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Serial Escalation: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:sword escalation 6829.png|link=Irregular Webcomic!|frame|Wait till you see the centuple one.<ref>Fun fact: This was actually written [[Hilarious in Hindsight|before]] [[Star Wars|Episode III]].</ref>]]
{{quote|''[[Serious Sam]] 3'' is a constant prelude to itself, an ode to destruction forever building to greater crescendos, an orgy of cartoon violence that keeps on inviting new participants instead of slowing down and catching its breath. Each new weapon marks a leap upwards in the scale of its [[Up to Eleven|increasingly absurd onslaught of enemies and crumbling scenery]], and each time you’ll think "good grief, this is ridiculous. There’s no way it can top this." But it does. It always does.''|''Rock Paper Shotgun'' on ''[[Serious Sam]] 3''.}}
[[Category:Trope]]▼
Some series push themselves up and over the top, surpassing the bar they just set themselves a few episodes ago. Then they do it again. And again. And again.
'''Serial Escalation''' isn't meant to be confused with the buildup to season finales or a plot climax, but rather a consistent escalation in events that always exceeds what a viewer would expect. When this is done well, a new [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] is, at any given moment, just around the corner. When done poorly, what would constitute as a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] can feel [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|ordinary]], or even absurd.
Not to be confused with [[Up to Eleven]], where a series, group, or artist make a point of topping whatever was the latest, greatest thing (including if it was their own thing). To make a Serial Escalation is to create an enormous stack of such occurrences, generating a series of events that top the prior consecutively. Compare [[Awesomeness Is Volatile]], which describes the hypothetical point at which such a process [[Going Critical|goes critical]], resulting in an explosion of awesomeness (or, as noted, in a [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|fizzle]] if the [[Small Name, Big Ego|bomb is a dud]]).
For events that are actually impossible, go to [[Beyond the Impossible]].
Related to [[Sequel Escalation]], and [[Refuge in Audacity]].
Compare [[Troperiffic]], [[Exaggerated Trope]], [[Logical Extreme]], [[Lensman Arms Race]], [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]],[[Power Creep]].
{{examples on subpages}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Absurdity Ascendant]]
[[Category:Universal Tropes]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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