History Main / ObliviousGuiltSlinging

* ''Series/{{Tyrant}}'': When Bassam is plotting a coup against Jamal, the latter often mentions to his brother how happy he is that Bassam is the one person he can trust fully.
* In the ''Series/EnemyAtTheDoor'' episode "Jealousy", a man whose business is being investigated by the authorities as an alleged cover for black market activity attempts to reassure his distraught sister by telling her there's no truth in it and the anonymous author of the allegation must be insane or just plain malicious. What the audience knows by this point, but he doesn't, is that his sister made the anonymous tip-off in an attempt to get his wife in trouble.
* ''Series/TheMusketeers'': In the episode "Death of a Hero", King Louis embraces his EvilChancellor half-brother Feron at their father's graveside, and tells him "You're the only one who never betrayed me." Feron, who has just drawn a dagger to ''literally stab Louis in the back'', sheaths it again.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty The First Duty]]", Wesley Crusher is involved in an incident at Starfleet Academy in which a teammate was killed. He and his teammates manage to initially cover up the truth (that the accident was caused by them attempting a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique banned flying maneuver]]). During the investigation, Wesley's mother consistently insists that Wesley is being totally honest and forthcoming, and the dead teammate's father thanks Wesley for being such a good friend. The guilt they unintentionally pile on Wesley is a big factor in him eventually confessing.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E04NorTheBattleToTheStrong Nor The Battle to the Strong]]", there's a scene where Jake is supposed to be helping Bashir retrieve a portable generator, but is spooked by a bombardment and ends up running in the opposite direction, leaving Bashir to fend for himself. He eventually makes it back to the hospital and finds that Bashir has survived -- and the moment he sees Jake, Bashir begins apologizing frantically for bringing Jake into a war zone, which only makes Jake feel that much worse about having left Bashir behind. Jake even comments on it in his InternalMonologue
-->'''Jake:''' I couldn't stand hearing him apologise to me like that. Not after what I'd done to him.
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'':
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekPicardS1E06TheImpossibleBox The Impossible Box]]", Hugh has hopes that Picard will take up the cause of the xBs on the diplomatic stage, but Picard has a guilty expression given his past failures and uncertain future.
** During the pursuit in "Nepenthe", Rios tells Jurati that he thinks the Romulans put a TrackingDevice on Raffi, not knowing that Jurati is allowing herself to be tracked. It gets worse when Jurati hints that she's the one with the tracker and Rios laughs it off.
* Played for laughs in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E6Extremis Extremis]]". Bill, the Doctor's companion and an out lesbian, has brought a girl she fancies, named Penny, to her step-mother's flat. Penny is a bit nervous about the whole thing, and Bill tells her that whatever their relationship is at this point, they have no need to feel guilty about this. Cue the Pope walking into the room, irate and muttering in Italian. Of course, unbeknownst to Bill or Penny, his irate muttering is because the TARDIS dropped them off at Bill's place instead of the Vatican.

* In ''Series/{{Galavant}}'', there's an entire song in which Galavant declares his love for Madelena. He's completely unaware that she no longer loves him, and so she responds that [[ExactWords she loves him "as much as someone like her can love anyone"]].
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''
** In "Betrayal", Tommy Merlyn complains to Oliver Queen about Laurel Lance keeping secret her meetings with the Arrow, when Oliver is the Arrow himself and keeping that secret from Tommy.
** In "Birds of Prey", Thea Queen tells her brother that he's the only person who has never hidden anything from her. Not only is Oliver hiding that he's the Arrow, he's just discovered that Thea is the lovechild of an extramarital affair their mother had with Malcolm Merlyn.
** In "Three Ghosts", Thea asks Oliver to help remove an arrow from the leg of her boyfriend Roy Harper. Oliver (in his Arrow disguise) was the one who put in there, to stop Roy running off and doing something stupid.
** In "Promises Kept", Diggle explains to the team about his combat shakes and [[spoiler: the drug he's been using to combat them]], and makes a particular point of telling Dinah (who knew about the shakes but not [[spoiler: the drug]], and hadn't told the others because he told her he was better) that there'll be no more secrets between them. Dinah, who just let the Vigilante escape because [[spoiler: he turned out to be her ex-partner]], repeats, "No more secrets".
* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': In season 1, Michael confides in how hard he's taking all the things that are going wrong in his very first Good Place community, not understanding what could be causing it all and blaming himself. Eleanor knows exactly what's wrong: she doesn't belong there. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted with TheReveal that ThisIsntHeaven and Michael knows full well that Eleanor is a bad person]].
* ''Series/{{Rome}}''. Lucius Vorenus is estranged from his wife Niobe after eight years campaigning in Gaul, but decides it's time he TookALevelInKindness and swears on the life of his daughter's child that he will change his brusque ways. At that point Niobe nearly blurts out that [[AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder she's been unfaithful to him]], but Vorenus hushes her and says the past doesn't matter. His daughter's child is actually Niobe's, and this secret is instead exposed at the worst possible time.
* ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'':
** In the episode "Blood Memory", we learn that one woman in each generation of the Nal family inherits the precognitive powers, and everyone assumes it's going to be Nia's sister Maeve, who has been training for it her entire life. Because of this Nia doesn't feel comfortable revealing that ''she's'' the one who inherited the powers, until she's found a way to transfer them. When their mother dies, Maeve laments that if only she'd gained the powers, she'd have been able to use her understanding to save her. What Nia hears is that if only she'd accepted the powers, she'd have known how to interpret the vision she had.
** In the season four finale, Lena discovers that not only is Kara Supergirl but Lena is literally the last person in their inner circle of friends to know this. In the season 5 premiere, Kara is thrown to find Lena has sold [=CatCo=] to a media baroness. Lena clearly is having a good time talking about how sorry she is as she knows how much Kara loves honesty and is far too good a person to ''ever'' keep any secrets from Lena and Lena never meant to hurt her by keeping her in the dark on something so important. This does push Kara to finally reveal her secret to Lena who acts as if she forgives Kara but is clearly still angered.
* ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''. In "Tender is the Nate", Hank Heywood barges into Ava Sharpe's office and starts complaining about the Legend's expenses, not knowing that he's [[InterruptedIntimacy interrupted her making out]] with Sara Lance.
-->'''Hank:''' If I didn't know any better I'd say you were in bed with the Legends! ''(Reveal Shot of Sara hiding under the table running a hand up Ava's leg)'' Either that or this Captain Lance is simply screwing you! ''(Ava gives a guilty start)''
* ''Series/{{Barry}}'': The title character, a war veteran and aspiring actor who is secretly working as an assassin, admits that he feels guilty about the people he's killed, but makes it sound like he's just talking about his war experiences. His supportive class members assure him that killing in war is entirely justified, and only killing ''outside'' of battle is unforgivable. Barry is visibly crestfallen.
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** In the first episode of ''Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier'', Bucky tries to befriend his neighbor Yori and the bartender girl Leah; the former opens up to him about the pain of losing his son and not knowing how or why it happened. It brings Bucky immense guilt considering he was the one who killed Yori's son (as the brainwashed Winter Soldier, because the son had accidentally witnessed Bucky assassinating his targets during a mission).

* A minor example in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': in the song "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us", Hamilton receives a letter from friend and fellow revolutionary John Laurens, but puts it aside because he's busy working. When his wife Eliza (who has presumably read the letter already) tries to get him to read it, he cites the above reason - until she says it's from Laurens's ''[[OhCrap father]]'', [[spoiler:because the letter states that Laurens was killed in action shortly after the war ended]].

* In the main storyline of [[VideoGame/NoMansSky No Man's Sky]], the Last Traveller/player character has been trying to meet a fellow Traveller named Artemis, whose is in another universe and is desperate to meet another Traveller. Hoever, it turns out that she's [[DeadAllAlong dead already]], and her consciousness is somehow trapped in between universes. The player has the option to let her die for good, or save her consciosness into a simulated universe. If you save her, you can either tell her the truth, or [[IDidntTellYouBecauseYoudBeUnhappy lie and say that you are still looking for her, and that you will meet up eventually]]. if you do that, then she will contact you ocassionally, talking about the things you'll do together when you finally meet, and how happy she is to not be alone anymore.
* In ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max: The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball]]'', Sam and Max are ordered to kill their friend Sybil to gain the Toy Mafia's trust. When you talk to Sybil, she knows the Mafia is planning to kill her, and says that Sam and Max are the only ones she can trust. This doesn't make them feel any better. The {{Trope Namer|s}} comes from Max's remark: "She should consider guilt-slinging for her next career".
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' - Yuna begins her journey to defeat Sin knowing that [[spoiler:she will die in the process]]. Tidus, who's rapidly building an attraction to her, doesn't know this, but unwittingly says things that remind her of it - like [[spoiler:"We can come back and see this place again later", or "After we beat Sin, we can..."]]. When he's told what will happen, he beats himself up about it, and [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on his part in this trope. In this case, it's not Yuna who he's making feel guilty, it's ''everybody else in the party''.
** The situation also happens in reverse with Tidus; after TheReveal that [[spoiler:Jecht became Sin a decade ago]], every time someone (especially Yuna) brings him up in a heroic light or talks about how much suffering Sin has caused (since the last Calm), it makes Tidus guilty and uncomfortable, due to him feeling personally responsible for his father.
* In season 2 of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', Clementine's group of survivors encounters another group at a ski lodge. The ski lodge group lets them stay for a while, and during that time a man from the Ski Lodge, Walter, tells Clem's group that his partner Matthew should be back from his hunting soon. [[spoiler:Clem's group slowly realises that Matthew was a man they encountered and accidentally killed on their way there.]]

* Can be done to Shepard in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. If Shepard chooses [[spoiler: not to tell Eve about the fact that the salarians sabotaged the genophage cure long ago, Shepard has to listen to Eve constantly talking about what a hero Shepard is for all s/he's doing for the krogan people. Wrex also praises Shepard for being a hero (although how much he does depends on how many decisions you made that are good for him or the krogans), but is a subversion of the trope since Wrex doesn't stay oblivious forever..]].

-->'''Linda/Laszlo:''' (''[[SincerityMode with absolute sincerity]]'') You saved the love of my life. I'm forever in your debt. Thank you for ''everything''.
* If the player has the "Old Witch Ring" in ''[[VideoGame/DarkSouls1 Dark Souls]]'', every line of dialogue spoken by [[spoiler: Quelaag's sister]] counts as this. [[spoiler:She's suffering and in indescribable pain because of her kindness and selflessness, but tell you that she'll be all right as long as she has [[ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity you, her dear sister Quelaag]], by her side. You know, [[YouBastard the same Quelaag you just KILLED to be able to reach her in the first place]].]]
** In the ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' ''Ringed City'' DLC: When the player brings the [[spoiler:blood of the Dark Soul]] to the Painter, she'll thank you and ponder when her uncle Gael will come home, as she wants to make her painting as a kindly home for him. Thing is, [[spoiler:you ''killed'' Gael in order to get that blood.]] YouBastard.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'': Midway through the Dark Brotherhood questline, you get a special mission from Lucien Lachance to [[spoiler: slaughter all of your comrades in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, as he suspects one of them is a traitor]]. If you talk to any of the victims before doing this, they can invoke this effect. Most notably, [[spoiler: M'raaj-Dar, who had until now despised the player, admits he was wrong about you, apologizes, and asks if you can be friends]].

* In ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'', where Sidney "the Sicko" tells Crush [[spoiler:actually Sam with a beard]] that he's the only person he can trust. Unbeknownst to Sidney, Crush is currently dating his on-again-off-again girlfriend, of whom he is notoriously fanatically possessive. Crush is extremely upset by this, since Sidney has always been kindness itself to him, and aside from his neuroticism regarding his ex, is a pretty cool guy. This trope happens again later, with Gert, prompting the appearance of her conscience cat.
** Much later, when the fact that they are dating finally becomes known to Syd, he reacts predictably- only to have her yank him firmly down to earth by sternly reminding him of the "ex-part" and make him apologize. Everyone remains good friends.
* Natani of ''Webcomic/TwoKinds'' confesses that Keith is her best friend when he's been ordered to betray the group (Keith's race is biologically disposed to follow orders). He then finds that he cannot kill her, and tries to ''kill himself'' instead.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Gil and Tarvek discuss how Von Pinn was the closest thing they had to a mother and in Tarvek's case the only parental figure he ever had that actually showed him any love or affection and how they intend to painfully kill whomever wounded her while Agatha [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100512 grows more and more uncomfortable in the background.]] Of course Von Pinn had torn ''her'' parents apart right in front of her so she was understandably pissed and untrusting of the construct.

* LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} mentions while playing ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' that he did this to his parents as a child. They gave him a wallet to keep his money in, so he'd learn to take care of his finances, but it was actually a way to be certain where his money would be, so they could take it and use it themselves. And Chugga once told them that his wallet was weird because any money he put in disappeared, even if he didn't spend anything. Years later, his parents admitted what they did and that his innocent comment made them feel terrible for stealing from their child.

-->'''Timmy:''' I'm really sorry about all this, Chip.
-->'''Chip:''' Oh, that's all right, little pal. It's not like you ''wished'' for this to happen.

* Volume II, Chapter 9 of ''FanFic/SpectacularSeven'' sees Artemis doting on his niece, the LonelyRichKid Moondancer. Because Artemis is giving her unbridled attention and affection with no strings attached, Moondancer feels awful BeneathTheMask, especially when he confides in her that a magical artifact was stolen. Unknown to Artemis, Moondancer helped orchestrate the theft at the behest of [[TheManBehindTheMan her benefactor]] [[spoiler:Tempest Shadow, who had Moondancer exploit Lamia to steal from her own family]]. Moondancer feels so guilty that she briefly considers telling Artemis the truth and asking for his help, but [[IgnoredEpiphany lets the moment pass, choosing instead to brush it off]].
* Chapter 7 of ''Fanfic/XCOMFromTheAshesOfTemples'' has [[TheMedic Valdez]] happily thanking Bradford for letting him back on the field, which allowed him to save the life of the VIP who would have died otherwise. The same VIP he saved had just been sacrificed by Bradford for the sake of information just hours earlier.
* In ''Fanfic/SomethingInTheNight'', Chat Noir makes a false report to conceal his encounter with Ladybug and defends it to a suspicious Chief Roux. He then talks with his SecretKeeper Thomas and tells him the same story. Thomas replies, "I didn’t think you’d lie about something like this," and later praises him for how well he's stuck to his agreement over the years, causing Adrien considerable guilt about deceiving his closest friend on the force.
* In ''Fanfic/UnexpectedSurprise'', Nino says a couple of times how he would love to get his hands on Chat Noir for leaving Marinette alone and pregnant... right in front of Adrien, who already beats himself up for it far harder than Nino could ever hope to.
* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/5227982/chapters/12055802 I Knew You Were Trouble]]'', Oliver recalls how he cheated on Laurel almost immediately after they started dating. He was so guilt ridden by it he became genuinely ill...and Laurel came to nurse him back to health. Naturally, this only further convinced him that he didn't deserve her.

* Izuku does this in ''FanFic/ConversationsWithACryptid'' when All For One asks him about his family. When Izuku talks about his DisappearedDad Hisashi, he says that he has no real relationship with his father except bitterness because his abandonment was so hard on Inko. [[spoiler: Izuku doesn't know that All for One ''is'' Hisashi and was so distant because of his criminal enterprises.]]
* ''FanFic/ATacticiansTestimony'': In "Footsteps of Fate," Lyn recalls that many people are [[FantasticRacism prejudiced against Sacaeans]] due to their ways of life, and tells Katri she's glad she isn't like that and is so kind. Unbeknownst to Lyn, Katri ''is'' [[NobleBigot prejudiced against Sacaeans]], and remarks in [[LemonyNarrator her narration]] that she's never felt so guilty in her life.
* ''Fanfic/DarknessBurning'': This occurs during Anna and Elsa's first time talking to each other on their own accord in possibly ''years''. The conversation ends when Anna accidentally says "I guess there's a lot about me you don't know" to her reclusive sister, causing Elsa to shut down again and go back into her room.
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''FanFic/TruthAndConsequences'': Ladybug ''thinks'' Adrien is doing this when he gives a toast in her honor, proclaiming how trustworthy and honest she is, after she [[FaceHeelTurn secretly made a deal with Hawk Moth]], betraying Chat in the process. In reality, Adrien ''is'' Chat Noir, and [[PassiveAggressiveKombat very aware of the affect his words have]] on his [[EvilFormerFriend ex-partner]].

* In ''Fanfic/{{Suikakasen}}'', Kasen pretends to give Yoshika hermit training so that she can gather information needed to get past [[SomeKindOfForcefield the gate Rajoumon]], and intends on killing her once she can get past the gate's barrier. As such, Kasen prepares to covertly off Yoshika while the latter was lying in her lap during a trip to a mountaintop. Moments before she can do the deed however, Yoshika requests permission to continue lying in Kasen's lap and begins to cry, saying that every day they spent together was wonderful, but that [[MortalityPhobia she can't stop thinking about the day she dies whenever she is alone]]. As Yoshika's reasoning for wanting to become a hermit is that she wants to become immortal, Kasen [[HeelRealization realizes that she toyed with Yoshika's emotions]] and confesses the truth about who she is and that she used her.

* ''FanFic/DekuIThinkHesSomePro'': When Izuku admits to Sir Nighteye that he's honestly a little jealous of how Mirio's Quirk has mutated to grant him SuperStrength while he remains Quirkless, Nighteye can't help but wince. After all, he's aware that it's ''not'' a random mutation, but that [[ForWantOfANail All Might passed his Quirk on to Mirio]]... something he did on Nighteye's recommendation.

* Downplayed in ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': When discussing the identity of the man who sabotaged the gates of King's Landing during Daenerys' attack, Tyrion offhandedly wonders if he might have run into Jaime (who was last known to be near the walls on the day of the incident). As the Wolf is behind both the sabotage and Jaime's abduction, he gets noticeably annoyed and changes the subject, although Tyrion puts it down to nerves from not killing anything recently.

* In ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'', Ralph helps Vanellope achieve her lifelong dream of entering the race. Then he's told that he needs to prevent her from entering [[ForYourOwnGood for her own good]], since it could lead to ''Sugar Rush'' being shut down and Vanellope actually ''dying.'' Before he gets the words out, she gives him a cookie medal she made. He ultimately has to destroy the car they made together, breaking her heart, and afterwards sees the words "You're my hero" written on the medal. ''Ouch.''
* In ''WesternAnimation/MulanII'', after Mushu managed to create a rift between the titular character and her love interest all so he can keep his job, as they temporarily walked different paths, Mulan comments on how good a companion Mushu is, which causes him to break down and confess.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'', the morning after Max changes the map's destination from Lake Destiny to Los Angeles behind Goofy's back, Goofy decides to make Max the navigator of the road trip, saying he trusts him wholeheartedly. Max keeps up the charade, though he was initially hesitant. This is later invoked when Goofy finds out that the map was changed, to secretly give Max a second chance. To Goofy's [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness shock and anger]], Max keeps it up.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'': After Baloo finally agrees with Bagheera to send Mowgli to the man village instead of living with him, Mowgli reminds him about all the fun they're going to have together and sings "The Bare Necessities", all while Baloo had a guilt-filled expression.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'': Every time Anna pesters Elsa about coming out to play (as a child) or open up to the world (as a young adult) triggers Elsa's bad memories of the time she nearly killed Anna when they were playing with her powers as children - an incident Anna can no longer remember. It gets to the point that Elsa reveals her powers publicly and runs away, prompting Anna to lampshade the trope and insist she should be the one to go after her because of it.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Storks}}'': Tulip launches a more or less continuous stream of this to Junior when he's sent to fire her, expressing a surprised joy that he'd talk to her at all and (erroneously) thanking him for coming to wish her a Happy Birthday. Junior understandably struggles to fire her after that.

* Lampshaded a bit in ''Film/TheTrumanShow.'' Marlon tells Truman, "The last thing I would ever do is lie to you" while Cristof is secretly telling him to say exactly that. There are hints throughout the movie that Marlon is an [[DrowningMySorrows alcoholic basket case]] due to his constant deception of his best friend.

* ''Film/PitchBlack''. Carolyn looks guilty when the survivors of the Hunter-Gratzner congratulate her for having landed them safely on an alien planet. They don't know she had planned on ejecting their passenger compartments, but had been stopped only due to her navigator's interference.
* In ''Film/{{Locke}}'', Ivan has to switch between phone calls admitting to his wife that he cheated on her, and phone calls desperately trying to manage an important construction project. After his sobbing wife hangs up on him, he successfully manages to assemble a crew to deal with a problem, and one of them shouts "Ivan Locke is the best man in England!". He says nothing, but is visibly hit by this.

* In ''Film/JohnnyBelinda'', all strings are being pulled when Stella comes to take Belinda's baby away. Belinda is unsuspecting and kindly welcomes Stella, offering her food and beverage. The heartiness affects Stella and she cannot bring herself to carry out the order and begs her husband to call off the whole thing.
* On the lake in ''Film/APlaceInTheSun'', Alice makes George remorseful for all the trouble he had gotten her into, rendering him unable to go through with his plan to drown her.
* In ''Film/InALonelyPlace'', Laurel has just decided to leave Dix when he comes around to prepare breakfast and propose to her, which puts her in an extremely uncomfortable spot.
* ''Film/DevilInABlueDress''. After Coretta is murdered her husband thinks it was because she refused to sleep with her killer, and tells Easy how she'd never cheat on him. As Easy had sex with Coretta shortly before her death, he's not happy about this.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents'', the cat Maurice gained the ability to talk after [[spoiler:eating one of the eponymous educated rodents.]] He keeps this a secret from the other rats, but feels bad and is eventually [[MilhollandRelationshipMoment forced to confess]] after several remarks on how nice he is, [[spoiler:especially in being careful not to eat intelligent creatures]]. In this case, the reader didn't know exactly what Maurice's secret was until he said it, although they knew the praise was getting to him. Bit [[InvokedTrope invoked]]; one of the rats had a strong suspicion about this, and was making pointed comments on purpose.

* Edith Wharton's ''Literature/EthanFrome'' has the eponymous character torn between staying with his ill, shrewish wife Zeena and [[TheUnfairSex running away with her sweet cousin Mattie who he's fallen for.]] When Ethan decides to ask his neighbors for an advance payment on the logs he chops up for them to have enough money to run away with Mattie to the West, he's deterred from doing so when one of them praises him for taking care of Zeena, saying sympathetically, "You've had an awful mean old time, Ethan Frome."

* In Creator/JasperFforde's book ''[[Literature/NurseryCrime The Big Over Easy]]'', DS Mary Mary is secretly [[spoiler:reporting on Jack Spratt's case to the decidedly unpleasant DCI Friedland Chymes. Jack continually bolstering her with what a good job she's doing just makes her feel worse that she's betraying him, and eventually she gives it up]].

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', [[spoiler:Ginny is distraught after the attack on Mrs. Norris and Ron helpfully assures her that "they'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time." [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Way to go, Ron.]] (To be fair, Ginny ''probably'' didn't suspect herself yet at that point.)]]

* ''Series/HouseOfCardsUS'': Claire gets this from Trisha, the First Lady. After spending a better part of season two [[spoiler: helping Frank destroy the President's political career and putting his marriage on the rocks, Trisha calls Claire and tells her that "she's a good person." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36kRfH6PGXs Claire breaks down crying at the end of the call]]]].
* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'':
** A good example of this as Casey is supposed to kill Chuck once he's no longer useful, but especially in one of the more recent episodes, Chuck acts in a friendly way which makes Casey have reservations about doing this.
** Another good example occurs [[spoiler:when Sarah is told to bring in Chuck in the episode "Chuck Versus the First Kill", and Chuck notes how she's the only one he believes he can trust. Sarah ends up not going through with the assignment, instead escaping with Chuck to find his father]].

* In "Indiscretions", a sixth season episode of ''Series/{{Highlander}}'', Joe Dawson is being blackmailed and has to deliver Adam Pierson (AKA Methos) to an immortal. They're driving to an ambush when Methos starts telling him he feels there's a bond between them and "Who'd have ever thought I'd end up with a watcher as my best friend?"... by the time they arrive, night has fallen and Methos ''is still going on''. [[spoiler:Joe then yells at him to shut up and guiltily admits it's a trap. Methos' answer? "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?". Turns out Methos is GenreSavvy and knew everything from the get-go.]]
--> '''Joe:''' [[spoiler:Why did you drag this out?]]\\
'''Methos:''' [[spoiler:*grins* [[ItAmusedMe I'm easily amused.]]]]
* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'':
** One episode had King Uther tell Gaius "You're the only one I can trust in the fight against magic." Gaius then shares an uncomfortable glance with his protege, Merlin.
** This happened twice to Merlin in the episode "The Sins of the Father". Arthur told Merlin that those who practice magic are evil and dangerous and he was grateful to Merlin, who "helped" him realize it. Later, Uther told Merlin he was a great ally in the fight against magic.
** One episode in the first season had Morgana [[spoiler:become involved in a plot to assassinate Uther. In one of his many KnightTemplar moments regarding magic, he had Gwen's father arrested and later killed without trial after escaping, for associating (unknowingly) with a sorcerer. His seeming belief that this was the right thing to do, and having Morgana chained in a dungeon for disagreeing, left her enraged enough to want him dead. She pretends to apologise and asks him to visit her father's grave together, where the assassins are waiting. While discussing her father, he heavily praises him, especially for being willing to speak against Uther when he is blinded by his temper. He then tells Morgana he needs her to do the same, and admits that she was right and he regrets having Gwen's father killed and Morgana locked up. All the while, the assassin is approaching ready to kill Uther. Thanks to Uther's sincere apology, not knowing she was planning to have him killed, Morgana realises Uther is not as evil as she had believed in her anger, and warns him, saving his life]].
* ''Series/ThirtyRock'': In "MILF Island," after Liz anonymously insults Jack in a gossip column, he tasks her with finding out who the leak is, emphasizing that she's the only one he can trust, and confiding how badly the comments had hurt his feelings. [[spoiler:Turns out to be an ExploitedTrope, as he knew it was her all along, and was toying with her for revenge.]]

* Happened to Tara right off the bat in the second season of ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'': she reluctantly agreed to be Jax's girlfriend, on the condition that there be no more secrets between them. Then [[spoiler:Gemma gets raped]] and confides in Tara, stressing that she can't tell Jax about it, ''ever''. Of course, Jax can't stop talking about how cool it is that he and Tara can tell each other everything.

* In an episode of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Leslie helps capture a rogue possum, nicknamed "Fairway Frank" since he runs loose on a golf course, after he bit the mayor's dog, so that he can be put down. However, Leslie has reason to believe they captured the wrong possum, but is conflicted because of how pleased the mayor's office is with her now. Scenes like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-1FCDKIhIg this]] result.
* In one episode of ''Series/NecessaryRoughness'', Ray J tells his mother about his car breaking down. Dani initially scolds him for not having it serviced earlier, but then thanks him for being honest with her. Of course, his car was actually stolen after he snuck into a club with TK the night before.
* ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall''. Tristan, having [[BrilliantButLazy failed his finals]] once again, hid it from his brother and dropped smoking, alcohol and laziness in order to get him in a mellow mood. Siegfried was so impressed that, after proposing a toast to Tristan, he offered him a partnership in the practice -- once he'd got his degree, of course. The audience cringes on Tristan's behalf for a good five minutes (Peter Davison does horrified/guilty/hurt puppy very well); after the explosion Tristan bounces back into his usual form, completely unruffled. The same cannot be said for the audience, who now want to strangle him.
* Frequently occurs on ''Series/NoahsArc'', usually with Wade (or Noah's boyfriend at the time) slinging the guilt at Noah (for Noah cheating, wanting to break up, etc.)
* This happens a lot on ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', seeing as the entire premise is a cop (blood spatter analyst, to be exact) who's also a SerialKillerKiller. The main "slingers" are Dexter's sister Deb and his girlfriend Rita, but sometimes his coworkers also make a few remarks that by all means hit home. Dexter's internal monologue often comments on how oblivious they are to the fact that the entirely likable guy in their midst is really a killer.
* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', after going through Gale's notes on Walt's technique, Hank comments that if he [[YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood had used his knowledge for good]] he could've been of great help to humanity. This hurts Walt for three reasons as A. Walt was the real mastermind with wasted potential he was talking about, B. [[spoiler: Gale had real talent of his own but Walt had him killed to save his own skin]], and C. Walt was too {{pride}}ful to let others take credit for his work, which leads to him dropping a massive hint to Hank that the real Heisenberg was still out there.
* In ''Series/LifeWithBoys'' Tess's father is a master of it, whenever Tess is about to fess up her father starts gushing about how good an example Tess is and she chickens out. She does finally give in each episode and they reach an understanding.
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': After Carlton [[VerySpecialEpisode accidentally takes some speed]] from Will's locker, Will feels responsible. When Phil decides to give Will his graduation present early and tells him he is proud of him, Will says he can't accept it and confesses.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': In "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E09TheComingOfShadows The Coming of Shadows]]", G'Kar gives Londo a friendly greeting after learning that the Centauri Emperor's visit was intended as a gesture of reconciliation. Londo is horrified by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the realization]] that the attack he has already set in motion is destroying what would have otherwise been an opportunity for peace.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. In "Free To Be You And Me", Dean discovers FallenAngel Castiel is a virgin, so hauls him to the nearest DenOfIniquity to rectify the problem. A blonde prostitute saunters up to them and introduces herself as Chastity. On hearing this, [[INeedAFreakingDrink Cas promptly downs half a glass of beer]].
* "The Death of Art" episode of ''Series/OtherSpace'' is thick with this when Zalien asks Karen about Art's final mission. Undercut by comedy when Zalien takes the news quite well [[spoiler:..because he has several backup units on hand]].
* ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'':
** Juliana's mother tells her that she was afraid that her other daughter Trudy is dead because she had the same foreboding feeling that she had when her first husband died during the war, but is sure that Trudy's alright because the feeling went away the next morning. Juliana knows all too well that her sister is most likely dead by this point because of their involvement in the resistance.
** After Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith is told that his only son has a degenerative muscle disease and that he should euthanize him, he's conflicted between his love for his son and what he feels is his 'duty' to give him a painless death. While he's looking at family pictures of his now deceased brother (who had the same affliction), Smith's wife Helen says that she thinks it's a good thing to kill the infirm, ignorant of her child's condition.
* ''Series/TheAffair'': As Alison begins an affair with Noah, the amount of compliments she gets for being such a great wife to Cole steadily increase.

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E8LoversWalk Lover's Walk]]", Willow and Xander develop a sudden attraction to each other. At the same time, Oz gives Willow a present to celebrate her new identity as a witch. Willow, who already felt bad, is driven nearly frantic by this, and sets out to find a way to stop things with Xander before they go any further.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[/folder]]

** Following on from this, in "Before the Dawn", Miss Martian ''does'' [[spoiler: [[MistakenlyAttackedMole take the above revenge]]]], learning the truth in the process. She realises she's actually [[spoiler: {{Mind Rape}}d an undercover teammate]] and is filled with guilt, while her teammates praise her for stopping a villain.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' episode "Satisfaction", Paula Crock thanks Wally for providing emotional support as she comes to terms with [[spoiler:Artemis' [[FakingTheDead "death"]]]]. Wally's guilt over [[spoiler:maintaining the ruse in front of Artemis' grieving mother]] is written all over his face. In the same episode, the rest of the Team goes on and on about how [[spoiler:[[MistakenlyAttackedMole Kaldur is going to]] ''[[MistakenlyAttackedMole pay]]'' [[MistakenlyAttackedMole for Artemis's "death"]]]]. They're rather confused when Nightwing mysteriously vanishes, unable to cope with the guilt.

** In "Three Ghosts", Thea asks her brother Oliver to help remove an arrow from the leg of her boyfriend Roy Harper. Oliver (in his Arrow disguise) was the one who put in there, to stop Roy running off and doing something stupid.

* In the ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' episode "Promises Kept", Diggle explains to the team about his combat shakes and [[spoiler: the drug he's been using to combat them]], and makes a particular point of telling Dinah (who knew about the shakes but not [[spoiler: the drug]], and hadn't told the others because he told her he was better) that there'll be no more secrets between them. Dinah, who just let the Vigilante escape because [[spoiler: he turned out to be her ex-partner]], repeats, "No more secrets".

* In ''Series/AustinAndAlly}}'', this happens to Austin every time he lies to Ally.

* ''Series/{{Barry}}'': The title character, a war veteran and aspiring actor who is secretly working as an assassin, admits that he feels guilty about the people he's killed, but makes it sound like he's just talking about his war experiences. His supportive class members assure him that killing in war is entirely justified, and only killing ''outside'' of battle is unforgivable. Barry is visibly crestfallen.

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVamireSlayerS6E13DeadThings Dead Things]]", Buffy is neglecting her duties to have a SecretRelationship with vampire Spike involving BDSM and lots of torrid sex. Naturally the Scoobies tell her how hard she must be working, "being all tied up" and "pounding the big evil".

* ''Film/DevilInABlueDress''. After Coretta is murdered, her husband thinks it was because she refused to sleep with a man, and tells Easy how she'd never cheat on him. As Easy had sex with Coretta shortly before her murder, he's not happy about this.

* There is a joke about a woman on trial for murdering her husband with poison in his dinner. When the judge asks her whether she felt any guilt of shame, she answers, "Yes I did, Your Honor; when he asked for seconds."

* ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. Orange feels very, very guilty when White [[spoiler:takes a bullet while trying to convince Joe that Orange is not the rat. The problem being that, of course, he is the rat, being an undercover police officer]].

* ''Manga/SoulEater'': after Crona pulls a HeelFaceTurn, Crona's [[AbusiveParents mother]] has Crona act as a spy, starting by bugging [[TeamMom Marie]] and [[TeamDad Stein]]. The first thing Crona hears when listening in on them is Marie telling Stein what a nice kid Crona is.

* ''Literature/WatershipDown''. After being offered shelter in Cowslip's warren, Hazel's rabbits are asked to tell a story, so they offer to tell of their adventures. Their hosts respond with a clearly uncomfortable silence, so they decide to tell a traditional folktale instead. After TheReveal about the true nature of the warren, Fiver explains why: No-one wants to hear of brave deeds when [[VichyEarth they're ashamed of their own]], or an honest tale from someone they're deceiving.

** In "The Impossible Box", Hugh has hopes that Picard will take up the cause of the xBs on the diplomatic stage, but Picard has a guilty expression given his past failures and uncertain future.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "Bato of the Water Tribe", Aang learns of the location of Sokka and Katara's father, and keeps it secret. This plagues him through most of the episode as he is praised for being honest and true. Their reaction...they did not take it well.
* {{Invoked|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', "Final Curtain": [[spoiler:Harry ''pretends'' to do this to keep Gwen from breaking up with him, but he's not actually oblivious at all]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', Arthur's dad scores him a backstage pass to a concert, because he's catering for the band. He tells Arthur he can invite his friends, but Arthur's ImagineSpot about the band taking him luging suffers a FantasyTwist when he imagines a dozen kids showing up, so he says he doesn't think they'd want to go. The next day Buster tells him that he's going to see if his reporter mom can get them backstage, and Binky offers him a spare ticket closer to the stage. He invites everyone.

* ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'':
** In one episode, one person has to be fired when the club goes over its budget, and that person has to be the most irresponsible employee. Goofy naturally fits that role, but when he tells his friends he loves them and enjoys working at the club, Mickey and the others (except Donald) can't find it in their hearts to fire him.
** In the short "Mickey's Mistake", Mickey finds an envelope full of money and uses it to buy Minnie a new bow. When he does, Minnie tells him that she lost an envelope full of money that she intended to donate to an orphanage, then expresses hope that someone as noble and kind-hearted as Mickey would find it and turn it in. Mick soon looks like he's going to throw up.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E3LuckOTheDucks Luck O' The Ducks]]", Webby tells [[{{Leprechaun}} Far Daric]] he's a very fine friend soon after he and the other leprechauns built a trap for Scrooge.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** In "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS4E15BrianGoesBackToCollege Brian Goes Back to College]]", Brian feels guilty over having earned a high grade on a test by cheating, and is about to confess to his professor, only to change his mind when the professor tells Brian his performance on the test has lifted him out of his suicidal depression.
** In "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS9E7RoadToTheNorthPole Road to the North Pole]]", Brian gets into deep trouble with Quagmire when he mistakes his cancer-ridden niece for a little bald boy while he and Stewie are waiting to meet Santa at the mall. A little later, when Stewie demands that Brian take him to the North Pole so he can kill Santa, Brian refuses to until he gets some startling news related to his blunder.
--->'''Brian:''' Look, Stewie, I know you're disappointed that you didn't get to see Santa, but I-I'm not driving you to the North Pole!
--->'''Lois:''' ''(hanging up)'' Everyone, Quagmire's niece is in the ICU. Now, I think we should go down there to support him.
--->'''Brian:''' ''(startled)'' W-What?
--->'''Lois:''' Yeah, apparently, something happened at the mall and she took a turn for the worse. They don't know how much time she has left. Quagmire just called, h-he's really upset. I-It doesn't sound like he wants us there for some reason, b-but we should go anyway.
--->'''Brian:''' ''(beat)'' All right, let's go to the North Pole.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "One Bad Apple", the Cutie Mark Crusaders booby-trap their float so bully Babs Seed can steal it from them and get humiliated. After the float leaves, Applejack comes to congratulate them for "giving" her the float, since she had been having bully problems in Manehattan and needed to feel happy in Ponyville. The CMC, realizing that Babs was being a bully so she wouldn't be bullied, and that they're becoming bullies themselves, rush off to save her.
* ''WesternANimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Angry that his parents (seemingly) forgot his birthday because of Chip Skylark's concert, Timmy wishes for the worst possible (non-lethal) thing to happen to him. When this turns out to be being BoundAndGagged by Vicky, Timmy feels terrible.
-->'''Timmy:''' I'm really sorry about all this, Chip.
-->'''Chip:''' Oh, that's all right, little pal. It's not like you ''wished'' for this to happen.
* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': In one episode, Dale begins spending a lot of time with another exterminator who everyone else can tell is attracted to him. Nancy tries to put her foot down and stop Dale from seeing her, and Dale fires back that he never raised a fuss about Nancy going off for long periods with John Redcorn - not realizing that until recently, Nancy had been having a years-long affair with Redcorn.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': In "Gown And Out", Lola pretends to be sick to get out of having to compete in a pageant she knows she will lose. Lori, who is chaperoning her during the pageant, begins to dote on Lola and buys her expensive gifts, believing that she is disappointed about not being able to compete in the pageant, making Lola feel more and more guilty until she admits the truth.

* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': In season 1, Michael confides in how hard he's taking all the things that are going wrong in his very first Good Place community, not understanding what could be causing it all and blaming himself. Elinor knows exactly what's wrong: she doesn't belong there. [[spoiler:It's ultimately subverted in that Michael isn't oblivious at all and is intentioEnally giving her a guilt trip]].

* In ''Series/{{Austin and Ally}}'', this happens to Austin every time he lies to Ally.

** In the third season episode "Lovers Walk", Willow and Xander develop a sudden attraction to each other. At the same time, Oz gives Willow a present to celebrate her new identity as a witch. Willow, who already felt bad, is driven nearly frantic by this, and sets out to find a way to stop things with Xander before they go any further.
** In Season 6's "Dead Things" Buffy is neglecting her duties to have a SecretRelationship with vampire Spike involving BDSM and lots of torrid sex. Naturally the Scoobies tell her how hard she must be working, "being all tied up" and "pounding the big evil".
** In "Killed by Death", Joyce (who's not yet in on the {{Masquerade}}) walks in on the Scoobies discussing the MonsterOfTheWeek. Everyone quickly shuts up, causing Joyce to quip that she's interrupted a secret meeting. Cue unconvincing laughs.

* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', after escaping the authorities, Simon talks enthusiastically about how he and River would be dead if not for Jayne, not knowing that [[spoiler:he had betrayed them, and the only reason he helped them escape is that the Feds were going to arrest him too, instead of giving him the reward money]].

-->'''Kylie:''' James [her ex] lied to me all the time. It's good to be with someone I can trust.\\

* In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Marooned", Rimmer has a camphor-wood chest containing all his Napoleonic War models, and Lister has his guitar. When they're desperate for fuel for the fire, Rimmer says his belongings are too valuable, so Lister agrees to burn his guitar, providing he can play one song first. Rimmer gives him some privacy for this, and Lister immediately starts sawing a guitar shape out of the back of the chest. Then Rimmer returns, and is deeply impressed by what Lister has done.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': In "The Coming of Shadows", G'Kar gives Londo a friendly greeting after learning that the Centauri Emperor's visit was intended as a gesture of reconciliation. Londo is horrified by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone the realization]] that the attack he has already set in motion is destroying what would have otherwise been an opportunity for peace.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In the episode "The First Duty", Wesley Crusher is involved in an incident at Starfleet Academy in which a teammate was killed. He and his teammates manage to initially cover up the truth (that the accident was caused by them attempting a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique banned flying maneuver]]). During the investigation, Wesley's mother consistently insists that Wesley is being totally honest and forthcoming, and the dead teammate's father thanks Wesley for being such a good friend. The guilt they unintentionally pile on Wesley is a big factor in him eventually confessing.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In "Nor The Battle to the Strong", there's a scene where Jake is supposed to be helping Bashir retrieve a portable generator, but is spooked by a bombardment and ends up running in the opposite direction, leaving Bashir to fend for himself. He eventually makes it back to the hospital and finds that Bashir has survived -- and the moment he sees Jake, Bashir begins apologizing frantically for bringing Jake into a war zone, which only makes Jake feel that much worse about having left Bashir behind. Jake even comments on it in his InternalMonologue

* Played for laughs in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Extremis". Bill, the Doctor's companion and an out lesbian, has brought a girl she fancies, named Penny, to her step-mother's flat. Penny is a bit nervous about the whole thing, and Bill tells her that whatever their relationship is at this point, they have no need to feel guilty about this. Cue the Pope walking into the room, irate and muttering in Italian. Of course, unbeknownst to Bill or Penny, his irate muttering is because the TARDIS dropped them off at Bill's place instead of the Vatican.
* ''Series/{{Wizards of Waverly Place}}'':

* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': In season 1, Michael confides in how hard he's taking all the things that are going wrong in his very first Good Place community, not understanding what could be causing it all and blaming himself. Elinor knows exactly what's wrong: she doesn't belong there. [[spoiler:It's ultimately subverted in that Michael isn't oblivious at all and is intentionally giving her a guilt trip]].

** In "Team Homer", while the rest of Homer's bowling team are pressuring him to get rid of Mr. Burns, Burns buys them all bowling shirts and tells them they're the only friends he's ever had. Subverted when Homer quickly recovers and tries to punt Mr. Burns off the team anyway, only for the others to interrupt him out of guilt.
** In "Last Tap Dance in Springfield" Lisa tries to tell her parents that she wants to quit only for them to continuously praise her dancing.

** Played straight again in "[[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop Steal This Episode]]". Homer starts [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil pirating movies]] and hosting a movie night, but Marge starts feeling guilty and mails a check to a Hollywood producer paying for the ticket she didn't buy and [[HonorBeforeReason confessing what Homer did]]. This leads to the FBI arresting Homer, and as he's being taken away, he starts ranting about how he's going to hunt down whoever did this to him, and tells Marge what a good wife she is. Homer manages to escape, and the family hides out in a Swedish consulate. However, the FBI finds them again and Homer turns himself in once Marge confesses.

** That happened to Marge before in "Burns, Baby Burns", in which she makes Homer go outside and bring Larry back to Mr. Burns despite it being broad daylight with cops everywhere. Once the inevitable happens, Kent Brockman derides that the decision as "idiocy", causing Marge to groan in embarrassment.
** In "Homer the Father", Bart tries to get on Homer's good side in an effort to steal nuclear secrets from the power plant and give them to Chinese spies in exchange for a dirt bike. The next morning, Homer surprises Bart with the same kind of bike as thanks for being a good son, which makes Bart realize he committed treason for nothing and try to steal the secrets back.

** In "Brian Goes Back to College," Brian feels guilty over having earned a high grade on a test by cheating, and is about to confess to his professor, only to change his mind when the professor tells Brian his performance on the test has lifted him out of his suicidal depression.
** In "Road to the North Pole", Brian gets into deep trouble with Quagmire when he mistakes his cancer-ridden niece for a little bald boy while he and Stewie are waiting to meet Santa at the mall. A little later, when Stewie demands that Brian take him to the North Pole so he can kill Santa, Brian refuses to until he gets some startling news related to his blunder.