* "An Echolls Family Christmas", one of the most highly-regarded episodes of ''VeronicaMars'', ends with a character being stabbed at his own Christmas party by a woman he cheated on his wife with at a Halloween party...while he was making eyes at another woman (also not his wife).
** Also: "Happy Go Lucky." [[AxeCrazy He really]] [[FreudianExcuse isn't.]]
* "Fool for Love"' is ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s exploration of Spike's backstory, and while there are a few moments of romance, it's mostly bad-assed carnage as Spike tells the stories of how previously he killed two slayers.
** Probably more likely is that it's both this and a LiteraryAllusionTitle to the Music/SamShepard play of the same name, which is very similar in structure.
** WordOfGod confirms that the fourth season episode where [[spoiler: Faith wakes up from a coma and steal Buffy's body]] was originally called "rise and shine".
* The momentous ''[[TheXFiles X-Files]]'' episode "Nothing Important Happened Today."
** Named after King George III's supposed diary entry for July 4, 1776, the day the United States declared its independence from Britain. (Of course George could be forgiven for his ignorance given the lack of telecommunications in those days.)
* ''TheYoungOnes'' episode "Boring" has lots of interesting things going on, but Rick, Viv, Neil and Mike just don't happen to notice any of them.
* Which is also the concept of the ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch "The Dull Life of a City Stockbroker".
* Borderline example: The very first episode of ''Series/RedDwarf'' was called "The End". Borderline because the episode actually did deal with a massive accident that wiped out almost the entire crew, setting up the series for AfterTheEnd. (And with that situation set up, the episode ended with a caption in the same font, saying "The Beginning".)
** A similar example from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''; the three-part season finale episode of for season four was called "The End" also. However, even though it dealt with [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], it actually ended with the Earth being restored, and the show continued for another season. One of Raven's lines in the end of the episode is "I guess, in the end, there really is no end. Just new beginnings."

* The series finale of ''Series/StargateSG1'' was called "Unending."
* A borderline example is the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' episode "Sunday" because it sounds like an episode about the characters relaxing and having a day off and mostly is...until they kill off a main character.

* ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia is basically this trope when applied to an entire show, but usually tend to avoid using these kinds of episode titles with the exception of "A Very Sunny Christmas" which has Charlie finding out he's a SonOfAWhore, a {{Mall Santa}}'s [[EarAche ear getting bitten off]], and theft.

** Probably more likely is that it's both this and a LiteraryAllusionTitle to the SamShepard play of the same name, which is very similar in structure.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', there's the episode called "Everything Is Wonderful". Perhaps [[PoorComunicationKills the]] [[AmbitionIsEvil most]] [[BlatantLies misleading]] [[ScienceIsBad title]] [[TearJerker EVER]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', there's the episode called "Everything Is Wonderful". Perhaps the [[AmbitionIsEvil most]] [[BlatantLies misleading]] [[ScienceIsEvil title]] [[TearJerker EVER]].

* The GilbertAndSullivan operetta ''Patience, [[EitherOrTitle or]] Bunthorne's Bride''. The SubTitleDrop comes in the final song: "Nobody be Bunthorne's bride".

* ChoujinSentaiJetman has the episode "Glory of the Emperor Tranza", which ends with the emperor in question [[spoiler: completely beaten down by the heroes, physically forced to acknowledge TheStarscream as the new emperor, and finally being [[MindRape mind raped]] by said new emperor and left drooling and rambling in an insane asylum]].

* As ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion End Of Evangelion]]'' is basically an alternate Episode 25 and 26, it has its own episode titles. The second half of the movie [[spoiler: where [[KillEmAll everyone]] [[MindScrew basically]] [[KillEmAll dies]]]] was titled "My Purest Heart for You (Sincerely Yours)". One gets the feeling that HideakiAnno was feeling [[CreatorBreakdown especially nasty at the time]].

* The last chapter of ''HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' is titled "The Beginning", referring to [[CliffHanger the start of Voldemort's new reign of terror]]. This was made all the more ironic by the fact that this was the last chapter of the published ''Potter'' canon for a good three years.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' does with "Everybody Loves a Clown" (also a candidate for NightmareFuel) and again in "The Kids Are Alright." They are not. They are really really not. Not to mention "Time is on my side" given it comes an episode before [[spoiler: Dean's contract is due]].

* As ''[[NeonGenesisEvangelion End Of Evangelion]]'' is basically an alternate Episode 25 and 26, it has its own episode titles. The second half of the movie [[spoiler: where [[KillEmAll everyone]] [[MindScrew basically]] [[KillEmAll dies]]]] was titled "My Purest Heart for You (Sincerely Yours)". One gets the feeling that HideakiAnno was feeling [[CreatorBreakdown especially nasty at the time]].