History Main / IgnoredConfession

[[folder:Jokes]]
* In one of the [[Series/SeventeenMomentsOfSpring Stierlitz]], Stierlitz accidentally reveals himself as a Soviet citizen when Müller tells him about a communal Saturday cleanup and Stierlitz blurts out it reminds him of home. However, when he realizes it's a giveaway and confesses to being a Soviet spy, Müller's only reaction is to call Stierlitz's superior and say: "Walter, you know, your people think up all sorts of nonsense just to avoid participating in the cleanup!"
[[/folder]]

* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' "Murder at Pentecost'', the guy eventually discovered to be the murderer has already confessed, and to several other murders over the years as well. It is suggested this could be a ploy.

* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' "Murder at Pentecost', the guy eventually discovered to be the murderer has already confessed, and to several other murders over the years as well. It is suggested this could be a ploy.

* ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'': Mater repeatedly tries to tell Finn [=McMissile=] and Holly Shiftwell that he's not a spy and just a plain ordinary tow truck, but they think he's joking and that his other antics are ObfuscatingStupidity. [[spoiler:Only when the three are trapped inside of Big Bently and Mater yells it out do Finn and Holley realize he's not kidding.]]

* In one issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures Gotham Adventures]]'', Bruce Wayne is called for jury duty, for the trial of a man that he captured as Batman. When asked if there's a reason why he shouldn't be on the jury, he, [[HonorBeforeReason under oath]], says "I'm Batman." Cut to him explaining to Robin that they told him not to joke around in court and that he had to serve anyways.

'''Dr. Doppler:''' And what? ''What?'' ''[GlassesPull]'' '''We must stay together and ''what''?'''\\
'''Captain Amelia:''' ''[dreamily]'' Doctor, you have...''wonderful'' eyes...\\
''{{beat}}''\\

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'': Helga revealed to Arnold that she loved him all along and proceeded to kiss him. In the end, [[ThatDidntHappen they nervously decided that it was because of the moment and nothing serious had happened]].
* ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'': Mater repeatedly tries to tell Finn [=McMissile=] and Holly Shiftwell that he's not a spy and just a plain ordinary tow truck, but they think he's joking and that his other antics are ObfuscatingStupidity. [[spoiler:Only when the three are trapped inside of Big Bently and Mater yells it out do Finn and Holley realize he's not kidding.]]

* ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'': Frank confesses to his future father-in-law that he's a conman, but the man just thinks he's being sentimental.

* ''Film/SchoolOfRock''
-->'''Dewey:''' I'm not a teacher!
* ''Film/RatRace'': Owen steals a bus by pretending to be the new bus driver, but eventually the bus gets a puncture and breaks down. Owen's confession looks like a loss of faith in himself.
-->'''Owen:''' I'm not a bus driver!
* In ''Film/MultipleSarcasms'', the main character confesses his love to a long time friend, after his marriage is on the rocks. She thinks he's drunk [[spoiler:until this confession shows up in a play he wrote.]]
* ''Film/AmericanPsycho'': After a string of grisly murders and running from the cops, Patrick Bateman calls his lawyer and confesses to the whole thing. When he later confronts his lawyer, he insists that he wasn't joking, but he is rebuffed, and the lawyer is actually irritated to the point that he tells Bateman the joke isn't funny anymore. This is compounded by the fact that Bateman might not be a serial killer, and may just be delusional and psychotic, but it is ambiguous. Throughout the film, he confesses in absurd ways, and people either don't hear him properly or ignore him, a commentary on the egotistical feelings of all around him.
* In the French film ''I've Loved You So Long'', the protagonist has recently been released after serving time in prison for murder and has been living with her younger sister as she acclimates to life on the outside. At a dinner party, one of her sister's friends gets drunk and begins to tease her about her mysterious past, eventually making a game of it, until the protagonist finally snaps and admits that she was in prison... and everyone laughs, and the drunk friend tells her that if she's just going to make stuff up he's not going to play anymore. Whilst it's {{played straight}} for the most part, her LoveInterest offers a {{subversion}}, in that he's actually worked with prisoners and realizes that she's telling the truth.

'''Brandon's Mom:''' Uh, all right– dinner's at seven. ''[Brandon leaves, Brandon's dad gives her a skeptical look]'' Well, at least he's outside.
* In ''Film/BatmanForever'', Two-Face holds a circus show attended by Bruce Wayne hostage with a bomb set to detonate unless Batman comes forward and reveals his identity. Bruce stands up and shouts that he's Batman, but the audience has erupted into a frenzy and nobody hears him in all the shouting.

* In ''Film/JackStrong'' the titular uncatchable TheMole actually does confess - to someone who's too preoccupied with catching the spy to listen, turns out.

* ''Film/FearStreet'': Early in ''Part One'', Sheriff Goode is processing Martin for tagging the mall. [[spoiler: Martin insists the spray paint cans Goode found don't belong to him, and Goode replies "That's right, those are ''my'' cans."]] It isn't until more than halfway through ''Part Three'' that his confession is revealed to be true, after several far worse reveals about his character. Yet they still try to play this for shock value.

* In ''Literature/ASeparatePeace'', Finny dismisses Gene's confession that [[spoiler:he caused Finny's fall from the tree]]. Gene later takes it back, as well.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' novel ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'', [[spoiler:Molly]] confesses her love to Harry. He openly tells her that he's not going to take it seriously, for two reasons: One, because she's a rebellious teenager and her attraction to him is partly fueled by that; and two, because he's just saved her from a highly traumatic experience and her perception of him is being coloured by that. Years on, [[spoiler:Molly]] admits this was the right thing for him to do, [[spoiler:although she is angry that he refused to acknowledge her feelings even after they became more genuine.]]

* In ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'', Merlin confessed to having magic in a room containing both Arthur and the magic-hating Uther. Neither of them believed him.
* Used in ''Series/{{Lost}}'', episode "He's Our You". Captured by the Dharma Initiative, Sayid is given a TruthSerum drug and interrogated. He says he's from [[spoiler:the future]], and Radzinsky's reaction is to assume the dose was too high and has rendered him cuckoo.
* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Killed by Death," Buffy is incapacitated due to a bad flu. She goes patrolling anyway but collapses. While in the hospital, and under the influence of the meds, she shouts that she needs to kill the vampires. Buffy's mother and the hospital staff naturally assume it's due to her delirious state.

* One episode of ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' features [[ItsAllAboutMe Evelyn]] insisting on knowing [[MyBelovedSmother why Charlie detests her so much]]. After some badgering, Charlie finally explains via rant that he feels like she drove his father to an early grave, gave him a cold loveless childhood and messed him and Alan up so badly they can barely function as human beings. Evelyn pats him on the shoulder and says he'll tell her when he's ready.
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', episode "Triangle", Mulder tells Scully he loves her. She blows him off with "Oh brother". (True, he was apparently rather medicated at the time.)
* In one episode of ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'', Amanda fails to concoct a plausible story to cover her activities, and her mother confronts her with her lies and demands the truth. She tells her mother the truth, that she's working with the CIA, and her mother doesn't believe it and leaves in a huff.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'': [[ForgottenAesop Every once in a while, George Michael will learn the aesop that he and his father should be honest with each other.]] On one occasion, George Michael responds to this by revealing [[KissingCousins he's in love with his cousin Maebe]]. Michael thinks he's kidding.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'':
** Niles Crane confesses his love for Daphne - more than once - but circumstances contrive for her to completely miss this, or into believing that he's made it up, or is colluding with her to give a misleading impression to outside observers ("Moondance").
** Senator John Glenn confesses that he made FirstContact while in space and had to lie to the public, but Frasier and Roz are too busy arguing over Frasier being iced out of Roz's radio documentary that Glenn is narrating ("Docu.Drama").
* ''{{Series/Survivors}}'': In episode two, Abby asks Tom what he did before the pandemic, and he says "I robbed things. Killed a few people." She thinks he's joking and says it's not funny. Later she finds out that's the truth.

* ''Series/TheFamily'': Willa says she was "At a cheap motel with a dirty stranger" after John asks where she's been. It's technically true, but they both laugh it off.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Nate, even while drunk, hoped so. He goes and tells [[spoiler:Ian Blackpool he planned to rob the Two Davids Gallery at the start of the first season's last episode. Blackpool laughs it off. At the end of the episode, the gallery is robbed and Blackpool's company is liable for all the payouts. Then Nate revealed he ''recorded'' his own confession and Blackpool's lack of response, thus making Blackpool criminally liable for not contacting the police when Nate told him this and he knows Nate is a thief.]]

* In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', for Barry's bachelor party Cisco makes a special alcohol for him so he can enjoy a drink with the rest. [[GoneHorriblyRight It gets him so drunk]] he starts blurting out "I'm the Flash!" all over the bar, but fortunately nobody takes him seriously and just laugh it off.

* In ''Series/{{Dollhouse}},'' Paul has built up a reputation of being obsessed with finding the Dollhouse, which his fellow agents consider to be a ridiculous ConspiracyTheory. In the season one finale, when he's working with the Dollhouse to stop [[SerialKiller Alpha]], he tells his colleagues (whom Alpha has called to the building as a distraction) that this is the Dollhouse's headquarters. In context this ''might'' have been a SarcasticConfession, knowing that they'd ignore him and go away, or an example of this trope, if we assume that Paul wanted them to really investigate the building and take down the Dollhouse anyway.

* In ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', Juliet tells her mother that she wishes to marry Romeo rather than Paris. Lady Capulet takes this as "anyone but Paris," since obviously Romeo (who just killed her cousin) is the ''last'' person Juliet could want to marry, right?
* In ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'', Iago continuously tells Othello that he shouldn't listen to him and that Desdemona and Cassio are probably honest. Of course, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter this just convinces Othello even more that Iago is trustworthy]].

* [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100908 here]] in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. No, no, she didn't say that, the stairway's just echo-y.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''
** 'Fry and the Slurm Factory': In a rare show of cleverness, Fry manages to invoke this by getting Professor Farnsworth to describe their unusual relationship ("I'm not your grandpa, you're my uncle! From the year 2000!") to an outsider, who subsequently writes the Professor off as senile. All this to keep the government from shutting down his favorite soft drink...
** Bender accuses Farnsworth of insanity to get out of a jail sentence in 'A Clockwork Origin' ([[Literature/AClockworkOrange no relation]]). Farnsworth, in an attempt to disprove this, states that he got to the planet in a home-built spaceship. If you don't believe him, ask his uncle! ...Who is younger than he is. And, yes, [[ItMakesSenseInContext It all Makes Sense In Context]].
* On one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}},'' [[LovableAlphaBitch Quinn]] lets an unethical plastic surgeon convince her that she has to get treatment like her friends or her entire social life will be ruined. Eventually [[TheSnarkKnight Daria]] just tells her (in what seems to be a rather difficult confession) that she's so naturally beautiful that she drives other girls ([[NotSoAboveItAll possibly including Daria herself]]) crazy with envy. Quinn just stares at Daria for a moment and then admonishes her for [[SeriousBusiness not taking things seriously]].

* One of the [[RunningGag Running Gags]] on ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' is Brain being asked who he is and answering, "Actually, I'm a lab-mouse trying to take over the world." The person who asks either misinterprets it or laughs it off as a joke.
* Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse:

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer pretends to be a pilot to drink at a bar. Unfortunately, a controller comes in and asks him to fly to the [[{{UsefulNotes/Chicago}} Windy City]]. When he says he can't, the man confronts him and asks if he's impersonating a pilot just to drink there. Homer instantly confesses, at which point the controller laughs and declares ''“you fly boys crack me up”'' before forcing him into the cockpit.
** In another episode a man told [[PoliceAreUseless Chief Wiggum]] that he had just torched a building downtown and was afraid he'd do it again. Chief Wiggum replied ''“Yeah right, [[SarcasmMode I'll just type that up on my invisible typewriter”]]''
*** A similar joke was used on ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' when a man confessed to having a body in the trunk and the policeman replied: “Aww. What a beautiful baby. Where's your mommy?”
** In a later episode, Bart told Homer ''[[NoodleIncident “I got suspended in school today. They found a switchblade in my locker. I took a swing at a cop. I'm just mad all the time.”]]'' Homer is too preoccupied with his new website to listen.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark:'' The episode "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow" kicks off with Cartman and Stan accidentally destroying a dam; the massive flood is blamed on global warming. At the end of the episode Stan finally confesses "I broke the dam," but everyone assumes that he's being metaphorical and step up to declare [[IAmSpartacus they, too, broke the dam]]. Crosses over with SarcasticConfession when a giggling Cartman joins in.
* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb,'' the title characters are perfectly willing to tell their mom about their ridiculous antics, even backing up Candace when she tries to bust them for it. Naturally, Linda always assumes that they're just playing games or the evidence that they show her looks innocuous on its own.
** In one episode, Candace wins an essay contest to be mayor for the day. Her essay outright said that she'd use all this power to try and bust her brothers. Apparently the judges thought this was some kind of metaphor.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Haganai}}'', it turns out every time [[spoiler:Kodaka]] was oblivious to his friends' feelings and confessions, he was actually actively dodging it. He really didn't want to be in a romantic relationship with any of them-- he just wanted to have friends is all.

* In ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'', Shana confesses to Yuji that she loves him when they think they are going to die, but he considers it so unlikely that he thinks he's probably misheard it.
* ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'': Late in the story, [[spoiler:after Ryuuji saves her from the snowstorm during their class trip, an injured and delirious Taiga (who mistakes him for Kitamura) admits her feelings for him, but that she [[MatchmakerCrush wants him to be with Minori]], [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy no matter how much it hurts her]]. Ryuuji tries to pretend that her confession didn't happen, and that Kitamura was the one who saved her. Unfortunately, [[DidntThinkThisThrough he filled Kitamura in on the plan, but not Minori]], and the latter (who [[ShipperOnDeck secretly ships Taiga/Ryuuji]], despite her [[LoveDodecahedron own feelings for him]]) is ''[[WhatTheHellHero pissed]]'' when she finds out what Ryuuji did.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Horimiya}}, Hori learns from her brother Sota that Miyamura was walking with another girl named Chika. When she confronts him over it, Miyamura tells her Chika is Shindo's girlfriend and he was just helping her walk because she twisted her foot, so there is nothing between him and her. Of course, given Hori's status as a ClingyJealousGirl towards him, and because he kept referring Chika by her given name, she didn't listen to his explanation, instead attacking him with books every time he opened his mouth and left in a huff. The truth does eventually get through her when he visits her.

* In ''Manga/{{Horimiya}}, Hori learns from her brother Sota that Miyamura was walking with another girl named Chika. When she confronts him over it, Miyamura tells her Chika is Shingo's girlfriend and he was just helping her walk because she twisted her foot, so there is nothing between him and her. Of course, given Hori's status as a ClingyJealousGirl towards him, she didn't listen to his explanation, instead attacking him with books every time he opened his mouth and left in a huff. The truth does eventually get through her when he visits her.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': "No Mas" (Season 3, Episode 1)
-->'''Hank:''' ''[holding a bag]'' What've you got in there, cinderblocks?\\
'''Walt:''' Half a million in cash.\\
''[Hank stares at Walt for a moment, then laughs]''\\
'''Hank:''' That's the spirit!

* In ''Manga/{{Horimiya}}, Hori learns from her brother Sota that Miyamura was walking with another girl named Chika. When she confronts him over it, Miyamura tells her Chika is Shingo's girlfriend and he was just helping her walk because she twisted her foot, so there is nothing between him and her. Of course, given Hori's status as a ClingyJealousGirl towards him, she didn't listen to his explanation, instead attacking him with books every time he opened his mouth and left in a huff. Tje truth does eventually get through her when he visits her.

* In the ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' episode "Mr. Freeze", Victor Fries goes to the police station to confess to [[CryonicsFailure killing several people with his cryonics experiments]]. Unfortunately for Victor (and Gotham), several [[FalseConfession impostors]] have beaten him to it, and the cops [[MistakenForImpostor think he's another one]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
** One episode has a villain demanding a password from Alfred. Alfred simply ignores her and starts reciting "The Lion and the Unicorn" from the ''Wonderland'' books. Even when drugged up on truth serum, he continues reciting the poem. Unlike most cases of this, she does eventually realize that the password is "The Lion and the Unicorn"... it just takes her a while.
** In the episode "I've Got Batman in My Basement", when the kid's mother asks what they're doing in the basement, the kid's friend answers, "We just saved Batman's life, and now we're hiding him from some bad criminals". The mom's response? "That's good, just don't make a mess."
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', Terry tries to tell his family that he's Batman. They don't believe him.