Line #28 Main/CollapsedMidSpeech


1	[[quoteright:250:[[Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/collapse_mid_sentence.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:There's a good reason she [[OverlyLongName usually]] [[NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom goes]] by just "Secret".]]
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4	For whatever reason, victims of poison always seem to have some big speech to give while the poison kicks in. The poor sucker will stumble around, lose his train of thought, start sweating heavily, sway a little--maybe take a few slugs from the (poisoned!) water bottle. The crowd, without fail, will suddenly become blurry and indistinct.
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6	A common variant has the victim simply having a [[HollywoodHeartAttack heart attack]], {{fainting}}, or falling ill without poison.
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8	KilledMidSentence would also apply if the speaker dies, instead of just being knocked out.
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10	Also note AlmostDeadGuy and HisNameIs.
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12	RuleOfDrama - collapsing in public is a pretty spectacular way to go.
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14	----
15	!!Examples
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
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19	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
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21	* In the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' R TV series, Rei is attacked in the middle of her school concert. She transforms into Sailor Mars when everyone but the Senshi are knocked out, but since she had a good part of her LifeEnergy stolen by the MonsterOfTheWeek, she almost passes out in the middle of her InTheNameOfTheMoon speech.
22	* In the ''Manga/HetaliaBloodbath2011'', it happens to two characters. First, Seychelles experiences this as she's a nation-tan with a tropical climate and yet she's trouncing around in ''snow'' to join the others. Later, we find out that [[spoiler: a pre-teen!Holy Roman Empire experienced this ''and'' BloodFromTheMouth when he had a seizure during a Germanic states reunion, and his caretaker Hungary has to carry him in her arms.]]
23	* ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'': While Zen is ordering Obi and Mitsuhide to get their wounds seen to after the battle at Sereg he passes out from his own injuries and the knock-out drug/poison he'd been exposed to during the fight. Obi manages to catch him from where he was crouched to prevent Zen's head from hitting the stone.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Comics]]
27	* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'': [[HeroicWannabe Maxi Man]] gets knocked out by a piece of debris just as he starts ranting at the two agents set to protect him, both of whom had just decided their job was a degrading waste of time.
28	[[/folder]]
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30	[[folder:Fan Works]]
31	* In ''ComicBook/PowerGirl'' fanfic ''Fanfic/AForceOfFour'', Kara faints while speaking right after the final battle.
32	-->"Okay," said Power Girl. "I think we can power down right now."\
33	"Kara," said Diana. "Let me—"\
34	That was the last thing Power Girl heard before, exhausted, she hit the ground.
35	* It happens to [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]] in ''Fanfic/APrizeForThreeEmpires'' after fighting Kree gladiator Iva Kann to death and winning.
36	-->Gladiator knelt down to support Carol in one arm, Ronan’s weapon in his other hand. "Can you speak, Ca-Rol? Are you conscious?"\
37	Warbird managed to get out, "I’m fi–" before the black and white sparks danced and she slumped against the Guardsman’s chest.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Film]]
41	* An entire mob of grown-ups pass out during a speech after they toast in ''Film/SpyKids2IslandOfLostDreams''.
42	* Deliberately invoked at the end of ''Film/{{Dave}}''. Main character Dave is an IdenticalStranger to the President and was hired to be the President's BodyDouble while the President goes out of town to carry on an affair. The President suffers a stroke while away and the phenomenally corrupt administration is terrified of the honest Vice President, who will probably throw them all in jail given the chance, so they have Dave continue pretending to be President, with the intent of making him a PuppetKing. Dave refuses to continue going along with them, however, and near the end gives a big speech to Congress and the Senate, where he confesses to all the President's crimes and blows the lid off the corrupt conspirators by implicating them too. After hitting the important confession Dave suddenly starts stuttering, then stumbles and collapses, as if he's had a stroke. Afterwards the real President (who has been on life support the entire time) is switched back in, while Dave walks away.
43	* Alex in ''Film/{{A Clockwork Orange}}'' falls face-first into his pasta after being slipped a mickey by the writer whose wife he and the Droogs gang-raped in the beginning of the film.
44	* This happens to Jefferson Smith at the climax of ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'', although in that case it's not so much that he doesn't get through his speech as that [[HoldingTheFloor he keeps speaking until he collapses]].
45	[[/folder]]
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47	[[folder:Literature]]
48	* ''Literature/TheBible'': King Herod (the one who beheaded James the apostle) is said to have been struck down by God during a public appearance.
49	* In Creator/NgaioMarsh's ''Literature/TheNursingHomeMurder'', an ailing and unpopular Prime Minister collapses while speaking in the House of Commons. He's sent to a private hospital for an emergency appendectomy, but doesn't survive the procedure.
50	* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress''.
51	** While Professor Bernardo de la Paz was on Earth he suffered greatly from the Earth's greater gravity, as it was six times what he was used to. On occasion, he did feign collapsing during negotiations when he wished to temporarily halt proceedings while he "recovered".
52	** After he returned to the Moon he seemed to get better. Near the end of the novel, after the Moon had won the war with the Federated Nations of Earth, he gave a speech to a crowd of Loonies.
53	-->He stopped for cheers, then went on, "But that lies in the future. Today-- Oh, happy day! At last the world acknowledges Luna's sovereignty. Free! You have won your freedom--"
54	-->Prof stopped--looked surprised. Not afraid, but puzzled. Swayed slightly.
55	-->Then he did die.
56	* A variation in ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'' has Rico protesting against his commander's decision to activate a post-hypnotic suggestion for him to sleep[[note]] They are on a Bug-occupied planet, Rico feels he should be awake and alert to lead his men, his commander feels he should take the chance to rest while it's quiet and be rested and alert for trouble later[[/note]]. The twist being that ''Rico'' doesn't immediately realize anything has happened, except for his commander's confused reaction to Rico picking up on their discussion mid-sentence, several hours later.
57	* A victim in the ''Literature/AlexRider'' series goes out this way.
58	* Vizzini from ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'' collapses after a short speech, in the middle of his EvilLaugh.
59	* ''Literature/JudgeDee'': "The Haunted Monastery" has an abbot who delivered a profound sermon before his assembled acolytes and then willingly ascended to Heaven before their very eyes. The judge works out that the abbot was actually poisoned with a hallucinogenic substance and the sermon was actually him rambling in mystical terms before falling asleep for good.
60	->One could imagine that the old abbot's last sermon was in fact a confused mixture of various religious passages he remembered. It needed the commentary of the Chief Abbot to make sense. I presume he chose some mystic terms from the abbot's sermon, and made those the theme for a lucid discussion.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
64	* ''Series/TheMentalist'': A chef collapses in the middle of his speech.
65	* ''Series/BabylonFive'' discusses and subverts this. Londo and Vir plan to assassinate the mad emperor. Londo worries that the Emperor will give a deathbed speech. The "almost" instantaneous poison is supposed to stop this. Vir jokes that maybe the Emperor will have just enough time to shout "Kill Londo!", a thought which does not amuse Londo. [[spoiler:Vir ends up being the one who stabs the Emperor with the poison needle. The Emperor's last words are simply "I was to be a god." Vir, being a relative innocent in a very dirty world, soon turns to DrowningMySorrows to deal with it.]]
66	* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': Rory's grandfather has a heart attack and goes down in the middle of a lecture, but he makes it.
67	* Played with in ''Series/{{Buffy The Vampire Slayer}}'': The Mayor starts his Ascension in the middle of his speech to the graduating students, which causes him strong pains. However, he knew that it would happen and his collapse last few moments before he turns into a demonic snake. He only complains that he doesn't have time left to talk about civic pride.
68	* At the end of season 2 of ''Series/OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding'', the eventual victim for season 3 is performing a play, but stumbles and then falls down dead while attempting to deliver his opening lines.
69	[[/folder]]
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71	[[folder:Podcast]]
72	* As [[spoiler: Lovelace comes BackFromTheDead]] in ''Podcast/Wolf359'', her mind tries to get her to remember everything she knows all at once, causing her to give a speech that makes exactly zero sense. As she babbles on, she suddenly starts to pant and her voice gets quiet until she's only mumbling. She then sighs and collapses.
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75	[[folder:Theater]]
76	* In ''Theatre/InheritTheWind'', Matthew Harrison Brady is giving his closing speech, which his old and weary voice tries and fails to make sound passionate. After the microphone is taken away from him, he desperately tries to continue, but suddenly falls silent and collapses. As he is carried out of the courtroom in a semi-conscious state, he strangely starts speaking on being inaugurated as President. He dies offstage soon after.
77	[[/folder]]
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79	[[folder:Web Comics]]
80	* ''Webcomic/{{Dreamrise}}'': [[https://dreamrise-comic.com/comic/18 Keith is knocked out through a wall]] with a heavy EnhancedPunch after a failed attempt to rescue his friend, [[https://dreamrise-comic.com/comic/19 but shakes it off]] starting to say that he will not give up, before finally falling unconscious.
81	-->'''Keith:''' Green haired guy's got my friend... I've gotta- ''faints''\
82	'''Kara:''' I'm suprised he even stood up...
83	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
84	** After the ordeal in Sturmhalten Agatha [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070216 passes out mid rant when the stimulants that have been keeping her awake for the past few days wear off.]]
85	** Tarvek gets up to yell at Gil while he is very ill due to his family's latest attempt on his life and end up [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090807 falling unconscious and flat on his face mid sentence.]]
86	* On the very first page of ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation'', Secret collapses out of breath in the process of saying her OverlyLongName.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Western Animation]]
90	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}'' episode "Horn of Unicorn, Claw of Dragon", Cryotek, Feryl and Galadria pass out in mid-sentence as they are struck down by the [[MysticalPlague Magical Plague]] which is sweeping Prysmos.
91	[[/folder]]
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93	[[folder:Real Life]]
94	* Mardi Gras Indian "chief of chiefs" and New Orleans cultural icon Allison "Tootie" Montana had a fatal heart attack in the middle of a speech he was giving to the New Orleans City Council to protest police brutality.
95	* During the first time UsefulNotes/JoeBiden ran for President, he was delivering a speech in New Hampshire when he walked off the stage, collapsed in another room before rousing himself several minutes later to finish the speech. This proved to be a medical warning sign for Biden, as in early 1988 (a few months after a plagiarism scandal forced Biden to drop out of the race) Biden suffered two brain aneurysms and would not return to the Senate until the fall of 1988.
96	[[/folder]]

Context Main / CollapsedMidSpeech