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3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
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7[[NoodleIncident Back to the main page.]]
8----
9
10!! Series with their own pages
11
12[[index]]
13* ''NoodleIncident/DoctorWho''
14* ''NoodleIncident/TheGoldenGirls''
15[[/index]]
16
17!! Other examples
18
19[[foldercontrol]]
20
21[[folder:#]]
22* ''Series/NineOneOne''
23** Chimney Han's real first name is Howard. It's never explained how he got the nickname 'Chimney', although the story is implied to be very inappropriate for television.
24* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun''"
25** In the episode "A Nightmare on Dick Street", in an opening scene, Judith walks in with Mary and we get the tail end of the conversation with "And when they found him, his body had been devoured by woodland creatures."
26** In "Alien Hunter," Charlotte proclaims her hatred of aliens for doing things like probing the butts of American farmers. Dick denies such an accusation, before remembering a farmer in Akron.
27--->'''Dick''': But he was asking for it!
28** After the family track Harry down to a freak show he was sold into by Vicki's ex-boyfriend, Vicki freaks out when she encounters two midgets who imply to know her very well despite her protests.
29** Sally finds herself dealing with a pompous "hole expert" in "Dick and Harry Fall Down A Hole." He recalls an incident in Manchester where twelve people came out of a hole... despite that only ''ten'' went in.
30--->'''The Hole''': I'm still puzzling about that one.
31** During the series finale, Mary learns the truth about the Solomons. While Dick tells her about various escapades his species was responsible for, he refers to Easter Island as "A practical joke that got out of hand."
32* On an episode of ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', Paul takes Kerry to see ''L'amour est l'eau de coeur'', since her boyfriend didn't want to go. It includes the [[ExplicitContent "very European"]] waterbottle scene. We don't actually see it, but [[TheImmodestOrgasm the sound]] makes it quite clear that this is not the sort of thing Kerry or Paul would want to watch with their father or teenage daughter, respectively.
33* In the sixth season of ''Series/TwentyFour'', the mysterious "Denver Incident" follows Mike Doyle like a stray cat. In a break from the norm for the show, there is no {{Infodump}} explaining exactly what happened.
34[[/folder]]
35
36[[folder:A]]
37* The pilot of ''Series/{{Action}}'' features a reference to Bruce Willis doing something unpleasant to a cat at a party.
38* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'':
39** In "Absolution" ([=S3E21=]), Simmons [[spoiler:gets Fitz out of the hangar]] by reminding him about "Professor Vaughn's Third Year Compiler Theory." When Coulson asks what that is, she merely says "[[{{ItsALongStory}} It's... complicated.]]"
40** In "Deals with Our Devils" ([=S4E7=]), May introduces the [[RunningGag bottle of Haig]] that she and Coulson agreed to open if they ever had an assignment worse than "the Glasgow assignment."
41** In "World's End" ([=S4E22=]), [[MauveShirt Davis]] is last seen alone with [[BigBad Aida]] attacking him from behind with murderous intent. When he finally reappears in the second half of Season 5, he explains (offscreen) the circumstances of his survival to [[MauveShirt Piper]] and [[TheNewGuy Deke]], who both think it's the most amazing story they've ever heard, but Davis doesn't think [[SeenItAll Team Coulson]] would be particularly interested in hearing it.
42* ''Series/AlexRider'':
43** Whatever Alex and Tom's friend Jahid was doing in the girls' toilets when he overheard about the party.
44-->'''Alex:''' What was Jahid doing in the girls' toilets?\
45'''Tom:''' ''That's'' what you're choosing to focus on here?
46** We don't hear what [[spoiler:Duplicate!Alex]] said to Ayisha, but Alex got slapped for it.
47* ''Series/{{ALF}}'':
48** As part of Alf's backstory, you hear about his home planet of Melmac being destroyed in a "nuclear holocaust" without ever getting the exact details.
49** One episode said it involved all the inhabitants of Melmac using their hair dryers all at one time.
50** In the TV movie ''Project: ALF'', which took up the story from its unresolved ending in the sitcom, the fate of the Tanner family is a noodle incident involving relocation through the witness relocation program.
51** In one episode with Willie's brother Neal, Willie reminds the latter of the last time he tried to use power tools.
52--->'''Neal:''' Grandpa already forgave me for that, why can't you?
53* In ''Series/AlloAllo'' a running noodle-incident gag relates to Yvette is responsible for entertaining the German officers, upstairs at the café with the wet celery and the flying helmet and sometimes an egg whisk. It is never revealed exactly what happens, but the offer is always good for extra paraffin.
54* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
55** Near the end of the series, Spike misunderstands Illyria's archaic use of the word "intimate" and alleges that he is safe because he and Angel have never been intimate, but then adds "Except that one..." Enter drooling slashers...
56** Also from "[[Recap/AngelS05E06TheCautionaryTaleOfNumeroCinco The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco]]": "El Diablo Robótico".
57* In ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', Mr. Humphries sometimes refers to an incident with a vicar (or possibly several incidents with different vicars). There are dozens more examples you could name as this show thrived on noodle incidences.
58* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' has [[Comicbook/TheAtom Ray Palmer]] note he is a minister in "Suicidal Tendencies". Somehow.
59-->'''Ray:''' ItsALongStory.
60* In the 1000th episode of ''Series/AttackOfTheShow'', Kevin makes a reference to the first time he drove a backhoe, the first time he needed stitches, and the first time he caused 25,000 dollars in property damage. When Olivia points out that that sounds like one massive incident, Kevin replies by saying "Don't dig trenches drunk, kids!"
61* ''Series/TheATeam'' has a couple:
62** They're usually as a result of Murdock and his fixations.
63--->'''Face:''' You're not professor Nuttybutty again are you? Rex the wonderdog?! \
64'''Murdock:''' Oh come on BA, everything turned out okay. And look, look see? I'm off, I'm off that Mac Murdock kick for good I mean at least I think I am. It was just another passing phase I was going through, like, like that time I thought I was a plaid jacket named Willie? ''("[[Recap/TheATeamS2E13TheMalteseCow The Maltese Cow]]")''
65** How ''did'' Face get that '53 Cadillac convertible in the jungles of 'Nam? Professional secret.
66** One from "[[Recap/TheATeamS3E14CupAJoe Cup 'A Joe]]": Murdock runs out of paprika midway through his cooking and asks Face to go ask B.A. to look for more. When Face protests, Murdock reminds him of some time when Face had him call a girl. No further details emerge; Face instantly agrees to ask B.A. for the paprika.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:B]]
70* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
71** "A Distant Star" has the following exchange:
72--->'''Sheridan:''' Well there was that one time you took leave on Mars, and that dancer as I recall...\
73'''Maynard:''' Captain Sheridan?\
74'''Sheridan:''' Yes, Captain Maynard?\
75'''Maynard:''' July 12th, 2253?\
76'''Sheridan:''' Forget I said anything.
77** There was also a carbon copy of that exchange going the other way before the end of the scene.
78** There was also the story about the ship's cat that Sheridan told Delenn over dinner... all we hear is that there was a lot of mess involved.
79** Throughout the series, we hear about the Dilgar War and Earth-Minbari war. The latter is shown in the movie "In the Beginning" (made way after the series), the former wasn't shown (as of yet).
80** There's also the canonical explanation for Garibaldi's baldness after the beginning of the fourth season. (In Real-life, Jerry Doyle shaved his head because he'd been balding throughout filming). It seemed to have involved some illicit substance smuggled onto the station by a smuggler who later became deathly afraid of Garibaldi.
81** G'Kar's encounter with the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Walkers of Sigma-957]]. We don't know what or when it happened, only that he considers humans and Narns to be like ants when compared to the Walkers and that he knew exactly what would happen if Cathrine Sakai went there (and sent a rescue party).
82** In [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/BabylonFiveS01E19AVoiceInTheWildernessPart2 A Voice In the Wilderness Part 2]], Londo describes himself as the man who led the Battle of Fralis 12. No details are given, though the way Londo says it gives the impression that it was a major battle of some sort that he expected the non-Centauri he was speaking with to instantly recognize. Of course, that could just be Londo's overinflated sense of self-worth, too, but as he was said repeatedly to have been in the military as a young man, and as there are multiple times where he is said to "understand the principle of self-sacrifice", or actively puts himself in harm's way for another, the implication is that Londo's military career was quite an illustrious one.
83* ''Series/{{Being Human|UK}}'':
84** "I'm not going paintballing. Not again. Not after last time."
85** When Hal and his friends are preparing to move in with Annie, Leo provides Annie with a list of rules to makes Hal's stay comfortable, including keep him away from budgies (there was an incident once which required Hal to send a letter of apology to the circus), and don't let him drink Kia-Ora (for reasons his friends aren't willing to discuss).
86*** The last one turns into a running noodle gag. Just about every time Hal is unusually cheerful, hyperactive or skittish, you can bet someone will ask if he's been on the Kia-Ora again.
87* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' has plenty of these, including:
88** The night the heat went out when the guys were stationed at the North Pole.
89** The sweaty night of '06.
90** The great Jenga tantrum of '08.
91** Bernadette and her fellow microbiologists accidentally crossed Ebola with the common cold[[note]]Making it wasn't an accident; losing it was[[/note]].
92** Whatever Sheldon did to get a restraining order from Leonard Nimoy.
93* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' has a couple allusions to an incident in Santiago involving Gus Fring. What happened is a mystery, but we know that it counteracts his image as a dispassionate businessman, and that his friend Peter Schuler was there and did something that still impresses Gus years later.
94* In all forms of ''Series/BigBrother'', they often reference events that had happened in the past but were not shown on the highlights show.
95* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'':
96** When Edmund decides to hire Bernard the Bear-Baiter for a festival in series I, he tells Percy to make sure he brings a bear this time. "The improvising last year was pathetic."
97** In series II, "[[Recap/BlackadderS2E3Potato Potato]]" has one for the history of Roman Catholicism:
98--->'''Baldrick:''' Stranger things have happened... That horse becoming Pope.\
99'''Edmund:''' For one.
100** "So, presumably, you won't be needing the unicorn tonight?"
101* In ''Series/BlackBooks'', the characters return from a disastrous (unseen) holiday and allude to several unfortunate things that befell them. At a mention of sacrificing monkeys, Bernard cries "You said we wouldn't talk about Canada!"
102* ''Series/TheBlacklist'' is fond of using cities as shorthand for noodle incidents involving Red. Most notably, the FBI tries in vain to find out what happened in Berlin that is so crucial to Red's motives, only to discover that [[spoiler:the Berlin in question is actually a person]].
103* ''Series/{{Bones}}'':
104** In "[[Recap/BonesS1E9TheManInTheFalloutShelter The Man in the Fallout Shelter]]", Dr. Brennan warns Zack and Hodgins not to spike the eggnog at the Christmas party because of the 4th of July incident.
105** Inverted in "[[Recap/BonesS1E19TheManInTheMorgue The Man in the Morgue]]", where the event is known to the audience, but not half of the cast. Bones fails spectacularly in reassuring them due to treating it as a Noodle Incident.
106--->'''Angela:''' Or better still, you could forget the whole thing and come home.\
107'''Bones:''' ''[over the phone]'' Don't worry. I made bail.\
108'''Zack:''' Bail?\
109'''Angela:''' Bail? For what?\
110'''Bones:''' I told you, don't worry. The murder charge won't stick.\
111'''Hodgins:''' Whoa, murder charge?\
112'''Angela:''' Okay, Brennan, the next plane. The next plane or I'm coming down there to get you myself.\
113'''Bones:''' Everything is fine. I'm healing up satisfactorily. Bye for now.
114** "[[Recap/BonesS1E11TheWomanInTheCar The Woman in the Car]]" had a State Department agent questioning members of the Jeffersonian to ascertain their security clearance. At one point they questioned Brennan about a trip she is supposed to have made to Cuba:
115--->'''Pickering:''' When you were in Cuba, did you meet with a man named Juan Guzman?\
116''[Brennan stares in shock. She holds a finger up, picks up the phone, and dials while Pickering looks on in confusion]''\
117'''Brennan:''' Hello. It's Dr. Brennan from the Jeffersonian. You told me to call you if anyone asked about...you know. Him. ''[pauses]'' Someone from the state department named Samantha Pickering. ''[gives phone to Pickering]''\
118'''Pickering:''' Pickering. ''[pauses]'' Yes, sir. Yes, I'll wait-I'll wait here. ''[gives phone back to Brennan, who hangs up]''\
119'''Brennan:''' Any more questions?\
120'''Pickering:''' No. Uh, no, in fact, the entire review is suspended. I'm to wait here until someone comes to destroy my notes.
121** In "[[Recap/BonesS2E1TheTitanOnTheTracks The Titan On The Tracks]]", Booth mentions "That time you dropped a dead monkey down the elevator shaft."
122** In "[[Recap/BonesS4E13FireInTheIce Fire In The Ice]]", the reason for Wendell being in juvenile hall for a weekend is never elaborated on.
123** "[[Recap/BonesS4E23TheGirlInTheMask The Girl In The Mask]]": Ken Nakamura states that his friendship with Booth is based on mutual respect –- that, and "a situation incited by a gallon of sake, a police boat and Uraga Harbor at dawn".
124** "[[Recap/BonesS6E10TheBodyInTheBag The Body In The Bag]]": The newly-personable Edison refusing to talk about what he did [[spoiler:while working for the NSA]]. Naturally, this drives conspiracy-buff Hodgins ''nuts''.
125** In the Season 7 opener "[[Recap/BonesS7E1TheMemoriesInTheShallowGrave The Memories in the Shallow Grave]]", there's a reference to an embarrassing moment for Booth:
126--->'''Angela:''' Is it true that you were crying at the crime scene?\
127'''Bones:''' Booth took a picture. But since I have a picture of him [[NakedPeopleAreFunny cooking an omelet naked]], he agreed never to show it to anyone.\
128'''Angela:''' I'm sorry. Naked? Wow. Okay, listen, I am your best friend, so I think I should take a peek at that.
129* ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' has its share of these.
130** There is an unfortunate incident with Richie and Eddie's drunken friend Tubbs Lardy, a fire escape, a dustbin, and a very unlucky cat...
131** "[[Recap/BottomApocalypse Apocalypse]]" has "the incident with the oven-ready chicken" and:
132--->'''[[spoiler:Eddie]]:''' I'm Death, I know everything!\
133'''Richie:''' What, everything? Even about the...\
134'''[[spoiler:Eddie]]:''' Especially that, you naughty boy.
135* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' had one in the episode where the characters go on their school's senior ski trip:
136-->'''Mr. Feeny:''' Now remember, I don't want another incident like last year's fiasco in the Amish country.\
137''({{Beat}})''\
138'''Cory:''' Why's everyone looking at me?
139* ''Series/BroadCity'':
140** In "What a Wonderful World," Ilana says, "Can I talk to the Abbi who stole a van?"
141** In "Working Girls," Ilana gets a call from a temp agency that begins, "Look, um, I know we haven't called you in since that whole Popsicle incident."
142** In "2016," Ilana goes back to the temp agency.
143-->'''Linda''': Every time I try to help you, it turns into a disaster. The Chinese food?\
144'''Ilana''': I was hungry.\
145'''Linda''': The plane tickets?\
146'''Ilana''': I was thirsty.\
147'''Linda''': The door?\
148'''Ilana''': I did not know it was a door. That shape.
149* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': All we find out about Gordon's training at Aldershot was that he caused 3 and a half million pounds worth of damage, that he had to dig people out and that he was given a medal for bravery and promoted.
150* On the show ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'' Nora was reminiscing about all the times she had to take her children to the hospital. After two perfectly normal examples (broken bones and asthma) she mentioned "Kevin and Sara with the superglue incident."
151* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' uses this a few times.
152** Willow and Xander have these sometimes, having grown up together. Like this one from "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E11OutOfMindOutOfSight Out of Mind, Out of Sight]]":
153--->'''Xander:''' Cordelia, man, she does love titles!\
154'''Willow:''' Oh, God! Remember in sixth grade with the field trip?\
155'''Xander:''' Right! Right! The guy with the antlers on his belt!\
156'''Willow:''' "Be my deputy!"\
157'''Xander:''' And remember the, the hat?\
158'''Willow:''' Oh God! The hat!\
159'''Buffy:''' Gee, it's fun that we're speaking in tongues.
160** Not to mention the fate of Miss Kitty Fantastico in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E21EndOfDays End of Days]]", which apparently involved an errant crossbow....
161** There's also Xander's stripper experience from "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E1TheFreshman The Freshman]]"...
162--->'''Xander:''' Basically, I got as far as Oxnard and the engine fell out of my car, and that was literally. So I ended up washing dishes at the fabulous "Ladies Night" club for about a month and a half while I tried to pay for the repairs. Nobody really bothered me, or even spoke to me, until one night, when one of the male strippers called in sick, and no power on this earth will make me tell you the rest of that story. Suffice to say, I traded my car in for one that wasn't entirely made of rust, came trundling back home to the loving arms of my parents, where everything is exactly as it was, except I sleep in the basement and I have to pay rent. How's college?\
163'''Buffy:''' Male strippers?\
164'''Xander:''' No power on this earth!
165** The Kindergarten incident Xander mentions to Dark Willow to calm her down in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E22Grave Grave]]", about how she cried her eyes out after breaking a yellow crayon. This was lampshaded later in the Season 7 episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E13TheKillerInMe The Killer In Me]]". When Willow falls victim to a curse that makes her look like psycho-bad-guy Warren, and she has to convince Buffy, Xander, and the gang that she really is Will and not Warren or The First.
166--->'''Willow/Warren:''' I'm Willow.\
167'''Xander:''' Are you sure?\
168'''Willow/Warren:''' (pissed) There are ''other'' stories from kindergarten. ''Non''-yellow-crayon stories in which you don't come out in such a good light. An incident involving ''Aquaman underoos'', for example -- want me to start talkin'?\
169'''Xander:''' (hurriedly) Hey, it's Willow!
170** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E1WelcomeToTheHellmouth Welcome to the Hellmouth]]" Xander asks Buffy if she's ever decapitated anyone, and she brings up an incident where there was a Varsity quarterback with a really thick neck and all she had was a [[WithThisHerring teeny tiny x-acto knife]]. This is ''probably'' a reference to a confusing incident in [[Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer the movie]] where Buffy leaps onto the shoulders of a vampire who matches that description and the audience never see what she actually does to him.
171** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E6AllTheWay All The Way]]", Dawn meets a creepy old man who proves to be a harmless designer of toys (although a few of the toys could fit in the Wednesday Addams Signature Collection). He was forced to retire when "that thing happened. One little mistake, and they took it all away from me."
172** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E13TheZeppo The Zeppo]]", Angel almost died, Giles did the bravest thing Buffy had ever seen and Willow saw the Hellmouth beast's "real" face. Too bad the viewer had to watch Xander stop a bombing instead.
173** "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E12ProphecyGirl Prophecy Girl]]": The story of how Joyce ended up on her first date with Buffy's dad even though he brought another date is a much funnier story (than the date itself) that Buffy will never get to hear.
174** "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]]", when a now super-strong Warren seeks revenge on a high school bully of his and refreshes his memory.
175--->'''Warren:''' You and your jock buddies used to give me such a hard time. That thing with the underwear? God, I thought I'd never stop crying!
176** Buffy burning down the gym at her previous school. This is a reference to Creator/JossWhedon's original script for the movie, before ExecutiveMeddling kicked in.
177** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS1E7Angel Angel]]", Darla reminiscences with Angel about their fling in Budapest.
178** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E3SchoolHard School Hard]]", Dru complains to Spike that she's hungry, and that she misses Prague. Spike points out that she nearly died in Prague; "Idiot mob." This was expanded on in the comics, where a flashback shows Drusilla being captured by an "Inquisitor" and thrown into a Prague jail. Spike didn't fare much better, as he got tossed into a lake by an angry mob.
179** Andrew summoning flying monkeys to ruin a production of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.
180** Kennedy's month-long magic-related death in the comics.
181* ''Series/BurnNotice'':
182** There was one in the very first episode:
183--->'''Michael:''' I haven't worked so hard for so little money since Afghanistan. Afghanistan... ''(shudders)'' But at least there my mother wasn't calling me thirty times a day!
184** Another ''Burn Notice'' one is whatever happened to cause Michael and Sam to have to leave Uzbekistan in a hurry after a mission there.
185** Or that "perfectly legitimate arms deal" involving Sam, Fiona, the IRA, and the Libyan border.
186** A particularly hilarious example is when Sam's impersonating a criminal defense lawyer in "Hard Time":
187--->'''Sam''': You don't remember the Bennigan subpoena?\
188'''Lawyer''': Um, Bennigan? Let me think . . . oh, hey, wasn't that the guy who got murdered over the parrot?\
189'''Sam''': (making a swift getaway) Uh, no, but boy that sounds like an interesting case.
190** Then there's whatever happened in Chechnya that caused [[EvilMentor Larry]] to go rogue and caused Michael to start questioning whether or not he should be working with people like him. All we know is that a lot of people got killed, most likely by [[PsychoForHire Larry]] and most likely unnecessarily.
191** It's a pretty typical bit of dialogue between Sam and Michael. Michael will think of a plan, remind Sam of it with "Remember [City], [Year]?" Sam will wonder if that'll work and/or mention how they had more time, manpower, etc. the last time. Michael will say they'll have to make it work, and ''voila''. Considering how many of these end with StuffBlowingUp or gunfire, you have to wonder just how much of a footprint Michael's left on the world.
192* The title character of the Canadian comedy series ''Series/ButchPattersonPrivateDick'' occasionally had to deal with people who recognized him as "that guy from the petting zoo", expressing sympathy for "that poor llama". Exactly what happened is never fully explained, but one hint comes when Butch admits that he spent two years less a day in prison for indecent exposure over the incident... [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow and it's probably better for all concerned that we don't get any more details than that.]]
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:C]]
196* ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'':
197** Richard Castle has a tendency to cheerfully launch into tangential stories about how something mildly similar to his current surroundings or vaguely related to the case at hand either occurred to him or in one of his novels ("There was this one time..."), only to hastily wrap it up ("That'sneitherherenorthere.") when someone -- usually Detective Beckett -- glares at him to shut up. Usually because he's doing so at a crime scene or in the middle of an interrogation Beckett's trying to conduct.
198** In "Under The Gun", though, Beckett gets one herself:
199--->'''Beckett:''' Ok, fine. But if you tell him about the karaoke stakeout, I'm gonna tell him what happened with the monkey.\
200'''Mike Royce:''' My lips are sealed.
201** In "The Lives of Others", Beckett is investigating the murder of an IRS agent while Castle is laid up with a broken leg from a skiing accident, but apart from a few moments where she mentions the case, including a EurekaMoment where she figures out who the killer is, we don't get any details, largely due to the story focusing on Castle's obsession with [[RearWindowInvestigation a possible murder in an apartment across the street]].
202* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'':
203** Parodied in a cold open. Frasier and Lilith asked Woody to baby sit Frederick and Woody replied he like babysitting, at least before... The Incident. Then Rebecca asked Woody to look after her pet and Woody replied that he loves animals, in fact he always used to look after pets for his friends, at least before... The Incident. Rebecca was naturally worried by this and decided to ask someone else. After she left, bar regular Paul congratulated Woody on this trick to get out of looking after the pet, Woody agreed that it was a great trick, he only wished that he had thought of it before... The Incident.
204** Precisely what happened that ended Woody's bowling career. All he would say is he maimed a man in a bowling accident. (Woody is full of Noodle Incidents.)
205** Whatever incident got Rebecca her old college nickname, "Back Seat Becky". She's later heard telling a story (involving a fire evacuation, a firefighter, and of course, a back seat) that was apparently made up for her by Carla. (Carla also made up a $20 version, but Rebecca only opted for the $10 version; after seeing her tell Sam, Carla remarked that the $20 one might have killed him.)
206* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'':
207** There's "the volleyball incident at last year's employee picnic," which John Casey was somehow involved in.
208** Casey is also apparently banned from Fashion Week because of the "Yves Saint Laurent" incident.
209--->'''Casey:''' Stab one guy with a stiletto...
210* ''Series/TheColbertReport'' has a running gag of giving his apologies to Doris Kearns Goodwin, implying she knows what he's talking about but leaving the audience only to speculate.
211* ''Series/{{Community}}'':
212** Paradigms of Human Memory" is filled with nothing but "noodle incidents". It's a ClipShow showing flashbacks to adventures the study group was on that were never actually shown previously like trips to a western GhostTown, a HauntedHouse, a camping trip, singing in glee club, running into drugrunners in Mexico, being locked in a padded cell after ingesting mercury, etc.
213** Ditto for "Curriculum Unavailable", the third season's ClipShow episode.
214** Lampshaded in "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" when Abed keeps obliquely referring to something Annie did with his noodles.
215*** Actually this one ''doesn't'' quite fit the trope, despite the item in question providing a possible reference to it -- early on in the episode, Annie is cleaning and throws away a half-eaten bowl of noodles Abed had left out in one of the communal areas of their apartment, causing him to flip out because he wasn't done eating them/doesn't believe in throwing food away/doesn't like people touching his stuff (his exact reason for being upset ''is'' left vague).
216** Also lampshaded in an earlier episode when Leonard knows about Jeff eating all the macaroni.
217* Practically every episode of ''Series/CooperBarrettsGuideToSurvivingLife'' appears to begin with one, only to have the episode itself explain how they wound up in that situation by the second commercial break.
218* In the Season 2 finale of the UK version of ''Series/{{Coupling}}'', when Susan tells the girls about pretending to be French, Jane gets all excited recalling when she pretended to be someone else:
219-->'''Jane:''' I once went on holiday and pretended to be twins. It was amazing fun. I invented this mad, glamorous sister and went around really annoying everybody. And d'you know, I could get away with anything when I was my crazy twin Jane.\
220'''Sally:''' But... you're Jane!\
221'''Jane:''' Buh... long story... kinda stuck!
222* ''Series/CriminalMinds''
223** In "A Thousand Words", the team was just about to go off on their vacations when JJ suddenly brings in another case file.
224--->'''Morgan:''' ''(groans)'' There goes my beach house rental.\
225'''Prentiss:''' And my non-refundable Sin-To-Win Weekend in Atlantic City.\
226'''Morgan:''' Sin-to-Win?\
227'''Prentiss:''' Yep. And I always win BIG.\
228''(Later in the episode)''\
229'''Morgan:''' Come on now, I gotta know. What the hell is a Sin-To-Win Weekend in Atlantic City?\
230'''Prentiss:''' Derek, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, but there are some questions that, if you have to ask them, [[YouDontWantToKnow it means you probably couldn't handle the answer]]. ''(walks away)''
231** "Middle Man" has a small one involving Garcia and just how she got funding for new technology for the team:
232--->'''Hotch:''' ''(after Garcia hands out new tablets)'' Garcia, not that I don't appreciate your efforts, but just where did the funding for these come from?\
233'''Garcia:''' ''(pause)'' I did a thing. \
234'''Hotch:''' A thing?\
235'''Garcia:''' Let's not talk about the thing. \
236'''Hotch:''' We'll talk about the thing later.
237* In ''Series/TheCrystalMaze'', Series 4, Episode 10, when the team of the week is in the Medieval Zone, the host Creator/RichardOBrien relates some anecdotes, as asides, about his "relatives" whose portraits adorn the walls. Whilst the team try to solve the QueensPuzzle, he tells us about "Uncle Carstairs", who "disappeared under a cloud of suspicion":
238-->"Least said, soonest mended, but, I have to say that the incident with the debutante, the chocolate eclair and the Irish wolfhound was blown out of all proportion..."
239* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': "Brooklyn 'Til I Die" has Mac and his old friend/late partner's sister/his own future wife Christine talking over coffee. Christine asks Mac if he remembers a time while they were all on vacation at Myrtle Beach, when "the beers were flowing" at a party. Mac acknowledges it and blushes, but won't talk about it.
240[[/folder]]
241
242[[folder:D-E]]
243* Routinely mentioned on ''Series/Danger5'', usually in connection to Pierre's past. Most episodes of the first season will have him running into someone who recognizes him, but knows him by a different name than "Pierre" (Marcel, Glenn, Sharif, &c.), suggesting it too may be another alias. This is all part of the elaborate RunningGag of never telling us what country he is supposed to represent in the MultinationalTeam.
244-->'''General Chang''': Remember Shanghai?\
245'''Pierre''': [[IWasNeverHere Of course not!]]
246* ''Series/DangerForce'': In "The Thousand Pranks War: Part I", it is revealed that at some point during ''Series/HenryDanger'', Henry lost his hair and Schwoz made him a wig perfectly representing his hair.
247* ''Series/DeathInParadise'': In "Frappe Death Day," J.P. asks Ruby what her most embarrassing moment was. She starts by saying:
248-->"I hope you've got a strong constitution, because it's starts with a goat and ends with me being arrested..."
249* In UK sitcom ''Series/TheDetectives'' there is a running joke about an incident involving the Bishop of Durham. Whenever it is mentioned both Briggs and Louis usually immediately protest that it wasn't their fault.
250* In the third episode of the first season of ''Series/DirkGently'', Dirk browses his university file, which is full of noodle incidents.
251* Used ''bizarrely'' and non-humorously in ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}''. Echo is trapped in the Attic with Dominic, and points out surreal snippets of her past life, including a tree from one of her childhood homes... and a man in a white suit, a mustache, and glasses, surrounded by wicker chairs, holding a rabbit, with his head swiveling disturbingly. She describes that as a "long story" and it's not brought up again.
252* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'':
253** The only thing we're told about "The Pinecone Incident" is "That squirrel had it coming!"
254** Also, the first time that Josh met Helen after making Crazy Steve quit.
255--->'''Helen:''' You made Crazy Steve quit?\
256'''Josh:''' ''You'' hired a guy named Crazy Steve?\
257'''Helen:''' Had to; long story, not pretty.
258** Josh interrupted Drake while he was telling a very ludicrous story.
259--->'''Drake:''' So my foot's totally stuck in there, right? I'm freaking out, the dogs having a seizure, and I still have half a pie left.
260* ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow''. He mentioned that Oswald's Mom is the first woman he ever saw naked.
261-->That was one crazy cub scout meeting!
262* An episode of ''Ed and Oucho's Excellent Inventions'' has Ed declare they can make anything. Oucho then starts mentioning to Ed a couple of inventions they weren't actually able to build (in his tongue of Cactinese so the audience doesn't hear what they are). On the second one Ed cuts Oucho off saying they don't talk about it because of the "police investigation".
263* ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' Cap setting Chief [=McConnike's=] firefighter hat on fire when the Chief was a Captain and Hank was his engineer. Hank refuses to talk about it.
264* ''{{Series/Eureka}}'' has one that's easy to miss: After a time jump, Jack looks at his new car and comments that he misses his old Jeep. Allison replies, "Well, maybe next time you won't ignore the 'Tornado Crossing' sign."
265[[/folder]]
266
267[[folder:F]]
268* Season 1 of ''Series/{{Fargo}}'' had a few of the older characters saying something like "It's like Sioux Falls all over again". Averted with Season 2 however, which was all about what happened in Sioux Falls.
269* ''Series/TheFastShow'':
270** Rowley Birkin QC speaks in nothing ''but'' noodle incidents, rambling incoherently before occasionally spouting out phrases such as "one girl was very badly burned" or "her husband had been entombed in ice", before always concluding with "I'm afraid I was very, very drunk."
271** Also Patrick Nice, whose various outlandish statements are frequently not put into any kind of context.
272--->And so they named the hospital after me. Which was nice.
273* Multiple instances in ''Series/FatherTed'', including:
274** Dougal's exile to Craggy Island following the "Blackrock Incident", never explained but involving "irreparably damaged" nuns.
275** An incident on a [=SeaLink=] ferry possibly involving Dougal playing with the ferry's controls.
276** Jack's exile to the island following a never-described but presumably disastrous wedding he performed in Athlone.
277** For a while, there was "but [the money] was just resting in my account." Bishop Brennon explained that one in one episode; that's why Ted's on the island.
278--->'''Bishop Brennan:''' You shut up Crilly! You're not going back until all that money's accounted for. You were living it up in Vegas, while that girl should have been in Lourdes!
279** Also subverted, when describing a strange off-screen incident in all its ludicrous detail:
280--->'''Father Ted:''' Dougal, Dougal, do you remember Sister Assumpta?\
281'''Father Dougal:''' Er, no.\
282'''Ted:''' She was here last year! And then we stayed with her in the convent, back in Kildare. Do you remember it? Ah, you do! And then you were hit by the car when you went down to the shops for the paper. You must remember all that? And then you won a hundred pounds with your lottery card? Ah, you must remember it, Dougal!\
283''(Dougal shakes his head)''\
284'''Sister Assumpta:''' And weren't you accidentally arrested for shoplifting? I remember we had to go down to the police station to get you!... And the police station went on fire? And you had to be rescued by helicopter?\
285'''Ted:''' Do you remember? You can't remember any of that? The helicopter! When you fell out of the helicopter! Over the zoo! Do you remember the tigers?\
286''(Dougal shakes his head some more)''\
287'''Ted:''' You don't remember? You were wearing your blue jumper.\
288'''Dougal:''' ''(sudden flood of recognition)'' Ah, Sister Assumpta!
289** A rare ''visual'' Noodle Incident (we see the aftermath, albeit not the incident itself):
290--->'''Ted:''' You let Dougal do a funeral?!\
291[''SmashCut to said funeral. The hearse is partially submerged in the grave and on fire. There are several passers-by, all fleeing the scene'']\
292'''Dougal''': Sorry about that.\
293[''The hearse explodes'']
294** Not to mention the numerous references to a mysterious "Father Bigley". And "those fires..."
295** Father Jack being: "First priest to denounce Music/TheBeatles -- he could see what they were up to."
296** During "[[Recap/FatherTedS3E7NightOfTheNearlyDead Night of the Nearly Dead]]" Ted and Mrs. Doyle mention, while trying to convince a large group of women to go home to their husbands, that [[EpicFail one woman's husband tried to wash a cup without her and burned down the house, and another tried to make the bed by himself and lost a leg]].
297** Another example, after Ted has offended some Chinese people [[AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats by putting a lampshade on his head]] and stretching his eyes, and asks Dougal if he thinks he offended the Chinese community (who, unbeknownst to him, have arrived on Craggy Island in such numbers that they've actually formed a ''[[FriendlyLocalChinatown Chinatown]]''):
298--->'''Dougal''': I dunno Ted. It's like that time, when we did the talent show, and you did that impression of Creator/StephenHawking.\
299'''Ted''': Well, he was the last person you'd expect to turn up! God, he can fairly move that wheelchair when he's angry.
300** The finest one refers to Jack's teaching days in St Column's seminary:
301--->'''Ted:''' A friend of mine had him. Father Jimmy Ranaville studied under him for couple of years, and he told me once, he said no-one ''no-one'' had as big an influence on him as Father Jack.\
302'''Dougal:''' Father Jimmy Ranaville. Sure, whatever happened to him?\
303'''Ted:''' Do you remember the Drumshanbo Massacre?\
304'''Dougal:''' Yeah.\
305'''Ted:''' That was him.
306* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'':
307** The following dialogue from "[[Recap/FireflyE14ObjectsInSpace Objects in Space]]":
308--->'''Early:''' You know, with the exception of one deadly and unpredictable midget, this girl is the smallest cargo I've ever had to transport, yet by far the most troublesome. [[CatchPhrase Does that seem right to you?]]\
309'''Simon:''' What'd he do?\
310'''Early:''' Who?\
311'''Simon:''' The midget.\
312'''Early:''' Arson. Little man looooved fire.
313** Also seen in "[[Recap/FireflyE01Serenity Serenity]]", where an incident involving Patience is mentioned.
314--->'''Zoe:''' Sir, we don't want to deal with Patience again.\
315'''Mal:''' Why not?\
316'''Zoe:''' She shot you.\
317'''Mal:''' Well, yeah, she did a ''bit''...\
318''(Later in the same episode)''\
319'''Mal:''' Did you send word to Patience?\
320'''Wash:''' Ain't heard back yet. Didn't she shoot you one time?\
321'''Mal:''' Everybody's makin' a fuss.
322** And later still, Patience and Mal, minus Mal's first-hand knowledge of what to expect from Patience:
323--->'''Patience:''' I have to say I didn't look to be hearin' from you anytime soon.\
324'''Mal:''' Well, we may not've parted on the best of terms. Certain words were exchanged. Also certain... bullets...
325** Lest we forget....
326--->'''Jayne:''' Six men came to kill me one time. [[ICallItVera The best of 'em carried this.]]
327** And of course there is:
328--->'''Inara:''' Explain to me again why Zoe wasn't in the dress?\
329'''Mal:''' Tactics, woman! Needed her in the back. Besides, I like those cotton dresses. There's a whole... airflow.\
330'''Inara:''' And you would know this how?\
331'''Mal:''' You can't just open the book of my life and jump in the middle. Like woman, I am a mystery.\
332'''Inara:''' Let's keep it that way. I withdraw the question.
333* One episode of ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' has Ed and Spike reference an incident involving a [[CatsAreMean mean cat]]. No further details are ever provided.
334* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'':
335** Henry and Abe are discussing Abe's ex-wife in "The Ecstasy of Agony":
336--->'''Henry Morgan:''' That woman has done nothing but hurt you, time after time.\
337'''Abraham Morgan:''' Are you talking about the incident with the gun? She didn't know it was loaded.
338** In a flashback to 1929 Paris in "Best Foot Forward," a friend of Henry's who is hosting a party says she won't have him spoiling it by fighting with [[Creator/ErnestHemingway Hemingway]] "again."
339** A couple of dark examples. In the pilot, Henry says in the past when someone found out about his ResurrectiveImmortality, "I've had every ounce of my blood drained, my organs dissected in the name of science, I've been hanged for heresy!" And in "The Frustrating Thing About Psychopaths" Henry says, about telling anyone about TheOlderImmortal Adam, "I've had my share of padded white rooms," a description which does not match the stone walls and chains of his only stay in an asylum shown on-screen.
340* Brilliantly done in ''Series/{{Frasier}}''.
341** The series' reputation for hilarity ensuing had one episode opening with dinner guests and the chef storming out of Frasier's apartment in disgust, Frasier attempting to save it by pretending to have Tourette's Syndrome, Martin entering the room dressed as an Italian Count, a flaming toupee in the middle of the room, and goats throwing up in the kitchen.
342** In the episode "Author Author", Martin recalls a painful family fishing incident in which a young Frasier and Niles were supposedly "at it tooth and nail". He gets so distracted trying to remember the name of the lake that he never actually gets round to telling the story.
343** In another episode Kenny says, "I know it seems like a monkey could do my job, but it couldn't. True story."
344** Daphne once asks Frasier if he has any idea how uncomfortable a strapless bra is. "Well, thanks to my fraternity days, I do!"
345** Frasier's Trekkie workmate Noel Shempsky has a restraining order against him, taken out by William Shatner, for some unspecified incident in the past.
346** When Daphne asks a gay theater director if Creator/PeterOToole will be at his party, he responds: "No... and he ''knows'' why!"
347** A favored tool of the writers was a sort of faux Noodle Incident, the first scene showing the bizarre results, the rest of the episode slowly building up events to spring into the bizarre outcome. It always seemed to be funnier than if it was done chronologically.
348** "[[ItMakesSenseInContext You should know how to catch a banana]]!"
349** When Niles Crane meets [[Series/{{Cheers}} Sam Malone]], Sam whispers some marital advice into Niles' ear about how he can put a smile on Maris Crane's face. Niles looks puzzled and asks
350--->Where am I supposed to get some whipped cream and a car battery from at this time of night?
351** In one episode Niles suffers a HeroicBSOD and strips naked in the middle of Cafe Nervosa. Roz becomes very defensive and prevents the baristas from calling the police on him. When Frasier arrives to help she implies she's been through something similar but doesn't explain any further.
352--->'''Roz:''' Yeah, well, there's nothing worse than waking up naked with a bunch of cops standing around. I've been there...
353* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': Viv and Will beg Phil to give up his plan to fix the kitchen sink, citing the time he tried to fix the stove and the Toaster Incident. Both apparently sent Geoffrey to the emergency room.
354* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
355** There apparently was a "Pictionary incident".
356--->'''Monica:''' That was not an incident! I was gesturing and the plate... slipped out of my hand.
357** In another episode Phoebe references the time a peacock bit Chandler in the zoo. This is actually mentioned in two separate episodes in the first season, suggesting that the writers were planning on making it a RunningGag, but then decided against it.
358** [[Recap/FriendsS4E9TheOneWhereTheyreGoingToParty "The One Where They’re Going To Party"]] has Ross and Chandler getting ready for a night out with their college buddy Gandalf. Ross states that he has Canadian money, a snakebite kit and an extra pair of socks. Chandler warns him that it won't be '''exactly''' the same as last time.
359** In [[Recap/FriendsS5E4TheOneWherePhoebeHatesPBS "The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS"]], When Joey enters Monica's apartment in his tuxedo, Chandler leaps out of his chair yelling "VOMIT TUX! VOMIT TUX!". Monica starts to ask why but quickly decides she [[YouDoNotWantToKnow doesn't want to know]] and instead asks Joey why he's dressed up.
360** The time Phoebe stabbed a cop.
361--->'''Phoebe:''' What, he stabbed me first!!
362** In [[Recap/FriendsS3E18TheOneWithTheHypnosisTape "The One With The Hypnosis Tape"]], Phoebe's brother laments the various misfortunes in his life, including the time he got arrested for stealing those birds and "that punctured lung thing."
363** Rachel finds out from Phoebe that Chandler owns a jewelry box when the pair are racing against the clock to find a missing earring. Due to lack of time, Phoebe refuses to explain the story of why Chandler owns one... or how she knows about it.
364** In [[Recap/FriendsS6E1TheOneAfterVegas "The One After Vegas"]], when Phoebe is told that being married in Vegas is as binding as being married anywhere else she says, "Oh my god. Oh My God! OH MY GOD! Meh..." (WordOfGod is that the audience is supposed to think she got married on some prior trip to Vegas.)
365** Phoebe appears to have a lot of these in her past. She once said, "There's so much you don't know about me."
366** In [[Recap/FriendsS6E7TheOneWherePhoebeRuns "The One Where Phoebe Runs"]], what "guy problem" did Chandler have and why did it need medication?
367** When Ross is trying to convince Chandler and Monica to let him play the bagpipes at their wedding he tells the gathered friends to picture him wearing [[ManInAKilt a kilt]] to complete the look. Ex-girlfriend Rachel flirtatiously replies that she can picture him wearing "a plaid skirt and knee socks".
368--->'''Ross:''' You wanna start telling secrets?\
369'''Rachel:''' ''[backing off]'' No!
370** In [[Recap/FriendsS6E10TheOneWithTheRoutine "The One With The Routine"]], Rachel and Phoebe are searching for Monica's hidden Christmas gifts. Chandler tells on himself by talking about "some stuff that Joey gave him to hold onto" that he keeps under his gym bag in the back of his closet (the girls had already seen it by that point, anyway). Whatever these items are is never revealed. One might think it's porn, but the boys weren't shy about watching porn around the women. So it would have to be '''super''' embarrassing for Chandler.
371** [[Recap/FriendsS4E17TheOneWithTheFreePorn "The One With The Free Porn"]] opens with the superintendent cleaning the drains in Chandler and Joey's bathroom.
372--->'''Mr. Treeger:''' (''from off-screen'') WHAT IN THE NAME OF HELL?!\
373'''Joey:''' Hey, maybe he found your flip-flop!
374** In "The One With the Stain," Monica asks, "Was I cleaning in my sleep again?"
375** The Doctor Monkey Joke. Despite Ross and Chandler spending a whole episode fighting over it, we never actually learn what the joke is. Only that it's offensive to women. And doctors. And monkeys.
376** Similarly, in "The One With the Girl From Poughkeepsie", when Ross is deciding between two girls, one of whom is fun but lives in Poughkeepsie, and one of whom ''isn't'' fun but lives really close, he says that the second girl did say something which, if it was meant to be funny, was really funny, then adds "On the other hand, if she ''wasn't'' kidding, she's not fun. She's stupid and kind of racist." He later says "It turns out the one from uptown ''was'' making a joke. But it was a different joke than I thought. It wasn't that funny." We never learn what she actually said.
377** In the same episode, Phoebe says she had the same problem when she lived in Prague.
378--->'''Chandler''': Prague?\
379'''Pheobe''': There's so much you don't know.
380[[/folder]]
381
382[[folder:G]]
383* In ''Series/{{Galavant}}'', Xanax insists on being called a "spiritual guide", since he's legally no longer allowed to call himself a magician.
384-->'''Xanax:''' Spiritual guide is fine, though. Anybody can call themselves that, it doesn't mean anything.
385* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
386** Tyrion's list of "confessions" in "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS1E6AGoldenCrown A Golden Crown]]" is cut off by an indignant Lysa before he can describe an escapade involving bringing a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel..
387--->'''Robin Arryn:''' What happened next?
388*** In Season 6, he finally gets a ripe opportunity to tell the full story after he manages to get Missandei and Grey Worm in a relaxed, wine-sipping mood. As it turns out, fate ''still'' refuses to let him tell the story, as the Good Masters chose that moment to besiege Meereen.
389** What Podrick did with/to the prostitutes that they liked so much they refused to accept payment. This one borders on RunningGag in Season 4.
390** Much like the books, Bronn's past isn't spelled out, but many of his conversations has him give wild stories that suggest an interesting life. When Tyrion is drinking with Bronn, the latter admits his first kill was a woman when he was a child. When he gets frowned at, the only background given to justify it is that she swung an axe at him. He has also apparently worked beyond the Wall, saw a dead body at age 5, was apparently involved in a siege sometime in the past (based on how he describes it to Tyrion), and possesses a variety of skills and talents that hint at a diverse range of experiences, and he's apparently been to Dorne before. Now, how much of this is Bronn boasting and exaggerating and then BecomingTheBoast isn't clear and there's no way to verify his background. His story about being in a siege is interesting since before Season 1, the most recent sieges would have been in the Greyjoy Rebellion or during Robert's Rebellion, by no means impossible given his apparent age; Jerome Flynn was in his late forties when he took the role so it's more than reasonable that Bronn would have been of fighting age during Robert's Rebellion.
391** Lady Melessa Tarly remembers Greatjon once visited Horn Hill. That must have been a sight.
392** A rather dark and spooky take on this happens to Stannis at the end of "Blackwater". Melisandre shows him a future event in the flames. It's later revealed in "Second Sons" that Stannis saw a great battle in the snow.
393** Salladhor Saan:
394--->'''Davos:''' You know me. You drank wine with me at my wedding. \
395'''Salladhor:''' And you drank with me at ''four'' of my weddings, but I don't go asking for any favors!
396* What happened between Jason and Bryn on the fishing trip in ''Series/GavinAndStacey'' is never described, but [[HoYay heavy]] hints are dropped.
397** According to WordOfGod, the writers originally intended to reveal the details in the final episode, possibly suggesting that whatever happened wasn't going to be as [[CreepyUncle bad]] as it sounds taken out of context. However, the finale rolled around and no fishing trip story materialised, possibly because they decided it was funnier to leave it vague (or, alternatively, it was ''exactly'' what it sounded like and was too darkly comic/family unfriendly for the show to state it explicitly).
398* In ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'':
399** A running gag is Vic constantly bringing up his life back in Cuba. In one episode, George just asks him to skip to the end of a story, which is "The chicken was okay, but she had to wear an eye patch for the rest of her life" and the next story ends with "You know what, it was the same chicken".
400** Also, when George confronted Benny about not visiting him in jail.
401--->'''Benny:''' I didn't want to be framed for some thirty-year-old crime in El Paso that might have been committed with my fingerprints.\
402* beat*\
403'''George:''' We were on the run that summer? There's no game called "gas-station peel-out"!
404* ''Series/GetSmart'' -- one of Max's catch phrases -- "That's the second biggest [unlikely big item] I ever saw!"
405* ''Series/TheGlades'':
406** The main character quits the Chicago police department and moves to Florida after getting shot. In the pilot he explains that he was shot by his old police captain who thought that he was sleeping with the captain's wife. Conversations later in the episode and in the following episodes, however, indicate that there is much more to that story since the simple version does not make sense in the context of those conversations.
407** The events of the pilot itself are quickly becoming an in-universe Noodle Incident with the supporting characters referring to them to illustrate to others how insufferable the main character is.
408* ''Series/{{Glee}}'' has moments like this.
409** An example from "Sectionals", when Will tells the kids Emma will be their chaperon. Emma walks in and ... :
410--->'''Brittany:''' She's the one they made me talk to when they found that bird in my locker.
411** Brittany in particular has several one-liners that seem like Noodle Incidents, but since it's [[TheDitz Brittany]], there is no way to know if any of them actually happened.
412* ''Series/TheGoodPlace:'' Eleanor somehow made an enemy of Neil [=DeGrasse=] Tyson, cyberbullied Ryan Lochte off Instagram, lost her virginity in a home tanning booth, got banned from Build-a-Bear Workshop for life and was responsible for something known only as "the Ambien-Hamster Mishap". Jason has seen someone snort printer toner and did, direct quote, "a bunch of stuff that almost turned out to be sex" with [[spoiler:Janet]]. Tahani inspired Elon Musk to shoot that car into space and brings up an Incident involving Javier Bardem and Vanessa Redgrave's panic room. Jason's [[spoiler:father]], Donkey Doug, once got expelled from Disney World for biting Buzz Lightyear in a case of mistaken identity. Suffice to say, the series loves this trope.
413* ''Series/{{Grace and Frankie}}'': Frankie's yurt. All that's been said is that it exploded.
414* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': In the Season 4 episode "The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause", Riddler's explanation to the Penguin of how he tracked down where Victor Zsasz has hidden Penguin's adopted son Martin is cut short halfway through. It apparently involved exploiting Zsasz's love for the disco, and Riddler disguising himself as an old Polish woman.
415* ''Series/{{Greek}}'' has one in 1x13 when Cappie starts talking about an incident involving corn and the upstairs bathroom. A pledge is asked to clean it but we never get to know what really happened.
416* ''Series/GreenAcres'': In the episode "What Happened in Scranton", Lisa is shocked that Hooterville doesn't have a beauty salon. She calls Oliver's mother who ships out her hairdresser, Claude. She blackmails him with one word: "Scranton."
417* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'': in the episode "These ties that bind" in Season 5, with the arrival of Sadie Harris comes the nickname of "Death" and "Die" (for Meredith and Sadie, respectively), but Meredith refuses to talk about "the adventures of Death and Die" during their backpacking trip in Europe, saying that they're "ancient histories, humiliating and ridiculous". Finally she does tell the stories to Derek at the end of that episode, however it remains unknown to viewers; a few episodes later, more information is revealed when Sadie mentioned that after a fight that happened when they were in Amsterdam, they were never as close as before.
418[[/folder]]
419
420[[folder:H]]
421* In ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', Season 2 ArcVillain Mason Verger mentions that his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Carlo, once fed a man alive to pigs in Tuscany. No information as to why or how.
422* ''Series/HaveYouBeenPayingAttention'':During a round of 'What's the Point?' -- where the panelists have to identify what product, service or organisation is being advertised from the snippet of an ad played by Tom -- Marty Shergold commented:
423-->''It feels like it's chicken-related...But it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong about that.''
424* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'':
425** A fairly creepy example. Teen psychopath Luke, when asked about his powers, tells Sylar that he should "See what it does to pacemakers" the implication being that he spends his time killing people with heart conditions. Yeah, the kid's got problems.
426** Danko was mentioned by Angela Petrelli (as well as a case file) to have been involved in something known as the Angolan Incident. Exactly how he was involved or even what the incident was was never explained.
427* In ''Series/HomeImprovement'', there's mention of an incident the last time the boys tried to share anything. It's pretty self-explanatory, but it's never elaborated on.
428-->'''Jill:''' Did you forget what happened the time you guys tried to share that Nutty Buddy Bar?\
429'''Randy:''' [''grinning''] Oh yeah...the famous Bloody Nutty Buddy Bar Incident.
430* ''Series/{{House}}'':
431** "House Divided":
432--->'''Wilson:''' Every time I go to one of your parties, I end up embarrassing myself in some new and unexpected way.\
433'''House:''' That whole thing with the duck was hardly unexpected.
434** Used once again in "Known Unknowns", in which Wilson repeatedly makes negative references to some past occasion on which he apparently gave House an advance copy of a medical conference address for proofreading. The incident is never explained or elaborated on.
435** Used to hilarious effect in "Moving the Chains", when House makes fun of an incident in Foreman's past.
436--->'''Foreman:''' I did not wet the bed. I spilled a drink.
437** In "5 to 9," Cuddy is shortstaffed and tells a nurse to call in Ereshevski, who apparently owes her. Ereshevski coming in to cover surgery is so shocking to the nurse that she wonders what dirt Cuddy has on her. Cuddy says, "It wasn't a medical mistake," but, "Can't tell you now -- she came in."
438* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
439** The "Pineapple Incident". In a way, it subverts the trope, as there's a whole episode explaining how the incident occurred. It does, however, have [[RiddleForTheAges one detail missing]]: [[spoiler:How the pineapple got onto the bedtable.]]
440** Another episode has the Story of the Goat. The first time it's mentioned, Ted gets almost to the point of the story, before mentioning a detail that causes him to realize that it must have happened later than he thought. The story is concluded a year later. [[spoiler:The goat beat Ted up.]]
441** We also don't know if Marshall [[spoiler:was mugged by the monkey or not.]]
442** There's also a (likely) temporary one from a recent episode where Barney and Lily have a fight. Future!Ted flashes forward to when they make up, and in comes Ted wearing a dress and shouting "Now we're even!", which Future!Ted says he will explain when the time comes.
443** There's also quite a few more temporary ones peppered throughout the seventh season, which haven't been revealed yet: Marshall and Barney wind up in a casino full of Chinese businessmen, where Marshall is winning loads of money, completely smashed, and wearing a t-shirt reading "Marshall + Steph 4-eva", and Barney is wearing the ducky tie again and receiving a shocking phone call. No context whatsoever is given, but Future!Ted says it's a few months after the events of "The Naked Truth".
444** A brief flashforward to Lily giving birth to her baby has her screaming "where the hell is Marshall?" We have no idea where he is, but Future!Ted promises it's a crazy story.
445** You could say the entire seventh season is a slow explanation of the Noodle Incident that made up the last scene of the Season 6 finale. We know that somehow, Barney winds up getting married and Ted meets the Mother at said wedding, which has something to do with a yellow umbrella and the fact that Ted accidentally went into her Econ class three years ago. The only thing we know for sure is that Lily's no longer pregnant by the time it happens.
446** There's also the time that Robin was briefly a bullfighter. Future Ted promises he'll get to that sometime, which he seems to say a lot these days. It's pretty understandable though: while the stories mainly take place in the present, the actual show takes place in the year 2030, so from his perspective, there's nothing wrong with making comments about events that happened after our out-of-universe present day.
447** In "Blitzgiving", Ted misses a night out with the rest of the cast. Most of it is explained, but why they keep throwing top hats on people's heads and yelling "The Gentleman!" or where the traffic cones and parking meter that were in the apartment in the opening are never explained.
448* ''Series/HumanTarget'' has a lot of these, usually referencing Chance's previous jobs.
449-->'''Allyson:''' What's the plan? Please tell me it doesn't involve driving the ambulance right through the front of the building.\
450'''Chance:''' Ever try that? Trust me; it's not something you want to do twice.
451[[/folder]]
452
453[[folder:I]]
454* ''Series/{{iCarly}}'':
455** Averted in "iRocked the Vote". Spencer claims he's a bad liar, and Carly begins to tell a story about a time Spencer lied very badly. Spencer yells, "Don't tell the story!" -- but then Carly stands up after a moment and declares that she ''will'' tell the story, and does so. The story is about how Carly and Spencer wanted to take the day off to go to an amusement park. Spencer shows up to her class, tells the teacher Carly has to go to the doctor. The teacher asks what doctor. Spencer says Doctor Rollercoaster.
456** What did the goat do to Carly on her last birthday? How did T-bo's sister fall off a ladder while helping Spencer?
457** Gibby's "Texas Wedgies", we see the end result but we never know the details. Makes him one of few examples to happen to the same person twice.
458** Gibby has an on-screen noodle incident, when he goes into the bathroom of the [[LocalHangout Groovy Smoothie]], at least twice, a semi-elderly asian man runs out with a look of horror on his face.
459** Most of Sam's life is composed of multiple examples of Noodle Incident, like the time she had to knock out a truck driver with a carton of milk and most of her visits to juvie. Even her birth was a Noodle Incident. We also don't find out much about the lives of her family, we never do find out why most of them are in prison. Then there's what happened to Sam's grandpa referring to his "heart like a bull":
460--->'''Carly:''' That's what they said about Sam's granddad.\
461'''Sam:''' And then he died.\
462'''Spencer:''' Heart attack?\
463'''Sam:''' No, wrestling a bull.
464** Sam's mother is another matter entirely. Like what was that thing on her back she'd been squeezing since Christmas, the time Carly ended up helping Sam rub lotion on her when she got chicken pox. And her love life is a mystery to everyone.
465** Spencer is a frequent source of these. Reference is often made to incidents that Spencer just doesn't want to talk about, like when Gibby got sent home from summer camp for being too old (see quote below). May have been a BrickJoke, as later on Spencer tells Freddie about how people at the camp told him it was naked day, and he got a severe rash. That spread to ''places''.
466--->'''Spencer:''' That reminds me of the time I got kicked out of camp.\
467'''Gibby:''' For being too old?\
468'''Spencer:''' ''(Uncomfortable silence)'' No. ''(Changes subject)''
469** What did Sam draw on Gibby's forehead at the last lock-in? [[LargeHam "READ THE COMMENTS!"]]
470** From "iReunite With Missy":
471--> '''Carly:''' That's Kevin.
472--> '''Missy:''' Kevin?
473--> '''Carly:'''If he asks if you want to see his "onion ring," just say no!
474--> '''Missy:''' Why...
475--> '''Carly:''' JUST SAY NO!
476** In "iQuit iCarly", Freddie refuses to give Spencer a sponge bath while he watches TV. "Not after the last time..."
477* ''Series/ILoveLucy'':
478** "The Kleptomaniac" reveals that Lucy had to promise Ricky she wouldn't run any more of her Women's Club events after what happened at the 4th of July party last year.
479--->'''Ethel:''' Poor Ricky -- his eyebrows didn't grow in for a month.
480** In "Lucy Learns to Drive", Ethel also mentions the time Fred's penny got stuck in a peanut machine. ("It took two men and a crowbar to get his hand out of the slot.")
481* ''Series/TheImperfects'': "Introduction to Modern Poetry"; Burke's leverage to convince Sarkov to cure the others. All we know is that Sarkov was eight years old, though it's implied that he cheated in some way to get a passing grade.
482* ''Series/TheITCrowd'' has several:
483** The very first episode has Roy tell Moss to regale a party with the story of when they got drunk in Amsterdam. He proceeds to tell a story about them hiring prostitutes and being too afraid to do anything with them so instead they took them to a faire. Turns out Roy meant a different time, in which Moss lost his glasses then later walked into a canal. Nothing more is given.
484** The next episode gives two more with this exchange.
485--->'''Roy:''' You unplugged it? [a soldering iron]\
486'''Moss:''' Oh I'm fairly sure I did.\
487'''Roy:''' Because you remember what happened the last time...\
488'''Moss:''' Yes! That was very funny!\
489'''Roy:''' No... that was very dangerous... and somebody nearly died.\
490'''Moss:''' Oh, right, right, I was thinking about a different incident. I was thinking about the time on the golf course.\
491'''Roy:''' Golf Course? I'm talking about the fire!\
492'''Moss:''' Oh right. I always get golf and fire confused.
493** Roy once dated a woman who was an orphan that refused to talk about what happened to her parents. Finally she told him that it was a fire, at a [[Ride/SeaWorld Sea Parks]], and that they can never speak of it again. Roy spends the rest of the episode obsessing over the idea of a fire at a Sea Parks.
494** The finale lampshades that pretty much everything that happens to them makes no sense and could qualify as a Noodle Incident to everyone else in the world.
495[[/folder]]
496
497[[folder:J-K]]
498* ''Series/{{JAG}}'':
499** "Shakedown".
500--->'''Mac:''' ''Nothing personal, but that last meat loaf you made was nasty.''\
501'''Harm:''' ''Are you dogging Harm's special meatless meat loaf?''\
502'''Mac:''' ''Let's put it this way: if you were to make the Harmon Special on this ship, they'd have to unload it with the toxic waste.''
503** Another one, Harm and some other officers are discussing the various aircraft he's flown, including a 747. Harm says, "They roll better than you think they would." We never did find out why he had occasion to roll a 747.
504* In ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'', after the title characters jump off a cruise ship to evade several irate people, we suddenly find them arriving home at their London flat, looking travel-worn, bearing heavy facial hair, and Wooster is carrying a spear. They never really tell the story, but the Panama Canal, the Great Barrier Reef and a badly-made compass are all mentioned. And then, one takes into account that they had to be swimming at least part of that...
505* In ''Series/KenanAndKel'', Kel spouts off several at one point when Kenan demands him to give one reason as to why he shouldn't trust him.
506-->'''Kel:''' You talked me into wearing pantyhose, you talked me into tickling that policeman, you talked me into getting bat mitzvahed…\
507'''Kenan:''' [[InsistentTerminology Hey, it's bar mitzvahed!]]\
508'''Kel:''' You talked me into drinking fish grease...\
509'''Kenan:''' Ugggh!\
510'''Kel:''' You talked me into selling my kidney, you talked me into gluing myself to the train. Remember that?\
511'''Kenan:''' Oh yeah, you ran pretty fast.\
512'''Kel:''' I had to!
513* In the 2007 RealityShow ''Series/KidNation'', after the 40 kids are virtually stranded in a desert with [[ThereAreNoAdults no adults]] the kids have a particularly miserable morning on the second day, with 11-year-old CloudCuckooLander Jared stating it's been the worst day he's had in the past "three years". Not even his costars know what was at the top of his list.
514* In ''Series/TheKingOfQueens'', a weary policeman delivers Arthur Spooner to the front door and asks "Does he belong to you? We found him wandering around in Amish country." Nothing more is said about this standalone scene.
515[[/folder]]
516
517[[folder:L]]
518* In ''Series/LALaw'', several members of the law firm pass around the secret to a sexual technique known as the Venus Butterfly. Exactly what is involved is never revealed except that it leaves the woman exhausted and very satisfied, and requires access to room service.
519* ''Series/LawAndOrder'':
520** One episode has an interview with a doctor interrupted by a nurse informing the doctor that, "That man with the cucumber problem is back again."
521** There have also been several reference over the series to that time Detective Lenny Briscoe took a 3 hour lunch.
522%%* Most of the anecdotes in ''Series/{{Letterkenny}}'' spring from these.
523* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' has several.
524** They include what Nate did at the Russian border (WordOfGod says that he [[spoiler:"may have technically hijacked a train"]]) and lots of the unexplained cons, like the "Apple Pie", which is a "Cherry Pie" but with lifeguards.
525** In another episode, the team has been apart for a while and discusses what they were doing during that time.
526--->'''Hardison:''' I hacked the White House email, 'cause I was bored. No buzz. Although we are up to some hinky stuff in Pakistan. Hinky, man.\
527'''Sophie:''' See? ''(To Eliot)'' Look, what were you doing?\
528'''Eliot:''' I was in Pakistan.
529** A flashback shows Eliot being dragged down a dark hallway while men yell at him "where's the monkey?" It's brought up again in a later episode, but we never find out what was going on.
530** Parker's introductory flashback involves her blowing up a house because the man in it took away her stuffed bunny when she was a little girl. WordOfGod has it that the man was her foster father, but how she blew up the house and whether he was inside at the time is left up to our imaginations.
531** "I can't let him see me, he still thinks I'm the princess of Uzbekistan"
532** "The Cross My Heart Job" starts with the team coming back from a mission. All the details we hear and see (most of their equipment getting destroyed, Sophie playing a French heiress on a topless beach, Eliot fighting combat divers with a spear gun on a shipwreck, Hardison ''faking a volcanic eruption'') imply that this one of their more over the top jobs, but we don't actually get a full explanation.
533** We're still waiting on an explanation for how Eliot ended up fighting someone with a Nerf sword in Damascus, 2002.
534** Pretty much every other episode in the first two seasons involved some unexplained flashback with a team member, usually Eliot or Parker.
535** In the Broken Wing Job, Parker is alone at the pub. We only get hints at what the others are up to, but we know it involves a stealing both a monkey statue and an actual monkey, Hardison impersonating a general, Eliot engaging in a duel with katanas, and Nate and Sophie burning down a building.
536* ''Series/{{The Librarians|2014}}'':
537** From "And the Fables of Doom", the group is trying to figure out [[MonsterOfTheWeek which magical artifact is behind this week's troubles]], including a chalkboard full of artifacts [[NoodleImplements which never really get explained]]. In particular, Jenkins almost instinctively says that the genie's lamp can't be behind it. When asked why it can't be the genie's lamp, he just looks at them and says, in a tone suggesting this should be obvious, "It's ''never'' the genie's lamp." [[note]]This part retroactively became a subversion, as we do find out ''why'' it's "never the genie's lamp" [[AllThereInTheManual in one of the tie-in novels]]. Still counts for the purposes of the TV show, though.[[/note]]
538** In "And What Lies Beneath the Stones", Cassandra has to hold open a door which only opens in response to truth being revealed; this leads to a montage of rapid-fire confessions to stop the door from closing, none of which we get context for.
539--->'''Cassandra:''' I stole the sheet music of ''Aladdin'' from my grade-school music class!\
540'''Cassandra:''' I have an irrational fear of ravioli! \
541'''Cassandra:''' I always wanted to be Vietnamese.\
542'''Cassandra:''' I ''hate'' babies! Like, I HATE them! \
543'''Cassandra:''' ...[[OrphanedPunchline and any woman who says she hasn't is]] ''[[OrphanedPunchline lying]]''!
544* ''Series/LieToMe'':
545** "''Cal? Promise me you'll never go '''back''' to Vegas?''" In "Fold Equity", we get a little more of an explanation. Apparently after hustling one too many people at poker and doing ''something'' with a casino owner's wife, Cal's [[PersonaNonGrata banned from Vegas]].
546** There was also some really shady business in Northern Ireland that has been repeatedly referred to but never explained thoroughly -- Cal is former [=MI6=] and worked in (among other places) Ireland and Bosnia as an interrogation expert.
547** Apparently, Cal once tricked his way into the White House, all the way through security. Why or how is unknown.
548** Especially worthy of note is the literal Noodle Incident mentioned by Loker.
549--->'''Gillian:''' Initiation for you MIT mathletes was pretty hard-core, huh?\
550'''Eli:''' You know, you make fun, but you try waking up in a shower stall with a killer hang over and a quart of macaroni salad shoved up your--
551* In ''Series/LifeInPieces'' Tyler goes to a party during an overnight college tour. The exact details aren't shown, but we do see that he somehow ended up sleeping inside a dryer while eating the sandwich his mom made for him.
552* ''Series/{{Life on Mars|2006}}'': Whatever it is Mrs Luckhurst ''does'' that's "illegal in some parts of Wales", although subsequent dialogue might provide a hint for the suitably creative-minded:
553-->'''Ray:''' Guv! Mrs. Luckhurst.\
554'''Gene:''' I don't wanna talk about her. All right, all I will say is this: you know that bloke in the Bible who wanted to stuff a camel through the eye of a needle?\
555'''Sam:''' That would be Jesus.\
556'''Gene:''' Yeah. Well, he had nothing on Mrs Luckhurst.
557* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': When Galadriel confronts Halbrand about his supposed royal blood that he wants to hide, he tells her that the poach with the royal sigil of the Southlands comes from a dead man that he came across. Galadriel believes that he lies and that he is the original owner of the poach. Later, after is revealed that [[spoiler:Halbrand is Sauron]], he reminds Galadriel he did tell her he found the pouch on a dead man. In what circumstances the pouch ended in Halbrand's possession, or what truly happened to that man, is a total mystery.
558* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has several such incidents, but due to the nature of the show (flashbacks and [[spoiler:time travel]]), some of them end up being shown to the viewer later on:
559** The most notable is the creatively named "Incident" that resulted in the need to push a button every 108 minutes in the hatch. The event is described vaguely in the Season 2 finale, and [[spoiler:shown onscreen due to time travel]] in the Season 5 finale, which, of course, is called "The Incident".
560** The event that resulted in Locke being paralyzed before the crash. Eventually shown onscreen in Season 3 ([[spoiler:Locke's father pushed him out a skyscraper window]]).
561** The "Tampa job" is mentioned by a one-off character in Season 1, regarding Sawyer. The event has never been mentioned again, but some fans believe it is of pivotal importance to Sawyer's character. The Season 2 episode "Adrift" was originally going to feature Sawyer flashbacks to the Tampa Job, but the scenes were cut and replaced with Michael flashbacks.
562--->'''Hibbs:''' That makes us even for the Tampa job.\
563'''Sawyer:''' What could possibly make us even for the Tampa job?
564** Juliet mentions a "Basra incident" regarding Sayid in Season 3. Due to the name and the way Juliet introduces it, this is almost certainly the writers screwing with the "Tampa Job" theorists.
565** This bit from Season 1 episode "Raised By Another":
566--->'''Hurley:''' My name isn't Hurley! It's Hugo Reyes. Hurley's just a nickname I got. Why? I ain't telling.
567** Not until Season 2, episode 9 does the show finally reveal "what Kate did" that made her a wanted convict; up to that point, it left the audience to speculate on the mystery as more and more seedy events from her past were gradually shown.
568[[/folder]]
569
570[[folder:M]]
571* ''Series/MadamSecretary'' has a literal example. The [=McCords'=] younger daughter, Alison, has the nickname Noodle to her parents but the reason for this is never given.
572* ''Series/MacGyver2016'' has a number of these.
573** The team doesn't want to talk about what happened during a [=DXS=] op in Cairo, except that it's [=MacGyver=]'s fault. "Cigar Cutter" showed part of it: [[spoiler:Mac tried to rescue Jack from a hostage situation by threatening to detonate the terrorist's own dirty bomb, only to find out that they wanted it set off in the middle of Cairo anyway]]. They have yet to explain how they got out of that mess.
574** Mac's visit to his home town is rife with references to science experiments gone awry, one of which resulted in the school suddenly no longer having a football field.
575--->'''Riley:''' Time out: you two burned down the stadium?
576--->'''Mac:''' Well, technically it wasn't a fire. It was more of a... small nuclear meltdown.
577** Whatever happened between Jack and Matty back when they worked for the CIA.
578** Most episodes start with [=MacGyver=] and at least one other of the group, usually Jack, on some mission trying to get out of a dangerous situation and [=MacGyver=] building his way out of it, cue title. It's rare that these situations have much if any explanation.
579* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' was very fond of this trope in regards to hinting at the horrible things the family has done ("Algebra Pills", "The Johnson's Fire", "The Rat-Baby Farm", "10-items or less aisle") some of the more memorable ones include:
580** The Season 5 episode "Reese's Apartment" as Reese being punished for a horrendous prank which the audience never really hears about. The only things we learn about it is from various characters' horrified reactions (or Reese's defensive one) after being told, and produces an epic fit of spastic {{angrish}} from Hal:
581--->'''Malcolm''' ...Oh, my God! Did they have to evacuate?
582
583--->'''Psychologist:''' ''(clutching her heart)'' ...What were the kittens for?!\
584'''Hal:''' We don't know.
585
586--->'''Reese:''' I can name Third World countries where that kind of thing happens all the time!
587
588** In "Malcolm vs. Reese", Hal and Dewey are charged with taking care of Craig's cat Jellybean, who runs off and cannot be found, but evidently stops by the house when they aren't there. In an attempt to make Jellybean stay put, they accidentally drug up all of the neighborhood cats (and an opossum), but Jellybean is still not to be found. At this point they finally call Lois for help. Cut to the charred remains of the house, and Hal commenting that she sure made those cats get out in a hurry.
589** There is also an episode where Hal is put in charge of the living will of a neighbor who is in a persistent vegetative state. After hearing the man's relatives debate furiously as to whether or not he should be kept alive, Hal makes a decision that we are never shown. At the end of the episode, Lois tells Hal that he did a great job because he realized that there were more than just the two choices of life and death. Hal remarks that it was easy because, once he found out that the man was a bird lover, everything he needed was at the electronics store down the street, except for the hat. He then tells Lois that he would like to never discuss it ever again.
590** "This is worse than the time I left Dewey in Mexico!"
591** The first episode had Malcolm telling the viewer that his older brother Francis has been sent to military school due to his bad behavior. The scene then cuts to Francis giving a lengthy apology in front of the results of three of his hijinks, including being brought to the front door by a police officer, a naked girl in his parents' bed, and finally in front of a flaming car. The only comment Malcolm has to make is "I don't know why they were so mad, it wasn't even our car".
592** The ColdOpen of the first season finale had Hal bursting into the room, offering the boys money to take the blame for some terrible thing he had done. We never find out what it was, all we hear is Lois screaming "Oh my God!" in an increasingly angry tone from offscreen.
593** "How did aunt Helen die?" "Cats ate her face. Hold on, Dewey knows more about it."
594** Whatever it was that Francis had done to (or possibly, ''with'') "mom's friends Jenny", it was apparently bad enough that it equaled Malcolm, Reese and Dewey convincing Lois that she had cancer.
595** After setting off a mass of fireworks: "This might even top Homecoming '98!" "I dunno, that float smoldered for a week!"
596** Another cold opening has Hal and Lois in bed, not wanting to deal with whatever the boys were doing. We hear a lot of discussions, things falling and breaking, Reese telling the others to "forget about the squirrel and bring the fire extinguisher" and Dewey mentioning blood tastes weird.
597** Mere mention of the "apple turnover" between Lois and her sister is enough to bring up UnstoppableRage in the latter. Also, it apparently was a bad enough situation to cause Lois to compare it to her sister's refusal to disclose her serious medical condition.
598** Dewey's plot on the second episode of the water park two-parter has him traveling with different people after he got lost at the end of the first episode. We see a montage of him going in different vehicles, including a tour bus and a wedding limo. At the end, we see that he arrived home thanks to a group of Hell's Angels. When the family arrives and Dewey mentions that the babysitter was taken away on an ambulance, Lois' reaction is "NotAgain". As the episode ends, Dewey is telling about the things he did, including "then we all went to jail"
599* ''Series/ManVsBee'': When Trevor mentions that he's been having trouble with a bee in a call with his ex-wife, she immediately complains that he tends to cause problems by obsessing over incredibly minor things. Apparently he lost one job because of a trolley and another because of a "mean paper shredder".
600* ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'':
601** In the episode where Steve and Marcy end up homeless and Kelly has a slumber party, there's a Noodle Incident where Al tells Kelly that she can't have another slumber party because of the one she had when she was eight. It's not clear what happened, but Al said "The judge wanted to try you [Kelly] as an adult" and in Al's promise letter, it mentioned that Al was shaved bald.
602** In ''Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Pt 2'': Marcy lost her wedding ring down a male stripper's pants. The security guard backstage alludes to previous incidents that happened in the club, resulting in "The Bundy Rule". One being when the club banned patrons from going backstage because of "The Big Riot". Another being an explicit rule that the club was not responsible for items lost in any part of a dancer.
603** When Officer Dan (the black cop) becomes Al's friend in the later episodes after Officer Dan promised never to report Al for an unnamed incident that happened at a strip club.
604** In one episode, where Bud described his upcoming fraternity initiation, Al told Peggy that when the cops picked him up, everyone in the family will have been arrested for indecent exposure. He didn't elaborate on how it happened to himself, Peg, and Kelly, but on a show like this, one can likely make ''plenty'' of educated guesses...
605** Another episode, Kelly is acting in a music video for a punk rock band, and in one scene, is chained to a fence with handcuffs. Al comes onstage and starts an argument with the lead singer, and eventually, the two take the conversation backstage, ignoring Kelly. She's irked, saying that this is the second time this week someone has chained her to a fence and left her behind. (She doesn't elaborate on the first time.)
606* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': Hawkeye relates to B.J. a joke that he considers the funniest ever told. This is shown onscreen, and ends with B.J. chuckling wryly, apparently only considering the joke passable. Throughout the rest of the episode, Hawkeye finds himself unable to go anywhere in camp without encountering fellow officers who are all still in hysterics after hearing ''B.J.'s'' version of the joke, which is never shown.
607** The joke itself is told in full, as it's the old "Is that all you do—bird imitations?" joke. But we never hear B.J.'s version, only that he apparently tells it with more panache.
608* ''Series/MaxAndShred'': Somehow in the past, Abby lost a child in a ball pit. It was so bad, the police were called and she became known in their town as the ballpit babysitter.
609* In ''Series/TheMentalist'', in the episode where Patrick Jane's brother-in-law asks for his help, Jane goes to his old Carnie-buddies in order to track his BIL down. He and Lisbon meet this burly weightlifter guy, who is delighted to see Jane after such a long time. When he takes Jane and Lisbon back to his trailer, his wife opens the door. Jane is about to hug her when she slaps his face -- HARD. He wails, "What the hell's that for?!" and she just says, "Detroit." Jane responds, "Fair enough."
610* When Wendy asks Lacey if she can keep a secret on ''Series/TheMiddleman'', Lacey points out that she's never told anybody about "that thing with the blueberry pudding pops and the elliptical machine."
611* The ''Series/TheMightyBoosh'' episode "Party":
612-->'''Vince:''' Are you talking about the incident with the binoculars?\
613'''Howard:''' That was never proved, OK?\
614'''Vince:''' It was in ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers The Guardian!]]''
615* ''Series/{{Monk}}'':
616** "Mr. Monk Goes to an Asylum" {{lampshade|hanging}}d this trope during the tour of the asylum with Monk's roommate.
617--->'''John Wurster:''' This is the Monkey Room. Funny story about how it got its name.\
618'''Monk:''' What is it?\
619'''Wurster:''' We don't know. We just know there's a funny story.
620** The first scene with Monk and Natalie in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert" begins with this:
621--->'''Natalie Teeger:''' Captain.\
622'''Monk:''' Captain, for the record, this was all her idea. I mean, I wouldn't be here if I couldn't drive or had anything else to do.\
623'''Captain Stottlemeyer:''' OK, I give up. What is it? ''[Natalie produces a check]''\
624'''Natalie:''' It's a $34 dry cleaning bill to clean the shirt and jacket that Mr. Monk ruined when he ran through the poultry farm to recover the ransom money in the Jimmy Creskow kidnapping case. What are you gonna do about it?\
625'''Captain Stottlemeyer:''' Try to ignore it.\
626'''Natalie:''' No-no-no-no! We've already submitted this twice! It is a work-related expense, and we are entitled to compensation!
627** In that same episode, Natalie mentions having studied the Spanish Inquisition when Monk likens a port-a-potty to a medieval torture device.
628** And in "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend", when asked by Monk and Natalie how Stottlemeyer's girlfriend could go from her house to a crime scene in 20 minutes, this:
629--->'''Natalie:''' Maybe she had a jetpack, like in those ''Film/JamesBond'' movies.\
630'''Lt. Disher:''' There's no such thing as a working jetpack. Don't ask me how I know.
631** "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" reveals the SFPD cleaning lady Gladys has a restraining order against Monk for unspecified but easy to understand reasons.
632-->'''Stottlemeyer:''' Have you been talking to Gladys?! I told you not to talk to Gladys!
633* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' has quite a few:
634** "...turn the paper over, keeping your eye on the camel, and paste down the edge of the sailor's uniform, until the word 'Maudling' is almost totally obscured. Well, that's ''one'' way of doing it."
635** "...'discipline'?...'naked'??… '[[HeadTiltinglyKinky with a]] ''[[HeadTiltinglyKinky melon?!?]]''[='=]"
636** Eric Idle: "And your lines from 'frig the vicar' to 'bouncing up and down on the bed with a melon'...all out."
637* ''Series/MorkAndMindy'' accidentally join a fat farm. There is a scene where they are all coming in from a hard-core jog, which is never shown in progress. As they settle down for group therapy, the leader announces that everyone should "try not to think about what happened" to a now absent member. It is never explained what did happen.
638* A RunningGag on ''Series/TheMunsters'' is someone (usually Lily) mentioning what happened "last time" they tried to do something:
639** Lily tells Eddie's baby-sitter not to let Spot in while they're gone because "last time, he ate the sofa."
640** The last birthday present Grandpa and Herman built for Eddie "broke loose and swallowed a milk truck."
641** The last time Grandpa tried to perform his fire eating trick in a magic show, he got the hiccups and burned down the theater.
642* The Sandy Duncan episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' makes multiple references to the Banana Sketch, which is so funny that nobody can describe it to Kermit without collapsing in laughter.
643* The title character of ''Series/MurphyBrown'' did something at the 1980 Republican convention that not only got her banned from all future ones but is still being mentioned way into the 90's.
644* ''Series/MyFamily'', with Ben and Susan going over why Ben hates Christmas:
645-->'''Susan:''' We all had a lovely time.\
646'''Ben:''' You did. I got beaten up by carol singers.\
647[...]\
648'''Ben:''' Before that was the Year of the Turkey...\
649'''Susan:''' OK, so it needed to be in for a bit longer.\
650'''Ben:''' Susan, [[LethalChef it was still alive.]] Before that was the Year of the Puppy.\
651'''Susan:''' Ooh, the puppy...yes, that was sad, wasn't it?
652* At the end of Season 11 of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', Jonah is swallowed by Mecha Reptilicus, but returns healthy and whole at the start of Season 12. He ''tries'' to explain to the Bots and to Kinga and Max how he survived, but they don't want to listen to it.
653[[/folder]]
654
655[[folder:N]]
656* ''Series/{{NCIS}}''
657** In "Silver War", Tony and Ziva reference a specific page of a fictional men's magazine, with Ziva saying that "it works every time", which culminates in this line later in the episode:
658--->'''Ziva:''' You were thinking that you want to "page 57" me right now.
659** Ducky does this pretty much every time he rambles. It's usually because he gets interrupted, though sometimes he just doesn't elaborate. From "Hiatus, Part 1":
660--->'''Palmer:''' Who would sit on an explosive?\
661'''Ducky:''' ... I did it myself once -- no, twice. The first time, I was young; second time foolish.\
662'''Palmer:''' Why were you sitting on an explosive, doctor?\
663'''Ducky:''' I just told you: I was young and foolish. Haven't you been listening?
664** And the Season 5 episode "Family", when Tony has just discovered that a dead petty officer has been moonlighting as an exotic dancer:
665--->'''Tony:''' I'm going with stripper.\
666'''Ducky:''' This is not an uncommon way for young servicemen to complement their incomes. In fact, when I was young, I used to...\
667'''Tony:''' Used to what?\
668'''Ducky:''' Oh, my.
669** And there's the time Ducky pushed a French police officer off a cliff. In his defense, there was water at the bottom. In the same episode as this is mentioned ("Smoked"), the man who found the body of the week tells Gibbs that this is the first time he's found a human in a chimney, though he's used to finding all sorts of animals in there, including cats and birds "and once even a St. Bernard!"
670** There's also a bachelor party that Gibbs would really rather that Palmer would not know about.
671** Abby has one from "Ships in the Night" when she is downing her twentieth Caff-Pow during a multi-day all-nighter.
672--->'''Agent Borin:''' Is this a record?\
673'''Abby:''' No. We don't talk about the record. It got ugly.
674** In the Season 7 episode "Code of Conduct", Gibbs wants to know why Abby doesn't have a costume for Halloween this year:
675--->'''Abby:''' After last year's Music/JonasBrothers debacle, Vance banned costumes. [=McGee=]? Skinny jeans? Didn't work.
676** The king of all ''NCIS'' Noodle Incidents is a [[{{Funny/NCIS}} Crowning Moment Of Funny]]. In "Truth or Consequences", Tony, in a daze with Ziva gone, hears Gibbs say this.
677--->'''Gibbs:''' Some idiot smuggled a koala onto a submarine. Grab your gear.
678* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'':
679** [[TeamMom Hetty's]] entire life is a series of unelaborated incidents, such as the time she was in charge of Nicaragua for 72 hours.
680** And there was an incident when Deeks was in the 7th grade involving ice cream and beer. It didn't end well for anyone involved, except possibly for fans of Jackson Pollock.
681** And then the time Deeks jumped onto a train to fight a psycho with a flamethrower.
682** And a story about Callen that involved [[NoodleImplements a clown, the KGB, and a cheetah]].
683* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'':
684-->'''Moze:''' This is your '''worst''' idea ''ever''! ''({{Beat}})'' No, wait. '''Cheese pants''' was your worst idea ever, but this is close.
685* ''Series/NightCourt'':
686** Harry's mentally-unstable father on ''Series/NightCourt'', played by John Astin, often mentioned incidents that kept him the mental institution, like "the Mister Potato Head" and "that little setback with the Cheez Whiz". But, as he always said afterward with Astin's [[SlasherSmile trademarked grin]], he's feeling ''much'' better now!
687** He even accidentally discovers a few he has no coherent memory of, such as where he spent a mysterious block of time in the past that he could never account for...until the photo of him with Mao turned up.
688* The ''Series/NotGoingOut'' episode with the art exhibition has Tim berating Lee:
689-->'''Lee:''' It's not my fault!\
690'''Tim:''' Oh yeah. When my grandmother ended up in a ditch, it wasn't your fault. When my aunt could only eat soft fruit for a week, it wasn't your fault!
691* ''Series/{{NUMB3RS}}'': The incident that got Charlie's learner's permit revoked. The only thing we know is that it has something to do with radar guns, which Charlie strenuously insists are unreliable.
692[[/folder]]
693
694[[folder:O]]
695* ''Series/OddSquad'':
696** Oprah makes her debut in "Trading Places" by rappelling down into the bullpen to intercept Olive and Otto. When Otto asks where she came from, she responds by saying that it would take her 8 hours to answer that question.
697** The beginning of "Switch Your Partner Round and Round" has Olive rattling off a series of cases to Otto for him to log into his computer. These include a bike turning into a cantaloupe, a woman with squirrel hair, and a man whose lawnmower ran out of gas.
698** A RunningGag in "Moustache Confidential" involves Orchid doing something nefarious that is never mentioned. At one point, Olive asks Oren why he's doing Orchid's laundry for her, and the small agent cuts him off before he has a chance to explain as he states that he's said too much and runs away, followed by her giving an EvilLaugh and then [[SkipOfInnocence skipping away in pure innocent bliss.]]
699** "Happy Halfiversary" reveals that Otis has tried to set up both Precinct 13579's photocopier and blender, but managed to botch both setups so badly that they became HomicideMachines that threatened to duplicate agents and chop them to bloody bits. The horror of this is amplified a little if one remembers that [[spoiler:Otis used to be a villain.]]
700** "A Job Well Undone" has two noodle incidents that are just as horrifying.
701*** When Oprah tells Otis that he needs to successfully turn in his paperwork within the hour or risk losing the Agent of the Month award to Orson, she points at his high chair, which is mysteriously absent. She then muses that either he's taking a nap or Precinct 13579 has misplaced yet another baby -- and considering that Headquarters is a very DangerousWorkplace, one can only imagine the fates of those misplaced babies.
702*** Olympia's acceptance speech at the end of the episode has her thanking an eyepatch-wearing man named Tony, who helped her to be careful around pointy objects. Lucky for her that her vision is only impacted to the point where she just needs glasses and isn't completely blind.
703** One of Oona's Oonabots in "Oona and the Oonabots" was programmed to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" every day at noon. According to Oona herself, she was suffering from SleepDeprivation at the time.
704** Orla mentions Bouldy, her rock friend from the Amazon Headquarters she used to work at, numerous times in Season 3, with her stating that they used to be friends before something happened that caused their friendship to fall apart. However, exactly what happened is never explained.
705* In the British version of ''Series/{{The Office|UK}}'', David Brent is invited by to speak at some seminars. The seminar representatives mention having had Brent recommended to them by a guy named Andy Hitchcock...
706-->'''Brent:''' Oh my God...Cockles. Cocky. The Big Cock. Hey, do me a favor: next time you see him, ask if he got the grass stains out of his trousers. But not in front of his wife because...''(looks at the camera then immediately goes into an awkward silence)''
707* On an episode of the American version of ''Series/{{The Office|US}}'', the character Dwight remarks that his cousin Mose has had nightmares "ever since the storm".
708%%* A running noodle-incident gag in ''Series/OnTheBuses'' was Arthur's operation.
709* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'':
710** This line during an AA meeting confession:
711--->'''Taystee:''' So there I am, topless, sittin' there on this bulldozer at this construction site. I'm sittin' there, barbecue sauce on my titties, and I'm like, what the fuck, ''again?''
712** In Season 4, Caputo tells Piscatella he knows about an incident he was involved in at a men's correctional facility.
713* From ''Series/TheOriginals'':
714-->'''[[NobleDemon Elijah]]:''' In the thousand years that we have been together, my brother has committed numerous, unspeakable acts, but then again so has Rebekah, so have I... \
715'''[[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Hayley]]:''' So have I the last time I was in Cabo...
716* ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}'':
717** The whole series is full of hints at Ben and Karen's wacky antics -- for example, a reference to the fact that [[Website/{{Google}} Google Maps]]' aerial photographs of the family's house show Ben on the roof.
718** 8-year-old Ben asks why they can't have the same babysitter as last time; "You ''know'' why," his dad says darkly. Later Ben's little sister says that the last babysitter "went home to Poland, where children are nice."
719** There are dozens and dozens of these, that apply to every member of the family, and the family as a whole. The episode they went on the outing to the farm resulted in about 4 references to outings that went ''worse'' than that one, and the same applied to the holiday episode.
720[[/folder]]
721
722[[folder:P]]
723* Happens in-universe in ''Series/ParksAndRecreation''. In "The Bubble", Tom and Andy are moved to a small room on the 4th floor, which is where divorce filings and drug tests happen. Some guy asks if it's Mort Jansen's office (it's not), walks in, pours all the coffee out of the coffee pot, smashes said coffee pot against the wall while staring at everyone dead in the eye the whole time, then says, "Tell Mort I said, your move."
724-->'''April:''' ...oh my God, I wanna work up here with you guys, this is awesome.
725** Also, it is never explained why Li'l Sebastian is so beloved in Pawnee. As Ben finds out, Pawneeans are galled that such a question would even be asked.
726* ''Series/PeepShow'' has quite a few.
727** In one episode, Sophie returning from Bristol after a few weeks, and spent her time there under the assumption Mark was having an affair. When he probes after revealing the girl in question was mentally unstable, she only says of her time in Bristol: "it was complicated...nothing happened, really".
728** Mark and Jeremy also make reference to a friend of theirs named Pej who had his houseboat confiscated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
729** Sophie's brother Jamie isn't allowed a gun on family hunting trips.
730--->'''Mark:''' Don't ask why. Don't ask, don't tell.
731** "We promised not to do the funny voices any more! Not after that week."
732** There's presumably a story behind why Mark and Jeremy are sometimes called "El Dude Brothers," always followed by pantomiming pulling a truck horn. A story that will never be told.
733* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' has collected a few.
734** In one episode, Fusco is sent on his own to guard a [=PoI=]. The exact details are never disclosed, save that he ended up in a gunfight with the Armenian mob and managed to get a kiss from a supermodel who had originally maced him.
735** Referenced in another episode after a rather unlikely event.
736--->'''John''': A drug smuggler shot a spear gun at me last night.\
737'''Finch''': Was that the first time that's happened to you?\
738'''John''': I wish I could say yes.
739** Once she properly joins the team, Root has a habit of collecting these as she embarks in various missions on behalf of The Machine. Notable examples include wearing a bear costume and a wedding dress.
740* ''Series/ThePhilSilversShow'': In the episode "Hollywood," Sergeant Bilko is recruited as a consultant for a war movie about a battle he served in. A studio employee who researched the battle recognizes Bilko's name and vaguely refers to an incident where Bilko took an enemy officer prisoner and tried to hold him for ransom.
741* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
742** ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has the great war 10,000 years ago and a lesser, likewise unnamed war 3,000 years ago. Numerous unrelated characters in numerous unrelated seasons make reference to signifiant wars occurring on those two "dates", but no flashback or explanation is ever given for either.
743** ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' gives us the reasoning why Jake's Legendary Ranger form is green instead of black. He asks Gosei about this, Gosei says that there's a simple explanation for it... then the base is rocked with explosions and we never find out what it is.
744* ''Series/PressGang'' has several people making comments in its first episode about Spike's "incident at the school dance."
745* ''Series/PrisonBreak'' has a bunch of them between cousins Fernando Sucre and Manche Sanchez.
746-->'''Fernando Sucre:''' You owe me!\
747'''Manche Sanchez:''' Like hell I do! It's your turn, not mine.\
748'''Fernando Sucre:''' Miss Mangini's broken window?\
749'''Manche Sanchez:''' The Terrado sisters?\
750'''Fernando Sucre:''' Your brothers "lost" El Camino?\
751'''Manche Sanchez:''' The church collection basket?\
752'''Fernando Sucre:''' The donkey!\
753'''Manche Sanchez:''' [Long pause] Yo... we took an oath, bro!\
754'''Fernando Sucre:''' Don't make me break it!
755* ''Series/{{Psych}}'':
756** Pilot episode, Gus isn't going into anything blindly with Shawn again.
757--->'''Gus:''' I learned that at the Mexican border. Twice.
758** In the first season (episode fourteen, "Poker? I Barely Know Her"), the chief tries to dissuade Juliet O'Hara from throwing a surprise birthday party for her partner, Carlton Lassiter, because he doesn't like surprises. Further explanation includes the mention of a "Secret Santa Debacle of 2005".
759** In a later episode, [[DaChief Chief Vick]] cites the "Prosthetic Nose Debacle of 2005" as the reason why Detective Lassiter won't be going undercover for the present case.
760** There was that time Lassiter made Shawn and Gus duck when they were snooping around the chief's desk when a woman passed by.
761--->'''Lassiter:''' I made out with her on the company picnic. Duck! (a long-haired man walks by)\
762'''Shawn:''' That was a dude.\
763'''Gus:''' Must have been a hell of a picnic.
764** From "Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead", the Season 2 finale:
765--->'''Shawn:''' This isn't my first time alone in a coffin.
766** And in Season 5, Episode 11, "In Plain Fright", Shawn has this exchange with Juliet when talking about telling Gus that the two of them are dating.
767--->'''Shawn:''' If I don't handle this delicately, he's bound to go on another caramel binge.\
768'''Juliet:''' He went on one before?\
769'''Shawn:''' Yes. Hot and cold.
770[[/folder]]
771
772[[folder:Q-R]]
773* ''Series/{{QI}}'' had Stephen Fry mentioning something about fanmail he'd received.
774-->'''Stephen:''' We'd finally get some [fanmail], other than that one... *looks at audience* Well, you know who you are. And I tried it, and it was a disaster.
775* ''Series/QuantumLeap'' occasionally talks of the Starbright Project, which was apparently the first major scientific project Dr. Beckett worked on and is where he first met Al and his future wife Donna Elisi.
776* On ''Series/RaisingHope'', Sabrina asks Maw Maw how she lost her virginity. We don't get to hear the whole story, but it includes a lot of weird faces and gesturing, and ends with:
777-->'''Maw Maw:''' ...and then, the four of us put our clothes back on, put the horse back in the stable, and agreed never to speak of it again. It's probably my favorite Christmas memory.
778* On ''Series/{{Reba}}'', it's hinted that Lori Ann, Reba's friend, and Brock, Reba's ex-husband, actually dated each other before. Brock never mentions it, and Lori Ann reacts defensively when Reba even ''tries to'' refer to it once. And then there's this verbal exchange between Reba and her son, with regard to Reba's "dating", while they are at the front porch:
779-->'''Jake:''' Mom, am I going to have a new daddy?\
780'''Reba:''' Jake, can you keep a secret?\
781'''Jake:''' Sure, what is it?\
782'''Reba:''' I'm not even seeing anybody. I just pretended to go out on dates to get away from the loony bin.\
783'''Jake:''' I hear ya. Dad and I didn't really join the scouts.\
784'''Reba:''' So what have you two been doing all these Saturday afternoons?\
785'''Jake:''' Hey, are we keeping secrets or not? (walks into the house)
786* ''Series/RedDwarf'':
787** Subverted in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIMe2 Me2]]" with the Gazpacho Soup Incident which tormented Arnold Rimmer, who blamed it for stalling his career and ruining his chances of promotion to such an extent that his last words were "Gazpacho soup!" It turned out to be merely an incident where Rimmer, sitting at the captain's table at a formal luncheon, sent a bowl of Gazpacho soup back to the kitchen to be warmed up because he didn't know it was supposed to be served cold. Of course, the reality didn't live up to the imagination, but that was the point; both that it was an extremely minor embarrassment that the insecure Rimmer blew up to insane proportions, and that it was just yet another example of him [[FreudianExcuse blaming something else for his own screw-ups and failed life]].
788** A straight example occurs in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonITheEnd The End]]" when Captain Hollister, in reference to smuggling animals on board spaceships, makes angry reference to what happened "on board the ''Oregon'' with the rabbits".
789** One other instance of a noodle incident occurs when Lister, believing that his crew members have seen his thighs, describes an evening with another crew member, Peterson, in which he got so drunk that he got a tattoo proclaiming his love for Peterson.
790** Another possible incident is referred to in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIEmohawkPolymorphII Emohawk: Polymorph II]]" when Lister is trying to avoid getting marrying a GELF bride so the crew can get a part for the Starbug. Rimmer tries to convince him to go marry the yeti creature because "you've dated worse." Lister angrily retorts "Only due to bad disco lighting!"
791** "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIIIOnlyTheGood Only The Good]]" ended the series on a downer with everyone about to be killed off. After the show's revival, "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonXTheBeginning The Beginning]]" includes the characters disagreeing over who gets to claim the credit for saving them, which turns into a heated argument and gets shushed before they actually get to explaining how they were saved.
792** During the "[[HilariousOuttakes Smeg Outs]]" video, Kryten, who is presenting, comments on some of the problems they've had with animals on the show. After listing [[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIEmohawkPolymorphII chickens]] that wouldn't fly and [[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIIIPolymorph rabbits]] that wouldn't hop, he adds, "And thank heavens we never actually hired that constipated elephant."
793* When the staff of ''Series/RetroGameMaster'' was asked in an interview who they thought the worst AD of all time was, several named Tsuruoka, who was responsible for quite a few screw-ups during his time on the show. Abe, however, named Yamada, the very first, redacted AD, who he called a 'failure as a human being'. He didn't elaborate on exactly what Yamada did to make him think this.
794* On an episode of ''Richard Hammond's Series/BlastLab'', we are told that [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow You Don't Want To Know]] what the catapults from the game were originally designed for, but "Suffice it to say, the cats were not pleased."
795* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvGtx74ofFI&feature=related "Bad Language"]] sketch in ''Series/RutlandWeekendTelevision'' has a script for the beginning and end of one of these, while they discuss what they have to remove. It takes up ''4 pages'', making it an InUniverse example of an OverlyLongGag.
796* In an episode of ''Series/RavensHome'', Raven and Chelsea get locked in a vault and, afraid that they're going to die, Chelsea reveals a secret she's been keeping off-screen, leading to this conversation.
797--> '''Raven''': Chels! I can't believe you kept that from me!
798--> '''Chelsea''': We were in international waters! I didn't think it would count!
799--> '''Raven''': (''Distraught/Furious'') It always counts, Chels!
800[[/folder]]
801
802[[folder:S]]
803* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': In "Teenager Years", the characters have been waiting in line to meet the Violent Femmes band, only to be told by a security guard that the band are no longer accepting visitors. The following conversation ensues:
804-->'''Harvey:''' You ''have'' to let us in. I mean -- talk about Violent Femmes? ''(points at the group)'' If [[FanGirl they]] don't meet the band, they will be four ''extremely'' violent femmes. And I'm the one who has to drive them all back to Westbridge, along with one lovesick dude. Do ''not'' make me do that. You know what I'm saying, you've been there, right?\
805''({{Beat}})''\
806'''Security Guard:'''...Hartford, Led Zeppelin, 1973. Go on in.
807* ''Series/TheSandman'': A rare non-comedic example, when Ethel tells John she can't bring him the ruby.
808--> '''John:''' I told you I fixed it. The only reason those people got hurt the last time was --
809--> '''Ethel:''' People didn't get hurt, John. People died. You killed them.
810* ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'':
811** "[[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS3E9E10MonaLisasRevenge Mona Lisa's Revenge]]" has Clyde mention to Luke he does not want to know how he was thrown out of Cub Scouts.
812** The episode itself later becomes an in-universe Noodle Incident in "[[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS4E5E6DeathOfTheDoctor Death of the Doctor]]", when Clyde and Rani remind Sarah Jane of the various aliens they've encountered.
813--->'''The Doctor:''' What do you mean, "the ''Mona Lisa''"!?
814* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''
815** In the Creator/ZachGalifianakis episode, there was a skit in which Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig had a strange fixation with a hotel bidet. At the end of the sketch, they gave the bellboy a tip of wet dollar bills. They explain "It had something to do with the bidet."
816** A sketch with Christopher Walken as a shipwreck survivor in a lifeboat had him constantly apologizing to his fellow castaways about "the gay stuff".
817** Also frequently used as the opening gag in the ''Celebrity Jeopardy'' sketches, with [[Creator/WillFerrell Alex Trebek]] apologizing for "what happened before the commercial..."
818--->"I would like to apologize now to all blind people and children."\
819"I would like to apologize, and assure our viewers that all our contestants are now wearing pants."\
820"I would like to apologize, and remind our contestants to please refrain from using ethnic slurs."
821** On the Creator/BenStiller episode from Season 37, Stefon (Bill Hader's CampGay city correspondent character) returns to Weekend Update. Creator/SethMeyers mentions that the two had a bizarre summer together. When Stefon asks Meyers how his back is doing, Meyers dodges the question completely. Subverted in that Meyers' vacation with Stefon actually ''was'' set up at the end of the Music/JustinTimberlake episode from Season 36 (making the mention of it in Season 37 the punchline to a BrickJoke), but what happened after that is never mentioned any further ([[WhatHappenedToTheMouse or ever again]], though given the RunningGag of Stefon hitting on Creator/SethMeyers, it was probably something sexual and of dubious consent).
822** The famous "What the hell is that?" sketch with Creator/SteveMartin and Creator/BillMurray. We never do find out what the hell that was.
823* In ''Series/SavedByTheBell'', every time Zack says "Screech, I have a great idea!", Screech replies with something like "Gee, I dunno, Zack. The last time you had a great idea, I ended up (in a very odd and improbable situation)". Examples include "naked in a jar of jelly beans" and "with my tongue stuck to a moving airplane". Of course, none of these scenarios are shown on the show, or discussed ever again.
824* A RunningGag on ''Series/SchittsCreek'' has Alexis casually mention some horrifying experience she encountered (often involving her being a prisoner of or escaping from criminals somewhere in Africa or Asia) at an improbably young age, with whoever she mentions it to being simultaneously confused or horrified at how blase she is about it
825** a lighter RunningGag will have Alexis (or less frequently David) casually mention dating some famous person who was apparently obsessed with them.
826* In the premiere of ''Series/{{Scream Queens|2015}}'', Dean Munsch accuses Chanel of allowing a laundry list of atrocities during her reign as president of Kappa Kappa Tau sorority culminating in ''{{bestiality|IsDepraved}}''. Chanel claims that the goat was at fault as he'd had far too much to drink.
827* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'':
828** Throughout the series, numerous references are made to "Nurse Roberts's above-ground pool party" where various shenanigans took place.
829** The episode "My Absence" is seen from another POV and when the regular hero (only heard on phone throughout the whole episode) goes through one of his visions, he only says about it "And that's why you should never trust a camel".
830** There's an earlier one in the third season episode "My Self-Examination," in the scene wherein J.D. and Elliot are getting ready to attend Turk and Carla's wedding rehearsal dinner, and the latter remarks to the former that she cannot recall the last time she had seen him in the suit he was wearing.
831--->'''J.D.:''' How can you not remember that time we were with those--\
832'''Elliot:''' Oh, God! With the two guys!\
833'''J.D.:''' --the two guys, and their mom was trying to sing that song!\
834'''Elliot:''' ''(laughs)'' It was so funny!\
835'''J.D.:''' So funny. ''(Elliot imitates the song and laughs)'' Till they had to...put their horse down.\
836'''Elliot:''' Oh, yeah...\
837'''Together:''' Poor Cinnamon.\
838'''Elliot:''' He could run like the wind, but his tail couldn't put out that fire.
839** There's also the story of how the game "Play-Doh Pants" became all about the money...
840** "We'd have to find a whole lot of gnomes..."
841** "My Way Home":
842--->'''J.D.:''' ''[walks into hospital soaking wet]'' You're not aware of any sort of odd underground canal system beneath the hospital, are you? I think I saw a manatee.\
843'''The Janitor:''' Was his name Julian?\
844'''J.D.:''' We didn't exchange pleasantries.\
845'''The Janitor:''' ''[fondly]'' That's Julian.
846* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': The time Jerry opened for Kenny Rogers.
847-->'''Elaine:''' Didn't he throw you off the bus in the middle of Alabama?\
848'''Jerry:''' Oh, I had that coming to me.
849* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'':
850** There was that time Sherlock came home, covered in blood and carrying a ''harpoon''. Apparently, it had something to do with dead pigs, and was very "tedious". [[note]]Not explained in the series, but presumably he's just solved the Black Peter case, which in the original books provides [[http://sherlock-holmes.classic-literature.co.uk/the-adventure-of-black-peter/ a perfectly rational explanation]].[[/note]]
851** Sherlock's many experiments would probably also apply. We know they are experiments because Sherlock says so, but what sorts of experiments require you to put [[EyeScream human eyes]] in the microwave, or store thumbs in a plastic bag in the fridge?
852** In "[[Recap/SherlockS02E03TheReichenbachFall The Reichenbach Fall]]", when explaining why there is absolutely no talking at the Diogenes Club (with "three quarters of the diplomatic services and half of the government front bench"), Mycroft leaves it at "They don't want a repeat of 1972."
853** Sherlock's getting a special discount on his rent -- [[spoiler:because he helped his landlady's husband get executed.]] This is all we find out, at least until Season 3, which gives a couple more details ([[spoiler:the husband in question ran a drug cartel and eventually got caught after "blowing someone's head off"]].)
854** Sherlock's speech at [[spoiler:John's wedding]] in "[[Recap/SherlockS03E02TheSignOfThree The Sign of Three]]" included mentions to several cases he worked on, among them The Elephant in The Room... which was an actual elephant in a room... Later he regrets the case he chose to talk about and mentions "I should have told you about the Elephant in the Room". John's blog leaves this story a mystery, stating that they're not allowed to talk about the case because of the Official Secrets Act.
855** The online material has several. None of the links on "[[http://www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk/casefiles Science of Deduction]]" to Sherlock's pre-"[[Recap/SherlockS01E01AStudyInPink Study in Pink]]" cases work, but all have intriguing titles (including MythologyGag references to Noodle Incidents from [[Literature/SherlockHolmes The Canon]]). Similarly, on [[http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/30amay John's blog]] he's taken down the entry "Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror" for legal reasons; this is a reference to the ''Matilda Briggs'' and the Giant Rat of Sumatra, "a story for which the world is not yet prepared".
856* ''Series/TheShield'':
857** Ronnie's love life; it's implied that he is very much clumsy when it comes to women. His work in an undercover sting targeting strippers that moonlighted as prostitutes went badly (with him going on a tangent about golf mid-lap dance due to nervousness). We are never shown it but we see the aftermath as Shane and Lem give him hell for it.
858** Vic Mackey once implied that Shane Vendrell has engaged in date rape, when Shane claimed ignorance about how roofies work.
859* The main characters in ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' frequently mention Earths they've slid to that were never seen onscreen.
860* In the ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' episode "Homecoming":
861-->'''Future Lois:''' Wait a minute. [[OhCrap Oh, no]]. [[GreenRocks Kryptonite]] [[NotAgain again]]?\
862'''Clark:''' Look, I...\
863'''Future Lois:''' [[PowerNullifier Blue]]? [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Red]]? Not [[KryptoniteFactor green]]? Please tell me it's not the [[LiteralSplitPersonality black]]. Because that was a disaster.
864* ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'' featured one. [[spoiler:When one character is captured by Bounty Hunters, he finds out he's been grabbed for a warrant involving 'Indecent Exposure in a Livestock Conveyance'.]]
865* ''Series/TheSopranos'' had Junior mention how Jackie Aprile Jr as a child once nearly drowned in three inches of water at a penguin exhibit without providing any details.
866* In the first season of ''Series/{{Spaced}}'' we constantly hear about "The Deal" between Brian and Marsha, and at least once per episode Tim and Mike start to go into a childhood flashback about an incident involving them and a tree (utilising music reminiscent of the flashback themes in ''Final Fantasy VII'') before being interrupted. However, both get fully explained at the end of the season (Brian paid Marsha her rent in the form of sexual favours when his benefits were late and Tim encouraged Mike to jump from a high tree branch, resulting in his retinas detaching, preventing him from fulfilling his life's ambition of joining the army).
867* In ''Series/SpecialUnit2'', Nick mentions a job he had waiting tables... until the pastrami incident, which got him banned from Rhode Island and a very limited number of neighboring states.
868* ''Series/SportsNight'' references one when Casey's son Charlie visits:
869-->'''Dan:''' Who's your friend?\
870'''Holly:''' Hi, I'm Holly. I'm the new nanny. Deborah--\
871'''Dan:''' I lived through the trauma.\
872'''Holly:''' Yeah.
873* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
874** Vala's entire past is made up of Noodle Incidents. It probably doesn't help that it's difficult to tell when she's lying, especially in her earlier episodes. Later on, it's mostly that she rambles and over-exaggerates:
875--->'''Mitchell:''' How many times have you been married?\
876'''Vala:''' Legally? Hmm... well, it's hard to keep track. Let's see. The first one was a part of a band of traveling entertainers. He was a good cook, too. Couldn't make pie though...
877** A smaller incident in "Emancipation":
878--->'''Jack O'Neill:''' Remember that time on [=P3X-595=], and you drank that stuff that made you take off....\
879'''Samantha Carter:''' We won't get into that right now.
880** Before the start of "Window of Opportunity", Daniel asked Jack a question, and we hear the tail end of the question [[GroundhogDayLoop every time the timeline resets]]. Only problem is, Jack wasn't listening to the question the first time around.
881** [[BigBad Anubis]] was exiled from the Goa'uld Empire millennia ago [[EvenEvilHasStandards for unspecified crimes the other System Lords considered unspeakable]]. Given that the Goa'uld think nothing of [[EarthShatteringKaboom depopulating planets]], the specifics of something even ''they'' considered out of line was probably too much trouble for the writers to think up.
882** More of a Noodle Species, but "The Fifth Race" makes reference to an alliance of four races; "The Asgard, the Nox, the Furlings, and the Ancients." We meet three of these species during the course of the show, but who or what the Furlings are is never explained.
883* From the entire ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise:
884** We never actually see the Eugenics Wars.
885** Or the Earth-Romulan War! ''That'' conflict is the ultimate Noodle Incident of the Franchise/TrekVerse.
886** Nor do we learn the details of the Tomed Incident, a disaster which made the Federation decide to ban the use of cloaking devices and caused the Romulans to become quite isolationist for 50 years until they reappeared in TNG. (The ''[[Literature/StarTrekTheLostEra Lost Era]]'' novel ''Serpents Among the Ruins'' explores it in detail, though.)
887** Many of these Noodle Incidents have been the subjects of the novels, however. See Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse and Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse for more details.
888* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'':
889** In the pilot, "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS1E3WhereNoManHasGoneBefore}} Where No Man Has Gone Before]]", after Gary Mitchell is zapped by the mysterious energy field on the edge of the galaxy and sent to sick bay, Kirk visits him, where they share this exchange: [[note]] No further references to the incident, the girl, or just what Gary meant when he said "nova" (or [[{{Squick}} after-effects]], for that matter) are made. Later on in the scene, Gary admits to having secretly set Kirk up with "a little blonde lab assistant," and "planning her whole campaign." Shocked, Kirk declares he almost married that woman. Though certain revelations from Star Trek movies have led to speculation that this blonde was Carol Marcus, nothing is ever concluded.[[/note]]
890--->'''Gary:''' Hello Jim! Hey, you look worried.\
891'''Kirk:''' I've been worried about you ever since that night on Deneb IV.\
892'''Gary:''' (laughs) Yeah, she was nova that one. Not nearly as many after-effects this time...
893** In "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E14WolfInTheFold}} Wolf in the Fold]]", Kirk on several occasions mentions that he knows a cafe on Argelius "where the women are so-" before someone cuts him off. We never do find out what is so amazing about these women.
894** In "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E13Obsession}} Obsession]]" Kirk tells Ensign Garrovick that he can share some "tall stories" about his father (the late Captain Garrovick, Kirk's former commanding officer), however the audience never hears any of them.
895** In "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS1E9DaggerOfTheMind}} Dagger of the Mind]]" Kirk is embarrassed to work with Dr. Noel because of behaviour at a Christmas party.
896* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
897** Throughout the first and second season, and less frequently thereafter, we hear references to a somewhat dangerous contact sport called "[[FictionalSport Parrises Squares]]," a game played in spandex uniforms with an implement called an ion mallet. No one is ever actually ''seen'' playing the game, but injuries from it are relatively common.
898** In several episodes, we hear mention of a Federation-Cardassian war (Cpt. Maxwell is supposed to take revenge because of it), but in terms of details all we get is O'Brien's story how he accidentally killed a Cardassian soldier by overpowered phaser.
899** During "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E20TinMan Tin Man]]", the telepath Tam Elbrun claims that in an earlier mission (which became known as the "Gorushda Disaster" due to having resulted in [[DevelopmentGag 47]] deaths, including two of Riker's friends) he "was completely attentive, and if the captain had listened to me, it would have been fine".
900** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E3EnsignRo Ensign Ro]]", all we learn about why Ro was in the stockade was that she disobeyed orders during an incident on Garon II, that eight of her shipmates died as a result, and that she refused to speak in her own defense at her court-martial.
901** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E11TheBigGoodbye The Big Goodbye]]", the viewer never learns exactly what horrible thing(s) the insectoid Jarada did to a visiting Federation ship that inadvertently offended the overly-strict Jaradan sense of diplomatic protocol. Even though Data is ready and willing to share.
902** During "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E4Relics Relics]]", Scotty tries telling stories of his days on the original ''Enterprise'' to various people, all of whom treat them as uninteresting Noodle Incidents. Too bad he never tried telling them to Riker, who might have been both interested and have heard of some of them before.
903** At the end of "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E14Tapestry Tapestry]]", we learn that the heart-stabbing incident wasn't Picard's first encounter with Nausicaans. The episode ends before we get to hear it.
904** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E11DatasDay Data's Day]]", Dr. Crusher explains to Data why she wants her dancing skills kept quiet about: "I don't want to be known as 'The Dancing Doctor'...again."
905** In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E19TheFirstDuty The First Duty]]", it is revealed that Picard did something during his academy days that nearly led to him not graduating. Boothby somehow saved him from that. "You did what you had to do. You did what you thought was best. I just made sure that you listened to yourself."
906* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
907** There were several references to a "Cardassian Neck Trick" that Odo could perform, but tantalizing hints of how amazing it is to see and a vague suggestion of what it might be are all the audience ever gets.
908** Almost as tantalizing as the [[RunningGag many mentions]] of bar patron Morn being quite the talker whenever a camera isn't on him.
909** Being over 350 years old, having lived eight lives, and a particularly naughty and fun-seeking mind in each of them, Dax is somewhat of a grand master of Noodle Incidents. Having raised nine children, mastered countless skills, and done lots of really stupid things just for the fun of it, she always has an amusing story for any situation. Even if people don't want to hear it. And sometimes [[{{Squick}} especially if people don't want to hear it.]]
910** Lots of them are about something that happened with Curzon Dax & Sisko. Usually involving a woman & liquor on some planet or space station. Like that time Curzon burned down that bar...
911--->'''Jadzia:''' He kinda burned it down.\
912'''Lenara:''' Kinda?\
913'''Jadzia:''' Ok, he burned it down. But it wasn't on purpose! It was part of a dare. But that's another story.
914** There was apparently a very memorable incident regarding Sisko and a dancer he met on Pelios Station, which Curzon was present for. It's used twice (once by [[ItMakesSenseInContext Curzon inhabiting Odo]] and once by an alternate-future Dax host) as a SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay to prove the individual in question has Curzon's memories, but Sisko always cuts it off before any details can be given.
915** There's also the incident which [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the sudden change in Klingons' appearance between the original series and the later series. Worf just says, "We don't talk about it with outsiders." This was ([[DontExplainTheJoke unfortunately]]) resolved in a fourth season episode of "Enterprise" where the change was due to the Klingons experimenting with genetic enhancements which nearly wiped them all out.
916** Perhaps a Noodle Object; we never learned what a self-sealing stem-bolt is. Presumably, a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin stem-bolt that seals itself]], but what it's used for is never made clear.
917** A much more serious example (not sure if this belongs here) is [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Garak's]] reason for being exiled. We ''never'' get to hear why, though his stated reasons (all lies, of course) include failing to pay his taxes. We eventually find out [[spoiler:he "betrayed" Enabran Tain -- his father, and the head of the Obsidian Order. When confronted with this, Garak claims "''I'' never betrayed you! At least... not in my heart!" We never find out what the "betrayal" actually entailed.]] Cue WildMassGuessing.
918** Andrew Robinson actually wrote a detailed history for Garak to help him stay in character, and thus explaining many of his noodle incidents. The show's producers were impressed and (apart from some bits that went against established Cardassian history) incorporated much of his history in the show. Andrew Robinson later incorporated his Garak notes in an ExpandedUniverse novel, ''[[Literature/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineAStitchInTime A Stitch in Time]]''.
919* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
920** Tom Paris mentions that he lied to cover up the deaths of three officers, and that he was cashiered out of Starfleet when he admitted the truth. He then signed up with the Maquis, and got caught on his first mission. Neither incident is ever explained in greater detail.[[note]]The character of Tom Paris was originally planned to be Nicholas Locarno from the TNG episode "The First Duty", who was also played by Robert Duncan [=McNeill=], and who was kicked out of Starfleet Academy after causing then covering up the death of another cadet. The producers felt Locarno was irredeemable (along with questions about residual payments to the writer of "The First Duty"), so they tweaked the character and back story just enough to make him a different character.[[/note]]
921** "The Omega Directive" gives the basic information behind the creation of the Federation's first Omega molecule -- it was done by a scientist named Kettaract, and the resulting explosion killed a lot of people and turned an entire sector of space into a NoWarpingZone, but the details are glossed over. The novel ''Cloak'' explains this as a [[NoSuchAgency Section 31]] operation GoneHorriblyWrong, and [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk and his crew]] were there when it happened.
922** In "Think Tank", there's mention of a shipwide yo-yo craze. Evidently it was Paris' fault, but no further details are given and it is never mentioned again.
923%%** In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E17QTwo Q2]]", after extolling the virtues of 'Quinn', Q mentions in passing that without him the Borg would have assimilated the Federation. Riker is just raising his hand to ask a question when he vanishes and the event is never mentioned again.
924* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'':
925** Travis mentions that he and his parents once had a run-in with some [[SpacePirates Nausicaans]], which they were lucky to have survived. The same episode also mentions a tragedy on the cargo ship ''North Star'', of which guest character Matthew Ryan was a survivor. (Apparently, however, his parents weren't.)
926** Once, when Archer asks Trip "Have you ever known me to do something really foolish?", Trip mentions a poker game at Jupiter Station.
927* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'':
928** In "The End Is the Beginning", we never find out the circumstances which led to Cristóbal Rios' shrapnel shoulder injury. When Picard inquires about it, Rios merely replies, "I didn't die."
929** In "[[Recap/StarTrekPicardS1E04AbsoluteCandor Absolute Candor]]", Rios doesn't elaborate beyond "It's a long story" when Jurati observes that the only holo programs he has on-board are Klingon operas.
930** In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2", Rios immediately recognizes the sound of someone throwing rocks at his ship for some reason.
931** In "Vox", there's a brief conversation about the apparently unhappy fate of [[spoiler:the Enterprise-E]].
932--->'''Geordi:''' And obviously we can't [[spoiler:use the Enterprise-E]].\
933[''[[MeaningfulLook Everyone looks at Worf.]]'']\
934'''Worf:''' That was ''not'' my fault.
935*** Supplementary materials simply say that [[spoiler:its final mission was classified and that Worf resigned as captain]] after "the incident above Kriilar Prime".
936* In ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'', [[TeamPet Grudge]] somehow managed to eat a goldfish ''hologram''.
937* On ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', Captain Pike and his crew have had enough Noodle Incidents to refer to them by code phrases whenever they happen again. Highlights include:
938** Delta Scorpii VII (alien from a pre-warp species is running loose on the ''Enterprise'')
939** Alpha Braga IV (incite a mutiny on a hostile vessel)
940* In an episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'' where Jesse [=McCartney=] guest stared, London is forbidden by her father from seeing him because 'he doesn't want a repeat of the Orlando Bloom Incident.'
941* ''Series/{{Suits}}'':
942** This exchange:
943--->'''Donna:''' June third, 1997.\
944'''Louis:''' That day means nothing to me.\
945'''Donna:''' Doesn't it?\
946'''Louis:''' *{{beat}}* Who told you?\
947'''Donna:''' Is the important thing how I know, or that I know?\
948'''Louis:''' Does Harvey know?\
949'''Donna:''' He can.\
950'''Louis:''' ... I was not here.
951** There's also the ''thing'' that Harvey and Donna do whenever Harvey has court. All we know is that it involves a can opener.
952** Jessica and Harvey did ''something'' in her office that was comparable to smoking pot. It was excusable because they were celebrating.
953* In the ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'' episode [[Recap/Supergirl2015S2E7TheDarkestPlace "The Darkest Place"]], [[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]] mentions the time [[Comicbook/{{Superman}} her cousin]] teamed up with an unnamed [[Comicbook/{{Batman}} vigilante with tons of gadgets and lots of issues]].
954* In an episode of ''Series/SuperhumanSamuraiSyberSquad'', three of the protagonists kidnap their friend via stuffing him in a sack and hauling him off when they believe he is in love with an ugly substitute teacher. His response?
955-->'''Amps:''' Help! I'm being abducted by aliens again! Someone call the air force!
956* ''Series/SupermanAndLois'': Something happened to cause a rift between Sarah and Lana and put her in therapy. It's later confirmed that she once attempted suicide as well.
957* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''
958** It's now generally assumed that the waitress in Tampa referred to below was the "truck stop waitress with the bizarre rash" Dean refers to in the Season 4 episode "Yellow Fever".
959--->'''Sam:''' This is the dumbest thing you've ever done.\
960'''Dean:''' I don't know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?
961** Another example shows up in "When the Levee Breaks" when Bobby receives a phone call from Rufus:
962--->'''Bobby:''' Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again and I'll kill you. ''[hangs up phone]''\
963'''Dean:''' What's up with Rufus?\
964'''Bobby:''' He knows.
965** On a somewhat more serious note, whatever happened to Martin in Albuquerque that landed him in a mental ward for the next several years, and that time Bobby got someone killed that Rufus has never forgiven him for.
966** Apparently Garth's first case ended in him killing The Tooth Fairy.
967* In the [[SpotlightStealingSquad terribly]] [[OutOfFocus edited]] twenty-second season of ''Series/{{Survivor}}'', there were a couple that were referenced but not aired:
968** The plan to throw a challenge to get rid of Russell. Whose idea was that? Nope, it actually wasn't Steve -- it was ''Sarita''.
969** Jeff Probst says that Dave is good at challenges, but we don't know from the editing.
970** Steve hitting Phillip's BerserkButton off-screen, making it seem like he had just ''exploded'' onto Steve for ''almost no good reason''.
971[[/folder]]
972
973[[folder:T]]
974* In ''Series/{{Ted 2024}}'', Jake tells Ted about an Indian kid who used to go to his school who he thought was really cool ("Shared his Dunk-A-Roos"), but mysteriously disappeared after "they got him". He refuses to elaborate, leading to Ted to try and bail from going to school.
975* ''Series/That70sShow'':
976** It takes until the series finale to find out how Fez ended up naked in that episode, although he keeps trying to tell the story.
977** It was revealed that Red Foreman did in fact put his foot in someone's ass, once in Iwo Jima. Red does not want to go any further details.
978** In another episode, the boys have a canoe, and they're trying to figure out what to do with it. Kelso then says he has an idea that would be really fun. Hyde then reminds him that the last time he said that, they had to get his stomach pumped.
979** In "Black Dog", it's revealed that [[BlackComedyPetDeath Kelso accidentally shot and killed Eric's hamster Snowball with a BB gun when they were in the fourth grade]], [[LockedOutOfTheLoop but nobody ever told Eric about this]], [[DogGotSentToAFarm telling him "He went upstate to live with a nice farm family"]], instead.
980* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'': "DON'T THINK ABOUT THE EVENT!!!"
981* Several references in ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'' are made to Gladstone's marriage, including his objecting at his own ceremony.
982* In a sixth season episode of ''Series/TimeTeam'' ("Return to Turkdean"), one of the geophysics experts makes reference to a "Ford Cortina twenty meters down". This incident is referred to two or three more times during the series (before and after this episode), but no details are ever given.
983* On the ''Series/{{Today}}'' show of May 27, 2013, Kathie Lee Gifford tells Hoda Kotb that she has been banned from returning to Santori Island, Greece, and claims there is a big photo of her at the airport with the caption, "Do not admit." Kathie claims the reason why is because of a plumbing problem. When Hoda asks her what plumbing problem, she says, "I'll tell you at the commercial break."
984* In one episode of ''Series/TopGear'', the second part of The Stig's introduction mentions a super injunction to prevent them from mentioning an incident that is mostly blanked out but involves "an enormous goat".
985** Exactly what happened to the first Stig is a bit vague, but it apparently involved [[NoodleImplements a car fitted with a dodgy nitrous oxide system and an aircraft carrier]].
986* In the ''Series/TooCloseForComfort'' episode "Don't Shoot the Piano Movers", Monroe suggests that they use butter to get a piano unstuck from the back stairs, saying that is how he got his toe out of a bowling ball, leading to this exchange:
987-->'''Henry:''' No, no, no. I refuse. [[YouDontWantToKnow I'm going to fight the impulse to ask you what your big toe was doing in a bowling ball]].\
988'''Monroe:''' Good, 'cause I can't tell you anyway.\
989'''Henry:''' Good.\
990'''Monroe:''' It was a secret initiation.
991* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'':
992** In "Everything Changes", Captain Jack is complaining about contraceptives in the rain. Then he adds, "Still, at least I won't get pregnant. [[MisterSeahorse Never doing that again.]]"
993** "Sleeper" gives us this gem after a victim of the week tells Jack he has an awful bedside manner:
994--->'''Gwen:''' That's nothing. You should see his manners in bed -- they're dreadful. Or so I've heard.\
995'''Ianto:''' Oh they are. I remember this one time... (Jack coughs)
996** Also, this exchange from "Meat":
997--->'''Gwen:''' Have you ever eaten alien meat?\
998'''Jack:''' Yeah.\
999'''Gwen:''' What was it like?\
1000'''Jack:''' Well, he seemed to enjoy it.
1001* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' had a few of these regarding Agent Cooper's backstory -- hinting at a past heartbreak on a few occasions, hinted at having been stabbed in the past, and a victim of DemonicPossession asking him the ArmorPiercingQuestion "Remember Pittsburgh?" -- but we did eventually get, more or less, the full story of what happened: [[spoiler:he fell in love with a murder witness under his protection, but despite his best efforts, she was murdered in Pittsburgh, and he was stabbed while trying to protect her]].
1002* ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen''
1003** "A Weekend in Bangkok with Two Olympic Gymnasts" gives us this exchange after Alan cripples himself falling off a ladder:
1004--->'''Alan:''' Do me a favor and call Judith and tell her not to bring Jake over.\
1005'''Charlie:''' How come?\
1006'''Alan:''' Look at me, Charlie! I have abrasions, contusions, a severely sprained neck, two fractured fingers, and I'm hopped up on pain pills. Does that spell "weekend dad" to you?\
1007'''Charlie:''' Well, actually, to me it spells "weekend in Bangkok with two Olympic gymnasts". But that's a whole other story.
1008** Another one involving Bangkok in the episode "A Pudding-Filled Cactus", where Charlie finds Alan cheating on his girlfriend distasteful:
1009--->'''Alan:''' Oh, this you find distasteful? The man who was asked to leave Bangkok for moral turpitude finds this distasteful? \
1010'''Charlie:''' That was a misunderstanding. I had no idea it was an endangered species. \
1011'''Alan:''' Well, nothing I'm doing requires a ten day quarantine and a series of rabies shots.
1012[[/folder]]
1013
1014[[folder:U-Y]]
1015* ''Series/UglyBetty'' has an episode where Daniel nearly kisses Molly in the Mode closet. Marc manages to acquire CCTV footage of the incident and tells Wilhelmina that she does not want to know what he did to get it. He then decides to start telling but Wilhelmina tells him to shush.
1016* ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'':
1017** In Season 1, the TimePolice agents Cha-Cha and Hazel refer occasionally to past assignments, usually by their location.
1018---> '''Cha-Cha:''' Remember Trinidad? We worked that guy solid for what? Two days, two nights?\
1019'''Hazel:''' How could I forget Trinidad?
1020** In Season 3, many characters make references to the "Jennifer Incident". It's implied to be the cause for Umbrella Ben's death in the original timeline, as well as Sparrow Ben's scar and [[DemotedToDragon demotion to Number Two]] in the Sparrow timeline, but they never fully elaborate on what exactly it was.
1021* ''Series/{{Veep}}'' has the mysterious "Labor Day" incident that has been subject of a lot of [[FanWank fan speculation]]. When Selina accuses Gary of being useless (JerkAssHasAPoint), he mentions Labor Day, which drives Selina mad, since they [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain agreed never to mention it again]]. What exactly happened, hasn't been revealed as of Season 7, but it does explain why she keeps Gary around.
1022* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' has a series in a row in the Season 2 episode "Rat Saw God":
1023-->'''Veronica:''' Cliff, come on, you owe me.\
1024'''Cliff:''' I owe you? Who un-confiscated all your fake college [=IDs=]?\
1025'''Veronica:''' Who got the Lincoln out of your ex's name?\
1026'''Cliff:''' Well, who helped put that lien against Lee's Walk-In Donut?\
1027'''Veronica:''' And who proved that stripper was color-blind?\
1028'''Cliff:''' Okay, who am I calling and what am I giving them?
1029* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' has a few:
1030** In "Pilot", Tori mentions that [=TheSlap=].com has "videos that might get ''certain'' people in trouble."
1031** In "Tori the Zombie", Cat and Trina sing a song about how they want some girl. It ends with this exchange: '''NoodleIncident'''
1032--->'''Trina''': ''(singing)'' "You smell so fruity!"\
1033''(pause)''\
1034'''Trina''': "Sing the next line."\
1035'''Cat''': "I can't."\
1036'''Trina:''' "Why not?"\
1037'''Cat:''' "It's dirty..." [[note]] "Driving Tory Crazy" reveals the line as, "I'm a pirate and you're my ''booty''."[[/note]]
1038** In "Survival of the Hottest", {{gangsta rap}}per Fat Biscuit and company come across Beck's RV, which used to be Fat Biscuit's. '''NoodleIncident'''
1039--->'''Friend:''' "Man, we had some times in there."\
1040'''Fat Biscuit:''' "Yeah... Don't talk about it."
1041** In "Cat's New Boyfriend", Jade has "recurring dreams that I reeeeeeally can't tell you about."
1042** In "Rex Dies", Sinjin gives Tori his used special effects T-shirt. He's incredibly evasive about what the stains are.
1043** In "Ice Cream for Ke$ha", Trina does ''something'' to freak out Ke$ha, who does not have a reputation as a prude by any means.
1044** "Jade Gets Crushed" establishes that Robbie has at least three standees of Cat, one of them explicitly called "Flirty Cat". He doesn't want to discuss what he does with them. According to The Slap, he has standees for ''all'' of his pretty female friends.
1045** Cat's brother did something "inappropriate" at a parade and is now no longer allowed near parades, or horses.
1046** So, what exactly happened with Jade and the "friendly" dolphin?
1047** In "Tori Goes Platinum", Cat mentions the police found a mysterious, unknown stain in her brother's car.
1048* ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'':
1049** There was the "Denver incident" that involved Myka and her former partner. It's fully explained in later episodes, though (namely, "Regrets" in Season 1 and "Past Imperfect" in Season 3).
1050** Another episode ("Claudia") begins by showing a very disheveled Myka and Pete, with the latter angrily claiming that, "The next time we find an object in a zoo, we ''leave'' it there!"
1051** Artie committed treason before he joined the Warehouse. Like the Denver incident, fully explained in later episodes (Season 2's "Vendetta").
1052** Pete did not start that fire which got him kicked out of the Scouts.
1053** Let's not forget Helena G. Wells' infamous, "Many of my lovers were men."
1054** Also, H.G.'s, "No. What I did to those men after I tracked them down? That's the worst pain you can experience." This referring to the men [[MamaBear who killed her daughter in a burglary.]]
1055** Pete was a drunkard at some point in the past. Many of the details remain shrouded in mystery, though it was revealed that it got him divorced. The only thing known in full detail is what made him quit, revealed in Season 4's seventeenth episode, "What Matters Most": [[spoiler:he got into a car accident while driving drunk, and it resulted in his close friend breaking both of his legs. Pete was horrified that he almost killed him, and hasn't had so much as a virgin daiquiri since that night.]]
1056** The DistantFinale reveals that the future Warehouse has identified a basketball belonging to UsefulNotes/BarackObama and an entire ship (presumed to be the Titanic) as artifacts, but being that this is the finale, we are given no explanation as to what either one does or how something as large as a boat was neutralized and brought in -- though the warehouse does already have a full pyramid in it, so a boat would probably be easier.
1057* ''Series/TheWestWing'':
1058** Sam is repeatedly told by other characters to 'stay in the boat this time' or 'hang onto a rope' when he has plans to spend his weekend off sailing. We can infer he had an incident the last time he went sailing, but nothing more is said about it.
1059** In the fourth season episode "Guns Not Butter", Donna mentions some things that Josh has had her do over the years. It's all stuff we've either seen or are aware of... until she mentions a time he made her dress as an East German cocktail waitress.
1060** In "The Crackpots and These Women", Sam refers to having enough problems with Mrs. Bartlett and her Ouija board, though we never get any further details.
1061* ''Series/WhiteCollar'':
1062** This show gives us the Antioch manuscripts, first mentioned in the Season 1 episode "Vital Signs." Neal clarifies in Season 2 that the pigeons carried codes, not the manuscripts themselves, but everything else remains a mystery.
1063--->'''Neal:''' Remember the Antioch manuscripts?\
1064'''Peter:''' You took those? How?\
1065'''Neal:''' Carrier pigeons! Think about it.
1066** Mozzie was kicked out of Boy Scouts. Pinewood derby, magnets, it was a whole...thing.
1067* The players on ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' love to make the process of getting onto the show sound like this. They usually fall into the [[HoYay same vein though.]]
1068* ''Series/{{Wings}}'' did this more than once:
1069-->'''Brian:''' Relax. I will take care of everything. Trust me.\
1070'''Joe:''' Brian, the last time you said, "Trust me," I wound up naked on I-95 trying to flag down oncoming traffic.\
1071'''Brian:''' But who pulled over for you?\
1072''(...)''\
1073'''Brian:''' I'm gonna make you my personal project.\
1074'''Joe:''' No. No. No. Not again. The last time you had a project, I had to go to court.\
1075'''Brian:''' Oh, yeah. Thanks a lot, Mr. Witness for the Prosecution.\
1076''(...)''\
1077'''Brian:''' Lowell, tell us your deepest, most darkest secret.\
1078'''Lowell:''' Once, when I was out of underwear... ''[Everyone in the airport protests]''\
1079'''Brian:''' Lowell, what is your fondest memory?\
1080'''Lowell:''' Once, when I was out of underwear...\
1081''(...)''\
1082Budd Bronski, Lowell's replacement after Thomas Haden Church left the series, once mentioned "The Incident" in which he was involved while in the military. He wasn't allowed to divulge specifics, but did say that as a result two Senators and a Congressman had to hit the silk, and there's no longer a town called Taterville in Kentucky...
1083* In ''Series/TheWire'', we never get any specifics on a certain misdeed that Daniels committed early in his career. It only matters to the story as [[spoiler:something to blackmail him with at the end, when he refuses to play ball with the politicians after becoming police commissioner.]]
1084* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'':
1085** The episode "Saving Wiz Tech Part I", [[NoRespectGuy Justin]] is being mocked by [[BadButt Dean]] for being a teenager wearing a suit without any special reason -- [[{{Muggles}} he thinks]]. Justin then replies that he could tell people he was going to advocate him, for what Dean happily answers:
1086--->"Would you do that?! Great! Now we just have to prove I couldn't throw that thing so far..."
1087** There was the time Alex accidentally sucked the substation into a black hole.
1088--->'''Alex:''' What's the worst that could happen if we're not chaperoned for four minutes?\
1089'''Teresa:''' Oh, I don't know. A magic black hole could open up and suck the substation down into it.\
1090'''Alex:''' That doesn't happen twice, Mother.
1091** In TheMovie, we never do find out what it was Giselle did that caused her to be turned into a parrot.
1092* In the first season version of the opening theme to ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'', as we hear someone going through radio stations, one sounds like a news report, but all we get to hear of it is "... but the senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity."
1093* ''Series/TheWorstYearOfMyLifeAgain'': It's not clear why Alex turned up at Nicola's party the previous year dressed as a sausage. When Maddy asks if it was a costume party, Alex embarrassedly replies "No".
1094* In a 2006 ''Series/XPlay'' episode, we learned that they've made fun of Adam Sessler since "The Tommy Tallarico Incident", which apparently happened on April 19, 2003. Blair Butler still has rayon burns.
1095* ''Series/TheYoungOnes'':
1096** What do you know about the beans?
1097** The "obvious reason" why Mary decided not to go to the party.
1098* ''Series/YoungDracula'':
1099-->'''Dracula''': They are no match for the might of Count Dracula!\
1100'''Renfield''': That is what you said about the porcupine, sir.
1101* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In the second episode, George Cooper Sr. reminds Sheldon about the incident with the model rocket that [[AccidentalMurder killed several squirrels]] after Mary lifted the ban on the model rocketry hobby for Sheldon's new friend.
1102[[/folder]]
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