History Main / ScullySyndrome

* ''Literature/TheLongDarkTeaTimeOfTheSoul''

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of the film ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension, which has taken on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever 50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]]. In this form, it attacks the roof of an apartment building in full view of the public in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That is all, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax. The titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. Which actually makes sense on the surface...

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable further explanations. For instance, how and where does one even get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How and where does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move and act convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing, and then manage to ensure that everyone has the same hallucination? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this it would all take a lot of effort, and you'd probably need a lot of people to help you do it (all of whom will have to have some kind of motivation to keep quiet -- such as as a lot of money), and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''?

A case of WeirdnessCensor wherein a character, attempting to offer a so-called 'rational' explanation for a supernatural or unlikely situation, ends up offering an explanation that is itself so tortuous, convoluted and[=/=]or improbable that it also ceases to be rational. Although it may draw upon things that are seemingly more plausible and 'real' than the supernatural explanation, the way it puts them together is so hard to believe or full of holes and the EpilepticTrees invoked by the characters (who, ironically, are usually trying to ''debunk'' someone else's EpilepticTrees) so ludicrous that the viewers want to bash their heads against the wall and point out that accepting the (super)natural reality would, in fact, be [[OccamsRazor simpler]].

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable further explanations. For instance, how and where does one even get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How and where does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move and act convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this it would all take a lot of effort, and you'd probably need a lot of people to help you do it (all of whom will have to have some kind of motivation to keep quiet -- such as as a lot of money), and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''?

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable further explanations. For instance, how and where does one even get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How and where does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this it would all take a lot of effort, and you'd probably need a lot of people to help you do it (all of whom will have to have some kind of motivation to keep quiet -- such as as a lot of money), and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''?

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of the film ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension taking on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever 50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]] to attack the roof of an apartment building in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That in itself is, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax -- the titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. This one actually makes sense on the surface...

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this you'd probably need a lot of people to do it and it would take even more effort to keep completely secret, and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''?

A case of WeirdnessCensor wherein a character, attempting to offer a so-called 'rational' explanation for a supernatural or unlikely situation, ends up offering an explanation that is itself so tortuous, convoluted and improbable that it also ceases to be rational. Although it may draw upon things that are seemingly more plausible and 'real' than the supernatural explanation, the way it puts them together is so hard to believe or full of holes and the EpilepticTrees invoked by the characters (who, ironically, are usually trying to ''debunk'' someone else's EpilepticTrees) so ludicrous that the viewers want to bash their heads against the wall and point out that accepting the (super)natural reality would, in fact, be [[OccamsRazor simpler]].

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this you'd probably need a lot of people to do it, and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''?

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of the film ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension taking on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever 50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]] to attack the roof of an apartment building in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That in itself is, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax -- the titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. Makes sense on the surface...

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? How do they set up their 'light show' at the building without anyone noticing? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you could do all of this you'd probably need a lot of people to do it, and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''? In short, however incredible it may seem, isn't the explanation that this is a God taking on the form of a marshmallow man to destroy the world actually the simpler and more credible explanation at this point?

As alluded to above, a marking feature of AgentScully.

Compare InvisibleToNormals, ArbitrarySkepticism, FlatEarthAtheist. Not to be confused with the real [[http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/w/weinstein_kliman_scully_syndrome/intro.htm Weinstein Kliman Scully syndrome]].

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, even if you can do all of this you'd need a lot of people to do it, and the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves ''without involving anyone else whatsoever''? In short, however incredible it may seem, isn't the explanation that this is a God taking on the form of a marshmallow man to destroy the world actually the simpler and more credible explanation at this point?

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly -- or move ''at all'', for that matter? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves without involving anyone else whatsoever? In short, however incredible it may seem, isn't the explanation that this is a God taking on the form of a marshmallow man to destroy the world actually the simpler and more credible explanation at this point?

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens to dose an an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves without involving anyone else whatsoever? In short, however incredible it may seem, isn't the explanation that this is a God taking on the form of a marshmallow man to destroy the world actually the simpler and more credible explanation at this point?

... But don't pat yourself on the back just yet, [[AgentScully Scully]]. If you think about it for more than five seconds, there's a lot that the seemingly 'rational' explanation doesn't actually explain at all, or which itself requires increasingly convoluted and improbable events to explain. For instance, where does one get enough marshmallow to make a 50-foot marshmallow man? How does one make said marshmallow man, and hide it away from everyone until the absolute right moment? How do you get it to move convincingly? It steps on a church at one point -- how do you stage that? In fact, the opening of the portal creates earthquakes, lightning storms and unseasonal instantaneous storm clouds -- how do the Ghostbusters create earthquakes and ''control the weather''? How does one spread enough hallucinogens throughout an entire city without anyone noticing? And ultimately, the Ghostbusters are just four guys -- how did they manage to do this all by themselves without involving anyone else whatsoever? In short, however incredible it may seem, isn't the explanation that this is a God taking on the form of a marshmallow man to destroy the world actually the simpler and more credible explanation at this point?

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of the film ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension taking on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]] to attack the roof of an apartment building in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That in itself is, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax -- the titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. Makes sense on the surface...

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension taking on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]] to attack the roof of an apartment building in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That in itself is, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax -- the titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. Makes sense on the surface...

As a hypothetical example, take the climax of ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', which involves [[ItMakesSenseInContext an ancient evil God from another dimension taking on the form of a]] [[AttackOfThe50FootSomething 50-foot advertising mascot made entirely out of marshmallow]] to attack the roof of an apartment building in an attempt to open a portal to another dimension and destroy the world. That in itself is, admittedly, a fairly difficult set of events to believe in, and if [[Series/TheXFIles Agent Scully]] were investigating it she might explain this as all being just a big hoax -- the titular Ghostbusters merely staged the marshmallow man and used a combination of a fancy light show and hallucinogenic substances to fool the credulous people below into believing they were witnessing a supernatural event. Makes sense on the surface...

A case of WeirdnessCensor where the EpilepticTrees invoked by the characters are so ludicrous that the viewers want to bash their heads against the wall and point out that accepting the [[strike:super]]natural reality would, in fact, be [[OccamsRazor simpler]]. A marking feature of AgentScully.

* Happens to Cilan in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' during the course of the museum episode. He kept suggesting ridiculous things to explain the mysterious circumstances, even though it becomes increasingly clear that there is a ghost, like Iris suggested. Subverted when it's revealed that they're both wrong - it was a Pokemon.

* Named after Dana Scully of ''Series/TheXFiles'', who was particularly adamant in her denial of the supernatural.
** To be fair, by the end of Season 2, she'd accepted the existence of the supernatural, after being abducted herself, even if she still always tried to find a mundane/natural explanation first.
*** As a semi-practicing Catholic, several episodes alluded to her willingness to accept of such concepts as [[{{God}} divine will]], miracles, or angels.
*** Sort of justified in that the entire reason she was assigned to work with Mulder was for her to Scully him.
*** If Scully had been right more often, it would have lent more WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief to the other episodes and left them looking more like a balanced partnership. Subverted in that more than one case with a natural explanation was later described as an X-File.

** It's shown in later seasons, on the handful of occasions where Scully encounters an X-File without Mulder along, that Scully's perfectly willing to consider the supernatural explanation if there isn't a more reasonable mundane one (see the episode where she microwaves a creepy doll that's causing people to kill themselves). But not only was she assigned to debunk Mulder's work, but she feels (and is often justified in feeling) that she's ''required'' to debunk him and offer mundane explanations, for his safety and hers.

*** [[JustifiedTrope Granted]] there's been real cases of pre-Tornado storms dropping fish and other critters before (generally a Waterspout appears over a school, they get sucked up, falls some time later on land), but still it's not very common.

* Nearly every character in the ''ChzoMythos'' series apart from the main characters.

** In ''BooksOfMagic'', the ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' himself, Jonathan Constantine, has actually mentioned that due to his skepticism, magic really doesn't work for Dr. Thirteen. His disbelief in magic is strong enough that it causes magic around him to fail ''[[AntiMagic even when it should work]]'', thus justifying his skepticism further. Ironically enough, his own daughter, Traci Thirteen, is a powerful mage in her own right.

-->-- ''Series/{{The X-Files}}''

* Named after Dana Scully of ''Series/{{The X-Files}}'', who was particularly adamant in her denial of the supernatural.

* In {{Medium}}, Allsion's husband will greet 90% of his wife's prophecies with skepticism, despite the fact that they will always prove to be meaningful if not completely true.

* ''VisualNovel/UminekoNoNakuKoroNi'' has a very... special version of this trope: All murders are shown using [[UnreliableNarrator unreliable narration]] where the characters are murdered using magic, and the protagonist has to come up with (often bizarre) explanations for the mysterious murders in order to deny witches (as magic does not actually exist unless people accept it exists).
** Note, however, that it is IMPLIED there is a much simpler solution...but [[color:red:Battler is Incompetent.]]
*** [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] can do that to a man.
** If there's no magic, who's Battler [[MindScrew arguing with]]?