History Main / NarrativeBackpedaling

A common calling card of the UnreliableNarrator. Can overlap with AllJustADream, but that trope does not fully include this one. Compare DaydreamSurprise and OnceMoreWithClarity. If one of the listeners forces this you could be entering DerailedFairyTale territory. Often a variety of FlashbackTwist.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode "An Indirect Kiss", when Steven is telling the story of healing Amethyst's cracked gem to Connie in {{flashback}} form and learns he doesn't have his Gem mother's healing tears:
-->'''Pearl:''' Oh, Steven. You don't have healing tears. You'll never have any ''real'' magic powers, and we don't want anything more to do with you.
-->'''Connie (in the present):''' She didn't really say that.
-->'''Steven:''' No, but that's what it felt like.

'''''Note:''''' This is a SpoileredRotten trope, which means that '''EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE''' on this list is a spoiler by default and most of them will be unmarked. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned This is your last warning]], only proceed if you really believe you can handle this list.

* At one point in the third ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' book, ''[[LongTitle The Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)]]'', the author tells about the three main characters falling to their death from a UFO after an attempted escape. The first sentence on the next page? "Just kidding."

'''''Note:''''' This is a SpoileredRotten trope, that means that '''EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE''' on this list is a spoiler by default and most of them will be unmarked. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned This is your last warning]], only proceed if you really believe you can handle this list.

[[folder:Film]]

* At one point in the third ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' book, ''[[LongTitle The Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)]]'', the author tells about [[spoiler:the three main characters falling to their death from a UFO after an attempted escape]]. The first sentence on the next page? "Just kidding."

** Future Ted also messes up a story about his 30th birthday. It's near the end of the series and as he messes the story up he keeps correcting himself. He (finally) remembers, says 'Oh, wait, ''this'' is what actually happened' - then remembers it's the ''wrong story'', actually happening ''a year later'' and another at an unrevealed time in the future (but Future Ted's past). Not only does this remind the viewer that, hey, it was twenty years ago - Ted's memory's not perfect - but it also makes them want to keep watching [[spoiler:(what's with the goat? and when will Lily be pregnant?)]] as they've only been shown some random stuff and want to know ''that'' story.

* A variant can occur in ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge''. The majority of the game uses a HowWeGotHere framing device, with Guybrush explaining everything to Elaine; if the player lets Guybrush [[spoiler:die during the acid pit sequence]], Elaine calls him out on the obvious contradiction, and Guybrush is forced to backtrack and explain how it ''really'' went.

* Getting killed by the ghost in ''VideoGame/ShoujoKidan'' will prompt the protagonist, who is recounting the events of the game to an unseen character, to claim that everything she said is a lie and leave. [[spoiler:The implication given TheReveal is that, should the ghost/Kanako catch up to Minako, the former rewrites the memories of the latter entirely.]]

* Introduced retroactively after the first bad ending of ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}''. [[spoiler:After the title character quits, leaving the protagonist to go back with Bethany,]] a note appears in the game, saying that that’s not what really happened. Then, the game cuts to the scene directly after the “correct” scene, in which Melody rips into Bethany for her abusiveness and kisses the protagonist (on her romantic path) right in front of her.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', stand-in narrator [[spoiler:Doc Scratch]], after telling of [[spoiler:Jack Noir finding and slaying all the trolls in one fell swoop]], explains: "[[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/scratch.php?s=6&p=005736 What sort of story would this be]], with [[spoiler:our Knight and Seer made to stay cadavers]]? Certainly not one the alpha timeline would allow. And not one she'd allow either." This reveals that the events he'd just told the reader were actually an alternate timeline that Terezi foresaw and averted.

** In "Lost Our Lisa", Lenny and Carl are horrified that Homer let Lisa take a bus alone, but Homer assures them that Lisa's smart enough to handle it, and proceeds to tell a story about her brain being used to power a supercomputer. Carl [[LampshadeHanging says]] "that never, uh, happened, did it Homer?" Homer says, "[[BlatantLies Yes]], but now I have to leave on a totally unrelated matter."

** In "Lost Our Lisa", Lenny and Carl learn that Homer let Lisa take a bus alone, but Homer assures them that Lisa's smart enough to handle it, and proceeds to tell a story about her brain being used to power a supercomputer. Carl [[LampshadeHanging says]] "that never, uh, happened, did it Homer?" Homer says, "[[BlatantLies Yes]], but now I have to leave on a totally unrelated matter."

** After a story about Lisa's brain being used to power a supercomputer, Carl [[LampshadeHanging says]] "that never, uh, happened, did it Homer?" Homer says, "[[BlatantLies Yes]], but now I have to leave on a totally unrelated matter."

** In another episode Homer is telling a flashback story of when Maggie was born; when Homer finds out that Marge is pregnant his head explodes. We then find out that Bart had been narrating that part.
--->'''Homer''': Oh, you're pregnant! That means we're gonna have to have a baby. All our financial plans are ruined! We're doomed! Doomed, I tells ya!\\
''[He lets out a scream as his head swells like a balloon and then pops. Cut to the present]''\\
'''Marge Simpson''': Bart, let your father tell the story!\\
'''Homer''': Yeah!\\
'''Bart''': Okay, but I know funny.\\
''[The flashback continues for a moment with Homer headless; after Marge reminds him that he had a head, his head pops back up.]''
** Later in the same episode Homer tells of an idea he had to make more people come to the bowling alley - shoot a rifle in the air while shouting "Bowling here!"
--->'''Lisa''': ''[in the present]'' Mom, make Dad tell the story right!\\
'''Marge''': [[SubvertedTrope That's what really happened.]]

* Verbal Kint in ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'' keeps backpedaling and changing his narrative at Kujan's prompting. The end of the film reveals the whole story was probably made up on the fly, but [[AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame you knew that already, right]]?

--> Carter: Well, that never happened!

--> Martin: And ''that'' is the end of Act Two!

*

* ''Literature/{{Redshirts}}'' ends with the narrator declaring that with they all lived happily ever after...for six months, until the ship was destroyed by an asteroid and everyone on board died. The very short next chapter says "Just kidding, they're fine."

* ''Literature/{{Redshirts}}'' ends with the narrator declaring that the ship was destroyed killing everyone on board. The very last chapter is the narrator declaring that this was a joke and the characters were all fine.

** ''200'' manages to pull the same trick again even after if becomes clear that the episode is a framing story for flights of fancy and ''what if'' scenarios. In what appears to be the 'real' world of the framing story, the Stargate overloads leading to massive damage and the evacuation of the base. And then Cheyenne Mountain explodes. Cut to conference room.

'''''Note:''''' This is a SpoileredRotten trope, that means that '''EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE''' on this list is a spoiler by default and most of them will be unmarked. [[YouHaveBeenWarned This is your last warning]], only proceed if you really believe you can handle this list.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode "An Indirect Kiss", when Steven is telling the story of healing Amethyst's cracked gem to Connie in {{flashback}} form and learns he doesn't have healing tears: