Line #2 Main/ActuallyAGoodIdea


1	->'''Yellow Diamond:''' A ball? We haven't had a ball in six thousand years.\
2	'''Blue Diamond:''' We haven't had ''Pink'' (Diamond) in six thousand years.\
3	'''Steven Universe:''' Yeah. When White shows up, we can tell her why we need her help on Earth.\
4	'''Blue Diamond:''' And this could also mark the beginning of Era 3.\
5	'''Yellow Diamond:''' You're right. It's brilliant.
6	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E26TogetherAlone Together Alone]]"
7
8	Much in the same way that ActuallyPrettyFunny has to admit the wit in a routine, Actually A Good Idea makes it where someone openly acknowledges that an idea that a person had made is not all that terrible. Said idea is often a [[StatingTheSimpleSolution simple solution]] [[OutsideTheBoxTactic thought outside-the-box]] from a NaiveNewcomer or a second opinion that definitely knows what they are talking about, an idea to a pressing dilemma that has everybody else pulling their collective hair out.
9
10	Such ideas are also the kind that are dismissed as dumb or ridiculous half the time, only for the idea to have been executed anyway and reveals that it was actually CrazyEnoughToWork.
11
12	Compare {{Touche}}, ActuallyPrettyFunny, TheCuckoolanderWasRight, DumbassHasAPoint, JerkassHasAPoint, StrawmanHasAPoint and the rest of ThisIndexHasAPoint. Contrast with AreYouSureYouWantToDoThat, IDontThinkThatsSuchAGoodIdea and ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime.
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14	----
15	!!Administrivia/InUniverseExamplesOnly:
16
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Comic Books]]
20	* Very late into ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', during the siege on Atheia, those two Stupid, Stupid Rat Creatures get captured. Smiley Bone gets an idea to feed the Rats a freshly-baked quiche, even though there's food shortage. His plan is that afterwards, they let the two Rat Creatures escape, so they'll tell their comrades that Atheia has so much food even the prisoners eat like kings, tricking the enemy into thinking that a siege is hopeless. Gran'ma Ben's Dreaming Teacher, upon hearing Smiley's logic, approves of the idea and goes along with it.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Fan Works]]
24	* In ''Fanfic/{{Bound\|HowToTrainYourDragon}}'', Astrid and Hiccup make a deal: Hiccup stops his inventing and in return she will take the time to train him how to use a weapon. Later on, Hiccup gets the idea of creating a fire-prevention system that would lower the amount of work the fire brigade would have to do to put out fires during dragon raids. Rather then getting on his case about their deal, Astrid makes an exception with this idea, citing that it actually is a good one.
25	* ''Fanfic/MiraculousCity'': When Ladybug is trying to decipher a Lucky Charm for a solution to the Miraculous Bang, [[spoiler:it's ''[[DumbJock Kim]]'' that suggests they just have to return the Miraculous Bang powers into the Crack to undo the damage, something that Ladybug confirms is right much to everyone's shock. This is immediately followed by his suggestion that Bunnyx use her powers to slow down time, something that can be pulled off by Painted Lady [[SuperEmpowering kamikotizing]] her]].
26	* ''[[Fanfic/StarWarsVsWarhammer40K Star Wars vs Warhammer 40K]]'': In Episode 2, Dr. Shina is aboard the flagship of a small Republic task force sent by Palpatine to investigate the spatial anomalies caused by the Imperium of Man's arrival to their galaxy. Through some {{Technobabble}}, she is able to determine that the anomalies are being caused by a massive extragalactic fleet and freaks out since it will take too long for the Republic military to send any reinforcements due to the task force being in a region of space far from the fighting of the Clone Wars. Jedi Padawan Gaphin, who up until this point was Shina's [[TheWatson Watson]], suggests instead asking for back-up from nearby allied star systems, garnering this reaction from the Cerulean doctor.
27	-->'''Dr. Shina:''' ''[blushes in embarrassment]'' Oh frag. Right, I guess we could do that.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
31	* In ''{{Film/Dogma}}'', the heroes have to stop two {{Fallen Angel}}s from entering a certain church during a certain event and receiving absolution, thus letting them back into Heaven. After trying all manner of convoluted plots, Jay simply asks why they don't just contact the cardinal in charge and ask him if he's willing to move the event.
32	--> '''Metatron:''' My God! The little stoner's right!
33	* In ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', the Basterds learn from German mole/actress Bridgette Von Hammersmark that Hitler as well as key members of the Nazi High Command will all be attending a film premier in a theater in Paris. The original plan was for their British contact Hicox as well as the two German-speaking members of the Basterds to accompany Von Hammersmark as escorts, but a disastrous confrontation at a pub resulted in the former three's deaths as well as Von Hammersmark getting shot in the leg. Seeing that this is their best shot at taking out all of the Nazi leaders in one fell swoop, Basterd commander Aldo Raines suggests that he and his surviving men take their place while passing themselves as Italian, all the while acknowledging that it's a shoddy last-resort plan. Von Hammersmarck however is willing to go along with it, noting that since most Germans know very little Italian it's actually a decent plan all things considered. Unfortunately Hans Landa is an {{Omniglot}} and has no problem discerning that the man saying "Bonjourno" in a thick Appalachian accent is probably not Italian.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Literature]]
37	* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Highprince Dalinar is on the verge of an ignoble retirement because he's plagued by recurring spiritual visions and fears that he's [[SanitySlippage losing his mind]]. His son suggests transcribing and researching his ravings. He's a bit stunned at the [[StatingTheSimpleSolution simplicity of the solution]], all the more so when they're found to include accurate, long-lost historic information that proves they have a supernatural source.
38	* Subverted at the climax of ''Literature/TheMartian'': Mark's suggestion that he poke a hole in his spacesuit and use the escaping air to "fly around like Iron Man" in order to traverse the distance between his capsule and the mothership is immediately and correctly declared an incredibly bad idea... But it inspires Commander Lewis to come up with a merely moderately bad idea, namely [[ExplosiveDecompression intentionally decompressing the ship]][[note]]using a jury-rigged explosive device to blow the main airlock door off to bypass various safety interlocks designed to stop them doing anything this insane[[/note]] and using the escaping air as a thruster. [[spoiler:It works.]]
39	* In ''Literature/DolphinIsland'', the researchers have an orca named Snowy delivered to the island so they can use BehavioralConditioning to stop her from eating dolphins. They drop a robotic dolphin into her pool, but Snowy isn't fooled and completely ignores it, leaving them with no choice but to use real dolphins as bait. Dr. Saha asks jokingly, "Are we going to call for volunteers?" Professor Kazan considers the suggestion, then says seriously, "I'll do exactly that." (Dolphins are SapientCetaceans and the researchers have been studying their language, so it's not as ridiculous as it sounds.)
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
43	* One episode of ''Series/TheGoldbergs'' has Uncle Marvin buy the Goldberg kids beepers. In the closing scene, we see that Barry decided to use his to set up a grass mowing business. Erica is about to criticize him before admitting it's not a bad idea. On the other hand, Barry's advertisement promises to cater to his customers' "grass needs"[[note]]marijuana[[/note]] which he doesn't realize has another meaning.
44	* ''Series/GoodNewsWeek'': Paul [=McDermott=], in reference to the Australian Government discussing the possibility of sending the army in to deal with a dock strike:
45	--> "No, no, no. You send the '''navy''' to deal with a dock strike. You send the army in for a coal miners' strike, and you send the air force in for a pilots' strike. Otherwise the navy, army and air force get into a big demarcation dispute and go out on strike, and the government has to send in the wharfies to defend us against invasion. Which isn't a bad idea -- when those wharfies cover the coastline, '''''nothing''''' gets ashore!
46	* "Food for Thought," an episode of ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'', sees the main characters' cafeteria being replaced with a "food court" that serves [[NutritionalNightmare disgustingly huge portions of fatty treats]]. Resident GranolaGirl Chelsea is the [[OnlySaneMan only person]] who recognizes that the new menu is terribly unhealthy, and she and Raven eventually team up to convince the other students of [[AWeightyAesop the negative effects of junk food]]. At the episode's end, Eddie wonders if it's possible to have "food that's good for us ''and'' tastes good." After briefly flirting with the idea of hydroponic tofu, Chelsea suggests "a salad bar, and maybe some regular-sized veggie burgers." Raven's about to shut her down when she realizes that that sounds like a healthy compromise.
47	* Of all people, Gilligan pulls this off in one episode of ''Series/GilligansIsland''. The Howells are upset because of a radio announcement that [[NotReallyMarriedPlot their wedding officiant was a sham and thus their marriage isn't valid]]. Ginger points out that ship captains can officiate weddings, but the Professor interjects that the Skipper doesn't have that authority because they're not on a boat. Gilligan's solution? Given that there AintNoRule beyond that a captain needs to be on the water to marry people, Skipper could officiate a wedding by simply having it on a raft in the lagoon. Both the Professor and Skipper concede that the idea should work.
48	* In the season one's finale of ''Series/HellsKitchen'', finalists Michael and Ralph ran a dress rehearsal for the final service by taking turns running the pass. When it was Ralph's turn, Michael deliberately sent up a risotto without any crab to see if the former noticed. Ralph did not, and the dish was sent out, only for the plate to comeback with the complaint. Ramsay noted that Michael made a smart move and in seasons after that, he used the same strategy to test the chef's ability to catch mistakes on the pass.
49	* In an episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Rose is mortified to learn that her latest boyfriend, who just ''died'' after spending the night with her, is married and wondering how she's going to tell his wife, hoping to find some way out of it. Sophia jokingly suggests that she tell her that she went out to turn on the sprinklers and found him on the lawn. Rose actually appears to be considering this, stating, "That's not bad!", before Dorothy snaps at her.
50	* ''Series/RedDwarf'': The Cat's suggestions for any disaster usually tend to be impractical or impossible, due to requiring equipment that the gang don't have or in some cases doesn't exist in the first place. In "Gunmen of the Apocalypse", he suggests attacking a larger, more heavily armed ship on the grounds it's the last thing they'd expect. They do so, and manage to score a fluke hit which destroys their enemies. In spite, they're zapped with a virus which will cause them to crash into a nearby moon, forcing Kryten to try and devise an anti-virus. Frustrated with his lack of progress, the Cat asks if there isn't something to hand they could use to help. Rimmer tells him to just be quiet, but Lister gets a spark of inspiration, much to the Cat's surprise and joy.
51	-->'''The Cat:''' Twice in one lifetime? When you're hot, you're hot!
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Radio]]
55	* ''Radio/CabinPressure'': In one episode, the staff of MJN Air are faced with an ObstructiveBureaucrat who could easily bankrupt them (and already has bankrupted another company with his antics) and has stranded them. Workshopping ideas on how to get away, they note they can't fly off because he won't give them permission (and if they do just fly off anyway, he can just call the aviation authorities). [[TheDitz Arthur]] asks if they can't just ''drive'' the plane out. Martin initially dismisses this, until he and Douglas come to the realisation that for once, Arthur's suggestion is ''actually workable'' (the nearest airport is twenty miles away on a seldom used and utterly straight road).
56	* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1978'': Judiciary Prak, LIVR (Learned, Impartial and Very Relaxed) manages to come up with a pretty good solution for dealing with the people of Krikket, who were so freaked out by the concept of other beings existing they tried to wipe them all out, which is said to be said good it caused significant doubt as to whether it ''was'' actually Prak's idea at all.
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58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Video Games]]
61	* PlayedForLaughs in ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas''' ''Old World Blues'' DLC: When you're getting [[BrainInAJar the Think Tank members]] to side with you, solving Doctor 0's conundrum with his name (the others only register his name visually and keep calling him O, the letter, rather than the number) is how you befriend him... and one option to do so is to simply "put a slash through the zero". 0 is so dumbstruck by its cleverness he initially can't even register it, and even BadBoss Dr. Klein (who was the main pusher in calling him O) is forced to acquiesce in front of the sheer brilliance of the idea. Even the ''game'' calls it such, seeing it takes Intelligence 9 (out of 10) to suggest it.
62	* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' features the survivors of the ZombieApocalypse wading their way through an AmusementParkOfDoom, eventually reaching the concert stadium area. Coach realizes that they can use the pyrotechnics and sound system to signal a nearby helicopter to help them escape, basically invoking ThePowerOfRock to help them live another day. Nick's response? "That's the stupidest plan I've ever agreed with."
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
66	* In ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', when Arnold confides his struggles in trying to parent Melody and dealing with the death of his wife to the bartender Lucy (actually Xianne), she tells him to simply be more open with her about what he’s feeling. Arnold tries it, and ends up repairing his relationship with Melody.
67	[[/folder]]
68
69	[[folder:Webcomics]]
70	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'':
71	** When the Light Warriors are plummeting to their deaths (Again), [[GoodIsDumb Fighter]] comes up with a way to save themselves; He and Thief hold onto Black Mage and Red Mage respectively, and the two Mages cast Feather Fall which would slow their descent so they don't become smears on the ground. Thief and Red Mage are stunned at how not-stupid this idea is, but there's a problem. Both Red Mage used up his spell energy fighting [[RealityWarper Sarda]], and Black Mage dumped every spell that isn't a doom-bringer. Luckily, Fighter comes up with a backup plan; Use his power to block anything ''block the ground''.
72	** the [[NominalHero Light Warriors]] (minus Fighter) come up with a plan to defeat [[BigBad Chaos,]] after Fighter ruins their previous attempt by selling the legendary weapons Thief stole. They'll send Fighter over to literally [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath talk him to death.]] Fighter instead has a friendly conversation with Chaos (and convinces him to transform into his OneWingedAngel form). Red Mage sadly laments that it was a great plan up until Fighter was involved.
73	* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': The Empire's attack on Hoth. Admiral Ozzel orders some bizarre camel walkers, much to Vader's irritation, and which turn out to be not even designed for humans. General Veers is embarrassed by them, but as the Empire starts winning the battle, he comes around.
74	-->'''Veers:''' Lord Vader, this is farcical. We're attacking them in an armored camel.\
75	'''Vader:''' Is it ''working''?\
76	'''Veers:''' Well... yes.
77	* In [[https://x.com/VanillaKunikida/status/1476588745285505024?s=20 this]] ''Anime/LoveLiveSunshine'' fan comic, Chika and Kanan arrive with a birthday cake for Dia, but forgot to bring a cake cutter. When this gets pointed out, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Chika]] fixes the problem by using glass cups to cut the cake and serve it. Dia, in her confusion, remarks that this was a smart idea and wonders [[ObfuscatingStupidity if Chika's stupidity is an act]].
78	* In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0045.html this]] ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' comic, Roy notes that [[TheDitz Elan]] surprisingly makes a good point about joining forces with another adventuring group[[note]](Which probably just proves that we've stumbled into some bizarre alternate reality.)[[/note]].
79	** Later, in the desert of the Western Continent, the Order encounters a SandWorm, which Elan proposes calming with a bardic poem. Roy concedes that he has the right idea, but [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0689.html instead has V charm it.]]
80	* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Captain Tagon is rarely known for his good ideas outside of combat, but when the time comes, he has perhaps ''the'' best idea in the whole comic when he says [[spoiler:the elder, extragalactic civilizations should come ''back'' to the Milky Way to teach the newer ones because "Galactic civilization might do well with a few quadrillion actual grown-ups"]]. While the one he speaks it to simply calls it the most brilliant idea he's heard in a long, ''[[TimeAbyss long]]'' time, Sorlie (who actually knows Tagon) just ''bluescreens''. [[spoiler:''Twice'', since her own clone relays the news to the original]].
81	-->'''Sorlie:''' Go back to the part where this was Captain Tagon's idea.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Web Videos]]
85	%%* ''WebVideo/DreamMachine'': Leah says this of Josie’s threat to tap dance at Leah’s funeral in episode 1.04, ''[[https://youtu.be/lNl2qhc6RuA The Opposite of People.]]''
86	* ''WebVideo/{{Oxventure}} Presents: TabletopGame/BladesInTheDark'': In the episode where Kasimir and Zillah are tasked with helping a man fake his death, Kasimir expresses relief that the more chaotic members of the gang aren't around to mess everything up, mockingly citing how [[GadgeteerGenius Edvard]] would probably try to solve the problem by building a Wonderful Mechanical Dying Man. Then he realizes such a thing would actually be useful.
87	* On the ''WebVideo/SteamTrain'' playthrough of ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIVRogerWilcoAndTheTimeRippers'', Ross is consistently trolling Danny by naming all of their save files nonsensical things like "is rly good" and "is even better" much to Danny's chagrin. Danny explains that it could bite them in the ass later as Creator/{{Sierra}} game are notorious for games that can be made UnwinnableByDesign and thus you need to give proper descriptive file names so you know which one to reload if you accidentally save after inadvertently screwing yourself over. Ross just points out that, since they're recording the footage for their webshow, they could just rewatch the footage to see where they need to roll back to.
88	-->'''Danny:''' ...Oh my God, you're so right! Okay.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Western Animation]]
92	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': While running away from some Fire Nation bounty hunters, [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderZuko Zuko]] snarks at Iroh that one of these days he'd like to meet some of Iroh's friends who ''aren't'' out to kill them. Iroh gets thoughtful and decides to do just that, introducing Zuko to the Order of the White Lotus (who help them escape the bounty hunters and smuggle them towards Ba Sing Se).
93	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'' episode [[Recap/DragonsRidersOfBerkS1E2VikingForHire "Viking For Hire",]] Hiccup overhears that Stoick has a lot on his plate, wishing that there were "two of [him]", and Hiccup gets the idea of having Gobber act as his surrogate in some village matters. Not only would this cut down on Stoick's workload, but it would give Gobber a job now that his smithing skills have been rendered useless in an era of peace with the dragons. Stoick thinks it over and admits that it is not a bad idea. [[spoiler:This is quickly [[SubvertedTrope proven otherwise,]] as Gobber's limited understanding of the job causes Bucket and Mulch to escalate their feud, sinks a ship and causes a baby girl to be named Magnus.]]
94	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "The Problem With Popplers", Leela is set to be eaten by Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, in retribution for starting the "Poppler" (Actually Omicronian babies) craze. Zapp Branigan comes up with a way to save her; Swap her out for a dolled-up orangutan. Although Leela initially scoffs at the idea, ("The hair is all wrong!") she realizes it's CrazyEnoughToWork, reasoning that the Omicronians have bad eyesight. The only reason the plan fails is because of smelly hippie Free Waterfall Jr.'s intervention, but Lrrr ultimately settles for eating him instead [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing to everyone's delight]].
95	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E25Familiar "Familiar",]] [[Characters/StevenUniverseStevenQuartzUniverse Steven]] learns that his mother would host grand balls to mark the other Diamond's accomplishments, with all four Diamonds coming to attend. Realizing that this would mean that he would have a chance to talk to White Diamond, he pitches the idea to Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E26TogetherAlone the next episode.]] Yellow and Blue then admit that it is a good idea.
96	* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'': In an episode when Johnny comes up with an idea that would let him and his sisters into an ice-cream factory, his sisters initially hear him out only because they wanted to laugh at his plan. They laugh for about a second but then realize his plan was perfect and say the trope name almost word for word.
97	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E18AStarIsBurns "A Star is Burns"]] there is a meeting at the town hall where the people try to give suggestions to bring tourists to Springfield. When [[Characters/TheSimpsonsMargeSimpson Marge Simpson]] steps up, the audience is grumbling because they didn't like any of her past ideas. This changes when she suggests that Springfield hold a film festival and that the public can enter their own homemade movies in it. The audience quickly approves of the idea (but also make it clear Marge shouldn't push her luck).
98	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' sees the horrifically out-of-shape Billy struggling to find a way to pass a school physical. He gets the idea to have his cousin Nergal Jr., a half-demon child with the power of [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting,]] to morph into a pair of enchanted pants that will give him super-speed. Mandy, as usual, begins berating Billy...until she recognizes that the plan isn't a bad one. It's promptly lampshaded by Billy, who remarks that he wants to do it precisely ''because'' it's the only good idea he's ever had and he knows he'll never have another one.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': Though he mostly comes up with absurd, inane ideas for much of the season, towards the end of Book 4, Prince Wu suggests initiating an evacuation in the event that [[BigBad Kuvira]] may potentially attack Republic City, which Raiko concedes with this trope.
100	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' sees the gang trying to make a movie. Freddy (who in this incarnation is a CloudCuckoolander to the extreme) suggests that they use their solving a mystery as the subject matter, and the kids praise him for his great idea. This is apparently so rare that a newscaster feels the need to interrupt the episode for a special bulletin: "FREDDY HAD A GOOD IDEA! IT'S A MIRACLE!"
101	* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' finale has the [[Characters/DCAUTheFlash Flash]] and Green Lantern attempting to destroy a [[WeaponsOfMassDestruction giant alien weapon]] with no luck. Flash jokingly suggests that GL launch it into the Sun before admitting it was stupid to say. Surprisingly, GL tells him that he might be onto something. He has Flash use his speed to dig a giant trench before using his ring to create a giant catapult. GL flings the weapon away and, while it doesn't quite make it to the Sun, it hits an alien ship and explodes.
102	* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' season 3 episode 2, [[Characters/RickAndMortyMortySmith Morty Smith]] suggests distracting a group of cannibalistic post-apocalyptic scavengers using a puppet show. While Rick is usually dismissive of Morty's ideas, here he says that it is the "right idea, wrong genre". Rick then [[spoiler: stages a gladiator fight in the scavengers' Thunderdome]].
103	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ActuallyAGoodIdea