Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,510
edits
Just Between You and Me: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
m (clean up) |
No edit summary |
||
| (7 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 2:
[[File:monologue.jpg|link=The Order of the Stick|frame|Monologuing and the dangers thereof.]]
{{quote|"''Gentlemen! Since you are about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot.''"|'''Benedict'''
Villains have an urge to [[Evil Gloating|gloat]]. There's something irresistible about twisting the knife that last little bit before finishing things. Rather than activate the needlessly complicated [[Death Trap]] right away, they will pause to outline their plan to the hero, often including information on how to stop it. [[Bond Villain Stupidity|This can give the hero the time they need to escape]], but just as often the hero will simply sit there and wait. It's rude to [[Talk to the Fist|interrupt someone when they're chat before trying to kill you]].
Line 23:
[[Board to Death]] is a sub trope, that is normally successful because often the audience (which is not the hero) exists just for the purpose of this trope.
[[Truth in Television]]: As any prankster knows. Though not quite so much in the case of criminal or truly despicable behaviour, as guilt and/or fear of consequence usually overshadows the sadistic joy of mischief, and certainly any urge to reveal it.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* In ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'':
Line 64:
==
* Subverted and lampshaded in chapter 11 of the graphic novel ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]''.
{{quote|"{{spoiler|'''Veidt:''' I'm not a Republic serial villain. Do you seriously think I would explain my masterstroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I did it [[You Are Too Late|thirty-five minutes ago]].}}"}}
** {{spoiler|Also, the people he's talking to aren't really his enemies but former comrades, and he believes that he can convince them that he's right. He partially succeeds}}.
* In ''[[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Mighty Avengers]] #11'', Doctor Doom monologues in thought bubbles while calmly threatening the heroes, and finishes the thought with "...but I'll be '''damned''' if I'm going to stand here and explain myself to '''you'''!!!"
* Lampshaded in ''[[Normalman]]'', as the Ultra Conservative tells Normalman "I'm going to make you listen to my insidious Master Plan!" (while unrolling a Ko-Ko style "little list".) Because it's in the contract: "On capture by the Party of the First Part, the Party of the Second Part must listen to a) [[Origin Story]] or b) Master Plan." However, before we can find out what it is, Captain Everything and Sergeant Fluffy burst in shouting "You aren't going to bore the audience to death with your insipid Master Plan!"
* Lampshaded in ''[[Y: The Last Man]]''. [[Straw Feminist|Radical misandrist Victoria]], leader of the Daughters of the Amazon, has tracked down Yorick, the last man alive, and is starting a speech about how he's going to pay for the crimes of all his gender when Yorick interrupts her with: "Geez, you Amazons don't know when to just shut up and kill a guy!"
* In ''[[Transformers]]: Maximum Dinobots,'' Scorponok keeps Hot Rod alive for the sole purpose of giving one of these to stroke his ego. In fact, when Hot Rod tries to goad Scorponok into giving more information, Scorponok recognizes the attempt and then declares that ''[[Genre Blind|he's going to tell Hot Rod his entire plan in great detail anyway]].''
Line 78:
== Fan Works ==
* Subverted in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. After capturing and/or disabling the four, {{spoiler|Brox}} responds to some anguished “Why?”s with “The joke is funnier if you don't know why now.”
== Film ==
Line 122 ⟶ 121:
* In ''[[Back to the Future (film)|Back to The Future]] Part II'', the "rich version" of Biff tells Marty the details of how he acquired [[Timeline-Altering MacGuffin|Gray's Sports Almanac]] — a surprising piece of candor until he pulls out his gun.
* In ''[[True Lies]]'' Harry does this while bound to a chair, and under the effect of truth serum, just as Samir prepares to inject him with him poison. So they don't take him seriously until he demonstrates his abillity to do what he promised.
== Literature ==
* During the climaxes to the first 6 books, ''[[Harry Potter]]'''s main strategy was to make the villains talk, as a way to buy some time and think of a way to get the hell out. In the final book, his plan is to keep talking himself, to both try and get the big bad to step down after realising he is well and truly screwed either way, and to tell everyone why the big bad is screwed, and if he is killed they can just mass kill him.
** Dumbledore gets
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** In ''[[
** First [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]], then [[Inverted Trope]] in ''[[
{{quote|'''Wolfgang:''' What ''is'' it you want me to say, Your Grace? Something like "you are going to die anyway so I might as well tell you", perhaps?
'''Vimes:''' Well, it'd be a help.
Line 162 ⟶ 160:
* {{spoiler|The Sphinx}} does this in the final book in ''[[Fablehaven]],'' after having Seth in his clutches, he actually tells him that his victory is so assured, he'd like to have one honest conversation with one of his respected nemeses. He then goes on to explain in detail his origins, his source of power (and weaknesses thereof) and all the other things that usually pertain to this trope. He then has Seth sent to his dungeon, and, for the most part, doesn't really suffer any consequences from this particular discussion.
* Becomes a plot point in the third book of ''[[Mistborn]]'', when the [[Big Bad]], a certified [[Eldritch Abomination]], manifests to the heroine for no other reason than to gloat, but she can't figure out what he's getting out of it. {{spoiler|She then realizes that it's just to satisfy his ego- leading her to the correct conclusion that he's on some level human and fallible}}.
== Live-Action TV ==
Line 192 ⟶ 189:
** Surprisingly averted when new [[Big Bad]] Lilith has both heroes helpless. Sam tries to bargain with her; she points out he has nothing she wants, and Dean tries to prompt a bit of monologuing. "So, is this your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?" Lilith simply replies "I don't have to answer to puppy chow," and {{spoiler|sets the hellhounds on him, killing him}} before immediately {{spoiler|attempting to kill Sam. It didn't work, but not for want of trying at least, and it wasn't until the next season we actually found out what her plan is}}
** [[Not So Different|The angels, especially Zachariah, enjoy monologuing as well,]] which is how Dean discovers the identity of the [[Load-Bearing Boss|final seal]] before [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Sam breaks it.]]
* [[Lampshade Hanging]] in ''[[Sledge Hammer!]]'': when an assassin has Sledge tied to a [[Death Trap]], he tells him how he intends to kill the captain. Sledge responds by saying, "I'll never understand why you guys explain your whole plan before you kill somebody."
* Subverted in the ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' episode "Dummy." The murderer makes a full confession while the heroes are wrapped in body bags and locked inside a car, so they can't actually hear a word of what he's saying.
* Lampshaded in a ''[[Dollhouse]]'' episode.
Line 204 ⟶ 201:
* In the ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' episode "Stoke Me a Clipper", some random Nazi villains try to do this to Ace Rimmer;<ref>([[Phrase Catcher|what a guy!]])</ref> one orders the other one to "Take him into the hold, take ten minutes to explain our entire plan to him, and then throw him out of the plane."
* In Heroes, Sylar tells Alejandro that he plans on using Maya as a toy after he gets her to harness her plague power. It's justified in this case, as he is perfectly aware that Alejandro won't understand a thing he says anyways, as Alejandro does not speak nor understand English.
== Radio ==
Line 216 ⟶ 212:
'''Pip Bin''': Just give me a hint?
'''Mr Gently Benevolent''': Oh, all right. }}
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
Line 223 ⟶ 218:
* In ''[[Exalted]]'', an [[Dark Messiah|Infernal Exalt]] who has offended his or her demonic masters can atone by behaving like a [[Card-Carrying Villain]]. One method is called "Infernal Genius Declaration," and involves showing off to a captured and helpless enemy by delivering a monologue describing his or her evil plan in great detail. The Infernal will receive this atonement, incidentally, whether this monologue leads to their plans being thwarted or not.
* ''[[Car Wars]]''. ''Autoduel Quarterly'' magazine Volume 7 #2, adventure "Mutant Zone". If the [[PC]]s are captured they're taken to Blob, the mutants' leader, who explains his plans to use braintape technology to put the mutants' minds into the brains of human beings.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Portal 2]]''{{context}}
* Lampshaded in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' when you confront Lord Crump. Instead of telling you his plans, he replies "Oh no, that's a novice villain mistake!"
** A very similar moment occurs in ''[[Advance Wars]]: Dual Strike'' (which was made by Intelligent Systems, the same people who made ''Thousand Year Door''). When questioned about Black Hole's recovery, [[Teen Genius]] Lash responds: "Duh! Like I'd tell you that!"
Line 251 ⟶ 245:
* At the end of ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] III: Tribunal'', {{spoiler|the [[Physical God]] Almalexia explains to the [[Player Character]] how she convinced him/her that another god, Sotha Sil had gone insane and tried to attack the capital city of Mournhold, while it was all in fact orchestrated by her so that she could kill the other two gods of the Tribunal, turn the player into an unwilling martyr, and rule as the sole remaining god herself.}}
** {{spoiler|Her}} reasons for doing so seems to be twofold: one, {{spoiler|she used to be the possibly loyal, possibly not wife of Nerevar, and is convinced you are his reincarnation}}, and two, {{spoiler|her grip on reality is not the best anymore}}.
* An interesting one in ''[[
* Can happen in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' near the end of the Omerta quest line, with one of the mob bosses. On the other hand, it takes a pretty high Speech skill to get him to talk, so it might be a subversion.
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword]]'', new villain Ghirahim is very chatty every time you meet him. He [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs a lampshade on it]] by saying he has an urge to vent, and even goes as far as [[He Knows About Timed Hits|giving you pointers on sword fighting]] in your first battle with him.
== [[Web Animation]] ==
Line 262 ⟶ 255:
{{spoiler|'''Arthas:'''}} ''I [[Villains Never Lie|never lie]]. I'm simply telling you because there is no way you can defeat me... And I would love watching you die in agony, realizing that you failed them all... again.'' }}
* At the end of ''[[Broken Saints]]'', [[Big Bad]] {{spoiler|Lear Dunham}} spells out, in detail, his motives and the origins of his big plan to the heroes. {{spoiler|The whole point of him telling them (and of their involvement in the plot at all) was so they would be inspired by his vision and join him as his chief apostles.}}
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Hilariously subverted in ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'', where {{spoiler|gate-cloned}} captain Tagon and Brad are captured by the Gatekeepers, interrogated, and are about to be executed. Tagon tries to stall the Gatekeeper by asking him if he's going to reveal his nefarious plans, but the Gatekeeper points out how silly a mistake that would be, and then {{spoiler|kills both of them}}. He even refuses to tell the ''narrator'' any details, saying he's under [[No Fourth Wall|standing orders not to reveal any secrets to the narrator]].
* Once more, ''[[Basic Instructions]]'' gives us simple step by step guidelines to this practice, including how to deal with the rude assassin when he's already escaped your trap and has a gun pointed at Kitty.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131108001158/http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=10227 Parodied] in ''[[Narbonic]]'', when [[Mad Scientist]] Helen gets another scientist's henchman to explain ''her own plan'' to her as a stalling tactic.
{{quote|'''Helen:''' There is no one on the side of Evil this tactic doesn't work on.}}
* Nale from ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' parodies this trope by [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0383.html explaining his Evil Plan to himself].
Line 282 ⟶ 274:
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Tsuriko:'''}} That... that doesn't help Xykon at all.
'''Redcloak:''' [[I Lied|Yes, I know. That's why I've kept it from him for more than 30 years.]] }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081211000051/http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0205.html In this strip] of ''[[Adventurers!]]'' Khrima's [[Genre Blind]] stumbling right into this trope is [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by the [[Genre Savvy]] Karn.
* General Gray in the ''[[Jump Leads]]'' issue ''Who Wants to Rule the World?'' averts this, despite being an otherwise textbook case of [[Contractual Genre Blindness]]. After all, "before I kill you, let me tell you my plan" only works if you have any actual intention of killing the person you're talking to.
* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' Torg [http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=991001 plays on Dr. Steve's] [[Contractual Genre Blindness]] to invoke this trope.
{{quote|'''Dr. Steve:''' I've decided to [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?|just shoot you]] and get this over with.
'''Torg:''' But wait, don't you want to reveal your master plan to me?
'''Dr. Steve:''' No.
'''Torg:''' If you were a ''real'' villain, you'd tell me your master plan before killing me.
'''Dr. Steve:''' Hmmmm .
'''Torg:''' After you tell me your master plan, you can strap me to a table and cut me in half with a laser.
'''Dr. Steve:''' How about I tie you to a chair and blind you with a pen light?
Line 295 ⟶ 287:
'''Dr. Steve:''' Let's do it! }}
* Used and [[Lampshaded]] in [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0329.html this] ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' strip.
* ''[[Golden Age of Adventurers]]'' [http://goldenage.comicgenesis.com/d/20051218.html explains] why it's done, as well as possible drawbacks (mostly, awkward moments).
== Web Original ==
* Item #7 on the [[Evil Overlord List]] advises to act as a [[No-Nonsense Nemesis]] and [[Why Don't
* [[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
** Not to mention that Captain Hammer gloated to Horrible an act earlier that he was going to sleep with Penny just to piss Horrible off.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jao77MSC1ck This] review of [[Genetos]] ends with a subversion, or rather, [[The Reveal|reveals]] that the entire review was a subversion. One review actually reviews the game while the other [[Cloudcuckoolander|spouts nonsense]] the entire time, at the end it's discovered that his nonsense dialogue was being scrambled, and that actually he was revealing a master plan.
** [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|And no, he won't be repeating it now that the scrambler's off.]]
* The villain in [[Greek Ninja]] does this with Sasha (he also hits on her, but that's unrelated).
== Western Animation ==
Line 331 ⟶ 322:
* ''[[The New Adventures of Superman]]'' episode "The Saboteurs". The [[Villain]] "The Chief" tells Lois Lane and Clark Kent his plan after he captures them.
* In one episode of ''[[Storm Hawks]]'', a [[Mook]] comes up with a plan to become an [[Ascended Extra]]. When he captures the heroes by sheer luck, he decides to get back to his master plan. Upon seeing the Storm Hawks' eager faces, he adds, "Which I ''won't'' discuss in front of ''you''!"
* ''[[Star Trek: The
== Real Life ==
* [[Adolf Hitler]] wrote [[Mein Kampf|a book]], while in prison, detailing ''exactly'' what he intended to do, '''before''' he was elected chancellor. Perhaps the most brutal subversion of this trope. Even more, his fellow inmates suggested he write the book because they were sick of listening to him talk about it.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:Dialogue]]
[[Category:Evil Gloating]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Older Than Television]]▼
[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Older Than Television]]
[[Category:Villains]]
▲[[Category:Just Between You and Me]]
| |||