History Main / TrickDialogue

* In ''Webcomic/GoblinHollow'', Penny is on the phone, talking about how her sister is settling in, and slowly mounting to a screaming rage that her mother had not told her [[spoiler:that her sister's best friend had committed suicide, which would explain her problems]]. Last panel shows a goblin asking whether she'll actually dial this time, and Penny saying she thinks she needs another dry run.

* The first episode of ''Clerks: The Animated Series'' used this type of gag; A manhole cover is lifted partially open from the inside, and we hear Dante and Randall speak to one another while two sets of eyes are shown peeking out. Cue Dante and Randall walking past from offscreen.

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* Lois on ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' appears to be giving her boys a heartfelt speech about how she just wants to know who set the dress on fire, sounding as desperate and kind as she can. The camera cuts back to show her talking to a mirror and then saying, "Nah, they'll never buy it."

* In season 2 of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'', politician-slash-beloved-terrorist Zarek talks in front of a mirror about the upcoming election in typical public speaking style. Then he turns, elaborating that he wants to run against the incumbent on a ticket with... current Vice-President Gaius Baltar.

* In the ''RockosModernLife'' episode "A Sucker for the Suck-O-Matic", Rocko appears to be getting fed up with his slacker friend Heffer ("You're useless, and pathetic! Like... [[BuffySpeak a useless and pathetic thing!]]") and is preparing to beat him to death, but he's really just frustrated that his old vacuum cleaner has broken down again.
* In the ''KimPossible'' episode "Emotion Sickness", a montage of Ron expressing his thoughts and concerns about Kim's sudden ([[EmotionBomb Moodulator-induced]]) romantic interest in him ends in the reveal that he's talking to [[DrillSergeantNasty Mr. Barkin]], who demands to know, "Stoppable, how did you get in my house?"
* In the episode Candace Disconnected on ''PhineasAndFerb'', Candace appares to be talking to her best friend Stacy on the phone (complete with mentioning her name and having an actual conversation), only for her head to turn and reveal to the audience that... she was talking into her own hand all along.

* Sara Sidle of ''{{CSI}}'' has done this at least twice.

* At the end of the {{Firefly}} comic ''Those Left Behind'', [[spoiler: Mal misses his chance to explain his feelings to Inara as she's leaving, and ends up saying everything he meant to say to the empty galley that night.]]

* ''DominicDeegan'' used both kinds in one strip. Dominic's defensive justifications for his actions are revealed to have been aimed at his cat Spark instead of his girlfriend Luna. (Actually, the cat understood, but he just didn't care.) Also, Nimmel's RousingSpeech to himself in a mirror is revealed to have been overheard by Luna.

* A confession of love somewhere in ''{{Narbonic}}''.

* One of the last [[http://queenofwands.net/d/20061125.html comics]] of Webcomic/QueenOfWands combined this with NotSoDire (and instead of the CloseupOnHead Shot, used shadows) to give Aeire's readers' chains just one more little yank.
* In ''SluggyFreelance'', Bun-bun is once shown lying on a couch talking about his thoughts and problems as if to a therapist, even though he's the last person you'd ever expect to do that. It's then revealed that he ''was'' talking to someone, because he needed someone to talk to to clear his thoughts - but that someone is [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Kiki]], who immediately forgets everything he said when he shows her some shiny new car keys to play with. Bun-bun has also had his ears plugged to block out Kiki's incessant hyperactive chatter in response to what he's been saying.

* In ''GoblinHollow'', Penny is on the phone, talking about how her sister is settling in, and slowly mounting to a screaming rage that her mother had not told her [[spoiler:that her sister's best friend had committed suicide, which would explain her problems]]. Last panel shows a goblin asking whether she'll actually dial this time, and Penny saying she thinks she needs another dry run.
* Used to great effect in ''[[Webcomic/EvilPlan Evil Plan]]'' where Alice heard Stan speaking with his former partner Will on video call. [[spoiler: Turns out that Will is long dead and his personality is loaded onto The Computer, Stan likes to talk to a digitized recreation of his former friend when he is feeling down. Suffice to say the misunderstanding causes Alice problems when she eventually finds out Will was killed by Stan years ago.]]

* In ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' [[spoiler: Naveen is talking to Evangeline about how he's having trouble confessing his love to Tiana. "Why can't I just go up to her and say...'I will do whatever it takes to make all your dreams come true because...because I love you.'?" Ray overhears, but only the later part, and you can imagine this does not go well.]]

** Reversed at the beginning of ''Film/TheWorld'sEnd'', Gary King appears to be narrating his flashback to the audience, but it turns out to be a confession at an AA meeting.

* Near the beginning of ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', Shaun and Liz have a frank discussion about Shaun's unbearable roommate, who, as it turns out, is cheerfully standing within earshot. They go on to discuss Liz's friends, who are then revealed to be sitting right next to them. ("No offense!").
* Done in reverse at the end of ''Film/HotFuzz'': [[spoiler: It seems that Nick is talking to Danny's grave (the last scene had [[StuffBlowingUp the police office blow up]]) but he's actually talking to Danny's mother's grave, with Danny right behind him. Or maybe it's the other way around, it's been a while...]]

* ''[[AceAttorney Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney]]'' has a very odd example of this, where two characters are shown facing each other and dialogue shows up in the text box. Because of what has gone on earlier in the game, it seems as though the speaker is one person, when it's actually the other. Although if you think about it, the facts don't quite match up, so it's possible to guess the identity of the real speaker.

* The Meet the Soldier video for ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has the eponymous soldier lecturing a platoon on his hilariously inept understanding of military history ("'If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!' SunTzu said that, and I'd say he knows a ''little'' more about fighting than you do, pal, because he invented it!"). The camera switches views at the end, revealing the "soldiers" to be a row of severed RED Team heads on a fence.

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', Frasier begins talking to someone about his feelings about Niles and Marris's divorce. As he's talking, that person walks away, so Frasier ends up talking to himself. By the end of his now monologue, he asks if the other person understands. That person has only that instant come back and gives an offhand 'Yeah' not having heard a word of Frasier's anguished speech. It happens once with his father in their apartment. He comes back after having gone to get a paper. It happens a second time in the coffee shop where Ros leaves him to talk to some friends, then comes back to his table.

--> [Neddy] "Eccles get out!"
--> [Eccles] "Fine! Fine!"

--> [Eccles]] "They can kick me out, see if I care... see if I care. I don't care, nope, don't care at all..."
--> [Neddy] "Eccles will you stop muttering and get out!!!"

* sound of door opening and closing*

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* Carter's rant about reproductive organs in the ''StargateSG1'' episode "Moebius, Part I". She's making a rant that includes a line from the pilot of the show, and afterwards it's revealed that she's rehearsing something she'd like to say to her boss, but never works up the nerve. This was used partly to differentiate this version of Samantha Carter with the previous one, who had no problem uttering the same line during a briefing in the series' first episode, and partly as an in-joke, because that line was pretty well-recognized as a clunker.

* In ''BobTheBuilder and the Knights of Can-A-Lot'', Bob's dad has bilthely assumed that he's in charge of the team fixing up a castle, and Bob is trying to find a tactful way of saying no, he isn't and things would run a lot smoother if he'd let Bob get on with things. The first time he brings it up, by the time he gets to the point, he turns round to see his dad's fallen asleep. A later scene opens with him just explaining things straight out, and then pulls back to reveal he's talking to a rabbit. He then asks if it's too mean, and the rabbit nods.

* Carter's rant about reproductive organs in the ''StargateSG1'' episode "Moebius, Part I". This was used partly to differentiate this version of Samantha Carter with the previous one, who had no problem uttering the same line during a briefing in the series' first episode, and partly as an in-joke.

* In ''SluggyFreelance'', Bun-bun is once shown lying on a couch talking about his thoughts and problems as if to a therapist, even though he's the last person you'd ever expect to do that. It's then revealed that he ''was'' talking to someone, because he needed someone to talk to to clear his thoughts - but that someone is [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny Kiki]], who immediately forgets everything he said when he shows her some shiny new car keys to play with. Bun-bun has also had his ears plucked to block out Kiki's incessant hyperactive chatter in response to what he's been saying.

* [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0402.html This strip]] of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. Used again, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0527.html more recently]], and rather heartbreakingly.
** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0496.html This strip]] is a bit of a subversion since Roy is actually talking to the person he means to address, but it still fits since [[spoiler:the person he's talking to is too young mentally to understand what he's saying.]] Also the first major TearJerker in the series. Hoo-boy.