| rdfs:comment | - The Heel Face Turn that never was. If your villain is tragic, insane, infected with some kind of horrible, mutating, alien virus or otherwise not entirely responsible for his actions, and your hero isn't a complete meanie, then you might want to include the Last Second Chance scene, in which the hero offers to help the villain put things right and/or cure his affliction. "It is not too late yet" is a common stock phrase. Examples of Last Second Chance include:
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| abstract | - The Heel Face Turn that never was. If your villain is tragic, insane, infected with some kind of horrible, mutating, alien virus or otherwise not entirely responsible for his actions, and your hero isn't a complete meanie, then you might want to include the Last Second Chance scene, in which the hero offers to help the villain put things right and/or cure his affliction. "It is not too late yet" is a common stock phrase. Because viewers have come to expect that villains must die in the final act, this offer is usually turned down. It may be done tragically ("no, no, I can't go back now, not after what I've done"), selfishly ("why would I want to give up this power?") or dramatically ("there's nothing left for me any more..."), but it will almost certainly happen. It may also happen after the innocent loved one of the villain is killed, giving him no reason to turn back and driving him into a despairing rage. Most frustrating perhaps is when the villain realizes that accepting what the hero says is the right thing to do... but he doesn't do it anyway. This scene typically occurs just after the big climactic battle, so that the villain can have one last go at killing the hero before meeting a Karmic Death. Sometimes, however, it happens just before the big battle, so that the audience can relax and enjoy the fireworks without having their conscience harmed. This also serves to make them a Self-Disposing Villain, freeing the hero from much of the guilt associated with killing. Should the villain actually accept the Last Second Chance, it's usually curtains for them, since Redemption Equals Death, maybe even immediately. At best, they may get a Redemption Quest to go on in their attempt to become The Atoner. Still, this is nothing to sneeze at since they have essentially proved Redemption Earns Life. May also occur with a Rival Turned Evil. Different from the Kirk Summation in that there the hero is trying to browbeat the baddie into capitulating through moral rightness, whereas here the hero is trying to save the villain and offer help. Compare Save the Villain. Flip the speaking roles, and it's We Can Rule Together. In particularly poignant examples, one party can attempt to take the offer after all, only to learn that it's now Off the Table. Examples of Last Second Chance include:
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