History Main / OneSceneTwoMonologues

[[folder:Real Life]]
* You've probably come across this situation at least once: you had an interesting experience, met up with a friend/relative/significant other, began talking to them about how awesome/bizarre your anecdote was, and they interrupted you just to remark a random thing about the TV show they were watching in the meantime. You probably quickly replied with a monosyllable and carried on with your exposition, while the other person kept making remarks every now and then, or continued talking about the initial remark whenever you finished a sentence.
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* Every conversation Hiccup has with his father in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', frequently lampshaded by one or both complaining that the other never listens to anything.

# One character will have a DelayedReaction to what was said by the other, resulting in a EurekaMoment
# The conversations comically mesh together and turn into a proper discussion
# One or more of the characters will [[PlaceboEurekaMoment have an epiphany and thank their colleague even though their conversations never actually come together.]]

* In one of the ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' [=OVAs=], Naga gets into an extended argument with the main villain. He has kidnapped Lina for use in a super-chimera and thinks Naga is there to rescue her, Naga is convinced that the villain and Lina are going behind her back just to cheat her out of some profit. The "conversation" goes absolutely nowhere, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by one of the spectators wondering to another "You get the feeling they're not actually listening to each other?"
* In the manga ''High School Debut'' Haruna doesn't realize that they area having two different conversation and Asoka hangs a lampshade on this saying, "Even though we are speaking of different things unexpectedly, we get along quite well."

* Creator/NeilGaiman does this all the time in ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', pointing out its use in his commentary for the "A Midsummer's Night Dream" story, and claims it's practically one of his signature techniques.

* Musicals do this a lot. One particular example comes from ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' in which Javert and Jean Valjean talk past each other without really listening.
** Actually, Javert seems to be listening to Valjean. A full stanza after Valjean says, "You know nothing of my life/All I did was steal some bread," Javert replies with, "Don't you speak to me of crime and the price you had to pay." Valjean, however, is playing the trope straight.
*** Also parodied heavily here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__d2FMCtgi4

* ''Titanic'' had "The Proposal/The Night Was Alive", though one hopes Bride was listening enough to Barrett's dictation to be able to send the telegraph.

* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' has [[http://www.xkcd.com/234/ this]] example with Houdini and spaces and... NeverMind.

* This is a RunningGag of sorts in ''{{Narbonic}}'', with two characters (usually [[MadScientist Helen]] and [[ButtMonkey Dave]]) chatting about vagaries of the plot without their trains of thought so much as stopping at the same station. Once [[TokenGoodTeammate Artie]] entered the picture, he was regularly a third monologue in the mix.

%%* In ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'', it happens between Australia and New Zealand in the ''Manga/HetaliaHetaween2013'' event.

** ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this by having Vetinari going specifically to talk to Leonard da Quirm to do this.
** He uses it a lot; the three people (well, two people and a talking dog) [[DrowningMySorrows Drowning Their Sorrows]] in ''Discworld/MovingPictures'' also do it, and some of Magrat and Verence's awkward conversations come close as well.
** The cultists' meetings in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'' use this every single time they talk, usually of the "random 3rd person keeps ranting while everyone else moves on" variety.

'''Prof''': Sometimes a man doesn't have it defined but, under Socratic inquiry, knows where he stands and why.

* In ''Literature/TheDragonHoard'', the attempt by Jasleth and Fearless to discuss how to deal with the hoard's guardian dragon turns into this, culminating in them both saying "We can't" but meaning two completely different things by it. (At which point they realize what they've been doing.)

%%* Seems to be a favourite of Creator/DavidSimon; it happened frequently on ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/TheWire''.

* Seems to be a favourite of Creator/DavidSimon; it happened frequently on ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'' and ''Series/TheWire''.

* Happens several times in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', done three-way at least once.

* Happens often on ''Series/JustShootMe'' between Nina and some other character (usually Maya). Self-absorbed Nina often doesn't realize there is someone else talking next to her.

* ''Series/TheTwoRonnies'' has a sketch in which two men making separate phone calls appear to be having a surreally humorous conversation. Specifically, Gerald (Ronnie Barker) is asking his friend Simon about his date last night, while Walter (Ronnie Corbett) is checking a shopping list with his wife. The scene is one DoubleEntendre after another until we find out that Simon's date works at the supermarket they're both talking at, and is having an affair with Walter.
* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' has this in one episode, with Derek and Meredith. What Derek was talking about I can't remember, but Meredith was talking about how she didn't understand how two people (Burke and Yang) could be in a relationship and not talk to each other.
* Popular in the middle seasons of ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine'', although that was often One Scene ''Three'' Monologues.
* Every single time Wilson tries to make the eponymous ''Series/{{House}}'' behave ethically, this is the result.

* ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' has a sketch parodying religious television. It's pretty well summed up by this exchange:
-->'''[[Creator/StephenFry Arnold]]''': Glen is having a little difficulty concentrating on our Bible study readings because he has something of an obsession with the size of my girlfriend's breasts.\\
'''[[Creator/HughLaurie Glen]]''': Well, I like to put it this way: Arnold is having difficulty concentrating on our discussion of the size of his girlfriend's breasts because he's a little too interested in Literature/TheBible.
* Justified in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency," where Leonard, Howard and Raj eat a couple of cookies given to them by elderly campers, unaware that they were laced with some kind of drug. A MushroomSamba ensues, and at one point they have a three-way version of this trope - where Leonard is talking about how he hates his name, Raj daydreams about ruling over all the rabbits in the world, and Howard discusses [[KissingCousins losing his virginity to his cousin at a wedding]]. However, it is also [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in that Leonard and Raj mock Howard for the latter when they've sobered up (if only slightly) at the end.
* Happens in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' when the titular character is ranting about his famous deerstalker hat while John is busy fuming over the newspapers referring to him as a bachelor.

* ''Series/{{Weeds}}'' episode "The Love Circle Overlap" makes use of this trope, in the scene near the end of the episode with Nancy and Andy monologuing back and forth about their failures.

* A ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode has Col. Blake, who's worrying that his wife back home has been unfaithful, going to talk to Father Mulcahy. But the good padre is himself preoccupied worrying about his sister, a nun, who's considering leaving the sisterhood so she can marry and have children. A "conversation" of this type ensues.

-->'''Ed:''' --from popping eyeballs and swelling brains!

-->'''Edd:''' The operation I saw involved remarkable new brain extraction techniques...\\
'''Ed:''' By hideous mutants with huge drooling mouths.\\
'''Edd:''' So precautions had to be taken, to prevent contamination...\\
'''Ed:''' From popping eyeballs and swelling veins!\\
'''Edd:''' The incision was made here, to relieve the tremendous pressure...\\
'''Ed:''' But it was too late, his head exploded!

* You've probably come across this situation at least once: you had an interesting experience, met up with a friend/relative/signigicant other, began talking to them about how awesome/bizarre your anecdote was, and they interrupted you just to remark a random thing about the TV show they were watching in the meantime. You probably quickly replied with a monosyllable and carried on with your exposition, while the other person kept making remarks every now and then, or continued talking about the initial remark whenever you finished a sentence.

* ''YellowSubmarine'': Ringo's soliloquy when we first see him alternates between spoken out loud and thought.

* In ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'', Unity often maintains her own stream-of-consciousness, regardless of what everyone else is talking about. Lampshaded [[http://skin-horse.com/comic/todays-comic-1006/ here]].

This is a RunningGag of sorts in ''{{Narbonic}}'', with two characters (usually [[MadScientist Helen]] and [[ButtMonkey Dave]]) chatting about vagaries of the plot without their trains of thought so much as stopping at the same station. Once [[TokenGoodTeammate Artie]] entered the picture, he was regularly a third monologue in the mix.

* From ''{{Spacetrawler}}'', [[http://spacetrawler.com/2010/11/02/spacetrawler-90/ this scene]]: Pierrot is pissed about getting locked in a duct and won't talk about anything else, while Emily calmly lists off the food she brought for him. Then she ends the conversation by giving Pierrot a ShutUpKiss.

-->'''Ringo:''' Woe...is...me. (''chuckles softly'') Liverpool can be a lonely place on a Saturday night. But this is only Thursday morning. (''thought'') Compared with my life, Eleanor Rigby's was a gay mad whirl. (''aloud'') Nothing ever happens to me. (''thought'') I feel like an old splintered drumstick. {''aloud'') I'd jump into the river Mersey, but it looks like rain. Nothing ever happens to me.