History SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped / LiveActionTV

** "Legitimate Rape" '''brutally''' blows apart the argument that [[ArtisticLicenseBiology women can't become pregnant from rape]]. The way it does so? Is by having the defense ''succeed'' with this argument and then following the consequences to their logical and incredibly depressing conclusion. Despite ADA Barba completely ripping apart the "expert" who testifies this idea is valid, one juror believes it, and this is enough to fail to secure a conviction against the rapist. The rapist, who had been [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]] the victim prior to the rape and is convinced they "belong" together, proceeds to drag his victim through child custody hearings as an excuse to see her again and convince her that they should be raising "our baby" together. When he gets visitation, the rapist takes incredibly creepy, delusional joy in the fact that the target of his obsession will be forced to see him on a regular basis for 18 years. The victim, who had been a successful and confident reporter at the start of the episode, is an absolutely ragged, traumatized mess by the end of it thanks to the relentless harassment by her rapist, who ''[[KarmaHoudini isn't actually considered her rapist under the law]]'' and is completely free to get away with it. Again, all because of one dumbass believing the "legitimate rape" argument.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': [[BrokenBase Although it's very divisive]], the GrandFinale sends the message that it's better to be a thoughtful and considerate person in the long run. Had they not been so [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist selfish and inconsiderate]], the protagonists probably would have had [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe some friends willing to stand up for them]], rather than [[TheDogBitesBack hundreds of enemies ready to sell them out]].

** "Happily Ever After": The episode takes place after Stella left Ted at the altar and it's about the gang trying to get Ted to unleash his anger at Stella whereas Ted tries to swallow his anger and talk it out with her. After seeing that Stella moved in with Tony, he finally gets enraged and storms out to shout at Stella but he immediately calms down when he sees that they are a happy family and decides to let go. The anvils are about expression, you have to confront people with your anger because it can be a healthy option but there are times where you need to understand the other person's side of the story. Sometimes however it's better to just forget about the incident and just move on with your life. You don't have to forgive them for what they did, just move on.

** "Blood Is Thicker Than Mud" speaks out against treating others who are a member of your ethnicity/race/religion as {{Category Traitor}}s simply because they don't act like you or share your beliefs. Will and Carlton try to join a black fraternity, and they go through the typical hazing process, but the latter is treated much worse because "Top Dog", the pledge leader, considers him a "sellout" [[TheWhitestBlackGuy for being so rich and preppy]]. When Carlton finally confronts Top Dog, he tells him that even if he doesn't display any stereotypically black traits, he's still just as black as everyone else in the fraternity and being from a rich background doesn't mean he's automatically exempt from the social issues African-Americans have to go through. [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech He calls Top Dog the real sellout]] for adhering to the belief that all black people have to act a certain way and [[{{Hypocrite}} mistreating those who don't despite claiming they all have to stick together]]. The aesop gets solidified when Will, disgusted at how his cousin was treated, turns down the fraternity invite, and when Uncle Phil learns about what happened, he laments, "When are we going to stop doing this to each other?"

** ''[[Recap/BlackMirrorMenAgainstFire Men Against Fire]]'': The whole episode is about [[spoiler:the government enacting a GuiltFreeExterminationWar against people it has deemed "undesirable"]]. Sure, it's not exactly subtle when [[ANaziByAnyOtherName invoking the Nazi parallels]], but it's still important, especially in the political climate of TheNewTens, where some groups are still advocating eugenics and ethnic and racial supremacy.
** ''[[Recap/BlackMirrorArkangel ArkAngel]]'' drops a few with regards to parenting:

** The concept of a JustifiedCriminal gets completely picked apart. While Walt keeps telling himself that he has to be involved in the meth trade to pay for cancer treatment and leave an inheritance for his wife and children, the show presents other legal routes that he could have taken, which he declined due to his own pride and selfishness. There are always alternatives to breaking the law that people can use to solve their financial problems and any crimes you commit will just hurt innocent people.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'':

** "Legitimate Rape" '''brutally''' blows apart the argument that [[YouFailBiologyForever women can't become pregnant from rape]]. The way it does so? Is by having the defense ''succeed'' with this argument and then following the consequences to their logical and incredibly depressing conclusion. Despite ADA Barba completely ripping apart the "expert" who testifies this idea is valid, one juror believes it, and this is enough to fail to secure a conviction against the rapist. The rapist, who had been [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]] the victim prior to the rape and is convinced they "belong" together, proceeds to drag his victim through child custody hearings as an excuse to see her again and convince her that they should be raising "our baby" together. When he gets visitation, the rapist takes incredibly creepy, delusional joy in the fact that the target of his obsession will be forced to see him on a regular basis for 18 years. The victim, who had been a successful and confident reporter at the start of the episode, is an absolutely ragged, traumatized mess by the end of it thanks to the relentless harassment by her rapist, who ''[[KarmaHoudini isn't actually considered her rapist under the law]]'' and is completely free to get away with it. Again, all because of one dumbass believing the "legitimate rape" argument.

* The kid's game show ''Series/{{Raven}}'' has a few, mainly relating to facing one's fears and that failure is not something to be ashamed of as long as you learn from it.

*** This one comes across even more blatantly in "Que Sera Sera", which features a patient who makes the patient from "Heavy" look trim; he literally maxes out the scale and he refuses to change his lifestyle, despite knowing that that's the source of his extreme obesity. Despite all this, his diagnosis turns out to have nothing to do with his weight at all.

** The episode "Heavy" deconstructs the argument on body imagery and fat shaming. Not all fat people are fat because they [[BigEater overeat]] - they can have genuine medical/psychological problems that affect their bodies, and when doctors fixate on weight or the supposed causes of obesity, they can miss the fact that the obesity is a ''symptom'', not a cause.

** The episode "Heavy" deconstructs the argument on body imagery and fat shaming. Not all fat people are fat because they [[BigEater overeat]] - they can have genuine medical/psychological problems that affect their bodies and you shouldn't shame them for it. On the other hand, however, obesity shouldn't be promoted or excused, because you ''can'' develop health problems which can turn fatal. Also, people who use fat shaming as a victim card aren't always saints or victims; they can often be selfish jerks with no respect for others and won't step out of their own way when it comes to their own personal health.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is rarely subtle, but its messages are often important:
** In the classic ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek: TOS]]'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS3E15LetThatBeYourLastBattlefield}} Let That Be Your Last Battlefield]]", Kirk and co. pick up the last two survivors of a wartorn planet. Bele is an extraterrestrial cop who has been pursuing Lokai for thousands of years. When a perplexed Kirk questions Bele for the reason of their intense racial hatred, Bele replies, "Isn't it obvious? Lokai is white on the right side. All his people are white on the right side." Not subtle at all, but in 1969, an anvil that needed to be dropped, and '''hard'''.
** "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS1E23ATasteOfArmageddon}} A Taste of Armageddon]]" drops three important anvils: First, WarIsHell, or more accurately, war is ''supposed'' to be hell, so that people will want to avoid it. Second, [[AssInAmbassador as annoying as diplomacy can be]], it is more preferable than waging war. And third, [[AMillionIsAStatistic handling war with detached intellectual coldness]] makes them easier to start and prolong, as [[ForeverWar the Vendikar-Eminiar "war" had lasted for]] ''[[ForeverWar 500 years]]'' before the ''Enterprise'' crew came along.
-->'''Kirk:''' Death... destruction... disease... horror... that's what war is all about, Anan. That's what makes it a thing to be avoided. You've made it neat, and painless. So neat and painless, you've had no reason to stop it.
** Similarly, there are only two usual reactions to the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode " [[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E4WhoWatchesTheWatchers}} Who Watches the Watchers]]": You either love it or you hate it. No matter which side you choose, it will likely be because of the episode's morals: Religions should be disproven wherever possible. Controversial? Yes. But for those for whom it works, it ''only'' works because of the anvil.
*** Another possible interpretation of that episode's moral is that you should rely on your own ingenuity, your own courage, and your own strength to change and grow and learn, not rely on a god of any kind to come along and make things right for you. Religion itself is not necessarily a bad thing, it's only when you start using it as a reason to kill people or pass judgement in any other way that you have a problem.
*** You also have to consider that the most enthusiastic supporter of Picard as a god was a kind, likeable family man grieving the loss of his wife. His begging Picard to bring her back from the dead is genuinely ''heart wrenching''. He's not a faceless extremist, and it's not difficult to have sympathy for people who think there might be more to life than what we see, and to understand that religion can serve as a source of hope that they might be reunited with loved ones they will otherwise never see again.
** Also the episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E9TheMeasureOfAMan}} The Measure Of A Man]]", which puts [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Data up in court to prove his rights as a sentient being]]. Having [[WhoopiEpiphanySpeech Whoopi Goldberg deliver the message as bartender Guinan]] makes this especially anvilicious. But extremely well done.
-->'''Guinan:''' Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that nobody else wants to do because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable... You don't have to think about their welfare, you don't think about how they feel... Whole generations of disposable people.
-->'''Picard:''' ...You're talking about slavery.
-->'''Guinan:''' I think that's a little harsh.
-->'''Picard:''' I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth. But that's a truth that we have obscured behind a... comfortable, easy euphemism: ''Property''. But that's not the issue at all - is it?
** Another one from TNG is from "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty}} The First Duty]]", about the importance of telling the truth:
-->'''Picard''': [[TitleDrop The first duty]] [[WillNotTellALie of every Starfleet officer is to the truth]], whether it's scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based! And if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech you don't deserve to wear that uniform]]! I'm going to make this simple for you, [[CreatorsPet Mr. Crusher]]. Either you come forward and tell Admiral Brand what really took place, or I will.
** "[[{{Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS6E22Muse}} Muse]]" is basically a plea for understanding from the writers of the oft-criticized series ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', showing how they're pulled between the desire to create meaningful works of art, the need to satisfy those paying their wages, and the demands of the audience for action and romance -- all told through the point-of-view of a struggling poet on a primitive world trying to create a play from the logs of a crashed Voyager shuttlecraft.
** Creator/NichelleNichols (Uhura) said to Creator/GeneRoddenberry (creator), "Star Trek is just [[AnAesop morality tales]]" and he replied, "Shhh, [[EverybodyKnewAlready don't tell anyone]]".
*** Hell, Nichols' entire ''character'' is an Anvil That Needed To Be Dropped, since it was so uncommon at the time for both women and black people to be portrayed on television in roles with authority. Her character inspired Creator/WhoopiGoldberg and Creator/LevarBurton into acting, and the first black female astronaut, Mae Jemison, into space.
*** To wit, Nichols had seriously considered quitting until she met a fan urging her to stay, saying she was a strong positive role model for African-Americans. Who was that fan? ''Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.''.
** The TNG two-part episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E10ChainOfCommand}} Chain of Command]]" drops a massive anvil against [[ColdBloodedTorture the use of torture]]. It shows the experience of torture is so absolutely dehumanizing and horrific that it can break even the strongest person. People like to quote Picard's [[MemeticMutation "THERE! ARE! FOUR! LIGHTS!"]], but tend to forget that he said this ''after'' another Cardassian came in with orders for his release, and what he said to Troi after he was back on the ''Enterprise'':
-->'''Picard:''' What I didn't put in the report was that at the end he gave me a choice -- between a life of comfort or more torture. All I had to do was to say that I could see five lights when, in fact, there were only four. \\
'''Troi:''' You didn't say it? \\
'''Picard:''' No! No. But I was going to. I would have told him anything. Anything at all! But more than that, I believed that I could see five lights.
** TNG's "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E21TheDrumhead}} The Drumhead]]" culminates in a fantastic Main/PatrickStewartSpeech about the dangers of bypassing due process and personal liberties in the pursuit of justice.
-->'''Picard:''' You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy. "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom, and warning. The first time ''any'' man's freedom is trodden upon, we're all damaged.
** TNG's "[[{{Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E14Tapestry}} Tapestry]]": Don't be too regretful of your past. Through better or worse, it helped shape you into who you are today.
-->'''Picard:''' There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of. There were... loose threads - untidy parts of me that I would like to remove. But when I... pulled on one of those threads - it unraveled the [[TitleDrop tapestry]] of my life.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E13FarBeyondTheStars}} Far Beyond the Stars]]", an absolute primal scream of an episode. It wants you to know that racism existed, racism still exists, and goddammit, ''this is important''. It's hard to call them wrong.
** Also from [=DS9=] is "Past Tense," when Sisko, Bashir, and Dax are sent back to TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture when the United States has set up "sanctuary districts" for the homeless and long-term unemployed that have essentially become internment camps where the poor are sent to be forgotten by the rest of society. Conditions are awful and riots soon break out -- as one character says, when you treat people like animals, they soon enough act like it. Heavy-handed? Not so much when you learn that Los Angeles' mayor proposed something very like Sanctuary Districts ''while they were filming the episode''. And a secondary aesop is the open-ended question Bashir asks: no matter how much progress humanity makes, it's always possible to revert.
** Series and episodes about the evils of war aren't unique, but [=DS9=] pulled no punches there either. "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E08TheSiegeOfAR558}} The Siege of AR-558]]" is a pure WarIsHell episode, and honestly it hits harder for being Star Trek given the optimistic tone as a whole of the series. And even within that there's Quark condemning humanity for falling into this state in the first place and then being forced to kill just to save himself and his nephew. It's a credit to Armin Shimerman that he was able to convey without saying anything through all that makeup that he wasn't any different and how much that horrified him.
** "The Ship" had a final body count of 5 humans, 3 Jem-Adar, and 1 Changeling. And most of them could have been avoided if Sisco and the Founder were just honest and upfront with each other.
** "[[{{Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS06E02RocksAndShoals}} Rocks and Shoals]]" from a season earlier. WarIsHell because despite all the politics, when it boils down to it, the men on the battlefield are often loyal honorable soldiers you would be glad to call your ally... if they weren't forced to be your enemy.
** The TOS episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E23TheOmegaGlory}} The Omega Glory]]" is [[BrokenBase polarizing]], [[AmericansHateTingle particularly with international fans]], but it pulls no punches about how dangerous blind patriotism and nationalism can be.
-->'''Kirk:''' Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.

---> AIDS is not a ''bad'' person's disease, Rose. It is not God punishing people for their sins.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'' absolutely mastered this trope, but the episode "[[WarIsHell Fraggle Wars]]" stands out in this regard. Mokey gets captured by another group of Fraggles, reigniting a long-lasting conflict between them and the main Fraggles that nearly erupts into an all-out war, thankfully thwarted when Red and another "enemy" Fraggle work together to stop it. That in itself sends a good message, but even more telling is the big reason for the conflict in the first place: [[SillyReasonForWar the other Fraggles "have no sense of humor"]]. This dialogue pretty much speaks for itself.

** And then there's the episode in which it's lamented that no one's written any rousing somngs about the Korean War like they did for the two World Wars. Father Mulcahey decides to write one but the result is...less than rousing:

* ''Series/FraggleRock'' absolutely mastered this trope, but the episode "[[WarIsHell Fraggle Wars]]" stands out in this regard. Mokey gets captured by another group of Fraggles, inciting a long-lasting conflict between them and the main Fraggles that nearly erupts into an all-out war, thankfully thwarted when Red and another "enemy" Fraggle work together to stop it. That in itself sends a good message, but even more telling is the big reason for the conflict in the first place: [[SillyReasonForWar the other Fraggles "have no sense of humor"]]. This dialogue pretty much speaks for itself.

* Series/FraggleRock absolutely mastered this trope, but the episode "Fraggle Wars" stands out in this regard. Mokey gets captured by another group of Fraggles, inciting a long-lasting conflict between them and the main Fraggles that nearly erupts into an all-out war, thankfully thwarted when Red and another "enemy" Fraggle work together to stop it. That in itself sends a good message, but even more telling is the big reason for the conflict in the first place: [[SillyReasonForWar the other Fraggles "have no sense of humor"]]. This dialogue pretty much speaks for itself.

* In-universe, the ''Series/{{Community}}'' pilot has Jeff ask Professor Duncan for every answer to every test he is scheduled to write at Greendale. Unfortunately for Jeff, his old friend is determined to make him learn that "CheatersNeverProsper"[[spoiler:, doing so by giving him a package of blank paper, thereby requiring him to actually pay attention in class and learn the value of hard work]].

--->"Because it's not a game, Kate! This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought, right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have do from the very beginning. Sit down and talk!"