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* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'' had a recent one to boot, [[spoiler: with Princess Sally being roboticized not long after Sonic had fixed a CosmicReboot and prevented her from being killed.]]
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** Happens at the end of "My Fair Goalie" to Football X-7 creator Professor Ross Efrop, who was forced into hiding when it was discovered his name was a palindrome, as the British at the time were very anti-palindrome. He is about to come back out when he's still shunned for his name being a palindrome.
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* For once, everything is going great for ''{{Carrie}}'' White at the prom. And then they dump pig's blood on her. [[UnstoppableRage Oops.]] Cue her psychic NoHoldsBarredBeatdown or CurbStompBattle, depending on whether you think it's justified or not.
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* ''{{Carrie}}'': For once, everything is going great for ''{{Carrie}}'' White Carrie at the prom. And then they dump pig's blood on her. [[UnstoppableRage Oops.]] Cue her psychic NoHoldsBarredBeatdown or CurbStompBattle, depending on whether you think it's justified or not.NoHoldsBarredBeatdown.
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* Often happens in ''{{Supernatural}}'' too but everyone knew all too well that as soon as Dean decided he didn't want to go to Hell in "Dream a Little Dream of Me", his fate as Hell's eventual bitch was sealed.
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* Often happens in ''{{Supernatural}}'' ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' too but everyone knew all too well that as soon as Dean decided he didn't want to go to Hell in "Dream a Little Dream of Me", his fate as Hell's eventual bitch was sealed.
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** In ''{{Dollhouse}}'', [[GeniusBreedingAct Topher and Bennett get together]] with an adorable kissing scene. In the midst of all that horrible badness, at least these two somewhat insane geniuses get to find some love and happiness togeth[[spoiler:wait what's Whiskey doing with that gun]] oh ''god damn it'' Joss you evil sonovabitch.
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** In ''{{Dollhouse}}'', [[GeniusBreedingAct [[PairTheSmartOnes Topher and Bennett get together]] with an adorable kissing scene. In the midst of all that horrible badness, at least these two somewhat insane geniuses get to find some love and happiness togeth[[spoiler:wait what's Whiskey doing with that gun]] oh ''god damn it'' Joss you evil sonovabitch.
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A side effect of StatusQuoIsGod. Frequently seen when HowWeGotHere and InMediasRes are used. Not to be confused with ForegoneConclusion. Compare LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the SnicketWarningLabel. Can be considered a sister trope to YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle. See also HopeSpot.
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A side effect of StatusQuoIsGod. Frequently seen when HowWeGotHere and InMediasRes are used. Not to be confused with ForegoneConclusion. Compare LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the SnicketWarningLabel. Can be considered a sister trope to YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle.YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle and WillTheyOrWontThey. See also HopeSpot.
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Farscape
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** Let alone the Season 4 finale where [[spoiler:a ship comes from nowhere to blast the main couple after they agree to get married.]]
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** Let alone the Season 4 finale where [[spoiler:a ship comes from nowhere to blast the main couple after they agree to get married.]]]] (This also yanked the chain for the viewers, as the show's cancellation had already been announced.)
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* Patchy got hit with this hard in a recent arc of ''LifeOfMaid''. After Patchy decides to [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/894658 get a new handheld, a Nintendo 3DS]], she comes short of the money needed to buy it and decides to go to Remilia for money. But instead of simply giving her the money like in a previous arc, [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/901527 she puts Patchy to work around the mansion]]. [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/907772 After working]] [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/916295 her ass off]], [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/928721 she finally gets her hands on it]] -- but just [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/950671 two strips later]], she leaves the 3DS unattended to use the little girl's room, only to have it get [[spoiler:eaten by Yuyuko, who mistakes the chicken in the [[CookingMama "Cooking Papa"]] game she was playing for the real deal]].
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* Patchy got hit with this hard in a recent arc one of ''LifeOfMaid''.the arcs of ''Webcomic/LifeOfMaid''. After Patchy decides to [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/894658 get a new handheld, a Nintendo 3DS]], she comes short of the money needed to buy it and decides to go to Remilia for money. But instead of simply giving her the money like in a previous arc, [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/901527 she puts Patchy to work around the mansion]]. [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/907772 After working]] [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/916295 her ass off]], [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/928721 she finally gets her hands on it]] -- but just [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/950671 two strips later]], she leaves the 3DS unattended to use the little girl's room, only to have it get [[spoiler:eaten by Yuyuko, who mistakes the chicken in the [[CookingMama "Cooking Papa"]] game she was playing for the real deal]].
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A side effect of StatusQuoIsGod. Frequently seen when HowWeGotHere and InMediasRes are used. Not to be confused with ForegoneConclusion. Compare LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the SnicketWarningLabel. Can be considered a sister trope to NotSoFastBucko. See also HopeSpot.
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A side effect of StatusQuoIsGod. Frequently seen when HowWeGotHere and InMediasRes are used. Not to be confused with ForegoneConclusion. Compare LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the SnicketWarningLabel. Can be considered a sister trope to NotSoFastBucko.YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle. See also HopeSpot.
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* The ''XiaolinShowdown'' episode "Omitown" had Omi thinking he found his long-lost parents, only to learn at the end that they were fakes created by the show's BigBad.
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* The ''XiaolinShowdown'' ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' episode "Omitown" had Omi thinking he found his long-lost parents, only to learn at the end that they were fakes created by the show's BigBad.
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* ''[[{{Anime/ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]''. Raise your hand if you were rooting for [[TeamRocketWins James to beat Ash]] in the Hoenn Pokeringer competition. [[spoiler:Poor guy got it yanked by a totally unforeseeable EleventhHourSuperpower, too.]]
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* ''[[{{Anime/ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]''.''{{Anime/Pokemon}}''. Raise your hand if you were rooting for [[TeamRocketWins James to beat Ash]] in the Hoenn Pokeringer competition. [[spoiler:Poor guy got it yanked by a totally unforeseeable EleventhHourSuperpower, too.]]
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* Happens repeatedly on ''{{The Fairly OddParents}}'' to almost everyone. One instance is when Timmy had finally undone all of [[JackassGenie Norm's]] tricks, [[TheLibby Trixie]], who had been brainwashed to fall in love with several Timmy Turners, has finally showed up, deciding to give "the biggest, wettest kiss" to Timmy... only to have it wear off then.
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* Happens repeatedly on ''{{The Fairly OddParents}}'' to almost everyone. One instance is when Timmy had finally undone all of [[JackassGenie Norm's]] tricks, [[TheLibby [[AlphaBitch Trixie]], who had been brainwashed to fall in love with several Timmy Turners, has finally showed up, deciding to give "the biggest, wettest kiss" to Timmy... only to have it wear off then.
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* Sometimes, the pirates in ''{{Asterix}}'' think they can actually take down the ship they see. [[OrIsIt Or Can They?]] Nope! ''They'' are on board. It can be Phoenician, Egyptian, or Roman, but it's all the same.
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* Sometimes, the pirates in ''{{Asterix}}'' think they can actually take down the ship they see. [[OrIsIt Or Can They?]] They? Nope! ''They'' are on board. It can be Phoenician, Egyptian, or Roman, but it's all the same.
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* One episode of ''{{Smallville}}'' had Clark finally tell Lana his secret and propose to her at the same time. That was the teaser! She accepts the proposal, Jonathan Kent wins the state senate seat, beating Lex Luthor and everything seems perfect up til the 30 minute mark when [[spoiler: Lana is killed in a car accident caused by Lex trying to get Clark's secret out of her. Clark gets Jor-El to rewind time, ignoring his warning that the universe would find someone else to die if he saves Lana. Clark doesn't tell Lana his secret, Jonathan still wins the senate seat but ends up dying of a heart attack.]]
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** In the show's final episode B.J. is (mistakenly) given his discharge papers, and Col. Potter allows him to leave anyway. B.J. makes it as far as Guam before he's yanked back to the 4077th. (However, he does ultimately get to go home - along with everybody else - when the war ends shortly thereafter.)
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Trapper actually didn\'t get discharged in that episode; he was Put On A Bus (offscreen) between seasons after actor Wayne Rogers quit the show.
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** And of course, season three's finale has both Trapper and Blake getting discharged and finally getting to go home. What happened next was a [[TropeNamer trope-naming]] [[McLeaned moment]].
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** And of course, season three's finale has both Trapper and Henry Blake getting discharged and finally getting to go home. What happened next was a [[TropeNamer trope-naming]] [[McLeaned moment]].
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* ''PowerRangersRPM''. As Dr K finally begins to warm up to the rangers, she makes a point at the start of one episode, of calling each ranger by name instead of codename as well as expressing the qualities she likes about them... except for Ziggy. Poor Ziggy spends the rest of his screen time of that episode trying to get her to admit that he's not a bad guy and can be useful to the team (as he proves at one point). Finally at the end, as she's giving everyone their debriefing, she walks up to him, smiling warmly at him, clearly about to finally acknowledge his contributions... and the alarm rings signaling another attack.
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* ''PowerRangersRPM''.''Series/PowerRangersRPM''. As Dr K finally begins to warm up to the rangers, she makes a point at the start of one episode, of calling each ranger by name instead of codename as well as expressing the qualities she likes about them... except for Ziggy. Poor Ziggy spends the rest of his screen time of that episode trying to get her to admit that he's not a bad guy and can be useful to the team (as he proves at one point). Finally at the end, as she's giving everyone their debriefing, she walks up to him, smiling warmly at him, clearly about to finally acknowledge his contributions... and the alarm rings signaling another attack.
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* The XiaolinShowdown episode ''Omitown'' had Omi thinking he found his long-lost parents, only to learn at the end that they were fakes created by the show's BigBad.
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* The XiaolinShowdown ''XiaolinShowdown'' episode ''Omitown'' "Omitown" had Omi thinking he found his long-lost parents, only to learn at the end that they were fakes created by the show's BigBad.
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* {{Series/Merlin]]. Oh my God, [[TheWoobie Merlin]]. He's reunited with his childhood friend who knows about and accepts his magical powers? He dies. He falls in love with a pretty Druid girl? She dies. At long last, [[spoiler:he meets his [[DisappearedDad father]]]]? He dies. Arthur begins to think that maybe, just maybe, Uther's wrong and magic isn't inherently evil? Merlin has to lie through his teeth and convince him otherwise in order to stop him from murdering his own father. Pretty much every time something significantly nice happens to Merlin, he gets the rug yanked out from under him.
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* {{Series/Merlin]].{{Series/Merlin}}. Oh my God, [[TheWoobie Merlin]]. He's reunited with his childhood friend who knows about and accepts his magical powers? He dies. He falls in love with a pretty Druid girl? She dies. At long last, [[spoiler:he meets his [[DisappearedDad father]]]]? He dies. Arthur begins to think that maybe, just maybe, Uther's wrong and magic isn't inherently evil? Merlin has to lie through his teeth and convince him otherwise in order to stop him from murdering his own father. Pretty much every time something significantly nice happens to Merlin, he gets the rug yanked out from under him.
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* {{Series/Merlin]]. Oh my God, [[TheWoobie Merlin]]. He's reunited with his childhood friend who knows about and accepts his magical powers? He dies. He falls in love with a pretty Druid girl? She dies. At long last, [[spoiler:he meets his [[DisappearedDad father]]]]? He dies. Arthur begins to think that maybe, just maybe, Uther's wrong and magic isn't inherently evil? Merlin has to lie through his teeth and convince him otherwise in order to stop him from murdering his own father. Pretty much every time something significantly nice happens to Merlin, he gets the rug yanked out from under him.
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* Squidward from ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}''. Sure he's [[TedBaxter an egomaniac]] and a jerk, but [[ButtMonkey you kinda feel sorry for him after a while]].
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* Squidward from ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}''. Sure he's [[TedBaxter [[SmallNameBigEgo an egomaniac]] and a jerk, but [[ButtMonkey you kinda feel sorry for him after a while]].
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*** Torchwood LOVES this trope. A few episodes into ''Miracle Day'' Dr. Juarez decides to officially join up with Team Torchwood. It even looks like Rex might start to take their relationship a little more seriously...[[spoiler: so at the end of the episode she gets shot. Twice. And burned alive. IN FRONT OF REX.]]
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* The XiaolinShowdown episode ''Omitown'' had Omi thinking he found his long-lost parents, only to learn at the end that they were fakes created by the show's BigBad.
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That, right there, is the feeling and painful acknowledgment by the GenreSavvy viewer that {{Failure Is the Only Option}}. Why? Because TheWoobie is ''not'' going to get to keep her money and move out of PerpetualPoverty. JamesBond will ''not'' stay HappilyMarried to the [[GirlOfTheWeek Girl of the Movie]] because of the CartwrightCurse. The home that TheDrifter has been accepted into will promptly become a DoomedHometown. SamuraiJack will give up the most recent {{Phlebotinum}} to return to his home time and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong in order to save the helpful villagers nearby. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] will make it to the Top 4 of the [[SeasonFinale Season Finale's]] TournamentArc only to lose to a random CanonSue with OlympusMons. [[{{Peanuts}} Lucy]] will yank the football away once again just as Charlie Brown is about to kick it. And deep down, we know it and expect it.
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That, right there, is the feeling and painful acknowledgment by the GenreSavvy viewer that {{Failure Is the Only Option}}. Why? Because TheWoobie is ''not'' going to get to keep her money and move out of PerpetualPoverty. JamesBond will ''not'' stay HappilyMarried to the [[GirlOfTheWeek Girl of the Movie]] because of the CartwrightCurse. The home that TheDrifter has been accepted into will promptly become a DoomedHometown. SamuraiJack will give up the most recent {{Phlebotinum}} to return to his home time and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong in order to save the helpful villagers nearby. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] will make it to the Top 4 of the [[SeasonFinale Season Finale's]] TournamentArc only to lose to a random CanonSue with who owns OlympusMons. [[{{Peanuts}} Lucy]] will yank the football away once again just as Charlie Brown is about to kick it. And deep down, we know it and expect it.
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Clever writers can cause viewers quite a bit of tension and suspense this way, since we know the good turn can't last and that ''something'' will inevitably come to take it away. Hacks will merely cause viewers to bash in a new window and [[FanDisillusionment abandon a series in frustration]].
to:
Clever writers can cause viewers quite a bit of tension and suspense this way, since we know the good turn can't last and that ''something'' will inevitably come to take it away. Hacks will merely [[FanDisillusionment cause viewers to bash in a new window and [[FanDisillusionment and]] [[RageQuit abandon a series in frustration]].
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* Sometimes, the pirates in ''{{Asterix}}'' think they can actually take down the ship they see. [[OrIsIt Or Can They?]] Nope! ''They'' are on board. It can be Phoenician, Egyptian, or Roman, but it's all the same.
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* The season 3 finale of ''{{Farscape}}'' has the good guys scoring a major victory after a HeroicSacrifice by a couple of important secondary characters. And then you see there's ten minutes left, and ''imagining'' what's going to happen with Crichton and Aeryn's relationship is painful...
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* The season 3 finale of ''{{Farscape}}'' ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' has the good guys scoring a major victory after a HeroicSacrifice by a couple of important secondary characters. And then you see there's ten minutes left, and ''imagining'' what's going to happen with Crichton and Aeryn's relationship is painful...
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* ''BattlestarGalactica'' is full of those. In the mid-series finale of season 4 [[spoiler:they finally make a truce with some Cylons and make it to Earth 3 minutes before the end - and in those 3 minutes it is revealed that Earth is a nuclear wasteland.]]
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* ''BattlestarGalactica'' ''[[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined Battlestar Galactica]]'' is full of those. In the mid-series finale of season 4 [[spoiler:they finally make a truce with some Cylons and make it to Earth 3 minutes before the end - and in those 3 minutes it is revealed that Earth is a nuclear wasteland.]]
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** Then there's poor Candace. OnceAnEpisode she'll have solid proof of her brothers' schemes, only to find that it's vanished or ruined when she shows her mother. Other times, any special moment with Jeremy will be interrupted by something (possibly just by Candace herself), and any attempt to impress him will backfire in a humiliating fashion.
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** Then there's poor Candace. OnceAnEpisode she'll have solid proof of her brothers' schemes, schemes (which actually shares fun and joy to the neighborhood more than it harms), only to find that it's vanished or ruined when she shows her mother. Other times, any special moment with Jeremy will be interrupted by something (possibly just by Candace herself), and any attempt to impress him will backfire in a humiliating fashion.
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** Lest we forget about Asuka. She wakes up from a ConvenientComa in the movie and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome brings the awesome]] by going into combat within 5 minutes of getting out. She wipes out a whole army, so they send in these 9 [[FanNickname Har]][[EldritchAbomination pies]]. She only has 3 and a half minutes of battery power and a progressive knife against a nearly impossible to break AT Field, They have no pilots (so they can't be incapacitated as easily) and a copy of the best weapon in the series. Asuka wins before she runs out of time. But the result is [[{{understatement}} just]] [[NauseaFuel really]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel awful]]. She gets [[EyeScream speared through the eye]], her guts ripped open, and ''eaten alive'' while the poor girl is desperately trying to fight back. Then, it looks like it's going to get better as she is [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome STILL ALIVE]] despite having endured all of this. She reaches for the berserker mode button to reactivate the Eva and go back to kicking ass... but then they slice off her arm and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale her repeatedly]] until she dies.
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** Lest we forget about Asuka. She wakes up from a ConvenientComa in the movie and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome brings the awesome]] by going into combat within 5 minutes of getting out. She wipes out a whole army, so they send in these 9 [[FanNickname Har]][[EldritchAbomination pies]]. She only has 3 and a half minutes of battery power and a progressive knife against a nearly impossible to break AT Field, They have no pilots (so they can't be incapacitated as easily) and a copy of the best weapon in the series. Asuka wins before she runs out of time. But the result is [[{{understatement}} just]] [[NauseaFuel really]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel awful]]. She gets [[EyeScream speared through the eye]], her guts ripped open, and ''eaten alive'' while the poor girl is desperately trying to fight back. Then, it looks like it's going to get better as she is [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome STILL ALIVE]] despite having endured all of this. She reaches for the berserker mode button to reactivate the Eva and go back to kicking ass... but then they slice off her arm and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale her repeatedly]] until she dies.
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Swapping ptitle and redirect
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[[redirect:{{ptitlejuo42dwg}}]]
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[[caption-width-right:355:[[RunningGag He never learns.]]]]
->'''Sokka:''' Well Aang, because when I'm being pursued by people who want to kill me, I'd rather throw them off by walking through a dense forest than ''fly through an empty sky on a giant freaking bison!''\\
'''Katara:''' That may make sense, but since you're trying to be the leader, I'm guessing this is gonna fail horribly.\\
'''Sokka:''' Oh c'mon, [[TemptingFate the writers don't hate me that muuuu....]]
-->-- ''AvatarTheAbridgedSeries''
Hooray! The ButtMonkey has finally had [[ThrowTheDogABone something go right]] for once in their unhappy life! And with [[SnicketWarningLabel twenty minutes to spare]], we're sure to see [[TooHappyToLive their new joyful existence play out for the rest of the episode]]... [[TemptingFate right?]]
That, right there, is the feeling and painful acknowledgment by the GenreSavvy viewer that {{Failure Is the Only Option}}. Why? Because TheWoobie is ''not'' going to get to keep her money and move out of PerpetualPoverty. JamesBond will ''not'' stay HappilyMarried to the [[GirlOfTheWeek Girl of the Movie]] because of the CartwrightCurse. The home that TheDrifter has been accepted into will promptly become a DoomedHometown. SamuraiJack will give up the most recent {{Phlebotinum}} to return to his home time and SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong in order to save the helpful villagers nearby. [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]] will make it to the Top 4 of the [[SeasonFinale Season Finale's]] TournamentArc only to lose to a random CanonSue with OlympusMons. [[{{Peanuts}} Lucy]] will yank the football away once again just as Charlie Brown is about to kick it. And deep down, we know it and expect it.
While the permutations are endless, the result is the same: writers YankTheDogsChain, keeping [[ThrowTheDogABone the bone]] just out of reach, making even the simplest goals seem like {{Tragic Dream}}s.
Clever writers can cause viewers quite a bit of tension and suspense this way, since we know the good turn can't last and that ''something'' will inevitably come to take it away. Hacks will merely cause viewers to bash in a new window and [[FanDisillusionment abandon a series in frustration]].
A side effect of StatusQuoIsGod. Frequently seen when HowWeGotHere and InMediasRes are used. Not to be confused with ForegoneConclusion. Compare LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the SnicketWarningLabel. Can be considered a sister trope to NotSoFastBucko. See also HopeSpot.
Despite how obvious they can be, there are spoilers below, so '''BEWARE SPOILERS.'''
----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Advertising]]
* ''Trix''. [[CerealViceReward Poor, poor Trix Rabbit.]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plmFkZHjt6Y This]] commercial is probably the most cruel instance.
*** That's not so bad. He could just go out and buy more milk later. Unless those little bastards also keep him from getting milk too. I wouldn't put it past them.
** There's also the one where the Rabbit dresses up like a kid, ''pays'' for a box of Trix, then the [[strike: kids]] little abominations knock off his hat and steal the Trix.
** And the one where he wins a figure-skating competition for a box, and the kids steal both the Trix AND the trophy.
** There was also one where kids could vote on whether or not the Rabbit could have some Trix. He wins the election and the kids STILL wouldn't let him have any.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''{{Trigun}}'': This happens to Vash the Stampede all the bloody time. The cause of this can easily be traced back to the BigBad constantly holding onto the chain. ''[[BreakTheCutie Hard.]]''
* ''NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
** Shinji... poor, poor Shinji. Specific example: That kind, charming young boy without any debilitating emotional trauma who actually cares for you? [[spoiler:He's actually an Angel, and you have to kill him]]. Sorry. As well as mid-series, where he begins to get some confidence, it seems that he has some chance to reconcile with his dad, and he feels in general a bit more like the hero of a giant robot series -- needless to say, it doesn't last.
** Lest we forget about Asuka. She wakes up from a ConvenientComa in the movie and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome brings the awesome]] by going into combat within 5 minutes of getting out. She wipes out a whole army, so they send in these 9 [[FanNickname Har]][[EldritchAbomination pies]]. She only has 3 and a half minutes of battery power and a progressive knife against a nearly impossible to break AT Field, They have no pilots (so they can't be incapacitated as easily) and a copy of the best weapon in the series. Asuka wins before she runs out of time. But the result is [[{{understatement}} just]] [[NauseaFuel really]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel awful]]. She gets [[EyeScream speared through the eye]], her guts ripped open, and ''eaten alive'' while the poor girl is desperately trying to fight back. Then, it looks like it's going to get better as she is [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome STILL ALIVE]] despite having endured all of this. She reaches for the berserker mode button to reactivate the Eva and go back to kicking ass... but then they slice off her arm and [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impale her repeatedly]] until she dies.
* ''CodeGeass'' did this close to the end of the first season: Euphemia manages to talk Lelouch out of his plan to [[spoiler:start a revolt by making it look like she killed him]], and for [[HopeSpot a few seconds]] it looks like there's going to be peace... [[spoiler:and then Lelouch [[PowerIncontinence loses control of his Geass at the worst possible moment]] and accidentally orders Euphemia to start massacring Japanese people. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Which she does.]]]] Oops.
* [[TheWoobie Lithuania]] of ''AxisPowersHetalia'' has this happen to him often, often due to being a {{Horrible Judge of Character}} and also just being downright unlucky in everything.
** [[NaiveEverygirl Ukraine]]'s ''entire existence'' seems to be a long line of these.
* Light Yagami of ''DeathNote''. Several different times, each involving some Death Note XanatosRoulette. Though frankly, [[KnightTemplar his chain can't be yanked hard enough]].
* ''{{Gantz}}'', so Kurono is freed from the Gantz Room, grown into a heroic, admirable person, and his girlfriend, the woman he loves, has been brought back to life. Sounds nice right? [[spoiler:Except Gantz took both their memories so they no longer remember one another, Kurono is back to how he was pre-Gantz, a cowardly JerkAss, and vampires have sent a kill team after him. They succeed in murdering him, but not before showing him his younger brother's severed head first]].
** To be fair, [[spoiler:he never completely reverts. As his memories and battle experience leaks back, he gets a moment of awesome when he managed to take out a few vampires using nothing but items he has in his room.]]
* In ''{{Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai}}'', Rika arrives in a Hinamizawa where [[spoiler:all her friends have vague memories of past universes, and where Rika confides in them about how she's going to be killed]]. Due to the episode number that there was no way they could make this stretch the entire series. This didn't make it any less depressing when, [[spoiler: after beating up several of the Yamainu and charging to take over a car, Keiichi gets shot in what would be the first of all their deaths.]]
** ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei'' takes this to a new level of dickery: [[spoiler:Rika has successfully gotten to the bottom of the Hinamizawa Disaster, and stopped the BigBad. As the fateful summer finally passes she has just enjoyed a peaceful day at the pool with her friends... And then she's run over by a truck. She awakens back in Hinamizawa. The GroundhogDayLoop is still in effect... And ''this'' time around, all the rules of the game have changed. For one, Keiichi isn't around anymore.]]
*** [[spoiler:She gets better. It was either a dream, a flashback/hallucination to another Rika in another world, or she died and was brought back to the previous world (the one she died in.]]
* ''{{Anime/Monster}}''. If it ever looks like things will be clearing up for any bleak-lifed supporting character in this series, you know something ''horribly wrong'' is about to happen to them. Usually, [[CompleteMonster Johan]] is to blame.
** The worst is probably [[spoiler:Richard Braun]]. If you didn't hate Johan or see him as the CompleteMonster he is by that point, you probably did right after that.
** Even poor Roberto, Johan's worshipper and probably the character we least symphathize with, is [[spoiler:totally snubbed at the end of the series on his deathbed when Johan denies him the right to see the [[AfterTheEnd Scenery for a Doomsday]] that he's so looked forward to]].
* In ''{{Ode to Kirihito}}'', Kirihito and Reira finally appear to be on way to Japan having escaped numerous gut-wrenching hardships along the way. There's even another Japanese guy on the plane, [[spoiler:who promptly decides that the bandages Kirihito wears are to hide the fact that he's an Israeli spy, and he calls Arab fundamentalists to sell Kirihito off. Except he isn't. The Arabs decide to kill everyone there for wasting their time, and they're only "saved" because ''another'' extremist group starts attacking the first one. "Saved", as in, now they get to wander around a desert in the middle of nowhere meeting, among other things, a baby that's starving to death]].
* In Chapter 16 of ''{{Uzumaki}},'' rescue ships arrive to rescue the protagonists. [[http://www.onemanga.com/Uzumaki/16/26/ Guess what happens next. Go ahead. Guess.]]
* In the FlashBack episode 24 of ''{{xxxHOLiC}}'', then twelve year old Watanuki makes a friend who can also see spirits. Of course, we know that in the pilot he was friendless and ghost besieged for most of his teen years, so his happiness becomes heartbreaking since we know it can't end well. The friend is ultimately lost to paranormal circumstances in something of a HeroicSacrifice. It's ultimately a HappyEnding because it finishes with his birthday being attended by his four new friends in the cherry grove he met his young friend.
* ''{{Bleach}}'' loves doing this, [[BreakTheCutie especially to poor Orihime]]. Want to fight? Cue dramatic determination followed by the destruction of your attack abilities! Want to get some training? Not a chance, without your attack powers you're useless! You've trained anyways, so now you want to help fight? [[spoiler:Sorry, but if you don't [[SadisticChoice surrender and defect to the enemy, your friends will all die horrible deaths]]! But look, Ichigo's beaten Grimmjow and now all of you can go back... NOT! Guess what? You were kidnapped solely to lure your friends and allies into coming to rescue you so that your home would be left unprotected! And look who's there with his laser-blasting finger pressed against your chest while he scoffs over your speech about [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove your heart!]] Oh, hey, seems like you've been rescued again... or the two lurking behind you could be readying for an attack. But look, [[BigDamnHeroes Ishida joins the fray]], and you two are going up to help Ichigo, [[ObliviousToLove who you just so happen to be in love with]]. Well, what do you know? [[TheDragon Ulquiorra]] was waiting for you to show up so that he could blast a hole in his chest! And Ishida? He lost a hand. Wait, Ichigo's back... as a nearly mindless [[TheHeartless Hollow]] with the only goal being to protect you. Plus he just stabbed Ishida because he interfered in mutilating Ulquoirra's corpse, which made him view him as an obstacle in protecting you.]]
** And we mustn't forget that poor Ishida is as much of a ButtMonkey as Orihime is. Hey, you're a Quincy, which is cool, right? Nope! Because [[MadScientist Mayuri Kurotsuchi the maniac scientist]] killed off most of your clan, including your grandpa! But at least there's this girl you like, right? Wrong! She's in love with [[ChasteHero Ichigo]] who doesn't even know she likes him! Oh man, you have to fight that scientist dude, so you pull your ultimate technique which [[spoiler:makes you lose all your powers!]] But don't worry, daddy is here to help, except that he has to [[spoiler:shoot you eighteen millimeters from your heart.]] Worked up the courage to tell that girl you like her yet? Oh, wait! She [[spoiler:just got kidnapped!]] So, just follow the hero blindly into a place you have absolutely no knowledge about! GASP! Another MadScientist has shown up, and you're about to die! Oh, it's okay, because [[spoiler:you get rescued by your worst nemesis, the scientist!]] Not to mention that the method he uses to heal his daughter [[NauseaFuel will scar you for life]]. Look out, some weirdo creature is attacking Orihime! You try to save her, except [[spoiler:your arm gets cut off!]] So yeah, poor Ishida doesn't have it that easy either.
** Poor [[WorfEffect Chad]] also receives this during the Hueco Mundo Arc, as he managed to win a fight against a named opponent by effectively showcasing his new powers. Chad has enough resolve to feel that he will be successful in Hueco Mundo... [[CurbStompBattle until Nnoitra showed up.]] That scene is another strong example that Chad is a Main Event jobber namely on how he can handle nameless {{Mooks}} and secondary named opponents but anytime he comes up against a remotely prominent opponent, well... let's just say he was on the floor for quite a while after that scene. In fact the [=GameFAQs=] Adult Swim Anime board once summed up the scene like this.
-->'''Chad:''' Now that I have won this fight I shall no longer be a jobber!\\
'''Nnoitra:''' LOL, no.
** [[TheWoobie Momo Hinamori]]. Oh, so you want to forever serve the man you practically are in love with? How nice... except oh no, he's suddenly dead and you've just found his corpse maimed and pinned to a wall! And after you try to attack the captain you're utterly convinced that did it, you get arrested! But wait, they found a letter from Aizen, revealing the killer's true identity... too bad that happens to be your childhood best friend, Toshiro Hitsugaya! So wracked with grief, you break out of your cell and try to kill ''him'', only to be knocked out soon after; when you do wake up, you follow him around, go to a part of the Soul Society inaccessible to even captain-level shinigami where you find the person you originally tried to kill, but what's this? He says there's someone who wants to meet you! And standing right behind you is ''your captain, perfectly alive.'' You immediately hug him and start to cry, because you're so happy he's alive and well and-- wait a minute, did he just stab you? Hahahah, guess what, ''you've just been betrayed and the man you idolized was all just a lie''. Have fun being stuck in a coma for the next 40 or so chapters and remaining in extremely heavy denial when you wake up! When all of that's done, you remain out of the picture for a while [[spoiler:until chapter 334, where, hooray, you've made a [[BigDamnHeroes spectacular comeback]] saving Matsumoto, hopefully over the trauma of the whole Aizen ordeal! Erm, not quite: you still refer to him as "Captain Aizen," but hey, you're gonna kick some ass and show every actions speak louder than words, right? Well, not really... despite fending off three Fraccion, you get owned by some freaky chimaera thing and guess what, no redeeming moment for you! ''[[SarcasmMode But lucky you, it gets even better!]]'' Cue about 60 chapters later and you make a return... except, once again, you've been ''stabbed again'', by -- get ready for this -- ''your best friend, Hitsugaya''. Have fun getting over that one!]] Oh, and did we mention you're one of the most hated characters in the Western fandom, for ''all'' of that happening to you? Yeah, it's really fun to be you, isn't it?
* In ''RanmaOneHalf'', the Jusenkyō-cursed individuals frequently have cures dangled in front of them (especially frequently in some of the anime's filler episodes). For example, one episode has Ryōga and Shampoo using a special "waterproof soap" that turns out to work only temporarily. And then there are the countless times it seems like someone could get a trip to the springs, but then it turns out to be fake, or in one case [[NoSenseOfDirection Ryôga]] gets it and doesn't know how to get there. The most downright cruel example, though, occurs [[spoiler:at the end of the series, when Sōun Tendō has secured the last remaining cask of water from "Spring of Drowned Man" as a wedding gift for Ranma. Well, we say "secured", we mean "stole the gift that the Jusenkyō Guide sent as a thank you to Ranma for saving his daughter, with the intention of blackmailing Ranma and possibly Akane into going along with the wedding". Happōsai, mistaking it for booze, ''drinks'' it before ''any'' of the several people after it can actually use it.]]
** The anime has one of these that almost might approach the end of the manga in cruelty. [[spoiler:The Jusenkyō Guide comes to Japan because this is a special day, a day in which a certain body of water can be connected to Jusenkyō's base water, allowing it to be turned into an extension of whichever spring is desired. The lucky body of water is none other than the Tendō's koi pond, which means that every cursed person in Nerima can get cured -- even Shampoo, as once the ritual is complete the Guide can freely change the pond from Spring of Drowned Guy to Spring of Drowned Girl or whatever is desired. The episode leads up to the climax of the ceremony, everyone is literally a few seconds away from being cured... and what happens? Ryōga trips and breaks the rope, canceling the spell before anyone can get cured -- and what's more this ritual can't be repeated for another '''thousand years'''. And then the Jusenkyō Guide wanders back home before anyone can think of tagging along, or asking him to send them back some Nanniichuan.]]
* Tsunade, from ''{{Naruto}}'', almost always loses when she makes a bet, but when she wins, she takes it as a sign that something bad is going to happen.
* ''[[{{Anime/ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]''. Raise your hand if you were rooting for [[TeamRocketWins James to beat Ash]] in the Hoenn Pokeringer competition. [[spoiler:Poor guy got it yanked by a totally unforeseeable EleventhHourSuperpower, too.]]
** Speaking of Ash, you'd think the writers would give him a good run in a league conference for once, now that [[TheRival Paul]] was repaid his own jerkhood by the Chimchar (now Infernape) he dumped. As much heat as [[StopHavingFunGuys Smogon]] gets for their behavior, they deserve to feel vindicated after [[spoiler:Ash is put up against Takuto, who paves the poor kid 6-2 with a Darkrai and a Latios, the latter of which was double-KOd alongside Pikachu]]. Fans are screaming DiabolusExMachina, and for good reasons -- [[TheyJustDidntCare are the writers even trying anymore?]]
* Joey/Jou from ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}'' makes a sudden comeback against Yami Malik in their Dark Duel in the Battle City Finals when he pulls out Gilford the Lightning and has him on the ropes. Yami Malik manages to hold out once again, but apparently has nothing else up his sleeve, with nothing left on the field or his hand, so our hero is in the clear, finally about to be the hero for once and save the damsel, Mai, from her [[MindRape fate]], right? Things seem to be looking that way, as the following turn, Yami Malik draws Monster Reborn, with nothing powerful on its own in his grave to stand up to Gilford, including Ra at this point, since that would require a tribute summon to get any ATK points. So he's basically reviving a [[MemeticMutation giant flaming chicken]] with no attack points, except that it turns out that it has an EleventhHourSuperpower that destroys Gilford and, in this very situation, shocks the controller of said monster into death, and... OhCrap. Sure enough, things go as predicted, except that as the smoke clears, our hero is NotQuiteDead, and is good to make another move, with Yami Malik's Ra leaving the field. All he needs is a monster with enough attack to finish Yami Malik off, and he draws Gearfried, summons it, and is just about to declare an attack until...he collapses and as such is disqualified.
* For another ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}'' example (this one from season zero), Jonouchi enters a game show to win a million yen so he can pay off his father's debts. In traditional ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}'' style, the host of the game show is a [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat Cheating Bastard]], and rigs the game so Jonouchi can't possibly win. Yugi helps out by [[MindRape Mind Raping]] the host, allowing Jonouchi to win the money. Of course, [[spoiler: the check ends up being no good anyways]].
* ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' has a particularly {{Mood Whiplash}}y example: right after the TimeSkip, we learn that [[spoiler:Simon proposed to Nia, and we see her accept via phone]]. Right after we see this, [[spoiler:her Anti-Spiral nature takes over and forces her into a FaceHeelTurn.]] Ouch.
** Then [[spoiler:the Anti-Spirals attack, threatening to eliminate the human race]], and none other than [[spoiler:Rossiu, Simon's NumberTwo in the new government]] goes all WellIntentionedExtremist and uses Simon as a scapegoat (to be fair, [[spoiler:Simon defeating Lordgenome is [[NiceJobBreakingItHero what caused the Anti-Spiral attacks]]]]), having him thrown in jail to be executed.
** [[spoiler:The Anti-Spirals refer to this trope as "Ultimate Despair," and their goal is to do this to all Spiral Races.]] [[AvertedTrope It doesn't quite work.]]
* Almost the simplest one of the anime examples, ''HayateTheCombatButler'''s title character, [[spoiler:meets up with the girl that he's (apparently) loved for the last ten years. You save her from the ''honored spirit'' inhabiting her body. She tells you she loves you too. Things are going to be happy now. No. She leaves you as you tell her you have to return to your master and you're left with the impression that you won't see her again.]]
** Then again, [[spoiler: she]] only told him to do it because he was torn between the two choices presented, and [[spoiler: she knew that he'll come to blame himself for whatever happens after that since it would have been his choice. That's why she made that choice for him, in a rather sad example of IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy.]]
* ''{{Kaiji}}'' plays this ''brutally'' with [[spoiler:Sahara's death. After making his way across the bridge of death, he finally prepares to open the door to cash in on the price money... Only to be blown off the building by the air compression blast from the window towards a certain death]]. The anime itself is ripe with these moments, but this one moment has to be the worst.
* Upon managing to gather up all the spell fragments, ThoseWhoHuntElves will ALWAYS blow it at the absolute final moment, usually due to Junpei and Celia's bickering.
* ''CowboyBebop'' has an infamous one that is just [[TearJerker brutal]]. With a few teasing hints of her past, [[spoiler: Faye]] suddenly remembers who she is, and where she came from. She apologizes to Spike before she goes, showing she's starting to revert to a more softer side. She's coming home, mirroring herself when she was a little girl and a teenager. She then opens the gates in her flashbacks, but in reality [[spoiler:the entire mansion was burnt down to the foundation. So Faye [[TearJerker draws lines in the sand of where her furniture was]] and looks up at the sky and reflects]].
* In ''{{Corsair}}'', Canale eventually feels like he has a place in Preveza and thinks that Ayace might actually love him and that they can be happy together, and he manages to confront some of his issues from his past. However soon as [[BastardBoyfriend Ayace]] suspects he is going back to Sesaam, he becomes [[CrazyJealousGuy enraged]] and rapes Canale, making him feel utterly betrayed.
* ''BillyBat'' gives us [[spoiler: Lee Harvey Oswald]] who, because of his IJustWantToBeSpecial nature, gets yanked around by both the Bat and a GovernmentConspiracy to the point where he doesn't have any idea what the right thing to do is. By the end of his arc, it looks like he's done the right thing by trying to live a humble life and allowing [[TheHero Kevin Yamagata]] to [[HeroicSacrifice give his life]] saving [[spoiler: President Kennedy]]. But wait! [[spoiler: Kevin isn't dead, and it turns out the Bat never wanted him to save Kennedy in the first place. JFK is shot, [[ForegoneConclusion as history demands]], the police are rushing into the building, and Oswald is with a girl who saw members of the previously mentioned conspiracy setting up for the assassination. In a BittersweetEnding, the only way to save the girl from being eliminated is to let the police find him and take the fall for the assassination while she makes her escape.]]
* The second half of ''TigerAndBunny'' starts with things [[ThrowTheDogABone finally looking up for]] [[ChewToy Kotetsu]]: he's going up in the rankings, his partner actually likes and respects him now, his boss isn't treating him like he's completely expendable, the Sternbild population no longer considers him a joke, and he's seem to have acquired an [[spoiler: unexpected but very welcome boost in his NEXT abilities]]. Then comes the fifteenth episode, where Ben meets up with him and regretfully informs Kotetsu that [[spoiler:the "power boost" he experienced in the previous episode is a phenomenon that occurs in a very small number of NEXT -- just before they start ''losing'' their powers]].
* In ''[[{{GE-GoodEnding}} GE - Good Ending]]'', it happens to Utsumi, the main protagonist, more often than he really deserves. Poor guy just can't get a break.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comics]]
* [[spoiler:Black Adam's]] entire storyline in ''[[FiftyTwo 52]]'' is one long, tragic, and incredibly cruel example of chain yanking.
* In ''TheKillingJoke'', {{Batman}} pleads with the Joker to reconsider the death course the two of them are on, making a genuine offer of help... and there's a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming panel]], about a panel and a half, where it looks almost like the Joker will accept. The Joker even turns the concept into a joke that has even Batman laughing.
* In the short-lived Marvel Adventures: ''IronMan'' series, Tony finds out at long last that his father, who drove Stark Industries into the ground and abandoned him and his mother, had been cheated by a business associate and left in shame, but really had loved him. He hires a PI, Jessica Drew, to track his father down. And she finds him, and everything checks out, even memories.... Then it turns out to be a plot by the Chameleon. Later he does find his dad and realizes that he's just as irritating as ever.
* {{Spider-Man}} has a big support cast, and people keep getting killed. Sometimes the writers decide to bring them back. This never works. Possibly the biggest example is when his ''parents'' turned out to be alive again; they'd been killed when he was a baby. They turned out to be robots. Supporting cast coming back from the dead has only "stuck" twice: when the Aunt May who died turned out to have been an ''[[VoodooShark actress]]'', and when Mary Jane, who had been [[DorkAge killed in a plane accident]] because [[SuperheroesStaySingle having a wife restricted Spidey]], was not dead after all. (Cross your fingers for history repeating itself soon, folks.)
** And then OneMoreDay happened, because JoeQuesada didn't like the changes that had been made to Spidey since the Silver Age and PARTICULARLY not his marriage to Mary Jane, resulting in probably the most infamous CosmicRetcon of recent years. God damn it.
* ''FunkyWinkerbean'': Lisa Moore's breast cancer has returned, but it looks like they caught it in time and she should be right as rain in a few months. Except the doctors mixed up her medical charts: her cancer wasn't in remission and by the time they caught the mistake, it was already too late to do anything but delay the inevitable.
* Recently in ''XMen'', [[spoiler:Magneto saved Kitty Pride from her FateWorseThanDeath...only for her to immediatly get a ''second'' such fate because now she's stuck in her "phased out" form, unable to interact with the world in any way without outside assistance.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Scrat at the end of ''IceAge 2'', when he goes to Acorn's heaven but is revived just as he approaches a giant acorn.
* ''{{Pocahontas}}''. Happens way [[ButtMonkey too]] [[ChewToy many]] [[ComedicSociopathy times]] to Percy. Quite frequently when he is literally [[ThrowTheDogABone thrown bones]].
* Played for laughs in the climactic battle of ''{{Shrek}} 2'', where the Fairy Godmother's magic gives Pinocchio about ten seconds to {{Become a Real Boy}}, before a misfire turns him back into a puppet. Sorry, Pinocchio.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* For once, everything is going great for ''{{Carrie}}'' White at the prom. And then they dump pig's blood on her. [[UnstoppableRage Oops.]] Cue her psychic NoHoldsBarredBeatdown or CurbStompBattle, depending on whether you think it's justified or not.
* JamesBond living happily with Vesper in ''CasinoRoyale''. You just ''wish'' they would somehow pull it off.
** Bond actually got married in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', and his CIA buddy Felix Leiter got married in ''{{License to Kill}}''. The two marriages combined didn't last a day.
* John [=McClane=]'s marriage is patched up at the end of each ''DieHard'' movie in the first three and broken up by the next one. In the fourth they've divorced, and it's his relationship with his daughter that needs patching up.
* ''NationalTreasure 2'' uses a similar pattern, although it remains to be seen if it'll continue in the next film.
* Of all the things {{lampshaded}} in ''LastActionHero'', this is the only one the film takes seriously.
* The ''{{Saw}}'' movies, particularly the third one.
* In the ''{{Film/Spider-Man}}'' movies, Peter Parker is the poster child for PerpetualPoverty and never seems to be able to catch a break in his personal life or relationship with Mary-Jane.
* ''[[OscarWilde Wilde]]'': Oscar has it pretty rough in the last 20 minutes or so, what with being imprisoned for 2 years of hard labor just for being gay (because homosexuality was actually ''illegal'' in England back then). Then his wife Constance comes to see him and, guess what? Not only does she ''not'' want a divorce even after he's cheated on her with ''men'' (and lots of them), but [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming she'll let him see his kids again!]] A happy ending for when he gets out of prison! Right? '''No.''' His sentence ends and he learns that [[spoiler:Constance is dead, which not only takes away her, but any hope Oscar has of seeing his two boys again.]]
* In ''[[IAmLegend The Last Man on Earth]]'', Robert finds a dog and is overjoyed at the sight of another living creature. He practically fawns over it, tends its wounds, comforts it when it's frightened, and tells it about the happy times they'll share together. Immediately afterwards [[TearJerker he learns it's infected and is forced to drive a stake through it]]. [[LaughingMad He breaks]].
* TwelveMonkeys: You're not crazy! You figured it out! You're a hero! You... [[ItGotWorse oh dear. Ohhh dear]].
* ''PsychoBeachParty'': The murderer has been caught, [[spoiler:Chicklet's SplitPersonality has been cured]], romantic stories are all tied off happily, all of that is now behind them as the all live hap-oh god. [[spoiler:It was all a dream as Chicklet is in a mental hospital getting realistically horrifying shock therapy]]... Happy?
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* Happens ''hard'' to Mike Noonan in ''BagOfBones''. His wife dies unexpectedly, taking their unborn baby with her, leaving him alone and broken, unable even to work. Eventually, he discovers that returning to their summer home in western Maine holds the key to turning his life around, one way or another. Immediately, he meets the young, beautiful Mattie Devore and her daughter, Kyra. Thanks to them, he finally finds purpose in his life. He starts writing again. Mattie even reciprocates his unspoken feelings for her. Romance and redemption are all but certain. [[spoiler:Then, Mattie is murdered right in front of him, the ghosts in his house come to life and try to kill Kyra, Mike gives up on writing forever, and the book ends with him still alone and engaged in a bitter battle to obtain custody of Kyra.]]
* In ''{{A Song of Ice and Fire}}'', Arya Stark manages to make several daring escapes from different captors, but is always kidnapped by someone new shortly thereafter. [[spoiler:And she is ''finally'' brought back to her family... just in time for [[ItGotWorse the Red Wedding]].]]
** Her sister Sansa, after being held captive and abused for a year, is finally going to be taken away by some friendly people to marry a great guy... [[spoiler:Then her captors find out and force her to marry one of them instead, a terribly ugly dwarf. He's actually a decent person, but Sansa isn't mature enough to appreciate his good points.]] And now it's apparently in the process of happening ''again''. Stupid StockholmSyndrome GenreBlindness.
* Marcus Clarke's ''For the Term of His Natural Life.'' The entire book consists of nothing but ItGotWorse and Yank the Dog's Chain and is the most relentlessly depressing book ever. Even at the end of the book, where something finally goes right, [[spoiler:not seconds later he and his love interest both drown at sea]].
* In ''{{Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban}}'': Pettigrew's been outed as guilty and is being turned in! They're going to prove Sirius' innocence! And then Harry can leave the horrible, abusive Dursleys and live with his godfather! Everything's going to be fantastic, everything's going fine, and, say, is that the full moon?... and didn't they just learn Lupin was a werewolf?... aw, shit.
* The title character in Charlotte Bronte's ''JaneEyre'' finally gets to the altar with her employer/true love Rochester when it is revealed that Rochester is already married to a mad woman he's got locked in the attic, and the wedding is canceled.
* In Charlotte Bronte's claustrophobic ''Villette'', the perpetually unhappy heroine Lucy has fallen in love with and become engaged to fellow-teacher M. Paul, only it is revealed ambiguously in the last few pages that Paul [[spoiler:probably died in a shipwreck before they could be married]].
** Charlotte considered this a ''happy'' ending -- for M. Paul that is. Which you may be inclined to agree if you've read the book: [[spoiler:life with a passive-aggressive depressive like Lucy Snow is a fate no man should suffer]].
* ''The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber'' by Hemingway is such an example.
* ''{{Discworld}}'''s Rincewind has had this happen to him enough times that now he expects it. It has now gotten to the point that if anything good happens to him he will more or less panic until the other shoe drops.
** Wonderfully {{lampshaded}} in "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQlt-jCWan8 Run Rincewind Run!]]"
** In continuing to play with it, Sam Vimes believes he doesn't deserve his good fortune and lives in fear of this trope happening to him.
* ''TheDresdenFiles'' arguably has several of these (Harry will always be behind on the rent, even if his [[spoiler:secret half-brother]] comes from a rich family; TheMasquerade will always go on; Murphy and he will never be a couple, even if they kiss), but there's one really blatant example in the fourth book. Harry's TrueLove Susan has been (almost) turned into a vampire, and throughout the book he is deeply depressed and completely obsessed with looking for a cure for vampirism, never mind the fact that all reputable sources tell him it's impossible. While investigating something unrelated, one of the nigh-godlike Faerie Queenes herself gives Harry a DeusExMachina that can supposedly undo any enchantment at all. It's intended for use in the main plot, but Harry hopes to solve his current assignment by some more simpler means and save the DeusExMachina for Susan. [[spoiler:It gets taken from him after five minutes.]]
** Another vicious example came in ''Turn Coat'' for not just Harry. Since the events of ''Death Masks'', Harry hasn't had a girlfriend or any romantic involvement for nearly five years. Then, at the end of ''Small Favor'', he starts dating [[spoiler:Luccio in her younger body]]. They're both happy together, especially [[spoiler:Luccio, because she's spent nearly a century without experiencing romantic interest or a sex drive. Darned wizardly extended lives.]] Then in ''Turn Coat'' [[spoiler: it turns out Luccio was being mind-controlled into being attracted to Harry by the traitor in the Council.]] ....well, ''shit.''
*** In ''Changes'', [[spoiler:after spending the entire book having one bad thing happen after another, it finally looks like Harry and Murphy might get together. Then 20 minutes before Murphy is supposed to show, Harry gets shot dead.]]
** The short story "Day Off". Pretty much the entirety of it. Harry finally gets a day off, and is promptly challenged to a magical duel at 1 AM on that day. It goes downhill from there. The whole thing is PlayedForLaughs.
* MackBolan, the Executioner, eventually had things going pretty well for him. He's working for the government, so the cops aren't after him all the time, he's got a whole group of soldiers sharing his new mission, and he's got a girl he dearly loves. Then the KGB shoots up his headquarters and blows her to hell.
* The discovery of a later will at the end of ''BleakHouse'' leads us to believe that Richard and Ada will live HappilyEverAfter. Unfortunately, it turns out that [[ShaggyDogStory the entire inheritance has gone into paying for the long-running court case]]. Although Richard is at last free of his obsession with winning the case, it is only so that he can [[spoiler:[[DyingAsYourself die as himself.]] Overworked and ill, he is killed by [[DeathByDespair the shock of losing the estate.]]]]
* This trope becomes common with the Baudelaires in Lemony Snicket's ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' series. There are times in the series where it appears Violet, Klaus and Sunny are going to catch a break,`but then Lemony Snicket crushes all your hopes.
* The whole point of the short story ''[[http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/villier5.htm La torture par l'esperance]]'' (The Torture of Hope) by Villiers de l'Isle-Adam is that yanking the dog's chain is the most sadistic form of torture.
* Pretty much the B-plot of every Travis McGee novel, with the exception of the books where it's the A-plot.
* Happens repeatedly to the protagonist of ''Master of the Five Magics'' by LyndonHardy: each time he risks it all to learn of a new kind of magic, a rival swoops in and gloms all the profits, leaving him with nothing but a clue to the next style of magic-use.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''BattlestarGalactica'' is full of those. In the mid-series finale of season 4 [[spoiler:they finally make a truce with some Cylons and make it to Earth 3 minutes before the end - and in those 3 minutes it is revealed that Earth is a nuclear wasteland.]]
** Afterward, [[spoiler:Dualla's chain has been yanked enough and [[DrivenToSuicide she shoots herself]]]].
** At the end of season 2, the fleet finds a habitable planet and, under the leadership of [[spoiler:President Gaius Baltar, settle on the newly-named New Caprica.]] Skip forward a year and, although there are some hiccups, things appear to be running fairly smoothly - more importantly, [[spoiler:there haven't been any Cylon attacks in that past year]]. Then...[[spoiler:yep, here come the Cylons. Since the fleet has been reduced to patrolling in orbit, they can't fight off the Cylon ships and Baltar is forced to surrender.]]
* In ''LaFemmeNikita'', the titular character's dream is to be freed from life as an assassin and to continue a normal, happy existence. She often comes across opportunities to escape, but all her attempts fall just out of reach of success.
* ''{{iCarly}}'': Freddie wins a competition for a giant locker. He proceeds to do a victory dance of sorts. Then insults Sam. Then they reveal Sam won the competition as well.
* The end of ''{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth''. The Guns fall silent just seconds before they are due to go over the top to certain death and they think the war is over, that they lived through it, The Great War, 1914 to 1917... [[TearJerker oh damn]].
** 'Course, really, this only counts for poor Baldrick, George and Darling. Blackadder knew damn well the whole while, as would anyone else with a little knowledge of trench life during the Great War. Honestly, it's part of the power of the moment that the audience already ''know'' there's a chain being yanked.
-->'''Blackadder:''' I'm afraid not. The guns have stopped because we are about to attack. Not even our generals are mad enough to shell their own men. They feel it's more sporting to let the Germans do it.
*** Even so, he was trying his best to get out. It just didn't work. The real punch is for Darling, who was at his desk at Command, safely away from the lines until Melchett decided he wouldn't want to miss the "fun".
* Poor old Richie in ''{{Bottom}}''. Just about to finally "Doooooo IT" with a beautiful woman... and he collapses from a medical condition. [[spoiler:And then Eddie and said woman "get bored" waiting for the ambulance to turn up: "Don't worry Richie, she was ''crap'' anyway."]]
* The season 3 finale of ''{{Farscape}}'' has the good guys scoring a major victory after a HeroicSacrifice by a couple of important secondary characters. And then you see there's ten minutes left, and ''imagining'' what's going to happen with Crichton and Aeryn's relationship is painful...
** Let alone the Season 4 finale where [[spoiler:a ship comes from nowhere to blast the main couple after they agree to get married.]]
* In the original concept of ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Doctor had literally no control over the TARDIS, so Ian and Barbara were stuck with him with no hope of getting home. This led to an especially cruel twist in the story "Planet of Giants", in which they land on Earth in the right period, but due to a technical fault with the TARDIS they're only an inch tall and have no way of getting back to the right size without taking off again and getting lost.
** In the [[TheNthDoctor Eleventh Doctor]] episode, ''The Pandorica Opens'', things are going great for Rory. He's been [[spoiler:un-erased from existence]], Amy's finally [[spoiler:remembered him]], and he's about to [[spoiler:turn into an Auton]], but hey, he's fighting it off pretty well. Then [[spoiler:out comes the gun in his hand, and he shoots Amy, fighting free of the Auton influence just in time to hold her as she dies.]] Whoops.
* ''{{Sliders}}'' did a lot of chain-yanking of the heroes' attempts to find their original world, as the characters would arrive on a new world, decide it's home, and then split up, only to discover there's something different (and usually horrible) about it after all. One episode in particular yanked ''the audience's'' chain, as the heroes decide it's not their world because the gate at one character's house fails to squeak as expected. Just after they slide on to continue the search, it's revealed to viewers that somebody ''oiled the hinges'', implying they really were home, but failed to recognize the fact.
** The characters had already decided that this probably wasn't home before checking the gate, after a quick check of newspaper headlines had revealed that the Cleveland Indians had won the Pennant and O.J. Simpson was on trial for double murder.
* Often happens on ''FawltyTowers'', but particularly cruel was the episode "Communication Problems", where it seems that Basil has finally managed to come out on top... only for it all to come cruelly crashing down around him ''in the last minute''.
* ''GoodTimes'' lived on this.
* Seeing as how nobody is allowed to be happy on ''{{House}}'', this tends to happen a lot.
** But especially cruel was the very beginning of Season 3. For about the first half of the first episode, House is reasonably happy with no leg pain, cane or vicodin. This obviously cannot last so the ketamine treatment starts failing, Cuddy and Wilson don't believe him when he says his leg is hurting again and let him believe that he couldn't save a patient in a {{Jerkass}}y attempt to teach him some humility and by the end of the second episode, he's back to his normal, limpy, miserable self.
** In Season 5, he switches to a new drug and throws away his cane because he's completely free of pain. Wilson and Cuddy (as usual) oppose this because the drug has serious side effects. (House ignores them, again as usual.) But at the end of the episode he decides to stop taking it because his diagnostic skills aren't as good when he's high on methadone.
** The writers outdo themselves in their cruelty to House in the Season 5 finale.
** The end of Season 6 ''may'' rectify this. Considering the above, "wait and see" is the best policy.
* In ''TheInvaders'', a general told David Vincent that his safe contained enough information to blow the invasion plot. It had vanished, of course.
* Savvy fans of JossWhedon's shows knew, both from seasons of examples and flat statements in interviews, that he didn't care to write happy relationships, or ones that worked out well. By Season 6 of ''[[BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]'', for example, many die-hard fans refused to rise to the bait of Xander/Anya's wedding because it was obviously not going to end well. (That the majority of the audience was, by definition, die-hard by that point made it more so.)
** Yet another episode (without the romantic entanglement) is "The Zeppo" in which the story focuses on Xander, while what would usually be the "main" plot is seen only briefly. Though Xander does something useful and heroic -- in the face of his characterization up to that point -- by the end of the show [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold he decides not to tell them]], and happily offers to get them snacks.
** On ''{{Angel}}'', there were years of Wesley pining for Fred. He saw her choose another man over him, banish him like the rest of the cast after his devastating Connor arc, and more recently struggle with possible feelings for yet another man. They FINALLY get together. For one episode. He then must watch her die, in his arms, pleading for her life. Then the thing that killed her takes over her body and spends the rest of the season looking like Fred. * sigh*
*** Only to act like her in situations to manipulate others. She does it well enough that as Wesley's dying, he asks her to lie to him with that illusion.
** Earlier on ''{{Angel}}'', Joss Yanked The Dog's Chain in the season two finale. Everyone survived, they rescued Fred, abolished slavery in Pylea, and made it back to Earth. Everything's happy... until they arrive back at the office, where Willow is waiting to give them the news [[spoiler:that Buffy is dead]]. In the blink of an eye, a HappilyEverAfter ending became a BittersweetEnding.
*** ''{{Angel}}'' loved these. There were teases that Angel would become human again (or close enough) throughout the series, starting in the very third episode with the Gem of Amara, and done quite cruelly in "I Will Remember You", the eighth (made all the worse by Angel rekindling his love with Buffy, only to have to give it up once again when he gives up his humanity). Of course, the ultimate one of these ends up being the [[spoiler:Shanshu prophecy]].
** In ''{{Dollhouse}}'', [[GeniusBreedingAct Topher and Bennett get together]] with an adorable kissing scene. In the midst of all that horrible badness, at least these two somewhat insane geniuses get to find some love and happiness togeth[[spoiler:wait what's Whiskey doing with that gun]] oh ''god damn it'' Joss you evil sonovabitch.
*** Amazingly, averted with Anthony and Priya. They do end up together.
* In one episode of ''MarriedWithChildren'', Al thinks he's going to finally break the [[PlagueOfGoodFortune "Bundy Curse"]] when he runs an incredible winning streak with a poker night with a bunch of convicts Jefferson scared up for the occasion. The second he has hope that his good luck throughout the show is genuine ([[GenreSavvy and not the prelude to a crashing fall]]) Officer Dan shows up and informs him that ''all'' of his newly-won cars were stolen, and he winds up even deeper in debt when Kelly's botched motorcycle stunt for a Verminator appearance wrecks Bud's fraternity house, and he gets struck by lightning by the single cloud in the sky on an otherwise perfectly clear night... which just happens to be over the Bundys' house.
*** Through most of the episode, Al demonstrated a startling amount of [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] by {{Lampshading}} this- stating that the "Bundy Curse" insures that every bit of good luck will bring a greater amount of bad luck the moment that he admits that he had said streak of good luck. (The curse also means that he has to be a shoe salesman.) (And has foot odor.)
** Note that the entire ''MarriedWithChildren'' series is basically one long chain yanking session.
*** MarriedWithChildren? Chain yanking session? {{Does This Remind You of Anything}}?
** The two absolute worst ones that come to mind, are when Kelly goes through a {{Training from Hell}} montage to train her memory to remember things for her appearance on a sports trivia show, but for each thing she remembers one thing spills out. You just know SOMETHING will happen to make her lose a fact. When she asks how the final round works, it removes the factoid for "What man once scored four touchdowns in a single game at Polk High" (Al's crowning achievement in life). Even the audience felt that one! The second worst has to be the series finale, which ended up looking a lot like ''Ranma'' minus the martial arts and form changing.
* In one episode of ''NowhereMan'', Tom Veil recuperates on a woman's farm and they fall in love. On the verge of abandoning his search to regain his old life, he gets another lead. He hesitates, then takes the lead. She leaves; [[StatusQuoIsGod he goes back on the road]].
** Another, a [[ChristmasSpecial Christmas episode]], had Veil reunited with his family, learning that it was all a mistake and the authorities had been looking for him to testify against the people in the photo at the centre of his drama. It was all an elaborate plot, of course.
*** Happens for the last time in the third to last episode. Tom wakes up in a hospital and is told that everything he experienced was a dream and that he had been in a coma. [[GenreSavvy He doesn't buy it this time and is immediately suspicious of everything especially his wife]]
* Often happens in ''{{Supernatural}}'' too but everyone knew all too well that as soon as Dean decided he didn't want to go to Hell in "Dream a Little Dream of Me", his fate as Hell's eventual bitch was sealed.
** Shooting [[spoiler:Lucifer]] in "Abandon All Hope". For a few moments it looks like it worked and [[spoiler:Ellen and Jo's sacrifice was worth it]]... And then he gets up. The expressions on Sam and Dean's faces because they thought they'd managed to win.
* ''PowerRangersRPM''. As Dr K finally begins to warm up to the rangers, she makes a point at the start of one episode, of calling each ranger by name instead of codename as well as expressing the qualities she likes about them... except for Ziggy. Poor Ziggy spends the rest of his screen time of that episode trying to get her to admit that he's not a bad guy and can be useful to the team (as he proves at one point). Finally at the end, as she's giving everyone their debriefing, she walks up to him, smiling warmly at him, clearly about to finally acknowledge his contributions... and the alarm rings signaling another attack.
* Any episode of ''ThePrisoner'' where Number Six gets off (or appears to get off) of the Village (e.g. "Chimes of Big Ben" and "Many Happy Returns").
* This is the foundation for first season finale of ''{{Eureka}}''. After the initiation of a risky experiment, the movie suddenly cuts to a world where the sheriff and Allison are happily married (which any other episode would tell you that it is no more than {{Shiptease}} and love triangle material), his daughter is graduating, Henry, the man who the town constantly relies on, is in charge of GD, the {{Jerkass}} Nathan Stark left town, [[spoiler:Beverly no longer works for the Consortium...]], and most importantly, [[spoiler: Henry's love interest, Kim, is alive and well]]. During the episode the sudden appearance of objects that should not exist in that way gives evidence to something a GenreSavvy viewer would already know, that this was not meant to be. [[spoiler:Turns out that Henry had gone back in time to save Kim after the experiment had gone horribly wrong. In order to prevent the paradox from ruining time, the Sheriff had to stop Henry from saving the life of the woman he loved as well as give up a future in which he and everybody he knew was happy. Talk about a DownerEnding]]. Thanks to this fact, this episode was the equivalent to a HeroicBSOD for most of the characters involved... and caused the mess of agendas and conspiracies that is Season 2.
* This is essentially the premise for pretty much every episode of ''GilligansIsland''. Generic Plot #1 of the show was the castaways find a way to get off the island, but Gilligan screws it up.
* Many episodes of ''{{Monk}}'' have the title character finally get something good in his tortured existence, only to have it snatched away by the end. Particularly heartbreaking is "Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk", in which Monk's condition is getting better, but [[spoiler: he ends up watching a woman who had been impersonating his late wife get shot dead]], traumatizing him out of all his progress.
** An example of a Yank The Dogs Chain on another aspect of the show is [[spoiler:the people for his reinstatement changing their minds just as the one against finally caves]] in ''Mr. Monk Goes Camping''.
* In the fifth season of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', Hiro finally manages to save Charlie from both Sylar and her blood clot. Of course, Samuel the evil carny comes along and has his own teleporting time master trap Charlie "somewhere in time", and then kills him so he can't tell Hiro where/when she is. Cue one of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever to befall our favorite WideEyedIdealist.
* On ''TopGear'', after Jeremy Clarkson and James May had spent two seasons mocking the forthcoming Dacia Sandero, they finally see one in Romania. May seems somewhat smitten, so Clarkson buys one for him. Half an hour later, a lorry backs into it where May had left it parked, caving in one side.
* This is the basis for many episodes of ''PeepShow'' -- Mark Corrigan ''never'' catches a break. There are long-term chain-yankings like promising relationships that never quite happen (the one that eventually does [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor quickly turns into an embarrassing, resentful nightmare for both parties]]) and episode-length ones, like when Mark's chance at his dream job is ruined by his best friend sweeping in what he thinks is a BigDamnHeroes moment to deliver a long speech about how he has a "wanking disease" (ItMakesSenseInContext) to the prospective employer. Still, that's what happens when the {{Buttmonkey}} is the ''protagonist''.
* On ''{{Lost}}'', Locke finally found purpose in the end of season 4, after spending the entire series in a constant battle with faith. Shortly after, [[spoiler:He started traveling through time, which he could only stop by leaving the island, and dying. But when he does die, we don't feel much because the episode showing it happen has already revealed that the character comes back to life. What made it really cruel was that he never came back to life at all, and instead was just an UnwittingPawn]].
* ''{{Chuck}}''. Every time the poor boy meets someone, it somehow gets yanked away. It can't help having his 'ex' around all the time.
* The first season of ''[[{{MASH}} M*A*S*H]]'' has an episode where everyone comes to believe that there's been a ceasefire and the war is over. During their "farewell" party they learn the sad news: the war isn't over, and the wounded are arriving.
** Another early episode has Trapper thinking he'll get to go home due to a stomach ulcer, and even getting a farewell party, before being told by HQ that he'll have to stay in Korea and be operated on there.
** And of course, season three's finale has both Trapper and Blake getting discharged and finally getting to go home. What happened next was a [[TropeNamer trope-naming]] [[McLeaned moment]].
* The utterly miserable second half of [[TheSarahJaneAdventures "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith"]]. In the the thirty-three years since she left the Doctor, she never found anyone, until now. Even the first half of the story is bittersweet, as it feels too good to be true if her track record is any indication of what's to come; you can tell they're [[StarCrossedLovers star-crossed]]. This doesn't make the ending any less tragic.
* [[ThisIsSPARTA Ronnie]]. [[ThisIsSPARTA from]]. ''{{Eastenders}}''. Every single time it looks like she's going to have a happy ending, the producers cruelly snatch it away from her practically going "Neener neener!", be it a potential reconcilement with Danielle being ruined by [[ShaggyDogStory Danielle getting ran over and killed instantly]] or her being caught out when she goes to mad lengths to get a child again. It looks as if recently she's finally having an honest to god child again and all's well... but in true Soap fashion (As revealed in television magazine spoilers), said baby stops breathing and may have suffered cot death barely a day after being born, pushing Ronnie way past her [[DespairEventHorizon limit]]. That is if she hasn't already been punted over it before now.
* Rimmer, ChewToy of the ''RedDwarf'' universe, is simply ''not allowed'' to be happy. On the rare occasions he's thrown a bone it usually gets stuck in his throat.
** A particularly cruel example: in the episode "Timeslides", a bit of minor fiddling with time restores Rimmer to life. In his joy he starts running around, touching things, eating things -- and accidentally eats an explosive-filled cheese sandwich intended for Adolph Hitler, which [[MadeOfExplodium explodes]].
* On the show ''Sisters'', second-oldest sister Teddy is FINALLY happy after years of turmoil that has included a struggle with alcoholism, miscarriage, her daughter's rape, her divorce, etc. Now, she's married to the love of her life, who's had similar problems of his own--alcoholism, divorce, death of his son--and they're preparing to buy a house. He's also preparing to testify against a crime lord (he's a cop).
* Happens all the time in {{Oz}}. The worst case is Beecher, of course. But every character has its moments. It's very painful.
* At least one victim in CriminalMinds. The unsub tells her over an intercom that if she can find her way out of the vast complex he's dropped her in by sunset, she gets to live. She gets literally within ''sight'' of the open door to freedom, but the sun is setting and the door slams in her face before she can get out. [[spoiler: Of course, the team save her anyway, but still.]]
* In Season 1 of {{Spartacus}}, Dominus finally keeps his promise to find the title character's wife only to [[spoiler: deliver her moments from death.]]
* In Torchwood after a season and a half of pining, and one weird [[LaserGuidedAmnesia memory-changer]]-induced role reversal, Owen finally agrees to a date with Tosh. At the end of the episode, he dies. (Don't worry, HeGetsBetter.)
** And of course, once Jack and Ianto are really getting adorable, and we get to see some of Ianto's personal life...[[spoiler: he dies, too.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' takes this to an artform, with tremendously horrible things lurking behind every victory and any attempt to correct any aspect of the CrapsackWorld doomed to [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption failure]]. [[TheEmpire The Imperium]] is even GenreSavvy about this, one of its many Thoughts For The Day being "Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment". It helps when the literal god of Hope is also the god of Manipulation.
* ''{{Paranoia}}'' reminds Friend Gamemaster to let the players score some temporary victories along the way to their inevitable hosing.
* ''{{Ravenloft}}'': the Dark Powers deliberately go out of their way to inflict this on those who have done unpleasant enough things to qualify as Darklords. As Lord Soth demonstrates, the way to get them to cut it out is simply to stop caring.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Theater]]
* This happens to Biff in ''{{Death of a Salesman}}''.
* In ''AStreetcarNamedDesire'', Mitch is Blanche's last chance for a normal life. Just when their relationship is going steady, Stanley intervenes, leading to Mitch denouncing Blanche.
** The ending of Williams's ''The Glass Menagerie'' is set-up deliberately melodramatically: the gentleman who visits the socially inept {{Woobie}} Laura turns out to be her secret crush. He dotes on her, dances with her, and his accidental breaking the horn of Laura's glass unicorn can be construed symbolically: he shatters Laura's self-imagined stigma, so that she can re-join the world, just like a hornless unicorn can mingle with other horses. But when one expects this little encounter to develop into something more substantial, it turns out the bloke is engaged.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In one of the endings of ''{{Disgaea 3}},'' [[spoiler:Almaz loses everything when Mao's father declares him the overlord.]]
* ''KaneAndLynch''. Poor Kane.
* Eggman of the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series. Sure, he's an evil bastard, but he's tried so many times to establish his Eggman Empire, coming quite close more than a few times, when suddenly and quickly all his hard work is washed away. You start to feel sorry for the guy...
** There was that time in ''Sonic: Triple Trouble'', in which Eggman finally gets all the Chaos Emeralds, only to have a machine blow and send the gems to the far corners of the Earth.
** Then in ''Sonic Adventure 2'', Eggie gets all the Chaos Emeralds inserted into the Eclipse Cannon, causing him to think he's invincible and can do whatever he pleases. No. His granddaddy's secret planet-destroying program is initiated when he inserts the last emerald.
** Happens twice in ''Sonic Unleashed''. Not only does Eggman beat Super Sonic and rid his {{Green Rocks}} of their invincibility-granting powers, but he manages to collect energy from Dark Gaia and finally builds his long-awaited Eggmanland. Unfortunately, his latest pet disobeys him (once again) and he ends up stranded in the desert with nothing but a back-sassing robot who maliciously reminds him of his constant failures.
** Also ''Sonic Riders''. His plan manages to work, he gets the good guys to hand over a treasure (which he's expecting to be better than an angel wing that could rule the world) and it turns out to be a very soft carpet. He then faints and the good guys say what it really is (which still isn't as good as what he was expecting.).
** In Sonic Colors, Eggman's plan and execution are reasonably professional and almost free of buffoonery. Sonic and Tails only show up by mistake and even then he is poised to activate his latest and greatest evil device. It promptly explodes because his dim-witted minions forgot to clear robotic debris from the first boss that lodged into part of it after Sonic defeated it. And this is after Eggman gives us one of the best boss fights in the series...
* Hey, [[{{Persona 3}} Shinjiro]]! It looks like things are looking up for you in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 3 Portable]]''! Not only are you a Social Link character for a cute girl, but if she maxes out your link, [[spoiler:you survive TakingTheBullet! Sure, you fall into a coma for the rest of the game, but you wake up for the ending... just in time for said girl to die either right before you get there or in your arms. But hey, you're still probably gonna die from those drugs you were taking, so at least you get to meet up in the afterlife, right? Ehh, sorry! She's become the Great Seal for Eternity, so meeting up with her in the afterlife is... unlikely.]]
* Apparently, [[YggdraUnion Nessiah]] is just not allowed to be happy - he has ''one'' chance at it in BlazeUnion, and it's an extremely slim one. He's a main character in one of the three paths that story can take, but in it he gets the VillainBall ''hard''.
* Oh, Kei. Near the end of ''FatalFrame 3'', he reassures Rei that "there might still be some hope", as he thinks he's found out a way to potentially end the Tattoo Curse for good. [[spoiler: And then Reika kills him.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'', [=GLaDOS=] pulls several of these as a way to demonstrate just exactly how angry she is with Chell.
** In a CallBack to the first game, [=GLaDOS=] presents you with a Weighted CompanionCube in one of her test chambers. The instant you pick it up, she fizzles it. Then drops another, which she also fizzles after you start to solve the puzzle with it. Finally she lets you complete the test, only to mention offhandedly that the Emancipation Grill is malfunctioning and ''[[SchmuckBait not to take anything with you]]''. Sure enough, if you try to leave with the Companion Cube, she fizzles it yet again. Bad, bad [=GLaDOS=].
** At one point she offhandedly mentions having seen a deer outside. She offers, if you complete the next test, to let you ride an elevator up to the employee break room... where she'll tell you about the time she saw a deer again.
** After continously teasing you about being adopted (yet another CallBack), [=GLaDOS=] promises a surprise in which you're going to "meet two people you haven't seen in a long, long time." Of course, it's a lie. Then later in that same test chamber, she promises to put them on the phone, but instead puts on a fake "prerecorded message" in which they claim not to love you. Yes, [=GLaDOS=], we get the point. You don't like Chell. [[SarcasmMode Thank you for being so discreet about it]].
** The last one is more noticeable for being subverted HypocriticalHumor. Later in the game, she contradicts [[spoiler:Wheatley]] when he tries to pull the same "adopted fatty" insults on Chell, creating an "awwwwwww" moment, but promptly yanks the rug out when she whispers to you, "For the record, you ARE adopted, AndThatsTerrible."
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Web Original]]
* Any time it looks like [[HomestarRunner Coach Z]] might be catching a break, something needs to get in his way.
--> '''[[ButtMonkey Coach Z:]]''' Hey, thanks for the advice, Homestar! I'd love to come to your house for Decemberween!
--> '''Homestar:''' What? [[BigNo No, no-ho-ho!]] No, no, no. No, Coach Z, no. [[OverlyLongGag No.]] No, you can't.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''DrowTales'' had a side story where [[ButtMonkey Syphille]] met someone who respected her and tried to help her cope with and improve her life (albeit by drugging everyone), but you know it's going to end badly because [[ButtMonkey nothing ever works for her. Ever]]. She went back to her life of brutal beatings and rape.
* Subverted in ''{{PvP}}'' when couch loafer Robbie wins the lottery - and ''never loses the money''. He even hires people to make sure he doesn't go broke.
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater''. After years and years of nothing but being screwed by the universe itself over and over again, Black Mage finally gets what he always wanted: He becomes an unstoppable mage of mass destruction, slaughtering almost everybody he knows (including the girl he has a crush on) in merely seconds... Only to have [[DeusExMachina Sar]][[AWizardDidIt da]] come pop in and bring everybody back to life.
** Done far, far earlier when he briefly became the overlord of hell, with all the power and cowering minions the title provides, only to be shoved back into his former body before he could destroy it.
* At the end of the Kamikaze Kate arc in ''{{Misfile}}'' [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Rumisiel]] has successfully exorcised a very scary ghost and saved (at least) one soul from damnation and proven himself a {{Badass}}. Ash is ecstatic, this means he can get back to heaven and fix things. Except... heaven is full of {{Jerkass}}ess (and Rumi is such a screw up) that just one deed like that isn't even going to close to evening the score, so [[StatusQuoIsGod nothing changes]].
** Later, Rumi gets the news that Heaven is willing to give him a hearing about letting him back into heaven. The catch? The next available hearing is in [[spoiler:73 years. Ash doesn't take it well.]]
* Angus [=McLeod=]'s ''WorldWarOne: [[http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&q=world+war+one#/d24ibfq Simple Version]]'' depicts 1917 as one of these for Germany.
--> '''Germany:''' Oh brothers, with Russia off my back, I have a chance of winning this war!\\
'''Newspaper Headline:''' United States Declares War On Germany.\\
'''Germany:''' [[OhCrap FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU]]--
* Patchy got hit with this hard in a recent arc of ''LifeOfMaid''. After Patchy decides to [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/894658 get a new handheld, a Nintendo 3DS]], she comes short of the money needed to buy it and decides to go to Remilia for money. But instead of simply giving her the money like in a previous arc, [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/901527 she puts Patchy to work around the mansion]]. [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/907772 After working]] [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/916295 her ass off]], [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/928721 she finally gets her hands on it]] -- but just [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/950671 two strips later]], she leaves the 3DS unattended to use the little girl's room, only to have it get [[spoiler:eaten by Yuyuko, who mistakes the chicken in the [[CookingMama "Cooking Papa"]] game she was playing for the real deal]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* [[TheSimpsons Frank Grimes]]
* Done very cruelly in the final episode of ''CampLazlo'', when Lumpus has finally gotten praise and respect, when a DiabolusExMachina undoes it all, and to rub salt into the wound, [[spoiler:it turns out he was a fake who locked up the real scoutmaster and gets dragged off to an asylum]].
* Just like the ''SamuraiJack'' example, the kids in ''Series/{{Dungeons and Dragons}}'' spend every episode on the trail of some new possible way back to their own world. Not one of these leads ever works out, either because the route simply wouldn't work or because the kids are obliged to give up the chance in order to help others.
** [[spoiler:Averted (sorta) in the LostEpisode. The kids are outright told by the Dungeon Master that they've done what he brought them here to do and that they can go home now if they want, but we don't see whether or not they do.]]
* Same in ''{{Jumanji}}'' (the cartoon). [[spoiler:Averted in the finale: Allen got his clue, solved it and got home legitimately with the kids.]]
* ''SamuraiJack'' has made viewers come to expect him to fail when attempting either of his two stated goals: going back in time, and destroying Aku. In a strange combination, either he fails to go back in time because HonorBeforeReason dictates that he never leaves those in danger to harm to go back in time, or Aku tricks him into a MacguffinDeliveryService. Aku himself is practically unkillable as well, despite Jack beating him to a paste several times.
** There are basically only three different episodes of ''Samurai Jack'': "Aku sends a new mercenary to stop Jack", "Jack frees innocents from the grip of Aku" and "Jack almost finds a portal but loses it to Aku who was disguised in an obvious costume." Once you've seen those, you've seen the whole series and you can walk away to stop getting your chain yanked. That said, the "filler" episodes like the one he goes "down the rabbit hole" and "learns to jump good" are a lot of fun, perhaps because in those he's not constrained to fail tragically.
*** Subverted in one episode, in which Jack appears to, yet again, suffer defeat when attempting to access an appropriate time portal, only for the episode to end showing an older Jack on the other side of the portal, and the implicit assertion by the portal's guardian that he will, eventually, pass through.
* Squidward from ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}''. Sure he's [[TedBaxter an egomaniac]] and a jerk, but [[ButtMonkey you kinda feel sorry for him after a while]].
** In "Bubble Stand" he briefly learns how to play the clarinet well after using [=SpongeBob=]'s technique to blow a giant bubble... until his house gets sucked inside said giant bubble, and it loudly pops, apparently destroying his clarinet skills.
** In "Squilliam Returns" he briefly impresses Squilliam when Spongebob disguises the Krusty Krab as a fancy restaurant... until [=SpongeBob=] goes crazy due to Squidward's earlier ExactWords and destroys everything.
** Screw any Squidward example: the single biggest YankTheDogsChain moment goes to Plankton in the episode "Plankton's Regular": the episode starts with a man that regularly eats in the Chum Bucket and refuses to even eat a single Krabby Patty. Spongebob and Krabs try everything to steal said customer from Plankton, to the point of trying to steal Plankton's recipe for chum. However, at the end of the episode, it's revealed that said customer was paid by Karen to eat in the Chum Bucket so Plankton would stop complaining about his lack of success, but he couldn't eat more chum anymore, regardless of the money (they already pumped his stomach many times). Plankton is left in tears while Spongebob and Krabs laugh at his misery. Note that, even having only one customer, Plankton immediately stopped trying to steal the Krabby Patty formula.
** Spongebob himself is often the victim of this trope as well, usually in episodes focused on trying to get his boating license. It seems that he ''finally'' is going to get it...[[DiabolusExMachina but something random wil always happen to prevent Spongebob to pass the exam.]]
** Plankton fits quite well here, but he kinda deserves it.
* In ''{{The Spectacular Spider-Man}},'' it really looks like Peter is the only superhero around, though naturally he's outnumbered by {{supervillain}}s. One can hope that the supervillains are all local. So when J. Jonah Jameson's astronaut son and all-around decent guy gets superpowers and is willing to help, wouldn't it seem like [[BigApplesauce the Big Apple]] finally gets another hero? No, because WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity. Looks like the best Spidey can hope for are supervillains who aren't [[FriendlyEnemy quite]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards evil]] and won't stay local, like Black Cat, Sandman, and Molten Man.
* In ''{{Phineas and Ferb}}'', [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Doofenshmirtz]] ''finally'' finds a nice evil girlfriend. They hit it off, FallingInLoveMontage and all -- and then in the last five seconds of the episode, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the love-destroying satellite he built earlier]] crashes and zaps her, causing her to storm away with a declaration of "I feel NOTHING!"
** Then there's poor Candace. OnceAnEpisode she'll have solid proof of her brothers' schemes, only to find that it's vanished or ruined when she shows her mother. Other times, any special moment with Jeremy will be interrupted by something (possibly just by Candace herself), and any attempt to impress him will backfire in a humiliating fashion.
*** Then again, Jeremy seems to be as mellow and kind to Candace when she's disheveled with branches in her hair as any other time. Candace ''fears'' being humiliated in front of him, but he's so much of a legitimately NiceGuy that it may be impossible. You could say Jeremy is the personification of ThrowTheDogABone.
* Happens repeatedly on ''{{The Fairly OddParents}}'' to almost everyone. One instance is when Timmy had finally undone all of [[JackassGenie Norm's]] tricks, [[TheLibby Trixie]], who had been brainwashed to fall in love with several Timmy Turners, has finally showed up, deciding to give "the biggest, wettest kiss" to Timmy... only to have it wear off then.
* The ''InvaderZim'' episode "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom" has Dib finally achieve everything he wanted, including respect and acclaim, after being TouchedByVorlons, only for it all to be a fantasy created by Zim's LotusEaterMachine.
** To get back at him for throwing a muffin in his face, no less...
* The B-plot in the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "Road to Rupert" has Peter and Meg bonding after Meg becomes Peter's chauffeur when Peter's license gets suspended. Peter, of course, goes back to his abusive ways after he gets his license back. Played so straight that [[spoiler:Peter tells Meg that he's going back to tormenting her to keep up appearances in front of the family. Meg is actually okay with this after Peter splashes a glass of juice at her, as if this is the closest thing to love that she can ever expect out of these people.]]
** Or in the episode "Peter's Daughter", where Peter vows to treat Meg better if she wakes up from a coma, which she's in because he made her go into the kitchen to save his beer when the house flooded. Meg gets a sweet, affectionate, (over-)protective father, as well as a boyfriend, because she starts dating a med student who was there when she woke up. Then Peter accidentally ruins her relationship ... then she finds out she's pregnant ... But then Michael (her boyfriend) proposes to her, saying he loves her and wants to be there for her. [[ShotGunWedding Ignoring the fact that her dad was there with a rifle]]. So Meg's going to get married ... [[spoiler:except on the day of the wedding, she realizes she isn't pregnant, and isn't sure she can go through with it. Her mother tells her to do what she thinks is right, ("Thanks, Mom. I love you." "I, uh, you too.") and Meg tells Michael the truth when she gets to the altar, prompting him to run out of the church.]]
* This is pretty much standard for the [[BlackAndNerdy nerdy]] ButtMonkey Tucker from ''DannyPhantom''. He usually ends up getting the short end of the stick either through his numerous failures to pick up girls or constantly getting the most emotional/physical abuse due to his comic relief character setting. The best shown is "King Tuck" where he [[DorkhorseCandidate runs for school president]] in order to get some respect from others--including his friends. After Danny and Sam gets AnAesop that they should listen to Tucker once in a while, they promptly, ''in seconds'', ignores and walks off when Tucker's rambles about his interests. Worse, for no reason other then to play up his ButtMonkey status, the writer gets two popular girls to chase after him with intent to do some bodily harm. Poor guy can't catch a break.
* This happens to Henry in some ''{{KaBlam}}!'' episodes. In the episode "Won't Stick to Most Dental Work!", he gets tired of being the Butt Monkey and quits the show. After the first sketch, he opens his own restaurant, and then quits after seeing how heartbroken June was.
** Also in "You May Already Be A [=KaBlammer=]!", he's upset over the fact that no one finds him funny, so June tells him that she'll be his sidekick as long as he's hers.
** And since he's famous for falling in love, only to be rejected, he gets his happy ending in episode 29, which was the so-called "last episode" (they ended up making a lot more, and some didn't get to air due to the cancellation), when a girl gives him a kiss: June.
* Epically subverted in the ''EdEddNEddy'' episode "Fistfuls of Ed". After being falsely accused of being a bully and subsequently ostracized by the entire school, and then [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beaten to a pulp]] by [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Jimmy]]. Things are finally looking up for Edd, but then we smash suddenly in to a typical episode ending where the [[AbhorrentAdmirer Kanker Sisters]] pop out of the woodwork to set in with their usual "[[RapeIsLove treatment]]" of the already pathetically tired and beaten-down Double Dee. Eddy, who has as usual been the main source of conflict in the episode, watches in disgust before giving the Kanker Sisters the most singularly awesome chew-out they ever get in the series. As they slink away in terror, he breaks up the lingering awkwardness by giving everyone hotdogs. Double Dee even Lampshades this trope.
-->'''Edd:''' I'm touched! That you would interrupt a cliché plot ending for my sake!
* After being tortured, mutilated, and reduced to a {{brain in a jar}} throughout the first three seasons of ''[[TMNT2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003), Baxter Stockman finally regains a whole, human body in the episode "Insane in the Membrane". Unfortunately, it's not long before Stockman's new body begins breaking down, and the doctor begins losing limbs. Worse still, he begins losing the one thing he'd managed to keep throughout his tribulations: his mind.
** It gets worse for him in "Good Genes, Part 1." Bishop effectively brings him BackFromTheDead in a pseudo-body to continue their work. Stockman laments this development because he thought that he had finally found peace following his previous appearance.
* Near the end of season 2 of ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': The ObstructiveBureaucrat who ran the Earth Kingdom's secret police has been arrested! The real leader has promised them support against the Fire Nation! Sokka's finally seeing his dad after two years, and his girlfriend's in town! Toph's mom wants to reconcile with her! Aang is going to train to master the Avatar state!... Wait, there's still two episodes left. And as soon as Sokka says "[[TemptingFate Everything's gonna be perfect, now and forever]]," you know something's gonna happen. Sure enough, before ''this'' episode is even out: the secret police are still loyal to the man they "arrested"; Toph was tricked and captured by bounty hunters hired to drag her home; and it's not Sokka's girlfriend that's in town, it's TheDragon in disguise -- and the king, not knowing better, welcomes her with open arms. And in those next two episodes, ItGotWorse.
* ''KimPossible'''s [[UnluckyEverydude Ron Stoppable]] never seemed to come out on top in the first three seasons. At the most extreme levels of yankage he somehow managed to get all of his 99 million dollars he got from Bueno Nacho stolen by [[IdiotBall keeping it all]] [[TookALevelInDumbass in his pants]], leaving him with nothing [[FridgeLogic (though most can't figure out what happened with the continued royalties after that payment)]]. [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Drakken]] also has his leash [[KickTheDog yanked]] a few times more than comfortable.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* After four, terrible years and thirteen millions of people dead, they called WorldWarOne the "War to End All Wars," meaning that after this kind of war humanity would finally throw away their warlike nature and world peace now would come and expand. [[ItGotWorse If they only knew]]...
* Ireland. After centuries of being oppressed, they gain independence, and experience a massive economic boom, leading to them become one of the most developed countries in the world. Then when the recession hit, they became the most indebted country per capita in the world.
[[/folder]]
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