Non Sequitur Thud: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A character has suffered an [[Amusing Injuries|amusing injury]], usually of the blunt force to the head variety. Dazed, he will say something really random and [[Non Sequitur]], normally either before going out like a light or [[Waking Non Sequitur|after being awakened]]. It seems that with proper application of blunt trauma, the human skull becomes a radio receiver tuned to a random station somewhere in the world. Three [[Stock Phrases|common phrases]] used are "[[How Many Fingers?]] am I holding up?" (helpful bystander), "I don't wanna go to school mommy" and "Anybody get the license number of that truck?" (victim)

 

The corresponding situation where a character says something random while regaining consciousness, is [[Waking Non Sequitur]]. If a character says something random while unconscious, that's [[Talking in Your Sleep]].

 

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRscxQZs8E One commercial] has a football player get hit a little too hard. The coach makes sure his marbles are all there:

{{quote|'''Coach:''' "Where are you?"

** The player then goes on to act like Batman for the rest of the commercial as the sales pitch is going on.

 

* ''[[Ranma ½]]'': After hitting his head at the end of an episode, a cross-eyed Ranma says "Say, did anyone catch the number of that truck? Which way did he go? I'm Ranma!"

** Once when Kuno hit Ranma with his sword he said "I'm a little teapot short and stout".

* In the ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'' episode "Guardian Angel", Andromon hits Pegasusmon, causing the latter to de-digivolve and land in TK's arms. When he lands, Patamon says "I'll have two cheeseburgers and a large order of fries".

 

* In one issue of ''[[Donald Duck]]'' comics, Donald's nephews cut him loose from a hanging vine that had entangled his leg. Don ends up landing head first on a rock, and as Huey, Dewey, and Louie check on him, he babbles "Yes, Mr. President, I got the license number of that broccoli... it wasn't armed..."

** [[Don Rosa]]'s "Incident at McDuck Tower" had Donald fall in a very cartoonish manner from a building, finally landing in a display in a grocery store. As a clerk helps him out he asks "St. Peter... why is heaven full of parsley?"

* A common gag in [[Nodwick]] when the gang (usually [[Butt Monkey|Nodwick]] himself) sustains head injuries.

 

{{quote|'''Hobbes:''' How much cluck could a good duck cluck if a good duck could cluck good?

'''Calvin:''' Darkness? It is I, [[Pajama Sam]]! I have come to vanquish you! }}

 

{{quote|"You have a lovely wife! Both very pretty!"}}

* In the football movie ''[[Little Giants]],'' a kid gets tackled, and mumbles "Did I pass the spelling test?" before losing consciousness.

* A rare non-comedic example occurs in ''[[Walk the Line]]''. As he loses consciousness after collapsing onstage, Johnny mutters, "Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered for just such an occasion" (an old [[Looney Tunes|Foghorn Leghorn]] line).

* Also used non-comedically ([[Narm|or not]]) in ''[[The Happening]]''—the people affected by the {{spoiler|neurotoxin}} do this right before they {{spoiler|kill themselves}}.

* In ''[[Oliver and Company]]'', Einstein does this during a diversion by Dodger and his gang. He bumps into Jenny's limo and says, "Go on, Sparky! Find Bumper!"

* Dark Helmet from ''[[Spaceballs]]'' when he does this after the ship comes out of Ludicrous Speed, and Helmet - who was not restrained in any capacity - gets catapulted forward and smashes his giant helmet-covered head into a computer terminal, smashing it, his helmet, and his glasses. When asked for orders after he got up, he goes, "Well, why don't we take a five minute break? Smoke if you got 'em!" and collapses. It's actually a subversion, since what he was saying made ''perfect sense'', even after the head trauma.

** Later in the film, while Lone Star and company are lost on the desert planet, Barf gasps "Oh, waiter... [[Check, Please!]]!" before collapsing from exhaustion.

* ''[[A Kid in King Arthur's Court]]'':

{{quote|'''Calvin:''' "Sir Kane! How many fingers am I holding up?"

* Unusual variation in [[Laurel and Hardy]]'s ''[[Way Out West]]'', during the singing of "Trail of the Lonesome Pine": Stan shows off singing in a deep baritone, to Ollie's consternation. Ollie gets a mallet from behind the bar and konks Stan—who switches to a ''woman's soprano'', finishes off the song, then keels over.

** In [[Babes in Toyland]], the villain konks Stan over the head... Stan looks confused, turns to Ollie, and says "Did he hit me?" Ollie nods, and Stan collapses.

{{quote|'''Kirk:''' How many fingers am I holding up? (while making the Vulcan salute)

 

* Happens in a chapter of one of [[Tamora Pierce]]'s ''[[Tortall Universe|Protector of the Small]]'' books, appropriately titled 'Tilt Silly.' Kel received a massive blow while tilting and winds up giggling to her former, stern training master.

{{quote|'''Kel:''' I know, my lord. You wish I were a boy. But being a girl is more fun. More fun-er? Is that right?

'''Wyldon:''' Go lie down, Mindelan. You're tilt-silly. }}

** Different books have it being different things, but he always has a non-sequitur thud. She beats him up multiple times, and he usually has one each time.

* In the seventh book, ''[[Captain Underpants]]'' lands on his head. When Harold and George rush to his side to see if he's okay, he mutters "Mommy, my train went swimming in the piano."

* Tobias smacks into a window during a mission in one ''[[Animorphs]]'' book. The rest of the mission is interspersed with his random comments about ''[[Clue (game)|Clue]].''

* Late in the [[Discworld]] novel ''[[Discworld/Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]'', troll cop Detritus proceeds to blackmail another troll into helping them reassemble a golem by threatening to arrest him (or worse) on drug charges. Detritus knew this because he'd tasted the powder hidden in one of the statues and found it to be Slab: an infamous Troll drug. After said cooperation was assured, he asks another cop, "Did I just lick 'dis?" When told yes, he seemed relieved. "’D hate to believe dis room was really full of giant hairy spide... weeble weeble sclup..." ''Thud.''

 

* In one episode of ''[[Police Squad!]]'', "The Champ" gets knocked out during a boxing match, and when his manager asks him "How many fingers am I holding up?", The Champ answers "Thursday" and passes out.

* In ''[[Veronica Mars]]'', Sheriff Lamb murmurs "I smell bread" just before he passes out after a suspect has hit him with a baseball bat. This example gives the trope a more dramatic and poignant spin: {{spoiler|Lamb, a regular series antagonist, is lying in a pool of blood when he mutters the phrase, and later in the episode we find out he has died from his injuries.}}

{{quote|The brontosaurus is large and placid... and stupid!

Why is a mouse when it spins? }}

{{quote|I've got something to say... something I have to tell you... something important, what was it? No hold on, hold on, hold on... Oh! I know! Merry Christmas! *thud*}}

{{quote|Reverse the Jelly Baby of the Neutron Flow}}

* Lester in ''[[Beakman's World]]'', far to many times to count. Sometimes he even ''initiates'' the [[Amusing Injuries|amusing injury]] that leads to the thud. For example, hitting himself with a gavel, then yelling "Sustained!" ''Thud!''

* The android Kryten from ''[[Red Dwarf]]'' has suffered a couple of these. In "White Hole", after being used as a battering ram, he responds "I'm fine thank you, Susan" when Lister asks if he's all right. Later, in ''Quarantine'', he gets a fire-axe embedded in his back, causing him to spout gibberish and ram his head into a convenient pillar in order to fix it:

{{quote|'''Kryten:''' ''(gibberish)'' Two and one-half badgers, please -- ''(gibberish)'' ...No, that's all right, I'll eat them here. -- ''(gibberish, bangs his head on the pillar)'' ...Ah, that's better. Now I can '''''win self-determination for the South Maldivian people!!''' (additional spluttering and gibberish, bangs his head on the post again)''}}

** What really sells this is Mulder's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKciFkoykYA reaction].

{{quote|'''Mulder''': (indignantly) I. Did. Not.}}

* In one episode of ''[[WKRP in Cincinnati]]'', Andy Travis gets his by some flying debris and is knocked unconscious. The first thing he says to anyone when they bring him around is, "Has anyone seen my dog?" Andy doesn't have a dog.

 

* Pro Wrestler Ric Flair will often take a few steps and act completely normal, maybe even letting out a "Woooo!" before suddenly collapsing face first after receiving an especially strong hit. Known as the Flair Flop.

* Another funny example came from Perry Saturn. After being clocked in the head with a frying pan in a back-stage vignette, he screamed out, "YAHTZEE! You're welcome!" and went out cold.

** That was actually his gimmick for quite some time. He also began carrying a mop to the ring with him as his "valet", even choosing it over Terri Runnels.

 

* A recurring line when people are knocked out in the first ''[[Discworld]]'' video game is "Did anyone get the number of that donkey cart?" This actually plays into a puzzle, as later on in the game you {{spoiler|1=get a donkey arrested by giving a recently KOed assassin its registration.}}

* In the third ''[[Sly Cooper]]'' game, after Carmelita shoots Muggshot repeatedly with her [[Stun Gun]], he mumbles, "Mudda, is that you? I'm sorry... I didn't know they were yours.." before toppling unconscious.

{{quote|"It's like waking up...but in reverse."}}

 

* On ''[[Homestar Runner]]'', in the Strong Bad email "[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail101.html car]", after Strong Bad punches Homestar in the face with his "tricked-out fist", Homestar is [http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/car seen] half-conscious, babbling about pies and pie people.

** Hard to say for sure, but it may be a shout-out to ''[[Weebl and Bob]]''.

{{quote|Joel: "Who knew that near-death delirium [[Ear Worm|could be so catchy?"]]}}

 

* Haley sings "I'm Henry the 8th, I am, I am..." after receiving a stunning kick in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0200.html this] strip of ''[[The Order of the Stick]]''.

** In [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0186.html another strip,] V's Disintegrate spell isn't powerful enough to produce its [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|usual effect]] when cast on a dragon, at least the first time; instead it's stunned and singing "the wheels on the bus go round and round".

* In ''[[Looking for Group]]'', [http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/82 Richard] spouts the following after getting an axe in his head:

{{quote|'''Richard:''' Good was shot a that. Toast. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!}}

** Given a slight twist in another comic, where Fighter has a knife in his head. Black Mage flicks it one direction, and Fighter starts singing the theme song to the old ''[[Captain America (comics)]]'' cartoon. BM comments to Thief that if you move it the other way, he does the [[Spider-Man]] theme.

* In ''[[Ctrl+Alt+Del]]'', half of the strips featuring [[Cloudcuckoolander|Chef Brian]] feature this, and the other half is just plain deranged. Also includes a [http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20050604 literal] Non Sequitur Thud.

** Rather earlier, Claire gets one after saying [[I Need a Freaking Drink]] - and [http://www.bitemecomic.com/?p=456 drinking a stein of vampire blood.]

 

* ''[[Englishman]]'': After accidentally getting out of his car while it was doing 70 mph on a motorway, Englishman adds: "So I notice, Mr Prime Minister. On behalf of centipedes everywhere I graciously accept this award for services to government corruption" before falling over.

* From ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'': "Mommy? Daddy? Sasquatch? Why is the world all spinny and magnets?"

* In ''[[Comic Fury Werewolf]]'', Cyborg does this during Game 12 after surviving a Mercenary attack during the night. The resulting post is extremely amusing, as he acts as if he's BSoDing and rapidly fires off votes for all of his suspects, before loading up an emulation of a Yeti upon being given a "baby frog".

 

** And later - [groans] "I'm not well, Mum..."

** And then there was the time he got hit so hard, he spent the rest of the episode thinking he was "The Duchess".

** ''Stupor Duck'': Daffy (as a [[Superman]] [[Expy]]) thinks a mad bomber has just knocked a building down and puts it bck—not realizing it was slated for demolition.

{{quote|''(angry construction worker stomps up to Daffy)''

'''Sheen''': ''(Turns around looks up)'' Actually, I'm gonna have to go with Carl on this one.

''[[Subverted Trope|(Giant Chicken shaped Yolkian ship appears)]]'' }}

{{quote|Ed, after being hog-tied by Eddy in ''An Ed In The Bush'': It's a long ball, coach!}}

** In fact, many of Ed's lines are non sequiturs since he has the attention span of buttered toast, wandering off into his own thoughts and coming back to reality to say something off-the-wall.

** ''[[Ironic Echo|Uuuuuuunnnnncllllle]]''

* ''[[Total Drama World Tour]]'': "Why is the purple meatball playing the piano?"

** The latter gag becomes a bit of a stealth plug when you realize that Chip is voiced by NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, and the band's album ''Celebrity'' really was coming out on July 24 of that year.

{{quote|'''Jeff''': Hi, dad!

'''B''': I'll have the fried pickles. }}

'''Fowler:''' And beavers, and ducks, and walnuts, and grandma! *Thud* }}

 

* In medicine, doctors or EMTs will assess a patient's mental status by asking four questions: Who are you, where are you, what day is it, and what were you doing (as seen in the Advertising example above). If they answer all four questions appropriately, the patient is alert and oriented times four (A&Ox4). If they answer any of the questions inappropriately, then they have to start looking at reasons for the patient to have an altered mental status (head trauma, shock, blood sugar, drug intoxication, etc). In short, in real life [[Dude, Not Funny|this trope isn't funny at all]] as it implies that the victim may have ''brain damage''.

* Gangster Dutch Schultz was famously perforated many times by gunfire, especially in the kidneys. When he was laid up in the hospital and dying of his injuries, the cops stopped by to get a statement... and ended up getting what may be the ''strangest'' [[Famous Last Words]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20070607184913/http://www.feastofhateandfear.com/archives/dutch.html in history].