History Main / WhatWereYouThinking

--->'''Trivette:''' Hey! Superman called and he wants his cape back! What the hell were you thinking to jump and grab that skid?!\\

-->'''Trivette:''' Hey! Superman called and he wants his cape back! What the hell were you thinking to jump and grab that skid?!\\

** At the beginning of Season 6's "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS6E24TestOfFaith Test of Faith]]" while Walker and Trivette are pursuing a trio of bank robbers, their chase ends at an abandoned building, where the robbers have an accomplice in a helicopter waiting for them. After the two Rangers kill the other two robbers, their leader gets away, but Walker [[HangingByTheFingers grabs hold of the copter's skid for a short time]], and is able to force the robbers to land their chopper so they can be arrested. After the fact, it leads to this exchange between the two Rangers:

** At the beginning of Season 6's "Test of Faith" while Walker and Trivette are pursuing a trio of bank robbers, their chase ends at an abandoned building, where the robbers have an accomplice in a helicopter waiting for them. After the two Rangers kill the other two robbers, their leader gets away, but Walker [[HangingByTheFingers grabs hold of the copter's skid for a short time]], and is able to force the robbers to land their chopper so they can be arrested. After the fact, it leads to this exchange between the two Rangers:

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'': Spoken verbatim by Freya when everyone learns Atreus [[spoiler:freed Garm, a wolf that can chew through the fabric of reality.]]

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'': [[spoiler:Spoken verbatim by Freya when everyone learns Atreus freed Garm, a wolf that can chew through the fabric of reality.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Brink}}'': Used word-for-word by Brother Chen at the end of "Critical Reaction" when he discovers a rogue splinter of the Resistance destroyed the Ark's nuclear reactor, especially since he said he merely intended to threaten to do so and not ''actually'' follow through on it.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' episode "Jimmy", Robert Hawkins says this to Jimmy's father when he calls him out for having a gun where his son could easily get to it.

* Spoofed in the ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode "Cry Ed", where, after Ed drops a ''house'' on Eddy in response to Eddy's scheme to get himself injured and gain sympathy, the following exchange occurs:

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* In the first story of the ''FanFic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', Danny says this to Sam after he learned she duplicated his accident to get herself ghost powers. However, Sam counters that it was her choice to make.
* In ''Fanfic/FrozenHearts'', [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa asks this of Anna]] after she [[spoiler:introduces her to a disguised, albeit repentant, Hans]], and gets upset enough to temporarily [[PowerIncontinence lose control]] of [[AnIcePerson her powers]].
* In an [[http://imagineeridan.tumblr.com/post/77899645353/imagine-eridan-watching-the-little-mermaid-because untitled]] ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' fic, this is Eridan's reaction to finding out that ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' is Feferi's favourite movie. [[note]]They live on an alien world where the finned, sea-dwelling aristocracy rule those on land with an iron fist. Because Eridan is part of that aristocracy, he is ''horrified'' by the thought that a mermaid would give up her gills to live with a 'peasant'.[[/note]]
* ''Fanfic/TheKarmaOfLies'': The Agreste family lawyer asks Adrien this after learning how he waived his right to have him present while being interviewed by the police. Adrien [[WrongGenreSavvy wrongly assumed]] that if he simply [[HonestyIsTheBestPolicy told the full truth]] about Lila, he'd be completely believed. Instead, the police found his testimony [[CassandraTruth highly questionable]] -- in no small part because he blithely claimed to have known that she was a ConArtist the whole time and still let her scam his friends and classmates for ''months''.
* In ''Fanfic/MegaManStarNetwork'', Chaud asks [[LeeroyJenkins Lan]] this when he went to Wilshire Hills to go after Cain without contacting him.
* In ''Fanfic/OpeningDangerousGates'', upon learning that Lucy has no idea what the Arrancar are, Grimmjow points out the foolishness of summoning something you know nothing about.
* In a sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Hoenn Elite Four Drake calls his grandniece Michelle with this line, after she and her friends attempt to fight [[PsychoForHire Hunter J]] by themselves, and could have gotten killed [[BigDamnHeroes had he not arrived in time to save them]].
* In ''Fanfic/ShadowsTheHorrorMovieHeroes'', Recovery Girl asks All Might this after his sketchy behaviour at Dagobah Beach gets him pepper-sprayed by Jirou.
* In the ''Fanfic/SuperRWBYSisters'' story RWBY Partners in Time [[spoiler:King Dedede asks this question to the heroes upon discovering that Mario and the rest of the group had rebuild the Cobalt Star which released Elder Princess Shroob. Seeing as he and Kirby have experience in accidentally releasing ancient evils it seems justified]].
* In ''FanFic/TimeAndAgain'', Naruto quotes the trope verbatim when, after having it finally [[ObliviousToLove spelled out for him]] that Hinata is in love with him, he realises that [[spoiler:in the BadFuture [[PeggySue he came back from]] she'd been in love with him all along as well, but had never told him, even when he would have happily married her himself to save her from the loveless marriage to [[DomesticAbuse an abusive asshole]] that had been [[ArrangedMarriage arranged for her]]]].
* In ''[[Fanfic/{{Villain}} Villain: Redux]]'', upon learning that Buttercup is the one who committed the prison break after seeing the footage on television and recognizing her as being "the Alien" -- she used a Halloween mask gifted to her by Sophia, his ward who Buttercup often babysits, as a disguise -- [[ReformedCriminal Ace]] reprimands her for not thinking it through. Since she was seen talking at length to Arturo on the security cams, the police and other Powerpuffs think he helped plan it and are searching the most intensely for him. On top of that, should the authorities learn Ace is harboring the Gangreen Gang, then he'll ''also'' be sent to the Villain Ward, meaning Sophia would have to go into foster care. Buttercup assures him and Arturo that such a thing will never happen, and the two resign themselves to Buttercup being too naïve to fully understand the consequences of what she's done, ultimately deciding that the best thing to do would be to sneak out of town when the situation worsens.
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* Some editors in [[Wiki/TVTropes This Wiki]] tend to use this at times as a reaction... and {{Pothole}} it to this very page.

* In ''[[Fanfic/{{Villain}} Villain: Redux]]'', upon learning that Buttercup is the one who committed the prison break after seeing the footage on television and recognizing her as being "the Alien", [[ReformedCriminal Ace]] reprimands her for not thinking it through: because she was seen talking at length to Arturo on the security cams, the police and other Powerpuffs think he helped plan it and are searching the most intensely for him. On top of that, should the authorities learn Ace is harboring the Gangreen Gang, then he'll ''also'' be sent to the Villain Ward, meaning Sophia (Arturo's daughter) would have to go into foster care. Buttercup assures him and Arturo that such a thing will never happen, and the two resign themselves to Buttercup being too naïve to fully understand the consequences of what she's done, ultimately deciding that the best thing to do would be to sneak out of town when the situation worsens.

* In ''[[Fanfic/{{Villain}} Villain: Redux]]'', upon learning that Buttercup is the one who committed the prison break after seeing the footage on television and recognizing her as being "the Alien", [[ReformedCriminal Ace]] reprimands her for not thinking it through: because she was seen talking at length to Arturo on the security cams, the police and other Powerpuffs think he helped plan it and are searching the most intensely for him. On top of that, should the authorities learn Ace is harboring the Gangreen Gang, then he'll ''also'' be sent to the Villain Ward, meaning Sophia (Arturo's daughter) would have to go into foster care. Buttercup assures him and Arturo that such a thing will never happen, and the two resign themselves to Buttercup being too naïve to fully understand the consequences of what she's done, ultimately deciding that the best thing to do would be to move out of town as the situation worsens.

Compare FlatWhat, WhatAnIdiot, WhatTheHellHero and WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt -- where this either gets said verbatim as an addendum or is simply loomingly implicit.

* These exact words are used in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' when the Tendos, particularly [[BewareTheNiceOnes Kasumi]], [[WhatTheHellHero call Genma out]] for taking his son to the cursed training ground of Jusenkyo. To the annoyance of some readers, though, this is only in the very first chapter of the manga, and nobody so much as raises an eyebrow when Genma later reveals he taught Ranma the [[HarmfulToMinors Nekoken]] because he was too lazy to read the next page, [[NowYouTellMe which warned]] that the technique [[SanityHasAdvantages invariably drove trainees insane]] and was [[UselessUsefulSpell too stupid to use, anyway]]. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Although]], it's entirely possible that people stopped asking this of him because they realized [[WhatAnIdiot it just wouldn't do any damned good.]]

* Used verbatim in ''Series/{{FlashForward|2009}}'', regarding Mark Benford's [[WhatAnIdiot actions]] in the last episode.

* The ''Series/FullHouse'' episode "Comet's Excellent Adventure" raises this question twice after Jesse giving Michelle to [[DogWalksYou walk Comet by herself]], which leads to Comet running away and becoming missing, is revealed.

[[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You Let TV Tropes Ruin Your Life]]? '''''[[SelfDemonstratingArticle What Were You Thinking?!!!!!!]]'''''

* Late in the ''Band of Brothers'' miniseries, Easy Company passes some surrendering Germans traveling in the other direction, troops marching and officers on wagons. Webster leans out of a troop transport and starts berating them: "You stupid bastards, look at you! You have ''horses''! ''What were you thinking?!''"
** For added irony, they are on the autobahn. The Americans in trucks on the road, the Germans walking the other way in the median.

%% Zero content example: * ''Series/DoctorPhil'', anyone?
-->'''Oscar:''' What, are you in show business now? The gas business not good enough for you? You've gotta be [[Series/TheEdSullivanShow Ed Sullivan]]? (''imitates Ed Sullivan'') "We've got a great shoooo! We've got a really big shoooo!" What the hell are you thinking?\\

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-->'''Iroh''': You never think these things through!

-->'''Edd''': Ed! What in heaven's name were you ''thinking''?!\\
'''Ed''': Absolutely nothing, Double-Dee.

* The music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTqra4YSsaM "What Was I Thinkin'"]] by Dierks Bentley opens with him taking Becky (played by Lauren Elaine) back home after a date. The next day, he is seen looking at pictures of the date he can't remember.