History Main / UnexpectedKindness

* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', after Scrooge's redemption, Bob Cratchit comes into work late after promising to only take off half the day for Christmas. Scrooge pretends to be his miserly old self and punish Bob before revealing he instead wants to help him with his struggling family.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'' has the exchange between Gimli and Legolas at Helm's Deep.
--> '''Gimli''': ''Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an Elf''.
--> '''Legolas''': ''What about side by side with a friend?''
--> '''Gimli'''(clearly moved): ''Aye. That I could do.''

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': {{NPC}}s are ''frequently'', and [[JustifiedTrope understandably]], surprised when a Sith PlayerCharacter is nice to them. Many characters just don't know how to react to a Sith keeping their word or offering mercy or friendship. The lightside Sith Inquisitor PC is a frequent cause of this, and it even helps them recruit Ashara Zavros as a companion: while the Inquisitor ''is'' using her to get what they want (namely [[spoiler:access to the Taris Jedi Enclave so they can capture the ghost of one of her ancestors]]), they do it by keeping their word and being respectful, something her own Jedi Masters very much ''aren't'' doing.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': Bernadetta is a NervousWreck thanks to her AbusiveFather. A recurring feature of her [[OptionalCharacterScene support conversations]] is her thinking that an approaching character means to do her harm, only for them to do some small act of kindness, like returning a lost item, instead. Though even then, she has a tendency to misinterpret the other character's kindness as ploy to gain her trust so that they can betray her later (when she hasn't fled, fainted, or gotten too wrapped in her hysterics to notice in it first place).

A character is expecting an antagonistic action (which could be anything from an insult all the way up to murder) from another character, but is pleasantly surprised when the second character is kind to them instead.

* Invoked in the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2876777/1/Court-Martial-of-Hoshi-Sato Court Martial of Hoshi Sato]]'', where Hoshi thinks she's being court martialled, but [[spoiler:it was all a trick and she's actually being promoted]].

** In "The Undersea Twister", Deborah fears that Captain Barnacles might fire her because of their very heated argument the previous night. Inkling tells her he won't because he's such a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, and sure enough, he doesn't. While this in itself isn't kindness so much as a lack of meanness, Barnacles also hugs Deborah and and promises to give her a shoulder to lean on.

** When Lola tells Lincoln to "Stop right there!", he fears she will yell at him or attack him, since she's a BrattyHalfPint. She's actually offering to walk Charles for him.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Shrek}}'', Donkey is terrified when he sees Shrek for the first time, expecting to be killed and eaten, but Shrek instead saves him from the gaurds who were chasing him.

** In "Dog Days", Greg [[OutOfContextEavesdropping overhears Frank talking about giving someone away]] and wonders if he's talking about him. Later, he looks in Frank's schedule and finds that it has "Sell Greg" written in it (it's implied Rodrick wrote that). When Frank tells him to get in the car because he has a surprise for him, Greg panics and calls the cops on him. Then it's revealed that Frank was actually planning to take Greg to a baseball game and he even got front-row seats. However, Frank no longer has the energy to attend the game and gives their tickets to the cops. Also, Frank was going to [[UnsuccessfulPetAdoption give their dog Sweetie away]].

** Zigzagged with Aymer de Saltilieu. Tilla expects nothing good from him as he captures her red-handed when she's helping a prisoner of the de Saltilieus' to escape, and, moreover, he sees through her SweetPollyOliver disguise. However, he promises not to reveal the secret of her disguise to anyone. He tells her [[ScarpiaUltimatum he wants to sleep with her in exchange for letting her and her friends run away]], and she naturally has an OhCrap reaction. But then Aymer reveals he has his own reasons for letting them go and, though he does sleep with Tilla, he slowly seduces her via IntimateHealing (really treating her injuries on the way) until she consents. Tilla is sure he has some other dirty trick up his sleeve and is surprised that not only does he really let her and her friends escape, but in their future encounters he never mentions the whole ordeal to anyone and, in fact, makes sure to help Tilla and the rest of the pilgrim group in every way he can. Of course, Tilla still has ''very'' mixed feelings about him, and in the end of the book, though she is glad he survives the war in Castile unscathed, she is equally glad she will never see him again.
** Played straight with Peter. Throughout the whole book, he is a selfish, grumpy miser and occasionally a thief, whom everyone quietly despises. But after the group has a skirmish with bandits and Renata (''already'' a BrokenBird) gets gang-raped, he begins to care for her, to everybody's shock, even sharing his food with her (something that astonishes the pilgrims the most). Tilla muses that it's ironic that she used to think Peter was the worst of her companions and her friend Ambros the nicest, but now Peter has suddenly shown a friendly side and Ambros, also shaken by the bandit ordeal, has become withdrawn and gloomy.

* ''Literature/LesMiserables'': Former convict Jean Valjean is abused and untrusted even after serving all his sentence, so he becomes distrustful of anyone else. When a Bishop provides him food and shelter at his church, Jean steals the church?s silverware and flees but is caught by the police. He is brought back and expects to be turned in by the Bishop, but instead the priest claims he gave the silverware to Jean and gifts him a pair of silver candlesticks for good measure. Jean is so moved by the Bishop covering for his theft that he resolves to become a better man from then on.

** This cuts both ways. When Galadriel is providing gifts to the rest of the Fellowship, she realizes she has nothing for Gimli, and asks what he would ask of her. His answer, that the kindness and hospitality he had already recieved were more than enough, was so humble that she's momentarily taken aback, to the point that she has a command for the rest of Elfkind.

* In ''Literature/MyPosthumousAdventures'', Anna and the Big-Eared One, on their way to the outer CirclesOfHell, meet three other souls who demand they give them their bread. The three strangers fully expect them to fight back furiously, which is how the souls in Hell usually treat each other, and are absolutely dumbfounded when Anna (admittedly, after thinking of starting a fight) gives them three loaves of bread as a gift.

* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': Longtail had been Tigerclaw's crony and Fireheart's bully since they first met. When Fireheart is on a patrol with both Tigerclaw ''and'' Longtail, he's expecting them to try and kill him, like Tigerclaw had been attempting for moons. Fireheart falls into the river thanks to Tigerclaw's sabotage, and is surprised when Longtail goes through the trouble of saving his life. This is one of the first hints that Longtail is loyal to his Clan mates and is more trustworthy than Tigerclaw.
* In the children's book ''Who's Behind That Hat?'', Anika thinks her neighbour Amelia is a witch ([[ApopheniaPlot because she bought a broom, has a lump on her nose etc]]) and so when Anika falls over and Amelia walks up, the former thinks the latter will make her into stew. Instead, Amelia bandages up Anika's grazed leg.

--> '''The Doctor''': ''I'm not sure any of that matters. Friends. Enemies. As long as there's mercy. Always mercy.''

* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': In the episode "Christmas Joy", Gus and his parents find out about Shawn's fling with Gus' sister Joy. This leads to an argument where everyone is mad at one another, and Shawn leaves their house fearing that he ruined the night. When he returns to make amends however, it turns out that the Gusters have already made up and are no longer mad at Shawn - Gus happily invites him inside and his parents let him spend the night with Joy.

** The trope is [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] with Dan's father Ed. He brings the family expensive presents whenever he visits and is generally a warm, caring man. Dan, though, thinks his "nice guy" act is a facade, saying that Ed was [[WhenYouComingHomeDad constantly away from home]] when he was a child and that his gift-giving is just an attempt to buy his family's affections to make up for his absences. It's ultimately revealed that Dan is in the wrong, and that Ed's kindnesses are genuine, but Dan refuses to see things that way, creating tension between the two that is never truly resolved. Furthermore, many of Ed's long stints away from home were attempts to cover up his wife's severe mental illnesses, which Dan never knew about.

** In one skit, some cowboys and cowgirls (including Forgetful Jones's girlfriend Clementine) think the visiting cowboy Bad Bart will hurt or kill the bartender, since he mentioned giving him "what he deserves". Actually, Bart wanted to pay the bartender, since he forgot to earlier.

* One episode of ''Series/{{Taxi}}'' has a newly-rich Reverend Jim teach the rest of the crew about charity by granting each of them one thousand dollars on the condition that they immediately spend it on or share it with someone else. The cabbies agree, but suspect that [[BadBoss Louie]] will just keep his $1,000, so Louie offers to give it to Jeff, his junior dispatcher, who they all know. When Louie presents Jeff with the money, though, he refuses to take it, saying that it's obviously a trick because Louie isn't capable of genuine kindness. Louie's [[DidYouThinkICantFeel genuinely hurt by this]] and declares that he really did want to do something nice for Jeff, who he truly views as a friend.

** In ''Literature/BookOfRuth'', Ruth, as a Moabite woman, doesn't expect any warm welcome in Bethlehem, as the Jews and the Moabites are bitter enemies, and is overcome with gratitude ([[RescueRomance which soon leads to stronger feelings]]) when wealthy Jew Boaz not only allows her to glean in his fields but offers her protection and allows her to eat together with him and his reapers.

** Building on the above: while the phrase "GoodSamaritan" has become shorthand for "a stranger who helps out in a time of need", at the time of the famous parable, Samaritans and Jews were ''forbidden'' to interact with each other (the former were pagans who worshiped many gods and essentially broke every rule of the Hebrew faith). In the story, Jesus emphasizes that the first two men who pass by the injured man are a priest and a Levite, ostensibly the noblest and kindness people in Israel, while the Samaritan wouldn't be expected to get anywhere near a Jew under any circumstance. The fact that it is the Samaritan who saves the man's life and pays for his recovery would have been a TwistEnding in Jesus's own time, as the notion of a Samaritan helping a Jew was unheard of.

* In ''The Abduction from the Seraglio'' by Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Pasha Selim sentences the four main characters to death, because they have been trying to whisk his beloved Konstanze away from his harem (and Konstanze, also being among the sentenced, has agreed to be whisked away) and because Konstanze's fiance Belmonte is the son of Selim's bitterest enemy. However, at the last moment Selim changes his mind and lets the entire group go. Amazed, they say heartfelt farewells to him and join in a celebratory final chorus praising Selim and wishing him a long life.

** Throughout the game, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Team Skull]] have been nothing but bullies and jerks to the protagonists, even going so far as [[WouldHurtAChild hurt children]] to mess with them. Near the end, they show up once more to steal the team's "Relic Fragment", which is needed to help them save the world. However, after they're beaten up by Kabutops and his partners, they lie injured on the dungeon floor, and are approached by the player and their partner. In a rare moment, Skuntank returns the Relic Fragment and tells them to be careful. The player and their partner are shocked by this and thank them, and even his partners are surprised by this, referring to him as being a "big softie" deep down.

** And, of course, the most surprising moment of all, and perhaps the most heartwarming, is when Batman gives Harley the dress that she'd actually paid for at the end. She asks him why he stuck his neck out for her, when all she ever did was give him a hard time. His response explains his entire motivation for what he does, "[[DarkAndTroubledPast I had a bad day]], too, once."

** In "The Grass is Greener", Timmy (who has [[TheRunaway run away]]) sees his parents getting rid of his stuff and is hurt, thinking they're doing that because [[OutOfContextEavesdropping he's overheard them saying they can't buy expensive things because of him (though he's missed their statement that it doesn't matter since they still have Timmy).]] Actually, they're just going to replace his old belongings with nice, new stuff, and when Timmy gets home, he sees that they do miss him. Timmy's mother reveals to him that they bought new items for him, and both parents say they do love him.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Brian the Closer", Brian loses all his teeth thanks to Peter, and the family refuse to pay for new ones. When the despondant Brian encounters Quagmire (who he has a long-running emnity with), he expects Quagmire to insult him. Instead, Quagmire writes a cheque for Brian to get new teeth.

* Amity is constantly confused by Luz's attempts to befriend her in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Lost in Language", since all of their previous interactions resulted in Amity either getting in trouble or being publicly humiliated ([[NeverMyFault mostly due to her own actions rather than any malice on Luz's part]]). This confusion is further reinforced when she comes across Luz [[NotWhatItLooksLike apparently]] stealing her diary.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' episode "No Strings Attached," [[AlphaBitch the Ashleys]] offer Spinelli six front-row tickets to a major wrestling event in town. Spinelli and the rest of the Recess Gang suspect a trick and spend the whole day trying to figure out what the Ashleys are plotting. Eventually, Mikey and Gus decide that it's just them being nice and take the tickets, while Spinelli, T.J., Vince, and Gretchen continue their investigation. Unfortunately, after breaking into the Ashleys' secret clubhouse, the four discover that the girls genuinely ''did'' want to give Spinelli the tickets, as their "official code" declares that any gifts they don't want must be shared with someone else named Ashley--which is Spinelli's first name. The quartet ends up trapped in the clubhouse while Mikey, Gus, Miss Finster, and some kindergarteners have a blast at the wresting show.

* ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'': In "It's All Greek to Scooby", the crew thinks that a man with a scary face is the villain, since he's chasing them and yelling in Greek. Actually, he just wants to return Daphne's purse.

** Archie was often a StrawmanPolitical who had [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero offensive nicknames]] and degrading opinions about anyone who wasn't a white Anglo-Saxon like himself. However, over the course of the series, he developed good relationships with various minorities, including Lionel Jefferson (a Black man who he genuinely considered a friend), Beverly [=LaSalle=] (a gay DragQueen), the Lorenzos (an Italian-American couple), and Stretch Cunningham (who turned out to be Jewish, though Archie didn't know that until his funeral). Part of the appeal of the show was the demonstration that Archie's racist, sexist views were largely the result of ignorance rather than active malice, and that he was essentially a good guy with outdated, uninformed opinions and a [[FreudianExcuse horrible upbringing]] rather than a truly hateful individual.

* ''ComicBook/BatmanTheKillingJoke''. While it was ultimately rejected, never let it be said that Batman didn't offer The Joker a sincere, heartfelt effort to redeem him, even after he crippled Barbara Gordon and tried to drive Jim Gordon insane.

* ''ComicBooks/BatmanTheKillingJoke''. While it was ultimately rejected, never let it be said that Batman didn't offer The Joker a sincere, heartfelt effort to redeem him, even after he crippled Barbara Gordon and tried to drive Jim Gordon insane.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTgeRingsTheTwoTowers'' has the exchange between Gimli and Legolas at Helm's Deep.

** In turn, Veronica tells Harely, after she rescues her from a mobster who planned to ransom her, that if Harley got her out of it in one piece, she'd explain that it was a mistake. She also honors that agreement, when Harley is informed at Arkham that Ms. Vreeland won't be pressing charges.

** And, of course, the most surprising moment of all, and perhaps the most heartwarming, is when Batman gives Harley the dress that she'd actually paid for at the end. She asks him why he stuck his neck out for her, when all she ever did was give him a hard time. His response explains his entire motivation for what he does, "I had a bad day, too, once."

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Played with in one story arc; Calvin is terrified of how his father's going to react if he finds out that he accidentally wrecked his binoculars. When he ultimately comes clean, his father [[UnstoppableRage completely loses it and screams at him]], but he's quick to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realize he shouldn't have exploded like that]] and apologizes for overreacting. He also gives Calvin some binoculars of his own.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In "The Hunted", supersoldier Roga Danar is suspicious of Troi, since she describes herself as a "counsellor", and that was also the job title of a man who contributed to the conditioning that turned him into a killing machine. Troi, however, is nothing less than helpful to the guy and helps blow the whistle on how he and his brothers are treated by their society.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In one episode, a man is suspicious of Troi, since she describes herself as a "counsellor", and that was also the job title of a man who abused him. Troi, however, is nothing less than helpful to the guy.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has "The Zygon Inversion." The Twelfth Doctor delivers this in a speech. "You're all the same, you screaming kids. You know that? 'Look at me, I'm unforgivable.' Well, here's the unforeseeable. I forgive you. After all you've done, I forgive you."

* In ''WesternAnimation/CinderellaIIIATwistInTime'', Lady Tremaine uses the Fairy Godmother's wand to [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight rewrite history]] so Anastasia, and not Cinderella, fits the glass slipper and is taken to the castle to be Prince Charming's bride. While there, Anastasia, who's reinterpreted as a heartsick young woman who [[IJustWantToBeLoved just wants love]], ends up making a fool of herself repeatedly, as she's quite clumsy. She thinks the King will be mad at her (as her own mother has taken to abusing her with Cinderella being gone), but he's instead amused by her antics, as they remind him of his own late wife. The two genuinely bond, with the King granting her his most prized possession--a seashell from his and the Queen's first meeting--and Anastasia thanking him for his stories. [[spoiler: It's this kindness and respect that convinces Anastasia to pull a complete HeelFaceTurn and help Cinderella reunite with the Prince, which leads to another example of this trope: when she tries to return the seashell to the King, he instead presses it back into her hand with a smile and the words "''Everyone'' deserves true love."]]