Shoot the Shaggy Dog/Live-Action TV: Difference between revisions

* Although each season of ''[[The Wire]]'' ends with successful convictions of drug dealers, it becomes progressively more and more clear with each season that the best the police can do is sweep up the low-level boys. Everyone sufficiently high up is untouchable, and American social and political systems make effecting actual change impossible. In the final episode, {{spoiler|1=Detective McNulty has to resign from the force, Lieutenant Daniels and Rhonda Pearlman "fall on their swords", Mayor Carcetti and Commander Rawls are both promoted when they don't deserve it, and the crooked newspaper reporter who ran with a story about a falsified serial killer is lauded. Most of the supporting characters also come to realize that they can't change the system, and will be shuffled into the background while a new generation of thugs and cops dominate Baltimore}}.

** In spite of his [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]], {{spoiler|Omar}} never gets the chance to kill Marlo, nor does he make any significant impact on stopping the flow of Stanfield goods onto the Baltimore streets. He gets {{spoiler|shot in the head by a kid when he stops at a convenience store to buy a pack of smokes}}). This was arguably deliberate on creator David Simon's part, as he wanted to show that being the most feared vigilante in the city doesn't mean much, and the character ultimately realizes how futile his struggle is in the scene prior to his death.

** The ''last'' episode of ''Blake's 7'' was an even ''bigger'' [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] moment, {{spoiler|what with its [[Kill'Em All]] ending.}}

** Hell, the whole of Season 4 (the last season) was spent shooting shaggy dogs. They barely accomplish ''anything'' except survival -- {{spoiler|and fail that in the final episode}}. All the episodes are dedicated to tearing them apart -- everyone around them dies, they lose important people, Avon's grip on sanity [[Sanity Slippage|gradually weakens...]]

* This could apply to the whole third season of ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]''. Sam tries so hard to save Dean from eternal torment and gets increasingly unhinged, Dean more or less gets over his suicidal nature and tries hard himself because he's terrified, they both bring the crazy, clingy panic in spades and in the end, {{spoiler|none of it means anything because Dean's dead and gone to hell anyway. (Though he got better)}}

** Also in "Mystery Spot" when Sam watches Dean die over and over, and once he thinks Dean's safe, {{spoiler|Dean's shot dead and the Trickster refuses to fix it. (Again, he got better)}}

** The impact of this {{spoiler|was much negated in the finale when the writers pulled Earth 2.0 - our Earth - out of nowhere, meaning they had a sort of happy ending after all. Only sort of, as since we are described as their descendents it means the history and culture of the Kobolians and Cylons was completely lost, including the lessons they had suffered horrendously for, and that humanity is still being judged as likely to repeat the same mistakes they spent several apocalypses and years of hopeless suffering overcoming by 'angels' who jerk us around and manipulate us to this day.}}

** ''Intersections in Real Time'' has Sheridan captured by his government, tortured and messed around with by a professional so he would confess that his seditious acts were due to being alien influences. In one scene they brought in a Drazi prisoner who they beat into confessing his involvement, but Sheridan convinces him not to give in. He's dragged off screaming, but eventually, Sheridan gives his torturer a rousing speech about how every time he refuses to back down, he wins. He's dragged off for what appears to be execution, but it turns out that they were just giving him to another torturer who repeats the same tactics that his predecessor did. And the kicker? We see the Drazi prisoner alive and well, as well as in on it.

** Then there's ''Believers'', where a young alien is brought to Dr. Franklin to be treated. It's explained to the parents that his condition can be treated with simple surgery. However, the alien's religion strictly forbids surgery, as they believe it will cause the soul to escape the body. Franklin spends the entire episode trying to research alternate treatments and/or convince the parents to allow him to perform the surgery. In the end, {{spoiler|he says to hell with their beliefs and performs the surgery anyway. The parents are at first shocked, calling their son a soulless demon, but appear to acquiesce and take him away. At the last instant, Franklin realizes that they plan to destroy what they think is an empty husk, and rushes to their quarters, only to discover he's too late.}} Ironically, [[Science Marches On]] and only a few years after the episode was made techniques were developed that would make the cultural conflict moot today.

*** Not to mention in those 900 years the ecosystem still hasn't healed itself and the Earth, for the most part, is still a barren wasteland.

** It should be noted, however, that ''RPM'' itself ultimately ends on an upbeat note, albeit with a hint of [[The End - or Is It?]]<ref>Specifically, it's implied both that Venjix was imprisoned within the Morphers and that it's possible he might get out someday</ref>, and [[Word of God]] says it's an [[Alternate Continuity]] anyway. No, ''RPM'' is ''[[Hamtaro]]'' compared to Amit Bhaumik's [[What Could Have Been|original proposal]] for what eventually became ''[[Power Rangers Ninja Storm|Ninja Storm]]''. They knew Saban was going to lose the license after ''[[Power Rangers Wild Force|Wild Force]]'' flopped, and evidently Bhaumik wanted to send with his ''[[Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger|Hurricanger]]'' adaptation a "Screw you, it's over" message to any parties interested in buying it. The plot would involve a split between the veteran Rangers after Zordon's death, with half, led by Tommy Oliver, wanting to spread the Power to as many people as possible, and the other half, led by Phantom Ranger, feeling the Power should be kept to those who already have it. This would already be pretty traumatic to a kid following the franchise, but as the season proceeded, it would see the Rangers getting more and more selfish, losing sight of their purpose of protecting people, until the tensions finally climax in a massive battle between the equally-massive Zord fleets of each side... and when the dust settles, it would be revealed that the planet Earth was caught in the crossfire and left completely and utterly devastated. Yes, that's right, ''the Rangers '''themselves''' destroy the world''. Then the series (and franchise) would end. And it would all be completely in-continuity. Sweet dreams, kids...

** Even more particularly, the Nerds drug Buffy, she has a hallucination that she is in an insane asylum being treated for her delusions that she lives in Sunnydale, she is the Chosen One, she has [[The Power of Friendship]] and she fights supernatural monsters. Throughout the episode, we assume that the Sunnydale scenes are real within the context of the Story and the Asylum scenes are hallucinations. Near the end, Buffy is about to kill her "imaginary" friends, but the potion wears off [[Just in Time]]. The finale is back in the Asylum. Mad!Buffy has had a relapse. Doctor and Parents sadly leaves her cell. The sad implication is that Buffy really is mad and we have spent 6 years of our life watching insane delusions.

* Many fans of ''[[Eastenders]]'' felt that the Ronnie/Danielle storyline was an example: Danielle is Ronnie's long-lost daughter, Ronnie doesn't know, complications go on for months until Ronnie finds out, and just as they're about to finally embrace as mother and daughter {{spoiler|...Danielle is hit by a car and dies.}}

** Arguably the same could apply to most soap opera deaths. Another example from Eastenders involves Sharon and Dennis, who spend years fighting for their happy ending. Then, on New Year's Eve, after Sharon finds out she's pregnant with their first child (after believing it was medically impossible for her to get pregnant) {{spoiler|Dennis is stabbed to death in the street}}.

** Given that Mulder's reaction to this is {{spoiler|to be relieved that Samantha is at peace,}} this might not apply. The ending to the series, however, does: {{spoiler|Mulder and Scully are fugitives, with Mulder carrying a ''death sentence'', knowing that aliens will conquer the planet in 2012 and there is nothing they can do to stop it.}}

* Happened so frequently on ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' [[Revival]] that the trope [[Cruel Twist Ending]] was originally known as Outer Limits Twist.

* Wesley's arc in Season 3 of ''[[Angel]]''. He finds a prophecy that he believes states that Angel will kill his son. So he kidnaps Angel's son, but he gets attacked and his throat cut and nearly bleeds to death. Meanwhile, Angel's son is taken {{spoiler|to a Hell dimension}}, Wesley barely survives, loses all his friends, and {{spoiler|Angel tries to kill him in revenge.}} To top it all off, we find that {{spoiler|the prophecy was false}} and Wesley's sacrifice was for nothing.

* In ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'' {{spoiler|Anna's century long attempt to free her mother ended with her mother being killed a couple weeks after she was finally released. Then she went into town to save her boyfriend from a vampire attack, but the town council already knew about the attack, and she ended up being killed by the same defenses that meant he hadn't been in danger in the first place. Then her boyfriend drank the vial of blood she gave him in an attempt to turn into a vampire, but it didn't work.}}