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openAll for Nothing eventually brings something more important. Film
Is there a trope in which a character tries to do something that they eventually manage to do, only to have their efforts prove useless for the task they originally set out to accomplish, but the process/difficulties they have endured in the meantime cause them to later accomplish something more important? Examples might be the tale of the lazy son whose father, on his deathbed, tells him of a treasure in the field opposite the house, so the lazy son starts digging in the field, only to find out that there was never any treasure, or that it was only a few coins that were not worth the effort; however, by digging, the son learned the importance of hard work, and by digging in the field, he also grew plants with which to support himself. And this also means that the son will be able to move on with his life without wasting it as would have happened if he had simply found a treasure that he was not ready to handle.
openSubverted indulgences Film
A character or place that seemingly satisfies a character's obsessions, but ends up being a trap instead. An example is Club Vandersexxx in EuroTrip, which poses as an ordinary brothel but turns out to be a BDSM dungeon with tons of Loophole Abuse such as the safeword being deliberately unpronounceable.
openExpression masked by camera angle Film
The trope I'm trying to search for involves a character's expression being obscured by the camera's angle. But not just that, it's also the visual narrative type used during intense or out-of-character moments so the audience is in the dark about a character's expression but we can imagine what said expression looks like for ourselves.
...Is it even around here?
It's used many, many times in a lot of visual media, though I don't recall all examples. It goes unnoticed by viewers, however, so maybe it isn't here.
openUnintended Knowledge Film
Is there a trope for when a character knows something that they canonically shouldn't know, and even the writers missed it?
The only example I have was brought to my attention in a fact fiend video about Jurassic Park. They briefly mentioned that a guy in Jurassic World wore a Jurassic Park shirt and praised the original park, despite the fact that the original park was canonically never opened, never released merch, and was covered up by the government.
This is different from metagaming or similar tropes in that this knowledge is in no way beneficial to anyone, and the guy who had it was not exhibiting an intentional fourth wall break.
openTrope where you see your desire everywhere Film
When a character starts hallucinating their obsession and/or person of desire everywhere they go.
Best examples I got of it is that one plane scene from Despicable Me 2
openBig meaningless battle / Hidden "real" battle Film
At the end of an eventful, epic adventure, thousands of good-guy soldiers meet thousands of bad-guy soldiers in a huge, epic battle that will invariably involve lots of rousing speeches, war cries, bravery, and a heroic sacrifice or two. It will feel like it should be the climax of the story, except . . . the outcome of this battle will have little or no effect on the war. Somewhere away from the action there is a smaller, hidden duel happening between the main hero and the main villain, and it is the outcome of THAT smaller fight — the REAL battle — that will determine the course of the story. The big showy battle doesn't really matter. In fact sometimes the good guys ultimately lose the big battle, but nevertheless everything is okay because the hero prevailed in the smaller fight.
Examples of this troupe include: Return of the Jedi, Willow, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
openPondering Death Film
A character is forced to confront the idea of mortality. I don’t think this would quite be a Mortality Phobia, as they are just having to confront the idea of death, not actually face it.
This cropped up in the new trailer for the Barbie movie of all places, when Barbie asked her friends if they have ever thought about death after some very unusual events occur to her.
openA flop in mind Film
A filmmaker/producers already knows that their film is an Audience-Alienating Premise or too expensive but not marketable to make any money but they don't care. They're Doing It for the Art not for the money.
openWashed-up Lawyer Film
The lawyer used to be good but is down on their luck. Drinks too much. Disorganised. Holds a briefcase bursting with papers close to their chest. Best example is Paul Newman in The Verdict.
Edited by BrssndnopenThrowing glass into fireplace Film
A character's talking near a fireplace, and drinking something - usually whisky, cause fireplaces are fancy. Something will cause him to, either in anger or excitement, throw the not-yet-empty glass into the fireplace, igniting a stronger fire for a brief moment.
It's usually a metaphor for something.
openAll fighters in action movies are men. Film
Just like as it says in the title; in an action film, everyone who fights (both heroes and villains) are male characters, while the females are only relegated to supporting or Damsel in Distress roles at best. Here's an example:
- In the Taken films, all of the enemies Bryan fights are male. Even in Taken 2, where the inclusion of enemy women would be logical within the context of the Albanian families seeking revenge on him (and several Albanian women are even seen mourning at the opening funeral), there are none of them to be found at all.
The closest trope I found so far is Men Are the Expendable Gender, but I want to know if there's a more specific one to this meaning.
openSaw 3's deception about a minor character as a romantic interest (some moderate spoilers) Film
Lynn is first shown in Chris's bedroom and on first viewing the film clearly appears to be indicating that this couple are on the rocks and he asks for a divorce. Only by the end of the film do we realise that the other protagonist of the movie, Jeff, is the estranged husband of Lynn and Chris actually hoped that she would divorce him, so that they could be together openly. Some reviewers have noted this device as a cheat, because why wouldn't he have said instead "I want you to divorce Jeff"? So that perception of a narrative cheat might factor into whatever trope this is. I want to write a character entry for Chris, but really all of note that there is to him is this misleading statement which is coloured differently on rewatching the film. Does it fit any trope we have? All I could think of was that it would probably be along the lines of "Decoy Romantic Interest" or "Decoy Spouse".
Edited by FlashStepsopenAdapted out of order? Film
Do we have a trope for when multiple story installments (such as novels in a series) are adapted into another medium, but the adapted installments are in a different order than the original installments, leading to parts of the story being changed or recontextualized in order to accommodate the new sequence of events?
I know of this happening in the early Eon James Bond films (before the adaptations became In Name Only), and I know The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons were adapted out of order as well. I see descriptions of this phenomenon on pages for these works, but not a trope that is specific to it.
openOnly the original trilogy counts!! Film
I've noticed that movie fans often claim their favorite franchises decline after the third movie often to the extent of dismissing later films. Notable examples include Star Wars, Toy Story, and Indiana Jones. This belief is also shared by Quibble Pants in the My Little Pony episode Stranger Than Fan Fiction, regarding the in-universe Daring Do book series.
Edited by LunarFlareopennot as dirty as it sounds Film
What is it called when it sounds like something dirty is happening, then it's revealed to be more innocent? It happens in The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen, but on that page it's just under Getting Crap Past the Radar, which is kind of the opposite.
Edited by maarvarqopenDark hallway, round overhead lights coming on one by one Film
I suspect everyone's seen this before. Long, dark hallway. Character(s) walk down said hallway. At evenly spaced intervals, round overhead lights snap on, creating evenly spaced circles of light on the floor.
Edited by WadCheberopenPolice Under Fire from Press Film
On any crime drama set in Europe or the U.K., the police are always being shredded by the press for not solving a crime immediately. They spend half their time worrying about the press or getting fired. The public has no patience. Is this a trope, or is it just what the press does overseas?
Edited by calypsoh13

What’s the trope name for the dark middle chapter in a story, most typically the penultimate entry in a trilogy having somewhat of a downer ending a la Empire Strikes Back.