History Main / SimpleSolutionWontWork

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': The episode "[[Recap/TheBatmanS4E8Seconds Seconds]]" focuses on Francis Grey, a man who just got out of prison following a 17-year sentence for the theft of a watch and the (accidental) destruction of an entire city block during his getaway. While in prison, he developed the ability to turn back time, using this ability to create a chemical weapon and kill everyone in Gotham as payback for his time being taken away from him. One might wonder why he didn't just go back to the moment before he stole the watch and undo his crime (or do it in such a way that he'll avoid being caught). He explains that he attempted to do just that, but he can only go back twenty seconds at most. [[spoiler:He succeeds in killing a large chunk of Gotham's populace, including Batman, Robin, Batgirl and his own son. The grief from his son's death gives Francis enough strength to go back 17 years to the moment before he stole the watch. He chooses not to steal it this time.]]

* ''Film/AquamanAndTheLostKingdom'': PlayedWith. Arthur confronted by the Atlantean council about the surface world continuing to pollute the oceans and their people are suffering from the effects. When Arthur suggests that they [[StatingTheSimpleSolution reveal themselves to the surface so they know exactly what their pollution was doing]], the council leader brings up this trope because it's Atlantean [[HonorBeforeReason tradition]] to remain a [[HiddenElfVillage secret]].

* ''Film/AquamanAndTheLostKingdom'': PlayedWith. Arthur confronted by the Atlantean council about the surface world continuing to pollute the oceans and their people are suffering from the effects. When Arthur suggests that they [[StatingTheSimpleSolution reveal themselves to the surface so they know exactly what their polluting doing]], the council leader brings up this trope because it's Atlantean [[HonorBeforeReason tradition]] to remain a [[HiddenElfVillage secret]].

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13452837/chapters/31000128 How I Learned to Love the Wild Horse]]'', Britney, after seeing the Umisenken in action, wonders aloud why Genma never used it to get rich as a successful thief. Later, when Ranma demonstrates the same technique to WOOHP, he learns the answer; the technique doesn't work on cameras, meaning Genma'd be limited to stealing from people who couldn't afford them.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': The episode "[[Recap/TheBatmanS4E8Seconds Seconds]]" focuses on Francis Grey, a man who just got out of prison following a 17-year stint for the theft of a watch and the (accidental) destruction of an entire city block during his getaway. While in prison, he developed the ability to turn back time, using this ability to create a chemical weapon and kill everyone in Gotham as payback for his time being taken away from him. One might wonder why he didn't just go back to the moment before he stole the watch and undo his crime. He explains that he attempted to do just that, but he can only go back twenty seconds at most. [[spoiler:He succeeds in killing a large chunk of Gotham's populace, including his own son. The grief from his son's death gives Francis enough strength to go back to the moment before he stole the watch. He chooses not to steal it this time.]]

** After Batman finds out about the $50,000,000 bounty on his head, Alfred points out that since none of the assassins know Batman's identity, he could simply spend Christmas Eve at home, since the bounty is only good for that night. Batman counters that innocent people will be put in danger to lure him out and that he can't take that risk. He turns out to be right and Alfred's original point turns out to be wrong when it's revealed that one of the assassins ([[spoiler:Bane]]) does know Batman's identity.

* In ''Fanfic/HuntersOfJustice'', Ironwwod's plan to take out Brainiac is to have Ozpin, whom Brainiac regularly summons for interrogations into Remnant's secrets, bring a suitcase containing the dust equivelant of a nuclear bomb, banking on Ozpin's BornAgainImmortality to see him through. Glynda is quick to condemn the plan, pointing out that, due to how Ozpin's resurrection works (bonding with a random host, and slowly preforming a SplitPersonalityMerge), Ironwood would not only still ([[DeathOfPersonality technically]]) kill Ozpin, but a random innocent. Ozpin chimes in with two, more pragmatic concerns: 1) He's certain that Brainiac'd be suspicious if he came in with suitcase he didn't have in prior meetings, and 2) he's fairly certain that Brainiac has failsafes to ensure that killing him wouldn't be that easy. [[spoiler:The latter point if proven true when, during the Green Lantern's raid of his ship, it's discovered that if the bottled cities are disconnected from Brainiac's mind, [[TakingYouWithMe they're destroyed]]]].

** In the climax of the Majin Buu arc, in which Vegeta's plan to revive Majin Buu's victims involves the convoluted wish to revive every good person that died since Babidi arrived on Earth, Goku asks why not simply wish to bring back everyone killed by Majin Buu. Vegeta explains that that wording would cause the dragon to bring back [[AssholeVictim the likes of Babidi and Dabura]]... while also exempting the innocent people ''he'' had massacred during the time he was under Babidi's influence.

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': In the episode "[[Recap/StargateSG1S8E4ZeroHour Zero Hour]]", an alien plant that is being studied in the lab at Stargate Command starts to grow uncontrollably and is quickly taking over the bunker, apparently because it metabolizes light at a rapid pace. Jack O'Neill hears this and wordlessly turns off the light of his office (with the obvious implication he will order the base's lights to be turned off, thinking that with no lights there won't be any growth). The scientist explaining the situation immediately tells him that 1) the plant will continue to grow like crazy even with the lights off (only a little bit slower) and 2) attempting pest control in pitch-black darkness is just asking for people to bumble around, probably get themselves hurt, and achieve nothing. O'Neill turns the lights back on and tells the scientist to GetOut and fix this without having to bother him any further.

* In ''Fanfic/HuntersOfJustice'', Ironwwod's plan to take out Brainiac is to have Ozpin, whom Brainiac regularly summons for interrogations into Remnant's secrets, bring a suitcase containing the dust equivelant of a nuclear bomb, banking on Ozpin's BornAgainImmortality to see him through. Glynda is quick to condemn the plan, pointing out that, due to how Ozpin's resurrection works (bonding with a random host, and slowly preforming a SplitPersonalityMerge), Ironwood would not only still ([[DeathOfPersonality technically]]) kill Ozpin, but a random innocent. Ozpin chimes in with two, more pragmatic concerns: 1) He's certain that Brainiac'd be suspicious if he came in with suitcase he did have in prior meetings, and 2) he's fairly certain that Brainiac has failsafes to ensure that killing him wouldn't be that easy. [[spoiler:The latter point if proven true when, during the Green Lantern's raid of his ship, it's discovered that if the bottled cities are disconnected from Brainiac's mind, [[TakingYouWithMe they're destroyed]]]].

* ''Fanfic/MikesNewGhostlyFamily'': After several years of being closed down, [[IncompetenceInc Fazbear Entertainment]] managed to bring itself back to prominence, its management [[CorruptCorporateExecutive as corrupt as ever]] and still willing to endanger innocents, with Mike Schmidt and his ghost children determined to prevent them from causing any major damage. As the Schmidt family eventually learns, by creating [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted their VR game]] they managed to bring William Afton back (kinda) in new form, as a DigitalAbomination called Glitchtrap, and one person already got possessed by him. Because of that, a simple solution of "put Fazbear Entertainment out of business" (which is pretty easy to do, given the company's infamy) is out of the question, because with it around, the Schmidts can at the very least predict the pattern of Glitchtrap and his victim, given Afton's strong affinity for Fazbear's franchise, and by putting Fazbear Entertainment out of business, Glitchtrap and his victim would slip away into any other heavily populated place, with no way to track them down, which would allow them to easily kill more innocents unnoticed.

** After Batman finds out about the $50,000,000 bounty on his head, Alfred points out that since none of the Assassins know his identity, Batman could simply spend Christmas Eve at home, since the bounty is only good for that night. Batman counters that innocent people will be put in danger to lure him out and that he can't take that risk. He turns out to be right and Alfred's original point turns out to be wrong when it's revealed that one of the assassins ([[spoiler:Bane]]) does know Batman's identity.
** During the second riot at Blackgate, Joker and Bane have concocted a scheme that will force Batman to either sacrifice himself or kill one of his adversaries. Bane wears a heart monitor that's connected to the battery of the prison's electric chair. Each time Bane's heart beats, the chair's battery charges slightly and upon being fully charged, will electrocute the Joker. So either Batman must kill Bane to save Joker, let Joker be killed by the electric chair, or let Bane kill him. Players might be wondering why Batman wouldn't just disconnect the heart monitor from Bane's body. Just as the boss fight begins, Joker tells Batman that the heart monitor is rigged to explode should he try and remove it.

** In the Saiyan arc, when Master Roshi, Bulma, and Oolong summon Shenron to revive Goku just as Vegeta and Nappa were almost to Earth, Oolong comes up with the idea to have the dragon destroy the saiyans so the heroes wouldn't have to fight them. This [[WhatTheHellHero upsets Bulma]] as it would mean leaving Goku dead, but Oolong quickly explains they could always revive him a year later. The argument becomes moot when Shenron mentions that destroying the saiyans was beyond his power to grant, so Master Roshi settles for bringing Goku back.

-->'''Taurus Bulba:''' ''(Jovially)'' Oh! You mean when the army gets control of the weapon ''(turning angry and snorting)'' with its tanks and jeeps, ''and hundreds of guns!''

* ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'': After Batman finds out about the $50,000,000 bounty on his head, Alfred points out that since none of the Assassins know his identity, Batman could simply spend Christmas Eve at home, since the bounty is only good for that night. Batman counters that innocent people will be put in danger to lure him out and that he can't take that risk. He turns out to be right and Alfred's original point turns out to be wrong when it's revealed that one of the assassins ([[spoiler:Bane]]) does know Batman's identity.

** In "The Mask of El Toro Fuerte", one of the new guys accompanying the Dark Hand enforcers suggests that they wait for Jackie to retrieve the talisman on his own and then relieve him of the talisman once he emerges. Finn points out that they don't know what the talisman can do, meaning Jackie could bust out of the temple fifty-feet tall and with laser-eyes; the new guy freaks out at the notion of laser eyes ([[HilariousInHindsight ironically, laser-eyes is exactly the power of the pig talisman, which would appear later]]). [[SubvertedTrope But then, it turns out the talisman isn't even in the temple, as somebody took it some time ago]].

* In ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/pixelator5art/art/1042495529 Confusion Reborn]]'', Bulma create a pair of fusion-enchancing earrings which unwittingly fuse her and Chi-Chi together as the {{Permafusion}} Bulchi rather than a temporary FusionDance. When Goku asks why don't they use the Dragon Balls to reverse it [[CallBack like they did with the Supreme Kai and Kibito]], Bulchi reveals that the energy binding her is far stronger than what ordinary Dragon Balls can use.

** In [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 the previous game]], Mimir tells the tale of how Hrimthur built the walls surrounding Asgard, and then whispered something to Freya (then Odin's wife), which Mimir suspects to be the location of some sort of flaw that would allow Surtr to fulfill his destiny of destroying Asgard during Ragnarok. Later in ''Ragnarok'', when Freya joins the party, Mimir take the opportunity to ask her about what Hrimthur said, hoping to use the info to take out Odin without having to resort to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Unfortunately, according to Freya, all Hrimthur said was that Surtr would know what to do.
** In the ''Valhalla'' DLC, it's revealed that Kratos' trip to the titular realm was set up by Týr to help the former overcome the last of his personal demons and accept the title of God of War on Freya's new council. When Kratos asks Týr why ''he'' doesn't take the position, arguing that he was Midgard's prior God of War, Týr argues that his name's faded from the minds of the people during his years-long stint as Odin's prisoner. While Kratos' deeds during the Battle of Ragnarok are still fresh, meaning that he's the better choice, politically speaking.

** In [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 the previous game]], Mimir tells the tale of how Hrimthur built the walls surrounding Asgard, and then whispered something to Freya (then Odin's wife), which Mimir suspects to be the location of some sort of flaw that would allow Surtur to fulfill his destiny of destroying Asgard during Ragnarok. Later in ''Ragnarok'', when Freya joins the party, Mimir take the opportunity to ask her about what Hrimthur said, hoping to use the info to take out Odin without having to resort to TheEndOfTheWorld. Unfortunately, according to Freya, all Hrimthur said was that Surtur would know what to do.
** In the DLC ''Valhalla'', it's revealed that Kratos' trip to the titular place was set up by Tyr to help the former overcome the last of his personal demons and accept the title of GodOfWar on Freya's new council. When Kratos asks Tyr why ''he'' doesn't take the position, arguing that he was Midgard's prior God of War, Tyr argues that, in the years he was Odin's prisoner, his name's faded from the minds of the people, whilst Kratos' deeds during the Battle of Ragnarok are still fresh, meaning that, politically, he's the better choice.

* In ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/pixelator5art/art/1042495529 Confusion Reborn]], Bulma create a pair of fusion-enchancing earrings which unwittingly fuse her and Chi-Chi together as the {{Permafusion}} Bulchi rather than a temporary FusionDance. When Goku asks why don't they use the Dragon Balls to reverse it [[CallBack like they did with the supreme Kai and Kibito]], Bulchi reveals that the energy binding her is far stronger than what ordinary Dragon Balls can use.

** "WebAnimation/BattleforDreamIslandThePowerOfTwo" in "Gardening Zero", the teams had to protect each of their endangered flowers from different locations. [[spoiler:Team Death P.A.C.T. Again had to protect their plant in the jungle, but soon Puffball intrudes their biome to sabotage the team. As she was about to eat the their flower, Remote reminds Puffball of an earlier rule, that if she kills the plant herself, then her own team will be up for elimination. So Puffball tries to sabotage in a different way. She then exits, and comes back with Ice Cube, and pushes her in the ground by their flower, as the flower is now [[FurryReminder draining Ice Cube's moisture]], and slowly killing her. So [[MortonsFork Puffball gives them the risky choice to either kill the plant to save Ice Cube, but forfeiting the challenge, or they let the plant absorb Ice Cube, with the team responsible for her death. (as the team has a priority on protecting people from death)]] At first, Remote tries to get out of the situation by pulling Ice Cube out, but even when using 110% of her battery strength, she couldn't get Ice Cube out, as Puffball really wedged her in deep. Tree then suggest just taking Ice Cube's bracelet off, so she would transport back home, but Fanny explains that if she teleports while in the ground, she'll just teleport underground and suffocate. So the team made the choice to...]][[spoiler:kill the plant.]]