Chekhov's Classroom: Difference between revisions

 

This trope is the awkward tendency of programs to use precisely what they learned in school (almost always science) earlier that episode, and to lampshade it through grating dialogue. Shows aimed at an older audience can make it slightly more subtle; even so, it usually comes out like this:

"Oh yes, I totally forgot. How [[Idiot Ball|conveniently stupid]] of me!" }}

 

**** "Has ''no-one'' read "Hogwarts A History"?

* In [[Dan Brown]]'s ''[[Angels and Demons]]'', an early discussion of how much a small flat object can slow down a falling person saves Robert Langdon's life when he uses a window cover to slow his fall from an exploded helicopter. This is also lampshaded at the time the discussion takes place.

* Modern pulp author [[Matthew Reilly]] uses this to a ''ridiculous'' degree. Two examples:

** In ''[[Temple]]'', there's a throwaway sentence from the protagonist about how he'll need to change his PIN number after reading a story in the paper about how most people use their birth dates as pass codes. Guess how he defuses the superweapon his brother worked on?

** In ''[[Area 7]]'', a precocious youth found in the middle of a government base delivers a buttload of the kind of trivia kids that age accumulate and share at any opportunity, including how komodo dragons are sensitive to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. So, of course, there's a scene where the main character has to fight off ''komodo dragons'' in a watery pit with his magnetic grappling hook.

* Subverted and lampshaded in ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''.

Arthur: I don't know, I wasn't listening! }}

 

* It gets glossed over early on in ''[[Legacy of Kain|Soul Reaver]]'' that vampires are vulnerable to certain sound frequencies, but this doesn't serve much purpose except for a sound-based attack spell and a non-canonical deleted ending. Then three games later ''Defiance'' pits us against {{spoiler|Turel}}, a vampire with [[Super Senses]] who can only be harmed by ringing a series of giant gongs.

* Present in the Fate route of [[Fate/stay night]], as [[Stealth Mentor|Archer]] decides to give a few hints about his magic to Shirou, with plenty of [[Deadpan Snarker|sarcasm and veiled threats thrown in.]] Our hero later uses all of the information gained {{spoiler|to project Caliburn and defeat Berserker}}.

* In the first year of [[Grim Fandango]], the janitor demon lectures you that spraying the fire extinguisher on the packing foam causes an explosion. You use this information later on in the fourth year, where {{spoiler|you use it to build a rocket to save Glottis}}.

* Used in [[Half Life|Half-Life 2 Episode 2]]: At White Forest, a rebel is teaching others about the effectiveness of an [[AR 2]] Combine ball against hunters, a while before {{spoiler|the White Forest rocket is attacked by hunters and striders}}.

** Inversion: Josh is required to write an essay on the Cold War with a fresh angle. A mission he goes on later that day requires him to go through escape tunnels in Washington D.C. (something vaguely mentioned in the lecture), and he uses that knowledge to get an A+ on his essay.

** Parody:

'''Rachel:''' Now wouldn't that be convenient. }}

* In the ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' episode "[[Avatar: The Last Airbender/Bitter Work/Recap|Bitter Work]]," Iroh teaches Zuko all about the principles of [[Shock and Awe|lightning bending.]] These same principles are later applied when {{spoiler|Zuko deflects Ozai's lightning during his [[Heel Face Turn]], and later in the [[Grand Finale]] when Aang does the exact same thing. Incidentally, it was Zuko himself who taught this technique to Aang, figuring that one day it would come back to save his skin.}}