Dude, Where's My Reward?: Difference between revisions

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* Lampshaded to great effect in ''[[Heroes (TV)|Heroes]]''. Claire Bennett, with her regenerative powers, saves a man from a burning train. However, fellow cheerleader [[Alpha Bitch|Jackie Wilcox]] claims credit for it and is treated like a town hero. Of course, this is subverted mightily in later episodes.....

* [[Father Ted]]. Ted uncovers a betting scandal revolving around the 'King of the Sheep' contest. As he walks out of the tent where the contest is being held, Dougal remarks 'One thing though, Ted. If Chris has been disqualified, does that mean we don't get the money you bet on him?'

* The ''[[~~Doctor Who (TV)|~~Doctor Who]]'' story ''The End of Time'' has the Doctor point this out. In the show's 47 year history, the Doctor has saved Earth, other planets, and the universe as a whole countless times, making sacrifice after sacrifice. Every friend he ever makes will die, while he is nearly immortal. He has destroyed his race to save the rest of the universe, making him the last of his kind. He's completely alone in the universe. His reward? None.

* The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''The End of Time'' has the Doctor point this out. In the show's 47 year history, the Doctor has saved Earth, other planets, and the universe as a whole countless times, making sacrifice after sacrifice. Every friend he ever makes will die, while he is nearly immortal. He has destroyed his race to save the rest of the universe, making him the last of his kind. He's completely alone in the universe. His reward? None.

** What makes it all the more heart-wrenching this time is that the Tenth Doctor finally loses his temper when he realizes that in spite of all the good he could continue to do, he has to sacrifice his life (read: trigger another regeneration) to save his friend, Wilf.

{{quote| Wilf: I'm an old man. Just leave me.<br />

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== Video Games ==

* At the end of ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Orginal Generation'', the Hagane and Hiryu Custom has just saved the Earth from not only civil war but an alien invasion as well. ''Original Generation 2'' began with the ATX team underneath Kenneth Garret, a slave driver who gives them no time off for relaxation. When they escape from him they end up under the control of Lee Linjun, a no nonsense captain who will gladly sacrifice everyone for victory, and who is jealous that he didn't save the world. Both of these characters (as well as several others) consider the L5 campaign to be a complete fluke.

* Link is almost universally gypped. Poor kid deserves a knighthood or something for all the stuff he goes through in the games, but what does he get? In ''[[The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening]]'', he finds out that {{spoiler|the Windfish's dreamworld was erased and he's ''still'' shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean}}. ''[[The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|Ocarina of Time]]'' "rewards" him by sending him back in time to childhood and stripping him of his fairy. Most of the other games end ambiguously at best. [[The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (Video Game)|Midna]] may have said it best when she suggested that Link is meant to "toil in obscurity forever." Now remember that most of these Links are different people throughout history, and you realize that the name "Link" is a jinx for every poor sap that has it.

* Link is almost universally gypped. Poor kid deserves a knighthood or something for all the stuff he goes through in the games, but what does he get? In ''[[The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening]]'', he finds out that {{spoiler|the Windfish's dreamworld was erased and he's ''still'' shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean}}. ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Video Game)|Ocarina of Time]]'' "rewards" him by sending him back in time to childhood and stripping him of his fairy. Most of the other games end ambiguously at best. [[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Video Game)|Midna]] may have said it best when she suggested that Link is meant to "toil in obscurity forever." Now remember that most of these Links are different people throughout history, and you realize that the name "Link" is a jinx for every poor sap that has it.

** The non-canon [[The Legend of Zelda (Animation)|animated series]] from the 80s was even worse than any of the games. Not only does Link do all of those things and get no reward for his trouble, everyone in the show still treats him like a useless moron and Zelda can't even be bothered to acknowledge him as a hero while repeatedly insulting him and his well-proven capability. There's even an episode where Ganon steals Link's soul and his ghost is only able to seek help from Zelda to stop him from dying a slow death as his spirit fades out of existence. Zelda never lets up on reminding him what a great burden it is for her to lend any amount of aid to the guy that regularly saves her, her family, her kingdom, and her entire damn universe, on a weekly basis.

*** "Well, excuuuuse me, Princess!"

** The non-canon ''[[The Legendof Zelda CDI Games (Video Game)|The Legendof Zelda CDI Games]]'' were bad enough in their own rights, but the one game that actually ''starred'' Link had Zelda similarly dismiss his abilities and insult him. Even at the end of the game, when he tells her that he saved the world (again), she snottily huffs "Yea right." Granted she wasn't witness to Link's actions in that game, but considering how she's seen all the ''other'' times he's saved the world, it's still cold for her to treat him like an incompetent boob.

*** "I just saved you from Ganon!" "You did not."

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask]]''. Has undoubtedly the best example of this trope. Link is trying the find [[Stop Helping Me|Navi]] and gets sidetracked for days in an endless 3 day loop. Goes through the entire quest to finally save the inhabitants of the village from the big scary red-eyed moon of doom only to be told that he should probably not attend the carnival that was scheduled for the day after.

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask]]''. Has undoubtedly the best example of this trope. Link is trying the find [[Stop Helping Me!|Navi]] and gets sidetracked for days in an endless 3 day loop. Goes through the entire quest to finally save the inhabitants of the village from the big scary red-eyed moon of doom only to be told that he should probably not attend the carnival that was scheduled for the day after.

** Hey, if the poor guy was getting a fair shake, the franchise would be called ''The Legend of Link''. [[Don't Explain the Joke|Cause it's, ya know... about him and stuff.]]

** Well, Zelda did kiss him at the end of ''[[Zelda II the Adventure of Link (Video Game)|Zelda II the Adventure of Link]]''...though we didn't get to see it. Still, maybe he doesn't have it as bad as we thought.

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[[Category:Truth in Television]]

[[Category:Dude Wheres My Reward]]

[[Category:Trope]]