History Main / BathroomBreakOut

Once alone, Bob makes his crafty, and usually narrowly executed, escape through the bathroom window, an [[AirVentEscape air vent]] or some other really unlikely exit.

* In ''{{Twilight}}'', Bella knows that the bathroom in the Phoenix airport has two doors in and out and her watcher, Alice, does not. Bella tells Alice she's going to the bathroom and then quickly escapes through the bathroom's other door before Alice can realize what she intends to do.

[[AC:Animation]]
* Subverted in ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. Toph is captured by Xin Fu and Master Yu, (her old earthbending mentor) in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Yu almost falls for it when Xin Fu points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.
* ''TransformersAnimated'' "Survival of the Fittest" Sari tricks the guard into letting her go to the bathroom, and then escaping by knocking him out when she claimed it wouldn't flush.
* On ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer was taking Bart to a behavior correction camp Bart escaped by climbing out the window of the restroom at a highway diner.
* Probably as an homage to this trope (among other EscapeTropes), in ''ToyStory3'' Woody initially breaks out of the day care centre through a bathroom window.
* President Uno does this during the ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "Operation W.H.I.T.E.H.O.U.S.E.".

* In ''Film/{{Villain}}'', Mitsuyo makes her escape through a bathroom window when [[spoiler:the police find her and bring her to the station to question her about her murderer boyfriend, whom she's been helping to escape]].

* Subverted in ''BoardwalkEmpire''. Agent Sebso is delivering a witness to another prison in order to protect him. He pulls over the car saying he needs to relieve himself. [[spoiler: [[TheMole Sebso]] then kills the witness and hits himself on the head with a rock to make it look like a struggle. When asked later, Sebso says that the witness said he wanted to use the bathroom and then tried to make his escape after Sebso removed his cuffs.]]

* An episode of ''LawAndOrderSVU'' used this as part of its DeusAngstMachina: Stabler discovers that he sent the wrong man to jail and promises him that he'll get him out once they arrest the actual criminal. Once said perp is arrested, he asks to use the restroom and [[spoiler: dies in the attempt, though it's left ambiguous whether this was an accident or the guest-starring RabidCop killed him]]. This somehow makes it impossible to clear the other man's name: despite knowing he's innocent, they have to leave him to serve out the rest of his sentence. This gets a ContinuityNod in a later episode, where the prisoner is shown again and gives Stabler a DeathGlare. (It does ''not'', however, prevent Stabler and his coworkers from [[AesopAmnesia constantly pushing to arrest and lock up suspects with as little evidence as possible]].)

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* Nina uses this to temporarily escape her male bodyguards in an early chapter of ''MamotteLollipop''; it backfires when the people who at that point want to kill her are already in there. (She's saved because one of the baddies foolishly admits he's a boy in drag.)
* Double subverted in ''FairyTail''. Lucy is captured by Jose, and says she needs to go to the bathroom. [[GenreSavvy He hands her a bucket.]] It looks like she's going to use it, but instead she [[GroinAttack kicks him in the groin from behind]] and escapes.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Subverted in ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. Toph is captured by Xin Fu and Master Yu, (her old earthbending mentor) in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Yu almost falls for it when Xin Fu points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.
* ''TransformersAnimated'' "Survival of the Fittest" Sari tricks the guard into letting her go to the bathroom, and then escaping by knocking him out when she claimed it wouldn't flush.
* On ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer was taking Bart to a behavior correction camp Bart escaped by climbing out the window of the restroom at a highway diner.
* Probably as an homage to this trope (among other EscapeTropes), in ''ToyStory3'' Woody initially breaks out of the day care centre through a bathroom window.
* President Uno does this during the ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'' episode "Operation W.H.I.T.E.H.O.U.S.E.".

[[AC:Animation]]
* Subverted in ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. Toph is captured by Xin Fu and Master Yu, (her old earthbending mentor) in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Yu almost falls for it when Xin Fu points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.
* ''TransformersAnimated'' "Survival of the Fittest" Sari tricks the guard into letting her go to the bathroom, and then escaping by knocking him out when she claimed it wouldn't flush.
* Nina uses this to temporarily escape her male bodyguards in an early chapter of ''MamotteLollipop''; it backfires when the people who at that point want to kill her are already in there. (She's saved because one of the baddies foolishly admits he's a boy in drag.)
* Double subverted in ''FairyTail''. Lucy is captured by Jose, and says she needs to go to the bathroom. [[GenreSavvy He hands her a bucket.]] It looks like she's going to use it, but instead she [[GroinAttack kicks him in the groin from behind]] and escapes.
* On ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer was taking Bart to a behavior correction camp Bart escaped by climbing out the window of the restroom at a highway diner.
* Probably as an homage to this trope (among other EscapeTropes), in ''ToyStory3'' Woody initially breaks out of the day care centre through a bathroom window.

* General Koskov ditches his KGB bodyguard/minder via the restroom stall window near the start of ''[[JamesBond The Living Daylights]]''.

* Subverted in ''BoardwalkEmpire''. Agent Sebso is delivering a witness to another prison in order to protect him. He pulls over the car saying he needs to relieve himself. [[TheMole Sebso]] then kills the witness and hits himself on the head with a rock to make it look like a struggle. When asked later, Sebso says that the witness said he wanted to use the bathroom and then tried to make his escape after Sebso removed his cuffs.

* Subverted in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Toph is captured by The Boulder and her old earthbending mentor in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Her mentor almost falls for it when The Boulder points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.

So, Bob is captured by the BigBad or is mere inches away from being so. He knows he has to find some way to escape, but he's trapped and there's a [[{{Mooks}} guard]] watching him like a hawk from the other side of the room. So what does he do? He finds some way to get into the bathroom, naturally. Sometimes it takes a little haggling, especially if he has to speak to the guard directly, but he eventually gets himself into the restroom where he has a moment of privacy.

So, Bob is captured by the [[BigBad]] or is mere inches away from being so. He knows he has to find some way to escape, but he's trapped and there's a [[{{Mooks}} guard]] watching him like a hawk from the other side of the room. So what does he do? He finds some way to get into the bathroom, naturally. Sometimes it takes a little haggling, especially if he has to speak to the guard directly, but he eventually gets himself into the restroom where he has a moment of privacy.

The heat is on and Bob is inches away from getting captured by the BigBad. He has to find some way to escape, and fast, but he's trapped and there's a [[{{Mooks}} guard]] watching the entrance like a hawk, and the moment Bob shows his face, the guard will be on him like white on rice. So what does he do? He slips into the bathroom, naturally. Sometimes it takes a little haggling, especially if Bob's already been caught, but Bob eventually makes his way to the restroom where he has a moment of privacy.

Once alone, Bob makes his crafty, and usually narrowly executed, escape through the bathroom window, an air vent or some other really unlikely exit.

* In ''{{Twilight}}'', Bella knows the Phoenix airport has two doors in and out and her watcher, Alice, does not. Bella tells Alice she's going to the bathroom and then quickly escapes through the bathroom's other door before Alice can realize what she intends to do.

* Probably as an homage to this trope (among other EscapeTropes), in ''ToyStory3'' Woody initially breaks out of the day care centre through a bathroom window.

[[AC:{{Manga}} and {{Anime}}]]
* Nina uses this to temporarily escape her male bodyguards in an early chapter of ''MamotteLollipop''; it backfires when the people who at that point want to kill her are already in there. (She's saved because one of the baddies foolishly admits he's a boy in drag.)
* Double subverted in ''FairyTail''. Lucy is captured by Jose, and says she needs to go to the bathroom. [[GenreSavvy He hands her a bucket.]] It looks like she's going to use it, but instead she [[GroinAttack kicks him in the groin from behind]] and escapes.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* Subverted in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Toph is captured by The Boulder and her old earthbending mentor in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Her mentor almost falls for it when The Boulder points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.
* ''TransformersAnimated'' "Survival of the Fittest" Sari tricks the guard into letting her go to the bathroom, and then escaping by knocking him out when she claimed it wouldn't flush.
* On ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer was taking Bart to a behavior correction camp Bart escaped by climbing out the window of the restroom at a highway diner.

[[AC:WesterAnimation]]

* How Mas Selamat, a captured terrorist leader, escaped from custody in Singapore.

[[AC:Animation]]
* Subverted in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Toph is captured by The Boulder and her old earthbending mentor in a metal box, and tries to escape by saying that she needs to go to the bathroom. Her mentor almost falls for it when The Boulder points out that this is probably a ploy and they ignore her request.
* ''TransformersAnimated'' "Survival of the Fittest" Sari tricks the guard into letting her go to the bathroom, and then escaping by knocking him out when she claimed it wouldn't flush.
* Nina uses this to temporarily escape her male bodyguards in an early chapter of ''MamotteLollipop''; it backfires when the people who at that point want to kill her are already in there. (She's saved because one of the baddies foolishly admits he's a boy in drag.)
* Double subverted in ''FairyTail''. Lucy is captured by Jose, and says she needs to go to the bathroom. [[GenreSavvy He hands her a bucket.]] It looks like she's going to use it, but instead she [[GroinAttack kicks him in the groin from behind]] and escapes.
* On ''TheSimpsons'' when Homer was taking Bart to a behavior correction camp Bart escaped by climbing out the window of the restroom at a highway diner.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* How Mas Selamat, a captured terrorist leader, escaped from custody in Singapore.

[[AC:Video Games]]

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