| 1 | %% Image selected per IP thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16722629190.16723900 |
| 2 | %% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700 |
| 3 | %% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | [[quoteright:252:[[Webcomic/GirlGenius https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/his_name_is_8.png]]]] |
| 6 | [[caption-width-right:252:[[Music/{{Eminem}} "Hi! My name is]]--HRRRK!" "What?!"]] |
| 7 | %% |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ->''"See? It happens every time! Just as they're about to tell you who the murderer is...\ |
| 10 | they get killed!"'' |
| 11 | -->-- ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'', "Kane Keen, Private Eye" |
| 12 | |
| 13 | The informer, about to give TheHero a key piece of information, [[KilledMidSentence is killed before they can tell]] who [[SelfDemonstratingArticle th-]] |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Frequently, the scene is stretched out by the informer [[AlmostDeadGuy being excessively verbose before being killed]] without getting to the important information. Sometimes this is because they insist on some reward from TheHero (such as protection from whomever they're informing on) or they don't want to be too helpful. A comedy variant is to have them go on at length about not having the strength to say anything. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | In many cases where the informant is killed by an unknown assassin, the hero is just as easy a target, prompting viewers to wonder [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim why the assassin doesn't just kill the hero instead]] and end the story right there. A well-made story will arrange the scene so that the hero isn't a viable target (behind an obstacle, on the other end of a phone call, etc.), and in rare cases, the BigBad [[CantKillYouStillNeedYou has a reason to let the hero live... for now]]. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Compare the AlmostDeadGuy, who gets hurt and ''then'' gives the information, and HeKnowsTooMuch, when a character is killed just for discovering important information. SisterTrope of ConvenientlyInterruptedDocument. Subtrope of LostInTransmission. See also DyingClue. Absolutely no relation to MyNaymeIs, nor [[Wrestling/JohnCena a certain professional wrestler]]. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | !!As this is a {{Death Trope|s}}, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers abound]]. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Beware]]. |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | !!Examples: |
| 24 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 25 | [[folder:Advertising]] |
| 26 | * Spoofed in an advertisement for Call Waiting. Literature/MissMarple is yakking to Literature/HerculePoirot on the phone and so doesn't realise an important witness is trying to get through to her. |
| 27 | -->'''TheNarrator:''' ...and so nine out of the ten ate the pumpkin soup!\ |
| 28 | '''Witness''': The killer is... ''[inarticulate groans]''\ |
| 29 | '''Miss Marple''': Is that spelled with two G's or three? |
| 30 | [[/folder]] |
| 31 | |
| 32 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 33 | * ''Anime/TheBigO'': Just before the MindScrew finale, [[spoiler: the spirit of Schwartzwald]] inhabiting the pilotless Big Duo that's flying mindlessly skywards, who was established as the only character who discovered the truth on his own, begins monologuing about the mysterious truth of Paradigm City, the tragedy from 40 years ago that wiped out everyone's memories, and the nature of the memories themselves, about to explain the whole thing... Only to be cut short when Big Duo [[spoiler: crashes into the massive stage light rigging over Paradigm City]]. |
| 34 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' did this throughout much of episode 18, with everyone in the know being cut off before they can tell Shinji [[spoiler:that his friend Touji is the pilot of the possessed Eva Unit-03 that he has to take down.]] |
| 35 | * [[spoiler:South Burning]] in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'', about halfway through the series, manages to get his hands on a briefcase detailing the enemy's forces and plans, taking some apparently minor hits to his [[HumongousMecha mobile suit]] in the process. As the heroes fly back to their ship, he opens the briefcase and starts reading through it, discovering the enemy plans are much more far-reaching than anyone imagined. Just as he is about to tell his colleagues what he's discovered, his mecha explodes. Amply foreshadowed by how the show constantly cut to the damaged components in the second half of the episode, and the {{Retirony}} in the first half. |
| 36 | * ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'': |
| 37 | ** In the first arc, ''Legend of the Golden Witch'', the protagonist Battler's father, Rudolf, tells his son and wife that there is something he needs to talk about [[spoiler:which is later heavily implied to be related to Battler's birth]], and then indicates that he seems to know he might die. Which he does. |
| 38 | ** In the second arc, Kanon is killed right as he's about to tell Jessica his real name. It's an unusual example in that Jessica dies at the same time. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': |
| 40 | ** When Ed has defeated one of the AnimatedArmor guards at Lab 5, he convinces him to give him an explanation of at least some of what's going on...but then [[spoiler:Lust and Envy]] shut the guy up before he can tell Ed anything useful. |
| 41 | ** [[DisconnectedByDeath "The military...trouble!"]] [[spoiler:Then Hughes is killed in the phonebooth.]] |
| 42 | %% ** Subverted with Martel in the 2003 version, who reveals to Alphose (while hiding inside him) [[spoiler:that Bradley is a Homonculus, a moment before the Fuhrer kills her.]] |
| 43 | * In ''Manga/DeathNote'', Light is ''just'' about to get L's real name off Misa when L saves himself by having her arrested, and by stealing her phone. |
| 44 | * In ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', [[spoiler:[[BloodyMurder Wei]]]] kills Kirihara's informant just before he can come in to provide evidence. |
| 45 | * In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' just when Aoba is about to see Tobi/Madara's true face by delving into the memories of an unconscious Kisame, the latter forces himself to wake up by biting through his own tongue and then commits suicide using his summoned sharks. At the time this seemed like just a ridiculous way of hiding the face from the readers (with it being beside the point that Aoba also didn't get to see it), but later it's revealed that Aoba had known Tobi for ''years'' before he assumed that identity and thus most certainly ''would'' have recognized the face as [[spoiler: Obito Uchiha]] and thus prematurely exposed one of the biggest plot twists in the entire story. |
| 46 | * While not deadly, in ''Manga/CaseClosed'', during one of the mysteries, [[ButtMonkey Takagi]] is going to reveal the man who killed [[FairCop Detective]] [[ActionGirl Sato's]] father on his cell phone. As he's about to tell her the culprits name, a dark shadow appears behind him and slams a rock upon his head, instantly knocking him out as we later learn. |
| 47 | %% * Pretty much defines [[spoiler:[[KilledMidSentence Dorothea Ernst]]]] in ''Anime/CodeGeass''. |
| 48 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', when mind-controlled Negi is about to say who he likes most, but Yue and Nodoka stun everyone and drag him away. |
| 49 | * [[spoiler: Chojiro Sasakibe]] in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' dies while attempting to inform Yamamoto of [[spoiler: the Vandenreich's ability to steal bankai]]. Combined with [[spoiler:the failed attempt to use this ability on Ichigo]], this leads to Soul Society [[spoiler:mistakenly believing that the Vandenreich can ''seal'' a Soul Reaper's bankai, ''severely'' undermining their strategy in the next battle]]. |
| 50 | * In ''Manga/OnePiece'', professor Clover was about to reveal his theory as to the name of [[spoiler:the kingdom the newly formed World Government fought against during the Void Century]], when [[spoiler:one of the leaders of the World Government]] orders him shot to keep him from finishing his sentence. Unusually, this shot does ''not'' kill him or even render him unconscious, [[OnlyAFleshWound it just stuns him for a few seconds]], but Clover doesn't continue talking once he gets up [[spoiler:and actually dies a short time later, from his island being destroyed by flames]]. |
| 51 | ** Subverted with [[spoiler: Sabo, who was seemingly killed when the World Government obliterates the Kingdom of Lulusia where he's at just before he could divulge the identity of the true ruler of the world to the Revolutionary Army, but nevertheless managed to escape the ordeal and successfully reunited with his fellow Revolutionaries]]. |
| 52 | * In the [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond Is Unbreakable]] arc of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'', [[spoiler:Aya Tsuji]] is blown up by a bomb right before she can reveal [[spoiler:Yoshikage Kira's new appearance]]. |
| 53 | ** Happens earlier that same arc when Jotaro and Koichi try to get the killer's name out of his tailor. Said tailor speaks and moves very slowly, claims that he remembers every single customer's name (but can't give it off the top of his head), and when he goes to read a tag in the killer's coat he struggles with reading the kanji on it. Before he can even get a ''single syllable'' out, the killer (who's hiding in the back room) kills the poor bastard. |
| 54 | ** In fact, Yoshikage Kira [[spoiler: developed his third bomb, Bites The Dust to invoke this trope]]. |
| 55 | ** In the [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]] part, [[spoiler: Diavolo kills Abbacchio to prevent his Stand from materializing into his face from 1986, only to be a tad little late as Abbacchio used his dying moments to leave Bucciarati's Team a very important clue]]. |
| 56 | * Happens several times in ''Manga/{{Dorohedoro}}'' during Kaiman's attempt to solve the mystery behind his transformation. One of the most egregious being when he goes to interrogate a death row inmate, who gets eaten by one of the demons scheduling his execution seconds before he could give them any useful information. |
| 57 | * In ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'', just as Atsushi is about to reveal Yagyo Atsuki's identity to the Oni-Baku, someone [[ChainPain lassoes his neck with a bike chain]] and knocks him out. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles'': Woe betide anybody who figures out who the killer is before Kindaichi himself cottons on. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:Asian Animation]] |
| 62 | * In episode 3 of ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf: Mighty Little Defenders'', Wonky gets a call from General Wolf about the wolves' new spy for Goat Village. General Wolf tells him it's "We"... but the phone call ends abruptly before he can finish the sentence, leading Wonky to think Weslie the goat is their spy when it's actually Wolffy. [[spoiler:General Wolf was actually talking about washing apples when the phone call was interrupted.]] |
| 63 | [[/folder]] |
| 64 | |
| 65 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 66 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': One day, Batman discovers that his parents' killer, Joe Chill, is still alive and kicking and a rising gang leader, and after tormenting him for a while, reveals his SecretIdentity to Chill. Chill freaks out and goes and tells his mob (without revealing the name). His irate mob, realizing that Chill essentially ''created'' Batman, shoot him to the point of near-death. It's only then that they realize that they didn't know who exactly Batman was. Chill nearly is able to croak it out, but Batman barges in at that moment. |
| 67 | ** Also happens in the Hush arc, where [[spoiler: Batman's mechanic, Harold]] is about to reveal the identity of the person who [[spoiler: bribed him into betraying Batman]], when he is shot in the head by the villain in question. |
| 68 | ** In ''ComicBook/BatmanGordonOfGotham,'' A dying and hospitalized [[spoiler:Checkers]] tries to say that the DirtyCop behind his murder [[spoiler:is Captain ''Daug''herty, but Gordon initially thinks that he’s just begging for a "doc."]] |
| 69 | * Parodied in, of all places, a ''Disney'' comic book storyline, namely one by Italian writer/artist Silvia Ziche, known for having a thing for either single-panel jokes or ''[[ArcFatigue lo]][[EndingFatigue ng]]'' {{story arc}}s. During said storyline, ''Il Papero Del Mistero'',[[note]] ''The Duck Of Mystery''[[/note]] better known as ''Papernovela'',[[note]] ''Duck (Soap) Opera''[[/note]] Scrooge, acting as a typical "landlord" SoapOpera character, is about to tell his family the reward for solving his riddle, he... [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt he doesn't die]] [[NeverSayDie (nor it is said)]], but... ''suddenly becomes voiceless.'' HilarityEnsues. |
| 70 | * ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'': In issue #24, Indy meets a shady contact in a dark alley on a rainy San Francisco night. The contact is still trying to negotiate a price when he topples forward with a knife in his back. |
| 71 | * The Harvey-style parody comic book ''[[http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/go_look_little_lost_391_free_download/ Little Lost]]'', created by students of the Center for Cartoon Studies, has a female cat called Virgil who is Lost's "most cherished companion in the whole world". Lost learns Virgil is dying and seeks out many different beliefs about the afterlife. At the very end of her life Virgil thanks Lost for a happy life and all their adventures. She then says "The only truth I know for sure is... is..." and dies. Virgil's actual destination is left up to the reader.[[note]]This isn't supposed to be the final issue of ''Little Lost'' according to the letter column, so perhaps Virgil reincarnates, as an earlier chapter suggests.[[/note]] |
| 72 | * ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' #18: In the ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' feature intelligence officer Tommy West is interviewing an archeologist who claims to have information about an Imperial Japanese plot, and the archeologist gets shot just as he's about to name the collaborator. |
| 73 | * ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'': A variation in many old Captain Marvel stories, where, with danger looming, Billy Batson would have enough time to spout several sentences about how much trouble he's in and how only Captain Marvel can get him out of it, but not enough time to say "Shazam" after all the exposition is done. [[IdiotBall If he'd only said "Shazam" first...]] |
| 74 | ** Billy is summoned by an old nurse, Sarah Primm, who gives him half of a broken charm on a necklace, tells him his long lost sister has the other half, and confides that she switched the little girl for a baby who died. So ComicBook/{{Mary|Marvel}} was raised by a rich lady named -- Aaaahh![[note]]Bromfield. The broken charm could be a ''mizpah'' coin as Bromfield is often a Jewish name.[[/note]] |
| 75 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Lampshaded in, of all things, an classic issue of ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManLeeAndDitko''. The Crime Master is mortally wounded in a gunfight and then declares that if he's going down, the Green Goblin will go down with him. He attempts to reveal the Goblin's secret identity (which was not known at the time). "The Goblin is..." and then he dies. The lampshading comes when one of the police officers at the scene comments "If I saw that happen in a mystery movie, I'd laugh at how corny it was." |
| 76 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Downplayed in ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman''. ComicBook/{{Steel}} captures a gang member and demands to know who built the [[{{BFG}} Toastmasters]] and he's able to give a name - White Rabbit. However, before he can clarify, the Rabbit herself [[BoomHeadshot blasts the gang member in the head]]. |
| 77 | * ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'': Done to great effect. The first one is played pretty much straight (before the victim is shot with something to make him go insane) in ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' and the second one is played straight in ''The Secret of the Unicorn'' [[spoiler:but is ultimately subverted as the victim recovers]]. |
| 78 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol. 1]]: In the possible future shown in #7 one of the policewomen is reporting to Diana and just as she's about to say the name of the killer is shot and killed herself. |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | |
| 81 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 82 | * In a long ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' arc, the strip gets a court order to hire a female cast member. Beer mascot Spuds [=McKenzie=], previously [[SamusIsAGirl revealed to be female]], informs Opus that a regular cast member is also secretly female. As Spuds is about to identify the culprit, she passes out. Opus turns to the viewer, and says "you and I both know she's not going to wake up until that statement has wreaked total pandemonium around here." (As it turns out, [[spoiler:it was Rosebud the Basselope.]]) |
| 83 | * ''ComicStrip/USAcres'': [[http://garfield.com/us-acres/1987-07-16 Orson was reading a book for Booker and Sheldon.]] When it was about time to say the murderer's name, he fell asleep. |
| 84 | [[/folder]] |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 87 | * Subverted in the ''Manga/DeathNote'' TrollFic ''Fanfic/LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami''. Mikami is about to reveal to L that Light Yagami is Kira. He manages to say "I'll tell you! It's Light Yaga..." but because Blud could sense Mikami's Death Note, he told Light about this, so Light used his Death Note to kill Mikami before the rest of the sentence got out, and somehow, the world's greatest detective has no idea what Mikami meant to say, punching a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin whole]] in a nearby wall in frustration. |
| 88 | * The very poorly-formatted but otherwise bearable Batman fan-fiction screenplay [[http://www.slideshare.net/artintelligence/batman-masked-soulsdocdoc ''Batman: Masked Souls'']] ends with Bane trying to tell a coast guard officer that Bruce Wayne really is Batman before Bane falls dead (or unconscious?) |
| 89 | * ''Fanfic/FriendshipIsAura'': [[MookLieutenant The Captain]] is literally one ''syllable'' away from being tricked into telling Luna where [[spoiler: Celestia was taken]] when Shining Armor bursts into the room to inform her of the arrival of [[BigBad Lord Tartarus]]' {{Mooks}}. |
| 90 | * In ''Fanfic/ThePrayerWarriors'', [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Grover Underwood]] arrives to tell the Prayer Warriors that an Egyptian God is in Syria, but before he can reveal the god's name, [[BoomHeadshot he's hit in the head with an arrow]] and killed (for the seventh time). |
| 91 | * In ''Fanfic/AllMixedUp'', Oprah is attacked and anagrammed by Mariana Mag just before she is able to tell them what the villainess's name actually is. |
| 92 | [[/folder]] |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 95 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'', Princess Celestia is about to tell her sister Luna to go find the Queen of the Hippogryphs, but gets [[TakenForGranite turned to crystal]] midway through the last word, causing Twilight Sparkle to go searching for the Queen of the Hippos. |
| 96 | * Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' when the king is dying. He cuts off mid-sentence and seems to die ''twice'' before he finally dies for real; the second time ends with "His name is--", but he manages to finish his sentence before he actually dies. |
| 97 | [[/folder]] |
| 98 | |
| 99 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 100 | * Similar variation in ''Film/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes''. The BigBad has the hero at gunpoint and is just about to tell him the secret of how he controls the killer tomatoes before shooting him -- when the crazed parachuting flyboy from earlier in the film crashes into the room and runs the villain through with a sword. |
| 101 | * In ''Film/TheCarRoadToRevenge'', Rainer and Daria visit an information broker to gain info on Talen. However, just as the broker starts to talk, he is shot by Talen's gang. |
| 102 | * The trope is parodied in ''Film/CarryOnSpying'' once Desmond and two of his students find the dying body of Milchmann. |
| 103 | -->'''Milchmann:''' ''[groans in pain]''\ |
| 104 | '''Charlie Bind:''' Sorry, say that again.\ |
| 105 | '''Milchmann:''' ''[groans the exact same way]''\ |
| 106 | '''Charlie Bind:''' ''(writes, then reads) [groans]'' Sounds like the Chinese are involved.\ |
| 107 | '''Milchmann:''' ''[frustrated]'' No, not that! |
| 108 | * In ''Film/CircusOfFear'', the mortally wounded security guard attempts to whisper some information to Inspector Elliot, but only manages so gagging sounds before expiring. Exactly what the guard intended to tell Elliot remains a mystery. |
| 109 | * ''Film/ClubDread'' has a variation: when [[spoiler:Putman]] is about to be killed, he says "I should have known it was you!" and taunts the killer, but to the frustration of two other people listening, he not once says the killer's name. |
| 110 | * The film version of ''Literature/DeathOnTheNile'' (see Literature) has someone aggravatingly slowly telling that she witnessed a murder. Her last words are "and I saw that it was - " before being shot in the head. |
| 111 | * Happens in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''. Tuco manages to find out the name of the graveyard where the money is buried, but the soldier dies before he learns the name of the grave it's buried in. Blondie on the other hand did... |
| 112 | * In ''Film/HolmesAndWatson'', Klinger starts to explain the conspiracy before stopping and announcing he received a knife in his back. Holmes takes this as a metaphor before Kilinger topples forward with a literal knife in his back. |
| 113 | * In ''Film/TheIronMask'', both Constance and Cardinal Richelieu die (of a stab wound and of natural causes, respectively), just as they're trying to tell D'Artagnan about "the other one". "The other one" is Phillipe, identical twin brother (and as it happens, EvilTwin brother) of King UsefulNotes/LouisXIV, hidden away in the countryside to prevent the dynastic instability that might be expected when a kingdom has two heirs. |
| 114 | * In ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', Professor Arnold says this right before his implant activates and explodes. |
| 115 | * ''Film/TheLastStarfighter'' has a variation. The assassin sent to kill the titular hero manages to get off "The Last Starfighter is..." before he is killed, but the bad guys already knew who he was - what they didn't know was if he was still a threat. |
| 116 | * ''Film/LizzieBordensRevenge'': After getting a good look at Lizzie, Vanessa realises that it isn't really Lizzie Borden. She tells the others that is someone they all know. She starts to say "It's...", and then [[BloodFromTheMouth blood seeps from her mouth]] and she topples forward with Lizzie's axe in her back. |
| 117 | * ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' subverts this because this is carved into a wall and the knights all argue over whether that's actually the castle's name or if he died while writing it. [[spoiler:It turns out it is indeed the castle's name.]] |
| 118 | -->'''King Arthur''': What does it say, Brother Maynard?\ |
| 119 | '''Brother Maynard''': It reads, "Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the holy grail in the Castle of... Aaaarrrggghhhh."\ |
| 120 | '''King Arthur''': What?\ |
| 121 | '''Brother Maynard''': "The Castle of Aaaarrrggghhhh".\ |
| 122 | '''Sir Bedevere''': What is ''that?''\ |
| 123 | '''Brother Maynard''': He must have died while carving it.\ |
| 124 | '''King Arthur''': Oh, ''come'' on!\ |
| 125 | '''Brother Maynard''': Well, that's what it says.\ |
| 126 | '''King Arthur''': Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't have bothered to ''carve'' 'Aaaarrrggghhhh'. He'd just ''say'' it.\ |
| 127 | '''Sir Galahad''': Perhaps he was dictating...\ |
| 128 | '''King Arthur''': Oh, shut up. -- Well, does it say anything else?\ |
| 129 | '''Brother Maynard''': No. Just "Aaaarrrggghhhh". |
| 130 | * Brilliantly parodied in ''[[Film/TheNakedGun The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear]]'', where Lieutenant Frank Drebin fails to retrieve the information from a dying thug and starts looking for another informant. |
| 131 | -->'''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' All right, who else is almost dead?\ |
| 132 | [dying thug #2 raises his hand]\ |
| 133 | '''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' OK, now. Talk.\ |
| 134 | '''Dying Thug #2:''' You're too late.\ |
| 135 | '''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' He already said that.\ |
| 136 | '''Dying Thug #2:''' Where'd he leave off?\ |
| 137 | '''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' Er, "Hapsburg has plan B in..."\ |
| 138 | '''Dying Thug #2:''' Oh, yeah. Hapsburg has Plan B in... in...\ |
| 139 | '''Lt. Frank Drebin:''' Where? Where?! Talk, you low-life scum!\ |
| 140 | '''Dying Thug #2:''' Gee, if that's your attitude, forget it. [dies] |
| 141 | * ''Film/OneFootInHell'': After he tricks Stu into being shot by the {{Posse}}, Mitch is alarmed when someone announces that he is still alive. As sheriff, Mitch pushes his way to the front and pretends to listen to Stu's dying words. Actually, he only does it to make sure no one in the posse is close enough to her what Stu says, which would have been a denunciation of him. |
| 142 | * ''Film/ThePowerOfThePress'': The mortally wounded DA manages to tell Jane that the folder has evidence against Blake, but doesn't tell her what it is, leaving Jane and Clem to figure out what in the collection of photos and press clippings is significant. |
| 143 | * In ''Film/{{Rimfire}}'', Lee, one of the outlaws, figures out that everyone who has been murdered by The Abilene Kid's 'ghost' is connected to the federal gold robbery. Just as he announces to his companion that he has worked out who the ghost is, a shot rings out from the darkness and he keels over. |
| 144 | * Variation in ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'' -- the Klingon conspirator on Rura Penthe has cornered Kirk and [=McCoy=] and is about to shoot them. Kirk asks him who is the mastermind behind TheConspiracy. The Klingon conspirator replies "[[JustBetweenYouAndMe Since you're all going to die anyway, why not tell you?]] His name is..." and then the two of them are beamed away, much to Kirk's aggravation. |
| 145 | -->'''Kirk:''' Oh, no. Son of a-- Damnit-damnit-damnit.. Damn it to hell. Of all the... Son-of-a... Couldn't you have waited two seconds?\ |
| 146 | '''Spock:''' Captain?\ |
| 147 | '''Kirk:''' He was just about to explain the whole thing!\ |
| 148 | '''Chekov:''' You want to go back?\ |
| 149 | '''[=McCoy=]:''' Absolutely not!\ |
| 150 | '''Kirk:''' [whispering] It's ''cold.'' |
| 151 | * ''Franchise/StarWars'': Shows up in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones''. Jango Fett is working alongside a fellow assassin, but she gets captured. Fett shoots her with a toxic dart about half a second before she can rat Fett out. [[SubvertedTrope She does manage to gasp out a couple of last words in Huttese]]...[[DoubleSubverted which translate to "piece of slime," instead of anything useful.]] [[SarcasmMode Gee, thanks]]. |
| 152 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/WalkHard''. Dewey's father's dying words are "I love...". Dewey trashes the room in frustration of never knowing who or what his father loved. |
| 153 | * ''Film/WhatsUpTigerLily'' -- a dying mook tells the hero "Beware of the man with... with... with... with..." into the fadeout. |
| 154 | * R.K. Maroon is shot before he can finish telling Eddie the truth about the Acme murder in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. |
| 155 | * The German film ''Film/DerWixxer 2'' starts off with an informant trying to reveal to the protagonists the whereabouts of the last movie's villain. Then he gets impaled by half a dozen arrows on "Er ist im-" ("He's in-") and gasps "Argh!". The protagonists don't realise that he is being riddled with arrows, so they try guessing random words beginning with "A" (starting with "[[StuffyOldSOngsAboutTheButtocks Arsch]]", as in, "He's screwed") until he finally keels over. [[spoiler:Incidentally, they were fairly spot on with "Arsch", as the villain indeed was "im Arsch" - aka dead.]] |
| 156 | * ''Film/KnivesOut'': Played with. [[spoiler:Fran tells Marta "Hugh did this" as she's dying of an overdose, but because her words are slurred and Hugh normally goes by Ransom, Marta hears it as "''You'' did this," which just confuses her]]. |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 161 | * Creator/AgathaChristie: |
| 162 | ** In ''Literature/DeathOnTheNile'', a nosy female witness is shot in the head mere seconds before she names the culprit. One of the detectives races to the door and finds a smoking gun lying on the floor outside, and nobody who could have fired the shot is to be seen anywhere. [[spoiler: Justified: The killer's partner had told her to slow down and start over from the beginning precisely to give his partner time to kill the witness before she named names.]] |
| 163 | ** In ''Literature/AfterTheFuneral'', a character is talking on the phone; just before she could reveal a clue, she's struck on the head (but doesn't die). |
| 164 | ** It happens again in ''Literature/AMurderIsAnnounced'' when Miss Murgatroyd is trying to tell someone who wasn't in the room and therefore was the killer. Not a strict example, since the person she's talking to leaves, not realizing the importance of what Miss Murgatroyd is saying, and Miss Murgatroyd is killed shortly afterwards. |
| 165 | * In ''Literature/DragonBones'', a character is killed during an attempt to kill the hero. His last words imply that he didn't do it out of his own free will, but he dies before he can tell ''who'' made him do it. (As it is a fantasy setting, he could have been magically compelled to do it.) |
| 166 | * ''Literature/CerberusHighII'': After being gravely wounded by Corrupted Miu's attack, Nagisa uses his final moments to warn Kasumi and the others about Red Star's existence. Quickly, Red Star silences him before he can say her name, making it seem as if he [[TongueSuicide bit off his own tongue]]. |
| 167 | * ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': During one of his telepathic conversations with Rielle, Corien is about to reveal the name of the angel that [[spoiler:took over Ludivine's body]]. Rielle cuts him off, saying that that information isn't his to tell. |
| 168 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 169 | ** Non-fatal example in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'': Hermione figures out how the students are being petrified, but is petrified herself before she can explain it to Harry. |
| 170 | ** Subverted in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''. Mr. Crouch turns up out of nowhere, babbling insanely, and then is killed while Harry runs for help. He does actually manage to denounce his murderer ([[spoiler:his son]]) before his death, but because it comes in the middle of a stream of insane babbling, everyone ignores it, [[spoiler: especially because the person in question is supposed to be dead]]. |
| 171 | * Creator/IsaacAsimov: |
| 172 | ** ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire'': A robot has been ordered to shut down rather than reveal the location of its base, not helped by the fact that he accidentally risked shooting a human and is breaking down as a result; he attempts to tell the interrogators that his masters are hiding out on [[spoiler:Three Mile Island]] but only manages to get out the word "mile", along with a couple of mouth motions. |
| 173 | ** "Literature/TheMule": When Ebling Mis, exhausted from [[DeadlyUpgrade getting his mental activity overstimulated to learn this information]], offers to tell the protagonists where the Second Foundation secretly resides, one of them blasts him dead because they knew that [[AntagonistTitle their antagonist, the Mule]], was listening. |
| 174 | ** ''Literature/LuckyStarrAndTheBigSunOfMercury'': While a Sirian robot is breaking down, Lucky asks who gave it orders, and it barely manages one sound, "Er- Er-". Bigman immediately deduces that the robot meant Urteil, but Lucky disagrees, [[spoiler:telling him that it was more likely to mean "Earthman", which would be Dr. Peverale, who had once visited the Sirian system and stole the robot assigned to him]]. |
| 175 | * A RealLife version of this trope is mentioned in ''Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets'' by Creator/DavidSimon, where a victim on being asked by police who shot him replied, "I'll tell you in a minute." Thirty seconds later he died. |
| 176 | * Happens in ''[[Literature/XWingSeries The Krytos Trap]]''. Kirtan Loor, aware that [[ManipulativeBastard Isard]] will have him killed soon, goes to the New Republic and offers to trade information about Isard's machinations in exchange for his life. They accept, Loor takes a speeder with a New Republic agent, and when they arrive, that agent's husband, who had unwittingly been one of Isard's {{Manchurian Agent}}s, shoots Loor, tries to shoot his wife while [[ApologeticAttacker babbling apologies]], and [[ShootTheDog is shot by her]]. Loor [[DyingAlone dies alone]] while the agent weeps over her dying husband. Ultimately somewhat subverted, since Loor had a datacard on his person with some of the information he was prepared to tell them. Loor had thought they would be unable to access the data without him (thus guaranteeing protection and a large payout of cash), but there was one other person who knew the pattern Loor always used for his passwords. A person who Loor thought was already dead.[[note]]Utilizing his PhotographicMemory, Loor had memorized all of the stock prices on the Imperial Stock Exchange for a single day, and he always used one of those prices for his passwords. His nemesis Corran Horn was aware of this tendency and knew what day he had used, so the NRI was able to look it up and eventually figure out that the key was the listing for Xucphra, the corporation Isard had just seized control of.[[/note]] |
| 177 | * Creator/JohnDicksonCarr's Literature/DrGideonFell novel ''Dark of the Moon'' has one suspect go through this. Subverted in that she survives (though obviously she doesn't recover enough to say anything until after the killer's already caught) and [[spoiler:the fact that she was about to accuse someone of multiple crimes -- including incest -- that the accused ''didn't do'']]. |
| 178 | * In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', it's zigzagged. Runningwind is dead and Fireheart sees Whitethroat, who he assumes to be the killer. Whitethroat is hit by a car after Fireheart realizes it wasn't him. Fireheart asks who killed Runningwind, and Whitethroat says who it was but Fireheart can't hear him over the noise of a passing car. Fireheart asks again, but Whitethroat dies just as he's about to say it, however, he has a look of horror in his eyes. Then Fireheart turns around and sees the killer right there. |
| 179 | * In the ''Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure'' book titled "Who Killed Harlowe Thombery?", the titular murder victim is suffering from a poisoned drink. When asked who did it, only choked out "It...it was..." before dying. Your job is to find out who poisioned him. |
| 180 | * In Creator/JaneAusten's ''Literature/LoveAndFreindship'' (sic), Edward dies just as he says he will tell what happened. |
| 181 | * In Creator/RobertSheckley's "Protection," the protagonist is befriended by a Valadusian Derg, an invisible guardian who tells him how to protect himself against all kinds of dangerous creatures. To avoid the last one, the Derg tells him, all he has to do is ''not'' lesernize. When the protagonist asks what "lesernize" means, the Derg responds, "Oh, that's easy. To lesernize is to... oooh! It's got me!" |
| 182 | * Creator/ElleryQueen's "Half a Clue" has the victim mention that the person who was defrauding the family business was "Al-". Unfortunately, the other family members are named Alice, Alvin, and Albert. |
| 183 | * In ''Literature/PinkiePieAndTheRockinPonypaloozaParty'', after greeting Marble and Limestone, Pinkie Pie is about to ask where her older sister is, but Igneous responds that she stayed at the farm before Pinkie can drop her name. It's not until [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic season 4]] that we learn her name: Maud Pie. |
| 184 | * The very last line of ''Literature/{{Somewhither}}'' provides an example: [[spoiler:the BigBad screams that the protagonist must be captured, for his true mother is none other than-- but at that moment the protagonist is drawn into a portal to another dimension and doesn't hear the rest.]] |
| 185 | * ''Literature/DocSavage'': In ''The Men Who Smiled No More'', a chemist Doc has brought out of the emotionless trance is shot through the head just as he is about to tell Doc who hired him. |
| 186 | * ''Literature/{{Oathbringer}}'' (third book of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''): The in-universe book ''The Way of Kings'' features a parable of a murdered man telling people that three men had worked together to kill him, but dying before he could say which of the four suspects was the innocent one. The parable is supposed to be about how to balance letting guilty parties go free versus punishing the one innocent man, but Taravangian points out that it probably didn't actually happen since it's too neat and precise for real life. |
| 187 | * In ''Literature/{{Eisenhorn}}: Malleus'', Eisenhorn corners the rogue Inquisitor Lyko and probes his mind for the identity of the elusive mastermind behind the Thracian Atrocity. He’s just about to unlock the secret when Cherubael telekinetically flings Lyko into the maw of a combine harvester, reducing him to LudicrousGibs. |
| 188 | * ''Literature/{{The Ink Black Heart}}'' appears to use this trope when [[spoiler: Moorhouse is murdered right when he's about to tell his online girlfriend Paperwhite who Anomie is.]] However, it is later revealed that [[spoiler: Paperwhite ''is'' Anomie, and was presumably testing Moorhouse's loyalty before silencing him.]] |
| 189 | * ''Literature/TheWitches'': Lampshaded, when the Grandmother is dropping cigar ash all over her lap, and the hero hopes she will not catch on fire before she has told him how to recognise a witch, as she has announced she will. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 193 | * Happens constantly on ''Series/TwentyFour'', generally prompting Jack Bauer to scream "DAMMIT!" |
| 194 | * In an episode of ''Series/BabylonFive'', a severely wounded man manages to spit out "They're going to kill him! They're going to kill --" before dying. During the investigation, [[spoiler: Security Chief Michael Garibaldi]] is severely wounded; he makes a visible point of finishing the sentence before the medical staff carts him away. [[spoiler: It's "they're going to kill the President", and they do.]] |
| 195 | * In the ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' movie, "Razor", [[spoiler: Kendra Shaw's radio cuts out (and then she gets blown up) before she can reveal that, according to the Hybrid, Kara Thrace will lead the humans to their end]]. It takes until halfway through season 4 before anyone else manages to get this information again. |
| 196 | * Averted in the Australian mini-series ''Series/BlueMurder'', based on true events. Underworld hitman Christopher Flannery shoots fellow criminal Tony Eustace because he believes him to be an informer. When the police ask Eustace who shot him, the reply is "Fuck off!" |
| 197 | * One episode of ''Series/BurnNotice'' in the first season features an (obviously doomed) informant meeting the main character on a rooftop to switch sides and give him valuable information. He doesn't do so well. |
| 198 | * ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': |
| 199 | ** Detective John Raglan -- the lead investigator into the unsolved murder of Beckett's mother -- calls her up and asks for a meet, as he has important information to deliver. He instead rambles nervously for a bit about coffee and Jacob Marley from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', this giving the sinister conspiracy he's on the verge of exposing enough time to ensure that he never, ever tells anyone anything again just as he's about to spit it out. |
| 200 | ** Happens again in "Dial M for Mayor". The suspect, who is working for the BigBad of the entire series, is pressed for a name. And then cracks. After an agonizing series of pauses and false starts and more pauses and significant looks, the suspect says, "His... name... is...", and suddenly a mysterious lawyer shows up, declares that he's been retained to represent the suspect and that he's advising his client to exercise his right to remain silent. |
| 201 | * Played for Laughs in ''Series/{{Community}}'' where Magnitude (whose catch phrase is "Pop Pop!") dives on a paint bomb and tries to utter his catch phrase one more time. Ridiculous not only because he was not dying or even injured, just eliminated from the paintball game, but also because Troy couldn't figure out what he meant. |
| 202 | -->'''Magnitude:''' Pop...\ |
| 203 | '''Troy:''' Pop what, Magnitude? WHAT IS HE TRYING TO SAY?? |
| 204 | * Happens on ''{{Series/Dinosaurs}}'' when the Sinclairs take their baby to the chief elder for naming. Their son gets stuck with "Augh Ugh I'm Dying You Idiot". |
| 205 | ** It's been hinted to happen before with "Achoo" and "Burp, Excuse Me". |
| 206 | * Parodied in ''Series/FatGuyStuckInInternet'', when Watcher-Teacher dies very slowly, rambling on and on about how he wishes he had the time to tell Ken Gemberling of his destiny, prompting Gemberling to yell, "Just replace ''the words that you're saying'' with the ones about my destiny!" |
| 207 | * Parodied in a ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode in which Frasier, Niles, and his radio co-workers try to do a mystery program, but technical difficulties and egos stifle the production. Eventually, Niles gets fed up and goes off-script, in which his character kills off the whole cast save Frasier's character. Before his character dies he mentions "And a final bullet so the secret (of the Manor, the setting the play takes place) dies with me. ("shoots" self) Ha". |
| 208 | ** PlayedForDrama in another episode involving Martin agonising over [[ThatOneCase a decades old murder he never managed to solve.]] The victim scrawled the word 'HELP' in the dirt as she lay dying, which made no sense as anyone who could see the word would also have seen her on the ground. It turns out she was writing the killer's name, [[spoiler: 'SHELBY', the vice cop who 'found' the body,]] but she died before finishing it and the first part got erased. [[InsaneTrollLogic Somehow,]] Frasier manages to conclude that the killer was [[ItMakesSenseInContext a chimpanzee with a gun dressed as George Washington.]] |
| 209 | * ''Series/GetSmart'' |
| 210 | ** Lampshaded in "Ironhand" when the informant blurts out the villain's name right away and gloats that he escaped the death that always happens to the guy about to say the name. However, Maxwell Smart forgets the name and asks the informant to repeat it. The informant isn't so lucky the second time. |
| 211 | ** Also lampshaded in ''Get Smart Again'', where Smart tackles the informant to the ground when he is about to reveal the name, stating that "this is the part where they always get shot before telling us" (paraphrased, sorry). The informant still gets shot, and then before dying says that he didn't know who the traitor was because all contact with him was done through dead drops. |
| 212 | ** PlayedForLaughs in "Aboard the Orient Express." Agent Ernst is stabbed in the back while talking to Max. Max asks him the identity of his killer, and he responds painfully slowly "Don't think I'll live long enough to say... pity!", and dies. |
| 213 | ** Max is on the receiving end in "Where-What-How-Who Am I?". He overhears the EvilPlan of some KAOS agents and is relating this on the phone to the Chief when they burst into the room and try to kill him. Max survives but is injured and [[AmnesiaEpisode loses his memory]], so the Chief only knows that something is going down [[RaceAgainstTheClock at exactly 2.15pm.]] |
| 214 | * ''Series/GuidingLight''. After CreepyCrossdresser Brent Lawrence (he's disguised himself as a woman named [[Film/{{Psycho}} Marion]] [[ShoutOut Crane]] in order to continue stalking the woman he raped) kills the cop who's discovered his identity, he starts to write "MAR--" with his blood, but dies before he can finish. Unfortunately, the other cops assume he was trying to write "''Marcus''", the name of a local troublemaker, and focus him instead. |
| 215 | * ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has the ridiculously verbose "I have the ability to-", rather than just "I can fly", or even just silently hovering. |
| 216 | * Inverted on ''Series/{{Lost}}''. Although wounded and dying, Libby ''is'' able to say the name of her and Ana Lucia's murderer... but since the murderer in question is one of them and was also wounded (as part of a trick to make them think the killer was the man they'd been holding prisoner), they think she's asking about his well-being, not noticing the frightened look on her face. |
| 217 | ** Played straight with "I need you to go there and find my mother. Her name is..." before Daniel travels through time. |
| 218 | ** Also played straight when Boone dies in the first season, and his last words to Jack are "Tell Shannon... tell Shannon... tell..." |
| 219 | * ''Series/{{MASH}}'': |
| 220 | ** In "Life Time", Charles is giving surgical instructions while donating blood to the patient and passes out right after saying, "There's one other thing. It's very important-- You mustn't forget--". It's a parody, though, as it's already been established that everyone involved with the surgery knows what to do, Charles is just...being Charles. |
| 221 | ** Also parodied in "The Light That Failed", where the camp, in the middle of a supply drought and starved for entertainment, becomes fixated on a mystery novel that B.J. received from his wife. Unfortunately, once they reach the end of the book they find out that the last page is missing, and it inconveniently cuts out right as the detective is about to announce who the killer is. |
| 222 | --->'''Hawkeye''': "A hush fell over the drawing room as Inspector Langley casually lit his pipe and announced 'I can now disclose the identity of the murderer. The killer's name is-'" ...It's that blasted Langley's fault! If he hadn't stopped to light his pipe we'd know who did it! |
| 223 | * ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'': In "The Death Song of Uther Pendragon", Uther returns as a ghost to wreak havoc on Camelot. After a showdown, Uther finds out that Merlin has magic. Fortunately, Uther is banished back to the spirit realm by Arthur just as he says "Merlin has--". |
| 224 | * ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS12E4 The Glitch]]", mechanic Daniel Snape leaves a message for a friend indicating he knows who the murderer is, but he's murdered before they can talk. He leaves a cryptic DyingClue at least. |
| 225 | * In ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'', Howard and Vince find the last words of Biggie Shackleton, which were frozen by the Black Frost as he was saying them. They begin to thaw them out, piece by piece. ''The Egg of Mantombi... can be found... in the cave if the...'' But when they get to the last one, Vince's phone goes off. |
| 226 | * Used twice in [[Recap/TheMuppetShowS4E14 the Liza Minelli episode]] of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': first with Scooter, then with guest star Liza herself. In her case it's a fake-out, though, designed to get the murderer to reveal himself. |
| 227 | * Repeatedly parodied on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. "The money's... in the... ''urrrrrgghhh''." |
| 228 | * On ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'', Kensi meets with a source who knows who killed her father and has been killing the rest of a black ops team. Before he gives her the name, he gets sniped. |
| 229 | * ''Series/OddSquad'' has a non-death version used in "Oscar the Couch". Oscar warns Olive and Otto that Ms. O can't find out that he's turning into a couch, but just before he can tell them why, he suddenly completes his transformation and becomes a full couch. The rest of the episode is spent with the two agents attempting to unlock the briefcase containing the gadget needed to turn Oscar back to normal, and while Ms. O does find out and grows upset, it's for the wrong reason -- there's a couch in Headquarters. |
| 230 | * In ''Series/OnceUponATime'', August fails hard at using his last words to say who attacked him. He doesn't die, but no longer remembers what he was going to say. |
| 231 | * Half-averted in the season 1 finale of ''Series/OrphanBlack''. Amelia, introduced in the previous episode as the long-lost birthmother of Sarah and her literal EvilTwin, Helena, meets with Sarah and tells her her foster mother isn't who she seems to be. However, it turns out to be Helena in disguise, and she stabs Amelia in revenge for having been given up to an abusive religious sect. Amelia lives long enough for Sarah to find her, but Amelia can only stammer out "your foster mother ..." repeatedly before dying. |
| 232 | * In the series finale of ''Series/RemingtonSteele'', Steele discovers that [[spoiler: his longtime mentor, Daniel Chalmers, is also his father. Chalmers dies just as Steele is asking him, "What is my real name?"]] |
| 233 | * In the ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' episode "Mystery Weekend", the butler is stabbed after being accused of the first scripted murder. When Inspector Picadilly shows up to investigate, he knows almost right away who's guilty: |
| 234 | -->'''Picadilly:''' No, it wasn't the maid. The real murderer is--\ |
| 235 | [lights go out; thunder crashes]\ |
| 236 | '''Picadilly:''' Aaargh!\ |
| 237 | [dies]\ |
| 238 | '''Kelly:''' I don't believe this! [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Now we'll never know who the killer is.]]\ |
| 239 | '''Screech''': But he just told us! All we have to do is find out whose real name is 'Aaargh!' |
| 240 | * In the pilot episode of ''{{Series/Sliders}}'', an alternate version of Quinn is about to explain something very important to his counterpart about dimensional travel when his own wormhole opens and sucks him into his home dimension before he can finish. |
| 241 | * In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E10TornAndFrayed "Torn And Frayed" (S08, Ep10)]], Samandriel is about to reveal how the Angels are being controlled. |
| 242 | * Played with in ''Series/TeenWolf''. As [[spoiler: Allison]] lays dying, [[spoiler: her last words]] are "You have to tell my dad-" repeated with some urgency. At first, the heroes think they just wanted to tell their father they loved them but said father revealed they had told him that early that day. This leads them to realize that the dead character was trying to tell them how they defeated the so far unkillable villains of the season, which the heroes then work out for themselves. |
| 243 | * It happened several times in one episode of former Brazilian comedy show ''Series/TvPirata''. A network was suffering from several acts of sabotage. Everyone who tried to tell the culprit's name before the climax was killed at the exact point, prompting people to ask who that "Ooooohhhh" was. One of the trope's victims was even stabbed to death with a spoon because the killer ran out of knives. |
| 244 | * Becomes a RunningGag in the ''Series/WayneAndShuster'' sketch "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga". |
| 245 | -->"That's a funny name. Must be an Egyptian." |
| 246 | * Happened in several episodes of the ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' game show, with [[TheyKilledKennyAgain a recurring character known as The Dying Witness]]. |
| 247 | * Also happened all too often on ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire''. One of the LifeLines allowed the contestant to call a friend and ask them the question. Since the friend only had thirty seconds to hear the question and answer, they would often be cut off while saying "I think it's-", leaving the contestant no better off. |
| 248 | * There's a quick bit in the ''Series/RosemaryAndThyme'' episode "Seeds of Time". Late at night, Laura discovers a clue in an old diary and wakes Rosemary to tell her, "I've just found the answer to the whole thing! It's a--" "AAAAAAARRRGH!", glass smashes, and they run to the window to find yet another person dead. |
| 249 | * In an episode of ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'', [[TheStarscream Deviot]] hires a pair of monsters to kill Trakeena and make it look like the Red Ranger did it. Naturally they fail, and when Trakeena is about to force one of them to confess who hired them, Deviot shows up and shoots him dead from behind, pretending that he was coming to her rescue. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 253 | * Common in many mystery shows of the time, but Radio/TheShadow had it particularly bad. One particular episode (the Laughing Corpse) had a man start to answer the Shadow's question about the name and location of an ex-partner of his who had threatened to kill him, only to get distracted by a small box. It then happened a second time, once he realized he'd been poisoned by opening the box, by going on and on about how "I must tell you his name before he is able to complete his evil mission of revenge! His name is--" and that was it. |
| 254 | [[/folder]] |
| 255 | |
| 256 | [[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]] |
| 257 | * A variation from Creator/CheechAndChong's album ''AudioPlay/LosCochinos'': the portion of the Film/CharlieChan movie in "Pedro And Man At The Drive-Inn" where the murderer's identity is about to be revealed when the drive-in manager interrupts with a message that the snack bar will remain open for another fifteen minutes. |
| 258 | -->"Everybody in this room have motive for killing Mr. Taylor. But Mr. Taylor only have one killer, and the name of that killer is..." |
| 259 | [[/folder]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 262 | * In the parody-mystery musical ''Something's Afoot'', the nosy old lady finally realizes who's been killing off the rest of the cast. Her last words are, "The murderer is..." (and then she is strangled by a trap). |
| 263 | * In ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', [[spoiler:Snape]] is fatally poisoned by a snake bite to the wiener, reveals that [[spoiler:Harry is the final horcrux and needs to sacrifice himself]], and claims to know another way to fix everything: |
| 264 | -->[[spoiler:'''Snape''']]: I'll show you what you need to do! [[LargeHam Watch... very... carefully!]] ''[drops dead]''\ |
| 265 | '''Malfoy:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint He didn't even do anything.]] |
| 266 | ** This just might be a literal statement. Technically speaking, Harry WOULD need to die, and [[spoiler:Snape]] had a good opportunity for... well, demonstrating the technique. |
| 267 | * In ''Theatre/TheAltos'', the first hitman is shot, and attempts to give up his employer, but keeps getting interrupted by members of the family as they embark on the musical number, "Come Clean". |
| 268 | [[/folder]] |
| 269 | |
| 270 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 271 | * Subverted in ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus''. When Wyatt is sending B.J. Blascowicz a radio transmission, he says "watch out for..." and promptly fades out. Turns out, he just felt lightheaded for a moment because he'd [[MushroomSamba experimented with LSD the night before]]. Once Wyatt comes back on, he finishes his thought, saying to watch out for Nazi patrols. |
| 272 | * ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'': [[RedShirt Yaroslev Tartakovsky]] on Noveria is about to give you the password for nuking the hot lab, when... Downplayed in that you can find the password written down from his pocket after his death. |
| 273 | * In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'''s "Meet The Spy", the BLU Spy is explaining that anybody in the room could be the RED Spy. His long, dramatic speech ends with "It could be you! It could be me! It could even be-" He is then [[YourHeadASplode shot in the face by the Soldier's shotgun]], who thought the BLU Spy was obviously the RED Spy in disguise. [[RedHerringMole He wasn't.]] |
| 274 | * [[spoiler: Aldaris]] is killed just before he can reveal a critical piece of information in ''VideoGame/StarcraftBroodWar''. |
| 275 | * This happens in the LicensedGame of ''Film/MissionImpossible1996'' when an informant dies in the middle of giving information, Ethan Hunt says "I just ''[[LampshadedTrope knew]]'' he wasn't going to finish that sentence..." |
| 276 | * ''VideoGame/HalfLife'': |
| 277 | ** In [[VideoGame/HalfLife1 the first game]], at the end of the chapter "Apprehension" Gordon makes it to the surface and is greeted by a guard who starts to relay a message to him, telling him to "make sure you don't--" before taking a bullet in the back and collapsing at his feet. |
| 278 | ** The expansion pack ''[[VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce Opposing Force]]'' opens with the HECU Marines being deployed to Black Mesa, shortly followed by Xen Mantas attacking their aircraft mid-flight. Adrian Shephard's commander prepares to tell his team "Your mission is--" before his Osprey gets blasted out of the air as well, leaving Shephard unconscious. |
| 279 | ** ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode Two'': Eli Vance starts to tell Gordon (and by extension the anxious player) about the mysterious G-Man, only to be interrupted before he can get to any of the juicy stuff. [[spoiler:He doesn't survive long enough to resume the conversation.]] |
| 280 | * Averted in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series. This very line is said ''many'' times, but instead of the character getting killed, it was just [[TheChessmaster Nomura]] setting up a moment for TheReveal. |
| 281 | ** Played straight when Vexen almost reveals [[spoiler:Roxas]]'s existence to Sora, when Axel kills him. |
| 282 | * Thankfully averted in ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''. [[spoiler:Glottis]] almost does this. "It could save me if you have the right... *cough cough* The right... *cough* Fuel..." Of course, he doesn't stay conscious long enough to tell you exactly what fuel, but he probably didn't have any idea and figuring it out yourself makes for a nice puzzle. |
| 283 | * In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', the [[HeelFaceTurn defecting]] scientist Clarke mentions to Hudson and Weaver the numbers that fit into [[BigBad Dragovich's]] plan, but is interrupted by a firefight before he can elaborate. A little later on, while the group is trying to avoid sliding off a roof as they're taking fire from Spetsnaz hitmen, Hudson asks him about them again, and Clarke begins telling him... and then he is shot in the head. |
| 284 | -->'''Hudson''': What about the numbers, Clarke?\ |
| 285 | '''Clarke''': Ah yes. The numbers... they're the key to-- |
| 286 | * In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Link's uncle says, "Zelda is your...." then dies. Many speculated that the line would read "Zelda is your sister" or "Zelda is your destiny" but this is never brought up again later in the game. The GBA rerelease averts this trope by rewriting the dialogue to omit the line entirely, although an OptionalBoss MasterOfIllusion takes Link's uncle's form and gives a similar line before attacking. |
| 287 | * In ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge,'' hired thug/assassin Ropeburn gets shot just before telling you who hired him. |
| 288 | * In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity,'' the first of Deadshot's victims is killed just as he's about to tell Batman the specifics of [[spoiler: his work during the construction of Arkham City]]. A particularly bad case of the WhyDontYouJustShootHim variant, as [[ImprobableAimingSkills Deadshot]] had a clear line of sight and we're explicitly told later in the sidequest that Batman was one of his targets, and the game even has you to stand around investigating the crime scene for a while before leaving. |
| 289 | ** This is handwaved by the fact that Deadshot follows his own, extremely strict code - he has a list of people to kill in a specific order and at a specific time, Batman's time has not come yet and refuses to do it beforehand. [[AndThatWouldBeWrong That would be wrong.]] |
| 290 | * In ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'', [[spoiler:the heroes promise to spare the life of the BigBad's minion Arukenimon in exchange for information after beating her for the final time. Right when it seems like she might oblige, TheDragon Piedmon teleports in and [[YouHaveFailedMe executes her for her failures]] before she could tell them anything useful]]. |
| 291 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': After defeating [[spoiler:the Marquis de Leon]], when you talk to [[spoiler:Nun the Wiser]] in a shrine near Havre Leon, she almost reveals [[spoiler:Estark's name]] before she suddenly chokes up and dies. |
| 292 | * ''VideoGame/ShogoMobileArmorDivision'' has an [[ZigZaggedTrope interesting take]] on this when Kura is cornered and arrested by the CMC. She manages to tell Sanjuro that [[spoiler:his brother Toshiro is Gabriel]], but only starts a sentence with [[spoiler:"Cothineal-"]] before she is taken away. She does, however, survive to tell you that [[spoiler:Cothineal is controlling Toshiro]]. |
| 293 | * In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', Peach's last e-mail message to Mario is interrupted before she can tell him or the player that [[spoiler:the villains want the Shadow Queen to claim her body]]. |
| 294 | * The first ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' game and the remake has Enrico, the leader of Bravo Team, tell you there's a traitor, however, he is shot just before telling Chris or Jill who it is. A savvy player can find several clues to their identity before they reveal themselves: a slideshow of the bioweapons purposely created that includes a photo of the people involved, a file on security procedures that reveals their name, and if the character you play as finds the other missing playable character they'll reveal who it is. |
| 295 | * The Neo-Geo arcade game ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' has this in the ending, in which either Ryo or Robert beat up Mr. Karate badly, but just before they finish him off, Yuri suddenly appears to reveal Mr. Karate's identity, however before she can do so it cuts away to a "To Be Continued?" shot. |
| 296 | ** Subverted in the Super NES version, in which they reveal Mr. Karate to be [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather Takuma Sakazaki]]]]. He would go on to explain how he ended up in the situation he was in. |
| 297 | * ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon 3'' has Brett die before he can explain [[spoiler: TreacherousAdvisor Yuriko sent the thugs to kidnap Marian and trick the Lee brothers into collecting the [[MacGuffinDeliveryService Sacred Stones]] for her.]] |
| 298 | * ''VideoGame/SniperEliteV2'' has one mission where you have to save a Nazi scientist about to be executed for treason so he can give you information on the last V2 rockets. When the dust settles, he's dying from gunshot wounds. He manages to choke out the name "Tabun", and even clarify that it isn't a person or place, but dies before he can go into further detail. For the record, [[spoiler:Tabun is a deadly chemical agent being packed into the last V2 rockets, which will be fired at London as Nazi Germany's last hurrah.]] |
| 299 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Penumbra}}'', Philip finds a tape which Eloff Carpenter recorded, giving information about the Tuurngait, but just before Eloff could say what their main weakness is, he is killed. |
| 300 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', the NES version has Schneider, on the transceiver, about to unveil the identity of Big Boss |
| 301 | -->SCHNEIDER HERE. WE HAVE UNMASKED THE LEADER OF ENEMY FORTRESS!\ |
| 302 | IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, BUT THE ENEMY LEADER IS.........\ |
| 303 | ARRRGGHHH!! |
| 304 | * In ''VideoGame/SystemShock'', [[PlayerCharacter the Hacker]] discovers an ApocalypticLog by a scientist explaining how to prevent [[BigBad SHODAN]]'s KillSat strike on Earth, who's then shot right as he's about to give the password necessary to proceed. |
| 305 | * In ''Grim Facade 6: Hidden Sins'' the local bartender is killed by an expertly-thrown dagger just as he's about to reveal who he thinks the murderer is. |
| 306 | * In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', [[spoiler:Kunikazu Okumura]] suffers a fatal Mental Shutdown on live television right before he can expose the key members of TheConspiracy. |
| 307 | * Lampshaded and mocked in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]''. |
| 308 | -->'''Blake:''' Damn... You're stronger than you look... Shame you're too late... Mila is... already... ''[dies]''\ |
| 309 | '''Mae:''' Dangit, I hate it when they die right before they say something important! |
| 310 | * When investigating someone in ''VideoGame/TownOfSalem'', you will not know your results until right at the end of the night. As a result of this, their last will usually consists of marking down only the name of whoever they last visited. |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/ReturnOfTheObraDinn'': In "Unholy Captives" the captain tries to get Chioh Tan, the only person left who has any knowledge about the situation the ship has found itself in, to explain what the hell is going on. Unfortunately, the only information the translator (who is only partially fluent in Hokkien) is able to give to the captain is "He talk about a shell. Very dangerous." The next moment, Tan gets killed. |
| 312 | * In ''VideoGame/Killer7'', [[spoiler:Christopher Mills]] is shot several times before he can reveal critical details about [[spoiler:Garcian's backstory]]. |
| 313 | [[/folder]] |
| 314 | |
| 315 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 316 | * In Chapter 7 of ''VisualNovel/ThePhantomAgent'', The Supplier is about to reveal [[BigBad The Architect's]] real name when the latter shoots him dead, after he had killed the former's spouse Alexis. As a result, Elliot and Gray don't learn The Architect's name, [[spoiler:Johann Skovgaard]], until Chapter 13. |
| 317 | * PlayedWith in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice''. A witness in the final case is (not fatally) shot just as she's about to reveal the [[BigBad Big Bad]]'s name. However, the identity of the shooter incriminates the guilty party just as much as if the name had actually been said: [[spoiler: it's one of Queen Ga'ran's Royal Guards, who is very heavily implied to have acted on her orders.]] |
| 318 | * ''VisualNovel/SablesGrimoire: A Dragon's Treasure'' has a non-fatal example. Ein tries to warn Sable about the true nature of Nidhogg's amulet, only for Nidhogg to appear out of thin air and whisk Ein away via teleportation, forcing Sable to figure things out on his own. |
| 319 | * In Chapter 1 of ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterDeathMarkII'', Izumi reveals he knows who [[BigBad The Departed]] is, but when Kazuo asks him to explain, he instead runs off to flee the wrath of Hanako, and when Kazuo is able to save him from Hanako's hoses, he runs again. By the time Kazuo catches up with him, Hanako has already killed him. |
| 320 | [[/folder]] |
| 321 | |
| 322 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 323 | * Parodied in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', during the X-Files story arc. While the agents are sitting down to eat in a restaurant, the ''waitress'' is shot while reciting the daily specials. One of the FBI agents dramatically demands to know what she was going to say, but she dies right before she can finish. |
| 324 | -->What ''kind'' of catfish? What's the soup du jour? '''[[BigNo NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!]]''' |
| 325 | ** Another time, it momentarily appears that this happens to Bun-bun's informant, but then it's revealed to have been a cut to where the bad guys who were supposed to kill that informant are killing the wrong guy who was just about to reveal someone the location of a rave. |
| 326 | * Parodied in ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/443.html number 443]] |
| 327 | * Played almost straight in [[http://www.scarygoround.com/sgr/ar.php?date=20020920 this]] ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'' strip. |
| 328 | * Subverted in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''. UU tells Roxy her real name but purposely doesn't tell her her brother's name because that will [[spoiler: activate their LiteralSplitPersonality. Also, her final words before she takes her (possibly last) nap will be her brother's name.]] |
| 329 | * In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' the smuggler Stephanos Tuesday, who works with Agatha's spies as an informant, is killed just as he says ''[[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20151218 "Lady Jenka! You have to warn-"]]'' Interestingly he was probably trying to warn Jenka of the ridiculous number of Revenants and others including the king loyal to the Other in the Arguron King's court. They were exposed anyway by killing him right in front of her. |
| 330 | * ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2023 This]] strip suggests pulling some form of this if you're executed, [[DefiantToTheEnd just to screw with everyone]]. |
| 331 | -->'''Man on guillotine''': The cure for cancer is-- |
| 332 | [[/folder]] |
| 333 | |
| 334 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 335 | * ''WebVideo/CinemaSins'' turns this into a RunningGag by labeling it "The Pronoun Game", as there's usually little reason to have this occur save to keep the ''audience'' in suspense. |
| 336 | * ''WebVideo/FreemansMind'': Episode 34 takes a straight example from the original Half-Life and plays it for laughs. |
| 337 | -->'''Guard:''' Whatever you do, don't- (gets shot)\ |
| 338 | '''Freeman:''' Gah! Okay, 10-4! I'll make sure not to do that! Hmm... my intuition tells me that wasn't the full message. Something about him killing himself to make a point doesn't add up. That and the silenced gunshot tells me there's something devious going on here... Ah-HA!\ |
| 339 | (Freeman jumps around a corner and finds nothing)\ |
| 340 | '''Freeman:''' Hmm... I don't see anyone. Maybe the problem just went away. Maybe I willed it out of existence. Maybe it was the magical sniper fairy that comes and gives silenced hollow-point round to people who don't eat their vegetables. |
| 341 | * In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', after defeating [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Dreadlord]] [[AxCrazy Leraje]], [[BaldOfAuthority Ismail]] momentarily glances at the wall where the sultan's posse is observing the duel and suddenly realizes who Leraje reminds him of and who thus fits perfectly into [[JerkassGods Nergal's]] prophecy of a traitor being in the [[TheAlliance Grand Alliance]]. This distracts him momentarily, which allows Leraje to regenerate and skewer him. Ismail, realizing he's done for, uses the last of his strength to try to tell the Alliance the identity of the traitor but is decapitated just before he can finish saying the name. |
| 342 | * ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' mocked this. After Captain Flowers was revived from death (eight hundred years in the future. [[BellisariosMaxim Don't think about it too hard]]), he's about to tell Tucker the secret to beating the Red Team but keeps delaying it until he's shot in the head. |
| 343 | -->'''Tucker:''' Hey, I could use some help.\ |
| 344 | '''Cpt. Flowers:''' You bet. And I have some information about the Reds that will guarantee our victory.\ |
| 345 | '''Tucker:''' You do?\ |
| 346 | '''Cpt. Flowers:''' I certainly do! Would you like to hear it?\ |
| 347 | '''Tucker:''' Yeah, I wanna hear it!\ |
| 348 | '''Cpt. Flowers:''' Great! Because I'm just about to tell you!\ |
| 349 | ''[{{Beat}}]''\ |
| 350 | '''Tucker:''' Okay... Why aren't you telling me?\ |
| 351 | '''Cpt. Flowers:''' Good question. [[LampshadeHanging I seem to be dramatically pausing for some-]]\ |
| 352 | ''[Flowers gets shot by an off-screen sniper]''\ |
| 353 | '''Cpt. Flowers:''' [[RunningGag Hrrg! Blah...]]\ |
| 354 | '''Tucker:''' Well, good riddance. I wasn't giving this armour back, anyway. |
| 355 | ** Happens again when Caboose is distracting Sheila the Tank so the others can shut her down (they think the Omega AI is controlling her) |
| 356 | -->'''Sheila:''' I am not host to the Omega AI, however, I know who is.\ |
| 357 | '''Caboose:''' Really? Who?\ |
| 358 | '''Sheila:''' It is-\ |
| 359 | ''[Sheila gets shut down]''\ |
| 360 | '''Shiela:''' Blllluuuuuurrrgh...\ |
| 361 | '''Caboose:''' Who is Bllllaaaaarrrrggggh? |
| 362 | * ''[[WebVideo/FreemansMindSpinoffs Shephard's Mind]]'' takes a serendipitous moment where a soldier gets shot in the middle of a stock line ([[NotWhatISignedOnFor "Government cover-ups were not in my job description!"]]) and [[ThrowItIn turns it into one of these]]: Shephard (whose voice is dubbed over the prerecorded gameplay footage) asks about the rumor that their mission is part of a government coverup, and his squadmate gets out the words "Government coverups w--" before going down. |
| 363 | * Played for laughs in ''[[WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC Rorschach and Deadpool]]''. The pair finds four different informants[[note]]As well as a pizza boy and a random passerby, hell, even Rorschach[[/note]], and Deadpool shoots every one of them as they finish saying the name of the trope. Purely because he finds their voices irritating. |
| 364 | [[/folder]] |
| 365 | |
| 366 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 367 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': |
| 368 | ** Used in the episode "Mystery Train", when Colonel Candycorn is about to reveal who his enemy was. |
| 369 | --->"...and his or her name is-" |
| 370 | ** In "From Bad To Worse", Princess Bubblegum gets caught and turned into a zombie as she's explaining how to make the zombie-curing formula. Her last words are "Just let Science do the work! Science is ''maaaaaaa raaaaaaaa''..." [[spoiler:It isn't until the end of the episode that Finn figures out she was trying to say "my rat"; she has a lab rat named Science that knows how to make the formula]]. |
| 371 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': |
| 372 | ** The second Film/JamesBond parody "For Black Eyes Only." Stan and Tearjerker (Roger) try to interrogate the location of Black Villain (Principal Lewis) out of Tchochkie Schmear (Klaus). He finally relents, leading to the over-the-top line "The thing that you do not know about the location of Black Villain that I do is..." and is promptly assassinated. |
| 373 | ** In "Death By Dinner Party", Greg is stabbed but manages to feel the killer's face and identify them, leading to: |
| 374 | --->The killer...'s name will surprise you. The killer is...'''Stan'''! ''(dramatic chord)'' ...Francine, Hayley, everyone pay attention to what I'm about to say. This is Greg Corbin with my final report. The killer was... ''(a [[FallingChandelierOfDoom chandelier falls]] and kills Greg)'' |
| 375 | * An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' featuring one of the Quail-Man adventures had Quail-Man asking Silver Skeeter, who had been half-frozen in a block of something like carbonite, who froze him. He replies saying he doesn't have the strength to say the name and is too worried he'll get halfway through telling him before he's completely frozen. When Quailman demands that he try, this is exactly what happens. |
| 376 | * ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'': |
| 377 | ** In the episode "The Duh Vinci Code", Animatronio tells the Planet Express crew that "the fountain you seek is -- HURRK!" before he dies. [[spoiler: It turns out that Animatronio was [[FakingTheDead faking his death]].]] |
| 378 | ** In "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Televison", during a showing of ''All My Circuits'', Antonio proclaims he found out a shocking secret that has been kept hidden for 200 years. Just as he reveals it, he short-circuits and trails off. This wasn't meant to happen and ultimately he has to be replaced, but Bender [[AllPartOfTheShow thinks it's part of the show]]. |
| 379 | --->'''Bender:''' ''(Watching)'' Whoever's directing this is a master of suspense! |
| 380 | ** Happens in "Anthology of Interest I" when Leela wonders what she'd be like if she was more impulsive. She ends up murdering the Professor to claim insurance money left in his will to her then proceed to do so to Hermes, Bender, and Amy (the former two she did to cover up her tracks, the latter she just did out of spite when Amy criticized a bit of her clothing). Zoidberg, trying to solve the mystery, gather Fry, Scuffy, Culbert and Niblet to present his findings. When the latter three point out who they suspect it is, Leela cuts the lights and quickly offs them. |
| 381 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' uses a non-death version of this in the episode "It's About Time": A future version Twilight Sparkle materializes in front of her past self to deliver an important message from the future. Naturally, the time travel spell runs out of juice just as she says "Whatever you do, don't--" and she vanishes. Twilight promptly spends the rest of the episode attempting to figure out what the message was. Turns out [[spoiler: her future self just came back to warn her [[StableTimeLoop not to freak out about the message]]]]. Oops. |
| 382 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', in the sketch "[[WesternAnimation/TaleSpin The]] [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 Baloo]] [[Film/TheBourneIdentity Identity]]", when Baloo finds Rebecca... |
| 383 | -->'''Rebecca:''' "That's right, it's me Baloo. I can explain everything, as long as a bullet doesn't--" '''''BLAM!''''' |
| 384 | * In ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'', it's a RunningGag that the heroes never recognize Boris and Natasha no matter how many times they encounter them. Except for one episode, when Rocky has a rare moment of insight and suddenly realizes everything -- not only the arc's plot but who's behind it. He gets as far as saying, "The villain of this whole show is named --" before he's incapacitated by the spies' [[StupidityInducingAttack goof gas]] and forgets everything. |
| 385 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' parody of ''Series/TwentyFour''. Bart has to tell Lisa the name of the traitor to the Counter Truancy Unit (CTU). "Now I don't have much time so I'm just gonna come out and say his name. So get ready to know his name. His name is the following. M-" ...and Martin knocks Bart unconscious. |
| 386 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Best Friends Forever", an accident leaves Kenny in a vegetative state. It is unclear what he would want to happen to him because a page is missing from his will and the known portion ends with "If I should ever be in a vegetative state, please...". His plight becomes the subject of much debate and he ends up on TV nationwide...then, when the last page of his will is finally found, it turns out the complete sentence is "If should ever be in a vegetative state, please, for the love of God, don't ever show me in that condition on national television". |
| 387 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': |
| 388 | ** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E18TheJediWhoKnewTooMuch "The Jedi Who Knew Too Much"]], an informant was about to tell Ahsoka who was responsible for a plot to bomb the Jedi Temple when she was killed in a way that made Ahsoka look guilty. |
| 389 | ** Played with in [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS6E10TheLostOne "The Lost One"]]. Anakin and Obi-Wan meet with Master Sifo-Dyas' former attaché, hoping to find out who Tyranus is and why he paid the Pyke Syndicate to assassinate Sifo-Dyas. The attaché (who's been help captive by the Pykes for a decade as insurance) [[GoMadFromTheIsolation is no longer sane enough]] to just come right out and explain everything, and while he manages to get the "why" part out, he's Force-choked to death before he can get to the "who". Subverted when Anakin and Obi-Wan turn around, see Count Dooku standing behind them, and start to put two and two together. |
| 390 | ** In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS7E10ThePhantomApprentice "The Phantom Apprentice"]], a captured Prime Minister Almec reveals that Maul's trap had been intended for two Jedi, not just one. The heroes already know Obi-Wan was one of them, but Almec taunts them by pretending to forget the other Jedi's name. After Bo-Katan threatens him, he caves in and is about to name them when one of Maul's CoDragons shoots him through the chest. Subverted in that he [[AlmostDeadGuy lives long enough]] to get the name out: "Skywalker". |
| 391 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' episode "Secret Origins: Part 2", the Turtles are about to leave the virtual-reality history of the Utroms. Just before they go, VR!Mortu tells them, "The Shredder is an-" and the simulation ends. In the following episode, we learn that the Shredder [[spoiler: is an Utrom. The Utrom terrorist who caused the aliens to crash on Earth to begin with.]] |
| 392 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' uses a non-death version during the Monarch's trial in the first season. As Dr. Orpheus is about to reveal the Guild's involvement in the events leading up to the trial, Phantom Limb silences him by freezing everyone in the courtroom and then has Orpheus, via hypnotic suggestion, forget what he was about to say and instead proclaim the Monarch's guilt. |
| 393 | [[/folder]] |
| 394 | |
| 395 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 396 | * When the telegraph was first invented, people caught on that you could sever communications by cutting the wire. If you tried to carry a "normal" conversation, and it got intercepted by an enemy down the line, they'd cut the wire and you'd never get to the juicy part. To avert this trope, telegraphers quickly learned the art of putting the most important information of the message into the ''very first'' part of the message. This became standard practice and now putting the most important information first is considered Rule #1 of being a print journalist. |
| 397 | ** Recently though, this practice has waned in favor of a [[ClickBaitGag more profitable practice called "click-baiting"]], in which the headline only tells enough to get the reader hooked, but leaves out actual information. Examples: "A prominent politician was shot" instead of "<Name here> was shot", "This common food additive causes cancer" instead of "<Ingredient name here> causes cancer, commonly used as food additive". |
| 398 | ** To this day, this trope is why it's recommended you lead with your address when calling 911; if the call drops before you can tell them anything else, the operator at least knows where to send someone to see what's happening. |
| 399 | * As Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, an infamous abortionist and poisoner, was being hanged for his crimes, he allegedly managed to get out, "I am Jack the..." (He is not normally taken seriously as a [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Ripper]] suspect, [[NotMeThisTime since he was apparently in prison during the last three Ripper murders]].) |
| 400 | * Russian emperor UsefulNotes/PeterTheGreat refused to name his heir until his last minutes. At the deathbed, when he already couldn't talk, he gestured for ink and paper only to write "Leave all to" before dying. |
| 401 | * In law, a "dying declaration" may be considered an exception to the rule against hearsay evidence[[note]]depending on the jurisdiction, it may be a significantly narrower exemption than you might think - in the US, it can't be anything someone said right before dying, nor can it be in regard to any crime - dying declarations are usually ''only'' valid to identify the killer of the dying person. A neat fit for this trope, but not nearly as broad as the description sounds![[/note]]. In one trial, a witness was testifying about someone's last moments: |
| 402 | -->'''Lawyer:''' And what happened after he was shot?\ |
| 403 | '''Witness:''' Well, he said--\ |
| 404 | '''Judge:''' Hold it! This may be hearsay. |
| 405 | ** They then had to hold a lengthy ''voir dire'' (a trial within a trial) to determine whether the evidence would be admissible: whether it was a true dying declaration, whether the person was aware he was dying, etc. When it was all over and the evidence was found to be admissible, the attorney asked the witness what the man had said. |
| 406 | --->'''Witness:''' Well, [[ShaggyDogStory he just said "Ugh!" and died]]. |
| 407 | [[/folder]] |
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