History Main / ThoughtTheyKnewAlready

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* In ''Anime/InazumaElevenAres'', before Inakuni Raimon's match against Tonegawa Tousen, Anna tried to talk to Nishikage about Nosaka's brain tumour, assuming Nosaka already told his friend about his ilness. Nishikage became angry that he wasn't told.
* ''Anime/SonicX'': Sonic falls into this during the Egg Moon saga when he goes about destroying Eggman's Sunshine Balls, which provide the populace with artificial sunlight while the actual sun is blocked. The sun is blocked by an unnatural solar eclipse allegedly caused by the partly mechanical moon - which was repaired using Eggman's machinery after half the moon was destroyed by recent events - malfunctioning and getting stuck between the earth and sun. Destroying the main remaining source of outdoor light with no explanation makes Sonic a HeroWithBadPublicity. It isn't until Knuckles and GUN attack him that he explains his reason for doing so: Sonic figured out that a malfunction '''couldn't'' cause a perpetual eclipse, since the natural movements of the earth and moon would still cause the moon to stop blocking the sun even if the moon's path was accidentally disrupted; this meant Eggman has been deliberately controlling the moon to keep blocking the sun in order to sell the Sunshine Balls as part of a get-rich-quick scheme and to make himself a VillainWithGoodPublicity. When Knuckles demands to know why he didn't just tell them all this ''before'' he started knocking the towers down, Sonic's response is that [[IdiotBall he thought it was obvious]]; in fairness, it ''was'' pretty simple physics, but it's also implied Sonic was [[ItAmusedMe enjoying toying with the military]].

[''cue both girls screaming in surprise'']

---> "What is it Mercury? Have you come to gloat about finding a way to [[spoiler:attack me through the Mantle]]?"\\

* While very different fics, both ''Fanfic/AvengerOfSteel'' and ''Fanfic/InfinityCrisis'' have a running theme in Thor (and other Asgardians) being under the mistaken impression Earth is aware of various cosmic/fantastic stuff (a long-ago war of dragons, the Infinity Stones, the existence of Atlantis and the Savage Land) and thus never feel the need to bring up what they assume is "common knowledge."

* In ''Fanfic/MaybeSproutWings'' Castiel mentions to Sam that Dean sold himself into slavery to save Sam, a fact which shocks Sam because he had never been told.

'''Sebastian:''' ''[inhales deeply]'' I mustn't overreact. I must remain calm. ''(slowly walks over to Triton's throne; squeaky voice)'' Yes? ''[clears throat]'' Uh, yes, Your Majesty?\\

'''Sebastian:''' ''[trembling]'' Ariel?\\

'''Sebastian:''' Humans? ''[[[OhCrapSmile chuckles nervously]]]'' Who said anything about humans?

* ThoughtTheyKnewAlready: Late in ''[[Literature/HolmesOnTheRange Hunters of the Dead]]'', Big Red reveals his suspicions that [[spoiler:Professor Durgin found the dinosaur skeleton during a previous dig where he was still working for someone else but hid his discovery until later, when he was an independent operator who could keep it for himself.]] Eskaminzim confirms this theory by commenting that his scouting of digs around the area made it obvious that [[spoiler:Durgin had marked the area on his previous dig]], but it was so obvious to him that he assumed everyone else knew.

* ''Literature/NewJediOrder:'' The Yuuzhan Vong are very taken aback when it turns out the Solo twins (and their mother and uncle) are in fact twins, because in their species twins are so astronomically rare the number of instances it's happened in their entire history can be counted on ''one hand''. Their agent in the senate never even bothered telling them this fact because she didn't think they needed to ''be'' told. It wasn't as if anyone was hiding it.

* ''Videogame/AlphaProtocol:'' [[BewareTheSillyOnes Steven Heck]] somewhat offhandedly mentions he knew [[spoiler:Scarlet]] was the assassin at Taipei after [[spoiler:he blows her in half with a shotgun blast during the final mission]]; when Mike asks for clarification, Heck just mentions he thought Mike knew it all along and was just letting it slide for a chance to bed her.

-->'''Scarlet:''' It's an octopus!
-->'''Tommy:''' (overlapping) [[ComicallyMissingThePoint It's an alien!]]
-->'''Stacy:''' It's dad! ''(Tommy and Scarlet stare at her)'' No one else knew?

* A minor RunningGag in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' is [[TheSmartGuy Tech]] being under the mistaken impression his fellow clones are as up to speed as he is on everything from Omega being a young clone to the behavioral chips affecting other Clone troopers. He soon realizes he has to clarify things better (which occasionally does turn into explaining things the team did, in fact, already know).

-->'''Peggy:''' How could you not tell me what was going on in my own side yard?!
-->'''Hank:''' I thought you knew! How could you ''not'' know? I mean, look at Joseph, where do you think he came from?
-->'''Peggy:''' Nancy told me Dale had a Jamaican grandmother.

'''KO:''' [[[SpitTake spits out cereal]]] ''[[BigWhat WHAT?!]]''\\

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' when the gang is visiting Fort Knox. The army personnel are being harassed by a local man who believes he's the rightful owner of the property, simply because his last name is Knox and he thinks that means it belongs to his family. When Scooby and Shaggy go to investigate him as the MonsterOfTheWeek, Shaggy takes his claim seriously and asks if the gold in Fort Knox belongs to him too. He is (somehow) ''shocked'' to learn that there's ''gold'' in ''Fort Knox.''
* In ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'', the Oracle tells the Queen the prophecy of Robotnik's rise and eventual fall thanks to her and her children. He then proceeds to use this knowledge as UnsportsmanlikeGloating against Robotnik, thus alerting him the threat's existence in the first place and motivating him to actively seeking them out.

->'''Knuckles''': Why didn't you explain [that Eggman was deliberately controlling the Egg Moon to block out the sun ''before'' you knocked down the towers?!\\

->'''Knuckles''': Why didn't you explain [that Eggman was deliberately controlling the Egg Moon to block out the sun] ''before'' you knocked down the towers?!\\

-->--''Anime/SonicX'', "[[Recap/SonicXS2E15EggmanForPresident Eggman for President]]"

* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' of the old Franchise/StarWarsLegends continuity, this is PlayedForDrama. Mara Jade, a Force-using ex-Imperial with an imprinted command from the Emperor that "[[{{Revenge}} YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER]]", is working with a group of Noghri, assassin aliens who remain with the Empire due to their loyalty to Darth Vader, and who are now happy to be serving the "Son of Vader." She’s also in an EnemyMine with Luke at the moment, unaware of the truth about his father. Mara ends up talking with one of the Noghri and idly questions when they’re expecting this Son of Vader guy to show up... only to get utterly floored when the alien, slightly confused, points out that Vader’s son is already traveling with them; the Noghri thought that Mara was actually working for Luke. Not helping matters is that the revelation puts [[AndYourLittleDogToo an entirely different spin]] on the Emperor's last command.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, [[PsychoSupporter Tyrian]] is surprised to discover that Emerald and Mercury genuinely had no idea what Salem's true endgame was, [[VillainHasAPoint remarking]] that it should have been obvious from the second they met her. [[spoiler:To wit, Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel all believed Salem merely planned to conquer Remnant, only for Ozpin to clarify, and Tyrian to confirm, that [[OmnicidalManiac she actually plans to destroy it outright]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo and Wanda have a baby in "Fairly [=OddBaby=]". Fairy babies are supremely powerful to the point where having new babies was banned (or at least it should -- Jorgen forgot to officially add it to the rulebook), so the fairies are understandably concerned when [[MisterSeahorse the currently pregnant Cosmo]] goes missing. They barge into both the Anti-Fairy World and Pixie World accusing them of kidnapping the baby, however it turned out neither of their suspects even knew that the fairies had a new baby.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo and Wanda have a baby in "Fairly [=OddBaby=]". Fairy babies are supremely powerful to the point where having new babies was banned (or at least it should -- Jorgen forgot to officially add it to the rulebook), so the fairies are understandably concerned when the baby goes missing. They barge into both the Anti-Fairy World and Pixie World accusing them of kidnapping the baby, however it turned out neither of their suspects even knew that the fairies had a new baby.

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': It's an extremely obvious OpenSecret that Nancy Gribble is [[{{Cuckold}} cheating on her husband Dale]] with John Redcorn, which led to the birth of [[ChocolateBaby Joseph]]. As it turns out, [[KnowNothingKnowItAll Peggy]] legitimately didn't know about this until over a decade after Joseph was born, and only after Hank all but flat-out told her when he realized her obliviousness to the fact. When Peggy demands to know why Hank never said anything about it before, he admits that he thought she knew already, since ''everyone'' who knows the Gribble family is aware of it (except, ironically, for Dale and Joseph themselves.

* ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'': During Suzuno's introduction, Emi is left confused over her ignorance of modern technology and questions where she came from. Suzuno bluntly responds she's from Ente Isla, and is taken aback that Emi didn't already know.
-->'''Emi''': Okay... just to clarify, you're saying you're from Ente Isla?
-->'''Suzuno''': Yes, of course I am. Did you not know?
-->[''cue both girls screaming in surprise'']

** A similar situation happened in the HalloweenEpisode that Roz spent most of waiting to hear back from her doctor about whether she was pregnant or not, and was trying to keep the possibility she was pregnant a secret. She told Daphne she had had an "accident" and was waiting to get a call about what the "damage" was, and Daphne assumes she means a car accident. After Roz walks off, Daphne starts talking to Frasier and mentions that Roz's "accident" has gotten her pretty worked up. After a brief TwoDialoguesOneConversation, Frasier flat out says they won't know for sure until the pregnancy test comes back, much to Daphne's surprise.

* The ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' ChristmasEpisode from Roz's pregnancy has the title character answer Roz's cell phone while she's in the toilet. It turns out to be Roz's mother and Frasier tells her a few things including that Roz is having some issues with her pregnancy. After Frasier hangs up, Roz returns and he tells her about the phone call. She tells him she hasn't told her mother about her pregnancy yet and can't wait to tell her.

** Ludwig von Drake's reaction to everyone's shock at the bombshell [[spoiler:that Webby is Scrooge's OppositeSexClone.]]
-->'''Ludwig:''' You fellas all knew that, right? You did? [beat] Ohhhhh, you didn't. I'm gonna give you a moment to adjust everything. [somehow pulls out a harmonica and starts playing it despite being tied up]

* ''VideoGame/{{Octodad}}'': In the last level of ''Dadliest Catch'', Stacy is the only person to recognize Octodad without his trademark [[PaperThinDisguise blue suit,]] and she inadvertently reveals his secret to Scarlet and Tommy.

* In the ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' episode "Fallacy," Stabler says to the suspect's boyfriend it's okay what his sexuality is and he doesn't get what he's telling him until he gets the UnsettlingGenderReveal that his girlfriend is a transgender woman.

# A similar version to the above is when Alice {{invoke|d trope}}s this trope and accuses Bob of something...literally, as in she's being vague and making it seem like she knew the whole story already (eg. "I know what you did!"), so Bob assumes she does and asks, usually something like "How did you know I stole a cookie from the cookie jar?"

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': It's an extremely obvious OpenSecret that Nancy Gribble is [[{{Cuckold}} cheating on her husband Dale]] with John Redcorn, which led to the birth of [[ChocolateBaby Joseph]]. As it turns out, [[KnowNothingKnowItAll Peggy]] legitimately didn't know about this until over a decade after Joseph was born, and only after Hank all but flat-out told her when he realized her obliviousness to the fact. When Peggy demands to know why Hank never said anything about it before, he admits that he thought she knew already, since ''everyone'' who knows the Gribble family is aware of it (except, ironically, for Dale and Joseph themselves).

* ''Anime/SonicX'': Sonic falls into this during the Egg Moon saga when he goes about destroying Eggman's Sunshine Balls, which he's using to provide the populace with artificial sunlight after his Egg Moon supposedly malfunctioned and created a permanent eclipse, and ends up making himself a HeroWithBadPublicity in the process. It isn't until Knuckles and GUN attack him that he explains his reason for doing so: the Earth ''and'' Moon are constantly in orbit, and if it had malfunctioned and stopped it would not remain stationary to the planet's sunlight as a result; Eggman has been deliberately controlling the Egg Moon to keep blocking the sun in order to sell the Sunshine Balls as part of a get-rich-quick scheme and to make himself a VillainWithGoodPublicity. When Knuckles demands to know why he didn't just tell them all this ''before'' he started knocking the towers down, Sonic's response is that [[IdiotBall he thought it was obvious]]; in fairness, it ''was'' pretty simple physics, but it's also implied Sonic was [[ItAmusedMe enjoying toying with the military]].

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': KO has no idea who his father is until the beginning of the episode "Big Reveal", when he asks his mother about it over breakfast. She casually answers and is confused by his instantaneous shocked reaction; she thought she had already told him, but was mis-remembering.

** Djinn, the rightful owner of a lamp Scrooge found on an adventure years ago, comes looking for it. Scrooge had considered the lamp worthless and lost track of it, but because desperately wants it back (to the point of implicitly threatening violence), Scrooge and Webby keep him busy while the triplets find the lamp. When they track it to Ma Beagle's junkyard, Scrooge plans on sneaking in to retrieve it. Djinn is out of patience and storms the junkyard, demanding Ma Beagle return what she has stolen, the Lamp of the First Genie. Ma Beagle didn't know there was a genie lamp there, didn't steal anything [[NotMeThisTime this time]], and is the legal owner of the property, meaning anything that winds up there with the trash is hers.
** Ludwig von Drake's reaction to everyone's shock at the bombshell [[spoiler: that Webby is Scrooge's OppositeSexClone.]]

-->'''KO:'''So... who's my dad?\\

-->'''KO:'''So... who's my dad?//
'''Carol:''' [[spoiler:Laserblast]].//
'''KO:''' [[[SpitTake spits out cereal]]] ''[[BigWhat WHAT?!]]''
'''Carol:''' I've told you this already!//
'''KO:''' ''No'', you ''did not!''//

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': King Triton figures that Ariel is in love and calls Sebastian to discuss the matter. Sebastian thinks he knows that she is in love with a human, and is pressured by the King's suspicious questions so much that he cracks and blurts it out, and Triton is suddenly furious. And Sebastian realizes too late that Triton didn't know that part.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Justin [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2003-12-19 asks]] if the reason why he is excluded from the group going to save Elliot is because he is gay not knowing Sarah and Tedd didn't know he is gay and therefore accidentally outing himself to them.

* ''Film/TheHitmansBodyguard'': Kincaid sniped Kurosawa at the start of the film as an unexpected bonus while on a different job entirely. He genuinely thought Bryce knew he was the man responsible, rather than blaming it on his girlfriend.

* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' of the old Franchise/StarWarsLegends continuity, this is PlayedForDrama. Mara Jade, a Force-using ex-Imperial with an imprinted command from the Emperor that "[[{{Revenge}} YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER]]," has fallen in with a group of Noghri, assassin aliens who remain with the Empire due to their loyalty to Darth Vader, and who are now happy to be serving the "Son of Vader." Mara has no idea, until one of them tells her, who that Son of Vader is... and when she finds out, it puts [[AndYourLittleDogToo an entirely different spin]] on the Emperor's last command.

* On the ''Series/{{Friends}}'' episode "[[Recap/FriendsS10E2TheOneWhereRossIsFine The One Where Ross Is Fine]]", Chandler and Monica are visiting a couple with an adopted child. Chandler mentions the adoption to the child, Owen, who didn't know he was adopted. Later, Chandler makes a joke to Phoebe about telling Frank Jr's triplets that Phoebe carried them...and notices the triplets are sitting within earshot. He then declares there's nothing left to do but go tell his one year-old niece that [[SurprisePregnancy she was an accident]].

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, [[PsychoSupporter Tyrian]] is surprised to discover that Emerald and Mercury genuinely had no idea what Salem's true endgame was, [[VillainHasAPoint remarking]] that it should have been obvious from the second they met her. [[spoiler:To wit, Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel all believed Salem merely planned to conquer Remnant, only for Ozpin to clarify, and Tyrian to confirm, that she actually plans to destroy it outright.]]

* A running theme in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' is Tech being under the mistaken impression his fellow clones are as up to speed as he is on everything from Omega being a young clone to the behavioral chips affecting other Clone troops. He soon realizes he has to clarify this (which occasionally does turn into explaining things the team did, in fact, already know).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': King Triton figures that Ariel is in love and calls Sebastian to discuss the matter. Sebastian thinks he knows that she is in love with a human, and is pressured so much by the King's suspicious questions that he cracks and blurts it out, making Triton is suddenly furious, and Sebastian realizes too late that Triton didn't know that part.