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Near-Death Clairvoyance (view source)

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{{trope}}
A character who is dead or having a [[Near -Death Experience]] steps out of his body and observes what is happening with other characters in the story at that time. The events so observed are shown one way or another to be real and not the fantasy of a dying brain. Alternately, the character gets to review key events in his life, providing the justification for a [[Clip Show]]. Either variant can turn into yet another version of [[Yet Another Christmas Carol]] or [[Wonderful Life]].
 
The sequence usually ends with dead characters moving on to the Afterlife, and [[Convenient Coma|comatose ones]] waking up (occasionally as a [[Mistimed Revival]]). Reawakened and revived characters rarely remember the experience as more than a [[Dream Sequence|blurry dream,]] although specific recollections are sometimes allowed for punchlines or [[An Aesop]].
 
Compare [[Fever Dream Episode]].
{{examples|Examples}}
 
== Anime and Manga ==
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* The last episode of season five of ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' has Larry David (playing himself) dying and going to Heaven. He eventually proves so annoying that his guardian angels send him back into his body, much to the disappointment of his friends and family.
* ''[[Mr. Belvedere]]'' had the titular character experiencing this; at first, it seems that everything's going comedically wrong without him, but it turns out that life goes on.
* The [[Darker and Edgier|bleak]] ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' spinoff ''[[Torchwood (TV)|Torchwood]]'' tried [[Something Completely Different]] with the more lighthearted, sentimental episode "Random Shoes", in which a recently deceased character observes (and subconsciously influences) the protagonist Gwen as she investigates his death.
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Scrubs]]'': as various doctors are around a man's body (masking it from view) and finally saying that they lost him, a man walks up and begins to talk about how seeing himself die like that was strange. He even starts giving a speech about death itself...until J.D. comes up and angrily reminds him that he's not dead, just insane.
** However, there is also an episode that plays it straight: J.D. gets sick and has to undergo surgery where he has an out-of-body experience looking over Turk's shoulder as he's operating. Turk asks him (though "the ghost" isn't seen) to go away because he can't concentrate.
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== Western Animation ==
 
* In ''[[Family Guy]]'', Peter is struck by lightning and has a [[Near -Death Experience]]. He proceeds to steal money from his own wallet and later tries to reenter his body through the mouth, having about as much success as a flesh-and-blood fat man would have trying to climb inside an unconscious person. [[Grim Reaper|Death (a recurring character)]] shows up to hang out with him for a while as part of his [[Near -Death Experience]], and when Peter asks when he's really going to die, he's told it'll be a few years after Lois divorces him. Peter tries convincing Death that'll never happen, and leads him through a bunch of flashbacks depicting their courtship, showing how deeply in love they were. In the process, Peter realizes that he's been taking Lois for granted lately, and has the epiphany necessary to save his marriage.
 
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Narrative Devices]]
[[Category:Near Death Clairvoyance]]
[[Category:Trope]]
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