Line #52 Main/ChekhovsGun


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11	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ShaunOfTheDead https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chekhovs_gun.jpg]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:350:There's a rifle above the bar because the name of the place is "The Winchester".]]
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14	->''"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."''
15	-->-- '''Creator/AntonChekhov''' (From S. Shchukin, Memoirs. 1911.)
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17	%% One quote is sufficient -- please place additional entries on the quotes page.
18
19	Anton [[TropeNamers Chekhov]], master of the short story, gave this advice: [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail If it's not essential, don't include it in the story]].
20
21	The term has come to mean an insignificant object that later turns out to be important. For example, a character may find a mysterious necklace that turns out to be the power source to the DoomsdayDevice, but at the time of finding the object, it doesn't seem important. The necklace was essential to the story, but its introduction downplayed its importance. Chekhov's advice wasn't necessarily to conceal importance, but to just not spend time on things that aren't important.
22
23	A lot of people consider the phrase "Chekhov's gun" synonymous with {{foreshadowing}}, and both terms are related. A gun that goes off in the third act but hasn't been in the play at all before, then, is going to feel like a real AssPull, but that's not key to the meaning of the phrase.
24
25	As a result of the success of franchises like ''Series/{{Lost}}'' or ''Literature/HarryPotter'', viewers and fans of MythArc-laden and/or carefully written shows and books have become accustomed to obsessing over minuscule details and looking out for Chekhov's Guns everywhere and anywhere... whether they actually exist or not. We call these EpilepticTrees and WildMassGuessing.
26
27	!![[SuperTrope Chekhov's Gun Depot also stocks]]:
28	[[index]]
29
30	Part A: General cases
31	* AndroclesLion: Basically Chekhov's good deed.
32	* ChekhovMIA: Remember that missing character? It's actually a ChekhovsGunman.
33	* ChekhovsArmoury: A whole stash of Chekhov's Guns.
34	* ChekhovsArmy: A whole stash of Chekhov's Gunmen.
35	* ChekhovsBoomerang: Chekhov's Gun has already been used once, then unexpectedly turns up again.
36	* ChekhovsClassroom: [[Series/{{Scrubs}} Remember what you heard, when you weren't even listening?]]
37	* ChekhovsExhibit: Chekhov's Gun will be put on display for the general public to gawk at. Before it's stolen, of course.
38	* ChekhovsGag: A Chekhov's Gun that was only introduced for the RuleOfFunny, but later it [[PlayedForDrama goes off dramatically.]]
39	* ChekhovsGift: Happy birthday! Here, have a Chekhov's Gun.
40	* ChekhovsGunman: When a character seems to be there for no reason, they must be important. In other words, the Chekhov's Gun is a character rather than an object.
41	* ChekhovsHobby: Like ChekhovsSkill, but it is merely established that the character has the skill rather than showing them using or learning it beforehand.
42	* ChekhovsNews: When a news report mentions something that will be important later.
43	* ChekhovsParty: If a party happens or is mentioned, pay close attention. Something important happened there.
44	* ChekhovsSkill: What you learn along the way can be a Chekhov's Gun.
45	* ChekhovsVolcano: If it wasn't going to erupt, it would have just been a mountain.
46	* ConspicuouslyLightPatch: The Chekhov's Gun of old, traditional animation, where anything obviously not part of the static (and often painted) background layer will be put to use by a character.
47	* EmptyRoomPsych: In a video game, all places ''must'' have a purpose.
48	* ForbiddenChekhovsGun: Never do this. ''Ever.'' (Unless you've crossed the GodzillaThreshold or something...)
49	* HeadacheOfDoom: If you have a headache, expect it to turn out to be for a very serious reason.
50	* IncurableCoughOfDeath: The medical Chekhov's Gun. If you coughed in the first act, you can bet that you'll be dead by the third. Same for unexplained itches, unless they lead to something more... [[LovecraftianSuperpower interesting]].
51	* InevitablyBrokenRule: If you introduce a rule for a character to follow, expect someone to break it without fail.
52	* InfallibleBabble: If {{prophecies are always right}}, then nonsense, hearsay and barely comprehensible rumours are even moreso.
53	* IronicEcho: A line of dialogue early on is repeated in an ironic context, showing a change in meaning or of heart.
54	* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: Take this dull, seemingly-useless (or even mostly-useless) item. Go on, take it! You will be most definitely needing it.
55	* KidsRaidingTheWineCabinet: Children + Alcohol = Children will inevitably drink the alcohol.
56	* KingIncognito: When Chekhov's Gunman is a famous/important person in disguise.
57	* TheLegendOfChekhov: If someone tells a fairy tale or legend, it'll turn out to be true, and outright disbelieving it only ups the uncomfortable nature of the truth when it hits.
58	* MeaningfulEcho: A line of idle dialogue is later repeated in a context that gives it additional significance.
59	* MeaningfulName: If the character's name has a special meaning but no immediate relevance, then the relevance will come later.
60	* NotSoSmallRole: Character #23 is played by ''whom?'' [[NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize They'd never have signed on for so small a role!]]
61	* NoticeThis: It must be important to the plot -- look where it's positioned and lighted.
62	* PlotDeviceAllAlong: Something mundane that the character uses regularly and constantly turns out to have been a highly important artifact.
63	* ThePromise: A verbal, visual or conceptual Chekhov's Gun where a promise is made and later comes up. Whereupon the promiser will be required to act; or, in unlucky cases, the promisee.
64	* PupatingPeril: Basically Chekhov's Cocoon. If a cocoon, chrysalis, or pupa appears or is mentioned, whatever hatches out of it will be important and usually dangerous or aggressive.
65	* ResolvedNoodleIncident: When a NoodleIncident now becomes important to the plot.
66	* SomedayThisWillComeInHandy: Useless knowledge is always important. Compare Classroom, Skill.
67	* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: The analogue for CGI, newer cartoons, and more video games.
68	* WorkplaceAcquiredAbilities: When the abilities obtained in one's professional career come in handy.
69	* YouWillKnowWhatToDo: You are told it will be important, but you aren't told when, where, how, or why. And, you'll be lucky if you know exactly what it does before the consequences hit, too.
70
71	Part B: You ''know'' what will invariably happen when you see any of these in a scene....
72	* [[AshesToCrashes Funeral Ashes]] -- They will be scattered inappropriately.
73	* An assembly line -- [[AssemblyLineFastForward It will speed up and cause chaos]].
74	* A BananaPeel -- Someone will slip on it.
75	* Someone CarryingACake -- It will be smashed.
76	* A chandelier -- someone will [[ChandelierSwing swing on it]] in a fight, and/or it will come [[FallingChandelierOfDoom crashing down towards a crowd of people]].
77	* A sign warning of [[DangerThinIce thin ice ahead]] -- Someone will fall through it.
78	* Someone's [[DoomedAutographedItem prized autographed possession]] -- It will get lost, stolen, or destroyed.
79	* [[DoomedNewClothes Someone wearing new clothes]] -- They will be dirtied, torn (often beyond repair), or drenched.
80	* DoomedSupermarketDisplay -- It will fall.
81	* A soufflé -- [[EndangeredSouffle It will collapse]].
82	* [[ExplodingFishTanks Fish Tank]] -- It will explode.
83	* Someone checking a FatalFamilyPhoto before a fight -- They will die.
84	* An electrocardiogram -- There'll be a {{Flatline}}.
85	* FruitCart -- It will be destroyed.
86	* ThePreciousPreciousCar -- If someone who owns a nice car acts like a jerk, the car will be borrowed without permission and/or broken.
87	* PricelessMingVase -- It will break.
88	* RailroadTracksOfDoom -- A train will show up, at the worst possible time for the characters.
89	* [[RippingOffTheStringOfPearls Someone wearing a pearl necklace]] -- The pearls will be ripped off.
90	* RopeBridge -- It will fall.
91	* RuleOfPool: Someone ''will'' fall or be pushed into that pool.
92	* SheetOfGlass -- It will break.
93
94	[[/index]]
95
96	Compare SchrodingersGun for a competing dramatic weapons dealer. Contrast to a RedHerring, where something shown early appears to be significant but was planted there just to throw you off. If there are a whole bunch of Red Herrings you might be looking at TheWalrusWasPaul, where a writer wants to mock fans of Chekhov's Guns by repeatedly messing with them. If there is a very long delay between the introduction of the element and its use in the story, to the point where most of the audience has long forgotten about it, you're looking at a BrickJoke. The MacGuffin is significant for some (possibly even plot-relevant) reason, but we never find out just what it is. If the Chekhov's Gun was hiding on the other side of the FourthWall, you have a NinjaProp. If a Chekhov's gun is set up but dropped (but was neither intended to distract as a RedHerring nor to be brought up later, as a BrickJoke), you have either an AbortedArc or WhatHappenedToTheMouse, depending on the importance of the gun to the overall plot. If something ''looks'' like a Chekhov's Gun but is really just a piece of NarrativeFiligree then that's a {{Cow Tool\|s}}.
97
98	The MagneticPlotDevice can be a standing Chekhov's Gun to blame the plot on. The ImpossibleTask may require one. Also see {{Asspull}}, which is what the viewer can sometimes confuse this with if they miss the gun the first time (or if the gun was [[EditedForSyndication edited out]] in an adaptation).
99
100	A reverse Chekhov's Gun is also common. Explicitly showing a normally armed character forgetting his gun when leaving the house for example. The experienced troper knows that this will become the day he needs it the most.
101
102	Also referred to as "the Indiana Jones principle" in Thomas C. Foster's ''How to Read Literature Like a Professor,'' named after [[Franchise/IndianaJones Indy's]] early encounter with a snake at the beginning of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' and how it set up his much [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes larger encounter with them]] later on. Another term for this is [[http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/Setup_and_payoff "setup and payoff,"]] a technique used by Creator/RobertZemeckis and Bob Gale for the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy and regularly taught to scriptwriters nowadays.
103
104	Not to be confused with JustForFun/ChekovsGun (or [[{{Snowclones}} Chekhov's Pun]], for that matter). See also CallBack, BrickJoke, and RunningGag.
105
106	!!Examples of this trope contain spoilers by necessity. Read at your own risk.
107	----
108	!!Example subpages:
109	[[quoteright:300:[[Film/ShaunOfTheDead https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ShaunWinchesterBright2_6507.png]]]]
110	[[caption-width-right:300:That's not the ''only'' reason, [[ZombieApocalypse though...]]]]
111	[[index]]
112	* ChekhovsGun/AnimeAndManga
113	** ''ChekhovsGun/OnePiece''
114	** ''ChekhovsGun/PokemonAdventures''
115	* ChekhovsGun/ComicBooks
116	* ChekhovsGun/FanWorks
117	* [[ChekhovsGun/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
118	* [[ChekhovsGun/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
119	* ChekhovsGun/{{Literature}}
120	** ''ChekhovsGun/HarryPotter''
121	* ChekhovsGun/LiveActionTV
122	** ''ChekhovsGun/DoctorWho''
123	* ChekhovsGun/{{Theatre}}
124	* ChekhovsGun/VideoGames
125	* ChekhovsGun/VisualNovels
126	* ChekhovsGun/WebAnimation
127	* ChekhovsGun/{{Webcomics}}
128	* ChekhovsGun/WebOriginal
129	* ChekhovsGun/WesternAnimation
130	** ''ChekhovsGun/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
131	[[/index]]
132
133	!!Other Examples:
134
135	[[foldercontrol]]
136
137	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
138	* In the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio play ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho195Mistfall Mistfall]]'', the cobweb filled tunnel in the cave that the Doctor and the New Alzarians do not take plays a major role in the story's resolution.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
142	* The Transmogrifier Gun in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes''. It was first used for a story arc where Calvin introduces it and wants Hobbes to turn him into a Pterodactyl. He turns him into a ''tiny'' one, and a massive transmogrifying fight ensues. In a later arc, Calvin is falling down to earth because a balloon that lifted him in the sky popped. He roots for some chewing gum in his pocket, in the hopes he can blow a big bubble and use it as a parachute, when he finds the gun, transforms himself into a light particle, and zips back home.
143	[[/folder]]
144
145	[[folder:Gamebooks]]
146	* Many of the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' gamebooks published in the United Kingdom have the reader collect all sorts of strange odds and ends, most of which seem to have no possible justification for the adventurer taking them along. Naturally, those seemingly useless items end up being just what the reader needs to get him- or herself out of trouble, or otherwise make an enemy easier to defeat.
147	* ''Literature/LoneWolf'':
148	** As a staple of Gamebooks, any item found by the protagonist (even seemingly useless trinkets) can prove surprisingly useful later in the book -- or sometimes, one or two books further in the series. However, there are also plenty of random items that serve no purpose but to take up space in the backpack, and thus you must choose wisely what you keep. Also, it is quite possible to miss the specific path were any item happens to be used.
149	** For the evil side, the Orb of Death that Zakhan Kimah demands in exchange for his allegiance to the Darklords, and receives in ''Shadow on the Sand''. A savvy enough player could guess it'd show up again, since major villains are rarely left unpunished in the series; sure enough, Zakhan Kimah, armed with the artifact, is the FinalBoss of ''The Cauldron of Fear''.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
153	* Myth/ClassicalMythology:
154	** OlderThanFeudalism: Perseus, prior to his fight against Medusa, gets a number of gifts from the Gods. Every one of them turns out to be critically useful.
155	** And that note, Medusa's head. While he was meant to simply retrieve it, Perseus ended up using it to kill Cetus and save Andromeda.
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Music]]
159	* The Russian folk band ''Music/OtavaYo'' has a variation with Chekhov's Kazoo: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr6Gg2mcxLg&t=696s If a kazoo is on a musician's neck during a concert, it must be played.]]
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Music Videos]]
163	* The music video for Music/{{Nickelback}}'s song [[https://youtu.be/_JQiEs32SqQ "Savin' Me"]] shows the protagonist walking behind a statue being lifted by a crane at about the halfway point of the video. [[spoiler: At the end of the song, it crashes down on the car of the woman the protagonist saves, because he can see her timer running out.]]
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Podcasts]]
167	* The ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' game of ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' has this, or rather, Chekhovs missiles. Kimmi outfitted the shuttle with them just in case. [[spoiler: Subverted in that they don't advance the plot, Kimmi just fires them to destroy the ships at the end and because she really wanted to fire them]].
168	* This trope was featured in Episode 3 of the TV Tropes podcast ''Podcast/OnTheTropes''.
169	* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'':
170	** Taking pictures of the floating cats is deadly. Established over a year before firing in episode 48.
171	** Also the list of seemingly random items that was given out by the Secret Police for summary memorization to grant protection from something. Fired over 2 years later in Episode 57, aptly titled "The List". [[spoiler:It was just a drill, fortunately for everyone that forgot it.]]
172	** Cecil's being auctioned off in Episode 37. The gun doesn't fire until over a year later in Episode 63 when Cecil, [[spoiler:after having saved Dana's life several times without his remembering doing so,]] wonders if [[spoiler:Dana was the one who bought him]].
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
176	* This trope is the entire idea behind WWE's "Wrestling/MoneyInTheBank" matches, which give their winner the opportunity to exercise the right to a world title match anytime they like within the coming year--usually at a theoretically unexpected and dramatically opportune moment, like [[CombatPragmatist right after the current champion has just been thoroughly beaten up by someone else]] [[spoiler:or at an event where they have better moral support, like Wrestling/RobVanDam at One Night Stand 2006, who is the only person to successfully cash in his shot after announcing it beforehand]].
177	* In their classic ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 13'' submission match, Wrestling/BretHart grabbed the timekeeper's bell from ringside midway through the match and set it on the apron without ever getting a chance to use it. Later, as Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin attempted to strangle him with an extension cord by hanging him off the apron, Hart grabbed the bell and smashed Austin in the face with it, allowing him to escape, recompose himself, and lock Austin in the [[FinishingMove Sharpshooter]] to win the match.
178	* Wrestling/MickFoley brought a chair with him to the ring for his confrontation with Wrestling/{{Ryback}} on the April 22, 2013 ''Raw.'' Mick left before the chair could be used. Then Wrestling/TheShield showed up and looked to be targeting [=Ryback=]. [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-h.html WWE Champion]] Wrestling/JohnCena walked out and it looked like he was going to simply stand back and let the Shield beat up on Ryback in retaliation for Ryback having done the same thing the week before. Instead, Cena grabbed the chair and used it on the Shield.
179	* Averted during Wrestling/JerryLawler's first-ever WWE Championship Match against Wrestling/TheMiz on the November 29, 2010 ''Raw.'' The Miz had set up a table outside the ring for him to slam Jerry Lawler through. During the last minutes of the match, [[spoiler: after having already disposed of Alex Riley]], Lawler managed to push The Miz off the top turnbuckle and through that exact table The Miz set up for him earlier. [[spoiler: Averted as Lawler still lost the match due to Wrestling/MichaelCole interfering on The Miz's behalf]].
180	* Subverted during the Wrestling/DeanAmbrose–Wrestling/BrockLesnar match at Wrestling/WrestleMania 32 in 2016. According to [[http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/15132979/the-highs-lows-wrestlemania-32 this review]] by an Creator/{{ESPN}} writer, "It was the match that finally put the lie to the Chekhov's Gun principle — they introduced a sea of weapons and managed to use approximately two."
181	* The counter to Wrestling/MikeQuackenbush's FinishingMove The Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} Special, since the only reason anyone would insist on coming up with a counter to his own finisher is because it would be important to the story later, which is exactly what happened.[[note]]At ''The Sordid Perils of Everyday Existence'' on November 17, 2007, Wrestling/ChrisHero defeated Equinox in a Mask vs. Hair match by breaking the CHIKARA Special by kicking Equinox in the head and locking Equinox in the hold instead. Earlier that same night, Hydra, a member of Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}}'s The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple, essentially sacrificed himself to end Wrestling/ShaneStorm's losing streak. It would slowly be revealed that Storm had sold out the ''[[{{Face}} tecnicos]]'' by giving the counter to Mantis who gave it to Hero. Equinox unmasked and wrestled for the rest of his career as Wrestling/VinGerard. At ''Style and Substance'' on September 7, 2008, Storm officially turned ''[[{{Heel}} rudo]]'' and became STIGMA, forming The [=UnStable=] with Gerard, later adding the returning Colin Delaney. It turned out that Mantis and CHIKARA Commissioner Creator/BobSaget (yes, Bob Saget) had made a deal to send Hero to wrestle for Dr. Cube, the BigBad of Wrestling/KaijuBigBattel, in exchange for Cube giving Mantis The Eye of Tyr, a Myth/{{Norse Mytholog\|y}}ical artifact that can be used to control minds. This ultimately led to the debut of Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes at the end of the 2009 SeasonFinale ''[=Three-Fisted Tales=]'' on November 22, 2009, which was the night that Mantis' two years of machinations completely blew up in his face.[[/note]]
182	* Averted at ''[[Wrestling/RingOfHonor ROH Fight of the Century]]'', August 5, 2006. Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli brought a briefcase with him to the four-corner survival match against winner Wrestling/{{Nigel McGuinness}}, Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels and Wrestling/JayLethal that never came into play.
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Radio]]
186	* In an episode of ''Radio/{{Gunsmoke}}'' titled "Last Fling", specific mention is made of a woman's big, fancy hatpin. Later in the story, [[spoiler:her estranged husband attacks her and she stabs him to death with it]].
187	* ''[[Radio/IntergalacticalMagicalRadio The Wacky Musical Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Intergalactical Magical Radio]]'' has Ronald and friends at one point obtain some cubic zirconia, which comes in handy when they turn out to be the fuel required for the spaceship of the aliens they arrive to rescue.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Roleplay]]
191	* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'':
192	** Slightly more notable that these are often times accidental examples, as their use as a Chekhov's Gun wasn't intended up until becoming such.
193	** The Anti-Chuck Norris Turret in both games. It originally popped up a few times in the beginning of the first game, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin just as a counter to all Chuck Norris attacks]], and was forgotten for a while. [[spoiler: However, it reappeared later on, in an upgraded form, as the FinalBoss of the game. It was so powerful that only the intervention of the [[BigGood Secret of the Void]] were the players able to defeat it.]] It later reappeared in [=DTG2=], resuming its original role of the Godmodder's counter to Chuck Norris-based attacks, until [[spoiler: Trial 6, when the Godmodder used it to break through the Bedrock underneath the Nether and freeing the [[EldritchAbomination Red Dragon]]]].
194	* ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'':
195	** The T-1 Typhoon that was left in the desert after Zenna and George were attacked by [=TumTum=] Tribesmen ended up having a brief but important role in driving an invading army of Mutant Dinosaurs out of the Dino Attack Team's camp on Adventurers' Island.
196	** Shortly before the Goo Caverns mission, it was established that Dino Attack Team began developing a weapon powerful enough to [[InstantWinCondition destroy an entire army]] without leveling a city. Think this is going to be important sometime in the future?
197	** Hotwire's PDA malfunctioned after Kat's death. Turns out that's what happens when a human consciousness stores itself in a pocket-sized communication device.
198	* ''Roleplay/TheMurderverse'': Early in ''Roleplay/AGameOfMafia 2'', [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne the Demi-fiend]] takes a cheap shot at Timeline Master Awe with an agility-reducing debuff skill, which goes entirely unnoticed and unmentioned by the other characters. Much, much later, [[spoiler: during the climax, the agility reduction results in him [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll taking visible damage for the first time in the entire series]].]]
199	* Subverted in ''Roleplay/NanQuest''. After Nan's memories start to fade, the paycheck she receives at the start of the story allows her to remember she was an electrician... but the paper is an ominous note rather than a paycheck, which just throws Nan's state of mind even more into question.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
203	* In ''TabletopGame/DragonlanceShadowOfTheDragonQueen'', the players can obtain a rusty spearhead from the sarcophagus of a disgraced Knight of Solamnia. This spearhead is all that remains of a corrupted dragonlance, which can be purified and restored to its former glory much later in the campaign. Should the party restore it, they can then use the dragonlance to disrupt the villains' ritual.
204	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
205	** It mentions in the first edition that one of the daughters of the Scarlet Empress had followed her into the Imperial Manse one night and simply disappeared. It would only be deep into Second Edition when Lillun returned. [[BodyHorror Unfortunately.]]
206	** Also worth mentioning was the AI "Eyem," named for the first thing it said to those who discovered it, a throwaway mention of a wonder of the First Age, or at least the Shogunate. Again, fast forward to the second edition, where the First Age version of the internet is a sentient network known as I AM.
207	* In a game module in the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame'', a couple of Squib merchants arguing with another group of merchants near the entrance to a ruined Jedi Academy have a burned out lightsaber for sale. This lightsaber allows you to interact with an important NPC later on, finding out some key info.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
211	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie4DANewAdventure'' at Ride/{{Legoland}}, Risky Business's Micro Manager replica sprays lemon water, which he mentions is only harmful to electronic devices. Emmet and Wyldstyle later get the idea to use it to short-circuit the mind control devices brainwashing their friends.
212	[[/folder]]
213
214	[[folder:Web Videos]]
215	* ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'':
216	** Linkara's Magic Gun, which he's been wielding since the beginning, turns out to be rather important in the ''Comicbook/SilentHill: Dead/Alive'' review, going from prop to plot point and ''character''.
217	** In his review of a ''ComicBook/WorldOfWarcraft'' comic, Linkara finds a working pokeball. He later uses it to capture a pyramid head
218	* In ''WebVideo/TheCartoonMan'', Roy and Karen find a number of random objects in a hollowed-out tree, including a pen, a feather, and a glove. [[spoiler:The pen turns out to be a "transponder" that opens a portal to an AlternateTooniverse, and in the sequel, the feather magically turns a man into a talking piece of paper.]]
219	* In [[http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1944834/ this episode]] of Website/CollegeHumor's ''WebVideo/HardlyWorking'', David casually references a book that [[spoiler:Sam]] borrowed, and never returned. This is largely ignored until the end of the episode, when David realizes that [[spoiler:Sam was trying to kill him so he wouldn't have to return the book.]] He even goes so far as to BreakTheFourthWall by looking at the camera and saying "Remember? From the beginning?"
220	* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' has the Freeze Ray, mentioned throughout Act I and II as something of a joke, comes back with a vengeance in Act III.
221	** Penny sings, "So keep your head up Billy buddy" to Dr. Horrible in Act II. Later, when Dr. Horrible gate-crashes the Captain Hammer statue unveiling at the end of Act III, he pep-talks himself into killing Hammer, singing, "head up Billy buddy," thus cluing in Penny that her friend Billy is the villain.
222	* The web series ''[[http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/archive/cHustle/date/desc commodoreHustle]]'' (by the guys at ''WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun'') introduced Mr. Ballsmatron in episode 7, and other than a few cameos, it never played a role until the season finale, with an ultimate ball kick and its destruction. Making it possibly the first appearance of a Chekhov's Ball-kicking robot.
223	* Mocked in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's review of ''Film/{{Showgirls}}''. During Nella's song at the end, she mentions the Chekhov's Stairs (that the lead pushed someone down at the climax of the film) that have been there since Act One.
224	* In ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'', Spider-Man telling Batman that he thinks he might have been married once would help Batman realize how Spiderman was immune to the Joker's brainwashing.
225	* Both subverted and parodied in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G19jSMFtURI one episode]] of [[WebVideo/StuartAshen Ashen's Tech Dump]] when, after showing off a highly toxic action figure sealed in a glass case with a biohazard sticker on it, he blatantly sticks it so that it's balancing precariously on the front of the desk and continues with the episode. When the case spends the whole episode without falling off, he finally just reaches out and pushes it off the desk himself.
226	* ''LetsPlay/{{Mahu}}'', in this case uses a "Chekhov's Game Bug". During his narrative let's play of "The Crownless Eagle", for some odd reason Istanbul makes the game turns go at a snail's pace. In his next series, "Second Chance", it is discovered the reason for this: The hidden portal which will allow humanity to flee their doomed planet.
227	* ''WebVideo/TVTrash'': ''Film/TheMightyDucks'' review begins with Hewy Toonmore (from ''WebVideo/HewysAnimatedMovieReviews'') breaking into Chris's show by using a remote, mentioning that all online reviewers have this. This is used as a chekov's gun twice. Chris would later obtain a remote, and used it to team up with WebVideo/TheCartoonHero to review the animated adaptation of ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel''. On a much more serious note, [[spoiler: [[BigBad Malicia]] was able to track down the remote's frequency to find Chris and attack him after his review of ''Series/MaskedRider'']].
228	* Inverted and played for laughs in the 15th ''WebVideo/FiveSecondFilms}'' Kickstarter sketch.
229	* During the 2012 campaign of ''WebVideo/D20Live'', [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] makes sure to have his character, Tandem, put a piece of glassware in a small sack and crush it to chunks. Later on in the game, when the party encounters a mutated man-giant, Tandem's first action is to [[EyeScream throw the crushed glass in his face]].
230	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqKAzGadmYo Boat Comedy]] did a sketch where people at an antiques show [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety grossly mishandle]] a fancy loaded flintlock pistol "owned by Creator/AntonChekhov" with various gunshot-like noises happening over and over again as incidental events. It plays on the trope by deliberately averting it again and again. [[spoiler:The gun [[RedHerring never fires]]]].
231	* ''WebVideo/{{Petscop}}'': In Petscop 1, Paul follows some introductions telling him to "walk downstairs and, in the bottom, turn right instead of proceeding to become a shadow monster man" (actually, access the menu and press Down several times, then Right). This allows him to enter the Newmaker Plane. Much later, in Petscop 9, Paul follows the same instructions, this time more literally, and becomes temporarily a LivingShadow, something that gives him access to the windmill.
232	[[/folder]]
233	----
234	->"[[Podcast/{{Rifftrax}} As Chekhov said, if you show condiments on the table in the first act, they must be slathered on chips in the third.]]"
235

Context Main / ChekhovsGun