No MacGuffin, No Winner: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

When a [[MacGuffin]] is removed entirely from the equation at the end story with neither side possessing it, resulting in the plot equivalent of a no-score draw with the heroes usually getting the Man Of The Match award. Not like it matters, though. [[Shaggy Dog Story|The story has officially gone nowhere.]]

 

Related to [[Status Quo Is God]] and [[Reset Button Ending]], in those cases where keeping the [[MacGuffin]] would have a major effect on the work. [[If I Can't Have You]] is the [[Love Triangle]] equivalent.

{{examples}}

 

* The conclusion of the film ''[[Wishmaster]]'' depends on this: the protagonist is forced to make a third wish in order to stop the one djinn's rampage against her and her friends, but if she does he (and all the other djinn) will be freed to terrorize Earth. So she makes a wish that prevents the accident which caused the djinn's gem to be found in the first place in a [[Reset Button Ending]].

* The battle segment of ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'' ends with Blondie and Tuco destroying the bridge (a [[Take a Third Option|Third Option]] the captain had suggested earlier) so that the armies will go elsewhere.

* In Roman Polanski film ''[[Frantic]]'' Harrison Ford ends up throwing the [[MacGuffin]], a small electronic switch used in the detonators of nuclear devices, into the river, so neither the Arabs or the Israelis get it.

* In ''[[The Rocketeer (film)|The Rocketeer]]'', both the US government and the Nazis are trying to get their hands on the rocketpack. In the end, Cliff surreptitiously sabotages the rocketpack to prevent the lead Nazi agent making his getaway with it, and both Nazi and rocketpack go up in smoke. Although Cliff's friend Peevey has drawn plans for a new and improved version.

* The Sampo in the Finnish national epic ''[[The Kalevala|Kalevala]]'' ends up in the bottom of the ocean.

* In ''[[The Elenium]]'' trilogy by David Eddings, Sparhawk and his companions spend the first two books chasing around after a large magical sapphire called the Bhelliom. Because of its powerful properties, the Bhelliom is sought by an evil god and his minions; a deformed troll named Ghwerig, who owned the jewel at one time, is trying to recover it; the Elene church, whom the Knights serve, also wants to lock it up; and as the sapphire had once been part of the crown jewels of the kingdom of Thalesia, they'd like it back. In the end, {{spoiler|after they've done what they need to do with it, the goddess Aphrael has Sparhawk throw it into a distant ocean.}}

** Played even straighter in the movie. {{spoiler|Harry breaks the damn thing in half, and tosses it away!}}

* Nest in ''Angel Fire East'' by Terry Brooks convinces the main villain that the unstable [[MacGuffin]] had self-destructed. {{spoiler|She is lying.}}

* Inverted in ''The Tightrope Men'' by Desmond Bagley, where the [[McGuffin]] every intelligence agency has been fighting over is deliberately leaked to the Soviets to maintain the balance of power (e.g. to prevent humanity from "falling off" the tightrope).

 

== [[Music]] ==

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

* Third season of ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'': Jackie attempts to destroy the MacGuffins of the first season by firing a laser at them. It only destroys the *physical* talismans - their powers seek out new hosts, setting the third season Macguffin-hunt in motion.

** Also in one episode he says of the current [[MacGuffin]] "This is too dangerous to be in a museum," and smashes it.

* ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' episode "The Slaver Weapon." Both the Starfleet personnel and the [[Known Space|Kzinti]] renegades want to get the titular [[Lost Technology]] because of its awesome power: a beam that causes [[Earthshattering Kaboom|total conversion of matter into energy]].

{{quote|'''Sulu''': It would have looked nice in some museum.