Nozumu "Baka" Tanaka: Can I say something amazing right now?
Akane "Wota" Kikuchi: [sigh] What is it this time?
Akane "Wota" Kikuchi: [sigh] What is it this time?
The thing about free will and the ability of humans to make choices is that not every choice is a good choice. Or sometimes, there are no good choices, but someone has chosen a remarkably bad one.
And there's at least one person who can see that it's not going to be the best choice, and that there's a high probability of failure, often with dire consequences if they do fail. But they know that the people involved are going to do it anyway. And so they resign themselves to going along with it, either joining in on the impending chaos, or offering up a lie to provide Plausible Deniability, or providing material support, even if they're not going along. This is often a consequence of being a Reasonable Authority Figure, Only Sane Man, or a Cloudcuckoolander's Minder.
They'll often cave in with a sigh of resignation and asking, "What are you going to need?" or "When do we head out?" Sometimes they resign themselves by saying, "I didn't want to live forever, anyway."
Of course, the consequences need not always be matters of life and death. Social or professional embarrassment is also a strong possibility, as well as possible legal consequences.
Sometimes, however, being the one who acquiesces ends up revealing by the end that they were Not So Above It All, and even might show themselves to be a Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass, garnering a few Big Damn Heroes moments for themselves in the end.
Has frequent overlap with This Is Gonna Suck. Compare and contrast Gilligan Cut when someone says there's no way someone will get them to do something, only to then cut to them doing exactly whatever it was. If what a person resigns themself to is dying, it may overlap Face Death with Dignity.
Compare Stopped Caring.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You: In Chapter 20, when Hahari forces all the girls to put on pajamas, Nano comments that she’ll inevitably have her way and makes no attempt to resist.
- Ranma ½: ZigZagged in Ukyo's introductory episode. After learning Ukyo's backstory, that she was actually a girl, not a boy, and that Ranma's father, Genma, had accepted an engagement between Ukyo and Ranma, even accepting the family okonomiyaki cart as dowry, and then ran off, leaving Ukyo behind, Ranma takes Ukyo away from the chaos at the school. He finds her spatula, which he'd bent earlier, and straightens it out, giving it to her. Then he sits on the ground and says he's prepared to accept the punishment she's prepared to mete out. Only it was a Batman Gambit, Ranma hoping that Ukyo would be too moved by his offer and memories of their friendship as children to beat him, only to learn that she was all too eager to do just that. He proceeds to dodge her attacks and only gets her to back down by calling her "cute".
- Wasteful Days of High School Girls: Nozumu "Baka" note Tanaka will open each episode by asking, "Can I say something really amazing right now?" Her childhood friend, Akane "Wota" Kikuchi initially points out that when someone says that, the amazing thing usually isn't all that amazing. But "Baka" will always persist, no matter how much "Wota" tries to dissuade her. Eventually, by the middle of the first season, she's no longer even bothering to try and stop her, resigned to "Baka"'s idiocy with such statements as "Just spit it out already", "What is it this time?" or at least demanding she "Put it in five-seven-five verse."
Comic Strips
- Peanuts: In one strip, Charlie Brown pays a visit to his old nemesis, the Kite-Eating Tree. He brought along a kite, which he informs the Kite-Eating Tree, which he hasn't seen all winter, that he's going to fly on the other side of town so the tree can't get it. He shouts loudly that the Kite-Eating Tree is NOT going to have this kite. Then there's a Beat, and Charlie Brown tosses the kite to the tree saying, "Here, take it." He walks off, saying, "It's been a long winter and I'm feeling very tender-hearted."
Fan Works
- Adventures of a Time Lord & a Slayer: Buffy knows that being in Salem witch trials is a bad idea from the start, but resigns to following the Doctor's adventuring desire.
- My Next Life As A Supervillain: All Routes Lead To Doctor Doom!: Katarina is furious with her friends Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Jonny Storm, and Ben Grimm after they had run off to fight terrorists without any real training or proper equipment. She asks them if, given the chance to do it over, they would do it again. They answer that they would. Katarina resigns herself to the fact that her friends are, at their core, heroes who will act first. She decides to at least lay down some ground rules.
Katarina: [groaning] Oh, you four are... fantastic.
- Re-Life as a Busty Devil: When Liliana is invited to Rias' pool party, the young Lucifer heiress gains a very troublesome-looking grin on her face, indicating that she's got something very cheeky planned. Both Kurama and Albion simultaneously say "we're doomed".
Films — Live-Action
- Ghostbusters (1984): Confronted with the Sumerian deity Gozer, Egon decides that the best way to defeat the Eldritch Abomination now wearing the form of the Stay Puft Marshamallow Man is to make the door Gozer used to enter the world flow the other way, by crossing their proton streams. Peter reminds him that Egon himself had warned against this very method during their first outing.
Dr. Peter Venkman: You're gonna endanger us, you're gonna endanger our client — the nice lady, who paid us in advance, before she became a dog...Dr. Egon Spengler: Not necessarily. There's definitely a VERY SLIM chance we'll survive.
(pause while they consider this)Dr. Peter Venkman: (slaps Ray) I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! LET'S DO IT!Winston Zeddemore: This job is definitely not worth $11,500 a year. - The Hitman's Bodyguard: Played for Laughs. Bryce has a moment of this after fighting with Kincaid in Amsterdam: he's complaining to a bartender about Kincaid ruining his life when a fight breaks out behind him between Kincaid, the mooks, and the cops. Bryce complains that Kincaid "probably expects me to save him" even now, and then will say that he had it all under control, how he's ruined the word "motherfucker", and then suddenly yells "Goddamnit!" midsentence and storms off to join the fight.
- Star Trek (2009): During the climax, Spock devises a plan to warp into Nero's ship, steal the black hole device, and rescue Captain Pike. When Kirk decides to join him, Spock replies, "I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it," and resigns himself to Kirk's presence.
Kirk: See? We are getting to know each other.
- Top Gun: Having arrived in Miramar, Maverick spots an attractive woman at the bar and decides he's going to flirt with her. He informs Goose of his intentions by saying that, "She's lost that loving feeling." Goose tries to talk Maverick down, but ends up giving up and going with it, saying to himself, "I hate it when he does that."
Literature
- Captain Underpants sees this once a book as each one ends with someone snapping their fingers, transforming Mr. Krupp back into Captain Underpants. George and Harold always respond the same way…
Live-Action TV
- Doctor Who: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart had a few run-ins with the Second Doctor before meeting him after the Doctor was forcibly regenerated and exiled to Earth, the reunion of which was somewhat unpleasant given the post-regeneration haze the Third Doctor found himself in. Though he and this incarnation of the Doctor would grow close, the Brigadier was a bit apprehensive at the thought of having to deal with a freshly regenerated Doctor in the "Planet of the Spiders" serial. Unfortunately for the Brigadier, Time Lord biology stops for no one, and he just had to look on as the Doctor regenerated.
Sarah Jane: Look, Brigadier! Look! I think it's starting!
The Brigadier: Well… Here We Go Again!. - House of Anubis: Early in Season 3, when KT was still new to the "sneak around, spy on teachers, and get involved in weird mysteries" aspect of life in Anubis House, she and Eddie were staking out Denby as she went into the Gatehouse, believing she was hiding something. As Denby goes inside the house, KT is hesitant, before realizing that of course Eddie's plan is to sneak inside. She asks this bluntly, annoyed but resigned to his scheming; Eddie just smirks and says that she's "starting to get the hang of how things work around here".
- Night Court: In the season 3 premier, Bull has gotten himself drunk mourning the passing of Selma. Harry and Christine go to grab some food and coffee to try and help sober Bull up, and instruct Dan to keep him from leaving. When Bull does try to go, Dan has a "heart of gold" moment and genuinely tries to stop him, much to the larger man's anger—to the point of Bull threatening to turn Dan into a "human pretzel." Dan clearly considers a moment, then crosses his arms, knowing This Is Gonna Suck and that he has no chance, but simply states "I have my instructions." Sure enough, Bull ties him into a human knot.
Video Games
- AMC Squad: While everybody has lines for falling from too high up note , Rusty Nails is far less emotional or dramatic than other characters:
Rusty: Well, this'll probably be painful.
- Baldur's Gate III: If Jahira is dismissed from the party while she has a very high approval rating with the Player Character, she'll say "I'd tell you to stay out of trouble, but experience has taught me how that goes," and laugh.
- In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, an NPC suggests watering a sad-looking Sudowoodo. Longtime fans of the series know that, despite appearances, Sudowoodo is not a plant and treats water as its Berserk Button, so there is a series of prompts that allow the player first to try to dissuade the NPC, and then to grudgingly become this trope when it's clear he won't listen to reason and that he's going to trigger an inevitable fight.
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty: When Tychus hijacks the Odin, due to the mech's radio not being connected to the Hyperion, Raynor's Raiders are unable to communicate with him, with Matt Horner being concerned that Tychus might go on a rampage with it. Raynor at first assures that Tychus wouldn't do something so crazy, before letting out a resigned "Oh, who am I kidding?", and the Raiders are forced to protect the Odin as Tychus lays the Dominion facility to waste.
Web Videos
- Wild Life SMP: While generally the Only Sane Man and peacemaker of his alliance, as the season goes on, Scott stops trying to rein in his allies' tendency to troll or antagonize everyone else on the server (or otherwise enable such actions), and eventually stoops into joining in on the chaos and vengeful rampages himself.
Western Animation
- American Dad!: In late seasons, due to being accustomed to Roger's personas and shenanigans, the Smith family reacts with mild annoyance and resignation when they have to deal with one of his personas for the plot, even asking Roger prior in advance if said supposed person is just going to be him. The best example would have to be Steve signing up for a clown class and realizes halfway through his description of the professor that it's definitely going to be Roger.
- Bob's Burgers: Bob is well aware that the moment Linda mentions her mother, it's because Gloria wants something from the Belchers, and he'll inevitably have to put up with his mother-in-law's selfishness and his wife's refusal to stand up for herself. This is best exemplified in "Poops, I Didn't Do It Again" where he immediately guesses Gloria wanted something as soon as Linda said they spoke on the phone.
Linda: So, that was Grandma on the phone. We got problems.
Bob: So, what problem do you have with your mother that we don't have?
Linda: No-no-no, WE have a problem. - The Emperor's New School: Having been through two films and many, many episodes, Yzma is resigned to the routine of getting down to the Secret Lab…
Yzma: Ok, let's see…to the Secret Lab, pull the lever Kronk, something goes wrong, then the wall spins.
- Family Guy: Used as a Take That! in one scene where a publisher is asking Stephen King what his next novel is going to be about. King, who clearly hasn't prepared for the meeting at all, does a variation on a Line-of-Sight Name and says it will feature a "lamp monster" as he grabs the light fixture from the publisher's desk.
Publisher: You're not even trying anymore.
Stephen King: [Trying to make the lamp sound scary] Rawr! Rawr rawr rawr!
Publisher: [sighing] When can I have it? - Futurama: This is more or less Kif's default state of being, given that his commanding officer Zapp Brannigan is a General Failure whose plans inevitably end in disaster. His Catchphrase is a weary sigh, often in response to whatever hare-brained scheme Zapp has just concocted.
- Hazbin Hotel: In the pilot "That's Entertainment", Vaggie is backstage preparing Charlie for her Happy Hotel pitch which is about to air on TV, and tells her not to sing because people won't take them seriously. When Charlie is about to sing anyway, Vaggie facepalms and says, "Oh, no."
- Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures: Jonny has a habit of rushing headlong into danger. It has gotten to the point that the family bodyguard, Race Bannon, isn't surprised in the episode "Otherspace" to learn that Jonny and his own daughter, Jessie, have jaunted off to an alternate dimension to rescue Dr. Quest. Once in a while, Hadji or Jessie will try to curb Jonny but are more prone to simply going along with it, as best summed up when Dr. Quest revealed that he's essentially resigned to Jonny's frequent antics.
Dr. Quest: And I suppose it's useless for me to add, "No heroics."
Hadji: A quiet useless expectation, Dr. Quest. It was your own poet Emerson who once said "Heroism always feels, and never reasons." - Miraculous Ladybug: In "Sublimation", Marinette becomes obsessed with making friends with Sublime Varlette, but wants to come up with some way to impress her, which is hard, because Sublime is a Paralympian and a music prodigy. Alya suggests that Marinette just talk to the girl, but Marinette (she of a Complexity Addiction and penchant for Zany Schemes) is set on her course of action, and Alya realizes that she's not going to be able to talk her out of it, even though it will probably end in disaster. Trixx consoles Alya that failure teaches lessons, and Marinette is nothing if not an enthusiastic learner. (Too bad none of it sticks long enough.)
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: In "Lesson Zero", Twilight hasn't yet found a lesson on what she learned about friendship to write for her studies with the next week rapidly approaching. Sensing an incoming meltdown, Spike moans, "This won't end well", and goes to write a letter to Princess Celestia offscreen asking her to step in and calm Twilight down.
- Peppa Pig: Daddy Pig is the Butt-Monkey of the series and frequently suffers various misfortunes. By "Soft Play," he seems to have completely accepted his role in the universe (to the point of Leaning on the Fourth Wall)—he sees that some of the other adults in town have gotten trapped in the titular play structure and, after a moment, realizes exactly what's about to happen:
Daddy Pig: That usually happens to me!...that is going to happen to me, isn't it? I'm going to go in there and get stuck.
Peppa: Me and Suzy can go in!
Suzy: We're smaller!
Daddy Pig: That's kind of you both, but it is my job. As a grown-up, I must do this. - Rugrats: In "The Stork", Tommy gets the idea of calling the stork so that he can get a new baby brother. Chuckie speaks up, lamenting that if they weren't babies they would be able to get a stork egg right away. Tommy, Phil, and Lil look at Chuckie, and he realizes that he gave them an idea. He sighs and groans, "I'll get the screwdriver".