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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 6 | -> '''Xander:''' As long as nothing really bad happens between now and then, you'll be fine.\ |
| 7 | '''Buffy:''' Are you crazy? What did you say that for? Now something bad is gonna happen.\ |
| 8 | '''Xander:''' What do you mean? Nothing's gonna happen.\ |
| 9 | '''Willow:''' Not until some dummy says, "As long as nothing bad happens."\ |
| 10 | '''Buffy:''' It's the ultimate jinx!\ |
| 11 | '''Willow:''' ''What were you thinking?!'' Or were you even thinking at all?\ |
| 12 | '''Xander:''' You don't know... Maybe this time it'll be different... |
| 13 | -->-- ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "School Hard" |
| 14 | |
| 15 | The inevitable question asked when another character's rash plan or reckless behavior results in disaster or near-disaster. Asked upon discovery of the mayhem caused by said recklessness, or after picking up the pieces, and is usually asked by their superior, a concerned parent, or simply a friend or ally. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Popular answers include "[[IdiotBall I wasn't]]!", "[[IndyPloy I don't know]]!", "ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime!", and "IDidWhatIHadToDo." If someone answers "ForScience", it's a good bet that he's either a lost cause or a ''very'' MadScientist. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Can follow a MyGodWhatHaveIDone for a KickTheDog moment. A DealWithTheDevil is almost always followed by this, if only from the audience. Not to be confused with WhatTheHellHero, which has less to do with recklessness and more to do with {{kick|TheDog}}ing or [[ShootTheDog shooting the dog]], though it can overlap. If someone is asking ''himself'' (or herself) this, it's DidntThinkThisThrough. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Compare FlatWhat, WhatTheHellHero and WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt -- where this either gets said verbatim as an addendum or is simply loomingly implicit. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | ---- |
| 24 | !!Examples: |
| 25 | [[index]] |
| 26 | * WhatWereYouThinking/FanWorks |
| 27 | [[/index]] |
| 28 | |
| 29 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 32 | * ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': This is [[{{Cyborg}} 18]]'s (rather understandable) reaction to learning that Krillin asked for [[WorldsStrongestMan Goku]] to punch him. Krillin's explanation is that ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime, since he wanted to know how strong Goku had gotten. |
| 33 | * In ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'', Kaname tends to yell this whenever Sousuke does something insane. More often than not, he proceeds to explain the ridiculously complicated terrorist plot that he foiled to justify his actions. Sometimes the plot is even real. |
| 34 | * Yuna Roma Seiran gets this from the ORB military officers in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', for hiding war criminal Lord Djibril in ORB and denying it, then acting all surprised when ZAFT sees through his obvious lies and invades in full force. Apparently, he thought that since ORB had successfully hidden [[CoolShip the Archangel]] from them two years ago, but not even in anime do politics bend to the RuleOfCool... |
| 35 | * These exact words are used in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' when the Tendos, particularly [[BewareTheNiceOnes Kasumi]], [[WhatTheHellHero call Genma out]] for taking his son to the cursed training ground of Jusenkyo. To the annoyance of some readers, though, this is only in the very first chapter of the manga, and nobody so much as raises an eyebrow when Genma later reveals he taught Ranma the [[HarmfulToMinors Nekoken]] because he was too lazy to read the next page, [[NowYouTellMe which warned]] that the technique [[SanityHasAdvantages invariably drove trainees insane]] and was [[UselessUsefulSpell too stupid to use, anyway]]. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Although]], it's entirely possible that people stopped asking this of him because they realized it just wouldn't do any damned good. |
| 36 | * In ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'''s "Kami-sama" arc, Sanzo attempts to break a barrier that he thought was created by will power by shooting at it, on the "rationale" that the bullets are infused with ''his'' will power, and thus the two will cancel out...yeah, no. Instead, the bullets ricochet back and everyone dives for cover, with Hakkai yelling, "What are you DOING, Sanzo??" |
| 37 | * In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'', Jolyne Cujoh, who's imprisoned in Green Dolphin Street Prison, acquires her father Jotaro's Stand Disc, one of two key items needed to ensure he awakens from his coma, and places a call to the Speedwagon Foundation and mentions the Disc over the phone. Emporio Alnino, a boy who lives in the prison, angrily uses this phrase on her, noting that their enemies could be listening. He's proven right when [[ArcVillain Whitesnake's user]] listens in on the call. |
| 38 | [[/folder]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 41 | * From the ''Franchise/StarWars: Clone Wars'' comics, during the battle of Kamino: |
| 42 | -->'''Commander Merai:''' What were they ''thinking'', defending a [[SingleBiomePlanet water world]] with ships that can't submerge? |
| 43 | [[/folder]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 46 | * ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'' has Mom convey an expression that says this phrase without using words to react to Jeremy's antics. Likely she doesn't say it because Jeremy will likely react with some quip. |
| 47 | -->'''Mom:''' What were you thinking!\ |
| 48 | '''Jeremy:''' Everything's cause-and-effect with you, isn't it. |
| 49 | [[/folder]] |
| 50 | |
| 51 | [[folder:Films -- Animation]] |
| 52 | * In the feature film adaptation of Shane Acker's ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'', 7 asks 9 this [[spoiler:after 9 put the talisman into the machine, causing it to wake up and kill 2.]] |
| 53 | * ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' has this part after Hiro's big brother Tadashi helps him get out of a nasty incident. |
| 54 | -->'''Tadashi:''' Are you okay?\ |
| 55 | '''Hiro:''' Yeah.\ |
| 56 | '''Tadashi:''' ''Then what were you thinking, you knucklehead?!'' |
| 57 | * ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'': Gloria asks a version of this after she discovers that him singing to her at the mating season is really him lip-synching and letting someone else sing (Mumble can't sing). |
| 58 | -->'''Gloria:''' Mumble, what could you possibly be thinking?\ |
| 59 | '''Mumble:''' I...I don't know what else to do! |
| 60 | * ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'': The animals in general have this reaction to learning that [[spoiler: Verne returned all the food they had gather over the week to the humans (or at least tried to)]], with Ozzie saying the trope name word-for-word. |
| 61 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Mei asks herself this after her drawing of her crush ends up causing major embarrassment for her even though it was due to her mother's actions that it ended up that way and not Mei's fault. |
| 62 | [[/folder]] |
| 63 | |
| 64 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 65 | * The captain asks ''Film/CoolHandLuke'' what he thought defacing parking meters would get him. Luke replies that, [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy being drunk at the time, he probably wasn't thinking.]] |
| 66 | * In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Lucius Fox meets with Coleman Reese, who says that he's figured out that Bruce Wayne is Batman and wants $10 million a year for the rest of his life to stay quiet. |
| 67 | -->"{{Let me get this straight}}: You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. [[BullyingADragon And your plan is to blackmail this person]]? Good luck." |
| 68 | * ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'': Dominic Toretto asks this of Jesse after he races Johnny Tran for pink slips. |
| 69 | * In ''Film/TheGoonies'', Stef barks this at Andy when she hits the wrong notes on the musical lock, causing part of the floor to collapse. |
| 70 | -->'''Stef:''' What were you thinking?\ |
| 71 | '''Andy:''' I hit the wrong note! I'm not [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberace Liberace]], you know! |
| 72 | * In ''[[Film/OhGod Oh God! You Devil]]'', when Bobby literally finds God near the end of the film, the Almighty agrees to help him out of the predicament he's in, but not without giving Bobby a (for God) gentle rebuke. |
| 73 | -->'''God:''' You made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with the Devil]]. How dumb could you be? |
| 74 | * In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', the Sovereign pursue the Guardians because Rocket stole some of their batteries |
| 75 | -->'''Peter:''' What were you thinking?!\ |
| 76 | '''Rocket:''' Dude, they were ''[[KleptomaniacHero really easy]]'' to steal.\ |
| 77 | '''Gamora:''' That's your defense?! |
| 78 | * Reverend Mother asks it word for word in ''Film/SisterAct'' in response to Deloris/Mary Clarence turning the choir into a girl group act. |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | |
| 81 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 82 | * ''Literature/BelievingIsSeeing'': Chrestomanci asks the officials in Theare about what they were thinking. He says that by trying to avoid their destiny, they only came to meet it and caused disruption to their own world. |
| 83 | * ''Literature/{{Bravelands}}'': Loyal questions Fearless about what he was thinking when growling that Fearless had made an oath he couldn't possibly keep. |
| 84 | * ''Literature/DisneyChills'': John and Michael ask Barrie this when he confesses that he stole the pirate captain's hook. They say stealing from a guy like that, even if he's supposedly dead, is asking for trouble. |
| 85 | * ''Literature/GoToSleepAJeffTheKillerRewrite'': After the brothers retreat to their home, Jeff spits blood in the bathroom sink from how badly beat up he got fighting Randy. Liu sees this and asks "What were you even thinking!" in regards to Jeff running into that fight in retaliation of Randy insulting him and the late Ben, to which Jeff replies, "I wasn't." |
| 86 | * Zoe Heller's novel ''Literature/NotesOnAScandal'' (later made into a [[Film/NotesOnAScandal film]] of the same name) was released under the (patently absurd, given the novel's tone) title of ''What Was She Thinking? Notes On a Scandal'' in the US. |
| 87 | * Implied in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' books about starfighters, such as the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. One type of "Ugly," spaceships cobbled together Frankenstein-style from various parts, combines the ball cockpit of a TIE Fighter with a Y-Wing's engines. The result is slow, sluggish, unshielded, and only has a pair of lasers for weapons, giving it all the downsides of its parent vehicles and none of the benefits. This Ugly design is variously known as the T-Wing, TYE-Wing, Die-Wing, and most tellingly as the Why-Fighter. |
| 88 | * ''Literature/{{Swindle}}'': Mrs. Bing questions Griffin about his thought process after he was caught making a sting operation against suspects of his in the courthouse. |
| 89 | * In ''Literature/WarriorCats'': ''A Vision Of Shadows'', after Onestar explains the connection between him and [[BigBad Darktail]], the she-cats seem to get the gist of where his story's going. |
| 90 | -->'''Rowanstar:''' What was the mouse-brain thinking?\ |
| 91 | '''Mistystar:''' Obviously, he ''wasn't'' thinking. |
| 92 | * ''Literature/WhatIfGamebooks'': |
| 93 | ** Often said by the author when the audience makes a bad decision. Sometimes it's directed at the reader, but it does often go to Haley. Book #2 even has a dead end that opens with asking you why you left Haley alone with a delinquent, and listing the awful things that happened because of it. Book #7 also opens a dead end berating you with this, telling you that you shouldn't have made Haley take slimming pills and she was lucky to end up in a psych ward and not the morgue (aka dead). |
| 94 | ** Also inverted when the author congratulates you in some scenes. Book #6 tells you that it was very generous of you to help Mia (if you choose to) because Haley will get good karma from it. Consequently, if you consciously choose for Haley to ignore the situation, you reach a dead end. |
| 95 | [[/folder]] |
| 96 | |
| 97 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 98 | * In the TV movie "[[https://youtu.be/Jd-4EnFfVp8?si=1LmRv_L11rFlxhYL Aftermath]]", as a family tries to reconcile after an incident of sexual abuse, the mother blasts the father for his actions--"I caught you with your hands between her (the daughter's) legs! What were you thinking?!". He can only feebly respond "I wasn't." |
| 99 | * {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d In ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos'' during the Daisy Fuentes season, where she gives a little speech about the three primary audience reactions: "hahahaha", "[[ShareTheMalePain owwwww...]]" and "what were they thinking?" |
| 100 | * Late in the ''Series/BandOfBrothers'' miniseries, Easy Company passes some surrendering Germans traveling in the other direction, troops marching and officers on wagons. Webster leans out of a troop transport and starts berating them: "You stupid bastards, look at you! You have ''horses''! ''What were you thinking?!''" For added irony, they are on the autobahn. The Americans in trucks on the road, the Germans walking the other way in the median. |
| 101 | * Used in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', see the page quote. |
| 102 | * A sad example occurs in ''Series/CallTheMidwife'': after several attacks on women in the neighborhood, the midwives are told to travel in groups. Sister Mary Cynthia is separated from her partner and tries to walk home alone. After she's jumped, a heartbroken Sister Julienne asks this trope. |
| 103 | * ''Series/ChicagoMed'': In the Season 3 episode "Down by Law", a patient named Ben has checked himself into the psychiatric ward due to having repetitive homicidal thoughts towards his wife, who happens to be pregnant. So Dr. Reese's bright idea to help him is via exposure therapy; by ''locking herself in a room with him and '''giving him a knife'''''. While Ben ultimately doesn't harm her or himself, she gets reamed out by Dr. Charles for defying his orders and recklessly putting herself and Ben in danger. |
| 104 | -->'''Dr. Reese:''' Dr. Charles, I know I didn't take your approach today—\ |
| 105 | '''Dr. Charles:''' "Didn't take my approach"?! You directly defied my orders and put yourself and ''your patient'' in real danger!\ |
| 106 | '''Dr. Reese:''' Ben isn't dangerous. I think I just proved that.\ |
| 107 | '''Dr. Charles:''' The only thing you proved to me is that you are reckless and insubordinate, and I have half a mind to suspend you again!\ |
| 108 | '''Dr. Reese:''' The last few months, you've been preaching to me that I can see my patients as a threat or as an opportunity. Was I afraid in there? ''Yes''. But my fear no longer controls me, I control it, and now Ben controls his, too!\ |
| 109 | '''Dr. Charles:''' You are missing the point! I appreciate that exposure therapy has given you a newfound sense of confidence, but it ''does not'' make you all-knowing and invincible. What you just did in there was ''unbelievably'' stupid! |
| 110 | * Asked bluntly of Vanessa Huxtable by her father Cliff in the "Off To See The Wretched" episode of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', regarding not only her deceit (she lied to her parents so that she and her friends could go to an out-of-state concert), but her additional stupid antics, like not reporting the theft of her friend's brother's car. |
| 111 | * In the pilot episode of ''Series/CornerGas'', Oscar does this when he sees Brent do some changes to the gas station, namely the introduction of video rentals. Oscar does not take this well. |
| 112 | -->'''Oscar:''' What, are you in show business now? The gas business not good enough for you? You've gotta be [[Series/TheEdSullivanShow Ed Sullivan]]? ''[imitates Ed Sullivan]'' "We've got a great shoooo! We've got a really big shoooo!" What the hell are you thinking?\ |
| 113 | '''Brent:''' [[NonSequiturDistraction I'm thinking your Ed Sullivan needs work]]. |
| 114 | %% Zero content example: * ''Series/DrPhil'', anyone? |
| 115 | * ''Series/{{ER}}''. Carol to Doug when he shows up at her apartment drunk, uninvited and unannounced, disrupting her romantic evening with her boyfriend. |
| 116 | * Used in an episode of ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'', in which Julius is laid off and has to take care of the house, cooking, and cleaning while Rochelle tries to find a job. After being insulted by Rochelle for most of the episode, Julius makes the mistake of saying that taking care of the house, which Rochelle usually does, isn't that hard. Cue Rochelle, who is known for cursing people out, launching a positively ''horrifying'' hour-long tirade that had Julius cowering in the corner, ending with Rochelle yelling "HAVE YOU ''LOST'' YOUR MIND!??!" |
| 117 | * Used verbatim in ''Series/{{FlashForward|2009}}'', regarding Mark Benford's actions in the last episode. |
| 118 | * The ''Series/FullHouse'' episode "Comet's Excellent Adventure" raises this question twice after the part about Jesse giving Michelle to [[DogWalksYou walk Comet by herself]], which leads to Comet running away and becoming missing, is revealed. |
| 119 | ** Near the end of the episode, Michelle combines this trope with CallingTheOldManOut[[note]] (technically, Jesse is Michelle's uncle, but the premise still stands)[[/note]] when [[LampshadeHanging she asks Jesse this question]]. |
| 120 | --->'''Michelle''': Why did you let me [[DogWalksYou walk Comet by myself]]? [[LampshadeHanging What were you thinking?!]]\ |
| 121 | '''Jesse''': That's the thing. [[IdiotBall I-I wasn't.]] |
| 122 | ** A bit earlier, Danny reacts similarly after Jesse confesses his role in Comet's disappearance to him. |
| 123 | --->'''Danny''': What? Big dog, little girl -- what's the matter with you? |
| 124 | * In ''Series/HellsKitchen'', Chef Ramsay does not suffer fools lightly. If any of the chefs do something incredibly bone-headed, especially if it hits his {{Berserk Button}}s, he will ask what their thought process was in doing so. Sometimes, the chefs themselves will express disbelief in one of their actions or even lampshade it themselves when they do so. |
| 125 | * A lot of people screamed this at Mohinder from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' when he [[spoiler:injected himself with a SuperSerum he'd invented mere hours ago from studying a woman who cries death, while outside in a bad part of town. And also wanted to ''distribute it to the general public'', despite the fact that a remarkable proportion of those with powers kill people a lot or even try to destroy the world]]. |
| 126 | * ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Said verbatim by Lestat de Lioncourt in "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E2AfterThePhantomsOfYourFormerSelf ...After the Phantoms of Your Former Self]]" when he rebukes Louis de Pointe du Lac for throwing caution into the wind by murdering the assistant of Alderman Fenwick. |
| 127 | -->'''Lestat''': This was your man's esquire, sent in his stead.\ |
| 128 | '''Louis''': I was hungry.\ |
| 129 | '''Lestat''': Stone's throw from your place of business! What were you thinking?! |
| 130 | * Jay Leno famously asked Hugh Grant after the latter's [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity sex scandal]]: "What the ''hell'' were you thinking?" Creator/DenisLeary said the same thing about Marv Albert's scandal in his stand-up special, ''Lock and Load.'' |
| 131 | * ''Series/LawAndOrder'' Adam Schiff does this to Jack [=McCoy=] when he cuts a very favorable deal for a mob hit man in "House Counsel" because he wants to beat the mobster's attorney, who happens to be an intense rival of [=McCoy's=] from law school. |
| 132 | -->'''Schiff:''' What are we running here, Benny's Bargain Basement? Today's special - cop to four murders, and serve only five years.\ |
| 133 | '''[=McCoy=]:''' I didn't think--\ |
| 134 | '''Schiff:''' You didn't think because the blood was too busy rushing from your brain to somewhere south of the border! |
| 135 | * ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': |
| 136 | ** [[TurnInYourBadge Elliot Stabler]] frequently hears this: when he drove a paranoid-schizophrenic to a breakdown to get information, when he tried to convince the parents of a girl beaten up by his friend's son not to testify, when he made his daughter's DUI disappear, the infamous "What possessed you to tell the shrink in your psych evaluation that you fantasized about killing suspects?!" Or the time when he told the father of a murdered girl that the Suspect might [[KarmaHoudini get away with it]]... |
| 137 | ** Captain Cragen also said this to Olivia Benson when she gave a reporter confidential information about an investigation involving Anthrax. |
| 138 | ** Fin Tutuola heard this from John Munch and his ex-wife in the episode when he handled a case against his son poorly. |
| 139 | * Used in ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'' when a [[TooDumbToLive minor member of a]] [[CannibalClan gentleman's club]] of... [[MacGuffin purveyors of Special Stuff]] (which makes even [[ImAHumanitarian human flesh]] seem upstanding and moral) run by [[TheButcher Hilary Briss]] decides to bring his wife to a secret meeting: |
| 140 | -->'''Briss''' Right... now we're all finally convened. As my special customers, you'’re no doubt aw...\ |
| 141 | ''[Maurice's wife enters]''\ |
| 142 | '''Eunice''' Hiya, I was just parking the car.\ |
| 143 | '''Briss''' Right, Eunice! An unexpected pleasure! Sam, would you like to get Eunice a drink?... Maurice... do you have a moment?\ |
| 144 | ''[Briss leads him to one side]''\ |
| 145 | '''Briss''' Are you out of your [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] mind? |
| 146 | * Pops up in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' on occasion, such as Joel to Crow for letting [[EvilTwin Timmy]] on board, or (much later) Crow to Mike after he's [[MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds just blown up his third planet]]. |
| 147 | * ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': |
| 148 | ** Parodied by Norm [=MacDonald=] during a "Weekend Update" segment: |
| 149 | --->"Stephen J. Hawkings, the renowned astrophysicist, regarded as Albert Einstein's intellectual successor, conceded defeat this week in a wager he made six years ago with two professors of the California Institute of Technology. Hawkings incorrectly bet against the existence of naked singularities: a mathematical point in a black hole where space and time are infinitely distorted, where matter is infinitely dense and where the rules of relativistic physics break down. With all due respect to Mr. Hawkings: what the hell were you thinking? I would have taken that bet, made a quick 20 bucks!" |
| 150 | ** And in another: |
| 151 | --->"On Wednesday, world chess champion Gary Kasparov tied Deep Blue, the IBM supercomputer that can examine two hundred million positions per second, in the fourth game of their six game series. Earlier in the week, Kasparov admitted he made a catastrophic blunder in game two when he failed to force a draw by moving rook to e8, opting instead for a Caro Kann defense that soon transposed into a Pribyl defense which, after Deep Blue moved bishop to e7, gave him the advantage with his ninth position. With all due respect to Mr. Kasparov... What the hell were you thinking?" |
| 152 | * ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': |
| 153 | ** At the beginning of Season 6's "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS6E24TestOfFaith Test of Faith]]" while Walker and Trivette are pursuing a trio of bank robbers, their chase ends at an abandoned building, where the robbers have an accomplice in a helicopter waiting for them. After Walker and Trivette kill the other two robbers, their leader gets away, but Walker [[HangingByTheFingers grabs hold of the copter's skid for a short time]], and is able to force the robbers to land their chopper so they can be arrested. After the fact, it leads to this exchange between the two Rangers: |
| 154 | --->'''Trivette:''' Hey! Franchise/{{Superman}} [[ShoutOut called]] and he wants his cape back! What the hell were you thinking to jump and grab that skid?!\ |
| 155 | '''Walker:''' If I had time to think, Trivette, I wouldn't have done it! |
| 156 | [[/folder]] |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[folder:Pro Wrestling]] |
| 159 | * Comes up quite a lot in Wrestling/{{WWE}}, either from skits backstage after a loss (or near-loss) because of a tag team partner, or when a commenter wonders what a high-flyer was thinking after attempting a high risk move successfully (or unsuccessfully) and losing the match. |
| 160 | * Wrestling/{{Kane}} buried Wrestling/TheUndertaker... [[DeathIsCheap again]]. He decided to hold a funeral in respect of him... and then Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio interrupted. Now, given that Alberto had only been on Smackdown for a few months, and Kane is a veteran who ''just took out The Undertaker'', and that Alberto interrupted his "funeral" just to challenge Kane, the audience, Kane, and pretty much anyone else who may have been watching all exclaimed... |
| 161 | -->"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" |
| 162 | * Some fans exclaim this when a promotion has a good angle or rivalry going and then proceeds to screw it up somewhere along the line. WWE tends to get this ''a lot''. For example, dropping the US Title rematch of [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] vs Wrestling/{{Sheamus}} from Wrestlemania 27, considering that they're two of WWE's most consistent workers and could have put on an awesome match. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 166 | * 311 fits with "What was I Thinking", a somewhat heavy, short, and repetitive song where the singer is apparently in disbelief in something he said. |
| 167 | * Folk singer Christine Lavin's song "What Was I Thinking", originally written in the late 1990s, features such examples as a poor choice of formal dress, hair style, and [[RippedFromTheHeadlines poor choice of White House intern]]. |
| 168 | * "What Were You Thinking" by CountryMusic group Little Texas, a breakup song: |
| 169 | -->What were you thinkin'\ |
| 170 | When you turned your back and walked away\ |
| 171 | Who do you think you're leavin'\ |
| 172 | Did you think I'd let it end this way\ |
| 173 | What were you thinkin'? |
| 174 | * The music video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTqra4YSsaM "What Was I Thinkin'"]] by Dierks Bentley opens with him taking Becky (played by Lauren Elaine) back home after a date. She asks if he would want to do it again, and though he is unsure, he reluctantly agrees. The next day, he is seen looking at pictures of the date he can't remember. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 178 | %%* Take an RPG, any RPG, and one character will inevitably say this to another. And most likely, the player was thinking about [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption why they had to do that to continue.]] |
| 179 | * PlayedForLaughs in the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'' DLC ''Seasons of Infamy''. In a quest involving the Order of Assassins, you can come across a group thugs standing over an unconscious member of the group. One of the thugs doesn't have a high opinion of his unconscious co-worker's intelligence: |
| 180 | -->"What was this idiot thinking?!? You see a ninja, ''you let the ninja pass!'' That's common sense!" |
| 181 | * ''VideoGame/{{Brink}}'': Used word-for-word by Brother Chen at the end of "Critical Reaction" when he discovers a rogue splinter of the Resistance destroyed the Ark's nuclear reactor, especially since he said he merely intended to threaten to do so and not ''actually'' follow through on it. |
| 182 | * Halfway through ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', you'll receive an invitation to visit Caesar, ruler of the despotic, slaving Legion, at his Fort, along with a promise of safe passage if the Legion considers you an enemy. If you've done a lot of quests against the Legion over the first act of the game, Caesar will greet you with TranquilFury, reciting a LongList of ways you've screwed him over, and end by asking what you were thinking, daring to come before him after all that. If you reply that the Mark of Caesar guaranteed your safety, Caesar will declare that he's [[ILied going to have you executed regardless...]] [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor and then admit that he's "just fucking with you."]] ''Alternatively'', if you have the [[TerrorHero Terrifying Presence]] perk, you can answer Caesar's question with "That I'd decorate this tent with your guts" and [[StraightForTheCommander initiate combat with the dictator.]] |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'': Spoken verbatim by Kratos and Freya on two different occasions, Kratos when he catches Atreus in Midgard when he disappeared from Sindri's house for two days, unaware that [[spoiler:he was actually in Jotunheim for a few hours and Atreus has to keep it a secret]], and Freya when everyone learns Atreus [[spoiler:freed Garm, a wolf that can chew through the fabric of reality.]] |
| 184 | * Lance Vance says this in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' after a lackey's failed attempt to blow up a coffee shop leaves behind a veritable OrgyOfEvidence. |
| 185 | * In the backstory of ''Franchise/MassEffect'', this was the salarian and asari response when they learned how the turians responded to humanity opening a mass relay: destroying the fleet that did it and conquering the planet involved. ''Without telling the humans why they did it.'' (Randomly opening mass relays has a high, historically-proven chance of letting very bad things into civilized space, but [[DidntThinkThisThrough an uncontacted species would have no way of knowing this]].) Naturally, humanity took this as an act of war, turning FirstContact into a diplomatic nightmare. |
| 186 | * In ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'', Max thinks about asking this of Giovanna and [[spoiler:the now deceased]] Marcello, but stops and reminds himself that his long list of failures gives him no right to criticise. |
| 187 | * In ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'', [[MissionControl Bain]] [[OhCrap gets nervous]] when he realizes what the gang's stealing this time around. |
| 188 | -->'''Bain:''' Vlad, smashing malls is one thing. Stealing tiaras is one thing. [[spoiler:But nukes?!]] |
| 189 | * Spyro says this to the Professor in ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'' after the latter gets captured by Red and forced to transform Red's army into robots. |
| 190 | -->'''Spyro:''' Professor, I finally found you! What were you thinking going after Red?\ |
| 191 | '''Professor:''' I don't know! I thought I could stop him after you had weakened him! |
| 192 | |
| 193 | [[/folder]] |
| 194 | |
| 195 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 196 | * In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Shirou gets this a lot, because what he does tends to get him disemboweled or otherwise grievously harmed while the person he was helping probably would have been okay, or whoever he was trying to save was clearly beyond help. Unusually for this trope, Shirou fully realizes that what he's doing is mind-bogglingly stupid ''even as he's doing it'', [[HonorBeforeReason but he's so dependent on his "save everyone" philosophy that he refuses to compromise it in any way]], [[DeathSeeker even if it means his own life.]] |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
| 198 | |
| 199 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 200 | * In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000803c you built dangerous robots and let the bad guy take them to conquer the world.]] Followed by the {{Stock Phrase|s}}. |
| 201 | * [[http://explosm.net/comics/1582/ This]] ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' comic. |
| 202 | * [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Sollux:]] [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003978 Fling stars specibus-ward.]] |
| 203 | * ''Webcomic/LeavingTheCradle'': It's said pretty much outright when [[spoiler: Zane learns about the doctored data in Gharr's report.]] |
| 204 | [[/folder]] |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 207 | * ''Series/CobraKai:'' Johnny chews out Hawk for kicking Robby InTheBack at the All-Valley Tournament, between rounds. |
| 208 | --->'''Johnny:''' What the hell are you thinking, man?\ |
| 209 | '''Hawk:''' What was I supposed to do, be a pussy? |
| 210 | * There is actually an entire blog dedicated to asking this question about old comics. It's even titled [[http://luchins.com/wwtt/ What Were They Thinking?]] |
| 211 | * Some editors in [[Website/TVTropes This Wiki]] tend to use this at times as a reaction... and {{Pothole}} it to this very page. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 215 | * "What were they ''thinking''!?" is one of WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's many {{catchphrase}}s, used for an asinine flaw with a bad game. |
| 216 | * During WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob's crossover with WebVideo/{{Phelous}}[[note]]Neither has brought anything to review, so Brad is looking at a clothes iron held by Phelan[[/note]]: |
| 217 | -->'''Phelous:''' Um... clothes... wrinkly...\ |
| 218 | '''Cinema Snob:''' Doesn't look to terribly b-\ |
| 219 | ''[he reaches out and touches the plugged in iron]''\ |
| 220 | '''Cinema Snob:''' OW! [[AtomicFBomb FFFUCK!]]\ |
| 221 | '''Phelous:''' ...did you think would happen? |
| 222 | * Mike Mozart of ''WebVideo/JeepersMedia'' uses this catchphrase when he comes across a toy with a... suggestive design flaw. |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 226 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': |
| 227 | ** In the episode "Family Business", Lao-Shi says this verbatim to Sun Park after finding out she was already bringing Haley into battle for her dragon training. His reaction is more than justified, because while she may be a ChildProdigy, Haley is still only 8 years old. |
| 228 | * The ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode "Total Re-Carl" involves Frylock trying to make Carl a new body after his original one [[TurbineBlender gets liquefied by Frylock's Super Toilet]]. One of the options Frylock almost goes with is putting Carl's head on a lethal military robot, leading to this exchange: |
| 229 | -->'''Frylock:''' I give you the ultimate in military hardware, complete with laser cannon, indestructible titanium exoskeleton, and motion-activated plasma pulse rifles.\ |
| 230 | '''Shake:''' ''And you're gonna plug him in?!''\ |
| 231 | '''Frylock:''' ...you're right. Damn, what the hell was I thinking? |
| 232 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "[[Recap/ArthurS7E5ElwoodCityTurns100 Elwood City Turns 100!]]", The Brain said this line as he reprimanded Buster for destroying the set. |
| 233 | --> '''The Brain''': Buster, what were you thinking? |
| 234 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Impulsive AntiVillain Zuko frequently hears this from his uncle in response to his short-sighted plans. Notably in season 2, Zuko successfully manages to capture Appa with the Gaang none the wiser, only for Iroh to call him out on how, among other things, they've got no way to transport or contain the flying bison. |
| 235 | -->'''Iroh:''' You never think these things through! |
| 236 | * In ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'', Cranky Kong asks this of Donkey Kong when he learns that DK has given the [[MacGuffin Crystal Coconut]] to [[BigBad King K. Rool]], being told to give up everything to know everything; |
| 237 | -->'''DK:''' I wanted to know all the secrets...\ |
| 238 | '''Cranky:''' So you gave the Coconut away to King K. Rool?! What were you thinking?! |
| 239 | * Spoofed in the ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode "[[Recap/EdEddNEddyS2E26CryEd Cry Ed]]", where, after Ed drops a ''house'' on Eddy in response to Eddy's scheme to get himself injured and gain sympathy, the following exchange occurs: |
| 240 | -->'''Edd:''' Ed! What in heaven's name were you ''thinking''?!\ |
| 241 | '''Ed:''' Absolutely nothing, Double-Dee. |
| 242 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS16E6TheDInApartment23 The D in Apartment 23]]", Lois says this verbatim when calling out Brian for writing a racist tweet. Brian gives a JustJokingJustification but Lois points out that they live in a time where you can't just say whatever you want online and expect to get away with it. |
| 243 | * ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'': |
| 244 | ** "[[Recap/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriendsS1E9WorldWideWabbit World Wide Wabbit]]" has Frankie ask this to Bloo when he starts a website based on Herriman's embarrassing "funny bunny" video that got ''20 million hits''. |
| 245 | --->'''Bloo:''' I was thinking it was funny. |
| 246 | ** "[[Recap/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriendsS2E5MacDaddy Mac Daddy]]": Bloo says this about Mac having apparently conjured up "Cheese". Mac's response: "Exactly, I wasn't thinking." |
| 247 | * In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Hawkgirl chews out Fire for dropping Flash into the sea after Flash told her to do it so she could help Hawkgirl, reminding Fire that Flash can't fly. Fire feebly responds that she figured she could trust a founding member of the Justice League to have a plan, not knowing that Flash didn't have one. Fortunately, Flash was able to think of something in the nick of time. Hawkgirl immediately switched targets to Flash and [[AngerBornOfWorry furiously ordered him to never scare her like that again.]] |
| 248 | ** In "Doomsday Sanctum", Amanda Waller asks this of General Eiling when she learns he launched a [[DisproportionateRetribution Kryptonite-tipped nuclear warhead]] at the inhabited island that Superman and Doomsday were fighting on behind her back. |
| 249 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E18MaudPie Maud Pie]]", Pinkie nearly gets killed by a dangerous obstacle course she sets up. After Maud saves her, she asks her this verbatim. Notably, it's one of the rare times Maud [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness raises her voice]]. |
| 250 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 251 | ** Parodied in one episode: |
| 252 | --->'''Marge:''' This is the worst thing you've ever done!\ |
| 253 | '''Homer:''' You've said that so often the words have lost all meaning. |
| 254 | ** Apu gets an even more spectacular one: |
| 255 | --->'''Skinner:''' Now I... I finally have time to do what I've always wanted: write the great American novel. Mine is about [[Film/JurassicPark a futuristic amusement park where dinosaurs are brought to life through advanced cloning techniques.]] I call it "[[ABoyAndHisX Billy and the Cloneasaurus]]."\ |
| 256 | '''Apu:''' Oh, you have got to be kidding sir. First you think of an idea that has already been done. Then you give it [[AtrociousAlias a title that nobody could possibly like]]. Didn't you think this through... (timeskip fade) ... it was on the bestseller list for eighteen months! Every magazine cover had... (timeskip fade) ... one of the most popular movies of all time, sir! ''What were you thinking?!'' (pause) I mean, thank you, come again. |
| 257 | ** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E6TheComputerWoreMenaceShoes The Computer Wore Menace Shoes]]" Homer's stories land him on an island. An anti-escape orb tries to stop him from leaving but Homer simply pops it with a fork. |
| 258 | --->'''Homer:''' Huh. That was easy! ''(continues on his merry way)''\ |
| 259 | ''(cut to the control room where Homer's escape is being monitored)''\ |
| 260 | '''Number 2:''' Why did you think a big balloon would stop people?\ |
| 261 | '''Scientist:''' Shut up! That's why! |
| 262 | ** From "Radio Bart" where Lisa catches Bart pranking Springfield with a microphone-operated radio. |
| 263 | --->'''Lisa:''' The police'll catch you sooner or later.\ |
| 264 | '''Bart:''' The police? ''(laughs)'' They wouldn't catch a cold.\ |
| 265 | '''Lisa:''' Maybe not, but I bet you're stupid enough to leave a "Property of Bart Simpson" on that radio.\ |
| 266 | ''(the camera pans to the bottom of a well where Bart's radio indeed has a "Property of Bart Simpson" label)''\ |
| 267 | '''Bart:''' [[OhCrap D'oh!]] |
| 268 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Ike's Wee Wee", Kyle decides to save his brother Ike from being circumcised by sending him on a train bound for Nebraska. He crafts a decoy made out of butcher shop bones in an effort to trick his parents into canceling the bris. A dog follows him home and attacks the Ike doll before getting hit by a tanker truck. While his parents mourn the supposed loss of their baby, Stan and even ''[[EvenEvilHasStandards Cartman]]'' glare at Kyle for doing this. |
| 269 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'''s Norman Osborn solidifies his GenreSavvy credentials by asking [[spoiler:his son Harry this when he learned he had been drinking the Green Goblin serum]]. |
| 270 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "The Lost Mattress", Mr. Krabs is sent into a coma after the loss of his old mattress, which had all of his money stored in it. At the hospital, his gurney is parked in front of a vending machine until a nurse puts him outside. An administrator comes in and says this verbatim to the head doctor, who calls for the same nurse to take care of it... [[ComedicSociopathy and she kicks Mr. Krabs down the hill]]. |
| 271 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' episode "[[Recap/StaticShockS2E12Jimmy Jimmy]]", Robert Hawkins says this to Jimmy's father when he calls him out for having a gun where his son could easily get to it. |
| 272 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 273 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'': Megatron kidnaps [[GeniusDitz Bulkhead]] to complete his space bridge, and Bulkhead is so sick of people assuming he can't do anything that he makes it work. When Professor Sumdac calls him on this, Bulkhead points out that Sumdac was the guy who ''rebuilt Megatron'' (although he had no idea about the evil tyrant thing). |
| 274 | ** This line often pops up verbatim in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime''. Miko nearly got herself (and others) killed several time in the series premiere alone. Her friend Jack said the line word for word each time, until he got tired of repeating himself so much. |
| 275 | [[/folder]] |
| 276 | |
| 277 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 278 | * A tattoo-removal parlor in Denver plays with this trope. It's named ''What Were You Inking?'' |
| 279 | [[/folder]] |
| 280 | ---- |
| 281 | [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You Let TV Tropes Ruin Your Life]]? '''''[[SelfDemonstratingArticle What Were You Thinking?!]]''''' |
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