Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''I think I know what you are all trying to say. I, um... I think we have to build a space helicopter.''|'''Nathan Explosion''', ''[[Metalocalypse]]''}}

* ''[[Video Game/I Am Anan Insane Rogue AI|]]'': "Are you pondering what I'm pondering? Probably not, because I am smarter than you."]]

* In ''[[8-Bit Theater|8-bit Theater]]'', Fighter is told by Swordopolis to go to the Castle of Ordeals. However, Fighter then immediately forgets what tower he's supposed to go to. He wanders around the airship hearing all sorts of homophones for "Ordeal" before finally "realizing" that it's supposed to be... Radio Castle!

* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', a webcomicweb comic about a group of roleplayers going through a ''[[Star Wars]]'' campaign, provides a few examples through the player Jim. In one strip, Jim (playing Padme) announces that he'll put a hairpin in his mouth while he's being marched to a pillar he'll be chained up to. When another player compliments him on his idea to pick the lock, his response is "Oh! That's an even better idea! I was going to fake a medical emergency."

* An ''[[Xkcdxkcd]]'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20131030220351/http://xkcd.com/asmarterplanet/ bonus comic] has another example of this.

* In ''[[CRFH]]'', when Roger finally decides for a name for his pet rock.

* ''[[Two Guys and Guy]]'' gives us, "I don't know why I thought we had the same idea. [http://www.twogag.com/archives/134 Let's do your thing]."

*:* This trope appeared outside of the usual exchange in another episode:

*:* And in another episode, it happened within the usual exchange, but with Brain providing the final example. After Pinky suggests that they package their trading cards with something pink and chewy that everyone likes so that people will buy them, Brain sees the obvious answer—include sausages. Of course, they were in Germany, and the episode took place just after the printing press was created.

*:* It was played around with once on the show - as it gave us a look inside Pinky's thought processes. The Brain was explaining his latest plan, and quickly devolved into ''[[Blah Blah Blah]], blahblah blah blahblah'' as Pinky pondered how Brain's head looked like a hippo's. This started a chain of thought, ending with the hippo on a beach, and wondering what the hippo WOULD wear on a beach. At this point Brain interrupted with the Trope name. Pinky's reply?

**:* Inverted at least once.

***:* On one occasion, Pinky took the Brain role with ''his own reflection''.

*:* [[Rob Paulsen]] (voice of Pinky) gave [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6PRij2HPQQ this answer] at Comic-Con:

*:* The other variation on the gag would be a non-sequitur from Pinky, which actually distracts Brain because he ends up agreeing with it.

'''Pinky:''' I think so, Don Cerebro, but why would [[What the Hell, Casting Agency?|Sophia Loren do a]] [[wikipedia:NineMan of La Mancha (film)|musical]]?

*:* ''[[Pinky and The Brain|Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain]]'' featured a variation on this running gag in the form of Brain asking if Pinky has "Any questions?", with Pinky responding by asking a completely irrelevant question. Then, at the end of the episode, Brain gives Pinky the answer to his question. Example:

**:* And lest we forget, the marvellousmarvelous moment from the episode where Brain manages to boost Pinky's intelligence to unprecedented levels...

*:* This is actually a two-person version, as after the judge bangs his gavel, Peter jumps in.

*:* Another ''[[Family Guy]]'' example:

*:* "I was gonna suggest we [[No Party Like a Donner Party|eat the kids]]. You know, [["Just Joking" Justification|jokingly at first]], but then I was gonna [[And That Would Be Wrong|gauge your reaction]], and if you were cool with it, we'd go from there. But this is a much better idea!"

*:* And another one:

*:* A similar example happened when Bart and Milhouse were on a bus that couldn't slow down.

*:* In the Stampy the elephant episode, kids keep knocking at Homer's door, and as he turns them back, Milhouse offers him money to see it. Homer goes "That gives me an idea!" and he proceeds to plant a sign on his front lawn that reads "Go away"

**:* In a similar scene in another episode, he's offered a dollar to see the "angel skeleton" in his garage. He responds "A buck, eh?". Cut to Homer greeting a queue of people, charging them fifty cents each.

*:* Chief Wiggum again, in a ''Treehouse of Horror'' sketch where dolphins attempt to take over:

*:* Again Homer, who has to find Lisa in a busy street. He runs up to a balloon merchant, buys all his balloons, exclaims "I hope this works!", and offers a crane operator said balloons if he can borrow the crane for a while. It works.

*:* Another example: Homer and Marge are worried about something, when Marge has an idea.

*:* Principal Skinner and the idea for his great American novel.

**:* Apu tears him apart for this though.

*:* The Simpsons is full of these. In another episode, Homer is trying to think of a way to sneak him and his buddies past the security guard at the back entrance into the Superbowl. Bart points out a rack of Halftime Show Costumes. He uses the rack to knock over the security guard and they all run in!

*:* After [[Kent Brockman News|Kent Brockman]] reports on Burns' missing bear Maggie holds up the bear infront of the TV (which happens to be showing a picture of the bear) leading Homer to yell:

*:* Then there's the time Homer is in jail for stealing Moe's car. Hans Moleman comes by with a book cart, offering him some reading material. Homer picks up "How to Tunnel Out of Prison", thinks that it might be useful - then knocks Moleman out with it and escapes.

*:* "Don't Even Blink" has Doofenshmirtz build an invisibility Ray, explaining that he plans to use it to deal with Fireside Girls who knock on his door and spot him through the window, preventing him from pretending that he isn't home. His plan? Fire the gun at the Fireside Girls so he won't have to look at them. The irony of this situation is that the buildup to this statement implies that he will use the ray on himself to become invisible to the Fireside Girls, i.e. the more sensible approach. Obviously, this thought somehow never dawns on him.

*:* In "Make Play", Candace commiserates with [[Identical Stranger|her doppelganger]] Princess Baldegrunde:

*:* In another episode, Kyle declares they have to do something about the homeless problem. Cartman agrees, and says he knows exactly what Kyle is thinking. He then sets up a ramp and [[Ramp Jump|skateboards over a homeless guy]] Evel Knievel-style. Later, everyone keeps crediting Kyle with the idea to build ramps over the homeless people.

*:* In [[The Teaser]] for "Ponyville Confidential", Apple Bloom suggests that the school newspaper may help the Cutie Mark Crusaders in their cutie-mark hunt. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle proceed to use ''copies of the newspaper'' in every way they can think of (packing fragile items, lining birds' nests, and making paper boats and paper hats) before finding out that Apple Bloom meant they should try ''writing'' for the school newspaper.