Fridge Sadness

So, you've just finished watching the new movie, Puppy Boy and the Mischievous Miss Meow. Then as you're walking out of the cinema, you realize; Miss Meow decided to move to Earth at the end, but what about her family? They don't have spaceships, so they can't move with her. That's actually really sad.

Congratulations, you've just experienced Fridge Sadness.

Fridge Sadness is when you realize something about a work after experiencing it that makes the story sadder. This can be achieved via thinking deeply about the implications, looking at real-life events happening either now, or in the time period the media takes place in, or just wondering What Could Have Been.

Types of Fridge Sadness include:

• The Not-So Happy Ending: The ending seems happy, until you think through all of its implications and realize that it might not have been as happy as it was presented. In other words, a more subtle variation of an Esoteric Happy Ending.
• The Backstory Implications: A character's backstory is revealed, and once you think about it, it becomes much worse than initially implied. This is common with backstories that start with something bad happening to the character as a child.
• The Past Installment Sadness: You've finished watching a sequel or spinoff, and after you're done, you suddenly think "Aw, man, it would have been so sweet if Bob from the first movie was here to see that". This often happens with characters who have died in previous installments.

What sets Fridge Sadness apart from Fridge Horror is that while Fridge Horror usually pertains to things that send chills down your spine or make you feel icky, Fridge Sadness makes it a little harder to watch the movie without feeling a little crushed.

Not to be confused with someone being sad because there's nothing (or something undesirable) in their fridge.

Media with Fridge Sadness moments include: