History Main / DyingReconciliation

* ''VideoGame/FarCryNewDawn'': Ethan Seed, the BastardBastard of ExBigBad [[SinisterMinister Joseph Seed]] of [[VideoGame/FarCry5 the previous game]], lies dying after a prolonged battle with [[PlayerCharacter the Captain]], who shot him repeatedly after he ate a [[DangerousForbiddenPhlebotinum mystic apple]] and the darkness in his soul turned him into a monster. Joseph runs to his son's side, and Ethan begs his father's forgiveness for selling out New Eden to the Highwaymen out of resentment towards him for not making Ethan the heir to his kingdom. Joseph tearfully [[EasilyForgiven agrees]], whereupon Ethan dies in his arms, and Joseph descends into a guilt-and-grief-induced VillainousBSOD and carries his son's body away to mourn and [[SuicideByCop convince the Captain to kill him too]].

!! Because of its nature as a DeathTrope, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff all spoilers will be left unmarked]]. Proceed with caution. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

-->-- ''Literature/TheHobbit''

* ''Literature/TheHobbit'': Thorin and Bilbo have a heated argument about the impending war on the eve of battle, with Thorin regarding Bilbo as a coward for not wanting to fight. Bilbo, on the other hand, balks at the coward label, pointing out the many times he's pulled the dwarves' fat from the fire. After the Battle of Five Armies is concluded, Thorin is mortally wounded and dying. He calls for Bilbo and says he would take back his words at the gate. Bilbo acknowledges that there are things he would take back, as well. Thorin is pleased to part as friends with Bilbo and is at peace when he dies.

* ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'': After Anna and the King's heated argument over whether or not Tuptim should be punished for trying to elope with her lover, they don't speak for weeks and Anna resolves to leave Siam. But then she receives the news that the King is dying, as well as a letter from him in which he finally acknowledges that she was his most valuable advisor. At this, she goes to his bedside, is with him as he dies, and resolves to stay in Siam for the sake of his children.

-->--''Literature/TheHobbit''

And then, someone finds that they are running out of time. They're going to shuffle off this mortal coil. And it causes a good deal of reevaluation of their life.

And they realize that the disagreements and grudges they were holding onto in life aren't as important as they thought they were.

Or the reverse could be true. Upon learning that someone is dying, someone might realize that the grudges they bore them were petty and unimportant.

Sometimes will overlap with RedemptionEqualsDeath, as well as DeathEqualsRedemption. Often the final chapter for a relationship with the WellDoneSonGuy.

Indeed, this may well be the finale of TheGenerationGap in a story, where an elderly family member, or their offspring, try to lay any conflict between them to rest before passing on.

In some extreme cases, they could be TogetherInDeath.

If it turns out that the person who was dying is treated with a miracle cure at the last possible moment, or resurrected by the powers-that-be, look for them to have a much healthier relationship with those around them when they return.

If it turns out they were lying about dying, or someone else was lying about it, look for it to be PlayedForLaughs and for the hostilities and resentments to begin anew.

May be met in more tearjerking works with a HeelFaceDoorSlam or a ReformedButRejected.

As a DeathTrope, beware of spoilers.

* ''Anime/MyHime'': Episode 25 gives us a variation. Natsuki isn't dying in the traditional sense. But the rules of the [=HiME=] Festival are that ThereCanBeOnlyOne or the [=HiME=] Star will [[ColonyDrop crash to Earth and wipe out everything.]] Natsuki can't win, as she is Shizuru's most precious person, and Shizuru is hers. She decides Mai should be the one to confront the [[BigBad Obsidian Prince]], and goes off to face Shizuru, and in a move that surprises Shizuru, offers {{Forgiveness}} for [[AmbiguousSituation whatever]] passed between them [[DudeShesLikeInAComa when Natsuki was sleeping and in Shizuru's care]]. Natsuki embraces Shizuru while destroying her [[{{Mons}} CHILD]], ensuring they're TogetherInDeath. [[spoiler:They get better]].

** Obito Uchiha, [[spoiler:after making his HeelFaceTurn and [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying to help the heroes seal Kaguya away]], speaks to Kakashi one last time before he passes onto the afterlife. Obito laments his sins, but Kakashi tells him that he's just happy that they get to part as friends instead of enemies]].

* ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'': A rare case of someone being able to reconcile posthumously, as [[spoiler:Ray apologizes to Egon's spirit]] for not listening to him about [[spoiler:Gozer's return.]]

* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': {{Downplayed}} at the end of volume 10. [[spoiler:Oliver Horn]] can't bring himself to torture his dying enemy [[spoiler:Demitrio Aristides]] the way he normally does, [[spoiler:because the only reason he won is that the personality of his friend Yuri Leik, a SoulFragment of Demitrio, was FightingFromTheInside. In return, Demitrio tells Oliver what he knows about the motives behind the conspiracy to murder his mother and [[{{Foreshadowing}} warns him about how dangerous Headmistress Esmeralda will be to fight]], then allows Yuri to take control so that he and Oliver can say goodbye to each other.]]

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': The episode "The Feud in the Family" death with the murder of the patriarch of a family that was involved in a [[FeudingFamilies feud with another family]]. Over the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the man wanted to end the feud as he was terminally ill. [[spoiler:He was murdered by someone from his family who was trying to keep the feud going so they could profit from lawsuits.]]
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Played with at the start of Series 9. Davros is dying and has asked for the Doctor to come. The Doctor does. Davros and the Doctor have a lengthy conversation over a great many topics, such as Davros expressing joy for the Doctor at having reclaimed Gallifrey from the fires of the Time War, reminding The Doctor of his words from "Genesis of the Daleks" [[note]]In the original clip, the Doctor is asking if someone pointed out Hitler as a child, would you eliminate the child or try to reform them. We are meant to think that this is a TakeThat at the Doctor for abandoning Davros in a field of Hand Mines on a war-torn Skaro as a child. Only later do we learn that it is Davros pointing out that The Doctor had spared him as a child.[[/note]]. They even share a genuine, heartfelt laugh when the Doctor expressed doubt that Davros was dying, and Davros quips that [[NotThatKindOfDoctor "You...are not a very good Doctor."]] The Doctor even gives Davros some of his regeneration energy to allow him to open his eyes, and for one brief moment, he's not some ageless, deathless monster, but a frail old man. [[spoiler:Of course, it was all a ploy by Davros to steal the Doctor's regeneration energy so that the Daleks would have that ability, but the Doctor had seen through the ruse and known that the decaying sludge in the sewers that were the dying Daleks would turn against their healthy compatriots in their bitterness and hatred.]]

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': The episode "The Feud in the Family" death with the murder of the patriarch of a family that was involved in a [[FeudingFamilies feud with another family]]. Over the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the man wanted to end the feud as he was terminally ill. [[spoiler: He was murdered by someone from his family who was trying to keep the feud going so they could profit from lawsuits.]]

* Some people interpret Literature/TheBible's command not to "let the sun go down on your anger" as this; not a command against being angry at all [[note]]another passage says, "be angry, but do not sin"[[/note]], or related to literal sundown, but a statement that Christians should try to reconcile with a person if they expect they will be separated from them for a long time (or forever).

* In the penultimate episode of ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'', Bojack has hit rock bottom and is attempting to drown himself in the pool of what used to be his house. As he dies, he has a fantasy in which he tries to reconcile with all the people in his life who died before he could make peace with them, like Sarah Lynn, Herb, and his mother.

Whether it is the person dying who offers the olive branch, the person who holds a grudge with them, or if they reach out to each other mutually, they often tend to put aside their petty differences and make peace.

If it turns out that the person who was dying is treated to a miracle cure at the last possible moment, or resurrected by the powers-that-be, look for them to have a much healthier relationship with those around them when they return.

See also ThanatosGambit. Compare DeathbedConfession. Compare and contrast DyingTruce. Also contrast DyingDeclarationOfHate, in which the dying party decide to use one of their last breaths to make clear they will continue their grudge in the ever after (or even [[HiddenDisdainReveal reveal that they had one]]) as one final, powerful insult. May overlap with IDieFree, when someone wishes to die without regrets.

** Madara, on the verge of death for the third and final time, speaks with Hashirama in his final moments, admitting that his way to carving peace is superior to his own, and dies peacefully when Hashirama tells that he still cares for him as a friend.

* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'': Shaun was never happy that his mother remarried, and had a rocky relationship with his step-father, Phillip. However, before he dies, Phillip tells Shaun that he was always trying to look out for him, and that it wasn't easy to be a father, and that he'd always loved Shaun, and always thought he had it in him to do well. Shaun is devastated at that point when Phillip dies, knowing the antipathy between them had been unnecessary. He tearfully tells Ed to stop the car, as he mourns Phillip's passing, and even acknowledges that Phillip ''was'' his father when he has to explain to his mother that there's nothing left of the man in the creature now locked in the car.
* ''Film/SynecdocheNewYork'': subverted to the point of parody. Caden is summoned to his daughter Olive's bedside when she becomes terminally ill from all her extensive tattoos. Although he has been forcibly removed from her life for years against his will, Olive blames him for abandoning her, and insists he apologize for having a gay affair with someone named Eric (which... never actually happened). Caden does apologize and begs her forgiveness... which Olive refuses before promptly dying.

* Toward the end of ''The Sapphire Rose,'' the third part of the ''Literature/{{Elenium}}'' trilogy, protagonist Sparhawk and his childhood friend-turned-nemesis Martel have a fatal swordfight. As Martel lies dying, he makes peace with Sparhawk and also their teacher, Sephrenia. Knowing that they've both forgiven him for his evils, he tells them that he's glad to be receiving something almost like a formal deathbed, because "I get to die in the presence of the only two people I've ever really loved."
* ''Literature/TheHobbit'': Thorin and Bilbo have a heated argument about the impending war on the eve of battle, with Thorin regarding Bilbo as a coward for not wanting to fight. Bilbo, on the other hand, balks at the coward label, pointing out the many times he's pulled the dwarves' fat from the fire. After the Battle of Five Armies is concluded, Thorin is mortally wounded and dying. He calls for Bilbo, and says he would take back his words at the gate. Bilbo acknowledges that there are things he would take back, as well. Thorin is pleased to part as friends with Bilbo, and is at peace when he dies.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Played with at the start of Series 9. Davros is dying, and has asked for The Doctor to come. The Doctor does. Davros and The Doctor have a lengthy conversation over a great many topics, such as Davros expressing joy for The Doctor at having reclaimed Gallifrey from the fires of the Time War, reminding The Doctor of his words from "Genesis of the Daleks" [[note]]In the original clip, The Doctor is asking if someone pointed out Hitler as a child, would you eliminate the child or try to reform them. We are meant to think that this is a TakeThat at The Doctor for abandoning Davros in a field of Hand Mines on a war torn Skaro as a child. Only later do we learn that it is Davros pointing out that The Doctor had spared him as a child.[[/note]]. They even share a genuine, heartfelt laugh when The Doctor expressed doubt that Davros was dying, and Davros quips that [[NotThatKindOfDoctor "You...are not a very good Doctor."]] The Doctor even gives Davros some of his regeneration energy to allow him to open his eyes, and for one brief moment, he's not some ageless, deathless monster, but a frail old man. [[spoiler:Of course, it was all a ploy by Davros to steal The Doctor's regeneration energy so that the Daleks would have that ability, but The Doctor had seen through the ruse and known that the decaying sludge in the sewers that were the dying Daleks would turn against their healthy compatriots in their bitterness and hatred.]]
* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': Subverted in one episode. An elderly woman was dying of cancer, but her chauffer, who was her late husband's illegitimate son, learns she's planning to go peacefully by having a huge morphine overdose. Furious that she kept him from getting to know his own father, he injects her with air from a syringe to cause a fatal, and painful embolism. During his confession, he says that even in the throes of death, she seemed to be trying to forgive him, and he tearfully states he wishes he could go back and tell her that it was all right, that he forgave her, as well.

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