the.com/payoff
The moment the setup stops promising and finally pays its tab.
means The reward, result, or climactic resolution earned by everything that built up to it.
from From 'pay' plus 'off,' meaning to pay in full and settle a debt; by the 1900s it stretched from clearing accounts to the satisfying conclusion of any effort or story.
Storyteller termComedy calls it the line that lands the setup.
Shady cousinAlso slang for a quiet, illegal bribe.
Math senseGame theory ranks every choice by its payoff.