"The more sentences you complete, the higher your score! The idea is to block the other guy's thoughts and express your own! That's how you win!"
"You can't explain anything to Peppermint Patty, because you never get to say anything."
— Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Similar to Not Now, Kiddo, this is a character who takes control of a conversation or debate and talks over anyone trying to get a word or a defense in edgewise, leaving the other person unable to put their two cents in, or explain themselves, leaving them only able to mutter "But...", "but...", "but..." in a feeble attempt to speak. The character may take control through verbal means, such as interrupting or stern voice; social means, such as pointing out how "rude" the other character is for interrupting, not following a set rule, being of higher social status; or through physical means, such as a judge rapping their gavel on their podium, the person putting their finger over the other character's lips to hush them, or even get up in their face without relenting. If the situation changes in any way, this person will the first to speak up about it to get an advantage. Their attempts to silence the other person may be hypocritical because they themselves are the ones being rude, or are causing the verbal/physical injury that the person-in-question is "complaining" about. Sometimes used as a trope where the person is ignorant of a danger, yet the other character is continually attempting (sometimes desperately) to warn them.
Definitely includes Rapid-Fire Interrupting, and is a common staple for any Kangaroo Court and any Hanging Judge worth their salt. May include Morton's Fork if the person will enforce a punishment to the victim unless they speak up. (And even then, suppress them if they do, just to be a jerk about it.) Sometimes crosses over with Never My Fault.
See also Motor Mouth, where this definitely comes into effect. Compare One Side of the Story, where this one-sided conversation is very similar, but in this case, caused by someone assuming things about another person and going off on a tangent about it so that the other person can't clarify the truth. (Again, possibly to lord some form of undeserved dictatorial power or guilt over them.) It can also overlap if the character-in-question has this as a consistent character trait.
Compare It's All About Me where this extends into every area of the hogging character's worldview, and wanting to constantly be the center of attention, can fall under this too.
One can expect a Jerkass or someone who's Innocently Insensitive to do this.
If the other character is irritated enough by the person, and they have the power to do something without negative repercussions, the character may silence them with a Big "SHUT UP!".
Examples:
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Comic Books
- Tintin: The loathsomely friendly Jolyon Wagg is once seen calling Marlinspike Hall, and never notices that Nestor simply leaves the phone unhooked while reading a book of philosophy. He's also related to a Chatty Hairdresser.
Film - Animated
- Rango: After speaking with the bank manager Mr. Merrimack III, Beans goes to Rango, who has been newly appointed as Sheriff of the town of Dirt, hoping to have him investigate the ongoing water shortage, which had been causing complete agricultural collapse and resulting in the loss of every ranch in the area, with Beans' ranch being the last holdout. As she tries to get his attention, Rango, being a bit of a ditz, gets distracted with signing autographs, talking about his new suit, and getting Angelique and Beans acquainted (even though they already know each other). Beans soon after gets fed up and gives Rango a very loud tongue lashing.
- Tangled: Gothel often won't let Rapunzel get a word in edgeways when they talk to each other. When Rapunzel's about to reveal that she's got Flynn locked up in her closet so she can prove that she can take care of herself in the outside world, Gothel interrupts her several times before she can even get to that.
Rapunzel: Okay, I've been thinking a lot about what you've said earlier—
Gothel: I hope you're not still talking about the stars.
Rapunzel: Floating lights, and yes, I'm leading up to that. I—
Gothel: Because I really thought we dropped the issue, sweetheart.
Rapunzel: No, mother, I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there. (starts to reach towards the chair blocking the closet door)
Gothel: Oh, darling, I know you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there.
Rapunzel: But if you'd just—
Gothel: Rapunzel, we're done talking about this.
Rapunzel: Trust me!
Gothel: Rapunzel?
Rapunzel: I know what I'm—
Gothel: Rapunzel...
Rapunzel: Oh, come on!
Gothel: (snapping) Enough with the lights, Rapunzel! You are not leaving this tower, EVER! - Open Season 2: At several points in the movie, Bobbie prattles for quite a while and her husband Bob starts to say something, but she continues rambling without letting him get a word in edgeways.
Film - Live Action
- Ghostbusters II: Stephen "The Hammer" Wexler, the judge convicting the Ghostbusters, after the trio are arrested for inadvertent damage to the electrical (a blackout they caused) and sewer infrastructure of New York, while investigating an odd supernatural emotion-enhancing slime. Not only does he have a very unprofessional rantnote about how he wishes it were still legal to have people burned at the stake, but he keeps rudely, and very vocally, interrupting the Ghostbusters trio as they're trying to warn him of the beaker of emotion-enhancing slime boiling over.
Literature
- Miss Bates in Emma is frequently guilty of this, as much of her dialogue is presented as literally being a Wall of Text and there's rarely an opportunity for other characters to get a word in edgeways. In fact, it's implied that most of them have stopped trying, and have learned to just wait until she stops for breath.
- Good Omens: Phony Psychic Madame Tracy has to time her seances very carefully, because one of her regulars will, if she thinks she's talking to her husband, yammer on for hours about inane family drama. Thanks to Aziraphale's involvement, the ghost of her actual husband shows up and takes the opportunity to tell his wife to shut up.
- The grumbling old woman from The Great Divorce can't stop talking even when a golden ghost sent by God is trying to get a word. MacDonald predicts that if she eventually gives the person with her a chance to talk, she'll be saved; but if not, she'll just go on until there's no personality left any more, only a perpetual stream of complaints.
- Mrs Fairfax in Howl's Moving Castle tends to ramble on about whatever the topic of conversation is, and whoever she's talking to has to watch for a good moment to insert their comment or else be obliviously talked over. The narration compares it to judging the right moment to jump into a moving skipping-rope.
Live-Action TV
- Cheers: Diane has a habit of doing this off-screen. She's not usually malicious about it, just bad at being quiet, and determined to always get the last word in. It didn't leave Frasier's mother with a great impression of her, so much so that one lunch with Diane was enough to threaten to kill her.
- Mr Smoke-Too-Much does this to Mr Bounder in Monty Python's Flying Circus' "Travel Agent" sketch prattling endlessly about his misbegotten holidays abroad as Mr Bounder fruitlessly tries to get him to shut up.
- iCarly: In "iSpeed Date", Carly meets a guy at a speed dating event who's cute and funny, and while he does repeatedly cut her off, she doesn't think much of it because they only have a few minutes to talk and have to make the most of it. Then she goes out with him again and finds out he's like this all the time, literally not letting her finish a single sentence all night. She finally hits her Rage Breaking Point, screaming "shut up" multiple times.
- In the Star Trek: Short Treks episode, "The Trouble with Edward", Captain Lucero snootily and sarcastically shuts down Lt. Edward Larkin's attempts to stay on-board the USS Cabot:
Lucero: I just don't think you're the right fit for the kind of work we're doing here, so I've requested to have you transferred.
Larkin: Captain, but...
Lucero: [pointedly] This conversation's over. You're dismissed.
Larkin: Right, but...
Lucero: [rolling her eyes mockingly, very slight sing-song] This is the end of the conversation.
Larkin: Captain, if I could...
Lucero: [apathetic] You can't.
Larkin: Right, but I have this...
Lucero: The conversation's over. [beat] That's the end.
Larkin: Well, technically the conversation is not over because you keep talking, and then the conversation is,... is...
Lucero: [with slight contempt] I don't know how you made it this far in your career behaving like this... This is why I ended the conversation. I'm having you transferred. End of Conversation.
Larkin: It would be rude and irresponsible to end the conversation...
Lucero: [slightly forceful] The Conversation's Over.
Larkin: But...
Lucero: EDWARD.
Larkin: 'Member, earlier, I said...
Lucero: LARKIN.
Larkin: [deferring] Yup.
Newspaper Comics
- Calvin and Hobbes: In one strip
◊, Calvin describes the thrill of interrupting someone mid-sentence in order to change the subject, comparing it to an interception in football where the more sentences you cut off, the more you "win." Hobbes retorts, "Conversations aren't contests!" and Calvin replies, "Okay, a point for you. But I'm still ahead."
Recorded Comedy
- Scott Beach's "Religion and Politics" is a done-in-the-same-breath no-pauses dissertation about how it is impossible to talk rationally about these topics (politics is the focus here) without resorting to name calling and physical attacks.
Video Games
- CrossCode: Downplayed with Emilie. When travelling with Lea, she has many one-sided Seinfeldian Conversations about her personal life such as how the cow enemies they fight remind her about cows she saw growing up or about how she forgot to do work on a group project because she missed the email and just played CrossWorlds that day. She's aware of hogging conversations, though, and eventually encourages Lea to share her own thoughts whenever she wants — which leaves her very embarrassed and angry with herself when she finds out Lea can't do that.
Web Comics
- Shannon does this at least once in Queen of Wands. Kestrel comes home to find the pregnant Shannon ranting about the multiple things which have her stressed out; but before Kestrel is able to say a word, Shannon diverts herself with a completely different train of thought and then thanks Kestrel for cheering her up before leaving the room. Kestrel is left wondering what on earth just happened.
Web Original
- Don't Hug Me I'm Scared: The teachers tended to operate this way, talking over the trio if they ever attempt to ask questions or voice complaints. Colin the Computer was the most blatant about it, constantly interrupting Red Guy whenever he tried to speak up. When he finally had enough, he slammed the keyboard with a Big "SHUT UP!", leading to Colin freaking out and trapping the trio in cyberspace.
- Not Always Working: Many of the rude employees or bosses rant and grumble about some issue while refusing to let the OPs say a word until someone else (typically the OP) finally says something and disproves what they were complaining about.
Western Animation
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: The whole plot is jumpstarted by Peppermint Patty repeatedly interrupting Charlie Brown during a phone conversation and inviting herself over to his house because she thinks he's having a party for his friends. She hangs up before he can even explain to her that he's going to his grandmother's house.
- Family Guy: A Cutaway Gag in "And I'm Joyce Kinney" is all about Ellen DeGeneres interrupting a man while he's talking. Whenever he stops talking, so does she, and whenever he tries to finish his sentence, she continues rambling.
Man: ...Are you just gonna talk over everything I say?
Ellen: (cutting him off) I love talking on TV. I'll— I'll do anything to talk on TV. - In Disney's The Little Mermaid (1992) TV series, King Triton has this dynamic with his friend Dudley the turtle. In many episodes, Triton will talk about his problems to Dudley, who never gets a chance to finish a sentence.
- Looney Tunes:
- Foghorn Leghorn is possibly the Trope Codifier. In at least two cartoons, Foghorn verbally beats down a character (even physically, in ignorance, at some points), not allowing them to speak, because he thought they were doing something malicious, or trying to take advantage, when it's actually the other way around. On more than one occasion, it really did end in a Big "SHUT UP!", with the victim whacking Foghorn over the head in frustration with whatever they were holding, or whatever was nearby.
- Little Go Beep: When Wile E. Coyote's father Cage E. is talking about upholding a legacy of catching prey, Wile E. opens his mouth to say something a few times, but Cage E. cuts him off each time. He says he will not allow Wile E. to speak until he catches himself a roadrunner for the first time.
- Rugrats: In "The Shot", Angelica tries to inform Drew, Didi, and Hector's mother that Tommy and Hector are trying to escape the doctor's office to avoid their shots. However, Drew cuts her off several times, telling her it's rude to interrupt people. When he finally lets her explain herself, he tells her that she should've told them before (much to Angelica's frustration).
- Steven Universe: White Diamond is this when she first appears, continuing to talk when Steven tries to talk, and not even giving him a chance to answer a question she asks during their first interaction.
Steven: All I got to say was 'Hi', 'Um', and 'I'.
Yellow Diamond: Two-and-a-half words. That's a record.
