main index Narrative
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A protagonist walks into a top-secret workplace, and no one reacts. We get a quick montage of people doing technical-looking things and glimpses of weird stuff while the spectator walks around in silence, goggling at it all, and still no one reacts.
Only when the audience has had a complete lab tour does anyone notice the visitor, and then the other characters' response indicates whether it is a good lab or an evil one.
This is most common in the Premiere of a Speculative Fiction series. Maybe a Naďve Newcomer discovers that his new office is considerably stranger than he expected. Maybe some ordinary guy accidentally stumbles onto a secret lab belong to the villain or Ancient Tradition, and swiftly stops being ordinary. Either way, the audience gets an introduction to the show's favoured brand of Phlebotinum. Extra points if at some point the intruder is shown distorted on the other side of some sciencey looking glassware.
An Unguided Lab Tour can also happen any time a new villain or secret organisation is being introduced to the show. Often an occasion for Exact Eavesdropping. See also Swiss Cheese Security. Sometimes used with the Clipboard of Authority.
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Anime and Manga
Film
Live Action Television
Real Life
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