Shaggy Dog Story: Difference between revisions
→Literature: Replaced redirects
prefix>Import Bot (Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.ShaggyDogStory 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.ShaggyDogStory, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
(→Literature: Replaced redirects) |
||
(43 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote|''"''What?!'' That is it, I've had enough! This whole Goddamn adventure has been nothing but pointless build ups towards pay offs that ''never happen''."''
|'''Black Mage''', ''[[8-Bit Theater]]''}}
A [[Shaggy Dog Story]] is a plot with a high level of build-up and complicating action, only to be resolved with an anti-climax or ironic reversal, usually one that makes the entire story meaningless. The term comes from a type of joke (called "gildersome" in ''[[The Meaning of Liff]]'') that worked the same
The classic example is a man who bankrupts himself trying to return a shaggy dog to a rich family in England for reward
For television, these stories tend to be found in two varieties: serious and comedic.
Serious shaggy dog stories generally put the protagonist on a quest or goal, only to undermine the purpose at the last minute. For instance, a cop spends all episode trying to convict a criminal, only to watch the perp be [[Dropped a Bridge
Comedic shaggy dog stories are often parodies, undercutting typical plot structures by offering a [[Contrived Coincidence|ridiculous coincidence]] or [[Deus Ex Machina|unforeseen twist]], or even just making the entire episode irrelevant. ''[[The Simpsons (
This could be [[Sliding Scale of Cynicism Versus Idealism|cynically viewed]] as [[Truth in Television]], since a lot of life's events don't seem to have much of a point to them either.
See also [[Gainax Ending]]. Can compare to [[All Just a Dream]] and [[Overly Long Gag]], and overlap with [[Happy Ending Override]] or [[Tall Tale]]. A reveal that [[It Was
Not to be confused with ''[[Scooby
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
{{endingtrope}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* The Komuvitan-D miniarc of ''[[D
* In the "Valentine's Day Competition" arc of ''[[
* In ''[[Yes
* The first series of ''[[
* Here's an analogy for ''[[
* Early in ''[[
* The ''[[
** One of these stories turns out to be a [[Brick Joke]]. {{spoiler|Klaus's story about Lucky the dog comes up again when Hayate saves Izumi from Lucky (six/ten?) years prior.}}
* ''[[
** A possible subversion, though, in that three-tails isn't really important to the arc. The real driving force behind the story is the filler character Yukimaru, who Orochimaru is trying to use to control Three-tails. Essentially, the writers shift the focus of the narrative from the Three-Tails, whose fate they have no control over, to Yukimaru. As a filler character, they can control Yukimaru entirely.
** This also applies to the activities of the Konoha nin during the Hunt for Uchiha arc: they spend the whole time searching for Itachi, and while all kinds of plot happens behind their backs (including unwittingly running into Sasuke's group) they fail to make any leads in battling Akatsuki and by the end of the arc {{spoiler|Itachi dies without them ever meeting him}}. The only purpose their involvement ultimately served was to demonstrate [[Made of Air|Tobi's abilities]] (which he uses to render all of their attacks useless and escape easily).
** Arguably, the whole {{spoiler|Danzo's rise to power}} ordeal during the Kage's Summit Arc: Right after Pain's Invasion Arc, Tsunade ends up in a coma from exhaustion {{spoiler|Danzo then takes this opportunity to be appointed Hokage, this is portrayed as a [[Tyrant Takes the Helm]] move; Danzo then assists to the Kage Summit and for a moment secures his power and the leadership of the Shinobi Alliance for the coming war... only to be caught red-handed mind controlling the moderator into appointing him in that position, exposed and disgraced, Danzo then flees only to be ambushed by Uchiha Madara who dispatches Sasuke to fight and eliminate Danzo (Sasuke succeeds in doing it); by then the Shinobi world has put aside their differences and organized itself against Madara, and by then end of the arc Tsunade recovers, reassumes her position of Hokage and the Leaf Village takes it's place in the Shinobi Alliance the latter which receives it with open arms.}}
* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!
* The episode "Speak Like A Child" in ''[[
** Jet even lampshades it in the preview, stating that the story goes nowhere at all, makes no sense, and all the action is small-scale.
* In ''[[Baccano
** Until they realize what that [[Red Herring Shirt|means]].
* ''[[Monster (
* The first two arcs of ''[[
** Kenji and his friend's plan to stop [[Big Bad|Friend's]] cult taking over the world and destroying Tokyo {{spoiler|with a giant robot}}? {{spoiler|Turns out the robot is a fake, and Friend's plan all along is to frame Kenji and his friends as the ones behind all the chaos whilst making himself appear to be the hero. It works, and results in ''the main character'' being killed, along with a few of his friends (they get better)}}.
** Kanna and co's plan to stop Friend from killing {{spoiler|the Pope}}? {{spoiler|The whole thing was another [[Xanatos Gambit]] so Friend could 'save' the Pope and increase his grip over the world, propelling him to Godhood. Oh, and he covertly releases a virus at the same time, killing a ridiculous percentage of the world's population}}. Even if the first goal failed, he still had the second.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* ''[[
** Koyomi is already part of an [[Official Couple]] in the series, Tsubasa's feelings can't be returned.
** Tsubasa's cat-possession is part psychological, it won't go away for good.
** [[He Was Right There All Along|Shinobu was always with Koyomi from the start]] {{spoiler|hiding in his shadow}}.
* The [[Netorare Genre]] doujinshi series ''Another World'' (which had a couple of [[Spin
* Much of ''[[
* The ''[[Ghost in
* There are several of these in ''[[
* The entirety of ''[[
* In the [[Hentai]] anime ''Onmyouji - Ayakashi no Megami'' there's a big fight between the good and bad guys, with many sacrifices for the good guys. Finally the main heroine succeeds with her plan to unite with the antagonist to stop her. Then the antagonist wins. No explanation given.
* ''{{spoiler|[[Umineko no Naku Koro
* ''[[
** ''High School Boys and After School'': The boys spent most of the skit practicing a campus "[[Meet Cute]]" scenario for Tadakuni... only ending with the latter on a [[Pose of Supplication]], saying it is completely useless in the boys' school they're studying.
** ''High School Boys and Scary Stories (1 and 2)'': Tadakuni told extremely horrifying stories invoking extreme actions to Hidenori, Yoshitake and (the eavesdropping) Mei. They were also ''made up''.
Line 61 ⟶ 62:
** ''High School Boys and [[The Power of Friendship]]'': Mei asked the trio to find out [[Panty Thieves|who had been stealing her panties]] (it turned out to be Tadakuni and Hidenori). Yoshitake [[Taking the Heat|took the heat]], but when she started beating him, he ratted out the two.
** ''High School Boys and Traditional Events'': the three guys and Karasawa go to the principal and discuss the school's "70-hour fast" tradition. The latter, having only been on his position for three years but unwilling to leave them in the open, makes up a story about how, back in 1984, the principal saved the school from complete shutdown due to low attendance by pleading with prefectural authorities for 70 straight hours. [[Moment Killer|Then Karasawa reveals that Sanada North High was only founded in 1989.]]
** ''High School Boys and the Literature Girl (2)'': Motoharu went on making wind-related quotes to the Literature Girl. It turned out he spoke to the wrong
** ''High School Boys and the Train to School'': Hidenori spent the whole skit engaging in an [[Internal Monologue]] about whether or not he should tell a schoolgirl he sees daily on the trains that she has a hair on a mole on her neck, trying to figure out the consequences, and, eventually, why that was never noticed. After he decided to do so (and still feared a backlash), her response was a bright smile and a "Thank you!"
** The first and last skits of Episode 4 were about Tadakuni trying to get close to Yoshitake and Hidenori, spending most of the skit eavesdropping (''High School Boys and Eavesdropping'') or asking Nago for advice (''High School Boys and Complaining to Each Other''), only to find that the two guys he thought were Yoshitake and Hidenori just happened to be lookalikes.
** ''High School Boys and the [[School Festival|Cultural Festival]] (2)'': Sanada North's [[Student Council President]] dared Ringo and her companions to pass through their haunted house without yelling. Ringo coasted through without making so much as a noise... only to finally let out a scream of horror at the sight of a ''naked [[Student Council President]]'' at the exit.
** ''High School Boys and the Cultural Festival (4)'': After Ringo defeated Sanada North's [[Student Council President]], Karasawa (as an announcer) treated the fighting as but part of a ''scheduled program''.
** ''High School Boys and the Biography of a Hero'': Hidenori has long idolized "Rubber (Band) Shooter", a masked [[Bully Hunter]] who saved him eight years ago. So when he returns to the shrine where he first met him upon hearing the same "[[
{{quote|
'''Hidenori''', before: [[Bully Hunter|Rubber (Band) Shooter]]
'''Hidenori''', after: [
** ''High School Boys and Holy Night'': Hidenori tried his best to avoid being beaten up by Yoshitake's older sister, after he inadvertently pointed out [[Berserk Button|she's always alone]] during [[
** ''High School Boys and the New Semester'': The boys spent the whole skit discussing the winter break while waiting for the first class of the spring term. Their class teacher came in... and announced that due to a typographical error, school should have started ''the day after''.
** ''High School Boy and Ringo's Troubles'': Ringo came into North's Student Council to ask whether she is actually too short. After deciding the other members were too [[Nice Guy]] to be honest, she decided to ask the [[Student Council President]] in the next room instead. The Student Council, fearing that the President was going to say something stupid again, tried to prevent her from leaving the Council room. While their tactics didn't work, the President's answer wasn't stupid either... and Ringo still beat him up.
Line 78 ⟶ 79:
** ''High School Boys and Older Brothers and Sisters'': Yoshitake's older sister was clearly having a [[Sanity Slippage]] for her lack of a boyfriend. Yoshitake and Hidenori at last got Yuusuke to call one of the latter's college buddies (despite [[All Men Are Perverts|all of them being perverts]]) to date her. While that guy was interested in dating a [[Joshikousei]]... what does she look like? [[The Faceless|Not even Yoshitake knows!]]
** ''High School Boys and the End of Summer'': Emi, a girl who lives in Hidenori's maternal hometown, has a crush on Hidenori, who came to visit, and planned to confess to him on the night before he left. The entire episode was about her trying to confess... and right before she's going to say ''that'', Hidenori made a most surprising [[Reveal]]: [[Surprise Incest|they are cousins]].
{{quote|
* Various cults and evil mages have spent great amounts of time and effort in schemes to resurrect the dark wizard Zeref in ''[[
*''[[Children Who Chase Lost Voices]]'' falls somewhere between this and full [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] for Morisaki. After all the sacrifices he had made along the way, not only does he {{spoiler|only very briefly get to see Lisa again, as opposed to permanently bringing her back to life like he had hoped, but he loses an eye for it with no further gain}}.
== Comedy ==▼
* [[Norm MacDonald]] every time he's interviewed ''so the guy says to me he says to me the guy says..''▼
* The spoken-word piece "Moose Turd Pie", one of the more famous versions being done by Bruce "Utah" Phillips.▼
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[
** Then again, that entire arc suffered from a [[Did Not Do the Research|bigger issue]].
* One issue of ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage
** So... that either makes Casey a victim of a mugging turned brutal beat-down himself. Or a gay man who was once brutally beaten if you want to read between the lines. If not none of this holds true, it was a pretty pointless affair overall, yes.
** Or, it means that Casey is a schizophrenic prone to confabulation, which actually fits very well with the rest of his character
* The Crusader subplot in ''Avengers: The Initiative'' was quite compelling - Crusader was a Skrull advance agent who [[Becoming the Mask|went native]], and joined together with the heroes of Earth (in human form) to repel other Skrull invaders. At the end of the story, he has saved the day, gets congratulated by Nick Fury himself... and is shot through the head by 3D-Man, who can see disguised Skrulls. 3D-Man simply shrugs his arms and says "[[What Measure Is a Non
* The ex-mercenary Darca Nyl's arc in the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]. In the series where he was introduced, a Dark Jedi killed his son, a dying Jedi handed over his lightsaber and told him to stop Lycan, and all during the pursuit people assumed that he was a Jedi, and they needed his help. And he gave it, even at the cost of pursuit time, and [[Good Feels Good|it felt good]]. Even after tracking down and killing Lycan, Darca Nyl [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|decides to keep helping people]], because it's right and because he thinks that's what his family would have wanted him to do. ...And ''then'' a more recent comic came out, with an older, bitter, isolationist Darca Nyl who [[
** Recent Star Wars comics ''love'' this. [[Old Soldier]] Able was a clone trooper who survived alone on a forsaken planet for years before the Rebellion found him and recruited him and put him into a commando squad. He was by far the most practical and cynical man there, which sometimes irritated the other Rebels, but he tried to adapt and look out for the last Jedi, Luke. ...And then a comic came out where the whole squad got [[The Virus|transformed into rakghouls]] by a Sith talisman.
* ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]] #28'': Peter Parker sees the Rhino tearing up Manhattan on the news, and rushes to go fight him. Over the course of the issue, he's [[Title Drop|sidetracked]] by various other problems, including a parent-teacher conference, Flash Thompson being a dick, and Gwen Stacy crying in a dumpster. By the time Spider-Man gets to the scene, Iron Man has already easily subdued the Rhino.
* ''[[
* ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'' features a three-issue subplot (issues #10-12, year 2) involving Officer Stomponato, a corrupt sentient police dog, gradually tracking down Spider Jerusalem in order to exact revenge, {{spoiler|only to have the dog accidentally jump to his death, failing to even attract Spider's attention.}}
* The French author Gotlib has done a lot of these in his ''Rubriques à Brac''.
* ''[[Asterix|Asterix and the Black Gold]]'' revolves around a quest to find petroleum for the Gaulish village, since it's an essential ingredient of their magic potion. Asterix and Obelix fail to bring back even the ''single drop'' necessary, ''and'' so the Romans attack the village at their full vulnerability - but fortunately {{spoiler|Getafix had experimented with the formula while the leads were away and had found that beetroot juice was an ample substitute.}}
** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] when {{spoiler|Asterix tells Getafix to do his experiments before sending them halfway across the world.}}
* ''[[One More Day]]'' and ''[[One Moment in Time]]'' play this frustratingly straight. In ''One More Day'', [[Spider-Man]] [[Deal
* ''Seven Psychopaths'' is the story of a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] assembled to assassinate Hitler in the fall of 1941. Little do they know Hitler has [
* Almost every tale by Edward Gorey has elements of this, notably, ''The Headless Bust'' and ''The Unstrung Harp''.
* In ''[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-33185/CaptainBoulanger+Casey.htm Casey]'' (described by the author as a ''[[The Teraverse|Teraverse]]'' [[Prequel]]), a baseball player with a comedically bad romantic history is challenged to ask a girl out. After dinner at a nice restaurant and a movie, the [[Incredibly Lame Pun]] is invoked: Casey strikes out.
== Film ==
* ''[[The Aristocrats]]'' is a film which features many stand-up comedians, comedy writers, and other entertainers and celebrities all performing variations on the same shaggy-dog joke, "The Aristocrats". The joke has long been a sort of "secret handshake" between fellow comedians, or an impromptu contest of improvisational skill. The structure of the joke is thus: a man goes into a talent agent's office, and describes (or performs) his "family act" for the talent agent. The content of the act is improvised by the teller of the joke, usually (but not always) involving as many varied, violent, obscene, or offensive acts as possible. The punchline, when the talent agent asks what the man's act is called, is "The Aristocrats!"
** There is a short story by [[Robert Bloch]] (title sadly forgotten) where a writer refers to a manuscript that's a grotesque parody of gritty, Mickey Spillane-esque mysteries (at one point the protagonist mentions his tragic past, which includes being raped by his grandmother). [[Shout
* A classic example of this trope is found in the [[Marx Brothers]] film ''[[A Night
* ''[[
** But Kevin {{spoiler|has the map in a photo so is able to return to
* In the Disney [[Roger Rabbit Effect|live action-animation mix]] ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'', most of the movie is spent searching for a powerful spell which could help the English in [[World War II]], {{spoiler|only to find out near the end that it was all in the children's book, making their excursion into cartoon land pointless.}}
** Not only that, {{spoiler|but upon obtaining the needed object containing the spell's magic words and returning home, they discover that they can't take objects from one world into another}}, making it a double shaggy dog story.
*** But they ''are'' able to use the magic to {{spoiler|bring the local museum's uniforms of past wars to life, [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|essentially enlisting ghosts of all of England's past wars in order to fight back a secret German invasion force]].}}
* The French movie ''Chacun Cherche Son Chat'' (Released in English as ''While the Cat's Away'') plays with this - most of the cast of the movie is looking for the protagonist's missing cat. The cat turns up on its own, midway through the movie, but it hardly ends the movie.
* [[Roger Ebert]] described ''[[M. Night Shyamalan]]'s [[The Village]]'' as a
** The "secrets" are that {{spoiler|it's the modern day and the village is just some random village of nutters who fled the "horrors" of modern society (medicine and so forth) to raise their kids in the good old days of ''the dark age of Europe'', even pretending to be surrounded by demons to scare their kids into not leaving the nature reserve that they own. Even when one of the kids is dying because of it, the ''only'' person that they will send for help (because all of the adults who actually have any awareness of the outside world refuse to go) is a blind woman who has no idea what a road is, let alone being able to safely cross it or find a hospital.}}
* ''[[
** In the second ending (before the second rewind) {{spoiler|Lola arrives with the money just to see Manni [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|ran over by an ambulance]]}}.
*** Of course, both of those outcomes, just like just about everything else that happens in all three storylines, are caused by {{spoiler|Lola's very own interference, which in turn is caused by what happens in the stairwell}}, albeit one has to watch the movie several times to notice every single causality. It's basically 'Chaos Theory: The Movie'.
* ''[[Cabaret]]'' is a very long, drawn-out version of this trope with singing and dancing. Not only is the entire story totally pointless by the end, but none of the characters have developed in any way whatsoever.
* The Finnish [[Affectionate Parody]] film ''[[Star Wreck
** To make the story even shaggier, it's implied that since {{spoiler|during the panout, you can see space debris that resembles the space station seen earlier in the movie, they're actually in the
* ''[[Murder By Death]]'' is an excellent example of this. {{spoiler|After all of the chaotic happenings in the movie, it appears that ''no'' murder took place. One of the characters, when asked if one happened, says "Yes. Killed good weekend."}} The beauty of it is that the movie is hilarious in large part ''because'' of this.
* The ''[[
* [[Monster a Go
* The climax of ''[[
* The film of ''[[The Bonfire of the Vanities]]'' attempts this by changing the book's ending.
* ''[[
* ''[[A Serious Man]]'' has one scene where a rabbi tell the main character about one of his friends, a dentist, who found Hebrew script inscribed on the teeth of a gentile customer of his. After making many attempts to discern their significance, he gave up without knowing how or why they were there. The protagonist in noticeably irritated by the anti-climax.
** {{spoiler|This may be [[Foreshadowing]], given that the movie itself has [[No Ending]].}}
* The 2005 ''[[The War of the Worlds (
** This is how the original book ended, as well.
*** Though in the book it was Britain who faced the aliens.
* The late-60s Israeli comedy Sallah Shabbati uses one of these as a side plot: the poor immigrant's latest scheme to get cash (so he can get his family out of the refugee camp and into an apartment) is to answer a newspaper ad asking for a dog. When he shows up at the posh Tel Aviv house with a stray he found in the camp, the woman there reacts in horror: "That's not my Pookie!"
* For the 1958 film ''[[Big Deal on Madonna Street
* Lots of Middle Eastern movies seem to be about this, and they're depressing. Case in point: ''Kandahar'', which is about a woman who needs to get to Kandahar before her sister, who had both of her legs blown off by a mine, commits suicide. The movie is about her travelling around trying to meet her sister before the date when she said she'd kill herself - but sadly the woman is arrested while trying to cross a border checkpoint. [[Downer Ending|and that's the end]]
** Also ''A Time For Drunken Horses'', which if I remember rightly has two little boys on their own without a family, who begin smuggling goods over a snowy mountain pass with horses. To help the horses survive the bitter cold, they are given alcohol (making this movie a case of [[Exactly What It Says
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Well, for the ''villains'', sure. They spend the entire movie manipulating and killing each other (as well as anyone who gets in the way) over the eponymous statue of a falcon which is covered in black enamel but secretly covered in jewels. At the end, they form an alliance and attain it... only to find it is a fake. For [[Humphrey Bogart|Sam]] [[Private Detective|Spade]], though, it's a grandslam: the falcon lured all these villains out of the woodwork, allowing him to work with them, getting him out from under the police's thumb, make money, and even {{spoiler|reveal his heroic colors by setting every last one of them up to go to jail, including the [[Femme Fatale]] who killed his partner.}}
* In ''[[Eyes Wide Shut]]'', Bill suspects that his wife is having an affair and gets himself embroiled in some dark sexual circles while trying to sow his own wild oats. It turns out that his situation was not nearly as dark as he thought it was, he decides against having sex with anyone after all, and his wife was never disloyal to him in the first place.
* Many examples in ''[[Indiana Jones]]'', where villains often discover that whatever [[Artifact of Doom]] they're trying to find doesn't work quite the way that thought it did:
** ''[[
* In ''[[The Wizard of Oz (Film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', Dorothy had no reason to go on her whole adventure to find the Wizard and kill the Wicked Witch of the West. The only thing she needed to get home was right on her feet the entire time. As comedian Dennis Miller noted: "So Glenda appears at the end and says, 'You had the power to go home all along!' I always wanted Dorothy to look at her and say, 'Yeah, bitch? And you had the power to tell me that two hours ago!"▼
** In ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'', the [[Big Bad]] is an [[Immortality Seeker]] attempting to find the Holy Grail. The villain doesn't live long enough that the the immortality it bestows lasts only as long as the recipient remains in the vault where it is kept, and the Grail cannot safely be taken out of the vault.
** The villain in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny]]'' {{spoiler|seeks the Antikythera Mechanism in order to to time-travel back to 1939, assassinate Adolf Hitler, and lead Germany to victory in World War II. He finds out too late that the fissure created by the device is "set" so that it can lead only to one year, 212 BC as Archimedes invented it in order to summon aid from the future during the Seige of Syracuse.}}
▲* In ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
* ''[[Burn After Reading]]'' ends with the CIA director and Palmer sitting in an office contemplating what the heck happened. The only thing they learned, they muse, is to not do it again, if only they knew what, if anything, they did to cause the whole thing in the first place.
* The 2002 [[
* ''[[Monty Python and
* ''[[Two Lane Blacktop]]'': The film centers on a cross-country race between a mysterious man and a pair of street racers. Along the way, a girl gets mixed up between the two parties, but she eventually just leaves. We never find out the mysterious man's backstory, and both parties forget about the race before anyone wins.
* A very unusual example is ''[[
* ''[[U Turn]]''. Sean Penn finds himself in a lot of trouble by accident due to a misunderstanding and is just trying to make his way out of a nasty town when he gets the mob onto him. His only exit out is his car, but then it breaks down and he needs to get it fixed. Meanwhile people are trying to kill him, and the girl he falls for turns against him and is out to kill him too. When the car is finally repaired he finds she stole his keys. Out of desperation to get out of this town he strangles her to death and retrieves the keys. As he lay dying, he finally makes it back to his car to drive off only to find the mechanic who repaired his car duped him and it breaks down again. He resigns himself to his fate.
== Jokes ==
Line 169:
* The lion and the elephant are arguing over who's really King of the Jungle; the lion says he's traditionally King, therefore he should be King, but the elephant argues he's stronger, so he should be King. Eventually, they decide to have a football game to settle the matter, and they pick other animals to be on their team. The elephant picks, among others, the rhinoceros because he's big and strong and tough to tackle, while the lion picks, among others, the donkey, because he can kick the ball far with his hind legs. The elephant's team wins the toss and elects to receive. The lion tells the donkey, "Just kick it as high and as far as you can. Oh, and don't kick it to the rhinoceros; he's good." The donkey promises not to kick it to the rhinoceros. The donkey then kicks a beautiful kick...right to the rhinoceros, who runs it back for a touchdown. The lion's team is able to drive back and tie the score, since he has a good team. The lion tells the donkey, "Listen, that was a mistake, and I'll let it go, but don't kick it to the rhinoceros." The donkey says he won't. Once again, he kicks a beautiful kick...right to the rhinoceros, who runs it back for a touchdown again. Once again, the lion's team is able to drive back and tie the score. Dissolve to the 4th quarter. The score is tied. It's being going like this the whole game. The lion is so angry right now steam is coming out of his ears, and says to the donkey, "Listen, if you kick it to the rhinoceros one more time, I'm going to have you for dinner tonight." The donkey says he won't. Once again, he kicks a beautiful kick...right to the rhinoceros. The rhinoceros has it at the 40, the 30, the 20, and he's got no one to stop him, when all of a sudden, he trips and fumbles. The lion's team recovers, and has a chance to win the game. The lion looks around to see what caused the rhinoceros to trip, and that's when he notices the centipede. "Centipede, is that you?" "Yes." "Nice tackle." "Thanks." "Where have you been?" "In the locker room." "The locker room?!? What the hell have you been doing all this time in the locker room?" {{spoiler|"Tying my shoes."}}
* Billy lived in a boring little town, the only attraction being a run-down old zoo with nothing but run-of-the-mill farm animals. One day, when passing by the zoo, he spots a huge, shiny, brand new enclosure. Running towards it he discovers it houses a bright purple gorilla. The zookeeper sees him admiring it, and he tells him, "Ah, this is the Pan-Pan Fandango Gorilla. Imported him for Nicaragua only this weekend. He's a great animal, and very intelligent: cleans his own enclosure, builds his own shelters, sometimes I think I see him reading the signs! He's really friendly too, you can wave at him and he'll wave back, he plays ball with visitors. Amazing creature. Just one thing - don't touch him." And the zookeeper walks off. Naturally intrigued, Billy sneaks towards the enclosure, and the bright purple gorilla walks up to him. Billy reaches out to touch, and the gorilla reaches back... But the zookeeper arrives and shouts, "What did I tell you! No touching!" and chases him out of the zoo. Billy comes back late that night while the zookeeper's asleep, and finds the purple gorilla just sitting there in the cage, waiting for him. They reach out, and finally touch, and the gorilla lets out a huge roar, suddenly ferocious. Billy runs in terror, but the gorilla leaps out of the enclosure and gives chase. Now, here's where the really long part comes - essentially, the joker describes a round-the-world trip, the gorilla chasing Billy. Maybe he gets on a plane, only to see the purple gorilla piloting a biplane after him. Perhaps he hides in a cave and speaks to friendly animals, but the purple gorilla brings his own animal friends and the boy only just escapes. Maybe they go to China and battle ninjas on the Great Wall. Whatever really - my primary school teacher went for the whole year, telling us ten minute snippets of this at the end of each lesson. Anyway, eventually they reach some suitably climactic dead end - Billy's stuck on a rock jutting over Niagara Falls as the immense and angry purple gorilla closes in, maybe they make it back to Billy's hometown where he falls into the enclosure, maybe they make it to the very edge of the universe and the final confrontation happens on a space station. The purple gorilla finally closes in, and this time Billy cannot see any way out. The purple gorilla closes in, eyes ablaze, {{spoiler|taps him lightly on the arm and shouts, "Tag! You're it!"}}
* Bob worked at a soda bottling plant. One day, Bob decided that there should be new markets for soda. So he packed up what he thought we would be the best selling
{{quote|
'''Tribal Leader''': Yes. He a good man.
'''Steve''': Oh, you mean a good salesman? He sold you all this Fresca?
'''Leader''': He a good man.
'''Steve''': How was he a good man?
'''Leader''': He taste great!
'''Steve''': (with a mixture of surprise and horror, as he noticed the huge metal cauldron perched on wooden sticks) You mean you ate Bob?
'''Leader''': Yes. Bob taste good with Fresca. (as the rest of the villagers nod and make approving sounds)
'''Steve''': You mean you ate his... nose?
'''Leader''': Yes. Nose taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You... you ate his... eyes?
'''Leader''': Yes. Eyes taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You...you ate his... ears?
'''Leader''': Yes. Ears taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You ate his... arms?
'''Leader''': Yes. Arms taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You ate his... legs?
'''Leader''': Yes. Legs taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You ate his... lungs?
'''Leader''': Yes. Lungs taste good with Fresca.
'''Steve''': You ate his... heart?
'''Leader''': Yes. Heart taste good with Fresca.
(etc. etc. etc.)
'''Steve''': Uh... wait a minute. Wait one minute. You don’t mean to tell me you, you ate his...., you know, his, uh, THING?
'''Leader''': Yes.
'''Steve''': (pauses a few seconds) You ate his, THING with Fresca?
'''Leader''': No.
'''Steve''': Huh? But I thought...
'''Leader''': No eat THING with Fresca. {{spoiler|“Things” go better with Coke. (Note: for younger readers, that was an advertising jingle for Coca-cola in the 1960s.)}} }}
* Ladies and gentlemen, the Depressed Guy Joke. So there's this guy. He's really, really depressed. He's too depressed to even commit suicide. That's how depressed this guy is. Because he's just so very depressed, he lives in his mom's basement and just sits there being depressed. Well, one day, his mother noticed that the circus was in town. She figured she would buy him a ticket to try to cheer him up, because he's just so depressed, it's depressing. She gives him a ticket for seat 53B, and sends him on his way. Because he's so depressed and has nothing better to do, he goes ahead and arrives a couple of hours early, while the circus is still setting up. Everyone else is really busy, so he wanders over to a nearby giraffe and starts talking to it for a few minutes before wandering off elsewhere. When he came back, the giraffe had fallen over dead. Its long neck was flopped over the side of the enclosure, its tongue was hanging out of its mouth, and flies had already gathered around the body. [Note: This part of the joke should ideally continue for as long as the patience of the teller and listener will allow, along with the creativity of the teller.] The circus finally opens, so the guy goes in, finds seat 53B, and sits down. The show soon starts, and there are acrobats, and jugglers, and magicians, and lion tamers, and everything else that makes a circus worth seeing. At the very end, after the other acts have cleared off the stage, this tiny little car drives out. The door opens, and this massive, morbidly obese, practically spherical clown steps out. The clown asks, "Would the person in seat 53B stand up, please?" The depressed guy goes ahead and stands up, because he has nothing better to do. The clown then says, "Well, there's one end of the horse, but where's the other?" This just makes the guy even more depressed. He goes home and doesn't come out of the basement for thirteen years. All that time, he is planning his revenge on this fat clown. Well, thirteen years after he first went, his mother notices that the same circus is back in town. She goes ahead and buys him another ticket for seat 53B, because she figures that the third time's the charm, and there is no third time without a second time. So the depressed guy returns to the circus, just like the last time. The skeleton of the giraffe is still there, as a modern art piece for some reason. There are a bunch of art critics gathered around it, debating its meaning. The depressed guy listens for a while, before going to take his seat. Well, the show goes just like it did thirteen years ago. The list of performers is exactly the same. The depressed guy gets a little less depressed at the anticipation of getting his revenge on that clown. The show goes on, until finally, the same tiny car comes out onto the empty stage. The same gargantuan clown comes out of the car, and asks, "Would the person in seat 53B stand up, please?" The depressed guy stands up, ready to really give it to the clown. Once again, the clown says, "Well, there's one end of the horse, but where's the other?" The depressed guy takes a deep breath, and shouts, {{spoiler|"Screw you, clown!"}}
Line 204:
* Or the infamous "Passion fruit Story": A boy has to do an assignment on tropical fruits for a geography assignment, as he hands it in, the teacher asks: "What did you do your assignment on?" the boy replied "Passion fruits". The man is then overcome with rage and sends him out of the class. As the principal walks by, he asks why the boy is out of class. The boy replies, "I did a report on passion fruits". The principal expels him on the spot. The boy goes home, tells his mother about the passion fruits and she throws him out. The boy is homeless, and lying on a park bench when a police officer arrives, asking him why he is homeless. Cue the boy getting a (25 year) life sentence. As he gets his case appealed, he explains the passion fruit story. He gets another 25 year life sentence. Near the end of this sentence, the 65 year old man gets approached by someone saying he can explain the whole passion fruit incident, and to just say you murdered someone to avoid another life sentence. The man goes to his hearing and says "I killed a man, won't do it again" and he is freed. As he crosses the road, about to find out what the hell is going on he crossness the road without looking and ''gets hit by a car''.
** A variation is "Beaver". The joke opens with a teacher in a class of third-graders going around the classroom asking students what their favorite animal is. While you get the usual puppies and kittens, a kid known for being a troublemaker says his favorite animal is the beaver. Offended, the teacher leads the student up the chain of command demanding he repeat what he said and each person being offended, from vice-principal to principal to superintendent and on and on until he ends up in front of the president of the United States, who decides the best way for the kid to atone for his behavior is to apologize on the floor of the UN. At the UN, the boy says what he said in class, and a member of the general assembly considers what he said so offensive he runs out into the street and gets hit by a car. Final line: "And the moral of the story is: Look Both Ways Before You Cross the Street!".
== Literature ==
* An exemplary use of this trope is in Thomas Bangs Thorpe's ''The Big Bear of Arkansas.'' The eponymous character seems to follow the archetype of the romanticized American frontiersman, engaged in an epic struggle against nature. The narrator of the story sits in rapt attention while "Big Bear" regales him with the tale of his pursuit of a legendary giant bear; the story meanders pointlessly for a while, and ultimately Big Bear fails to kill the bear before it dies of shock. Why did it die of shock? Because it entered Big Bear's property while Big Bear was taking a shit, and died at the sight of it. That's right, the whole point of the story was to get the reader to listen to a twenty minute story about the narrator voiding his bowels. It gets better - the entire story of his "chasing the big brown bear" may have been nothing more than an extended metaphor for Big Bear's attempting to move a particularly bulky "load." Big Bear of Arkansas is effectively nothing more than a prank against the credulity of New Englanders who over-romanticized life on the frontier.
* Lawrence Sterne's ''The Life And Opinions Of [[
* In the final book of [[His Dark Materials]] trilogy it is revealed that {{spoiler|The Authority (AKA God) is so old and fragile it takes only a light breeze to destroy him.}}
** Also, a number of plot points and much buildup from the first two books is casually tossed aside in favor of [[Downer Ending|a tear-jerker ending]] [[Deus Ex Machina|enforced by destiny,]] despite all that talk about it being Lyra's job to overthrow destiny in the first book. The third Shaggy Dog of the books is then tied to the second, since after all the character buildup and romantic subtext, the two main characters are each put on a separate bus, never to see each other again, and with no sufficient reason why they feel the need to go along with this, so the third book of the series is a shaggy dog to the third power.
* [[Guy
** Readers today can also see the Aesop as "Honesty is the Best Policy". If the borrower had simply told the truth at the beginning, they would have avoided all their problems.
** An alternate Aesop overlaps with [[Character Development]] - the woman in question was bitchy, and used money that her husband would have used to go on a holiday to buy a dress for herself for the party (she didn't borrow it, just the necklace), and borrowed the necklace because she couldn't stand the thought of people seeing her in anything less than stunning
* A particularly [[Downer Ending]] version is found in the ''[[Warhammer
** Also, the Chaos troops would probably have moved on to attack other hive cities had they succeeded in destroying Vervunhive.
* In the ''[[
** Probably to introduce King Cailen, the son of Maric and Rowan, who is apparently ruling Fereldan by the time the Game starts. (and not doing a very good job, from the looks of it.) Loghain doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of the new king.
*** Yeah, but Cailen would have been born ''anyway'' had circumstances been different. Only this time Rowan wouldn't have been in a position she hated. So I ask again: What was the point of that?
*** To emphasize just how far Maric and Loghain value duty over their personal feelings and desires, and giving each of them reasons to become bitter at old age. In case you missed it, it's not a love story, and it isn't supposed to be.
* The short story [https://web.archive.org/web/20090304095258/http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/waldrop5/waldrop51.html "God's Hooks"] by [[Howard Waldrop]], in the spirit of all stories about catching [[
* ''[[
* ''[[The Andromeda Strain]]''; the entire book is spent trying to find a cure for said strain, only to reveal at the end that {{spoiler|it had already mutated into a non-infectious form. Because of breathing quickly (but that's another matter entirely)}} Granted, it's still dangerous, but...
* ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (
** Also , take note that this actually does something in the plot. {{spoiler|Dumbledore not being on the castle at that time makes it possible for the Death Eaters to enter; and gives Harry (and the readers) even more reasons to hate Voldemort. I doubt anyone couldn't feel bad for Dumbledore's dying wish to be unfulfilled, and that everyone hated the villains more}}.
** Further, it may have been according to plan and it allowed things to happen for the "good guys": {{spoiler|it gave Harry a lead on tracking down the other horcruxes (R.A.B) and allowed Snape to finish off Dumbledore allowing Voldemort to be tricked into thinking Dumbledore's wand was bound to Snape when it was actually bound to Malfoy}}.
* ''[[My
** Made even worse in that {{spoiler|Kate asked Anna to take her parents to court so they would let her die}}. [[Jodi Picoult]] writes this a lot.
* ''[[The Old Man and
* In the ''[[
* One of the (many) criticisms against the ''[[Magic:
** A previous ''[[Magic:
* In [[Michael Crichton|Michael Crichton's]] ''[[Sphere]]'' the main characters are investigating a most-likely alien ship, that landed on the bottom of the ocean. Inside they find {{spoiler|a perfect sphere with strange markings on them, and after they've entered the Sphere, they can do stuff with the power of their minds! Which results in the underwater research facility being attacked by among other things, a giant squid. All but three of them die and at the end they figure out what's happening. When they are finally rescued, they decide that the power to do anything with just your thoughts is too dangerous, so they decide to forget everything that's happened, explain the deaths of everyone by a leak or something and just by thinking this, it becomes reality. So basically, everything that happened in the entire book has become irrelevant in the last paragraph or so.}}
** Not really. It ends on a subtle hint that implies that at least one of the characters {{spoiler|didn't actually give up the power after all.}}
* The ''[[War of the Spider Queen]]'' is a series of six novels set in the ''[[
* ''[[Splinter of the Minds Eye]]''. The [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kaiburr_crystal Kaiburr Crystal], which amplifies a Force-Sensitive's power many times over, was sought by Luke, Leia, and Vader. And it worked all right. But it also lost power the farther it was from a specific site on the planet, and was completely useless offworld. All that fuss and [[Brother
* The tragedy of ''[[Daisy Miller]]'' ultimately (intentionally) comes from this trope. Winterbourne realizes he misjudged Daisy and should have trusted his own opinion of her rather than everyone else's {{spoiler|after she dies. There is nothing left for him to do but return to Geneva and continue to live just as he was at the beginning of the story.}}
* [[Neil Gaiman]]'s novella collaboration with [[Yoshitaka Amano]], ''The Sandman: The Dream Hunters'', concerns a tale where a monk is cursed by a onmyoji to die from an entrapping dream, so that the onmyoji can find peace with himself. A fox, who had earlier fallen in love with the monk after trying to trick him, attempts to save the monk. In the end, {{spoiler|the fox, with the help of Dream of the Endless (or as he is referred to in the novella, the King of Dreams), usurps the monk's dream so that he may live. However, the monk travels to the realm of dreams so that he may claim his own dream and save the fox. By sacrificing himself, the monk rendered the fox's quest in vain, much to the chagrin of the fox.}}
* [[Lewis Carroll]]'s poem ''[[The Hunting of the Snark]]''. A dysfunctional party's search for the mythical Snark ends with {{spoiler|the one who found it disappearing because the Snark was really a Boojum}}.
** With the exception of one chapter entirely about how two natural enemies in the party become best friends. The ending, in which the crew was apparently transformed by witnessing the Baker's heroic efforts, might have gone somewhere if it hadn't ended at that exact point... which is very clearly why it ''did'.
* [[Older Than Dirt]]: ''[[
* [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[
** There has been at least one short story published since then, which features Shadow taking a much more proactive role in his life in general, so there's that.
* [[Isaac Asimov]] wrote a short story about an idealized future floating city, ruled by an emperor-like leader, that in the end is brought down under the weight of a bunch of military spaceships - all in service of setting up the last line of the story, which is a [[Feghoot|fairly bad pun]]. The title of the story? "Shah Guido G." As Asimov himself admitted in commentary, it's all there in the title. (If you don't see it, split the title between the "i" and the "d." Now read.)
** Oddly enough, despite the lampshade it isn't actually all that good an example - sure, the point of the story was to set up a bad pun, but as the other character in the framing story points out, the narrator ''did'' bring down the floating city (it just happened to be by manipulation), and that led to a better, more vibrant society being established. In other words, the struggle of the story is not unexpectedly rendered moot when it ends.
* In the ''[[
* While ''[[Catch-22]]'' itself is not a
* ''[[Otherland]]'', by [[Tad Williams]], has a layered use of this trope. One of the main protagonists, [[The Unpronounceable|!Xabbu]], is an African Bushman (San for the overly pedantic) who is close to, if not the [[Last of His Kind]], and relates many of his tribe's stories to the other characters throughout the novels. These stories lack the narrative structure one would expect of Western literature and frequently have endings that are only tangentially related to their beginnings. Loop back to the main plot: the Other, the [[
* In ''[[True Grit]]'' and the 2010 movie based on it, Mattie goes to great effort to see Rooster Cogburn for the first time 25 years after he saved her life and vanished into the night. Would have been a touching reunion if he hadn't died three days before.
* Kevin J. Anderson's ''[[Jedi Academy Trilogy
* Niel Hancock's ''Circle of Light'' series. Much of the plot revolves around the heroes' efforts to keep the Arkenchest out of the hands of the Big Bad. At the end, {{spoiler|when she finally gets it and all hope seems lost, the Arkenchest's sheer goodness transforms her into an angel of light. They could have ended the conflict faster by just giving it to her}}.
* In ''[[The
{{quote|
"No," said Ford, "but it's a marvelous way to relax." }}
* In [[The Wise
* ''[[Land of Oz
** To make it even worse, the quest for the ingredients was endorsed by both Dorothy and Ozma, who the characters met about halfway through the story. The two characters know both the Tin Woodsman and Glinda well, yet the fact that Glinda can do magic and the Tin Man is a [[Actual Pacifist]] apparently do not occur to them, or at least are not worth mentioning.
* In ''[[
* David Foster Wallace's [[Infinite Jest]] is one of these in its entirety. The narrative is famously long, and doesn't appear to be going much of anywhere until the last third, when the action finally picks up. Then the last hundred pages or so are occupied with a description of one of the protagonists having a fever dream. The closest thing to resolution occurs in a throwaway flashback in the book's first chapter. [[Broken Base|Some readers think this is brilliant, others hate it.]]
* Tolkien's ''[[The Children of
* In the [[Spellsinger]] novel ''The Day Of The Dissonance'', Jon-Tom travels hundreds of dangerous miles to fetch medicine for the ailing wizard Clothahump. Not only does it turn out that the "life-saving" medication is just ordinary aspirin, but Jon-Tom ''already had'' several identical tablets in the pocket of the jeans he was wearing when he arrived in Clothahump's world.
* R. J. Rummel's ''Reset -- Never Again'' {{spoiler|is [[Exactly What It Says
* The first chapter of ''[[Wayside School
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[The Sinner]]'' - Builds up a huge premise of why a woman killed a man on a beach, and brings up more and more questions about the motive for the crime, with the woman unable to remember the reasons for killing the man. After a peak is reached with the number of mysteries raised, it resolves them in a concluding chapter which provides an explanation which massively pales in comparison to the amount of build-up, and concludes with a run-of-the-mill "accidental murder" caper.
* ''[[Law and Order]]'' frequently uses serious shaggy dog stories, where the suspect avoids being convicted only to be caught for another crime, dying unexpectedly (and sometimes spectacularly), or otherwise being punished by the forces of Fate. Also, frequently the controversial issue of the day which the defense attorney's scheme is hinged around [[Debate and Switch|ends up being irrelevant]] when a simple, personal motive appears in the last five minutes.
* ''[[
* In an episode of ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'', Richard and Emily are drawn closer as they try to find the owner of a stray dog that had happened upon them, leading the audience to expect that the experience will lead them to end their separation. In the end, though, the dog's owner claims it and it's back to status quo. The only real revelation to come from the affair is the gender of the dog, which was not what they had
* [[Professional Wrestling]] example: In a bizarre invocation of the [[Fleeting Demographic Rule]], [[WCW]]'s Halloween Havoc 2000 pay-per-view featured a [[
** [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] one - [[John Cena]] made a shocking comeback to win the 2008 Royal Rumble just two or three months after an injury that was said to put him down for at least six. He invoked his title match against [[Randy Orton]] (who was awarded the WWE Championship upon Cena's injury)... and then won by DQ so he didn't take the title. Then he got another two title shots, and lost both of them before moving into another feud without ever getting any revenge on Orton.
* New characters Nikki and Paolo from season three of ''[[
** Depending on who you talk to, the show has quite a few examples, up to and including the entire thing.
* In an episode of ''[[
{{quote|
* On ''[[
** This one's a big case of [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Talia's actor, Andrea Thompson, had recently divorced Jerry Doyle (who played another major character, Michael Garibaldi), and was being offered a much juicier gig on ''[[JAG]]''. She dropped out, and Talia's arc (except for the {{spoiler|[[Ho Yay|relationship with Ivanova]]}}) was picked up by Lyta Alexander (who had been established in the [[Pilot Movie]] but hadn't joined up for the first season over some contract dispute).
* ''[[
* An example with a twist from ''[[The Torkelsons]]'': One character is in a contest to spend time in Paris with a family. [[Status Quo Game Show|As would be expected]], she loses. But it's ''how'' she loses that makes it a
* ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', the entire damn show. An important part of the plot, if not the most important part, was Kevin being in love with Winnie Cooper. How does the show end? {{spoiler|The epilogue voice over said he married someone else}}.
* ''[[The Two Ronnies]]''' famous monologues by Ronnie Corbett in his chair. Ostensibly all about telling a single, usually only moderately funny joke, the real joy was in the meandering way he eventually got to the punchline over five minutes, wandering off on a variety of bizarre tangents in the process.
* ''[[
* A two-episode arc of ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]'' focuses on [[The Dragon|Tenaya 7]] trying to steal a [[Mineral MacGuffin|rare diamond]] to power up her [[Monster of the Week]], which she claims will ensure easy victory for [[Big Bad|Venjix]]. Even though she does steal the diamond, the Rangers destroy the monster in their Megazords within 10 seconds without breaking a sweat.
* In an episode of ''[[Charmed]]'', a summoner spends the entire episode working on a spell that would bring back a very powerful [[Big Bad]] from earlier seasons, the Source. It succeeds, but then Piper hits the summoner with her power three times and both the summoner and the summoned Source are vanquished. In less than two minutes.
** ''Charmed'' was ''made'' off this trope. In the 1st season, there was an episode in which they meet their male counterparts, supposedly as powerful as they are, only evil. They died in the last 30 seconds of the episode.
* An episode of ''[[
* ''[[
** {{spoiler|Even more of an example; the whole affair happened because a mother wanted NCIS to reopen her daughter's rape case, only for the daughter to admit at the end that she [[Chained to
* The Joey-Rachel relationship in ''[[
* Charlie's little sub plot in Season One of ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''. Hiro witnesses her die brutally, so he goes back in time six months to prevent the whole thing. Several months take place as the two of them fall in love. When Hiro tries to tell her that she will die, she tells him that she has a blood clot in her brain and will die shortly anyway. Oops. Waste of six good months.
** Not really, if only from the perspective that what he went through with Charlie forced Hiro to grow up a little bit and fully realize the ramifications of his powers. Would that he had remembered this AFTER the first season...
** It's also not that much of a Shaggy Dog story if you read the novel ''Saving Charlie'', where the relationship is developed further. Also, Hiro's "accidental" teleports keep carrying him back to the task of saving Claire Bennett and Charlie eventually calls him on the fact that Hiro is neglecting his destiny just to spend time with her. That doesn't stop the two of them from losing their virginity to one another on the night before Charlie is supposed to die though.
*** Of course that wonderful story was tossed in the garbage and this really DID become a Shaggy Dog story as of Volume 5 when Hiro went back to save Charlie and was successful. He somehow managed to get his past self to go to back in time to fall in love with Charlie, get Past Ando to hang around until Past Hiro gets back AND talked Past Sylar into using his powers to cure Charlie's blood clot ([[Don't Ask]])... only to have Charlie get "lost in time" by this Volume's [[Big Bad]]!
**** To cap off in a way that probably reaches [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] levels, in the season ([[Left Hanging|and series]]) finale Hiro meets Charlie again. She's old, and asks Hiro not to go back in time, because she's built a family during 65 years and doesn't want to lose that. Doubleyoo. Tee. Eff.
* The search for a virus that occupies much of the first third of Season 3 of ''[[
* On one episode of ''[[Taxi]]'', [[Ascended Extra]] Jeff gets fired when he gets blamed for Louie's theft. Alex eventually guilts Louie into confessing to the boss ... except the boss doesn't believe his confession, and yet is so impressed by Louie's "sacrifice" that he re-hires Jeff.
* The ''[[
* The ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "Move Along Home" has several main cast members struggling to escape from an incredibly lifelike
* ''[[
* A throwaway joke in an episode of ''[[
{{quote|
'''BJ:''' I-what? I push her away? Why?
'''Hawkeye:''' Your smoking jacket is covered in angora lint.
''(BJ groans)''
'''Hawkeye:''' In a fit of pique, she leaves.
'''BJ:''' But what about the zippers down the back?
'''Hawkeye:''' They didn't catch on. }}
* ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway
* In general, a [[Game Show]] contestant hitting a [[Whammy]] in a [[Golden Snitch]] or [[All or Nothing]] situation tends to result in this trope. However, a couple shows deserve special mention because they're set up to make this happen so often, it has to be an intentional budget-saver:
** The British show ''Golden Balls'' consists of nearly an hour of bluffing and random money distribution to determine the size of the pot and to eliminate 2 of the 4 contestants. At the end, the two contestants left each have to decide whether to share or steal the prize fund. The rules <ref>If both share, they split the pot 50/50. If one steals and one shares, the one who steals gets the entire pot. If both steal, the pot is lost and both leave empty-handed.</ref> give zero incentive whatsoever to share, and if both players opt to steal (the only Nash equilibrium in the decision table), then nobody wins a single quid, and the entire hour was moot.
Line 313 ⟶ 312:
* ''[[Dollhouse]]'': It's amazing just how unimportant Alpha ends up being.
* In an episode of ''[[Father Ted]]'', Dougal asks Ted if he's ever seen a ghost. Ted starts telling a story of how he was staying at his great-aunt's spooky old house in the middle of nowhere, and was staying in a bedroom where a heartbroken girl had allegedly hung herself many years before. He describes how the room was icy cold, lit by a single candle, and then suddenly he heard a creak.
{{quote|
'''Ted:''' No. So no, I've never seen a ghost. }}
* The season one ''[[
** The Barney/Robin romance also falls prey to this. After an entire season of Barney [[Unrequited Love Tropes|pining silently]] over Robin after a [[Love Epiphany]], involving a lot of [[Character Development]] for both of them, they finally get together...and break up seven episodes later over almost nothing, to allow Barney to revert back to his whorish ways and Robin to revert back to her commitment-fearing, career-driven lifestyle. This one is still going back and forth.
** Pretty much every girl that Ted falls in love with and hooks up with. Particularly Robin. We know right from the first episode that Robin is not the mother but a large part of Season 1 and 2 and in a few other seasons is dedicated to Ted pining over Robin, Robin pining over Ted, getting together and breaking up, thinking of restarting their relationship, having a non-strings attached relationship and then deciding they are [[Better
** In-Universe, there's an episode where Marshall, Lily and Barney spend the entire time trying to guess which Canadian celebrity invited Robin over to look at which collectible and propositioned her to engage in which sex act. At the end, she finally tells them. They probably would have been more impressed if they had known who The Frozen Snowshoe was, what Harvey's trays were or how one performs an [[Noodle Incident|Old King Clancy.]] And then, the audience is shown that Robin was being an [[Unreliable Narrator]] anyway.
== Music ==
* [["Weird Al" Yankovic
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmGVYki-oyQ ''Trapped in the Drive-Thru''] deserves a mention as well. A husband and wife argue over what to have for dinner, and finally decide to go to a fast-food place. At the drive-thru, another argument ensues over what to order, followed by the husband realizing he doesn't have his wallet. Wife offers her credit card but they don't take credit, and she only has $3 in cash on her. Husband scrounges through the car looking for loose change to cover the difference, doesn't have enough and is ultimately forced to cancel the wife's chicken sandwich ("I wasn't even really hungry in the first place"). A 10-minute-long buildup that ultimately culminates in the husband biting into the burger at a red light only to realize {{spoiler|they forgot the onions.}}.
* Arlo Guthrie's classic folk/parody "[[
{{quote|
* [[King Crimson
* Rap group Atmosphere has a song called "Hair", in which rapper Slug details the story of a fan trying to seduce him at a bar. The song progresses through the night as Slug and the girl go back and forth, with the fan's advances eventually winning over Slug. They get into her car, and as they're driving to her place, the song ends "''Her drunk ass turns to look at me and she says/You're so beautiful from the hair to the soul/I can't believe that I never met you before/It feels like I've been waiting for you me whole life/She missed the red light, we hit a pick-up truck and [[Rock Falls Everyone Dies|we both died]]''.
** This is followed up on a later album by a song called, appropriately enough, "Scalp". The narrator is asked by a shady friend to pick up a mysterious package at a warehouse and drop it off at another location. He gets into his car but has an internal struggle as to whether or not he should do such an obviously morally dubious thing. Deciding against his better judgement, he starts driving to the warehouse... "''Pulled out on Lindale/Killed by a couple of drunks,broadside of [[Brick Joke|my pick up truck]]''"
*** Interestingly, both songs are explicitly from [[Acting for Two|Slug's point of view]].
* "Billy The Mountain" by [[
* The Fiery Furnaces. Pick a song. Any song.
** Special mention goes to "My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found" for being a ''literal'' shaggy dog story.
* In the song ''There's a Hole in The Bucket'' Henry tells Liza that there's a hole in the bucket. Liza tells Henry to fix it. A [[Chain of Deals]]-esque to-do list begins to form, and towards the end Henry needs to transport water. Liza tells Henry to use the bucket to transport the water. Henry points out [[Book Ends|there's a hole in the bucket]]!
== Newspaper Comics ==
* [http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/1995-07-09/ This] ''[[
** Scott Adams in general is fairly fond of this trope, often times inspired by [[Ripped
* When the extended flashback in the strip [[
* ''[[Peanuts]]'':
** There was a very long series of strips involving Peppermint Patty training for an ice skating tournament that ran over a whole winter. First, she hired Snoopy as a coach. Then she convinced Marcie to make her a skating dress; Marcie tried her best, but she couldn't sew, and made an awful dress. It almost ruined their friendship, until Marcie's mother made Patty a beautiful dress. Then Patty needed to get a new hairdo to go with it; Marcie was no good at that, so Patty went to Charlie Brown's dad - who's a barber. Unfortunately, he mistook her for a boy, and gave her a boy's haircut. Patty averted another disaster by buying a wig... {{spoiler|but in the end, it all turned out to be pointless, because the tournament was actually a roller skating competition.}}
** In another long arc, Linus' teacher Ms. Othmar asked him to bring eggshells to school so that his class could make model igloos, but again and again, Linus either kept forgetting or something would happen to foil his plans. (One time he remembered to bring them - on Saturday.) {{spoiler|Finally, he remembered, and brought them to school, only to find that Ms. Othmar had quit her job and was getting married. (As Linus said, "I knew the eggshells were only a manifestation of a deeper problem!") The story did end on a high note: Linus sent her a box of eggshells as a wedding present.}}
== Radio ==
* Every "Bebop-a-reebop Rhubarb Pie" sketch on ''[[
** Garrison Keillor in general is a master of this trope.
== Recorded and Stand Up Comedy ==
▲* [[Norm MacDonald]] every time he's interviewed ''so the guy says to me he says to me the guy says..''
▲* The spoken-word piece "Moose Turd Pie", one of the more famous versions being done by Bruce "Utah" Phillips.
== Tabletop Games ==
The flavor text of the ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' card Catacomb Crocodile probably counts
{{quote|''"I am sewer-king!" said Rat. "I am quick and cunning and I know every tunnel."
''"No, I am king!" said Zombie. "I am cold and deadly and no rot can harm me."
Then Croc came and ate them both.}}
* There are cards in ''[[Munchkin (
== Theater ==
* Arthur Miller's ''[[
* The entire play ''[[
** [[Tropes Are Not Bad|Which is the point of the play...]]
** Any Beckett play with a plot fits this trope.
* Gyorgy Ligeti's opera ''[
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Arc Rise Fantasia]]'' has one happen to Paula and Luna, the ''We Challenge You!'' sidequest involved running around all over the world searching for hidden clues, at the end of the search, the whole thing was revealed to be {{spoiler|a prank left behind by Zamuel meant for anyone who happens upon his clues.}}
* The endings of both ''[[Earthworm Jim (
* The plot of the [[Tower Defense]] game ''[[Immortal Defense]]'' is a Shaggy Dog Story of truly ''epic'' proportions. At the end of the game, after nearly a hundred missions of defending your beleaguered home world against increasingly impossible odds, you finally learn that {{spoiler|the enemy really ''did'' wipe out all life on your planet at the end of the second campaign, your character has gone insane, all the "transmissions" you've been receiving from the planet were in fact hallucinations, and you've spent the past ''million years'' defending a lifeless ball of rock}}. Of course, it's arguably worse for your enemies, as this revelation also means that {{spoiler|they've spent countless lives and lost thousands of vessels trying to ''invade'' that lifeless ball of rock}}. And to top it all off, unless you've gotten [[
** The game's creator has said that {{spoiler|some or all of the last campaign is a hallucination, so the enemy isn't really wasting ships or lives at that point (it also explains how so many of the unique boss enemies reappear)}}.
* Original ''[[The Longest Journey]]'' was this so much, it hurts: April goes on an epic quest, discovers that she is supposed to {{spoiler|become the [[Physical God]] to [[Save Both Worlds]],}} sees all her friends and acquaintances {{spoiler|killed or maimed in process, screws up all her previous life...}} only to discover that she was {{spoiler|, after all, only mistaken for [[The Chosen One]] and is, after all, not really needed anywhere.}} Of course, one could argue that she did save the Twin Worlds but...
** The sequel ''Dreamfall'' gives us a rare glimpse of how the protagonist of a shaggy dog story acts after their meaningless quest. April is understandably depressed and cynical. The series then doubles-down on the shaggy dog aspect by {{spoiler|having another character be told throughout the entire game to
* In ''[[Hellgate
▲* In ''[[Hellgate London]]'', the humans are trying to kill Sydonai and expel all the demons from Earth. {{spoiler|After you kill Sydonai, Murmur appears to tell you that he use you to kill Sydonai so he can get his position, and there's no indication that the demons are leaving just because Sydonai was killed.}}
* ''[[Prince of Persia]]'': The 2008 game.
** To wit: Elika, [[Foreshadowing|much to no one's surprise]], is forced to [[Heroic Sacrifice|use her own life force]] to restore [[Sealed Evil in
*** To be fair, the game IS a trilogy, so not having a definitive ending is kind of to be expected. Plus, it doesn't seem like sealing Ahriman was actually the point, but rather what mattered was the Prince's transformation.
*** I thought that was the [[Multiple Endings|bad end]], i.e. you have the option to walk away from the can to get the good end. Or is [[Stupidity Is the Only Option|Stupidity your only option]]? Or, worse yet, is it [[Cutscene Incompetence]]?
**** To elaborate a bit, here's how the ending plays out - when you {{spoiler|pick up Elika's body and slowly walk outside while carrying it,}} the credits start rolling. When you {{spoiler|put Elika's body back down outside the temple,}} the credits stop. The official strategy guide for the game even states outright that this is a good place to stop if you don't want a bad ending. The player still controls the Prince, but there's nothing left to do aside from {{spoiler|destroying the tree of life and freeing Ahriman}} - which the player must do themself, without any coaching from the game. Doing so leads to the downer ending where {{spoiler|The Prince frees Ahriman and revives Elika, who responds to this by asking "Why?"}}
***** The epilogue expansion turns this around. {{spoiler|The prince does not believe that Ahriman can be properly sealed anymore so the choice ultimately came down to fight Ahriman now with Elika and Ormazd's help, or fight him later without them. Elika still thinks he's an idiot for making that choice.}}
* ''[[Diablo (
** And this is because the protagonist believes that they are strong enough to fight the spirit of Diablo.
* The plot of the Neo-Geo shooter ''Cyber-Lip'' has the protagonists being send to a space colony in order to destroy an [[
* Both of the first two ''[[Monkey Island (
** In the first game, Guybrush spends a lot of time searching the potion which can destroy ghosts: but {{spoiler|the potion is actually root beer, which can be found in the vending machine on the very island where the game begun!}}
* There are only two things that are clear from the ending of ''[[Contact (
* Every entry in the ''[[Geneforge]]'' series, except possibly the last. Each game concludes its plotline with the player victorious- and usually on a hopeful note for the world at large, [[Multiple Endings|if you play right]]. But then the next game rolls around, and the world has gotten more [[Crapsack World|Crapsack]], the bad guys more threatening, the good guys less sympathetic, and your achievements in the previous games are barely mentioned. An air of hopelessness and futility hangs over the proceedings by the end of ''Geneforge 3'', and never goes away.
* The ending of the obscure, bizarre PC-Engine game ''Legendary Axe II''. You finally claim the throne from your ne'er-do-well brother, but shortly afterwards a [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|topless assassin chick]] with purple hair and a scimitar the size of Shaq jumps out of literally
* At the end of ''[[Ultimate Spider
** It's only a Shaggy Dog Story for Eddie, ''not'' Peter and the player as we ''do'' get to see what was in the file during the final cutscenes. {{spoiler|Eddie's father took a sample of his and Richard Parker's (Peter's dad) research, then tried it on the plane, which transformed him into a Venom-like creature and caused the plane to crash. Also, Eddie cites his captivity by Trask and Trask only getting three years as his reasons for killing Trask.}}
* In the brilliantly-written ''[[
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006
** That feels like a "Did not do the Research" comment, considering that in game, the story is fine until the very end. {{spoiler|After you complete the first 3 stories using Sonic, Shadow, and Silver, Mephilis the Dark appears behind Sonic and kills him, Elise cries at Sonic's Death, Iblis is released, Mephilis merges with Iblis, and Solaris is born anew and pissed, which does, in theory, make everyone's efforts at keeping all of this from happening kinda moot. But then Everyone works together, revives Sonic, he goes Super with Shadow and Silver, they beat the Final Boss, and then Sonic has Elise blow out the Flames of Disaster once and for all, eliminating Solaris from the time line, and then making the story itself a moot point,}} which then means that the game is a Shaggy Dog Story for the player.
*** More referring to Sonic's part of the main game, not the last story. Silver and Shadow actually have the meat of the plot (Iblis, Mephiles, etc), but Sonic just runs around saving Elise like 7 or 8 times, and fighting Eggman, who also doesn't do very much. Sonic has more relevance in last than his own story despite {{spoiler|being dead for most of it}}.
* The main campaign of ''[[
** Although actually, {{spoiler|most of the characters, including the player, survive}}, allowing for the sequel ''Mask of the Betrayer''. However, one of the endings of that is also a
** A better example is {{spoiler|your trial for the Ember massacre. Whether you're found innocent or guilty, the losing side appeals to trial by combat.}} The developers themselves have admitted you shouldn't have to {{spoiler|fight Lorne if you were found innocent}}.
* The recent updates to ''[[Portal (
** Arguably the original too, since it's revealed during the credits that {{spoiler|it was all part of the experiment}}.
* Every ending of ''[[Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume|Covenant of the Plume]]'' is some variant of this. For summary purposes, the hero Wylfred has made a deal with the dark goddess Hel that will help him slay the other goddess Lenneth, who he blames for the death of his father. {{spoiler|He's still just an ordinary guy--in no ending can he actually kill her.}} The degree to which the trope applies varies, however: {{spoiler|ending B is straight-up shaggy dog, with absolutely nothing achieved. In ending A, Wylfred decides on his own to give up on vengeance, and kills a powerful servant of Hel. Hel herself remains untouchable, despite the revelation that she was responsible for ''all'' the suffering and death that occurred after the first fifth of the game. C fits into [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog|another trope . . .]]}}
* In the ''A Crystalline Prophecy'' add-on scenario for ''[[
* ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'', the
* In ''The Lost Crown'', you can have Nigel collect photos and recordings of various hauntings, as well as find the legendary Saxon crown. In the end, {{spoiler|he not only has to return the crown, but all his hard-sought ghost evidence is sabotaged.}}
* At the end of ''[[Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent]]'' {{spoiler|the foreman you were trying to save is taken away screaming by the Hidden Ones. Tether's superior doesn't care about this in the least since the eraser factory is open again...despite the fact that the President (the factory was the main eraser supplier for the White House) ''didn't even notice'' the eraser shortage.}}
** This is averted in the sequel where you go back {{spoiler|and finally solve the mystery of the Little People and the astronaut}}
* Episode 3 of ''[[Strong
** Episode 1 also qualifies: while Strong Bad literally achieves his goal of beating the snot out of Homestar, his briefly successful efforts to ruin Homestar's life - specifically, turning him into a publicly disgraced criminal fugitive without a girlfriend - are undone by Strong Bad himself when he has to kick Homestar out of his house.
* At the end of the second episode of ''[[Hector: Badge of Carnage]]'' you find out that {{spoiler|you had all the needed evidence from the beginning and all you needed to do was to wait a few hours for the forensic examination to finish.}} This annoys Hector since it means that he did not have to {{spoiler|drug a restaurant full of people and burn down a church}}
* ''[[Touhou
** ''Immaterial and Missing Power'' features a plot based around finding out who was causing mysterious parties to take place. When they find out it was just a [[Bottle Fairy]] oni looking for an excuse to get drunk, they just go ahead and have the parties anyway.
** ''Imperishable Night'' involves exiled lunarians trying to hide the Earth in a bucket, but failing at making it work properly, so they were going to just abort the plan, anyway.
** ''Phantasmagoria of Flower View'' revolves around a very large cast of playable characters, many of whom don't even care about the event or want to stop it, anyway, finding out that the incident is a natural occurrence and harmless to begin with.
** ''Mountain of Faith'''s plot is a new shrine appearing on top of the youkai mountain and telling the Hakurei Shrine that they'd be absorbed. Not a major incident, but certainly cause for some concern. Except that when you get to the god of the shrine they turn out to be perfectly reasonable and the whole 'you will be assimilated' thing was her [[Miko]] being over-eager.
** ''Undefined Fantastic Object'' has [[Youkai]] subordinates of a [[Sealed Evil in
** ''Ten Desires'' sees hordes of divine spirits appearing. It turns out that this is a side effect of someone powerful reviving... and she finishes doing so before the PC gets there.
** ''Silent Sinner in Blue'' is probably the most [[Egregious]] example, as the entire thing is a giant [[Gambit Pileup]] where one of the plotters decides at the last moment that she'd rather just get drunk than actually achieve her objective, and steals the lunarian's booze instead of their legendary treasures.
*** ''Silent Sinner in Blue'' is a
* Happens at the end of every chapter of ''[[Wacky Races]]'' NES game.
* The first ''[[Doom (
* Played for laughs in ''[[Rex Nebular And The Cosmic Gender Bender]]''. The titular protagonist is sent to a [[Gendercide]]-ridden planet to retrieve a valuable vase. Over the course of the game, he loses his ship, destroys a large city, causes the deaths of several people, kills a small dog, suffers through repeated bouts of gender-bending, and gets kicked in the nuts, not to mention averting several deaths by a hair along the way. In the end, he accidentally breaks the vase in front of his customer while arguing about payment. Which they had already agreed on, note.
* By [[Word of God]] (there would have been a sequel-TC, but it seems to be [[Vaporware]]), the Voinian story in ''[[Escape Velocity]] Override'' is this: ''all'' storylines happened, but where all the others had a big impact in ''some'' way, the Voinian storyline is effectively rendered moot by the UE
* ''[[
** The three most visible cases are: the The Geth War-{{spoiler|There is only one ending that even allows them to exist as [[A Is]] rendering all the work to force peace with the Quarians meaningless}}; Krogan Genophage-{{spoiler|With the bulk of the Krogans off their homeworld the loss of the Relays means that regardless of being cured or not they won't make it home to continue their race and may just die out}} and the Salvation of Earth-{{spoiler|With Humanity's entire military and civil government gone and no way to get assistance then Earth will likely degenerate rather then be saved (barring if it was just incinerated)}}.
{{quote|
* In ''[[Kid Kool]]'', the goal is to save the king, who is dying by finding the "seven wonder herbs." If the player doesn't finish the game quick enough, the king dies before you even GET to the end. Bonus points since the game's controls are so bad, that it's virtually unplayable.
* A rare example that's clear from the start occurs in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles III]]''. The new antagonists of the game are Calamity Raven, a group of Darcsen mercenaries pushing themselves through hell fighting against Gallia in hopes of gaining the resources needed to create a Darcsen free state away from the [[Fantastic Racism]] that plagues their people on the rest of the continent. Anyone who has the finished the first game (set at the same time as the third) or played the second (which is set after the first, third, and fourth) will know that in the ending of the first game Gallia's princess reveals the entire royal line are Darcsens, and the supposed calamity they caused was a falsehood created by the [[Written by the Winners|really villainous]] Valklyria, turning Gallia into a land where Darcsen are able to live more or less freely. Thus it's clear to the player not only are Calamity Raven's extreme efforts fruitless, if they ''were'' to succeed it would actually be counter-intuitive to their goals.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* The ending of the seven year long
* In ''[[
* Almost every single arc in ''[[
** Not quite. There are indeed a number of Shaggy Dog Stories in 8-Bit Theater, such as the Chocobo Breeding arc and the random town arc from right before the Orb of Air quest, but most of the story arcs don't fit the definition. They tend to end in anticlimaxes, but the anticlimaxes themselves do further the plot.
** Turns out the entire plot is one of these; {{spoiler|while the Light Warriors are arguing with each other yet again, the [[Big Bad]] is killed by a minor character using a strategy Black Mage had scoffed at in one of the series' first comics. After nine years and 1200 comics, the main characters end up basically where they started off without really accomplishing anything outside of causing problems wherever they went}}. According to the author, this was his plan from the very beginning.
* The first season of ''[[Ansem Retort]]'' ended like this. After a demon invasion, fighting through FOX headquarters, one character fighting [[The Dragon|Ansem]], another getting god-like powers, and using said powers to summon a dragon with ''a nuke on its back'', the president of FOX was defeated {{spoiler|by a stab in the back.}} Of course, this is lampshaded:
{{quote|
'''Zexion:''' {{spoiler|Screw you. They're dead, we're alive. We win, they lose, end of story. Who's up for Chinese food?}} }}
* One story arc in ''[[Blip]]''. K is speaking with Bang over the cell phone, and she hears as he gets attacked by someone with a knife. Fearing the worst, K enlists a friend and drives from San Francisco to Los Angeles to make sure Bang doesn't bleed to death in a parking garage. They can't find him at the parking garage, nor at any hospitals. {{spoiler|When they finally check Bang's apartment, they discover that he's completely okay, and they needn't have worried about him at all.}}
* ''[[
** Susan's uniform crusade was cut short when {{spoiler|The principal revoked the dress code after parents complained about having to wash them daily}}.
** The race through Swedekia in the Temple of Swedish Furniture arc also qualifies. The last TV stand that Elliot and Noah were racing for had already been purchased the previous day, and the store's online inventory didn't register that piece of information.
* ''[[
* The ''[[Dark Legacy Comics]]'' spinoff, ''The Stonemaker Argument'', consists mostly of these. In particular, "[http://www.stonemakerargument.com/2.html The Dr. Noodle Improbability.]"
* Some ''[[
* Much of the humor in ''[[Pictures for Sad Children]]'' revolves around awkward, drawn out, just uncomfortable (and usually [[Magic Realism|surreal]]) conversation with no conventional punchline at the end.
* ''[[
* The ''[[
* ''[[Brawl in
* Frequently used in ''[[
* ''[[DM of the Rings]]'', a webcomic running the plot of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (
* [http://somethingofthatilk.com/index.php?id=387 This] strip of ''[[Something of that Ilk]]'' even references the trope in its title.
== Web Original ==
* The Story Guy videos from ''[[Loading Ready Run]]'' are based almost entirely around this trope. Installments such as [http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/14/grilled_cheese Gilled Cheese] and [http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/36/rare_book Rare Book] have the Story Guy go on at great length for what is eventually revealed to be no point at all.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090918215316/http://edge.i-hacked.com/so-theres-a-man-crawling-through-the-desert This story] is the best and most perfect incarnation of this trope. Be warned, it's a very long read.
** Dear God!
* In ''[[
** This is more or less Simon Wood's entire arc is one of these. Poor guy couldn't even pull a {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]}} off right.
** Alex Rasputin; killed two people in v4, and was on the path to redemption. Suddenly, {{spoiler|Liz Polanski destroys a camera, and [[Your Head Asplode|Danya blows his collar.]]}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkXPbEb4NyI This] video about World of Warcraft.
* [[Charlie the Unicorn]] always ends up on quests like this.
* In his review of [[
**Though, to be fair, he was making a point about the weakness in the song.
* [http://travalicious.tumblr.com/post/3007256993/why-are-you-gay "Why are you gay?" "Well, a long time ago, I was sitting at home on the computer..."]
* [[
* The last sentence of "[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=635193 How David Weber Orders A Pizza]", after several thousand words exhaustively describing the ordering and delivery of a pizza, is:
{{quote|
* The ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV5w262XvCU Saga of Biorn]'' ends with the noble, aging [[Death Seeker]] Viking, seeking entry to [[Warrior Heaven|Valhall]], succeeding at dying in battle by saving a convent of nuns from a giant... Except the nuns end up [[Not Quite the Right Thing|burying his corpse in consecrated ground]] and sending him to Christian heaven at the last moment instead.
== Western Animation ==
* One ''[[The Simpsons (
{{quote|
'''Lisa:''' Yes, well, technically everything worked out alright, but...
'''Marge:''' But?
'''Bart:''' Well, I wasn't the one who solved the problem, and neither was Lisa. There's something unsettling about that. }}
** Another episode parodied the phrase: Moe comments on how tired he is of hearing the barflies'
** Another episode, "Missionary: Impossible", started with Homer attempting to make a bogus $10,000 pledge to [[PBS]] anonymously, being found out, being chased by an angry mob when he can't pay, begging Reverend Lovejoy for salvation, and getting sent to a remote island mission for his trouble. The rest of the episode focuses on his hambrained attempts to bring religion, and later gambling, to the natives (with a minor subplot involving Bart taking over as man of the house). It ends with Homer accidentally triggering a natural disaster, and just as he's about to plunge into lava...the episode cuts to a donation request, ending with Bart (out of character) pledging $10,000 and saving the network. In short, the whole zany misadventure was nothing more than an elaborate [[Take That]] at (take your pick) PBS/Fox's programming/RupertMurdoch/snpp.com, yes, ''friggin' again''/anyone who takes this show too seriously.
** This is the current mode of practice of the strike-busters from "Last Exit to Springfield":
{{quote|
* The ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' episode "The Viper is Coming" featured the Joes discovering several COBRA bases and plots around the world based on cryptic phone calls from someone calling himself "The Viper". Characters on both sides try to discover who the Viper is as he seems to predict COBRA's every move. Finally, the Viper's latest call warns them that: "This is the Viper. I be there at noon today. Be ready." The Joes call in reinforcements and barricade the house where the calls were being received. Right at 12 PM, an old immigrant in overalls shows up. In a heavily accented voice, he declares: "I'm the Viper. I've come to vipe your vindows."
** An episode of ''[[
* ''[[The Fairly
* ''[[
** Not that Spongebob [[Failure Is the Only Option|can ever get a passing grade anyway]].
** In another, Spongebob and Patrick start their own business selling chocolate door-to-door, and one customer in particular goes crazy on them, yelling "CHOCOLATE!" over and over, and chases them throughout the episode. The two otherwise have no luck getting rid of the chocolate. By the end, the customer finally has them where they can't escape, and then politely says, "I'd like to buy all your chocolate."
*** Actually, Spongebob and Patrick ''did'' succeed in selling most of their chocolate by "stretching the truth". Unfortunately, a [[Con Man]] who previously tricked them into buying too many bags for their bars, deceived them into buying even more while taking all the money they had made. Fortunately, that guy was the only person they hadn't sold any chocolate too.
** "Good Ol' Whatshisname": Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob and Squidward that he'll give a prize to whoever finds out the name of every customer at the Krusty Krab. Squidward, thinking the prize is a tropical cruise, goes out of his way to win the contest, even winding up in jail in the
*** Even better is that the titular character shouts his name at Squidward right from the start. {{spoiler|however, his name turns out to be Whatsittooya, which is exactly what it sounds like. Didn't help matters that he literally shouted this in Squidward's face, so the latter never realized this until he stole Whatsittooya's wallet.}}
** 'I'm With Stupid', there, Spongebob pretends to be dumb so Patrick will look good in front of his parents. However, Patrick takes it too far and believes Spongebob really is dumb. He, and his parents, then start to openly mock Spongebob, leading to him turning insane and leaving Patrick's house in frustration. Then, it is eventually revealed that those two weren't even Patrick's real parents, the real ones are in Squidward's house, asking him where Patrick is.
* The ''[[Sealab 2021]]'' episode "7211" is pretty much an old ''Sealab 2020'' episode redubbed exactly like before, with the crew helping repair the nuclear submarine ''Aquarius'', captained by a man who held a grudge against Murphy. Sounds odd for an [[Adult Swim]] comedy, huh? Well, until the end, where the only joke of the episode has ''Aquarius'' ram into Sealab, [[Running Gag|blowing it up,]] and making all the work the crew did pointless... as well as stranding them at the bottom of the sea.
* The ''[[
** This is made even more frustrating when compared to the earlier episode "The Losing Edge", which not only was already a subversion of these movies (wrapped in an inversion), but it was much more clever and satirical about it.
** It's important to note that the episode "The Losing Edge" was also a commentary on [[Amazingly Embarrassing Parents|some truly atrocious]] [[Amazingly Embarrassing Parents|parental behavior]] during the 2004-05 Little League season and the lengths [[Meddling Parents|some]] [[Knight Templar Parent|parents]] will go to ensure their child's success, even to the point of [[Parental Obliviousness|disregard for their]] [[Adults Are Useless|child's well being]].
** In another ''[[
*** Made brilliant by the fact that it was actually Stan's ''refusal to vote'' that really mattered. Might count as a [[Broken Aesop]].
*** Even more metaphorical, as in the end it's the actions of a single person (Stan or P. Diddy, depending on how you look at it) that renders the votes of everyone else null and void.
* A ''[[
* The third ''[[
** Of course, one might argue that the Professor gained the important knowledge of {{spoiler|who his son actually was, something he learned in the fantasy world rather than the real world}}, although this was never really made perfectly explicit.
** Also, Bender's plotline in "[[Freaky Friday Flip|The Prisoner of Benda]]". He attempts to steal Robo-Hungarian Emperor Nikolai's jewels while in possession of his body, and once everything is resolved...
{{quote|
'''Bender:''' [[Gratuitous Spanish|¡Adios!]] And I'm left with the real jewels safely inside... ''(Looks inside his chest cabinet.)'' '''his''' compartment! All right, [[Call Back|I'll need accomplices]]. }}
* ''[[The Weekenders]]'', "Tickets": Tino spends the entire story agonizing on who (out of the other three) to take to a concert after winning two tickets for it. After he makes his choice, the two find out that the two slips they're holding... can be redeemed for 4 tickets, and thus all four get to enjoy it. Moral of the day: Always read the fine print! (BTW, Carver got picked.)
** In "Party Planning": The gang prepares for a party by taking dance lessons. "Lateral gravity" takes effect at the actual party, meaning that the boys and girls stay on opposite sides of the room the whole night and those lessons were a waste of time. At the end Tino notes how they walked away from this party with no humiliation.
* ''[[Codename
** Although, at the end of the episode, {{spoiler|the villains turn in everyone else's homework in an attempt to get on the teacher's good side. (Since everyone else didn't even turn any in, but they turned in 20 something copies.) The teacher reads one paper, NUMBUH 4 ONE'S and the worst in the class, and goes ballistic, telling them she'd rather they turned in nothing at all. So in the end, the villains lose, even though the heroes' actions had nothing to do with it. At least directly.}}
* ''[[
** Also, the episode where Grandpa sets out to find the Sword of Ekchuah, in the Mayan temple. They fight off Enoch and his forces constantly through the episode and even a Mayan guardian alien type thing. At the end, however the sword turns to dust as soon as Enoch touches it. What a waste of time
*** That part is lampshaded by Max who jokes that "that's what happens when your weapon is 5,000 years old".
* An episode of ''[[My Gym
* Used beautifully in the "Winter" part of the ''[[Samurai Jack]]'' episode "Four Seasons of Death". A tribe of yeti-like humanoids harvest a giant crystal from a cave and forge it into an [[Infinity
** Done ''again'' in an episode focusing on a group of Bounty Hunters that gather and discuss their plans and reasons for going after Jack. When the moment of truth arrives, Jack defeats them all in the time it takes for a drop of melting ice to fall.
** Done ''yet again'' in "The Tale of X-9", where the entire episode is seen through the eyes of X-9, a [[Retired Badass|retired]] [[Killer Robot|robot assassin]] with an [[Personality Chip|emotion chip]] that led it to [[Hitman
*** [[Tear Jerker|Lulu, sweet thing...]]
* One episode of ''[[
** Another episode features Ron going on a global trek to find an overdue library book he borrowed from Kim. In the process, he trounces the plans (and hideouts) of several of Kim's major enemies...only to eventually discover ''the book was in his backpack the whole damn time''.
** Yet another episode involves Drakken attempting to take over the world with the stolen [[MacGuffin|"Energy Ray X"]]. Unfortunately, Kim has a severe cold, so she can't stop Drakken. So Ron sets out to stop Drakken. But then Drakken comes down with a cold. So he sends Shego...who also catches a cold. So ''she'' sends out Duff Killigan...and I think you know where this is going. Eventually, Kim decides to take some cold medicine and [[Working Through the Cold|drag herself out of bed]] to try and bring back the stolen Ray X. In the resulting fight with Shego (who tried to shoot Kim with Ray X out of desperation), Ray X is destroyed. Kim and Ron return to the scientists who had originally built Ray X, asking it actually did, and why it was so important to get it back. The scientists immediately reply, "The ray was a cure for the common cold." Ron then lampshades pretty much the entire episode.
{{quote|
* The ''[[
* One example is the ''[[
** The "Stewie Kills Lois"/"Lois Kills Stewie" two-parter, which turns out to just be a simulation Stewie was operating to find out what would happen if he killed Lois and took over the world, [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] it.
{{quote|
'''Stewie:''' Yes, that's correct.
'''Brian:''' So it was sorta like [[All Just a Dream|a dream]]?
'''Stewie:''' No, it was a simulation.
'''Brian:''' Yes, but theoretically, [[Leaning
'''Stewie:''' Well, hopefully, they would've enjoyed the ride.
'''Brian:''' I don't know, man. I think you'd piss a lot of people off that way. ''<nowiki>*leaves*</nowiki>''
'''Stewie:''' Oh, at least it didn't end like ''[[The Sopranos]]'', [[Tempting Fate|where it just cut to black in]] [[Smash to Black|mid-sen-]] }}
** "Partial Terms of Endearment" was about Lois becoming a surrogate mother for her college girlfriend and her husband, but after becoming pregnant, said girlfriend and husband end up dying, leaving her and Peter with the conflict over having an abortion. The final scene of the episode is made as though it's about to introduce a "new member of the Griffin family", only for Peter to [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|break the fourth wall]] and say, "[[Status Quo Is God|"We had]] [[Crosses the Line Twice|the abortion]]," and the episode ends on that abrupt note.
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Marlene, who had spent all that time trying to find a replacement crown, was not amused and ended up chasing Julien with a crowbar she borrowed from Rico.
* Most ''[[Squidbillies]]'' episodes end up like this.
** As do a lot of ''[[
* On one episode of ''[[
** Yet ''another'' episode involves Pete stealing Goofy's mortgage money. When Peg lets Goofy stay at ''their'' house as a result, Pete tries to give back the money only to find it lost. He spends the rest of the episode trying to pay Goofy back with his money with Goofy refusing out of decency. When he ''finally'' gets Goofy to take the money, PJ and Pistol earn that exact same amount in their work program Pete established. Pete pays them the money, and they give it to Goofy. Then Goofy finds his actual mortgage money in a device that's been around the whole time. Cue Pete having ''another'' nervous breakdown.
* In an episode of ''[[I Am Weasel]]'', Weasel and I.R. are astronauts terraforming a planet to prepare it for colonization. Their robot [[
* One episode of ''[[Hey Arnold
* The ''[[Jimmy Two
* ''[[
* This happens a few times in ''[[
** To make matters worse, Dave, upset that he went through all that hell for nothing, accidentally smashed the nomads again with a door and they angrily cast another curse which caused the episode to end.
* One that happens to be both serious and comedic is ''[[Total Drama Island
* ''[[
* ''[[
* The ''[[
** In "Germs", Zim asks the "burgerlord" why [[Brand X|McMeatie's]] food is completely germ-free. The clerk gives a lengthy explanation about the government engineering "Space Meat" to feed astronauts on long voyages. {{spoiler|Not having access to that technology, Mc}}{{spoiler|Meaty's food is made of napkins}}.
* One episode of ''[[
* A recurring motif in the children's series ''[[Towser]]'', with each episode building up to a blunt final line voiced by Roy Kinnear, delivered totally deadpan and highlighting a strange pointlessness about everything that had just happened. Most obvious is when Towser attempts to give his friend Sadie the moon for her birthday, but resorts to fooling with a white balloon. Thinking himself terribly clever, he leaves, the episode ends with Sadie explaining to a friend, 'It's a balloon. Towser seems to think it's the moon...'.
* Happens in several episodes of ''[[
** In "Slam Dunk", Mordecai and Rigby wage an escalating basketball war with Muscle Man and High-five Ghost for the rights to use the computer so that Mordecai can make a website for Margaret. After a climactic duel for control of the basketball in space leading to a from-orbit slam dunk for the final point, Mordecai approaches Margaret... and finds out Margaret already had it made, since she asked two months ago
{{quote|
** In "A Bunch of Baby Ducks", Mordecai and Rigby have to find someone to whom they can give a bunch of baby ducks that have been following them around so that they can clean the park fountain. In the end, they fight a climactic battle with a duck poacher to help reclaim the ducklings with the help of their rightful mother. As they reported to Benson, the good news was they got rid of the baby ducks, but the bad news was that the fountain was destroyed
** In at least 2 episodes something expensive belonging to Mr. Maellard is broken by a character who then has to replace it before he notices. In these episodes Mr. Maellard breaks the replacement and then doesn't care he broke it.
* The ''[[
* In one episode of ''[[Doug]]'', Patti invites Doug to a dinner party she'll be hosting that weekend, with [[Stock Yuck|liver and onions]] on the menu. Doug is horrified, but doesn't dare back out for fear of offending her, so he spends the entire week trying and failing to make himself eat liver and onions so he'll at least know what he's in for. When he finally forces himself to try it at a restaurant on the night before the party, he realizes that it isn't anywhere near as bad as he thought it'd be. The next evening, he arrives at Patti's house, ready to chow down, only for her to tell him that she was ''joking'' about the liver and onions; everyone's eating hot dogs instead.
* Lots of the protagonist's zany schemes in ''[[Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales]]'' turn out to be this. In one episode, he and Chumley find a map that supposedly leads to a treasure hidden by a pirate named Jack the Joker, but they can't understand the numerical coordinates. After Stanley yells at them for inadvertently getting everyone in the zoo to start digging up the place, they consult their friend Mr. Whoopie, construct a homemade compass, and use the map to find the buried chest, only to be caught by Stanley again (seeing as they were digging up his own front lawn this time) who decides to punish them by having them locked up for a week. Still they manage to keep the chest, but when they open it, a jack-in-the-box pops out with a note that says, "Ha-ha! - [[Meaningful Name| Jack the Joker]]".
** Even worse was one story that almost becomes a [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] story. After the two of them unknowingly pay a paperboy with Stanley's priceless rare coin, he threatens to punish them by making them work on the rock pile unless they got it back. So they run after him only to find he has paid the ice cream man with it, then follow the ice cream man to a bakery. After questioning the baker, he claims he had dropped the coin in some cookie dough, which he had used to make cookies that Chumley had eaten while they were talking to him. After a lot of unsuccessful attempts to extract it, they consult Mr. Whoopie again, who x-rays Chumley, only to find no coin. Which means they are screwed. Later, after several hours of backbreaking labor on the rock pile after Stanley makes good his threat, Chumley discovers a cookie under his hat that he had been saving - with the coin inside it. Cue [[Unstoppable Rage]] from Tennessee as he chases Chumley, ''throwing rocks at him''.
== Other ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOawFvFMnuA A rare wordless example.] It even has dogs.
* The Great White Sheet Game: Typically played at co-ed college parties with some amount of alcohol, often on road trips where the participants have multiple hotel rooms. One person who has never played before is chosen as the Player, while all those who have played before take on the roles of "Master" (for the leader of the game) and "Others". The Player sits on a bed, and has a sheet tented over him. The Master then explains that this is a test, and that the Player must follow the instructions that the Master or the Others give, to the letter. The game then proceeds, first with the Master describing a scene: "You are walking through the desert. It is hot, and you are thirsty. You realize you don't need to be wearing as much as you are. Take something off, and pass it to me." Usually, the Player removes something
** [[Scout Out|Boy Scouts of America]] has a version where a number of newer scouts stands before a crowd and all place blindfolds on themselves. They are ordered not to make a sound for the duration of the game and are told to take an article of clothing off. The ones who take the blindfold off are quietly told to remain silent and the game is ended when the boys all have their blindfolds off or there are any boys reduced to their undergarments.
▲* There are cards in ''[[Munchkin (Tabletop Game)|Munchkin]]'' that can make a battle this: say you've encountered a Plutonium Dragon and its Evil Twin, facing painful death should you fail to beat them or run away. After numerous bonuses and anti-bonuses have been played on the monsters, the dragon's Baby Clone, and its Mommy, have been introduced to the fight, multiple one-shot items have been used to help or hinder you, several different methods of backstabbing have been employed, lengthy negotiations of teaming up have been had, and you're ready to reap your whopping eight levels and twenty-five treasures... Some asshat plays a few cards, making the dragon and its twin, clone, and the clone's mommy already dead (and dead broke), or something to the effect, leaving you without any levels or treasure, and everyone many cards poorer. Which is, of course, very munchkinly indeed, and highly recommendable in the spirit of the game.
== [[Real Life]] ==
''Use [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment]] when adding examples here. Please avoid adding examples related to religion, politics, or any other topic that could rile people up.''
* The [
* [http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/The-Hot-Room.aspx The Hot Room] Yes, this really happened.
* Dreams are often this. You know the
** Incidentally you will try to invoke this whenever something particularly bad happens.
* The infamous tale of the [[Indy Car|Indy Racing League]].
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Orphaned/Sandbox/Depressing Tropes]]▼
[[Category:Tropey the Wonder Dog]]
[[Category:Plots]]
[[Category:Shaggy Dog Story]]
[[Category:
|