History Main / CutApart

* Prior to the events of ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', no human had ever seen a Romulan. Yet on ''StarTrekEnterprise'', [[HeterosexualLifePartners Trip and Malcolm]] somehow find themselves wandering around a Romulan ship, while its commander and his staff monitor them from the control room. When the two get to the bridge, it's deserted, because the control room -- the ''remote'' control room -- is on Romulus.

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Hush", we see Tara knocking on one of the dorm room's doors, and Willow waking up from the noise. The door is opened by one of The Gentlemen holding a bloody heart. This was actually hinted, since Tara had previously found Willow's room number (which isn't the number on the door).

* ''Manga/{{AttackOnTitan}}'': Mikasa and her parents are expecting a visit from Dr. Jaeger and Eren, and they hear a knock on the door. Cut to Dr. Jaeger knocking on the door. We're led to believe that these scenes occur at the same time...until Dr. Jaeger opens the door to find Mikasa's parents dead and Mikasa herself missing; the people knocking the first time were slavers.

* In episode "[[Recap/AlmostHumanS1E2Skin Skin]]" of "Series/AlmostHuman", Dorian, Kennex and team begin searching Yuri's nightclub which is where they believe the "skin lab" is located. Simultaneously we see Yuri, his henchman and the doctors in the "skin lab" packing up their gear in a panic. After kicking in the last door, the police realize they are in the wrong place.

* In episode "Skin" of "Series/AlmostHuman", Dorian, Kennex and team begin searching Yuri's nightclub which is where they believe the "skin lab" is located. Simultaneously we see Yuri, his henchman and the doctors in the "skin lab" packing up their gear in a panic. After kicking in the last door, the police realize they are in the wrong place.

* Prior to the events of ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', no human had ever seen a Romulan. Yet on ''StarTrekEnterprise'', Archer and Mayweather somehow find themselves wandering around a Romulan ship, while its commander and his staff monitor them from the control room. When the two get to the bridge, it's deserted, because the control room -- the ''remote'' control room -- is on Romulus.

* Famously used to set up the AloneWithThePsycho climax in ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''.
* The first ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' film has the positive version, with closeups of sleeping hobbits mixed with Ringwraiths surrounding the beds. When the stabbing begins, we discover the beds were empty and the hobbits were in another room.

* ''{{Collateral}}'' uses this, where an assassin is looking for a lawyer, while she gets a phone call warning her. We see him bursting into her office, only to cut and see that she's several floors above.

* The second ''Film/CharliesAngels'' film ''Full Throttle'' has this. There are scenes of some mafia groups makig their way to the rooftop of a certain hotel. Then there's a scene of [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn former Angel]] Madison Lee]] getting ready to meet them. As the groups gathered at the rooftop, faces to the door, [[spoiler:Madison]] makes her way to a, ready to meet them. Then…the door the groups were waiting at opens…to reveal a police inspector to puts them under arrest, then snipers from the surrounding buildings show up and the groups were taken in. [[spoiler:Madison]] meanwhile, opens the door and sees nobody. The gangs had met at the rooftop of the ''wrong'' hotel, set up by the Angels.
* ''Friends With Benefits'' uses this in the intro. We are lead to believe that Dylan and Jamie are late to a date with each other. However, it is soon revealed that they are late to dates with different people, and that these characters haven't even met yet. In fact, they're on different coasts.
* This trope was PlayedForLaughs in ''KungFuHustle''. The BigBad and his gang of mooks go the apartment complex where they expect the hero to be hiding and crowd around a single apartment, slowly opening the door. This is intercut with the hero rising in his own apartment and going towards the door, allowing the viewer to believe that the villains are waiting for him. Instead, the bad guys open the door to an empty apartment and the hero steps out of his apartment on the other side of the complex. Everyone gives each other an awkward blank stare before the final battle commences.
* Also PlayedForLaughs in ''WaynesWorld2''. Wayne is told that love interest Cassandra is set to be wed at the First Presbyterian Church. In a scene [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZbW3GgZvf0#t=3m06s straight out of]] ''TheGraduate'', Wayne speeds to the church where he bangs on the glass, interrupting [[spoiler:the wrong wedding. He goes outside to find that he is actually at the Second Presbyterian Church, directly across the street from the First Presbyterian Church.]]
* ''TheFugitive''. After Kimball goes home with the waitress, there's a scene of SWAT team storming the house. (Well, ''a'' house at any rate.)

* ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain''. [[TheDragon Fatima Blush]] watches as JamesBond takes a GirlOfTheWeek up to his hotel room. There's a shot of a remote-controlled bomb under the bed, Bond and the girl smooching on the bed, Fatima pressing the button...and the lovers looking up in shock as a room on the other side of the hotel courtyard explodes.

* Used to great affect in the HBO adaptation of ''AngelsInAmerica'', as Joe and Harper arguing is intercut with Luis leaving Prior.

* On ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Marshall debates whether or not to pick up Lily at the airport. The end shows Marshall and Lily searching for each other in the airport, only [[spoiler:they weren't there the same day: Lily's flight was delayed by one day. They even have a scene of them sitting next to each other, which turned out to be a split-screen.]]

* Used in ''{{Naruto}}'': Sasuke learns that [[AloofBigBrother Itachi]] and Kisame are searching for Naruto in a nearby town, so he dashes off to warn him. He knows that he is traveling with Jiraiya, so he asks every hotel owner he comes across whether they have seen a blonde kid with a tall white-haired man until he finally gets a positive response. He goes up to the room and knocks on the door. The scene cuts to Naruto inside his room hearing the knock while meditating. The scene switches back and forth a couple more times, with Sasuke knocking with increasing urgency until Naruto gets fed up and stands to answer the door. Finally, the door opens for Sasuke revealing . . . a completely unrelated blonde child and white-haired old man. Immediately after, Naruto opens the door to reveal Itachi.

* Used in this [[http://www.menagea3.net/strips-ma3/this_is_incredible NSFW issue]] of ''MenageA3''.
* Not exactly "far apart", [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0402.html but this]] ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'' similarly plays with people's expectations.

* The second ''CharliesAngels'' film ''Full Throttle'' has this. There are scenes of some mafia groups makig their way to the rooftop of a certain hotel. Then there's a scene of [[spoiler:[[FaceHeelTurn former Angel]] Madison Lee]] getting ready to meet them. As the groups gathered at the rooftop, faces to the door, [[spoiler:Madison]] makes her way to a, ready to meet them. Then…the door the groups were waiting at opens…to reveal a police inspector to puts them under arrest, then snipers from the surrounding buildings show up and the groups were taken in. [[spoiler:Madison]] meanwhile, opens the door and sees nobody. The gangs had met at the rooftop of the ''wrong'' hotel, set up by the Angels.

* In episode "Skin" (S1E2) of "Series/AlmostHuman", Dorian, Kennex and team begin searching Yuri's nightclub which is where they believe the "skin lab" is located. Simultaneously we see Yuri, his henchman and the doctors in the "skin lab" packing up their gear in a panic. After kicking in the last door, the police realize they are in the wrong place.

* In the second episode of "Series/AlmostHuman", Dorian, Kennex and team begin searching Yuri's nightclub which is where they believe the "skin lab" is located. Simultaneously we see Yuri, his henchman and the doctors in the "skin lab" packing up their gear in a panic. After kicking in the last door, the police realize they are in the wrong place.

* In the second episode of "AlmostHuman", Dorian, Kennex and team begin searching Yuri's nightclub which is where they believe the "skin lab" is located. Simultaneously we see Yuri, his henchman and the doctors in the "skin lab" packing up their gear in a panic. After kicking in the last door, the police realize they are in the wrong place.

* The fifth season finale to ''{{CSI}}'' uses this trope to deal a YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle moment to a rescue operation.
** ''CSINewYork'' used this one when the investigators appeared to have found the apartment where a hitman was hiding with his hostage. They broke down the door of a RedHerring, and the hitman opened his on his building's superintendent.

* ''TheFugitive''. After Kimball goes home with the waitress, the SWAT are seen surround the house -- well, ''a'' house at any rate.

If you're looking for someone ''being'' cut apart, DiagonalCut is the page to go to.

* Famously used to set up the AloneWithThePsycho climax in ''Literature//TheSilenceOfTheLambs''.

** The scene was lifted from the Ralph Bakshi animated film of LOTR made in 1978. Not quite shot for shot but kind of close and none the worse for it. All directors copy- good directors copy well.

* While it is not a camera trick, this is the entire story told by the song 'Silhouettes', where the guy is complaining how he can see his girlfriend in silhouette through the shade in her living room, dancing with another man, until he gets so disgusted he bangs on the door, only to discover two different people open the door, and he's ''on the wrong block''!