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The Gilligan Cut is a classic staple of comedy. A character protests vehemently, "What, you expect me to wear a grass skirt, stand up on top of Empire State Building and belt out the chorus of 'New York, New York'? Well, I'm not gonna... I'm just not gonna..." Whip Pan over to the character on the 102nd floor, singing "I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!"
The Gilligan Cut. Comedy ain't pretty.
See also Ironic Echo Cut.
Examples:
- The Lion King used a Gilligan Cut just before Simba & Co.'s battle with Scar and his hyena minions.
Timon: "A diversion? What do you want us to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"
Cut to Timon dressed in drag and doing the hula.
- Hey Arnold! uses it a lot. In fact, all these four examples are from four different seasons.
Helga: There is no way I am taking the subway. ... I can't believe I'm taking the subway. ("Das Subway", S1)
Gerald: There is no way we're fishing in a swan boat. ... I can't believe we're fishing in a swan boat. ("Big Caesar", S2)
Arnold: We are not calling our go-cart the Mauve Avenger. ... I can't believe we called our go-cart the Mauve Avenger. ("Grand Prix", S3)
Helga: There is no way I'm gonna go back in there, tell them the truth, and wind up washing dishes. ... I can't believe I told them the truth, and I wound up washing dishes. ("Dinner for Four", S4)
- Double Subversion in the Family Guy episode "Death is a Bitch". Death asks Peter to take over for him by crashing a plane full of people, and Peter absolutely refuses.
Peter: Forget it, Death, I’m not gonna do your dirty work! There’s no way I’m getting on that plane! Absolutely no way, and that’s final.
[Cut to Peter, still standing in place.]
Peter: See, I'm still here and there's nothing you can say that'll change my mind.
Death: If you don't do it, I'll kill you.
[Cut to Peter on the plane].
- Subverted, Lampshade Hung, and Wiki article practically written by Freakazoid, in the Candle J--erm, episode 2
 . The titular C.J. is a campfire story villain who kidnaps you if you say his name. Of course, in the telling, the whole camp has said his name, so it's up to Freakazoid…
Freakazoid: Well, if it isn't-- Kidnapped kids: Noooo! Freakazoid: What, I was just gonna say-- Kidnapped kids: Noooo! Dr. Gunther Hunterhanker (also kidnapped): Don't say it! Freakazoid: Don't say what? Stef: Don't say his name! Freakazoid: You mean, don't say " Candle Jack?" (Zip Pan to Freakazoid, now tied up with the rest) Stef (exasperated): Freakazoid, why did you say his name? Freakazoid: 'Cause I, I wanted to do one of those funny things like in, y'ever watch F Troop where Agarn says, "There's no way I'm wearing a dress! Absolutely not! No dress!" and Forrest Tucker's like, "Yeah, you're wearing that dress, you're gonna wear that dress," and they they wipe (waves fingers) bloodledoodledoodledoodledoop, and Agarn's wearing a dress. (Zip Pan to actual clip of F Troop) Agarn (in a dress): Yoo hoo! Loco brothers! Look who's here for you! (laugh track) (Zip Pan back to Freakazoid) You-Know-Who: Oh...I love that bit.
- F Troop. I mean, the clip had to come from somewhere, right?
- Subverted in The Mighty Boosh when Howard refuses to dress as a panda, saying no man should ever be forced to do that. Cut to Vince dressed as a panda.
- Neds Declassified School Survival Guide: After dodging his crazy vice-principal, Ned is stuck wearing a Wild Boy t-shirt and grass skort from the museum gift shop.
Ned: I'm supposed to meet Suzy for lunch! What am I gonna tell her? "I saw the Wild Boy skort and I just had to have it"?
cut to him and Suzy
Ned: Then I saw the Wild Boy skort, and I said, "I just have to have it!"
- In a segment of Beakmans World on magic, Phoebe complains how they're gonna make her the bubble-brained assistant just because she's a girl. Beak says, "If anyone around here is going to be humiliated, it certainly won't be you." Everyone agrees, including Lester...until he realizes what that means. A half second later, Whip Pan to the stage, and Lester as the bubble-brained assistant, complete with costume.
- Variation in The Movie of The Beverly Hillbillies: Granny loudly declares her opposition to leaving, stating that they won't get her out of her rockin' chair. The next scene shows the truck packed and loaded, including Granny's rocker. Granny's still in it.
- In the Futurama episode "Time Keeps On Slippin'", despite time-skips setting up natural Gilligan Cuts, only one of these actually occurs.
Leela(on Fry loving her): I appreciate it, but nothing you can do will ever, ever make me...
Time-skip
Preacherbot: ...Husband and wife!
- Chef! did this all the time.
- A rare drama Gilligan Cut occurs in the My So Called Life episode "Life of Brian":
Brian (V.O.): I vow to never again show up at Angela's door with some lame excuse!
Cut to Brian at Angela's door talking to her dad about something he supposedly borrowed from her
- The Living Daylights:
Kara Milovy: I must get my cello.
Cut to them picking up the cello
- In The Land Before Time, the main characters have to get rid of the Allosaurus (which they call a "sharptooth") that's been hounding them throughout the movie. They plan to lure it to a very deep pool of water, then push a heavy boulder onto it. But first, they need bait, so Ducky is chosen as the bait.
Ducky: Me? No, no, no, no, no...
Cut to Ducky sneaking up on the sharptooth trying to get its attention.
- Video Game example: The Starcraft custom campaign, The Shifters. The pre-mission briefing for Chapter 3, between space-pirate Yvonne and his girlfriend/XO went thusly:
XO: Please tell me you have a plan. We're not just going to walk in the front entrance, are we?''
Yvonne: Of course not! I may not have a plan, but I assure you, we won't be walking in the front entrance.
[Briefing ends and the mission begins. On-screen text pops up:] Kel-Morian Sanctity December 2nd Front Entrance
- In The Rescuers Down Under, Bernard attempts to recruit Wilbur to sit on Marahute's eggs to keep them warm.
Wilbur: Oh no. Ohhhh no. I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong! I... don't look at me like that! You're getting 'no' from me! I am never going to have to sit on those eggs!
Cut to Wilbur now sitting on the eggs
Wilbur: Aww, nuts!
- Happens twice in a row in the KateModern episode "Spiders":
Gavin: I've got a plan B.
Tariq: What? We pay in gardening?
Cut to Tariq digging in the garden.
Tariq: I was only joking!
Gavin: Oh, come on! You missed - you missed a bit there. It's not forever! And just think about what we're getting for it.
Cut to a dusty old garage full of cardboard boxes.
Tariq: I thought you said it was perfect!
- South Park, "Woodland Critter Christmas":
Narrator: So he [Stan] picked up the cubs and down the mountain he stormed, and took them to where abortions are performed."
Stan: No, he didn't.
Narrator: Yes, he did.
Stan: No, he didn't!
Narrator: Yes, he did.
Stan: No, he didn't!
Stan: Aw, God damn it!
- Drawn Together had one episode where Foxxy Love was vehemently protesting she would not run a suicide hotline, only to have her agree to it after the cut. She lampshades it by muttering "Goddamnit!".
- Played with in Courage The Cowardly Dog. Muriel decides to take Eustace and Courage on vacation, but Eustace insists that he's not getting out of his chair. Cut to a view of the boat sailing off. Then cut to Eustace sitting in the same chair on the deck of the boat. "Nope. Not getting out of this chair."
- From one episode of Home And Away:
Cassie: I am not getting in Brad's car with you!...How did you convince me to get into Brad's car with you?
- The Batman provides a bit of an odd example in "Artifacts"
Mr. Freeze: "The cryo-chamber. Cold enough to put me on ice until someone wakes me up and puts me back together."
Gray: (Who is thousands of years in the future) " Still can't believe some fool woke Frost up and put him back together."
- Smallville has an unique approach to these in that the cut is never made but anyone familiar with Superman would see the irony of the statement. Such examples include Clark (on working for the military) stating "I can't see myself putting on a uniform and flying around the world to help people" or (after looking at battle armor with an S shape on the chest) "I could never see myself putting on something like that and charging into battle." This was a gag that faded away in the latter seasons, but Lois still got one in the recent season when, after a break up with an office co-worker, swears off dating people she works with.
- Iron Man the film:
Frost: Now what am I supposed to tell the press?
Stark: "Training exercise", isn't that the usual B.S.?
Frost: It's not that simple.
cut to press conference
Frost: An unfortunate training exercise involving an F-22 Raptor occurred yesterday...
- The trope namer, Gilligan's Island, had a number of these. To cite one of many examples: in one episode, a group of natives visit the island searching for a "White Goddess" to take back to their island, which presumably has contact with civilisation. Rather than putting one of the women in danger, the men decide that one of them dress up in drag to be the White Goddess. When it becomes apparent that the task will fall to Gilligan, he immediately protests, "You can't make me! You can't make me!", upon which the scene immediately cuts to Gilligan dressed as a woman (and still saying "You can't make me!").
This was the very first entry created on this Wiki when it was created in 2004.
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