History StoicWoobie / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' and ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds '' are establishing Amanda Grayson--Spock’s mom--as a champion Stoic Woobie. Discovery 2x07 "[[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS2E07LightAndShadows Light and Shadows" and SNW 2x05 "[[Recap/StarTrekStrangeNewWorldsS2E05Charades Charades]]" go into more detail on what she's been through: though humans are theoretically equal partners with Vulcans in the Federation, from the Vulcan point of view humanity is very much the inferior species. Amanda's presence on the planet and marriage to Sarek is barely tolerated; the mere fact of her son's existence makes her whole family a target for extremist Vulcans. Even excelling ''by Vulcan standards'' doesn't save her children from ostracism. And any emotion she expresses about her situation would reflect badly on her and her family. As she says to Spock: "if there's one thing I've learned by living on Vulcan, it's how to hide my pain."

* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' and ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds '' are establishing Amanda Grayson—Spock’s mom—as a champion Stoic Woobie.

* Nick Cutter from ''Series/{{Primeval}}''. Where to begin? Having his wife disappear for eight years, return as a ManipulativeBastard StrawNihilist [[spoiler: bent on wiping all humanity from existence ''and'' who turns his best friend against him.]] And just when he's found someone else to love, [[spoiler: she's erased from existence.]] ''And then'' just as he's beginning to get along with [[spoiler: her alternate self he gets shot - by his wife!]]

%%Good Afternoon Editors, If you wish to add more woobies, please consult the cleanup thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15391212720A38366900&page=1

* Castiel on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. He rebelled, was hunted by his brothers, saw his friends die, discovered God had abandoned the world, is caught in the middle of a Heavenly civil war, has had no discernible success in convincing his fellow angels to respect humanity, has to deal with those whiny Winchesters who expect him to be at their beck and call and do anything they ask with never a word of thanks and the closest thing he has to a friend is a hedonistic asshole of an angel who ran away during the apocalypse and left him to deal with it all on his own, then had the gall to say he was following Castiel's example. To cap it all off, he's been blown up ''twice''. Fans would give anything to see him get that damn hug, but at this point most of them would settle for someone, ''anyone'', showing him some genuine gratitude. And Sam denies him a hug in 'Like a Virgin', not so subtly sitting down as soon as Castiel opened his arms. Comes to a heartbreaking head in [[ADayInTheLimelight The Man Who Would Be King]] [[spoiler: Castiel finally gets his gratitude from Bobby, Sam and especially Dean. Too bad it's 1. Not (knowingly) to his face and 2. Too little too late. Castiel made a deal with Crowley and chose to keep fighting alone rather than go to the Winchesters for help in order to protect them and it seemed like the best plan at the time. When this gets found out the boys are quick to judge and quicker to claim had Cas come to them for help they could have fixed it. It's clear from the conversations that follow and from Castiel's surprise at being told he's like family to them, Castiel had no idea he meant that much to them. And with the way they treated him during the season he had no reason to think it.]] "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E22TheManWhoKnewTooMuch The Man Who Knew Too Much]]" finally has him [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope snapping]]. [[spoiler: Namely, in that he absorbs all the souls from Purgatory, blows up [[ArchangelRaphael Raphael]], kills Balthazar (the aforementioned hedonist), restoring Sam's memories of {{Hell}}, and at the very end, after absorbing the souls from Purgatory, [[AGodAmI declares himself the new {{God}}]], saying that [[KneelBeforeZod anyone who doesn't profess their love]] to him will be destroyed.]]

** Angel is the best example of this trope. Whether losing his son, losing his friends, brooding over his curse/vampire status, dealing with the fallout of his mistakes, disillusioned with being a champion, or pining over Buffy, he has particularly every kind of pain there is through the seasons ... but he doesn't show it. And rarely complains.

** The eponymous Mandalorian, Din Djarin, lost his birth parents as a child, to a Separatist droid raid. Their death traumatized him into carrying recurring flashbacks and a hatred for droids into adulthood; chapters 1 and 3 contrast his inexpressive visage and body language with the terror of his memories as the Armorer forges new armor for him. Some time in between the raid and the start of the show, Din had to move underground along with other Mandalorians, as the Great Purge wiped out their kind across the Empire. When the adult Din rescues another orphan himself, the two of them get essentially chased off Nevarro for Din's violation of the Bounty Hunters' Creed. Even after Din makes amends with the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and officially welcomes the Child into his clan, his new responsibilities and faster age rate compared to the Child leave it uncertain how long the "Clan of Two" can hold.

** The rest of the Mandalorian tribe also has it pretty rough, to the extent of forming a [[WoobieSpecies Stoic Woobie Species]]. In addition to living underground, they must bear the emotional burden of their numbers dwindling, and suffer a shortage of Beskar metal.

** The eponymous Mandalorian, Din Djarin, lost his birth parents as a child, to a Separatist droid raid. Their death traumatized him into carrying recurring flashbacks and a hatred for droids into adulthood; chapters 1 and 3 contrast the stoic visage of his helmet with the terror of his memories as the Armorer forges new armor for him. Some time in between the raid and the start of the show, Din had to move underground along with other Mandalorians, as the Great Purge wiped out their kind across the Empire. When the adult Din rescues another orphan himself, the two of them get essentially chased off Nevarro for Din's violation of the Bounty Hunters' Creed. Even after Din makes amends with the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and officially welcomes the Child into his clan, his new responsibilities and faster age rate compared to the Child leave it uncertain how long the "Clan of Two" can hold.

** The rest of the Mandalorian tribe also has it pretty rough; in addition to living underground, they must bear the emotional burden of their numbers dwindling, and suffer a shortage of Beskar metal. When they form a cavalry to save Din and the Child from rival bounty hunters, breaking their rule to only leave the Covert one at a time, they face dire consequences after Din and the Child make their escape.

* Jake Brockman in Season 1 of ''Series/Outnumbered''. He suffers from bullying at school, including having his phone stolen, given severe chinse burns and is implied to be beaten up on a regular basis. Doesn't say a word the whole time, and lies to ensure his parents don't find out the truth.

* Series/{{Sherlock}}:

* Series/DoctorWho:

* Abed Nadir from Series/{{Community}}. Most of the time he's stoic to the point of being called robotic, comparing himself to Data and Spock. When confronting his father for having [[spoiler: blamed him for his mother leaving when he was six]], he makes an emotional [[spoiler: movie]] but doesn't show direct emotional reaction himself. When in the midst of a Christmas breakdown caused by his [[spoiler: mother's abandonment]], his grief manifests as denial, fantastic delusions of a [[spoiler: claymation Christmas wonderland]], and eventually catatonic freezing. And when he loses his best friend [[spoiler: Troy to the cultish Air Conditioner Repair school]], apparently forever, he visibly tears up but only says "Sorry I got emotional" before retreating to his room. Also, one particularly bizarre episode deals with Troy going to lunch with Britta instead of hanging out with Abed in his Dreamatorium (their pretend holodeck for imaginary fun), causing Abed to get upset. Annie, realizing that Abed is subtly trying to control Troy instead of letting him do his own thing, uses the Dreamatorium to alter Abed's mind to experience empathy. In order to do so, she has to delve deep into Abed's subconscious (while he emulates all the other characters). She discovers that Abed was beaten up constantly in school and spent most of the time hiding in his locker, as within "his mind" his locker is shown as a prison cell where he is locked up, as being Abed is "illegal". But then again, this was technically all within Annie's imagination, as the Dreamatorium isn't a real holodeck, but then again, the entire episode was a complete MindScrew so...

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': Malcolm Reed, who has been repeatedly shot, concussed, nearly frozen/suffocated to death, made to believe his entire ship had been blown up, pinned to the hull of said ship by a Romulan mine ''via a metal spike through the leg'', almost hanged, crushed under rocks... and that's just in the first couple of seasons. And he never once complains about it, taking the attitude that as [[CommandRoster The Security Officer]], it's his ''job'' to die to save the ship and her crew. Oh, Malcolm...
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
** Spock. Raised on a planet where everyone [[KidsAreCruel emotionally]] [[HalfBreedDiscrimination tormented]] him, had major [[FreudianExcuse daddy issues]], torn about his relationships with the only people who treat him decently. He can't even express this turmoil, because that would be human and weak.
** Believe it or not, Kirk had his moments of this. He is hinted in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E13TheConscienceOfTheKing The Conscience of the King]]" to have a case of SurvivorGuilt over being spared during a mass execution. Then there's his AFatherToHisMen {{Angst}} whenever a RedShirt dies. But he's TheCaptain, so he keeps his cool.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Picard has a moment at the end of the now famous two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds" that reveals him like this. He had just been rescued from the [[TheAssimilator Borg]] who had forcibly abducted him, implanted him with cybernetic parts and made him [[MindRape part of their collective consciousness]] in order to conquer Earth. They used his knowledge and experience to kill thousands of people before he was finally rescued. At the end of the episode, Picard has almost completely physically recovered and is chatting away with his officers as if he were completely fine before they leave his office. He then undergoes an incredibly subtle HeroicBSOD. He finally gets to let some of it out in the next episode, "Family", after getting in a fight with his brother.
* Castiel on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. He rebelled, was hunted by his brothers, saw his friends die, discovered God had abandoned the world, is caught in the middle of a Heavenly civil war, has had no discernible success in convincing his fellow angels to respect humanity, has to deal with those whiny Winchesters who expect him to be at their beck and call and do anything they ask with never a word of thanks and the closest thing he has to a friend is a hedonistic asshole of an angel who ran away during the apocalypse and left him to deal with it all on his own, then had the gall to say he was following Castiel's example. To cap it all off, he's been blown up ''twice''. Fans would give anything to see him get that damn hug, but at this point most of them would settle for someone, ''anyone'', showing him some genuine gratitude. And Sam denies him a hug in 'Like a Virgin', not so subtly sitting down as soon as Castiel opened his arms. Comes to a heartbreaking head in [[ADayInTheLimelight The Man Who Would Be King]] [[spoiler: Castiel finally gets his gratitude from Bobby, Sam and especially Dean. Too bad it's 1. Not (knowingly) to his face and 2. Too little too late. Castiel made a deal with Crowley and chose to keep fighting alone rather than go to the Winchesters for help in order to protect them and it seemed like the best plan at the time. When this gets found out the boys are quick to judge and quicker to claim had Cas come to them for help they could have fixed it. It's clear from the conversations that follow and from Castiel's surprise at being told he's like family to them, Castiel had no idea he meant that much to them. And with the way they treated him during the season he had no reason to think it.]] "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E22TheManWhoKnewTooMuch The Man Who Knew Too Much]]" finally has him [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope snapping]]. [[spoiler: Namely, in that he absorbs all the souls from Purgatory, blows up [[ArchangelRaphael Raphael]], kills Balthazar (the aforementioned hedonist), restoring Sam's memories of {{Hell}}, and at the very end, after absorbing the souls from Purgatory, [[AGodAmI declares himself the new {{God}}]], saying that [[KneelBeforeZod anyone who doesn't profess their love]] to him will be destroyed.]]

* Scully does this a lot in ''Series/TheXFiles'', often saying "I'm fine" even when she's not. In the episode "Irresistible", after being kidnapped and almost killed by a death fetishist, Mulder non-verbally calls her on it, which leads a cute comforting moment between the two. Also one of the very rare times Scully actually cries.
* [[RobotGirl Cameron]] of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' makes it quite abundantly clear that she doesn't feel [[EmotionlessGirl emotions.]] This makes all the bad stuff she goes through over the course of the series even more apparent - it's quite clear that she's confused and concerned (we would say afraid, but as a Terminator, she ''can't'' feel fear) about her conflicting programming, her inability to empathize with humans she is quite clearly concerned for, and the danger she represents to the very people she's trying to protect - especially when they hold her in scorn, suspicion, or distrust. And that's a good thing for her, too, since if she ''was'' human and ''could'' feel emotions, Cameron would probably be a gibbering, half-insane wreck due to all these issues. Cameron's issues can best be summed up by a single line she speaks to John when he asks her if she can't be "more happy." She tells him that she ''cannot'' be happy.
* Series/DoctorWho:
** The [[Creator/MattSmith Eleventh Doctor]] has just enough quick flashes of sadness that his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} personality comes across as [[StepfordSmiler more of a defense mechanism than anything else]]. The real turning point for this is probably when FridgeHorror kicks in after "Amy's Choice" and you realize what he meant by his offhand comment about how "[[spoiler:There's only one person who hates me as much as you do.]]". [[Creator/DavidTennant His immediate predecessor]], while equally woobieish, was a lot more obvious about it and got [[{{Wangst}} downright self-indulgent]] a few times.
** The [[Creator/ChristopherEccleston Ninth Doctor]] is almost entirely this. He's full of PTSD and survivor's guilt about the recent war, yet he hides it all behind a stoic, JerkWithAHeartOfGold personality. Even more tragic, is that his previous incarnation, The War Doctor, ends up meeting his future selves, who together avert the genocide they thought they caused. The War Doctor knows he doesn't have to hate himself, but he also knows the TimeyWimeyBall will make him forget everything that happened. So in other words, he knows he's going to go through a personal hell over something that never happened. And there is no avoiding it.
* [[BrokenAce Jack Harkness]] of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. Being alive for over 2000 years, watching friends and lovers die is definitely not a healthy thing to live through. Not to mention being buried alive by his own brother and [[spoiler:being murdered over and over in a butcher shop because the public thinks his blood has magic properties. It doesn't.]]

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Parker, despite the Woobieness being almost entirely in her BackStory. Although she hides it well by being extremely good at her job and eternally chipper, there are some serious wounds in her past. She does, however, break down in "The Future Job" when a psychic correctly deduces that her brother was hit by a car when they were young.
* Dr. K from ''Series/PowerRangersRPM''. She hardly shows any emotion at all and rarely, if ever, mentions her life growing up in the government think tank named Alphabet Soup. Although she does begin showing emotion, she typically remains deadpan, even when she confesses to her Series Operators that [[spoiler:she created and accidentally released the Venjix computer virus responsible for destroying nearly all of humanity]].
* ''Series/HoratioHornblower''. Not particularly demonstrative of outward emotion (with a few exceptions, notably at the end of "The Wrong War/The Frogs and the Lobsters") but beneath the surface he's plagued by self-doubt and constantly berating himself for what he sees as his failures, despite his considerable skill and the admiration of his men.

* Abed Nadir from Series/{{Community}}. Most of the time he's stoic to the point of being called robotic, comparing himself to Data and Spock. When confronting his father for having [[spoiler: blamed him for his mother leaving when he was six]], he makes an emotional [[spoiler: movie]] but doesn't show direct emotional reaction himself. When in the midst of a Christmas breakdown caused by his [[spoiler: mother's abandonment]], his grief manifests as denial, fantastic delusions of a [[spoiler: claymation Christmas wonderland]], and eventually catatonic freezing. And when he loses his best friend [[spoiler: Troy to the cultish Air Conditioner Repair school]], apparently forever, he visibly tears up but only says "Sorry I got emotional" before retreating to his room. Also, one particularly bizarre episode deals with Troy going to lunch with Britta instead of hanging out with Abed in his Dreamatorium (their pretend holodeck for imaginary fun), causing Abed to get upset. Annie, realizing that Abed is subtly trying to control Troy instead of letting him do his own thing, uses the Dreamatorium to alter Abed's mind to experience empathy. In order to do so, she has to delve deep into Abed's subconscious (while he emulates all the other characters). She discovers that Abed was beaten up constantly in school and spent most of the time hiding in his locker, as within "his mind" his locker is shown as a prison cell where he is locked up, as being Abed is "illegal". But then again, this was technically all within Annie's imagination, as the Dreamatorium isn't a real holodeck, but then again, the entire episode was a complete MindScrew so...
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' gives us a few glimpses into Coulson's backstory in "The Magical Place", as well as finally revealing the truth behind his memories of recovery in Tahiti, ("[[ArcWords It's a magical place.]]") which puts him firmly under this trope. Despite his stoic, SeenItAll persona, he's heartbroken over the fact that he never got to say goodbye to the women he loved when he got his DeathFakedForYou courtesy of ComicBook/NickFury. He also recently lost his mother, his father died when he was a kid, and [[spoiler: the sheer pain he experienced when being brought back to life [[CameBackWrong ''broke'' him]], to the point where he begged to be allowed to die. The memories of the procedures were replaced by memories of Tahiti in an attempt to turn him back into the man he was, but now he knows part of the truth there's no telling what it will do to his mind.]] Don't expect to pick up on any of this from his demeanour at the end of the episode, though.
* ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'': Ryo Ashihara, tritagonist and Kamen Rider Gills. He's subjected to BodyHorror transformations that he didn't ask for, and just within the first eight episodes he's two for two on people in his social support structure abandoning him when he actually lets them in and tells them about what's happening to him - first his swim coach, and second his (ex-?)girlfriend. But for all of this, he just... stands there and takes it, accepting it as a penance. The only time he seems to let it out, if ever, is when he transforms into [[ScreamingWarrior Kamen Rider]] [[TheBerserker Gills]].

* ''{{Series/Humans}}'': Niska rarely shows emotion, and she has [[RapeAsBackstory endured much suffering]].

** Daryl Dixon presents as a milder version of his brother at first but is slowly shown to actually be a much kinder and useful individual, giving the audience a reason to feel bad for him for being misjudged. It is eventually revealed that [[spoiler: he used to get beaten by his dad.]]

* [[RobotGirl Cameron]] of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' makes it quite abundantly clear that she doesn't feel [[EmotionlessGirl emotions.]] This makes all the bad stuff she goes through over the course of the series even more apparent - it's quite clear that she's confused and concerned (we would say afraid, but she ''can't'' feel fear) about her conflicting programming, her inability to empathize with humans she is quite clearly concerned for, and the danger she represents to the very people she's trying to protect - especially when they hold her in scorn, suspicion, or distrust. And that's a good thing for her, too, since if she ''was'' human and ''could'' feel emotions, Cameron would probably be a gibbering, half-insane wreck due to all these issues. Cameron's issues can best be summed up by a single line she speaks to John when he asks her if she can't be "more happy." She tells him that she ''cannot'' be happy.

** Wesley. This was particularly prominent after being isolated exiled out of Angel's group, and then [[BrokenBird his silent descend into nihilism]] after losing Fred on the Angel's last season. Though he has a few [[NotSoStoic iffy]] moments such as killing Knox and shooting a Wolfram & Hart employee.

** Spock. Raised on planet where everyone [[KidsAreCruel emotionally]] [[HalfBreedDiscrimination tormented]] him, had major [[FreudianExcuse daddy issues]], torn about his relationships with the only people who treat him decently. He can't even express this turmoil, because that would be human and weak.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Picard has a moment at the end of the now famous two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds" that reveals him as this. He had just been rescued from the [[TheAssimilator Borg]] who had forcibly abducted him, implanted him with cybernetic parts and made him [[MindRape part of their collective consciousness]] in order to conquer Earth. They used his knowledge and experience to kill thousands of people before he was finally rescued. At the end of the episode, Picard has almost completely physically recovered and is chatting away with his officers as if he were completely fine before they leave his office. He then undergoes an incredibly subtle HeroicBSOD. He finally gets to let some of it out in the next episode, "Family", after getting in a fight with his brother.

* [[BrokenAce Jack Harkness]] of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. Being alive for over 2000 years, watching friends and lovers die is definitely not a healthy thing to live through. Not to mention being buried alive by his own brother and [[spoiler:being murdered over and over in a butcher shop because the public think his blood has magic properties. It doesn't.]]

* Nick Cutter from ''Series/{{Primeval}}''. Where to begin? Having his wife disappear for eight years, return as a ManipulativeBastard StrawNihilist [[spoiler: bent on wiping all humanity from exitence ''and'' who turns his best friend against him.]] And just when he's found someone else to love, [[spoiler: she's erased from existence.]] ''And then'' just as he's beginning to get along with [[spoiler: her alternate self he gets shot - by his wife!]]

* ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'': Ryo Ashihara, tritagonist and Kamen Rider Gills. He's subjected to BodyHorror transformations that he didn't ask for, and just within the first eight episodes he's two for two on people in his social support structure abandoning him when he actually lets them in and tells them about what's happening to him - first his swim coach, and second his (ex-?)girlfriend. But for all of this, he just... stands there and takes it, accepting it like a penance. The only time he seems to let it out, if ever, is when he transforms into [[ScreamingWarrior Kamen Rider]] [[TheBerserker Gills]].

** Michonne is a stoic LadyOfWar who shields her emotions from other people in order to stay strong in the zombie infested world, but when she's NotSoStoic, you can't help but feel her pain. Especially when it's revealed [[spoiler: her entire family was killed by zombies.]]
** Daryl Dixon presents as a milder version of his brother at first but is slowly shown to actually be a much kinder and useful individual, giving the audience a reason to feel bad for him for being misjudged. It is eventually revelead that [[spoiler: he used to get beaten by his dad.]]

** Giles was this in Season 2 of '[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'' after the death of Jenny Calendar and in Season 6 when Buffy died. He also may or may not have been this in Season 4 after being unemployed and going through a mid-life crisis.

** Giles was this in Season 2 after the death of Jenny Calendar and in Season 6 when Buffy died. It also may or not been this in Season 4 after being unemployed and going through a mid-life crisis.

* Abed Nadir, from Series/{{Community}}. Most of the time he's stoic to the point of being called robotic, and compares himself to Data and Spock. When confronting his father for having [[spoiler: blamed him for his mother leaving when he was six]], he makes an emotional [[spoiler: movie]] but doesn't show direct emotional reaction himself. When in the midst of a Christmas breakdown caused by his [[spoiler: mother's abandonment]], his grief manifests as denial, fantastic delusions of a [[spoiler: claymation Christmas wonderland]], and eventually catatonic freezing. And when he loses his best friend [[spoiler: Troy to the cultish Air Conditioner Repair school]], apparently forever, he visibly tears up but only says [[spoiler: "Sorry I got emotional"]] before retreating to his room. Also one particularly bizarre episode, dealt with Troy going to lunch in a restaurant with Britta instead of hanging out with Abed in his Dreamatorium (their pretend holodeck for imaginary fun) who in turn was obviously upset. Annie realizing that Abed was subtly trying to control Troy instead of letting him do his own thing, used the Dreamatorium to alter Abed's mind to think about other people rather than himself. Which in turn she had to delve deep into Abed's subconscious (while he emulates all the other characters) she discovers that Abed was beaten up constantly in school and spent most of the time hiding in his locker, as within "his mind" his locker is shown as a prison cell where he is locked up, as being Abed is "illegal" but then again this was technically all within Annie's imagination as the Dreamatorium isn't a real holodeck, but then again, the entire episode was a complete MindScrew so...