Win Your Freedom: Difference between revisions

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One common variant would be when its the victims friend or family member whose freedom they're trying to win. Shows great dedication when the victim could just turn and walk away and leave them to their fate.

Since the kind of people who are locked up are typically not someone the captors want to let out, not to mention that doing so would mean losing their services, it's common for them to sabotage the victims attempts at fulfilling the terms of the agreement, just [[Moving the Goalposts|changing them as needed]], or [[I Lied|lying]] and killing them. If anyone asks, the previous "winners" were [[Released to Elsewhere]]. Just about every [[Evil Overlord]] does it at some point, typically making the challenge [[Unwinnable By Design]]. Of course the hero goes [[Beyond the Impossible]] and wins, only to realize he was [[You Said You Would Let Them Go|being baited]] and breaks free instead.

Since the kind of people who are locked up are typically not someone the captors want to let out, not to mention that doing so would mean losing their services, it's common for them to sabotage the victims attempts at fulfilling the terms of the agreement, just [[Moving the Goalposts|changing them as needed]], or [[I Lied|lying]] and killing them. If anyone asks, the previous "winners" were [[Released to Elsewhere]]. Just about every [[Evil Overlord]] does it at some point, typically making the challenge [[Unwinnable by Design]]. Of course the hero goes [[Beyond the Impossible]] and wins, only to realize he was [[You Said You Would Let Them Go|being baited]] and breaks free instead.

[[Forced Prize Fight]] and [[Death Course]] often go hand in hand with this. Practically every [[Closed Circle]] adventure game ever.

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== Film ==

* ''[[Escape ~~From~~ New York]]/''[[Escape From LA]]''

* ''[[Escape from New York]]/''[[Escape From L.A.]]''

* ''[[The Running Man (~~Film~~)|The Running Man]]''

* ''[[The Running Man (film)|The Running Man]]''

* ''[[~~Death Race (Film)|~~Death Race]]''

* ''[[Death Race]]''

* ''[[Gamer]]''

* ''[[Punishment Park]]''

* ''[[Gladiator]]'', although Commadus isn't keen on it happening.

* Megara in [[Disney]]'s ''[[Hercules (Disney)|Hercules]]'' would regain her soul from Hades if she helped with his scheme. Surprisingly, Hades held up his end of the bargain.

* Megara in [[Disney]]'s ''[[Hercules (Disney film)|Hercules]]'' would regain her soul from Hades if she helped with his scheme. Surprisingly, Hades held up his end of the bargain.

* ''[[The Rock]]''. {{spoiler|The man with whom Mason made the deal has no intention of honoring it}}.

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== Live Action TV ==

* The premise of ''[[~~Alias Smith and Jones (TV)|~~Alias Smith and Jones]]''. The reformed outlaw heroes will get a pardon once they convince the governor that their [[Heel Face Turn]] is real.

* The premise of ''[[Alias Smith and Jones]]''. The reformed outlaw heroes will get a pardon once they convince the governor that their [[Heel Face Turn]] is real.

* On ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' when Earl was incarcerated the warden kept giving him "time off" coupons for various good deeds, but when Earl earned enough of them to get out the warden reneged.

* Sawyer in ''[[Lost]]'' ironically bypassed most of a six year sentence by agreeing to con an inmate into revealing the location of a large sum of money he stole.

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== [[All ~~The~~ Tropes How to Guides]] ==

== [[All the Tropes How to Guides]] ==

* The [[Evil Overlord]] actually has this on his [[Evil Overlord List|List]].

{{quote| I will not agree to let the heroes [[Chess ~~With~~ Death|go free if they win a rigged contest]], even though my advisors assure me it is impossible for them to win. }}

{{quote| I will not agree to let the heroes [[Chess with Death|go free if they win a rigged contest]], even though my advisors assure me it is impossible for them to win. }}

== [[Video Games]] ==

* ''[[~~Radiant Historia (Video Game)|~~Radiant Historia]]'' - Stocke has to do this by trampling through a set of gladiators.

* ''[[Radiant Historia]]'' - Stocke has to do this by trampling through a set of gladiators.

* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]]'' - Wanna prove your "innocence" in front of the [[Kangaroo Court|Mantra Army Court]]? ''Get ready to punch out [[Badass|Thor]]''.

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'''Alien Captor:''' You'll have everything but freedom.<br />

'''Scott:''' I've had freedom. I'd like to try having the things I desire for a change. }}

* So far, ''[[Last ~~Resort~~]]'' looks like it's playing this straight, for the criminal contestants. They've all been offered their freedom, if they survive (and, one assumes, ''win'') the games. Cypress Vaeo, one of the people behind the show's creation and their 'face', has this to say to critics:

* So far, ''[[Last Res0rt]]'' looks like it's playing this straight, for the criminal contestants. They've all been offered their freedom, if they survive (and, one assumes, ''win'') the games. Cypress Vaeo, one of the people behind the show's creation and their 'face', has this to say to critics:

{{quote| '''Cypress''': "I know critics will say that our new show is cruel and unusual, but we're doing everyone a favor here! Death row is far more cruel. Half our players haven't seen starlight in the past ten years! We're following every law and code on the books, and if anyone else has a problem, I have four words...''speak with my lawyer''."<br />

'''Lawyer''': (very rapidly) "By asking me a question, you hereby acknowledge that any answer you recieve will be sufficient insomuch as that if you disagree with the answer, I am not obligated to provide you with a better one..." }}