History Main / TrapIsTheOnlyOption

* ''LooneyTunes'' - Elmer Fudd, in one cartoon, set a rabbit trap for Bugs Bunny. Bugs notes that he had never actually seen one in real life but recognized it from what his grandfather described to him. He decided to go along with it merely because he concluded Elmer must have gone through a lot of trouble to set it up.

* Anime/YuGiOh. Just about every trap card (or anything with Spell Speed 2) ever is practically unavoidable. [[hottip:*:In the case of traps that can be chained to their own destruction, such as Threatening Roar and Reckless Greed, this applies to the [[Tabletopgame/YuGiOh real game]] as well.]]

* In the ''Anime/ReadOrDie'' OAV, one clear path into the I-Jin fortress suddenly becomes apparent. Joker instructs his team to take that path, stating that while it is obviously a trap, he has a few tricks of his own to play. (See the From Russia With Love quote below)

* ''{{Film/Serenity}}'', after Inara sends a message inviting Mal to come see her at the Companion training house, Mal and Zoe recognize it instantly as a trap, but because the bait's a friend of theirs (and Mal's LoveInterest besides), Mal decides to go in anyway.

* ''StarWars: {{Revenge of the Sith}}''

* In RobertEHoward's ''The Hour of the Dragon'', ConanTheBarbarian speculates that he's about to walk into this, but it's better than sitting around.

* Over the years on ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Doctor's walked into a few of these. It gets [[LampshadeHanging fitted with a lampshade]] in "The Androids of Tara":

* ''LastRes0rt'' [[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2010/08/have-you-hugged-your-idiot-today/ delivers]], with a door bearing something apparently written in blood.
-->'''Daisy:''' Come on, [[DontTouchItYouIdiot only an idiot would open this door.]] Then again, [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption an idiot's going to order us to open it]] ''[[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption anyway]]...''

Compare SchmuckBait.

* In AgathaChristie's ''Partners In Crime'' stories, Literature/TommyAndTuppence are posing as private detectives, because the detective agency is suspected of dealing with a supercriminal known as No. 16, and Tommy's government boss wants them to flush him out. When Tommy arranges a meeting with someone who is quite obviously an agent of No. 16 who suspects he isn't really Mr Blunt, Tuppence complains that he's walking into a trap with his eyes closed. Tommy replies that, on the contrary, he's walking into a trap with his eyes ''open''.

** Wow. Black Mask certainly [[TakeALevelInBadass took a level in]] being a CompleteMonster later on.

* ''SluggyFreelance'': In "Dangerous Days Ahead", Riff and others go StormingTheCastle at [[spoiler: the [=AyleeOrgNet/HeretiCorp=] offices]] in spite of the extremely SuspiciouslySpecificDenial on a memo that indicates that the place is armed like a fortress and it's a trap. They don't have any other choice with their friends being held there, and they have a few surprises up their own sleeves.

* The plot of ''AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' episode 'Sonic Breakout' is based around Robotnik imprisoning a cartoonist who drew a less-than-flattering strip of the Eggman. In order to break into [[TheAlcatrez the prison]] and save him, Sonic willingly lets himself get captured by Scratch and Grounder... but not before putting them through the usual hijinx.

* ''FromRussiaWithLove'', the classic JamesBond movie.

* ''BeastWars'': During one season 3 episode, when the Predacons pull off another assault on the Maximal base, they blow open the front door, and Megatron lets Quickstrike lead the way. Inferno asks why he wasn't sent in instead.

* [[TheGreatMouseDetective Set off the trap...]]

* '''[[TheGreatMouseDetective Set off the trap...]]'''

* Anime/{{Yugioh}}. Just about every trap card (or anything with Spell Speed 2) ever is practically unavoidable. [[hottip:*:In the case of traps that can be chained to their own destruction, such as Threatening Roar and Reckless Greed, this applies to the [[Tabletopgame/YuGiOh real game]] as well.]]

* {{Yugioh}}. Just about every trap card (or anything with Spell Speed 2) ever is practically unavoidable. [[hottip:*:In the case of traps that can be chained to their own destruction, such as Threatening Roar and Reckless Greed, this applies to the [[YugiohCardGame real game]] as well.]]

* In AgathaChristie's ''Partners In Crime'' stories, Tommy and Tuppence are posing as private detectives, because the detective agency is suspected of dealing with a supercriminal known as No. 16, and Tommy's government boss wants them to flush him out. When Tommy arranges a meeting with someone who is quite obviously an agent of No. 16 who suspects he isn't really Mr Blunt, Tuppence complains that he's walking into a trap with his eyes closed. Tommy replies that, on the contrary, he's walking into a trap with his eyes ''open''.

* In the ''ReadOrDie'' OAV, one clear path into the I-Jin fortress suddenly becomes apparent. Joker instructs his team to take that path, stating that while it is obviously a trap, he has a few tricks of his own to play. (See the From Russia With Love quote below)

* In episode 7 of ''CodeGeass'', Cornelia tries to lure out Zero by attacking the Saitama Ghetto; Lelouch immediately recognizes it's a trap since it's an almost perfect recreation of Clovis' attack on Shinjuku Ghetto in the first couple of episodes. He still goes anyway because of his overconfidence, but Cornelia is a ''much'' better commander than Clovis, and the Saitama rebels are quick to surrender and less competent than the ones he lead in Shinjuku, so he's almost captured and only escapes when C.C. lets him pull off an unsolicited DecoyGetaway.

--->'''Min:''' Then you're [[StealthInsult not an idiot]].

----

->'''Robin:''' Holy broken beaks! He must be kidding if he thinks we're gonna fall for that!
->'''Batman:''' It's an obvious trap all right, Robin. But we have to take the bait and see what the Penguin's up to.

* In an aptly named episode of DigimonAdventure02 "The Insect Master's Trap", the chosen children enter into Arukenimon's trap to find out what she is up to.

* ''{{From Russia with Love}}'', the classic JamesBond movie.
-->'''Number one:''' "What makes you think the head of the British secret service will oblige you by falling in with your plan?"\\
'''Kronsteen:''' "For the simple reason that this is so obviously a trap. My reading of the British mentality is that they always treat a trap as a challenge".

--->'''Mal:''' Y'all were watchin', I take it?
--->''Everyone squirms uncomfortably''
--->'''Kaylee:''' . . . Yes.
--->'''Mal:''' [[BelligerentSexualTension Did you see us fight]]?
--->'''Kaylee:''' No.
--->'''Mal:''' Trap.

---->'''Mal:''' [[BelligerentSexualTension Did you see us fight]]?
---->'''Kaylee:''' No.
---->'''Mal:''' '''''TRAP!'''''

--->'''Rand:''' [[IdiotBall A trap's not a trap, if you know it's a trap.]]
--->'''Min:''' Like [[SarcasmMode a chair's not a chair, if you know it's a chair?]]
--->'''Rand:''' Exactly.
--->'''Min:''' So what are you sitting on right now?
--->'''Rand:''' Not a chair.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse novel ''[[NewJediOrder Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream]]'', pilot Voort [=SaBinring=] notices the enemy attack pattern indicates they're going to spring a trap on their squadron. Squadron leader Jaina Solo decides to weather the trap out; they couldn't run ''every'' time they were targeted by a seeming ObviousTrap. [[spoiler: It nearly proves fatal to her, and her LoveInterest Jagged Fel.]]

* Several ''{{City of Heroes}}'' missions play out like this; you know that no matter what your contact tells you, your mission's going to involve beating up some bad guys. Lampshaded in at least one mission description text.
* Subject to sarcastic LampshadeHanging in ''{{Knights of the Old Republic}} II: The Sith Lords'', after a crime boss invites the [[PlayerCharacter Jedi Exile]] to a meeting and insists that she come alone:

-->'''Daisy:''' Come on, [[DontTouchItYouIdiot only an idiot would open this door.]] Then again, [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption an idiot's going to order us to open it]] ''[[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption anyway...]]''

* LooneyTunes - Elmer Fudd, in one cartoon, set a rabbit trap for Bugs Bunny. Bugs notes that he had never actually seen one in real life but recognized it from what his grandfather described to him. He decided to go along with it merely because he concluded Elmer must have gone through a lot of trouble to set it up.
* the plot of AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog episode 'Sonic Breakout' is based around Robotnik imprisoning a cartoonist who drew a less-than-flattering strip of the Eggman. In order to break into [[TheAlcatrez the prison]] and save him, Sonic willingly lets himself get captured by Scratch and Grounder...but not before putting them through the usual hijinx.

-->''Megatron'': "Because, Inferno, when expecting booby traps..."*Quickstrike gets flattened on a booby trap*"...always send the boob in first."

---->'''Mal:''' ''TRAAAAAAAAAAP!!!''

* {{Animorphs}} often used and Lampshaded this. Of course a few times they weren't actually traps, and one time [[spoiler: Jake walked into one, everyone got killed, but Jake was thrown back in time, offered the chance to walk into said trap and said "screw it, lets go home".]]

* Parodies in ''{{Batman}}'' TV series where in one of the episodes Robin trips on death bee beehive trip wire which is clearly marked.

'''Atton:''' Could you lighten up for just one second?

'''[[DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm Mical]]:''' No, Atton, I think it may ''be'' a trap!\\
'''[[DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm Handmaiden]]:''' What are you talking about? It's obviously a trap.\\