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Yank the Dog's Chain: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|'''Sokka:''' Well Aang, because when I'm being pursued by people who want to kill me, I'd rather throw them off by walking through a dense forest than ''fly through an empty sky on a giant freaking bison!''<br />
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Hooray! The [[Butt Monkey]] has finally had [[Throw the Dog A Bone|something go right]] for once in their unhappy life! And with [[Snicket Warning Label|twenty minutes to spare]], we're sure to see [[Too Happy to Live|their new joyful existence play out for the rest of the episode]]... [[Tempting Fate|right?]]
That, right there, is the feeling and painful acknowledgment by the [[Genre Savvy]] viewer that [[Failure Is the Only Option]]. Why? Because [[The Woobie]] is ''not'' going to get to keep her money and move out of [[Perpetual Poverty]]. [[James Bond]] will ''not'' stay [[Happily Married]] to the [[Girl of the Week|Girl of the Movie]] because of the [[Cartwright Curse]]. The home that [[The Drifter]] has been accepted into will promptly become a [[Doomed Hometown]]. [[Samurai Jack]] will give up the most recent [[Phlebotinum]] to return to his home time and [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]] in order to save the helpful villagers nearby. [[Pokémon (Anime)|Ash Ketchum]] will make it to the Top 4 of the [[Season Finale
While the permutations are endless, the result is the same: writers Yank the Dog's Chain, keeping [[Throw the Dog A Bone|the bone]] just out of reach, making even the simplest goals seem like [[Tragic Dream|Tragic Dreams]].
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Clever writers can cause viewers quite a bit of tension and suspense this way, since we know the good turn can't last and that ''something'' will inevitably come to take it away. Hacks will merely [[Fan Disillusionment|cause viewers to bash in a new window and]] [[Rage Quit|abandon a series in frustration]].
A side effect of [[Status Quo Is God]]. Frequently seen when [[How We Got Here]] and [[In Medias Res]] are used. Not to be confused with [[Foregone Conclusion]]. Compare [[Like You Would Really Do It]] for the "positive" version. Viewers can avoid this if they read the [[Snicket Warning Label]]. Can be considered a sister trope to [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]] and [[Will They or Won't They?]]. See also [[Hope Spot]] and [[Diabolus Ex Machina]].
Despite how obvious they can be, there are spoilers below, so '''BEWARE SPOILERS.'''
{{examples|Examples}}
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