Ironic Echo: Difference between revisions

'''Kronk:''' Hey, [[Captain Obvious|that's kinda like what he said to you]] [[Lampshade Hanging|when you got fired]].

'''Yzma:''' [[Don't Explain the Joke|I know.]] It's called a cruel irony, like my dependence on ''you''.

 

[[Alice and Bob|Bob]] makes a comment in the presence of [[Alice and Bob]]. Much later on, Alice makes the same comment in a different situation, often giving it an unexpected meaning in the new context.

 

Compare [[Flashback to Catchphrase]], [[Exact Words]], [[Book Ends]], and [[Dialogue Reversal]]. Subtrope of [[Meaningful Echo]]. [[Ironic Echo Cut]] is when the echo comes immediately and the second speaker has ''not'' heard the first. Can be a form of [[Hypocritical Humor]] or a [[Brick Joke]]. Doing this [[Recycled in Space|as a SONG]] is often a [[Dark Reprise]]. May often result from a [[Perspective Reversal]]. If the original use was innocent and amusing but the echo is bitter or shocking, this may result in a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]].

 

* In ''[[One Piece]]'', minor villain Bellamy condescendingly asks Luffy (who he believes to have a 30 million belli bounty, as compared to Bellamy's 50 million) "Do you even know how to throw a punch?" Luffy, who doesn't care much what an idiot like that says, doesn't reply until Bellamy ''really'' pisses him off by further insulting the friends he'd already beaten up. In a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] (of the entire series), as Bellamy rockets around on his springs while dramatically taunting him, Luffy calmly lifts up one fist and echoes "Do I know how to throw a punch?" He then takes the guy out ''[[Curb Stomp Battle|with one punch.]]''

** When Marshal D. "Blackbeard" Teach reveals the [[Power Nullifier]] aspect of his Devil Fruit powers, he states that all of the overconfident fruit users of the world will be powerless against him. He later tries this against {{spoiler|Whitebeard}}, and promptly gets a chunk gouged out his shoulder for his trouble. {{spoiler|Whitebeard}} then notes that Blackbeard is too reliant on ''his'' Devil Fruit Power.

** Also happens with November 11's smoking rant.

* In ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'', when Aion is badly wounded in a fight, he's told by his opponent "If you had to pretend to be a big shot, you should never have come to the front lines." When Aion reveals that he ''purposefully'' lost and acted as a decoy, he [[Evil Gloating|gleefully repeats the line]] to his fallen opponent right before giving him the final blow.

** Also, in the second episode, Edward tells a very distraught Rose, "Move forward. You've got a good strong pair of legs, Rose. Just get up and use them." He seems mad, seeing as how he only has one real leg. ''Much'', much later (in the first anime only, not the manga or second anime), Rose says to him, "You'll be able to come back on your own later, right? After all, you have perfect legs to walk with now." If, after forty-nine episodes, you remembered what Ed had said in the first place, then kudos to you.

*** Not so hard to remember, since Rose references it EVERY time she comes onto the screen. (Except for when she's mute.)

** A one-person Ironic Echo happens when, after Saitou reappears in Kenshin's life, he mutters to himself that he will never change, and that Kenshin will revert to his old ways sooner or later. When Kenshin adamantly refuses to do so, Saitou amends his statement as a sign that he's accepted this.

** There's also an action ironic echo: the first time Kenshin and Aoshi face off, Kenshin defeats him by executing a [[Barehanded Blade Block]]. In the lead-up to the final showdown, Aoshi is disarmed by an opponent mirroring his sword style, but he pulls off a one-handed [[Barehanded Blade Block]] with a spiffy [[One-Liner]] obliquely referring to the previous event.

 

* [[Alan Moore]] uses this one a lot, but never more than in ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]''.

** A good example: advertisements for Ozymandias' training system promise "bodies beyond your wildest imagining". {{spoiler|When Ozymandias commits his attack on New York, the advertisements are liberally scattered around amidst the piles of corpses.}}

** After being shot in his efforts to protect Nancy, Hartigan thinks "An old man dies, a young girl lives. Fair trade." Before blowing his brains out, he thinks "An old man dies, a young woman lives. Fair trade."

* Used by [[Doctor Strange]] in ''[[World War Hulk]]''. Doc confronts Hulk and makes a little speech, then goes [[Super Mode]] and says "Strange Smash", a callback to Hulk's famous line "Hulk Smash".

** Similarly, while the first issue of ''Final Crisis'' has said character (a horrible degenerate) saying "This is what happens to anyone who ****s with the Human Flame" while Martian Manhunter (a straight-up hero) burns, it ends with Nix Uotan (the 'Judge of All Evil' and a straight-up hero) saying "No-one ****s with the Judge of All Evil" while Mandrakk (a horrible degenerate) burns.

* In ''[[The Sandman]]'' Dream has a flashback of his last meeting with Destruction, during which he gave somebody [[Disproportionate Retribution]]. Destruction [[What the Hell, Hero?|asked if that was absolutely necessary]] to which Dream responded by asking if he tells Destruction how to do his job. Later, Dream asks Delirium if the [[Disproportionate Retribution]] she gave a policeman was necessary and gets the same answer.

* One ''Cthulhu Tales'' comic had this with two shots of the same people in the same positions. Image 1: they're arranged around a living room holding an intervention for the protagonist's drinking. Image 2: they're wearing cult robes and waiting for the [[Demonic Possession|demon]] that was being kept [[Sealed Evil in a Can|sealed]] ''in'' the protagonist by said drinking.

* A truly dark version appears in the narrative of a story from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Tales of the Slayers]]''. In a small village during [[The Dark Ages]], a young, devoutly Christian girl discovers she is this generation's Slayer. Reluctant at first, she fulfills her duties as the Slayer, saying, "God is good, and God is kind." After the town's priest, jealous of her heroism, declares her a witch and rallies the town against her, leading to her being [[Burn the Witch|burned alive]], her Watcher took his revenge by opening the city gates, allowing a horde of vampires to enter and massacre the entire town. His last words were, "For God is good and God is kind, but God's not welcome here!"

 

* In ''[[Ponies Make War]]'', [[The Dragon|General Esteem]] says "titles are important" [[Insistent Terminology|so much]] that it's practically his [[Catch Phrase]]—considering the [[Narcissist|character]], it's probably so he can constantly remind people that he's both a knight and a General. When they confront each other during the [[Final Battle]], Twilight throws this line back in his face, pointing out that {{spoiler|while he may be a General, she's a ''Master'' General}}.

** Another example with the same characters: when Esteem thinks that the villains have won, he gives Twilight a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] deriding her efforts and telling her that all she'll be remembered for is her failure. Shortly after, while Twilight is {{spoiler|giving him a [[Karmic Death]]}}, she gives him a similar speech, telling him that all ''he'll'' be remembered for is his treachery.

* In ''[[The Ghost Map]]'', [[Sherlock Holmes]] and [[Big Bad|Colonel Moran]] face off in Camden House, [[Continuity Nod|where Holmes trapped Moran some time ago.]] Now it's the other way around - Holmes acknowledges the irony.

 

* In the first act of ''[[The Incredibles]]'':

{{quote|'''Helen:''' Everybody's special, Dash.

** This same sentiment is voiced by Syndrome in the third act.

{{quote|'''Syndrome:''' And when everyone's Super... no-one will be.}}

* ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]''. "It's not flying, it's falling with style!"

** After Buzz disbelieves "[[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|You. Are. A. TOY!]]" in the first movie proclaimed by Woody, he tries to persuade Woody to come with him by using the same line.

** Also, toward the end of the film, {{spoiler|Dr. Facilier attempts to tempt Tiana with the restaurant of her dreams, repeating a line from Tiana's [["I Want" Song]]}}.

{{quote|{{spoiler|"Come on, Tiana. You're almost there."}}}}

{{quote|{{spoiler|"It's not SLIME, it's MUCUS!"}}}}

* Early in [[The Film of the Book|the film adaptation of]] ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]'', the mayor of Swallow Falls comments that he wants the townspeople to look at him and say "That is one big mayor," as in someone important. Later in the film, during the reopening of Chewandswallow, an audience member says the exact same words, {{spoiler|but referring to the mayor's [[Fat Bastard|very evident obesity.]]}}

* In ''[[Bolt]]'', we're introduced to Mittens the cat when we see her extorting food from some pigeons in exchange for not eating ''them''. When one of the pigeons, Louie, is unable to bring anything but an orange seed, Mittens demands that Louie bring her all his food next time, or else. Louie protests "We had a deal!", to which Mittens replies "The deal's just expired." A few scenes later [[And You Thought It Was a Game|Bolt,]] believing Mittens to be an agent of "the man with the green eye" (the villain of the [[Show Within a Show]] on which he works), threatens her into telling him where Penny is. She convinces Bolt to head to Hollywood, California, but ends up getting dragged along by Bolt. When she protests "We had a deal!", Bolt replies "The deal's just expired." This is [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] when Louie, watching in amusement with his fellow pigeons, remarks "That's what she said to me earlier."

* In ''[[Robin Hood (Disney film)|Robin Hood]]'', a character had once joked that if Robin marries Lady Marian, King Richard would have an outlaw as an inlaw. At the end of the movie, King Richard says the exact phrase during Robin and Marian's wedding.

* ''[[Antz]]'' has the unprecedented use of Ironic Echo between a few seconds in regards to Z and General Mandible. As such, both are to be posted:

** "Night Fury! Get down!" Spoken first when the Night Fury is attacking, and later when {{spoiler|Toothless jumps on the villagers, playfully.}}

** "We have ''dragons''." Counts as a [[Book Ends]].

* ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'': Olaf arrives to [[Fate Worse Than Death|save]] the Baudelaire orphans from being eaten from the [[Meaningful Name|Lachrymose Leeches.]] The phrase he uses to welcome the orphans is the same as the one he uses in their first meeting.

{{quote|'''Count Olaf''': Hello, hello, hello. '''[[Nightmare Fuel|I missed you guys.]]'''}}

** And then later, when {{spoiler|Butch has Marcellus on the ground, punching him in the face repeatedly after not throwing the fight,}} says this to him:

{{quote|'''Butch:''' You feel that sting, big boy, huh? That's pride FUCKIN' with you!!}}

* ''[[Miss Congeniality]]'' uses the second situation. "It is not a beauty pageant. It is a ''scholarship program!''"

** Also, before her transformation, Sandra Bullock's character Gracie answers a question with "Yeah." Candice Bergen's character Kathy Morningside (the director of the pageant) corrects her, saying "Yes." At the end of the movie, when Gracie is pushing Morningside in the car, the ex-pageant winner says "Yeah, yeah." Gracie corrects her, echoing "Yes" before shutting the door in the shocked woman's face.

* A similar phrase was used in the stage musical ''[[Annie]]''. When the FBI takes Miss Hannigan away, she pleads to have Annie witness to how good she treated her and the other orphans. Annie responds with the one thing Miss Hannigan always taught her: "Never tell a lie."

* Played with in the film adaptation of ''[[The Secret Garden]]''; when Mary's name is called at the station in London, the children start singing the nursery rhyme "Mary Mary Quite Contrary". Later on in the film, Dickon starts singing it and Mary remarks that the children used to sing it at her on the boat from India. She then happily sings the rest of the song with Dickon.

* In ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'', the phrase, "Do what I say, and you'll live," is used twice. The first time, it is spoken by [[Samuel L. Jackson]]'s character, advising a witness who is in mortal danger. The second time comes at the end, {{spoiler|by the witness himself, advising Jackson on how to really enjoy life}}.

* ''[[Being There]]'': "I understand." (Movie version only.)

* ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]'': "By ''your'' leave, Mr. Norrington!"

** Subverted by [[Magnificent Bastard|Barbossa]].

* In ''[[Changing Lanes]]'', Ben Affleck's character pulls a Type 2 of sorts near the end—following the advice, but in a way which the advice-giver didn't intend.

* In ''[[The Machinist]]'', Trever first says "I know who you are!" repeatedly and angrily when he thinks he has worked out the identity of Ivan, and then later in a terrified tone when he actually has worked out Ivan's identity ( {{spoiler|a sort-of personification of his guilt}}).

** And in the third: "best defense is a good offense", as well as Wolverine throwing Magneto's us vs. them rhetoric right back in his face {{spoiler|when he gets shot with the mutant cure}}.

{{quote|'''Magneto''': I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to [[Pretty Little Headshots|move the coin]].}}

** Also from ''First Class'': "Mutant and proud."

* In ''[[The American President]]'', current US president Andrew Shepard makes fun of his rival running for office's catchphrase a few times throughout the film, which is "My name is Bob Rumpsen and I'm running for President!" At the film's climax, in a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]], President Shepard makes a moving speech condemning Rumpsen and all his tactics, ending with the following twist: "My name is Andrew Shepard and I ''am'' the President."

* Fairly early in ''[[The Deaths of Ian Stone]]'', the title character's girlfriend recites to him, "Cross my heart and hope to die/Stick a needle in your eye." (It's a children's rhyme, in case you don't know, often accompanying children's promises.) {{spoiler|He has in fact crossed her heart, inasmuch as they were apparently lovers of some sort before he developed a sense of ethics. She can't kill him, but is more than capable of putting him through enough torment for him to "hope to die."}} And when the first half of that rhyme is repeated? {{spoiler|[[Eye Scream|She really does stick a needle in his eye.]]}}

* Happens in the [[So Bad It's Good|laughably bad]] live action adaptation of ''[[Fist of the North Star]]''. At the start of the film Kenshiro, not wanting to fight his [[Love Makes You Evil|former friend and love rival Shin]], says that "The North Star and the Southern Cross should never fight", only for Shin to respond "That is true... but there is no North Star" just before almost killing Ken. At the end the film the roles are reversed, with Ken simply saying Southern Cross in place of North Star. Oddly enough, by that part it seems like Shin may be serious and honestly repenting what he's done, yet Ken goes on beating him to death.

* In the ''[[Sex and the City]]'' movie, Steve admits that he cheated on Miranda and they fight, with him trying desperately to apologize and saying it was a one-time lapse of judgment, etc., while she says that now she can't trust him ever again. Near the end of the movie, Miranda admits that her slip of the tongue might have cost Carrie her marriage and Carrie winds up using almost the exact same lines as Miranda did to chew her out for it.

'''Dexter:''' Oh class my ''eye''! }}

* In ''[[GoldenEye (film)|GoldenEye]]'', Alec Trevelyan, during his last mission with James Bond, declared "For England!" before being seemingly killed. Later, when he revealed himself as the villain Janus, he muttered "For England" after knocking Bond unconscious. At the end of their final fight, when Bond has Trevelyan at his mercy, Trevelyan says, "For England, James?" Bond answers, "No. For me," before letting Trevelyan plunge to his death.

* In ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]] 2'', Justin Hammer tells Ivan Vanko to not get too attached to things in reference to his bird. Vanko soon offers Hammer the same advice in reference to Hammer's drones.

** At the beginning of the first film, Tony proudly proclaims that "the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beans for baby hospitals". Later, when Tony has his epiphany, Obadiah Stane makes a similar remark, illustrating what Tony could have been if hadn't seen what his weapons were being used for.

* ''[[Real Genius]]'': Chris convinces Mitch to get revenge on Kent by telling him "It's a moral imperative." Later, Mitch tells him the same thing when convincing him to pass Hathaway's test.

* In ''[[Trainspotting]]'', Renton's "choose life" speech sarcastically lists all of the 'benefits' of sobriety, only to end with him questioning why he needs it when he's got heroin. At the end {{spoiler|having cheated his mates and stolen thousands of pounds from them}}, he once again lists the same benefits of sobriety, but this time is fully sincere about living that life.

* Hammed up in ''[[Fallen]]'', as first and last line of the film: {{spoiler|I'm going to tell you about the time I NEARLY died.}}

* In ''[[Ever After (film)|Ever After]]'', when Jacqueline (the nicer of the two stepsisters) tries to give her mother a reality check by reminding her that "it's only a ball," Rodmilla replies coldly, "and you're only going for the food." Later in the film, when Rodmilla and Marguerite are receiving their comeuppance, Jacqueline finally gets some of her own back for all of her mother's belittling:

'''Jay:''' No. You won't. }}

* ''[[I Could Never Be Your Woman]]'' Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer) comes across her daughter, Izzie (Saoirse Ronan), [[Gamer Chick|playing a video game]]. Izzie reveals it's her crush's favorite game, and she's trying to get good at it, so she'll have something in common with him. Rosie says, "Sounds like a firm basis for a relationship." Later on, Rosie's [[May–December Romance|much younger date]] arrives at their house, and while looking around, discovers a bottle of medication, and that he takes the same kind. Izzie repeats "Sounds like a firm basis for a relationship."

* ''[[Inception]]'' has Saito asking Cobb, who's dubious about the inception attempt, "Do you want to take a leap of faith, or become an old man filled with regret, waiting to die alone?" When Cobb has to describe limbo to Saito he says that he'll be lost so long that he'll become an old man. Saito: "Filled with regret." Cobb: "Waiting to die alone."

* In ''[[Doctor Dolittle]] 2'' Dolittle tries to get an endangered bear to mate in order to save a forest. The [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] tells him that won't happen so he makes an offer noting this way he can save face, won't have to admit he was wrong, and won't look like a fool. When Dolittle gets the animals to unite against him, he proposes they set up a meeting as it's the only way to save face, he won't have to admit he was wrong, and he'll get out of the situation without looking like an idiot.

** Tony sarcastically remarking that {{spoiler|Coulson's first name is "Agent", then later, "His name was Phil." Bonus points for it being said both times in the same room, on different days.}}

** A more serious one: while ferrying Captain Rogers to the Helicarrier, Agent Coulson says that "Maybe people need 'old-fashioned'" in response to Captain America's traditional suit, but clearly referring to the ideals Captain America represents. Later, at the team's darkest moment, Fury suggests that believing in heroes might be "an old-fashioned notion."

 

* ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''. Early on, Scrooge, when asked to make a charitable donation, snarls back, "Are there no prisons? No workhouses?" Meaning that he feels he ''already'' makes a big enough contribution to the poor through his taxes. Later on, when Scrooge starts to have a change of heart he expresses concern over the condition of "Ignorance" and "Want", two skinny, poorly-clad allegorical children who hang around the Ghost of Christmas Present. Upon hearing this, the Ghost of Christmas Present cynically echoes Scrooge's earlier line, "Are there no prisons? No workhouses?"

** Also, the men asking for donations say that many poor would rather die than go to prison or the poorhouses. Scrooge replies, "If they'd rather die then they'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population!" When the Ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that Tiny Tim could die, he echoes Scrooge's line with, "But if he's going to die, then he'd better do it and decrease the surplus population!" Ouch.

** Cersei's "I shall wear [the bruise] like a badge of honor" after Robert hits her, echoed to her later by Ned, when she slaps him.

** {{spoiler|Theon}} spends most of ''A Dance with Dragons'' in a state of [[Stockholm Syndrome]] denying his identity due to the horrific abuse he suffered at the hands of his captor, Ramsay Bolton; in his internal monologue he frequently repeats the line "You have to know your ''name''" in order to remind himself that he's supposed to be "Reek", not {{spoiler|Theon. At the end of his last chapter in the book he repeats the line to emphasize that he once again recognises himself as Theon.}}

** In ''Philosopher's Stone'', there's Ron's "Are you a witch or not?!" to Hermione; wayyy later, in ''Deathly Hallows'', she says the exact same thing to him.

** [[Harry Potter/Awesome|'Weasley Is Our King']]. The Slytherins were just ''asking'' for the [[Insult Backfire]] on that one.

* In ''[[Discworld]]'', Death has a catchphrase "There is no justice, there's just me," which he originally means in a very cynical sense. At some point though, as he gains more humanity, he delivers the same line when punishing an evildoer.

{{quote|'''Death:''' Lord, we know there is no good order except that which we create... There is no hope but us. There is no mercy but us. There is no justice.

There is just us.

For the sake of prisoners and the flight of birds.

Lord, what can the harvest hope for, if not the care of the [[Title Drop|Reaper Man]]? }}

* In the book and movie ''[[Holes]]'', the Warden says "Excuse Me?" in every scene she's in, mostly to say something like "shut up, I have all the power." However, when {{spoiler|Stanley finds the treasure she's after, she asks to see what's in the box}}, and gets an "Excuse Me?" in response.

* In ''[[Brave New World (novel)|Brave New World]]'', the line, "Oh brave new world, that has such people in it," is said more than once, and at first is positive but then becomes more and more ironic.

* In ''[[The Queen's Thief|The King of Attolia]]'', there's a scene where Eugenides goes to see Relius and says, "Are you ready to discuss the resources of your queen?" It's quickly revealed this was an echo of the previous book.

** Later on, "You forgot it's only a wooden sword."

* ''[[Rewind (Terry England novel)|Rewind]]'' opens with Aaron Lee Fairfax, one of the seventeen 'Rewound Children', reciting his personal information to disbelieving interrogators. It becomes a sort of mantra for him, and is [[Arc Words|repeated several times throughout the novel]], updated to reflect recent events. In another very [[Squick]]y instance, {{spoiler|during the interrogation, he is stripped naked for photos, and weakly jokes around by asking if he's posing for pornography. Later, upon seeing the photos published in a trashy tabloid, he repeats this, now 'knowing' the answer.}}

* This occurs repeatedly, and often somewhat wittily, in ''Full Tilt'' by Neal Shusterman. For instance, the main character tells a traitorous friend that "I wouldn't climb over the backs of my friends to save myself." -- {{spoiler|and in flashback, as a school bus teetered on the edge of a cliff, he literally climbed over their backs to reach the door.}}

* In ''[[The Outsiders]]'', after coming home very late, Ponyboy's oldest brother angrily yells at him for always using the excuse "I didn't mean to." Later, on the exact page, after he hits Ponyboy, he is stunned and says "I didn't mean to", even as Ponyboy ran out of the house.

 

* In the ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' episode "True Night", Johnny McHale is suffering from a psychotic break due to the trauma of being attacked by gang members. During that incident, the gang leader told him "You're not gonna wanna miss this" before killing his pregnant girlfriend. Eventually, Johnny McHale hunts down the gang leader and just before killing him says "You're not gonna wanna miss this."

{{quote|'''Riker:''' Pinocchio is broken. Its strings have been cut.}}

** Consider that this is, effectively, the same as knocking a person unconscious when they're sitting at a table minding their own business. Worse, in fact, given that turning him off effectively renders Data ''dead''...

* ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', "Life of Brian": Jordan tells Angela he doesn't believe in fate; "whatever happens, happens." She says she respects that. Later at the dance, Brian tells Angela he doesn't believe in fate; "Whatever happens, happens." She calls it the stupidest thing she ever heard.

* In an episode of ''[[Corner Gas]]'', Hank's car is impounded and accidentally sold to Wanda. Wanda rubs it in by saying "There are no words to describe how pleased I am with myself." When, to get back at Wanda, Hank gets her car impounded and buys it, Hank attempts to perform an Ironic Echo but fails miserably, mangling the quote to a level of incomprehensibility: "I can't express happy words how I feel right." Which makes it all the more funny because he can't express how pleased with himself he is.

** In the episode "War Stories", an early scene has Kaylee proclaiming "No power in the 'verse can stop me!" after playfully wrestling an apple from River. Much later in the episode, River says the same line to a shocked Kaylee after coldly killing three men that Kaylee was unable to shoot at. The same episode also has a much looser ironic echo, in that two separate characters (Book and Niska) ruminate over the works of Shan Yu.

** The episode "Jaynestown" comes with a subplot where the local magistrate hires Inara to sleep with his son, because he's 26 years old and "[[A Man Is Not a Virgin|not yet a man!]]" So they do the deed and the son finds himself disappointed that nothing, apparently, has changed. Inara tells him that whatever his father thinks, having sex has nothing to do with being a man—what's important is what you do with yourself, sex or no. At the end of the episode, the heroes are very nearly caught because the magistrate has a landlock on ''Serenity'', until suddenly the landlock vanishes. Cut to the magistrate's home, as the magistrate berates his son for ''daring'' to defy him by lifting the landlock. His son just gives him a smug look and says, "Well, father, ''you'' wanted to make a man of me. I guess it worked."

** Also, when J.D. feels responsible for a patient's death, and Dr. Cox explains it as a slippery slope and when you start going down that line, "you never come back." Later, when Cox's hasty actions kill three patients (one of which could've waited another month), J.D. states "Once you go down that road, you never come back." Cox then flatly states "Yeah... you're right," and walks out the door, not planning to come back.

* In the ''[[Star Wars]]'' episode of ''[[That '70s Show]]'', Donna gets mad when Eric says David, the Vader character, has only been spending so much time with her talking to her, and listening and sharing ideas ("What's that about!?") because he wants to see her naked. In a later argument, Donna's trying to prove him wrong, and David gives the exact same examples Eric did, ending with "What's that about!?" in the same tone as Eric.

** "Is that an order?"

* ''Army Wives'', season 3 "M.I.A."

* ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]''. The message on Margaret's mother's answering machine is along the lines of "Victor? Margaret? I'm sorry that I'm not here now, but it's because I'm somewhere else. ''I say, I'm somewhere else.'' But I expect you'll both be up here soon, won't you? So I'll see you then. Hello?" At first, this is just somewhat charming and funny, the result of her being an old woman who doesn't really understand how the machine works. {{spoiler|Then she dies. Now read it again.}}

** ''Leverage'' seems to be good for these. The season one finale starts out with a scene that echoes the beginning of the previous episode, with Nate parroting the villain's line from that episode -- "Are you here to kill me?"

*** And then again at the end of the episode. At the start, the villain, an insurance agent, has a smug rant about how you can't let personal feelings get in the way of business and how he has a responsibility to his shareholders. After the heist, Nate Ford [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|shouts the exact same rant]] back at the insurance agent while simultaneously disarming him and bankrupting him.

** Towards the end of the series, Castle happens to catch Beckett's new boyfriend asking her out on a date and is obviously unhappy about it; Beckett taunts him about it slightly, confirming that she's going out with him "unless you have a problem with that." Later, Beckett is reconnecting with an old friend, who remarks that she could use some moral support at a dinner she's attending that night—Castle leaps in and asks her out, but not before stopping to say to Beckett "unless you have a problem with that." Beckett, obviously unhappy with the situation, is less amused this time.

* In ''[[Yes Minister|Yes, Prime Minister]]'', Sir Humphrey makes a big show of chewing Bernard out for allowing the Prime Minister's constituency agent into Number Ten without a proper pass, despite Bernard's assurance that the constituency agent is known and recognised by the police and staff; he orders Bernard to ensure that all who enter Number Ten via the front door must either have a proper pass, an appointment or must be otherwise cleared. Humphrey's pomposity comes back to bite him later in the episode when he's paranoid about his job because he's gradually being denied entry to Number Ten; he attempts to enter via the front door, but the policeman guarding the door stops him from entering because he has no appointment, no Number Ten pass and Bernard cannot be found to clear him.

* ''[[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' has two, both courtesy of Cameron. The first appears in the third episode, "The Turk," where John explains to Cameron that she needs to blend in, telling her "Don't be a freak." Later on, when he tries to rescue a girl who commits suicide by jumping off the roof of the gym, she throws the same words back in his face while physically restraining him, since trying to rescue her would draw attention to him.

** The second instance is in the second season episode "Ourselves Alone," in which Cameron has the line "What am I going to do with you?" The first time she says it, she's talking to a pigeon that's taken up a nest in the chimney. She accidentally kills it when her hand malfunctions. The next time she says the line, it's to Riley, which puts it in a much darker context and creates a legitimate fear in the viewer that Cameron is actually going to kill her. {{spoiler|She doesn't, but Riley's dead by the end of the episode anyway.}}

* A recurring riff on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', where the guys will intone a film's title in a pompous, mock-important tone of voice when it's not living up to its premise. Examples include ''[[Manos: The Hands of Fate]]'' (during the long, boring sequences), ''[[Horrors of Spider Island]]'' (when it's not focusing on horror or spiders), and ''[[Puma Man]]'' (when the titular hero isn't particularly heroic).

 

* There's a [[Barenaked Ladies]] song called "The Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel". The line "you're the last thing on my mind" goes from meaning "I'm not thinking about you" at the beginning of the song to meaning "I die thinking about you" when it's repeated at the end.

* In the [[Tim McGraw]] song "Don't Take The Girl", the line "Please, don't take the girl" that ends each verse changes meaning over the course of the song.

* ''Still healing'' by Uprise uses this. The first half of the song is lamenting the fact that the singer is "still healing" from some childhood trauma. The second half uses the same line - with the context changed to highlight that he is, in fact, healing, while the offender will always be miserable.

* The chorus of the Mark Wills song "Wish You Were Here" describes a postcard which has the word "Heaven" on the front. The postcard's message has a completely different tone when sung after the first verse (where the postcard's writer is boarding a plane) and after the second (where he {{spoiler|dies when the plane crashes}}):

* ''Ghosts and Spirits'', a CD of songs based on [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]' [[The Great Divorce]], has a song ("Bleeding Charity") that's an ironic echo. First, a ghost protests, "Can't you see that I'm only human?" and can't be expected to be perfect (as he thinks is necessary to enter Heaven), and refuses to accept any "bleeding charity"; in the second verse, a spirit explains he is not perfect either - "Can't you see that I'm only human?" and begs him to accept the [[The Bible|Bleeding Charity]].

* At the beginning of "A Complete History of the Soviet Union, Arranged To The Melody From ''[[Tetris]]''" by Pig With The Face Of A Boy, the "man who arranges the blocks" muses that "The Tsar puts gold on his bread" when noting the unfairness of the old regime. At the end, having gone through [[Red October|revolution]], [[Stalin]], [[World War II]], the [[Cold War|Space Race]] and [[The Great Politics Mess-Up|the fall of the Berlin Wall]], the same worker bitterly notes that while he has more than enough gold, he's reduced to standing in line for the chance to get a loaf of bread.

* [[Sublime]]'s ''Date Rape'' is a story about a woman being bought a couple of drinks, before being offered a ride and raped in a car. {{spoiler|She then proceeds to take him to court, he gets a 25 year sentence and raped by an inmate.}}

 

 

* From [[Norse Mythology]]: When Hagen suggests to king Gunther/Gunnar to accept Walther's gift of 100 golden rings (instead of taking all his treasure), Gunther mocks him: "You are truly a son of your father Aldrian. He would talk a lot so he wouldn't have to fight." After Walther has killed the other eleven knights of the king, Gunther tries to make Hagen fight again. But Hagen says: "I am truly a son of my father Aldrian. He would talk a lot so he wouldn't have to fight."

 

* In the ''[[Old Harry's Game]]'' episode "The Beautiful Game", the Professor appoints [[Complete Monster]] Thomas as England captain for the Underworld Cup, in the belief that he'll rise to the challenge and prove himself, much to [[Satan]]'s disbelief. The Professor says "I'd hate to be as cynical as you, you know. Always seeing the worst aspects of people." Then Satan appoints his [[Bumbling Sidekick]] Scumspawn as referee, and the Professor accuses him of deliberately trying to turn the tournament into a disaster. "I'd hate to be as cynical as you, Prof. Always seeing the worst in devils."

 

* ''[[Julius Caesar (theatre)|Julius Caesar]]'': In the climatic "Friends, Romans and Countrymen" speech by Mark Antony, Shakespeare has a clever balancing act of dramatic tension; Antony has pretended to not seek retribution against Caesar's murderers, and his speech follows one by Brutus in which the people of Rome were convinced that killing Caesar was necessary. Antony's speech utilises the phrase "But Brutus says that Caesar was ambitious, and Brutus is an honourable man". At first he appears to be in agreement with the conspirators; but his speech gradually begins to demonstrate the holes in their logic, and his repetition of the phrase "honourable man" becomes sarcastic, and then insulting.

** Shakespeare later parodied this in ''Measure For Measure'', where a character prone to getting his words mixed up tells a criminal "Prove it before these [criminals], thou honourable man!".

* In ''Under Milkwood'', we hear that Bessie Bighead puts flowers on the grave of Gomer Owen who "kissed her once by the pigsty when she wasn't lookin, but never kissed her again although she was looking all the time." That line gets a laugh. Later on, after we learn that Bessie has Down Syndrome or something of the sort, and that Gomer kissed her because he was dared, when the same line comes back it isn't so funny.

* In classical playwright [[Aristophanes]]' comedy ''[[The Clouds|Clouds]]'', when the antihero Strepsiades asks why [[Socrates]] is suspended in the air, the philosopher responds: 'I am walking in the air, and speculating about the heavens.' After Strepsiades gets fed up with the sophistic prattling of the philosopher, he climbs to the roof of his academy and starts to burn it down. When Socrates, in a panic, demands to know what he's doing on his roof, Strepsiades parrots back: 'I am walking in the air, and speculating about the heavens!'

* ''Vanities: The Musical'': During "The Argument", the [[Dark Reprise]] of "I Can't Imagine", Mary briefly echoes her previous [["I Want" Song]] "Fly Into The Future". In the last reprise of "Nothing Like a Friend" from the Theatreworks version, Mary sings "I want(ed) to see if i even like my friends".

* When the trial in ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' seems to be going Shylock's way, he praises the judge ([[Sweet Polly Oliver|Portia in disguise]]): "A Daniel come to judgement, yea, a Daniel!/Oh wise young judge, how I do honor thee!" When she turns the tables and initiates the [[Humiliation Conga]] on Shylock, Gratiano, giddy with excitement, starts quoting Shylock until it becomes an [[Overly Long Gag]]: "A Daniel still, I say, a second Daniel!/I thank thee, Jew, for [[Lampshade Hanging|teaching me that word.]]"

* In an unusual variation, [[Merrily We Roll Along]] is told in reverse order, so the ironic echoes are heard first. For instance, Mary's rather desperate reprise of "Old Friends" is after the friendship has fallen apart; we don't hear it sung genuinely until several more timeskips back.

* ''[[The Last Five Years]]'' is a show of ironic echoes. Especially the line in "See I'm Smiling" and "I Can Do Better" about "you, and you, and nothing but you. Miles and piles of you." However, there are many others.

* ''[[Pippin]]'' sings several times throughout the course of the show that "Rivers belong where they can ramble/Eagles belong where they can fly/I've got to be where my spirit can run free." At the end of the show, he decides "I'm not a river/Or a giant bird that soars to the sea/And if I'm never tied to anything/I'll never be free."

 

* ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' had:

{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Luke Atmey'''}}: [[Laughing Mad|Hee hee hee ha ha ha aha ha ha ha ha ha ha!]] [[Overly Long Gag|Ho ho ho hee hee hee!]] Take a good look, everyone! Unable to find a rival worthy of my genius, I was forced to create one by myself! Here I am! The tragic clown...}}

'''Adam''': "Women always underestimate men. }}

* As the player character's journey is just beginning in ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'', Ghetsis gives a rousing speech about liberating Pokemon. He seems to make some good points. In the town with the final gym leader, he repeats this speech word for word. {{spoiler|However, by this point in the game, the player has learned that Ghetsis is a [[Complete Monster|far worse person]] than initially believed, and the whole point of the liberation of Pokemon is so he alone can control their power.}}

** "I remember the night of my twenty-first birthday... That was the first time I died."

** [[Unskippable]] was so amused by this that they turned it into a [[Running Gag]] where the "death" counter goes up every time the point of view character dies or falls unconscious.

* In the opening of ''[[Tomb Raider]]'', Larson asks Lara Croft "What's a man gotta do to get that sort of attention from ya?" Since Lara Croft is obviously sexy looking, that kind of comment was inevitable. Later on, when Larson attacks Lara outside of Qualapec's Tomb and Lara defeats him, Lara retorts "Well, you have my total attention now. I'm not sure if I got yours, though. Hello?"

 

* Early on in ''[[Broken Saints]]'', Kamimura encounters a silly young egg farmer named Masayuki, who tells him a story about his father, in which Masayuki's father pointed at a chicken's butt and told his son that two things come out of there: eggs and poop. The lesson Masayuki took from it, and passed on to Kamimura, was that both good and bad things come from the inside. This lesson turns out to be a central message in the series, and Kamimura's {{spoiler|final words before his [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}} repeat this sentiment, now with a much more poignant resonance.

* In ''[[RWBY]]'' S1E15, Penny's rapid-fire recitation of all the fun things she and Ruby can do together since they are now friends echoes word-for-word Weiss's sarcastic inventory of "girl things" to (not) do with Ruby when they met for the second time at the Beacon opening ceremonies.

{{quote|'''Weiss:''' No. She seems ''much'' more [[Dojikko|coordinated]].}}

 

* ''[[Narbonic]]'': "Not enough."

* In ''[[No Rest for The Wicked (webcomic)|No Rest for The Wicked]]'', Perrault tells November "You could always turn around and go home." Then, they meet Red. Somewhat later, following her through the woods, November repeats the line to Perrault.

* ''[[A Miracle of Science]]'' has two, "That, gentlemen, is the sound of conquest" and {{spoiler|"Behold, the Martian invasion fleet."}} The first one is used by {{spoiler|Ben first in the flashback as a [[Mad Scientist]] trying to take over the moon, and later by Ben when he is confronting Haas.}} The second one is used {{spoiler|first jokingly by Caprice, but then seriously by Ben in the end}}.

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', the Demon King reacts to being stabbed with Chaz with the line, "[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/060503 What is that blade?]" Later, when Torg is being tested by his own subconscious during the Wayang Kulit saga, {{spoiler|Oasis}} reacts in the exact same way when he stabs {{spoiler|her}}. Odd, because Chaz wasn't even glowing red on the later occasion...

** Also, there's "Weird girl, Sasha," which gets repeated over and over again by almost all the (sane) characters... and then Sasha gets a chance to throw it back at them : "Weird guy, {{spoiler|Torg}}"

{{quote|'''Rachel:''' I don't know what's going on in here, but I suggest you '''let go''' of my friend and explain yourself.

'''Brett:''' ''(lets go of Gregory and raises his fist)'' Yeah? How about I break your '''face''' instead?!

* ''[[Bob and George]]'': ''[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/050419c Jesus, Dr. Light, it's only one button]''

* In ''[[Impure Blood]]'':

* In the ''[[Touhou]]'' fancomic ''Tag Dream'' about a tag-team professional wrestling-style tournament, when Flandre and Meiling fight Sanae and Suwako, Flandre launches into a technique designed for fighting extremely physically tough Oni to use against the human Sanae. Meling warns her that they'll be disqualified if they kill an opponent, but Flandre says losing like that would be fine. Later in the match, with Sanae unconscious and receiving medical treatment, Flandre weakened by garlic, and Suwako systematically breaking Meiling's bones rather than pinning her, Flandre tells Suwako to stop or Meiling might die, and Suwako says losing like that would be fine.

* ''[[Bobwhite]]'', [http://www.bobwhitecomics.com/?webcomic_post=20090713 this comic]. Marlene, a film major, has nothing but complaints about a movie they just saw. Georgie, unconcerned with the technical aspects, thought it was pretty good and doesn't see why Marlene's so worked up. They go to get a burger and suddenly their positions are switched.

* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' had [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-07-09 Lunesby delivering a fast version].

** Howard loves this trope, really. It's happened several times after the Lunesby example there; [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2012-05-26 here's another recent occurence].

* [[Xkcd]]. [http://xkcd.com/55/ "My normal approach] [http://xkcd.com/881/ is useless here too."] The first time it's a lighthearted joke about trying to solve love with math. The second time... not so much.

 

* From ''[[Minecraft: The Ex-Communicated Series]]'', [[Jerkass|Nova]] booted [[Only Sane Man|Seamus]] off the edge of a cliff to go get a werewolf, saying "What's that down there?" Later, Seamus shows he's [[Not So Above It All]] when he uses a superpunch to boot Nova off the edge, saying in a very cynical tone "What's that down there?" Link [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkjGp04zZaU#t=6m35s here.]

* RPG Example: During a story line on the ''Prodigy City of Supers'' forum, my PC reptilian mutant and another player's genetically engineered human were taking on two NPC thugs. One attempts to make a run for it, telling his partner, "Sorry, buddy, but I ain't gonna defend you against supers and freaks." After being tackled and on the verge of being eaten by my PC, the thug cried out for help. Only to have his partner throw his words back at him, complete with mocking tone of voice. The fight didn't end well for the thugs.

** Then later on, while [[Evil Gloating]], Dr. Horrible sings triumphantly, "Then I win, then I get everything I ever", in anticipation of what he's expecting to be a victory. In the next song, after he's achieved the victory at the high cost {{spoiler|of Penny accidentally being killed}}, the phrase "everything you ever..." is repeated as an eerie, almost mocking refrain.

 

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' has Toph stuck inside a metal cage, while Xin Fu tells her "You might think you're the greatest earthbender in the world, but even you can't bend metal." She does ''exactly that'', and declares, "[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|I am the greatest earthbender in the world!]]"

** In "[[Who Would Want to Watch Us?|The Ember Island Players]]", when the rest of the [[Fan Nickname|Gaang]] is upset over how they're portrayed in the play, Toph tells everyone, "Listen, friends, it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt, but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth." Later, when Toph's character, played by "a really buff ''guy''" is introduced, Katara tries to get back at her:

{{quote|"[[My God, What Have I Done?|What have I]]--what have ''[[Never My Fault|they]]'' done to you?!"}}

** "It may not be worth much now, but in a thousand years..." First by [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Xanatos]], then by his much more moral father.

* In the first song of the [[Dr. Seuss]] special ''[[Halloween Is Grinch Night]]'', Grandpa Josiah repeatedly sings, "I wouldn't go out on a night like this for" a given amount of money that increases with each verse, such as "six dollars and sixty cents!". Later, the Grinch starts poetically talking about what a wonderful night it is in the same rhythm as Josiah's song, ending with "I wouldn't stay home on a night like this for sixty dollars and sixty cents!"

* Disney's ''[[Lilo & Stitch: The Series]]'' has an episode where Gantu is immediately rebuked for his idea of how useful an experiment would be. When 625 discovers something that could vindicate him, he's too angry to listen.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dialogue]]

[[Category:Alice and Bob]]

[[Category:Ironic Tropes]]

[[Category:Hentai Tropes]]