History Main / TheSummation

Related to AfterActionVillainAnalysis, with the difference being that the [=AAVA=] is about the ''why'' and this is about the ''how''. Also frequently related to the KirkSummation. May take the form of a SummationGathering and often includes NecroCam. FlashbackMontageRealization is essentially a mental version of this.

Related to the KirkSummation. May take the form of a SummationGathering and often includes NecroCam. FlashbackMontageRealization is essentially a mental version of this.

* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series generally averts this. Despite [[OnceAnEpisode every game]] having a classic "[[SummationGathering parlor room]]" scene (generally with Layton sipping tea before [[GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger giving the culprit the pointer finger]], it's usually closer to the middle of the game, or the start of the third act. Layton generally knows who did it by this point, but sometimes the motive and exact method are missing.

* In ''VideoGame/DetectiveDiTheSilkRoseMurders'', each case ends with Di methodically explaining how the crime was committed. As he talks we see a re-enactment of the crime, with the backgrounds in black-and-white, but with Di and the victim and the perpetrator in color. As Di explains, the player is tasked with choosing the correct deductions.
* The climax of ''VideoGame/PinkPantherPassportToPeril'' requires you to [[spoiler: collect evidence against the Dogfather exposing his plan to replace the children with androids and turn Camp Chilly Wa-Wa into a burger restaurant.]]

* The climax of ''VideoGame/PinkPanther'sPassportToPeril'' requires you to [[spoiler: collect evidence against the Dogfather exposing his plan to replace the children with androids and turn Camp Chilly Wa-Wa into a burger restaurant.]]

* The climax of ''VideoGame/PinkPanthersPassportToPeril'' requires you to [[spoiler: collect evidence against the Dogfather exposing his plan to replace the children with androids and turn Camp Chilly Wa-Wa into a burger restaurant.]]

** In ''The Phanton of Whitechapel'' after lying about the culprit of the murders to Lestrade, he bursts out and confesses the real story he deduced, laying the blame on The Lord of Crime, to John.

* Happens all the time in ''Manga/{{Spiral}}''.

* Used in the [[RealityTV Reality Game Show]] ''Series/{{Whodunnit}}?''. After the investigation phase, each player gets a chance to summarize how ''they believe'' the crime took place, culminating in naming who they believe their murderous host is. Whoever is closest to the mark 'impresses' the killer and is safe from elimination. Whoever's the furthest off gets to be the next victim.

* OnceAnEpisode in ''[[Series/DeathInParadise Death In Paradise]]'', following a EurekaMoment and coupled with a SummationGathering. The trend was started by D.I. Richard Poole and continued by his successors Humphrey Goodman, Jack Mooney and Neville Parker.

** This was [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] on "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike": Monk, driven insane by a garbage strike, gets the summation wrong several times, culminating in an insane story about Alice Cooper murdering a man so he could steal his antique wingback chair. Once he's brought to a clean room so he can think straight, he [[DoubleSubverted finally figures it out for real]].

** Monk becomes traumatized because of an earthquake, and does the entire summation in gibberish. You can still tell what he's saying because the show still gives you flashbacks to the crime.

** Parodied in one episode when Monk has to join a therapy group and the members keep getting killed off. When Monk tells the rest of the group about the possibility of the deaths being homicides, [[TheRival Harold]] mimics Monk's investigation style and then goes into a TheSummation-slash-HannibalLecture in which he points out that Monk had motive, opportunity, and a advantegeous position complete with fake flashbacks that portray Monk as an AxCrazy psuedo-{{Yandere}} who wants Dr. Bell all to himself (Harold was right about the last part). This is effective enough to make Monk himself seriously consider that he might be killing people.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' did this once, with plenty of {{Shout Out}}s to ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWright''.
* Basically the entire last episode of the first season of ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' acted as one because the series is just that complicated.
* Ciel and [[spoiler: Sebastian]] from ''Manga/BlackButler'' sum just about everything that happened during the murder mystery arc and how it was to the Wordsmith Arther.

* The titular character of ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' can't NOT do this. He does it so compulsively that the detective he regularly pretends to be has become famous for passing out and then giving a "deduction show" while unconscious. In fact, Conan does this SO compulsively that at the end of the 11th movie, [[spoiler:the delay NEARLY KILLS the cast, as he's giving the summation [[ContrivedCoincidence in an underwater cavern filling up with water and poisonous gas during an EARTHQUAKE.]]]]

* OnceAnEpisode in ''[[Series/DeathInParadise Death In Paradise]]'', following a EurekaMoment and coupled with a SummationGathering. The trend was started by D.I. Richard Poole and continued by his successors Humphrey Goodman and Jack Mooney.

* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series generally averts this. Despite [[OnceAnEpisode every game]] having a classic "[[SummationGathering parlor room]]" scene (generally with Layton sipping tea before [[GivingThemThePointerFinger giving the culprit the pointer finger]], it's usually closer to the middle of the game, or the start of the third act. Layton generally knows who did it by this point, but sometimes the motive and exact method are missing.
* Due to the story of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', this happens multiple times over the course of the game, with different twists based on the evidence you get. The second to last one is done by [[spoiler:the killer themself]], and fantastically tears down the entire structure of the case thus far.

Related to the KirkSummation. May take the form of a SummationGathering and often includes NecroCam.

* In ''VideoGame/DetectiveDiTheSilkRoseMurders'', each case ends with Di methodically explaining how the crime was committed. As he talks we see a re-enactment of the crime, with the backgrounds in black-and-white, but with Di and the victim and the perpetrator in color.

** This was [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] on "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike": Monk, driven insane by a garbage strike, gets the summation wrong several times, culminatinh in an insane story about Alice Cooper murdering a man so he could steal his antique wingback chair. Once he's brought to a clean room so he can think straight, he [[DoubleSubverted finally figures it out for real]].

* This occurs in nearly every episode of ''Series/{{Monk}}'', usually from the title character. The line "Here's what happened" is normally used for these and is used in every episode.
** This was subverted on "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike": Monk, driven insane by a garbage strike, does the summation line before a telling an insane story about Alice Cooper murdering a man so he could steal his antique wingback chair.

** Parodied in one episode when Monk has to join a therapy group and the members keep getting killed off. When Monk tells the rest of the group about the possibility of the deaths being homicides, [[EvilCounterpart Harold]] mimics Monk's investigation style and then goes into a TheSummation-slash-HannibalLecture in which he points out that Monk had motive, opportunity, and a advantegeous position complete with fake flashbacks that portray Monk as an AxCrazy psuedo-{{Yandere}} who wants Dr. Bell all to himself (Harold was right about the last part). This is effective enough to make Monk himself seriously consider that he might be unconciously killing people.
** Parodied in "Mr. Monk and Sharona" where Monk, being rushed by Sharona, literally gives his summation in fast motion, complete with squeaky fast forward (or as he says, picture-go-fast) voice distortion. Unable to understand a goddamn word, he's asked to repeat it at regular talking speed.

* The ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' series generally averts this.

* Spoofed in ''Film/DeadMenDontWearPlaid'', where the PrivateDetective argues over his right to give TheSummation versus the BigBad's right to his JustBetweenYouAndMe speech. They start alternating, then revealing the whole scheme simultaneously.
* ''Film/AShotInTheDark''. By the end of the movie Inspector Clouseau still hasn't been able to work out who the killer is, so he gathers everyone in the one room and starts giving an overly long summation of how he detected the killer, while ordering his deputy to turn out the lights at a particular time so the guilty culprit will panic and flee. [[spoiler:Because their watches haven't been synchronised Clouseau has to ramble on for so long the guilty parties start confessing anyway (it turns out everyone in the room commited one crime or another) so when the lights go out they all flee and get blown up by a car bomb meant for Clouseau.]]
* In ''Film/DialMForMurder'', one of the characters gives the summation as a purely hypothetical imagining of what could have happened, not realizing that that is exactly what did happen.
* ''Film/{{Brick}}'' has the protagonist, Brendan, giving it to the mastermind behind it all, to prove they're well and truly caught. He only gets one detail wrong: [[spoiler: the identity of the father.]]
* ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'' uses this trope. The Detective does this almost constantly--he doesn't even wait until the end of the film! This is because this is how Holmes' mind works--he is constantly analyzing things to their conclusion.
* The first ''Film/MissionImpossible'' film showed Ethan Hunt's ''internal'' summations (there are two possible solutions, depending on whether or not there was an accomplice) during a conversation with the BigBad, while Ethan is verbally agreeing with the BigBad that someone else did it.

* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''. Providing the Summation is part of Fred Jones and Velma Dinkley's job description on the show.
** Sometimes in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', the culprit will do this themselves after being caught.

* Played with in ''Film/HotFuzz''. Once where [[spoiler:Sgt. Angel confronts Skinner, and lays out why he thinks he's committed the murders; Nothing comes of it, because as it turns out Angel's wrong on a few points, which (for the moment) exonerates Skinner. The second time is a Summation by the Neighborhood Watch Alliance, but [[InvertedTrope it's the]] ''[[InvertedTrope culprits]]'' [[InvertedTrope giving it to the hero]], who's just shocked and amazed by the meager justification they had for killing people.]]