History Main / ImpossiblyMundaneExplanation

* An episode of ''Series/NYPDBlue'' had the detectives come across a murder scene with multiple victims, all of whom were naked prior to being killed. The detectives offer increasingly bizarre theories as to why all of the victims were naked, with most of the theories being sexual. They eventually question a person who had escaped the scene before the murders, and she explained that the people were packing drugs for a local gang, and they were naked because "No pockets" ie, so the people doing the packing could not steal any of the drugs for themselves. All of the detectives are chagrined by this obvious (and non-sexual) explanation.

-->'''Charlie:''' Okay, let's look at the alternate explanation. For the first time in her life, [[AbusiveParents our mother]] [[ImpossiblyMundaneExplanation is being totally selfless and thinking about someone else's well-being]].\\

* In ''WebVideo/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', the Emperor explains that the mysterious, unexplainable Tyrant Star is actually simply a peeping hole for beings in the {{retcon}}nian.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has a [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-12-10 borderline example]].

* Played with in Series/{{Dexter}}, when Astor asks what Lumen is doing in Dexter's house. Dexter claims they're not dating, and she's just a tenant. While she's much more than that, Dexter never lied.

!!Examples:

* At the climax of ''Literature/Cold Days'', Harry Dresden [[LetsYouAndHimFight faces off against another hero]], set on him by one of TheFairFolk, [[CannotTellALie who told Fix that Harry is the villain]]. After getting his butt thoroughly kicked, Harry sums up the situation thusly: Either a being who CannotTellALie ''has'', or [[PerpetualPoverty Harry]] [[HonorBeforeReason Blackstone]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Copperfield]] [[WeHelpTheHelpless Dresden]] is an evil mastermind. Faced with the evidence, Fix [[OhCrap realizes he's been used]].

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the gang is attempting to contact Buffy.
--> '''Xander:''' Well, she didn't go home. I let the phone ring a few hundred times before I remembered her mom is out of town. \\

'''Willow:''' ''[nods]''

-->'''Charlie''': Okay, let's look at the alternate explanation. For the first time in her life, [[AbusiveParents our mother]] [[ImpossiblyMundaneExplanation is being totally selfless and thinking about someone else's well-being]].
-->'''Alan''': Dear God, my own mother's trying to kill me.\\

* ''VisualNovel/{{Umineko no Naku Koro ni}}'': Cardboard boxes and [[MemeticMutation Small Bombs]].
** Trying to find a ''Possible'' [[DoingInTheWizard Mundane Solution]] seems to be how Battler can win.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

'''Alan''': Dear God, my own mother's trying to kill me.\\

* The ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'' episode "Window of Opportunity": Jack has prior knowledge of a briefing Carter is giving, and claims that he's remembering things from the future. Carter suggests, "Maybe he read my report?". Daniel gives her a look and repeats, "Maybe he ''read your report''?" as if it was the most ludicrous suggestion. Everyone else (O'Neill included) seems to agree.
* On ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the gang is attempting to contact Buffy.
--> '''Xander:''' Well, she didn't go home. I let the phone ring a few hundred times before I remembered her mom is out of town.
--> '''Giles:''' Well, maybe Buffy unplugged the phone.
--> '''Xander:''' No, it's a statistical impossibility for a 16-year-old girl to unplug her phone.
--> '''Willow:''' *nods*.
** There's also the time that Xander was possessed by a hyena. Buffy quickly figured out he was possessed while Giles believed he [[TeensAreMonsters was just being a teenage boy]]. Knowing Giles' teen years, this assumption makes a bit more sense.

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' has [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00520.htm some]] fun with this. Apparently, Florence is a vampire. Either that, or she really swam in the cold water a bit too long.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has a [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-12-10 borderline example]].

Note that not every case of characters choosing an extraordinary explanation over a mundane one is this trope. This is only if the mundane explanation is rejected out of hand because it would be completely out of character for said person.

* On ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the gang is attempting to contact Buffy.

* In Stephen King's "TheMist", one of the grocery store's occupants poo-poos the idea that something unnatural is loose in the fog, claiming the locals set up the tentacles as a prank. A witness to the maybe-squid-thing's attack sarcastically replies that, yes, they spend thousands of dollars to buy a giant squid from an aquarium and truck it to town in a tank, ''just'' to play a prank on the man.

* In Stephen King's "The Mist", one of the grocery store's occupants poo-poos the idea that something unnatural is loose in the fog, claiming the locals set up the tentacles as a prank. A witness to the maybe-squid-thing's attack sarcastically replies that, yes, they spend thousands of dollars to buy a giant squid from an aquarium and truck it to town in a tank, ''just'' to play a prank on the man.

* ''ElGoonishShive'' has a [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-12-10 borderline example]].
* ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'': Cardboard boxes and [[MemeticMutation Small Bombs]].

* DirkGently does this to some extent in ''TheLongDarkTeaTimeOfTheSoul''. When he meets a girl who constantly recites the previous day's stock quotes (in real time, just with a 24hour delay), he rejects the assumption that she's just memorizing them somehow (after all, the information is out there!) in favor of some more mystical explanation, because nobody would ever go to that much trouble. It's a little different since he's arguing on the basis of general human nature, not specific character, but the principle is the same.
** Dirk Gently sums this up by reversing SherlockHolmes' usual maxim: Eliminate the improbable, and whatever remains, however impossible, must be the truth.

* ''{{Freefall}}'' has [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00520.htm some]] fun with this. Apparently, Florence is a vampire. Either that, or she really swam in the cold water a bit too long.

* DirkGently does this to some extent in ''The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul''. When he meets a girl who constantly recites the previous day's stock quotes (in real time, just with a 24hour delay), he rejects the assumption that she's just memorizing them somehow (after all, the information is out there!) in favor of some more mystical explanation, because nobody would ever go to that much trouble. It's a little different since he's arguing on the basis of general human nature, not specific character, but the principle is the same.

* DirkGently does this to some extent in ''The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul''. When he meets a girl who repeatedly recites the previous day's stock quotes, he rejects the assumption that she's just memorizing them somehow (after all, the information is out there!) in favor of some more mystical explanation, because nobody would ever go to that much trouble. It's a little different since he's arguing on the basis of general human nature, not specific character, but the principle is the same.

* ''UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'': Cardboard boxes and Small Bombs.