History IDidWhatIHadToDo / LiveActionTV

** A few episodes later ("Orpheus") Wesley says this almost exactly as his reasoning for allowing Faith to [[spoiler: drug herself, perhaps fatally, in order to capture Angelus]].

** After the members of Investigations ask Cordelia how she managed to convince Angelus to reveal what he knows about the Beast in "Soulless":

** An episode later ("Calvary") Gunn gives this, word-for-word, as his justification for [[spoiler: killing Fred's former professor.]]

** Then in "Inside Out", Darla's spirit while speaking to Connor uses these words explaining her suicide in order to allow him to live.
** And then in "Peace Out", Angel uses it to defend his decision to [[spoiler: to prevent world peace in order to preserve free will, at the cost of millions of lives]].
** In "Shells":

** In "Happy Anniversary", Angel admits to Lorne (then known as "The Host") that he fired his team and severed all ties with them for their own good because the kind of dark territory he was treading would [[DespairEventHorizon damage them internally]] and [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice compromise their morality (while he was compromising his)]], and his mission to bring down Wolfram & Hart would have endangered their lives. So he had to make that he didn't care about them so they wouldn't worry about his well-being and that he'd do something as extreme as letting Darla and Drusilla massacre the Wolfram & Hart lawyers, including Holland Manners, for making Darla a vampire again and ruining his chance of redeeming her. He was willing to allow his team to hate him and consider it a betrayal [[WhatTheHellHero (and they did, especially Cordelia)]] just to keep them from getting darker as well and instead stick to the good fight he'd given up on.
*** Worse, this is all subverted in "Reprise," when [[spoiler:An undead Holland Manners]] revealed the truth about Wolfram & Hart's [[HellOnEarth home office]] and [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil existence,]] and Angel realized these actions of his were AllForNothing.
** In “The Price” , Angel had this reasoning for using dark magic to try and find Connor. Interestingly, Gunn accuses him of doing what he wanted to get what he wanted, to hell with the consequences, and it’s Gunn himself who later had this reasoning for letting his mind be upgraded in a bid that he didn’t know would lead to Fred’s death.

** In "Happy Anniversary," Angel admits to Lorne (then known as "The Host") that he fired his team and severed all ties with them for their own good because the kind of dark territory he was treading would [[DespairEventHorizon damage them internally]] and [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice compromise their morality (while he was compromising his)]], and his mission to bring down Wolfram & Hart would have endangered their lives. So he had to make that he didn't care about them so they wouldn't worry about his well-being and that he'd do something as extreme as letting Darla and Drusilla massacre the Wolfram & Hart lawyers, including Holland Manners, for making Darla a vampire again and ruining his chance of redeeming her. He was willing to allow his team to hate him and consider it a betrayal [[WhatTheHellHero (and they did, especially Cordelia)]] just to keep them from getting darker as well and instead stick to the good fight he'd given up on.

** Delenn has to give a "I did what I had to do" justification to [[spoiler:G'Kar]] for her actions [[spoiler:in not confirming his story about the shadows, something that eventually led to deaths of millions of his people and the occupation of his home world]]. She says, "We had to choose between the deaths of millions and the deaths of billions."
** Later during the Earth Civil War, Sheridan [[spoiler:used 30 Shadow-upgraded telepaths to disable 30 Pro-Clark ships in the final battle. Each ship had about 10,000 souls on board and one telepath, when activated, would merge with the ship's computer disabling it. With the ship out of commission, it meant that many would survive the battle. It might cost the telepath his or her life, and they have no choice because the mind was programmed to do this against their will, but Sheridan saw no other way to avoid a costly and bloody battle]]. He later tells Alfred Bester (high-ranking Psi Cop) giving that order was the hardest thing he has ever had to do, [[spoiler:and he took great pains to minimize the grief afterwards by only selecting "orphans": telepaths for whom family could not be located]].
** Dr. Rosen uses this trope in response to her daughter telling her that [[YouDidTheRightThing she'd done the right thing]][[note]]Dr. Rosen having used the alien healing device to kill a man who was threatening to [[MamaBear kill her daughter]][[/note]]:

** The Doctor usually busts out this defense with regards to the [[NoodleIncident Last Great Time War]] that took place between the classic series and the revival. He committed genocide twice over — he wiped out his entire race and destroyed his home planet — in order to end the universe-threatening war and wipe out the Daleks ([[spoiler:though it didn't work]]). Mind you, saying that the Doctor feels bad about his actions is like saying that tsunamis are a bit soggy. That and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] reveals he really did have to do it because the Time Lords had become just as dangerous to the universe as the Daleks.

** When Data has to defend his rights in "The Measure Of A Man", Riker (ordered to act as the opposition) does some fairly horrible things, such as removing his hand and turning him off. Afterward ([[ItWasHisSled Data wins]]), Riker feels far too wretched to make this excuse for himself. Data, showing the human virtue of forgiveness, does it ''[[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for him]]'':

*** Making it an unusual example, Quark eventually reverses himself on this, turning against his business partners rather than go along with a sale that will lead to genocide.

'''Charlie:'''Hard not to notice a change in your methods.\\

** Geppetto sent his son Pinocchio through a second portal in order to save him from possibly turning back to wood as the Dark Curse was cast. In this case doing what he 'has to do' is separating a mother from her child, because Snow could have used the second portal to go with Emma and prevent her from growing up as an orphan. [[spoiler: In fact, when Geppetto confessed the truth in "Selfless, Brave, and True", Snow is '''''extremely pissed off''''' and punches him in the face for betraying her trust and depriving her of a chance to care for her daughter]]. It also acts as a StartOfDarkness for Pinocchio, since his father still abandoned a young boy to fend for himself.

** The head of Torchwood being led off to be converted into a Cyberman due to her own actions keeps repeating to herself, "I did my duty for queen and country. Oh God, I did my duty for queen and country!"
** The Doctor usually busts out this defense with regards to the [[NoodleIncident Last Great Time War]] that took place between the classic series and the revival. He committed genocide twice over -- he wiped out his entire race and destroyed his home planet -- in order to end the universe-threatening war and wipe out the Daleks ([[spoiler:though it didn't work]]). Mind you, saying that the Doctor feels bad about his actions is like saying that tsunamis are a bit soggy. That and the episode "The End of Time" reveals he really did have to do it because the Time Lords had become just as dangerous to the universe as the Daleks.
** Crops up again in "The Name of the Doctor." [[spoiler: The War Doctor uses this as a justification how he ended the Last Great Time War; "What I did I did without choice; in the name of peace and sanity". It was so antithetical to the nature of the Doctor that subsequent regenerations have disavowed his existence. Note that the Eleventh Doctor ''does'' accept that whatever happened really was necessary—just not "[[OldShame in the name of The Doctor]]".]]
** The trope is the backbone motivation of "The Day of the Doctor". [[spoiler: This is where the War Doctor ends the Last Great Time War. The Moment spends the story convincing him that he does not have to do this. In the end, the three Doctors find a third option.]]
** Comes up again in "The Zygon Inversion". In the final confrontation, Bonnie the Zygon tries to blame the Doctor for creating the circumstances that led to the Zygon uprising and all the pain and suffering involved. The Doctor points out that, since she's the one ''leading'' the Zygon uprising, she has no small amount of responsibility for what's happened as well. Bonnie invokes this trope, but the Doctor throws it back in her face; both of them felt that what they were doing was necessary at the time, so if she tries to use this to deflect responsibility for her own actions onto others, then so can he.

--> '''Parker''': I killed him, Eddie.
--> '''Ed''': Greg, he was unwell. He killed himself.
--> '''Parker''': He was splitting. He set out to slay the monster and I convinced him he was it.
--> '''Ed''': Greg, he was trying to kill ya. He was trying to kill you. You did what you had to do here, buddy. You did what you had to do!

--> '''Robert:''' Ned called it murder. Murder? It was war! It was war.

--->'''Sisko:''' People are dying out there, every day. Entire worlds are struggling for their freedom. And here I am still worrying about the finer points of morality!
--->'''Sisko:''' So...I lied. I cheated. I bribed men to cover the crimes of other men. I am an accessory to murder. But the most damning thing of all...I think [[ICanLiveWithThat I can live with it]]. And if I had to do it all over again, I would. Garak was right about one thing, a guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the Alpha Quadrant. So I will learn to live with it. Because I can live with it. I can live with it...computer, erase that entire personal log.

-->'''Quark:''' You have to tell me. Why'd you do it? Shoot Toran?
-->'''Garak:''' Why did you let Professor Lang go?
-->'''Quark:''' I had no choice. I love her.
-->'''Garak:''' And I love Cardassia, which is why I had to do what I did.
-->'''Quark:''' I don't understand.
-->'''Garak:''' That's the thing about love. No one really understands it, do they?

-->'''Quark:''' Jadzia, there was nothing else I could do. I was drowning. The waters were closing over my head and just as my lungs were about to burst, my cousin threw me a lifeline. How could I possibly refuse?

-->'''Ross:''' I don't like it. But I've spent the last year and a half of my life ordering young men and young women to die. I like that even less.

-->'''Alien captain:''' You're stranding us three years from home! Why are you doing this?
-->'''Captain Archer:''' Because I have no choice! Energize!

--->'''Lore:''' "I did what I had to do?" [[CallingTheOldManOut What kind of answer is that]]!?
--->'''Dr. Soong:''' The only one I can give you.

--->'''Data:''' Is it not true that, had you refused to prosecute, Captain Louvois would have ruled summarily against me?
--->'''Riker:''' Yes.
--->'''Data:''' That action injured you, and saved me. I will not forget it.

--->'''Maxwell:''' You know what it's like to be under fire!
--->'''Picard:''' You weren't under fire.
--->'''Maxwell:''' Lives were at stake!
--->'''Picard:''' Whose lives?
--->'''Maxwell:''' ''We had to act now!''
--->'''Picard:''' Why?

* ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'': [[ColdSniper Agent]] [[FriendlySniper Ian Edgerton]] from his introduction on, makes the tough calls that Agent Eppes vacillates over. On one occasion, he is left alone in a room with the blinds closed to extract vital intel from an uncooperative suspect, a decision which has a lasting impact on Don Eppes, both morally and professionally.
** Don gets one himself in "Black Swan", when he tries to justify using what's essentially speculation to hold a man as a domestic terror suspect. Charlie questions him after witnessing an unusually frosty exchange between Don and Megan, and Don says this almost verbatim.
-->'''Don:''' I had to push a rule or two, and, you know, I mean, she disagrees. What else is new?\\
'''Charlie:''' You ''had'' to?\\
'''Don:''' Yeah, I had to!\\
'''Charlie:'''Hard not to notice a change in your methods.\\
'''Don:''' Look, I'm tired of picking up the pieces. Okay? It seems like [[LateToTheTragedy all we do is get there too late]], and I got a chance to stop something before it starts.
* ''Series/OurMissBrooks'': Averted in the episode "Hobo Jungle". Miss Brooks intends to inform on an honour student who is living with his father (a ruined mechanic) in a hobo encampment, but decides against it giving how devoted they are to one another.

* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' deconstructs this repeatedly:
** The main plot has Snow White and the prince sending their newborn daughter through a portal to another world, to help her escape the Dark Curse. While she grows up into TheChosenOne and [[spoiler: breaks the curse]], she still has huge amounts of resentment from having to grow up without parents. She points out that if they hadn't done "what they had to do", she would have at least grown up happily in a good family instead of being an unwanted foster kid. It's three seasons before she properly comes to terms with these issues.
** Snow uses a pragmatic choice to [[spoiler: trick Regina into killing Cora, thereby saving Mr Gold and getting rid of a powerful villain]]. Although this is in fact the best option, Snow suffers MyGodWhatHaveIDone - especially since [[spoiler: she manipulated Regina into murdering her own mother]]. It's established that using this rationale does not excuse one from the consequences. Snow later defies this trope by saying she did what was ''easy'', not what she had to do.
** Rumpelstiltskin's master plan involved getting Regina to cast the Dark Curse so he could be reunited with his son. The show never hesitates to point out how (as honorable as his motives were) he effectively ruined countless lives in order to get what he wanted. [[spoiler: When he's reunited with his son, the son]] reacts with disgust at what happened.
** Geppetto sent his son Pinocchio through a second portal in order to save him from possibly turning back to wood as the Dark Curse was cast. In this case doing what he 'has to do' is separating a mother from her child, because Snow could have used the second portal to go with Emma and prevent her from growing up as an orphan. [[spoiler: In fact, when Geppetto confessed the truth in "Selfless, Brave, and True", Snow is '''''extremely pissed off''''' and punches him in the face for betraying her trust and depriving her of a chance to care for her daughter]]. It also acts as a StartOfDarkness for Pinocchio, since his father still abandoned a young boy to fend for himself.
** Played with in the season 6 episode ''Ill-Boding Patterns''. Rumplestiltskin namedrops the trope to justify [[spoiler: killing Beowulf]] to his son. However, although Rumple (deliberately) implied that this trope was in effect, [[spoiler: in fact the sentence was literally true - he had been magically commanded to kill Beowulf, and wanted to keep this secret from his son]].

** The Doctor usually busts out this defense with regards to the [[NoodleIncident Last Great Time War]] that took place between the classic series and the revival. He committed genocide twice over -- he wiped out his entire race and destroyed his home planet -- in order to end the universe-threatening war and wipe out the Daleks ([[spoiler:though it didn't work]]). Mind you, saying that the Doctor feels bad about his actions is like saying that tsunamis are a bit soggy. That and the Episodes "End of Time" reveal he really did have to do it because the Time Lords had become just as dangerous to the universe as the Daleks.

** Geppetto sent his son Pinocchio through a second portal in order to save him from possibly turning back to wood as the Dark Curse was cast. In this case doing what he 'has to do' is separating a mother from her child (as Snow could have used the second portal to go with Emma and prevent her from growing up as an orphan). It also acts as a StartOfDarkness for Pinocchio, since his father is still abandoning a young boy to fend for himself.

** The main plot has Snow White and the prince sending their newborn daughter through a portal to another world, to help her escape the Dark Curse. While she grows up into TheChosenOne and [[spoiler: breaks the curse]], she still has huge amounts of resentment from having to grow up without parents. And she points out that if they hadn't done "what they had to do", she would have at least grown up happily. It's three seasons before she properly comes to terms with these issues.

** Rumpelstiltskin's master plan involved getting Regina to cast the Dark Curse so he could be reunited with his son. The show never hesitates to point out how he effectively ruined countless lives in order to get what he wanted - as honorable as his motives were. [[spoiler: When he's reunited with his son, the son]] reacts with disgust at what happened.
** Geppetto sent his son Pinocchio through a second portal in order to save him from possibly turning back to wood as the Dark Curse was cast. In this case doing what he 'has to do' is separating a mother from her child (as Snow could have used the second portal to go with Emma). And in this case it acts as a StartOfDarkness for Pinocchio, since his father is still abandoning a young boy to fend for himself.

** Geppetto sent his son Pinocchio through a second portal in order to save him from possibly turning back to wood as the Dark Curse was cast. In this case doing what he 'has to do' is separating a mother from her child (as Snow could have used the second portal to go with Emma). And in this case it acts as a StartOfDarkness for Pinocchio, since his father is still abandoning a young boy to fend for himself.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': One of Castiel's major character flaws is his tendency towards this type of thinking, most notably when he [[spoiler:deals with Crowley and betrays just about everyone he knows, which leads to declaring himself God in his power-mad state and devastating Earth and Heaven]] because he believes it's the only way he can prevent [[spoiler:Raphael from winning the civil war in Heaven and restarting the Apocalypse]].
** The entire reasoning for Sam and Dean whenever they had to do something that is morally reprehensible.
** The ArcWords for several episodes of season nine were "I did what I had to." Used by multiple characters as justifications for multiple things, none of them good.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' reveals that Jaime Lannister killed the Mad King because the Mad King was trying to destroy King's Landing.

** Later during the Earth Civil War, Sheridan [[spoiler:used 30 Shadow-upgraded telepaths to disable 30 Pro-Clark ships in the final battle. Each ship had about 10,000 souls on board and one telepath, when activated, would merge with the ship's computer disabling it. With the ship out of commission, it meant that many would survive the battle. It might cost the telepath his or her life, and they have no choice because the mind was programmed to do this against their will, but Sheridan saw no other way to avoid a costly and bloody battle]]. He later tells a person giving that order was the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

* The Vidiians of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' have this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. They were a [[ProudScholarlyRaceGuy Proud Scholarly Race]] until [[ThePlague the Phage]] infected them, forcing them to do increasingly terrible things to others simply to survive.

* The Vidiians of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' have this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. They were a ProudScholarlyRace until [[ThePlague the Phage]] infected them, forcing them to do increasingly terrible things to others simply to survive.