Take a Third Option: Difference between revisions

* ''The Rebels'', a futuristic spin-off of ''[[Elf Quest]]'', offers [http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics/RB/RB12/DisplayRB12.html?page=23 this one].

** As well as [http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics/OQ/OQ18/DisplayOQ18.html?page=7 this] in ''Quest's End''.

'''Joker''': You ''got'' him!! You expert, rooting-tooting, eagle-eyed, goth marskman sonofa***** ! Ya banked that bat-thingie off the pipe!!! Oh, ''god''!! I love it!! You managed to find a way to win... [[Pyrrhic Victory|and everybody still loses]]!! Except ''me'', my dark little pumpkin pies. }}

* In IDW's ''[[Transformers]]'', the defeat of Nemesis Prime leads to an entity called the Darkness to start possessing Optimus Prime. Galvatron gives Optimus a choice: throw himself into a sun before the Darkness takes away his free will, or give it to Galvatron. Optimus's choice? Give Galvatron the Darkness and throw ''him'' into a sun.

* In ''[[National Treasure]]'', Nicolas Cage's character is given a choice by the feds; {{spoiler|do nothing and go to prison, or help the feds rescue the stolen Declaration of Independence from [[Evil Brit|Ian]] and still go to prison.}} Initially, Cage accepts the second option but when the plan goes south, {{spoiler|he declares, "Sadusky, I'm still not against you. But I found door #3, and I'm taking it." He then makes his escape via diving in the Hudson river.}}

** Later, Ben uses the Declaration as a bargaining chip with Sadusky. When he caps it off with a request to not go to prison, Sadusky tells him, "Someone's got to go to prison, Ben." Ben tells him, "Well, if you have a helicopter, I think I can help with that." {{spoiler|[[Gilligan Cut|Cue Ian trying to break into the Old North Church in Boston only to be busted by an army of feds who were led there by Ben himself.]]}}

{{quote|"What? That's not a choice!"}}

* Occurs in the 1948 film ''[[The Red Shoes]]''. The main character Vicky is forced to choose between Julian, the man she loves, and dancing ballet, which she considers as important as living. At one point, she has a relationship with him, but keeps it a secret. When they are discovered, things get more complicated and in the end {{spoiler|she decides to commit suicide by throwing herself in front of a moving train}}.

* In one episode of ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', the titular doctor announces he's choosing a team leader from his four minions. Three of them promptly begin competing and are soon stuck in what amounts to a game show for House's amusement. Taub stays out of it an offers to split the pay raise with House; he is promptly made team leader.

* [[Defied Trope|Defied]] in an episode of [[The Daily Show]] where, while debating Fox News's intent on a recent story, Wyatt Cenac argued that Fox was evil and John Oliver argued that they were stupid. When Jon suggested the existence of a third option...

'''Cenac:''' ''And if they're not as evil as I think they are, they are STUPID.'' }}

 

 

== Music ==

* Occurs in the story of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abosua6bFpY "The Choice"], by [[Ben Weiner]]. {{spoiler|Or, parodied, rather. The two options are soup or salad, and the third option, eventually suggested by the impatient waiter, is soup ''and'' salad.}}

* In the song Gay or European from ''[[Legally Blonde the Musical]]'', everyone is debating whether or not Mikos is gay or European. {{spoiler|As it turns out, he's gay ''and'' European.}}

** It's possible: when you enter the terrorist's bedroom, put a LAM or two on the wall. After the first chunk of dialogue, when you hear Anna Navarre's footsteps, run to the bathroom, so you won't die too. When she's blown up, you can continue your conversation with Lebedev - it's worth it, for he has some crucial and interesting information.

*** Or you can take the fourth option, try for a non-lethal kill. It's impossible to actually knock out your CO, but you can do sufficient damage to cause her to run from you without landing the killing blow. {{spoiler|Your still be forced to kill your CO later in the game to move forward. Unless you take the third option again via sequence breaking}}. The game never adequately explains why your bosses seem to be unaware that you attacked your CO despite her being alive and perfectly capable of reporting the incident.

* Aigis of ''[[Persona 3]]'' FES has to make a tough choice - leave behind the memories of the person she loved, or go back in time to save him (which would [[The End of the World as We Know It|doom humanity]] or get them stuck in their dormitory forever). Instead she decides to find out how exactly the Main Character performed his miracle and if there's a way to save him using the last remaining Door of Time, which allows them to use the Key of Time for something else, like leaving the dorm.

* In ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Radiant Dawn'', [[My Country, Right or Wrong|Micaiah]] at one point has to {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice|kill her king to save her country, at the king's request]].}} The player originally has the choice to carry out the order or pass the duty to someone else, but after the first playthrough, a third option appears where {{spoiler|she refuses to let him die}}.

** Edgeworth gets one too. Who is {{spoiler|the real Yatagarasu}}? Neither {{spoiler|Byrne Faraday}} nor {{spoiler|Calisto Yew}}...{{spoiler|because the real answer is both. The Yatagarasu was a [[Collective Identity]] made up of Faraday, Yew, and Detective Badd.}}

* In the final puzzle of ''[[Star Trek]]: [[A Final Unity]],'' Picard is forced to choose between using a superweapon to annihilate a Borg Fleet, or simply using it to nonviolently halt their invasion. Naturally, the correct choice is None of the Above.

* In ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time]]'', when the titular Bros. try to access the Star Shrine, the Sprite gives a test of purity. Examining Mario's spirit, the Sprite determines that he is pure enough (and mildly overweight, at that), but Luigi's past is dark enough (illiciting some horrified mutterings from the Sprite) to bar him from entering, and he must hit a special block in order to get in. After completing the puzzle to get the block to the door, Luigi is unable to hit it, and the Sprite asks who was responsible, giving you three choices: 1) Mario, 2) The Babies, 3) Luigi {{spoiler|the correct answer is 4)}}. After taking the test, the Sprite is dissatisfied with Luigi's dishonesty and agrees to only let Mario and the babies in, ignoring the point-out that {{spoiler|he only gave three answers, none of which were correct}}. Mario debates on Luigi's behalf to the outraged Sprite, and his selflessness is apparently strong enough for both of them. He ''then'' reveals that {{spoiler|the whole event was a test in and of itself, and they passed with flying colours.}}

* The Wii, and to a smaller extent the DS, is Nintendo's third option. Following the relative failure of the [[Game Cube]], Nintendo was faced with either continuing the graphics arms race with Sony and Microsoft and continuing to struggle against its "kiddy" image, or reorganizing as a third-party developer and continuing to struggle against its "kiddy" image. Nintendo decided to ignore all that, embrace its family friendly nature, and try to redefine the video game market. And it's working BECAUSE it's become the Third Option To Take for non-gamers and former gamers.

* [[Uncyclopedia]] insists that in a dilemma of two options, there is always a third option... [http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Cake cake.]

{{quote|Always delicious. Never complicated. Just cake.}}

* Played for [[Black Comedy]] by [[The Nostalgia Critic]]. When Spoony gives him the choice of watching the [[Reb Brown]] ''[[Captain America (comics)]]'' or blackmail pictures of roofie-induced crossdressing being posted everywhere, he decides to hang himself instead.

 

'''Man 2''': Well, I believe I'll vote for a third-party candidate.

'''Kang''': Go ahead, ''throw your vote away!'' }}

{{quote|"I choose Buzz Lightyear!"

"Wait a minute, he's not one of the options!" }}