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Line 1: {{trope}} {{quote\|"I don't know -- I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election."~~\|John McCain's Concession Speech, Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, November 4, 2008 }}~~ \|John McCain's Concession Speech, Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, November 4, 2008 }} {{quote\|'''Interviewer''': How do you think your fans will react [now that you're returning to playing golf after being treated for sex addiction]? '''Tiger Woods''': I don't know. I don't know.~~\|Interview, March 22, 2010}}~~ \|Interview, March 22, 2010}} An ubiquitous utterance in film, television, and the legitimate theatre, signifying that the protagonist is (dramatically) out of ideas. For real, this time. Line 12 ⟶ 14: '''[[Very Special Episode\|After School Specials]]''' {{quote\|'''Concerned Parent: ''' But what about the Mid-Winter Sophomore Diversity Dance Social?'' '''Troubled Teen: ''' I don't know anymore... I just don't know!'' (runs away, slamming any doors in her path) }} '''Sci-Fi''' {{quote\|'''Guy At Console: ''' The ship's glowy core thing is bright red and leaking smoke for some reason! And stuff is shaking -- that means this is serious, captain. What should we do!?" '''Captain: ''' I don't know, Console Guy. I don't know." (close-up of pulsating space-gas blob on the view screen) }} The '''Double "Don't Know"''' is closely related to [[One-Liner, Name. One-Liner.]] - simple, repetitive phrases used to provide closure to a scene or plot, including but not limited to: "I do, Billy. I really do," or, "It sure is, Billy. It sure is." etc. This variation is mostly a [[Dead Horse Trope]], though the namesake phrase(s) linger on. The ~~'''~~Double "Don't Know"~~'''~~ is a [[Stock Phrase]] ~~trope~~. It has nothing to do with "what now?" cliffhangers that don't feature repetitive statements akin to those described above. It's also unrelated to Donald Rumsfeld's [[Memetic Mutation\|famous]] [[Didn't See That Coming\|Unknown Unknowns]] - "the things we don't know we don't know". {{examples}} == ~~Literature~~[[Film]] == * Happened by accident in ''[[The Stand]]''. Near the end, one character is asked the reason for all of what happened. He says, "I don't know," then pauses. [[Stephen King]] spent a good month trying to come up with an answer, couldn't, and had him repeat himself.▼ == Live Action Television ==▼ * A sample exchange from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' ("The Battle"): ▼ {{quote\|'''Beverly:''' You had no choice.▼ '''Picard:''' Didn't I? I don't know anymore... I just don't know. }}▼ * Spoofed in the "Killer Sheep" sketch on ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' by having a scientist ramble "I just don't know. I really just don't know. I'm afraid I really just don't know," and so on. ▼ * In the comedy TV show ''Corner Gas'', the theme song goes, in part: "I don't know, the same things you don't know. I don't know, I just don't know."▼ == Western Animation ==▼ * From the ''[[Jonny Quest]]'' episode "The Robot Spy": ▼ {{quote\|'''Jonny:''' What is it, Dad?▼ '''Dr. Quest:''' I don't know, Jonny, I really don't know! }}▼ ~~== Film ==~~ * Played straight - as so many things were - in ''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]''. * ''[[Top Gun]]'', as the classic '80s cliche storm, features it, though in a slightly different way than might be expected. Line 51 ⟶ 38: * [[The Terminator]]: When Kyle and Sarah are on the run from the Terminator, she asks him if he can stop it. {{quote\|'''Sarah''': Can you stop it? '''Reese''': '''I dunno'''. With these weapons, '''I dunno'''. }}{{context\|reason=How is this an example of the trope as written?}} * In the ''[[Dirty Harry]]'' series film [[The Enforcer]], one of the terrorists wants to know something: {{quote\|'''Bobby''': Did Wanda deliver the [Ransom Note] tape to the cops? '''Lalo''': I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I wasn't with her. }} == [[Literature]] == ▲* Happened by accident in ''[[The Stand]]''. Near the end, one character is asked the reason for all of what happened. He says, "I don't know," then pauses. [[Stephen King]] spent a good month trying to come up with an answer, couldn't, and had him repeat himself. ▲== [[Live -Action ~~Television~~TV]] == ▲* A sample exchange from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' ("The Battle"): ▲{{quote\|'''Beverly:''' You had no choice. ▲'''Picard:''' Didn't I? I don't know anymore... I just don't know. }} ▲* Spoofed in the "Killer Sheep" sketch on ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' by having a scientist ramble "I just don't know. I really just don't know. I'm afraid I really just don't know," and so on. ▲* In the comedy TV show ''Corner Gas'', the theme song goes, in part: "I don't know, the same things you don't know. I don't know, I just don't know." ▲== [[Western Animation]] == ▲* From the ''[[Jonny Quest]]'' episode "The Robot Spy": ▲{{quote\|'''Jonny:''' What is it, Dad? ▲'''Dr. Quest:''' I don't know, Jonny, I really don't know! }} ---- {{quote\|'''[[The Muppet Show\|Statler]]''': Can you think of anything that would make that last show something other than completely worthless? Line 61 ⟶ 64: {{reflist}} [[Category:~~Double "Don't Know"~~{{PAGENAME}}]]▼ [[Category:Stock Phrases]] ▲[[Category:Double "Don't Know"]]