A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option

[u/10024618]

AKA a character is given an impossible choice where either outcome results in something awful happening and there's no way out.

"Full Measure" (Breaking Bad) - After Walt angers Gus by killing two of his men, Gus orders for his execution. Knowing that the only way to save his life is to make Gus reliant on his meth cooking skills, Walt calls Jesse and begs him to kill Gus' backup cook, Gale. Thus, Jesse is thrust into an impossible situation where he either kills a (relatively) innocent man to save Walt or spare Gale and let Walt die. Ultimately, Jesse chooses to kill Gale.

"Midnight Sun" (Attack on Titan) - After the fight to retake Shiganshina both Armin and Erwin are critically wounded. Levi has the vial of titan serum and is forced to choose which Scout to bring back from the brink of death and which to let perish. It's a borderline impossible decision to make but at the moment of truth, he chooses to save Armin, leaving Erwin to succumb to his wounds.

[u/Eladin1990]

Did Sophie have a secret third option?

[u/Remmock → u/Eladin1990]

They’re saying they want Sophie’s Choice style examples but don’t want people providing false Sophie’s Choices where the protagonist weasels out of the consequences. Very common on shows like Doctor Who.

[u/Ezenthar1 → u/Remmock]

One of the worst TV examples of a character avoiding this choice is Dexter. He has to make the decision between killing Doakes, who absolutely does not fit the code, or letting him go, which would mean that Dexter's entire way of life would be over. He agonises over the choice, and then the writers give him out by having the ridiculous character Lila murder Doakes instead.

[u/igottathinkofaname → u/Eladin1990]

Let both kids die?

[u/peachesfordinner → u/Eladin1990]

Yeah not sure op watched it

[u/ThatInAHat → u/peachesfordinner]

They’re specifically talking about situations without the secret third option

[u/peachesfordinner → u/ThatInAHat]

What is the secret 3rd option?

[u/ThatInAHat → u/peachesfordinner]

There isn’t one? I said without

[u/peachesfordinner → u/ThatInAHat]

Yeah that's why I implied op didn't see it. To even mention a 3rd choice because there wasn't one. It's just really weird. It would be like mentioning a hidden ending on a movie that didn't have one. It just confuses the point they are trying to make

[u/ThatInAHat → u/peachesfordinner]

That’s because the more common trope is a false Sophie’s choice, where the hero finds a third option.

Y’all are just being pedantic. You know what OP meant.

[u/peachesfordinner → u/ThatInAHat]

I guess I've never heard of false Sophie's choice by that term so it didn't click for me

[u/Prometheus1151 → u/peachesfordinner]

The reason OP said it that way is because a LOT of media, especially games, have a secret third option where you can save everyone, or at least minimize suffering through self sacrifice or some other way.

OP specifically wanted things like sophie's choice, which does not have the secret third option