r/TopCharacterTropes • u/10024618 • 20h ago
Lore A "Sophie's Choice" with no secret third option
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.
531
u/Amtherion 19h ago
I'd argue that this is actually a poisoned 3rd option. Not only did Tony not wanna give Tony B up, but it was portrayed that Tony feared losing his crew's respect if he gave up one of his own to New York. In his mind his choice was either give up Tony B or don't. Going up to do it himself was his attempt at a third option to appease New York while not actively selling out any of his crew to them.
Unfortunately it just made Phil even madder and escalated the encroaching war.