History Main / AsYouKnow

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[[caption-width-right:275:Be thankful he didn't go full {{Flashback}} on you. [[Film/TropicThunder Never go full flashback.]]]]

This is a form of {{exposition}} where one character explains to another something that they both know, but the audience doesn't or may have forgotten.

->''"As you know, Alice, my Death Ray depends on codfish balls."''

** Also Deuteronomy 11:30, which the NIV translates using the trope name:

It was ridiculously common in post-World War II literature, to the point that readers expected it and could become confused if the writer left it out. This might be the most universal trope found in postwar literature; you find it in works by everyone from Creator/GeorgeOrwell to Creator/BarbaraCartland to Creator/RexStout. (One wonders which one of the three would be most insulted by that grouping.)

Not explaining anything sometimes results in the audience being too busy trying to figure out what's going on to enjoy the show, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools using this trope is not always a bad thing]]. In serialized works or plays, "as you know" is seen as a convenient workaround to save time or to spare readers returning to the series. For example, it's easier to say "as you know, Dr. Moriarty is the most feared criminal mastermind in the world" than showing to new readers to the Sherlock Holmes series just what kind of criminal the doctor is. Or, it often would be more advantageous to a play's length to say "as you know, the Montagues and Capulets have been feuding for 50 years" than to show a fifty-year-long feud. Notwithstanding, there are less obvious workarounds in use in modern writing.

[[folder:Films — Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInAMermaidTale2'', a news report recaps the events of [[WesternAnimation/BarbieInAMermaidTale the first film]].

* Early in the 2019 remake of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing2019 The Lion King]]'', Scar sarcastically apologizes for missing Simba’s presentation as he meant no disrespect to Sarabi - since As Mufasa Knows, he has tremendous respect for her. This sets up a subplot later in the film where it’s revealed Scar has long lusted after Sarabi and begins demanding she become his queen after Mufasa’s death.

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed''. In the sequence where Ming explains the origin of Sun Yee's blessing to Mei, she begins with, "As you know, our ancestor Sun Yee had a mystical connection with red pandas." This is information that Mei ''and'' the audience are already aware of, and Ming uses it as a jumping off point to tell the rest of the story.

** ''AsYouKnow/GameOfThrones''

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'': Parodied somewhat, where the exposition is for another character's benefit rather than the audience. Church, Tucker and Tex are held at gunpoint by Wyoming. Church uses his radio to [[MultitaskedConversation try and surreptitiously tell Caboose what's going on]], but none of the other characters present know he's doing this and can only wonder why he's suddenly become "the narrator". Par for Caboose, he fails at figuring out the massive hints.

[[caption-width-right:275:Be thankful he didn't go full {{Flashback}} on you. Never go full flashback]]

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* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed''. In the sequence where Ming explains the origin of Sun Yee's 'blessing' to Mei, she begins with, "As you know, our ancestor Sun Yee had a mystical connection with red pandas." This is information that Mei ''and'' the audience are already aware of, and Ming uses it as a jumping off point to tell the rest of the story.

''[[DescribeTopicHere As you know, we are Describing the trope As You Know Here.]]''

* Parodied in the first episode of ''WebAnimation/EpithetErased''. Mera is begrudgingly giving a museum tour to Molly's class, and explaining the basis of the show's universe (20% of the population is born with literally SemanticSuperpowers) with thinly veiled boredom and annoyance. The kids answer her questions about basic in-universe terminology with equal enthusiasm.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', when [[KidHero Finn]] and [[NonHumanSidekick Jake]] are [[MuggedForDisguise disguised as Fire Kingdom actors]]:
-->'''Finn:''' What's going on with the costumes?\\
'''Actor:''' This is a theater troupe! We're getting ready to perform for the King! Everyone in the Kingdom shall be in attendance! Of course, you know all this, being fellow actors of the exact same troupe.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots'' has Toby kidnapped by his brothers who then introduce themselves to us. Even the slow-witted Toby is quick to question the fact that they are introducing themselves when he is their brother; he knows who they are already.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'':
** {{Parodied|Trope}} in the episode "Meter Made", when Stan is eavesdropping while Francine is on the phone:
--->'''Francine:''' I didn't know what to do, sis! ... What? [[RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear I've never called you "sis" before?]] ... You're right, [[LampshadeHanging it is oddly clunky and expositional]]. I mean, ''I'' know you're my sister, so who am I saying it for? Weird.\\
''(later)''\\
'''Stan:''' She thinks she married a nobody! ... I appreciate you saying that, bro. ... I've called you "bro" before. That's what we are, we're half-brothers. ... Well, I don't care how they say it in New Glarus, Wisconsin, where you live on a lake and have nothing in common with me!
** In another episode, "Stan's Night Out", CIA agent Dick discovers that his car is on Fernando Jaramillo's property.
--->'''Everyone:''' ''(gasps)''\\
'''Stan:''' Oh, good, we all know who Fernando Jaramillo is, so we don't have to waste time explaining it to each other!\\
'''Janitor:''' ''(appearing from nowhere)'' I don't know who he is.\\
'''Stan:''' [[DoubleSubversion Oh, well let me explain it to you]].
** In a different episode, we have this exchange:
--->'''Hayley:''' They think you're Kevin Bacon!\\
'''Roger:''' Yes, Hayley, I understand things that happen around me.
** In yet another episode ("You Debt Your Life"):
--->'''Hayley:''' You saved Roger's life? I guess you guys are even now.\\
'''Stan:''' "Even"?\\
'''Hayley:''' Yeah, you know; [[ContinuityNod the life debt.]]\\
(''everyone remembers'')\\
'''Francine:''' I understand too, Hayley, but would you explain it anyway? I love to hear things summarized.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animalia}}'': In the episode "Tunnel Vision", a character introduces himself as TC, an acronym which he lengthily explains at the end of the episode when no-one else but him is listening.
--> '''TC''': [[spoiler:…but the letters TC are just my initials. My full name is [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Creeper]].]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** An incident features Sokka bumbling through an explanation of his battle plan, finally getting so nervous that he just starts recapping the entire series, getting to the sixth episode before his father steps in.
** The show featured some elegantly natural subversions or LampshadeHanging, as well: in the very first episode, Katara irately tries to exposit at Sokka, who cuts her off with an "I know, I know..." before [[DoubleSubversion delivering the exposition himself]]. Similarly, Zuko asks Azula a question almost anyone in-universe would know the answer to, prompting her to ask "Didn't you pay attention in school?" while giving the exposition anyway.
** At the end of the episode, Zuko, having been told by Iroh to find the secret history of how his great-grandfather died, [[LampshadeHanging angrily complains about having been told to look for something everyone in the Fire Nation knows]], [[spoiler:but it turns out Iroh was talking about his ''other'' great-grandfather, Avatar Roku]].
** Another good example occurred on "The Day of Black Sun," when Zuko is finishing up in the throne room confronting his father, and about to leave. Fire Lord Ozai tries to keep Zuko around long enough for the sun to come back with a mention of his Missing Mom. The story starts with: "My father, Fire Lord Azulon..." Did Ozai not expect Zuko (much like the vast majority of the audience at home) not to know who has been his grandfather, and Fire Lord, for the vast majority of his life? They were likely trying to rope in new viewers at the time, and were probably trying to explain things to them, but the words still sounded weird.
** {{Exploited|Trope}} by the villains. While disguised as Kyoshi Warriors, Ty Lee and Mai gave some quite clunky exposition to each other. After a spy scurried off to give this information to his boss, it was revealed they knew he was listening, and wanted to leak their identities.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' establishes the reason for the animosity between [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] by having Hank remind Tony that five years before the Avengers' founding, the two of them worked on creating a robot controlled by the human mind, but Tony tried to sell it as a weapon without Hank's consent. It seems apparent that Tony didn't need Hank's help remembering this, especially since he brings up the robot first.
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', Huey sets up a NoodleIncident as to how "because of [Ed Wuncler Sr.], [Huey] gave a girl a 'permanent and severe limp'". Grandad even says "Look, nobody needs to be reminded of that tragic day you gave that girl a 'permanent severe limp'" right before telling the story.
* Lampshaded in the pilot movie of ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand:'' one of Zurg's not-particularly-bright scientists is called on to tell Zurg how things are going. He then explains in some detail how they believe that [[spoiler:since the Unimind allows the [=LGMs=] to share a HiveMind, they should be able to alter it to give Zurg mental control over other people]]. Zurg replies:
-->'''Zurg''': You're telling me my plan. I already ''know'' my plan. I made up the plan. [[OverlyLongGag It's MY plan]]. What I ''DON'T'' KNOW, is how close you are to [[ChewingTheScenery ACCOMPLISHING MY PLAN!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CarmenSandiego'': When Carmen's recounting her backstory to Gray in the pilot, he comments that she can skip over a chunk, since he was there for it. She replies that he doesn't necessarily know her perspective of the events in question and keeps going.
* Occasionally justified in ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'' since Tom started out as a newbie, so he shouldn't have known about some of the things in Chaotic and Perm. But everytime a piece of battle gear more complex than a torwig (jetpack) or a creature special ability is used someone has to explain it. [[FacePalm The forehead slapping begins however]], in that in order to make it to Chaotic, one must become highly ranked in the online card competitions.
* PlayedForLaughs and abused to hell and back in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ChinaIL'', where advice on picking up women (gaining her trust with the phrase "I know. And if you want, you can talk to me.") leads Frank into a Soap Opera-esque LoveTriangle between a SouthernBelle and her scarred sister. The two feud endlessly while spouting exposition to each other, but it's directed at Frank as they repeatedly use the phrase "As You Know." Frank, however, (and by extension the audience) ''doesn't know anything'', so the feud becomes very confusing and unsettling.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'': Lampshaded in "The Belgian Waffle Slobber-Barker". After Chowder asks Mung several questions pertaining to the plot, Chowder asks him why he asks so many questions. Mung replies that it's the easiest way for [[BreakingTheFourthWall their loyal fanbase]] to learn about the episode's plot.
-->'''Chowder:''' ''(waving to the screen)'' Hi, loyal fanbase!
* This comes up rather often in ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' Season 1, since the series starts InMediasRes. Jérémie is usually the one stuck with frequently reminding his friends about information that they would already know -- like the basic properties of the world of Lyoko, the monsters' stats, the fact that they couldn't let anyone die before a Return to the Past or that their main goal is to materialize Aelita.
* PlayedForLaughs on ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}},'' when the characters are signing each other's yearbooks:
-->'''[[DumbBlonde Brittany]]:''' Just make it out to me -- Brittany!\\
'''[[ExtracurricularEnthusiast Jodie]]:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Gee, thanks for clearing that up]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'':
** One episode lampshades this practice. A character from an earlier episode returns, and Charles/Mambo (siamese twins who have one body with two heads) tell Duckman it's that woman he used to date, who used to be hideous but became gorgeous through plastic surgery and left him. Duckman responds to the effect of "Don't you think I know that?", to which the twins respond with "That wasn't for you. That was exposition for the 99.9 percent of the audience who are usually out having a life on Saturday night instead of staying home and flipping through obscure cable channels hoping to catch a little softcore pornography"
** Another example: To suggest how ordinary his life is, Duckman describes the ironically ridiculous premise of the show to Cornfed in one sentence: "I'm just another duck detective, who works with a pig and lives with the twin sister of his dead wife, has three sons on two bodies, and a comatose mother-in-law whose got so much gas she's fire hazard."
** Bernice: "As I explained to you before and will repeat now, not as clunky exposition but just because it feels so damn good..."
** Then there's this sequence from "The Road to Dendron":
--->'''Expositor:''' (''yelling to everyone in earshot'') Make way for the Princess of Dendron! Make way for the Princess of Dendron!\\
'''Duckman:''' Thanks for the exposition. Who's tall, dark and creepy?\\
'''Expositor:''' Beware! Beware! That is the Sultan's Fahaer Achmed Amazher. An evil man full of tricks and tourchers and torments. It is said when the moon is full he...\\
'''Duckman:''' All right. Thank you. We'll be in touch. (''dismissing the character who has completed his purpose and will not appear again'')
* Spoofed in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'', during a conversation that came with captions indicating which of the statements were "IMPORTANT" or "NOT IMPORTANT". The As You Know conversation eventually degraded into spewing frivolous things like "I'm wearing blue socks" (captioned with "NOT IMPORTANT") and "You know, if you mix baking soda and vinegar together, you can make a little volcano." ("NOT IMPORTANT... BUT INTERESTING")
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' makes fun of this trope whenever a character comes back and some exposition is needed for any viewers who aren't up to date. Rather than simply say the character's name, Mr. or Ms. Exposition also has to spout out a long-winded explanation of who they are. The most blatant example is when they explained to the audience that Mark was an alien and now living on Earth disguised as a human, even going so far as to have Timmy place a device in front of the fourth wall that lets the viewer see Mark under his disguise.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Quagmire's "That one was also sexual" line. Initially it looks like DontExplainTheJoke, but according to the DVD commentary, it was a spoof of characters saying things that no-one would really say to explain the plot, like "I can't wait for the bake sale this afternoon!"
** Another parody of the trope comes in the episode "Prick Up Your Ears", when in a sketch by the "Opal Ring Crusaders" the school brought in to teach sex ed, a joking reference is made to a Jefferson High. Everyone laughs, then one student turns to the one next to them and explains "they're our rivals!". Not two minutes later, at the end of the sketch, another joke is made at Jefferson High's expense, everyone laughs, and then the same student turns to the same one next to him and says the same thing again.
** InUniverse example: Brian writes a play, which begins with the main character coming on-scene and saying "Donna, it's Brent, your new husband!"
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
** Lampshaded by having Bender defeating Elzar on an episode of ''Series/IronChef'', then pulling back to show him turning off the TV as his win is being broadcast.
--->'''Bender:''' And that's how I defeated Elzar!\\
'''Leela:''' We know. We were there. And we just got done watching it again on TV.
** PlayedForLaughs in "Bender's Game":
--->'''[[TheProfessor Farnsworth]]:''' I'm sure I don't need to explain that [[TechnoBabble all dark matter in the universe is linked in the form of]] [[AppliedPhlebotinum a single non-local meta-particle]].\\
'''[[GeniusDitz Amy]]:''' ''[[FutureSlang Guh]]!'' Stop patronizing us!
** {{Subverted|Trope}} by Cubert: "As you probably already DON'T know..."
* In the episode "High Noon" of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', when the Weird Sisters show up at the end they spend the entire scene explaining to each other why they orchestrated everything they did in that episode.
* The ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Weirdmageddon 2: Escape from Reality" begins this way, with [[TheSmartGuy Dipper]] telling [[ManChild Soos]] and [[CoolBigSis Wendy]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt what happened]] in Part 1 and that they're currently trying to save [[TheHeart Mabel]], despite the two of them already knowing this.
* In the pilot of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'', Tulip outlines her predicament to One-One, even though they've been on the train for a week and would surely have discussed this before. {{Averted|Trope}} in the series proper, as it starts from the beginning, so the audience already knows everything from the start.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat'' cartoons, the second half of each episode has a quick recap of what happened just moments ago in the first part of the episode. The reason for this is because the shows episodes were originally aired in two parts, so a quick recap was warranted since the second part of the episode wouldn't always follow up the first part right away. The [[EditedForSyndication syndicated reairings]] and DVD rerelease of the cartoons edit both parts of the episodes together into single episodes, making the recaps come off as very superfluous.
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'', where Flash, [[FreakyFridayFlip in Lex's body]], asks for an As You Know recap from Dr. Polaris over the "Big Plan". Polaris, on the other hand, is angry that "Luthor" couldn't remember the plan he announced to them that morning.
* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', Drakken is very fond of this trope. It is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d by Shego in the episode "Clean Slate".
-->'''Drakken:''' Shego, at last! Pure nanotronium is mine! The smallest, most powerful energy source known to m--\\
'''Shego:''' Are you for real? ''I was with you''. I ''know'' what it is, [[MrExposition Dr. Exposition]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': This happens fairly often on the show, generally whenever an episode relies on the events of a previous one they get a brief re-iteration ("It's great we got invited to the [plot device]!" "I know! Thanks for inviting us, [character]". This is due to WordOfGod stating they wanted the episodes to be watchable in any order.
** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]", Twilight mentions how [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 Spike helped save the Crystal Empire]], something he should be fully aware of for obvious reasons. Probably justified because Spike isn't used to being treated like a national hero (he's usually a NoRespectGuy), and Twilight and Cadance had to explain to him how much the Crystal Ponies adore him.
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1]]": "I can't believe we had to give up the Elements of Harmony."
** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E16ItAintEasyBeingBreezies It Ain't Easy Being Breezies]]":
--->'''Fluttershy:''' Okay, everypony. ''As you know'', the adorable fairy creatures known as Breezies are about to come through Ponyville.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** In the {{crossover}} with the Franchise/MarvelUniverse -- "[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbMissionMarvel Mission Marvel]]" -- Doofenshmirtz {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this by telling Perry the Platypus that his brother is the mayor, and then completing: ''"I know I may have touched upon the subject from time to time, but, you know, I figured, why not mention it again just for clarity?"''
** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerbTheMovieAcrossThe2ndDimension'' has [[DaChief Major Monogram]] say "No need to remind you, [[LampshadeHanging but I'll do it anyway]]..."
* ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'': Randy and the viewers learned about Terry [=McFist=] (Hannibal's big brother) being the real heir to [=McFist=] Industries and yearly signing over the company to Hannibal when he overheard Viceroy reminding Hannibal of that fact.
* Many ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' episodes and movies have the gang expositing why they're in or on their way to some place.
* ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2021'' has a DoubleSubversion:
-->'''Captain:''' You know what that means Stormy? (''Stormy nods'')\\
'''Someone else:''' But I don't know, Captain, what does it mean?
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Lampshaded in the episode "24 Minutes" (which was a ''24'' parody), where Lisa begins some exposition...
--->'''Lisa:''' Principal Skinner, as we both know but you might need reminding, the annual Bake Sale provides [[SuckySchool 90% of the school's funding]]...
** Spoofed outright in another episode in which Homer needlessly recounts step-by-step his ''purchase of an ice cream cone'' with no plot significance whatsoever, to his family, who were there, a few minutes ago. And when he's called out for it by Bart, he starts ''narrating this very same dialogue that just happened'', before being interrupted by the plot.
** In a ShowWithinAShow: "I hope nothing unsavory happens during my visit. As you know, I am the president of the United States." A Movie Within a Show has a slightly more subtle example, as, after [[Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington Mr. Smith]] [[BloodierAndGorier kills all of the other congressmen]], a man burst into the room and says "I'm the President of the United States and I demand to know what's going on here!"
** Another obvious spoof:
--->'''Homer:''' Well, here we are at the Brad Goodman lecture.\\
'''Lisa:''' We know, Dad.\\
'''Homer:''' I just thought I'd remind everybody. After all, we did agree to attend this self-help seminar.\\
'''Bart:''' What an odd thing to say.
** And yet again:
--->'''Marge:''' How exciting! Watching a movie outside with the whole town!\\
'''Comic Book Guy:''' Yes, thank you for talking to all of us like we just tuned in.
** In the episode, "Lisa the Simpson", Lisa imagines a bad future where she's an obese white trash mother who's married to Ralph Wiggum. When Ralph walks in he says, "Hi Lisa. It's me Ralph, your husband" as if she didn't already know. This gets spoofed later in the episode, when present day Homer goes, "Hi Lisa. It's me, your father, Daddy."
** Parodied rather sweetly in a Season 27 episode which has a scene with Marge explaining to Homer where they are currently driving to and for what purpose. When Homer asks her why she is telling him this when he already knows, Marge replies that she just likes talking to him. The scene ends with them wordlessly smiling at each other.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** The commentator of the Canadian Royal Wedding in "[[Recap/SouthParkS15E3RoyalPudding Royal Pudding]]" will frequently add some variant of "As is tradition." after commentating on the InUniverse "traditions" (the prince dipping his arms into butterscotch pudding and the princess gracefully scraping it off, thus symbolizing their union, is one of the less weird ones).
** In the Post-COVID special [[TimeSkip set 40 years in the future]] the various changes of the future are always explained to Stan and Kyle, which just frustrates them since they already know all of that.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Zig-zagged. The Crystal Gems spend much of the series adamantly refusing to explain ''anything'' about the setting's backstory to Steven. Since the series is largely from his point of view, Steven typically only gets the finer details explained when the audience would be completely lost otherwise. Recaps of in-series events are still given to him in the more pivotal episodes, however.
* 1973/74 ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' episode "Too Hot to Handle". Professor Von Knowalot explains basic solar system astronomy to the Superfriends.
-->'''Professor:''' As you know, all the planets revolve around the Sun, staying in their precise orbits because of a delicate balance -- a balance between the Sun's gravitational pull on the planets and the centrifugal force trying to pull the planets away as they speed around the Sun. If this delicate balance between the Earth and the Sun was upset, we might fly away from our own solar system.
* Spoofed on the old ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' cartoon. In the episode "Super Rocksteady and Mighty Be-Bop", Shredder explains that he had to entrust the job of setting up a mind-control device to his bungling mutant lackeys Rocksteady and Bebop because they're immune to the device, while Shredder would fall under its sway if he set it off himself.
-->'''Krang:''' You don't have to explain it to me! I invented it, remember?\\
'''Shredder:''' I wasn't explaining it to ''you''... (''[[NoFourthWall he points to the audience]]'') I was explaining it to ''them''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'':
** The recap episode "Grill" gives a decent justification. Agent Fowler is being interrogated for what happened with Nemesis Prime, and he's giving a report not only to his direct superior, but is also being recorded for the sake of those higher up the chain of command. The guy he's speaking to knows what's going on, but the people who would be watching the video wouldn't necessarily.
** It also happens when Megatron is using the Forge of Solus Prime to craft the Dark Star Saber, and the onlooking Knock Out and Dreadwing explain the Forge's abilities to no one in particular by FinishingEachOthersSentences.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TucaAndBertie'' episode "[[Recap/TucaAndBertieS1E07YeastWeek Yeast Week]]", Bertie gives detailed explanations of the attendees at Yeast Week and the following Bread Bowl dinner party. Pastry Pete points out that he already knows all of it, but enjoys hearing about it from a newcomer's perspective.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'', in the beginning of the story, this is how the announcer for the Champions Tournament tells the audience in the stadium the rules for the tournament fights.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
** Spoofed/lampshaded repeatedly. At one point, [[GenreSavvy Elan]] compliments Roy for working the exposition into his angry tirade so smoothly. (He also cries at weddings, but only when there's really good exposition.) [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0958.html Another time]], Roy [[LampshadeHanging complains]] about Elan saying things they already know, but he's actually [[MediumAwareness aware that they're supposed to recap]] and was only complaining about it to help by bringing in more detail. ("I know, it was my idea and I did it yesterday.")
** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0149.html Strip 149]], Redcloak says "Remind me why I'm doing this again," and the Monster in the Darkness, being LiteralMinded, tells him and the audience why he's doing what he's doing.
** [[NightmareFuel Terrifyingly]] {{subverted| trope}} in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1139.html Strip 1139]], regarding how the world is supposed to contain the Snarl. Thor's following line reveals that [[spoiler:the Snarl has destroyed countless worlds in the past, not just one.]]
--->'''Thor:''' Anyway, after the first world was lost, we got together to make a second world. One that would serve both as a home for mortals as well as a dimensional prison for the Snarl, which was still rampaging around empty space. [[spoiler:[[WhamLine We put that world's gravestone over there.]]]]
* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/StarslipCrisis'':
-->'''Admiral:''' I know what it is! There was no reason for you to say that out loud!
* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'':
** The character playing R2-D2 gives an awesome recap in [[http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0098.html this strip]].
** ''Darths and Droids'' is absolutely full of this stuff, as one of the characters or [=NPCs=] regularly recaps the convoluted IdiotPlot resulting from the players' actions.
** In [[https://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/1571.html episode 1571]] and onwards, the GameMaster gives one of the {{Player Character}}s a note to read aloud that represents his character saying stuff about the campaign background all the characters already know but the players don't.
** [[https://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/1835.html Episode 1835]] comments on using this to say "your character would definitely know [[RememberTheNewGuy this person]] even if you didn't."
* Jokes about recaps are one of the most common running themes on ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'': an As You Know is ''never'' played straight. Some jokes played on the concept include:
** "Quit recapping and keep your eyes on the road!"
** The legacy of the ancient Greek island of Wrekappe, home of the primeval festival that eventually became America's Thanksgiving, is upheld by the Recappers, warriors dressed as pilgrims who will recap at the slightest opportunity.
** "But Sweral, you quit your recapping habit years ago!"
** A different kind of example, but still a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion: In "Years of Yarncraft" (See: ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''), Torg is in the game fighting an NPC enemy who talks mostly in character [[MediumAwareness (even though he knows he's an NPC)]] and tries to start talking about the backstory that brought Torg to fight him. Torg interrupts him and says he [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory doesn't care about the story, only the loot]].
** A fairly straight but till humorous example is found in "Chapter 21: The Hunt" when a bunch of action ([[ItMakesSenseInContext involving a demon at a Halloween costume party]]) is skipped over with such an exposition:
-->"What did I miss?"\\
"The Red Ranger got the demon by the face with the hand of his robot arm, but the demon got him in the face with a squid-on-a-stick. Then the demon grabbed the human taco by the leg which started a tug of war with the dragon-decoration that sprung to life to save him. Then, as the generic super hero tried to pry the squid tentacles off Riff's face, they all collapsed on each other and are stuck in this big knot of bodies. Oh, and the demon hunter's narrating things from the ceiling fan."\\
"Well, I sure picked the wrong time to take a leak."
* A footnote in ''Webcomic/{{Intragalactic}}'' lampshades this [[https://web.archive.org/web/20180106154247/http://intragalacticcomic.com/2009/01/30/045-meet-the-pest/ here]].
-->"... this is more or less the equivalent of a customs inspector lecturing people on what an orange is."
* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'':
** Played for drama and done very well in [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/03202008/ this]] strip.
** ''Goblins'' also has "As you know Bob comic strips" consisting of nothing but info-dumps.
** Psimax delivers one to his version of Kin [[http://goblinscomic.com/02222011-2/ here]].
* Lampshaded in one of ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics''' many AlternateUniverse panels:
-->"Wow, personal jetpacks are so compact, efficient, safe and easy to control!"\\
"Uh, obviously I already know that, we live in the same universe! Duhhh..."
* As you know, ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on its use of tropes, and then gives us a ShoutOut in the AltText. And [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2374.html they've done it again]].
* Lampshaded in [[http://antiheroforhire.com/d/20091002.html this]] ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire'': "I'm just making sure we're on the same page."
* PlayedForLaughs in a ''Webcomic/{{Precocious}}'' strip, aptly titled [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2010/03/17 "Relive those memories"]].
* Head Alien from the ''Webcomic/WalkyVerse'' loves this. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in [[http://www.itswalky.com/d/20000111.html one strip]].
-->'''Alien:''' Hey, Boss? We know all this.\\
'''Head Alien:''' Hush. I enjoy this.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': One of the immortals following Elliot [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=20080825 recaps]] the plot points related to them. When her companion [[LampshadeHanging calls her on it]], she points out that it helps compensate for their EasyAmnesia.
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[http://www.sdamned.com/2010/12/12042010/ this]] ''WebComic/SlightlyDamned'' strip.
--> "My master spared your life [[spoiler:and allowed your 'children' to remain in hell as long as you acted as TheGrimReaper.]]" \\
"Yes, I remember. I also remember your punishment for abandoning your post. [[spoiler:He decapitated, cursed and ordered you to help fulfill my promise in disguise.]] \\
"Rub it in, why don't you?" \\
"Sorry, I thought we were supposed to explain things we already knew to each other."
* ''WebComic/ExterminatusNow'': Sometimes it's because your co-conspirators just [[http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2005-07-29/comic/facilitating-your-demise/distracting-derriere/ weren't]] paying [[http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2005-08-02/comic/facilitating-your-demise/too-long-didnt-listen/ attention]].
* ''Webcomic/TheBMovieComic'' [[http://www.bmoviecomic.com/?cid=693 does it]] as unsubtly as possible in the fourth movie. In the very first scene after the credits.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Used very tongue-in-cheekly in the Act 6 Act 3 Intermission walkaround. Through the first part of the flash, Meenah, who has been missing for a ''really long time'', has been playing something of TheWatson to the other characters, allowing them to fill her (and the audience) in on what has happened in the meantime. At the end of the first part, however, Aranea starts explaining at length about things that she does know but the audience doesn't. Why? Because Aranea is an extremely wordy writer and a very dedicated [[MrExposition Ms Exposition]], so much so that she offers to ''pay Meenah'' to listen to her lecture. Meenah agrees reluctantly, though not without complaining about the pointlessness of the whole thing.
* [[http://hannaisnotaboysname.blogspot.com/2009/06/21-thanks-mr-cross.html Used]] in ''Webcomic/HannaIsNotABoysName,'' though it's really more a case of DontExplainTheJoke:
-->'''[[CaptainObvious Hanna]]:''' Whoa. She just called you a pussy. Sorry, dude.\\
'''[[TheSnarkKnight Conrad]]:''' YES, Mr. Cross, I know. ''I was there.''
* Website/ShiftyLook's ''Webcomic/{{Katamari}}'' does this twice with the Future!Prince. First he feels obligated to explain to his present self how their cousins like to hang out on the Space Mushroom from [[VideoGame/KatamariDamacy the original game]], then later summarizes the plot of ''Katamari Forever'' while explaining how [[spoiler:the [=RoboKing=] pulled a FaceHeelTurn afterwards]].
* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'':
** Slightly parodically done in "A Cumberland Ninja in King Radical's Court":
-->"You're familiar with Cumberland's zombie defense system, put in place by the late mayor Chuck Goodrich?"\\
"Yes, the city retrofitted every single building with defense equipment, and networked them all together so that the mayor's office could activate them all at once should it have to."\\
"Yes, I know that. I was just asking if ''you'' knew that."\\
"I know that."
** {{Inverted}} in "All the King's Dirtbikes and All the King's Men", where King Radical tells his newly arrived friend what's been going on, and the friend really doesn't know all that, but it ends up sounding like he's really addressing the ''audience'' while knowing ''they'' do know unless they just jumped in.
* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', Tagon pretends to provide a slice of exposition for the crew, [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2012-02-27 who already know all that]]. He's not recapping for the benefit of the audience, however, as Pi seems to think: it's a [[BatmanGambit neat little ploy]] to renegotiate their contract with the Gavs.
-->"If the walls don't have ears, I'll eat your pills."\\
"Ohh, paranoia that pays off on cue. It's giving me ''chills''."
* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'':
** "Wielder of Names" starts with an explanation of how various species of intelligent beings were created. This turns out to be one angel talking to another. To the readers, it's partly new information (at least if they haven't read the additional material) and partly recap, but in-universe, it's a kind of "This is why the universe is corrupt and we must do something about it" speech.
** When our heroine Allison agrees to a drinking contest with a demon, she gets a glowing spot on her wrist. This calls forth this comment from a bystander (who probably doesn't believe she's who she says she is):
--> A devil's kiss. A parasitic piece of the pure hot black flame. Granter of the art. Mark of a contract. But surely you know this, Magister Usagi.
* ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'': In the comic "Dropping the bomb", Larisa reveals her [[spoiler:Wolfram syndrome]] to the audience by mentioning it to Sandra, in a tone that implies Sandra already knows.
* ''Webcomic/StarMares'' endeavors to only go into expository mode when it's information that at least one of the other characters in the scene ''doesn't'' know, but it's still phrased in such a way as to make it obvious that it's for the benefit of the audience.
* ''Webcomic/BeneathTheClouds'' starts an ExpositionDiagram page with the remark:
-->Don't you know that illness is caused by wandering spirits of the dead?
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'' introduces its version of ThePlague by having a character worried about his grandmother catching it reminded of its symptoms by a friend of his. Already knowing the symptoms is the reason he's worried in the first place.
* ''Webcomic/TailsGetsTrolled'' has one shadowy figure say to another, "Father, what should we do? you are the leader of the trolls!" While establishing the addressee's role and relationship to the speaker is necessary, there were better ways to provide that information.
* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': In [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/tower-of-god/season-1-ep-40/viewer?title_no=95&episode_no=41 episode 41]], Quant takes time to explain more about how the "Lighthouses" used by Light Bearers in the Tower function, enabling the viewers to understand the tricks he and Khun are playing with them.
--> "Now, since you don't even know about your own job, let me give you a brief class on Light Bearers."
* ''WebComic/GrrlPower'': Discussed in the Author's Note for the [[https://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-187-the-arc-files/ Feb 10th, 2014]] strip, and how it's mainly for the audience's benefit. With a link back to this page, even.
* Used frequently by Bill Holbrook in ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'', likely inspired by ''Peanuts'' and other newspaper comic artists, given his origins in that field.
* ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'': After giving an extensive exposition on the purpose and function of the Rangers to his A.I. companion Omnibus, Quentin points out that Omnibus should know all that already. Omnibus explains that [[JustifiedTrope while he does possess extensive information archives, as a young A.I. he doesn't yet know how to correlate and cross-reference information in the way that organic minds do instinctively]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
!! By Author
* SF writer Creator/PoulAnderson called this an "idiot lecture", in the sense that either the lecturer must be an idiot, or the lecturer must think the lecturee is an idiot. Nevertheless Anderson used the device often at the beginning of short stories, usually to establish historical details when an operative was briefed by a superior. Lampshaded at least once via the lecturee thinking to himself "He must think I'm an idiot!" and similar. In more than one Anderson story, such a speech is delivered ''to an enemy'' and reveals something that really ought not to be revealed to an enemy ("and that's why we 'elves' can't stand iron"), followed by "added hastily" in a blatant (yet always successful) attempt to distract from said revelation.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov:
** ''Literature/FoundationSeries''' "Literature/TheMerchantPrinces": Trader Mallow and his friend, the retired Trader Jaim Twer, discuss an upcoming Seldon crisis. As Seldon and [[ThePlan his Plan]] is a required part of a lay education on Terminus, the fact that Mallow had to explain it to his "friend" helped him deduce that Twer had been trained as a priest, not a layman, and is working for Jorane Sutt.
** Literature/RobotSeries:
%%*** ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel'': Characters spend a lot of time explaining the Three Laws of Robotics to each other.
*** ''Literature/IRobot'': The viewpoint narrator of the FramingDevice often reviews information or prompts Dr Calvin to share colloquial knowledge. This helps the audience know background information, and is justified by the viewpoint character [[MostWritersAreWriters being a reporter who plans on writing the interview for public consumption]].
*** "{{Literature/Risk}}": The reporter, Nigel Ronson, describes to Black three people that he already knows, in rather unflattering tones. General Kallner is a military idiot, Dr Calvin is [[IronLady so aloof]] that she could travel through the sun and come out frozen in ice, and Director Schloss is too egotistical to give a decent answer to his questions. It works to summarize the people if the audience hadn't read "Literature/LittleLostRobot".
*** "{{Literature/Runaround}}": When trying to figure out what went wrong with their robot, Donovan and Powell review the situation they're in, which Dr Asimov uses as an opportunity for {{Exposition}} about [[ThreeLawsCompliant the three Rules of Robotics]].
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein:
** ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'' opens with a meeting of Howard Foundation members where one character goes on for several pages, detailing the history of the foundation, its goals, and his plans for the future. While very interesting (to the reader), the entire monologue is framed as an As You Know. As the characters are all extremely long-lived and therefore very patient, they don't mind too much. He is however called on it by Lazarus Long, who has better things to do - [[LovableSexManiac mostly involving sex]].
** Inverted in ''Literature/StarshipTroopers''. It's used toward the reader as an excuse to skip exposition. Specifically, Rico's narration skips over a lot about the powered armor by telling the reader "But if you really are interested in the prints and stereos and schematics of a suit's physiology, you can find most of it, the unclassified part, in any fairly large public library." On the other hand in the ActionPrologue their sergeant goes over the plan of attack even though it's been hypnotically implanted in the troopers, as "some of you don't have minds to hypnotise."

* One of Creator/HPLovecraft's literary quirks was his extreme aversion to writing dialogue. Thus, when he absolutely had to write about two characters talking, he instead only wrote one person's lines, which inevitably contained all the content of the other party's responses, as well.
* Novelist Creator/HarryTurtledove has a tendency to fall into this trap in his multi-volume alternative history epics (such as the ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'' and ''Literature/{{Timeline 191}}'' series); he will often recap complicated alternative histories and the plots of two, three or more previous novels in the series by having characters engage in conversations or think to themselves about things that they would already know.
!! By Work
* In ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', Orwell uses the very clever trick of getting the basic facts explained to us by the [[FictionalDocument secret book]] of [[LaResistance the Brotherhood]], which works as a subversive primer to the indoctrinated population. We learn later on that [[spoiler: the Brotherhood and the Inner Party are the same, so everything in the book could be wrong too..]].
* MrExposition tells the protagonist her own life story in ''Literature/AgainstADarkBackground''.
* A ''lot'' of {{exposition}} in the ''Literature/AlexisCarew'' series is done by having people explain things to the protagonist. {{Justified|Trope}} since Alexis grew up on a backwater colony world and until joining the New London Royal Navy had cared more about crop prices and farming and logging techniques than about space travel and international politics and history.
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}},'' the first chapter is usually dedicated to the RotatingProtagonist explaining the series' concept (the Earth is being invaded by {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s, they [[{{Animorphism}} turn into animals]] to fight them, etc.) Clearly this is being done for people who picked up the books out of order, but by the last few entries the narrators start throwing in "but you know this already."
* ''Literature/TheAssassinsOfTamurin'': S.D. Towers fills the reader in on the entire {{Backstory}} of the Empire of Durdane by devoting most of a chapter to covering a History class.
* In ''Literature/TheBadGuys'' book "The Furball Strikes Back", Mr. Wolf explains the plan to stop the bulldozers threatening to destroy the forest, much to the annoyance of Mr. Snake, who knows the plan already, as Mr. Wolf has been repeating it over and over. Turns out, he's been repeating it because Mr. Shark keeps forgetting key details about it.
* ''[[Literature/TheFirstLaw Before They Are Hanged]]'' includes an early briefing for military officers ending, "That fortress, as we all know, is already in the hands of the enemy." This is an aversion, as the officers in question are useless nobles who have only the faintest grasp of the war. The briefing officer is a commoner who rose through the ranks and has enough sense not to say, "as you ought to know."
* OlderThanFeudalism: Occurs in ''Literature/TheBible'', when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son: "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest..." According to commentaries, the extensive exposition was given either a) to soften the blow of the request to sacrifice him, or b) to increase Abraham's reward, as he was rewarded for every word of the request.
** Alternative c): to hit hard the sacrifice God is demanding, emphasizing strongly that "You really don't want to do this." i.e. the opposite of a).
** Alternative d) (for Christians): foreshadowing [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} the sacrifice of a certain someone else's only son, who he loves]] - immediately after providing a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac's place, God tells Abraham that all nations will be blessed through his offspring.
** Or, just as a reminder. The stories in Genesis-2 Kings were originally a bunch a disconnected episodes that were compiled and edited multiple times over several centuries. Readers/hearers may not have known every detail of the final story, only bits from earlier versions. Alternatively, it may have been intentional irony on the part of the writer/editor, who would have known that Abraham DID have another son at this point, but Ishmael apparently didn't count.
** Also "for Rachel thy younger daughter." This last one has become ''an idiom'' in spoken Hebrew.
** Also Deuteronomy 11:30, which the NIV translates using the trope name:
--> As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of the Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.
* Subverted by Deule, the narrator of ''Literature/CantataInCoralAndIvory'', who prefaces some of his exposition this way. He's actually presenting new information to the person he's talking to, but it would be improper for Deule to admit that his new lord doesn't know something he should.
* In ''Literature/ChildhoodsEnd'' by Creator/ArthurCClarke, the character Jan Rodricks explains the theory of relativity to his sister in a very long letter, which she should already know, seeing as how this was a highly scientifically advanced society, almost to the point of dystopia.
* Dicken's ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' and any [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol parody/homages]] to it. Because of the time travel aspect of voyeuring into people's lives it somewhat requires them to explain the situation to each other in order to further the plot.
* Broud, the newly selected leader of ''The Clan of the Cave Bear'', calls a meeting of the Clan, and begins by stating, "As you know, I am now your leader." This causes the clan members to exchange puzzled looks, since they obviously did know.
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'':
** The fundamentals of furycrafting are presented by Tavi to Max as if it's a necessary refresher because he's such a bad student.
** The author has noted that there were some significant bits of backstory and world-building that he ended up leaving out or delaying in order to avoid slipping into this trope. He took four books to explain that "-ar" at the end of someone's surname name meant they were illegitimate, and never got round to explaining that the line of Gaius had restarted at "Primus" dozens of times in the past (with Gaius Sextus being the fourth First Lord with that name) because all of the viewpoint characters would have already known all about it from basic history classes.
* Used to lead off the briefing [[spoiler:on the VX nerve gas]] at the beginning of ''[[Literature/PaladinOfShadows A Deeper Blue]]''. Given a LampshadeHanging a few paragraphs later with the acknowledgement of the speaker that he's covering old ground for those at the briefing.
* In ''Literature/DestinedToLead'' book 2, ''Healing'', Resurge, the ProudWarriorRace guy uses this trope to explain why he knows who on Mysterium 'Gakkar' is, and by extension the giant stone golem they are conversing with.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Played with in ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld'', where Ponder, speaking to the senior wizards, precedes his [[MrExposition explanation]] of [[MagicAIsMagicA fundamental Discworld physics]] with "As I'm sure you know", but only out of politeness. A footnote explains that what he actually means is "I'm not sure you know this..."
*** Justified again in the third ''Science'' book, when Ponder's reports on the situation go ignored and he has to explain himself all over again on the spot, using this trope to let his colleagues save face.
** ''{{Literature/Wintersmith}}'': Tiffany ends up having to do this to KnowNothingKnowItAll Anagramma, because just asking her to show you how to do something just results in a lot of stalling until she says she has a migraine.
* ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' is as appallingly loaded with As You Know as any book ever written.
** The chapter where the villain first appears consists entirely of As You Know dialogue, complete with having the villain ''introduce himself'' to his chief henchman: "Is it not a magnificent thing that I, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, do?" Justified by Baron Harkonnen being so fond of describing plans that at one point he ''himself'' admits to it being a flaw.
** "The Spice must flow!" (Usually accompanied by a summary of its multipurpose nature.)
* Played with during the last part of George Stewart's ''Literature/EarthAbides''. The protagonist, Ish, is now an old man, spending most of his time in a mental fog, cared for by others. When this fog lifts, Ish discusses the current state of the Tribe with Jack, his great-grandson and caretaker. Almost every answer Jack offers is punctuated with, "...as you yourself well know, Ish," even though Ish is, at this point, as clueless as the reader.
* Justified in ''Literature/FitzpatricksWar'' as the general history of how the world turned into a post-apocalyptic steampunk Neo-British Empire-dominated dystopia [[LectureAsExposition is recited in a verbal exam]] by the novel's protagonist, Robert Mayfair Bruce. Coincidentally, Bruce was shocked to have gotten such an easy topic.
* An early scene in ''Literature/TheFold'' shows the teleportation project team in front of the oversight board that decides whether they'll get an extension on their research grant. The occasion is used to walk the audience through the theory and past few years of work for the project, despite the fact that the oversight board should know all this from previous meetings. Further, the board is ''surprised'' when the project lead points out that their years-old contract keeps all data and documentation subject to the team's discretion.
* In the novel ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', the title character receives a letter from his adopted sister which tells him his own life story in nauseating detail. The phrase "You will recall..." pops up a few times. Likewise there's one that begins along the lines of, "I'm sure you remember our young maid, Justine, but in case you don't..."
* In ''Literature/TheFurtherAdventuresOfBatman'', the short story "Literature/SubwayJack" has Bruce explaining rather obvious things to Alfred, such as mud getting tracked in by the murderer, who then treats him to [[ServileSnarker a bit of snark]].
* James Hogan rather neatly avoids this trope while still managing to do huge Infodumps in his ''Ganymede'' series, by managing things so that there's always someone present who justifiably needs the infodump, whether it's a biologist getting briefed on extremely advanced physics, a physicist being brought up to speed on political matters, or a businessman being briefed on the fine points of biochemistry. It helps that Hogan's got a huge multi-disciplinary team to work with, and better, the main character is a man whose biggest talent is his ability to cross-correlate information from many areas without being a specialist in any of them himself. This means he often specifically ''requests'' an infodump from a specialist.
* Done in the first chapter of ''Literature/TheGreatPacificWar''. The Japanese cabinet meets to discuss the dangerous riots and the seeds of revolt that are gaining strength, and the Premier opens by saying "As you know, our country is experiencing dangerous riots, and the revolts are gaining in strength."
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** At the very beginning of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', Dumbledore and [=McGonagall=] have a discussion about things each one of them knows in detail. Of special mention are the specifics of the war they have just been fighting, the introduction of the villain's name, which has a vague justification, and telling Dumbledore he's noble, just to establish him as a [[BigGood good guy]] in the books. Also, they refer to each other by last names, while they are on first-name terms in later books and have known each other for decades. The scene with Dumbledore and [=McGonagall=] is mostly gratuitous, in that most relevant details in that scene are also covered later, being told to Harry directly; and it refers to a lot of things that aren't apparent until later books, [[ChekhovsGunman like Sirius Black.]]
** This also shows up in a peculiar form (you might call it an inversion) partway through ''Philosopher's Stone'', when Hermione is telling Ron and Harry about the Philosopher's Stone, which can be used to achieve immortality. [[ParrotExposition Ron repeats the word "immortal" in surprise]], only for Hermione to explain "It means you'll never die," just in case any of the kids in the audience don't know that word. Ron gets indignant and says "I ''know'' what it means," because there's really no reason for him not to.
** There's a strange in-universe example in the first chapter of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban Prisoner of Azkaban]]''; a school textbook Harry is reading feels the need to explain to its readers what "Muggle" means.
* Beaten to death by Creator/DavidWeber. Every single ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' book has this at least once, maybe twice. It's particularly painful, because most of these recaps appear to be at the end of a meeting that ''just talked about the recapped stuff''. These meetings often take up a chapter, and their sole purpose is just to recap the situation, tell the reader what everyone's going to do, and [[PurpleProse use more adjectives than anyone ever would in a normal conversation]].
* CS Forester neatly justifies it in a couple of places in the ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' books, where a junior officer begins an explanation to a senior officer with this in order to maintain a properly deferential tone while in fact telling the senior officer something he probably didn't know, but should have known.
* Creator/OrsonScottCard's manual ''How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy'' includes an entire chapter about how to how to handle exposition in a SpeculativeFiction tale without resorting to this trope. Card notes that this trope was very common in the early days of SF, and he provides a humorous example of what it often sounded like:
-->"As you know, Dr. Smith, the rebolitic manciplator causes the electrons of any given group of atoms to reverse their charge and become anti-electrons."\\
"Yes, Dr. Whitley, and of course that will cause an immediate explosion unless the rebolitic manciplation is conducted inside an extremely powerful Boodley field." \\
"And the only facility in Nova Scotia that is capable of maintaining a Boodley field of sufficient power is--" \\
"That's right. Dr. Malifax's lab on his houseboat in the Bay of Fundy."
* In Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's ''Literature/HuntersOfDune'', the old couple Daniel and Marty do this ''a lot'' in the last chapters (when it is revealed that they are really [[spoiler:Omnius and Erasmus]].)
* A top secret memo in ''Icons'' by Margaret Stohl explains "as we all know, the Lords activated the Icons and [killed one billion people]," just in case the ambassador to the aliens forgot that they conquered the planet.
* The problem is routinely -- and hilariously -- lampshaded by narrator Bertie Wooster in the ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' stories by Creator/PGWodehouse, since the plot arcs often span several books.
* Justified in the ''Literature/JohnRain'' series by Barry Eisler by having Rain be ProperlyParanoid, so he keeps explaining things to his co-workers (much to their annoyance) to ensure that they are all thinking on the same page or understand the need for his excessive security precautions.
* The T'ang Chinese characters in the ''Literature/JudgeDee'' mysteries spend a surprising amount of time explaining their own [[ImperialChina culture and customs]] to each other for the benefit of the Western readers.
* About half of Creator/FredricBrown's short story "Keep Out" is one character giving backstory to a group of other characters, including the narrator, who then tells the reader, "Of course we had known a lot of those things already."
* ''Literature/KnowledgeofAngels'': The Inquisitor reminds Severo the Inquisition's authority overreaches that of the local cardinal where heresy is concerned, something Severo retorts he already knows.
* This is lampshaded in ''Literature/KingHaraldsSaga'' by Creator/SnorriSturluson.
-->'''Svein:''' I will believe in the banner's magic power, only when you have fought three battles against your nephew King Magnus and won all three of them.\\
'''Harald:''' (''angrily'') I am well aware of my kinship with Magnus without needing you to remind me of it...
* Susanna Clark's ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'' has an [[FootnoteFever unending supply of footnotes]] stuffed with as-you-know facts about the world of British magic, as well as strange anecdotes, discussions of magical theories and other "as you might already know but may well find interesting" divergences from the main story.
* In Creator/VictorHugo's ''Literature/LesMiserables'' it is very, very common to insert a large portion of RealLife historic data that the reader is expected to already know, but Hugo still would like to remind them.[[note]]And it does help those that skipped their history class... Or are just skimming through the book...[[/note]]
-->'''Narrator:''' The arrest of the pope took place, as we know, on the night of the 5th of July.
* Justified in the ''Literature/LordDarcy'' books, where Master Sean natters on about the underlying principles of whatever spell he uses to examine crime scenes and clues, even though Darcy's surely heard all this before. Darcy actually ''insists'' that Sean do this, as it helps him overcome his own innate {{Muggle|s}} mental blocks about how magic operates; plus, as Master Sean is also a professor, he performs best while in classroom-lecture mode. Darcy also claims to almost always learn some new little tidbit of information each time.
* The novel ''Mirage'' by Creator/JamesFollett is based on the real-life espionage by Israel of the blueprints of the Mirage fighter aircraft after France stopped supplying the aircraft and parts after the initial sale and Israel wanted to keep the ones they had in flying condition (and eventually built their own version, the Kfir). During the briefing given during the planning of the operation a politician asks why they can't simply reverse-engineer or copy parts from their existing stocks or by removing them from planes. While one engineer who obviously knows why has a "for god's sake" reaction a second, more people-savvy engineer cuts him off saying that from a layman's perspective it's a reasonable question and deserves an answer. He then explains about while they might be able to physically copy the shape of a particular part it's much harder to exactly duplicate the alloy used and the manufacturing processes, such as the correct hardening and tempering required to make the part able to correctly handle the stresses involved in combat flight conditions. He uses the analogy of his pocket lighter, saying that if they made their best efforts, they could eventually duplicate the lighter but its performance would be inferior to the production model and prone to malfunction and unexpected failures. Multiplying the few components of the lighter up to thousands of parts in a modern jet fighter makes the entire idea untenable. The politician then understands why detailed blueprints with all of the technical specifications of each part are required and gives the go-ahead for the espionage attempt.
* Early on, ''Literature/NephisCourageStoryOfABadMormon'' includes an InfoDump on Mormon theology in the form of an as-you-know debate between two characters, presumably for the benefit of non-Mormon readers.
* Subverted in the ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos Orphans of Chaos]]'' trilogy: "Headmaster Boggin" starts off on one of these at the appropriate time to provide valuable backstory to the eavesdropping protagonists, but is immediately headed off by the audience, who point out that they already know what he's talking about.
* In ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'', the first meeting between the Grail Brotherhood that the readers see is liberally peppered with As You Know, despite occurring close to the culmination of their EvilPlan. Justified by having Dedoblanco play TheWatson by having failed to ReadTheFreakingManual, much to the exasperation of Jongleur, the group's leader.
* Creator/DavidFosterWallace mentions this in a footnote in ''Literature/ThePaleKing'', calling it an irksome and graceless dramatic contrivance.
* [[UsefulNotes/HugoAward Hugo Gernsback's]] classic SF novel ''Ralph 124C 41+ '' frequently uses this phrase to explain how the future works.
* Lampshaded in a ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' book where an important tribal custom is explained to the ''son of the recently deceased chieftain'' [[note]]For the record, there's a sword with a wavy edge (the sea) and a straight one (the land). The chieftain throws the sword, and whichever side lands up determines the way they travel[[/note]]. He yells at the minion telling him this to get to the point [[note]]The minion is showing him how make the sword land the way he wants it to[[/note]].
* There are several scenes in ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'' where Navani asks people questions that she'd already asked earlier, perhaps changing the wording slightly. When challenged on this, she explains that she's doing it to make sure that she really ''does'' know the answers, that she isn't making bad assumptions or missing important details.
* An in-universe example at the beginning of ''Literature/TheRubyKnight'':
-->''[Sparhawk takes cover as a troop of soldiers marches by]''\\
'''Lieutenant:''' It's that place in Rose Street where the Pandions try to hide their ungodly subterfuge. They know we're watching, of course, but our presence restricts their movements and leaves his Grace, the primate, free from their interference.\\
'''Corporal:''' We know the reasons, Lieutenant. We've been doing this for over a year now.
* Within the first chapter of the original ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' book a character tells shares "As you know, [Entire history of the world]". For in-universe purposes, it's used as a CallForward, as the narrator later tells the "real" history of the universe, adding in things that were omitted from the widely-known history.
* Averted in ''Literature/SheepsClothing''. While the ''reader'' probably knows a thing or two about vampires, Doc--and most frontier folks west of the Mississippi--isn't familiar with them at all.
* Sort of, in ''Literature/SplinterOfTheMindsEye''. Luke Skywalker, pretending to be a local miner, asks a real local a question about the locale. The response starts with an as you know -- the real local thinks Luke knows the first part of what he's imparting, though just like the readers, he does not.
* Played with in ''Literature/StarCarrier: Earth Strike'' when Rear Admiral Koenig explains to his [[ThePoliticalOfficer Senate liaison]] John Quintanilla why the way [[AlcubierreDrive their engines]] work means they can't reinforce the twelve [[SpaceFighter SG-92 Starhawks]] they sent on a near-''c'' AlphaStrike at the start of the book. Quintanilla's a civilian and probably ''doesn't'' understand this stuff.
* In ''Literature/StarDarlings'', one of the first things learned in the books and web series is the basics of wish-granting, which the characters know already.
* Aunt Jocelyn in ''Literature/StrengthAndJustice: Side: Justice'' says this phrase word for word while telling Teremy the reason why anyone can possess a superpower. It's very clearly for the benefit of the reader, since Teremy obviously knows it already.
* ''Literature/TalionRevenant'': Done many times, though it's mostly while introducing things they ''don't'' previously know (or in Nolan's case, internally reflecting) so the usage is more plausible than most.
* In ''Literature/TheTerminalMan'' by Creator/MichaelCrichton, a forensic pathologist tells psychiatrist Janet Ross "As you know, the male pubic hair" is different from the female pubic hair. Ross replies, "No, I didn't know that." The pathologist offers a reference.
* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Literature/TheseWordsAreTrueAndFaithful'':
** The pastor gives an overview of the history of his church because "I see some new faces in the congregation today."
** Ernie does not always pay attention to what Sam tells him. For example, when Ernie asks where Sam's coworker's party is, Sam responds, "Brandenburg Township, as I said."
* ''{{Literature/Timeline}}'': This is used frequently, with the exact words, all throughout the book.
* The final novel in the ''Literature/TowerAndTheHive'' series by Creator/AnneMcCaffrey opens with a scene in which not only do the characters recap the previous novels to each other, but in order to make it clear to the reader who he's talking about, Thian Raven-Lyon refers to his grandparents as "Jeff Raven and Angharad Gwyn, a.k.a. the Rowan".
* In early 20th century dystopian sci-fi, Yevgeny Zamyatin's ''Literature/{{We}}'' averts this: the novel, written as a journal, is addressed to an alien readership; therefore, it's natural that the narrator explains some of the most basic facts of his everyday world.
* Subverted by Creator/RobertJordan: he seems to beat this trope to death with the copious amounts of exposition in his ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Wheel of Time]]'' series to recap events already firmly established in previous novels in the series, many of which was delivered through character dialogue; somewhat justified by the Door Stopper size of the series and difficulty in keeping track of the myriad of dangling plot threads one might think. But the reiterations most often are either new information for one or more of the people present, discussions about different opinions, or depictions of events that were influenced by the ones shown in earlier books.
* From the book ''Literature/{{Wonderstruck}}'', we have this clunky bit of exposition (granted, considering that part of the story was told entirely in pictures, it was hard to do it any other way):
-->'''Girl:''' (''writes'') Thank you!\\
'''Man:''' (''writes'') You're welcome, sister!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* Almost every Creator/AlfredHitchcock film has an expository {{Infodump}} near the beginning, and they're almost always done in very heavy-handed "as you know" style. Another particularly grating example is in ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', when Scottie Ferguson and Midge Wood are discussing why he had to leave the police force [[spoiler:-- it's TitleDrop.]]
* ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' has the military variation, with the lieutenant informing the troops that "all we know is that there's still no contact with the colony" despite them being aware of why they're there - this has the double effect of curtailing the rampant speculation of the marines as to '''why''' there's no contact, and filling in the audience of the situation. His follow-up statement that a xenomorph may be involved comes as a surprise to the marines, but just confirms the audience's knowledge.
* There is a lot of this in the final courtroom scene of ''Film/{{Amistad}}''. Adams repeatedly refers to contemporary politicians by both their name and title, i.e.: "our president, Martin Van Buren."
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' has the CorruptCorporateExecutive explain to Dr. Augustine -- who has been there for years -- why they are on Pandora, how much {{unobtainium}} is worth, and the Na'vi problem. Given his tone, though, he's probably doing this to remind her that he's the guy in charge, not her, and she'll have to use whatever he gives her.
* The ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy:
** The [[Film/BackToTheFuture first film]] has to drop a lot of "As You Know" exposition on the audience, where characters discuss past events that we the audience will soon witness when Marty travels back in time. For example, Lorraine tells the story of how she and George met, which elicits a groan from daughter Linda: "You've told this story a thousand times." Once Marty travels to 1955, he finds himself embroiled in the events his mother is narrating.
** In ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', Lorraine recalls to her granddaughter how Marty lost his guitar skills in an automobile accident. ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII'' later shows Marty avoiding this accident.
* At the beginning of ''[[Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey]]'', Rufus brings several famous musicians from across history to his classroom. If the audience already knows who the musician is, he just introduces them by name, if they don't (i.e., the musician is from after 1991), he explains what they did, which is somewhat jarring. It's then played with:
-->'''Rufus:''' And a special treat from the 23rd century, Miss Ria Paschelle. Miss Paschelle, as you all know, was the inventor of the [[AppliedPhlebotinum statiophonic oxygenetic amplifier]] [[TechnoBabble graphiphonideliverberator]]. Kind of hard to imagine the world before we had them, isn't it?
* Parodied during a flashback in ''Film/BlackDynamite'': "I am 18-year-old Black Dynamite, and you are my 16-year-old brother!"
* ''Film/BladeRunner'' has an awkward early scene where Captain Bryant gives entry-level exposition about replicants to Rick Deckard, an experienced hunter of replicants. It's an odd exception to the rule, for most of the rest of the film does an excellent job of showing or implying rather than telling outright; for instance, the prohibitive cost of owning real live pets is alluded to repeatedly, but it's left to the viewer to figure out that real animals (besides pigeons, evidently) are scarce in this super-urbanized world. [[spoiler: This could be an oblique reference towards the fact, in some versions, that Deckard is a replicant himself and may have no further knowledge above them. His whole history as hunter may be only faked.]]
* Done in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' just to set up a joke. Everyone in the town is gathered in the church to discuss what to do about the bandits ransacking the town - and the preacher begins by letting everyone know that bandits are ransacking the town. He even begins his speech by saying that he doesn't have to tell them any of this: sheriff murdered, crops burned, stores looted, women stampeded, and cattle raped.
* ''Film/CabinFever'': There's a deadly disease going around and at one point, only two healthy people are left in the cabin - everyone else having fled or being at death's door. For reasons that are hard to fathom, and difficult to write convincing dialogue for, the characters [[CoitusEnsues impulsively have sex.]] Mid-way through this (i.e. '''after''' penetration has occurred) the man asks the woman with surprise if she doesn't use condoms. Both parties involved would clearly be aware that they aren't using one. But the filmmakers need to be clear about it because [[spoiler:it turns out the woman already (unknowingly) has the disease and as it's quite explicit that the sex was ''unsafe'', we realize that she has sexually passed the disease to the man]].
-->'''Paul:''' Don't you use condoms?\\
'''Marcy:''' It's okay. I'm healthy.
* ''Film/{{Contagion}}'': Dr. Mears lecturing the various officials of the Minnesota Department of Health on Epidemiology 101.
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'', Daggett explains the function of the Clean Slate Drive to Selina even though she obviously knows what it does. Mitigated in that, not only does Daggett explain its abilities in a sarcastic tone of voice, he adds, "Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?", implying he had been lying about it all along and is now mocking Selina for having been stupid enough to believe such a thing could exist.
* ''Film/{{Disraeli}}'' is an early talking film from 1929. In the silent movie days filmmakers could just insert a title card to explain who a character was, but that easy shortcut went away with the transition to sound. So instead we get awkward exposition, like when someone asks Lord Probert "What does the director of the Bank of England say?", only for Lord Probert to answer "I say..." in order to let the audience know who he is.
* Flawless example in the movie ''Dragonfly'': a speaker at a funeral says of the deceased, "From her colleagues at the university to her young patients here in Chicago Memorial's pediatric oncology ward, she will be sorely missed" -- ''speaking to'' the deceased's family, her colleagues from the university and her associates from the pediatric oncology ward, none of whom needed to be informed what city they were in, what hospital she was associated with, or what field of medicine she specialized in.
* In ''Film/DrinkingBuddies'', Kate goes back to Chris after they'd broken up. Up to this point, the audience is led to believe she dumped him for kissing another girl. However, when he sees Kate he says "we've been over this..." and goes on about how he had in fact dumped her.
* ''[[Film/DrStrangelove Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb]]'': "As you know, the Premier loves surprises."
* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Film/EvilDead2013'', as significant bits of exposition are given to the audience in the form of the other characters telling David things he bloody well ''should'' know about his sister Mia like her drug habits, but doesn't because he ran off and left her alone with their mother who was suffering with dementia, the issues of which led her to becoming addicted in the first place.
* Some of the Invigilator's opening monologue in ''Film/{{Exam}}'' comes off like this, explaining things that the participants should know, but the audience doesn't.
* In ''Film/TheGame'', a secretary reminds Van Orton that he is trying to be reached by a certain Elizabeth. She then reminds him that it's his ex-wife. He replies with a bitter "I '''know''' that!". After she is gone, [[LampshadeHanging he comments on how little he likes her for that]].
* In the beginning of ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', while Lyra spends minutes telling a pointless boasting tale, she doesn't have the time to show that she and her best friends are, well, best friends. Instead she just points this out by saying that they are.
* The first ten or so minutes of ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' is packed with this kind of dialogue on Scarlet's ways with men, her pining for Ashley, her father's dangerous style of horseback riding, her father's Irish heritage...
* In ''Film/TheGreatEscape'' Ives reminds Hilts that the problem in tunnel-making is not only digging but also shoring up with wood and getting the dirt out.
* In the old ''Film/TheGreenHornetSerials'', after shooting an enemy with his signature KnockoutGas gun the titular hero [[OncePerEpisode always]] made a point of reminding anyone who happened to be with him at the time that "he's not dead, just unconscious".
* In ''Film/TheHungerGames'', [[TheFilmOfTheBook the adaptation to film]] removes Katniss' first-person perspective and thus in-universe explanations. The film gets around this by featuring scenes with announcers explaining certain aspects of the games to new viewers. [[JustifiedTrope Justified in that]] every year, there will naturally be new viewers ''somewhere'' in Panem, the arena is different each year, and not everyone will be able to tell on sight that (for example) [[spoiler:the stinging insects are tracker jackers, not just bees or wasps]].
* At the start of ''Film/IndependenceDay'', the SETI worker locating the source of the signal says the distance means that it's coming from the Moon. (As the initials stand for "'''S'''earch for '''E'''xtra-'''T'''errestrial '''I'''ntelligence", they would have all known how far away the Moon is from Earth.)
* Bill in ''Film/KillBill'' bringing up his love for comic books.
* ''Film/AKnightsTale'': After discovering that "Sir Thomas Colville" is actually [[KingIncognito Edward, Prince of Wales]], Chaucer launches into an explanation of his ruthlessness and skill in battle. Wat cuts him off after a few seconds to point out everyone present is well aware of his reputation.
-->'''Wat:''' We're English, Geoff, we know who he is!
* ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' is infamous for this, the result of a clumsy attempt to cram 20 episodes worth of material (totalling 460 minutes, or nearly eight hours) into a two-hour film. Aside from Katara narrating every scene of importance, a lot of characters explain or make references to vague things that would have presumably served as [[ChekhovsGun future plot points]]. This fell flat since [[StillbornFranchise the film did not get a sequel]].
* ''Film/LightsOfNewYork'', being the first [[UsefulNotes/RiseOfTheTalkies talkie]], made sure to have lots and lots of talking. The very first dialogue is an elaborate "As You Know", and it sets just the right mood for the rest of the film.
* ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'' wears this trope on its shoulder from the very first scene, in which several Union soldiers recite to the titular president the Gettysburg Address verbatim.
* ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'': Averted or played straight, depending on how you read the scene. At the beginning of the big card game, the dealer explicitly recites the rules of the game before starting. On one hand, you'd expect people who buy into a £100000 card game to know the rules, but on the other hand, with those stakes, making sure there are no potential misunderstandings concerning the rules before there's money involved is not a bad idea. And, since most of the film's audience will be unfamiliar with three-card brag, they need the rules explained, since the game is just similar enough to poker to make things very confusing otherwise.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' has Gandalf, upon seeing a Palantìr, says to Saruman -- his ''superior'' -- "They are not all accounted for, the lost seeing-stones".
*** Justified in that Saruman is behaving in a way that only someone who Doesn't Know would feel safe in behaving, and has asked a question that only someone who Doesn't Know would need to ask. Gandalf's As You Know is the most polite way he has to say "Because Sauron might be watching us right now, you idiot." If it had been anyone else, Gandalf would have just said ''that''. Meanwhile, Saruman is just engaging in a bit of ObfuscatingStupidity as he leads up to [[FaceHeelTurn some important news]].
** Saruman beats Gandalf at the As You Know game, though, hands down. At another point in the same encounter, there's this summary of things Gandalf knows at least as well as Saruman.
--->'''Saruman:''' Concealed within his fortress, the lord of Mordor sees all. His gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh. You know of what I speak, Gandalf: a great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame.
** There's even a point at which Saruman solemnly tells Gandalf, who's leading the Fellowship toward the mines of Moria, that "you know" what evil lurks beneath them (the Balrog) -- except Saruman is in his tower, hundreds of miles away, talking to himself, so it's really more of an "As I Know":
--->'''Saruman:''' You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dum: shadow and flame.
** In ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]'', Galadriel repeats back to Elrond ''his own prophecies'':
--->'''Galadriel:''' The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand. The quest will claim his life. You know this. You have foreseen it.
* Discussed, then defied in ''Film/TheLostSkeletonReturnsAgain'' as aliens Kro-bar and Lattis explain their part in the previous film and why they've come back to Earth for this film.
-->'''Kro-bar:''' And, as you know, our instruments tell us that they may be in great danger.\\
'''Lattis:''' ... But we waste time explaining things we already know.\\
'''Kro-Bar:''' We waste time acknowledging that we already know these things.\\
'''Lattis:''' You're wasting time even saying that.\\
'''Kro-Bar:''' Very well, Lattis, let us accept that we both waste time and cease this wasting of time!
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' opens at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, where something strange is going on with the [[MacGuffin Tesseract]]. When Hawkeye is asked about it, he explains that the Tesseract's power allows it to act as a door to the other side of space. [[FiveSecondForeshadowing Is Earth expecting any visitors?]]
** Towards the end of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Yondu has a line that in-universe is totally redundant, but helpfully explains to the audience why he [[AlienAbduction abducted]] Peter Quill in the first place, and laying the groundwork for [[Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2 the sequel]]: [[spoiler:he'd been hired to bring Peter to his biological father]].
** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'': Gamora reminds everyone that they have been hired to fight an inter-dimensional monster for the Sovereign. Then the Sovereign admiral tells High Priestess Ayesha that the batteries are highly flammable.
** In the beginning of ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', King T'Chaka explains who Ulysses Klaue is and what he has done to his brother N'Jobu, despite knowing that N'Jobu knows exactly who this criminal is [[spoiler:and that he has collaborated with him to get Wakandan weapons into the outside world]].
** In the first scene to ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'', Hank tells Hope about the day her mother [[NotQuiteDead disappeared]], though admittedly with more detail than he did in ''Film/AntMan1'', and then recaps the climax of the first ''Ant-Man'' movie, hoping to use this scientific breakthrough to find and hopefully rescue Janet.
** ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'': The Supreme Intelligence explains to Vers that the Kree Empire is at war with the shape-shifting Skrulls. Vers herself is a soldier in said war who's lived among the Kree for the past six years.
** In ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', the villain goes on a long exposition to his minions about who they are, why they are all there, and what they're hoping to accomplish. This is done as a celebratory toast, but it still comes off as a little contrived and unnatural exposition.
* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
** In ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'', when the Janjira reactor collapses and starts venting radioactive gas into the structure, Joe feels the need to remind his wife (and, by extension, the audience), that she has to hurry out of there, otherwise she "won't last five minutes, with or without the suits". Never mind that she's one of the (if not ''the'') lead technicians at the plant and is probably more aware of the risks than he is.
** ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'': Sam Coleman starts doing this when expositing what the ORCA is to Mark Russell, and Mark cuts him off:
--->'''Mark Russell:''' I know what the hell it is, I helped build the prototype!
* ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'':
** Done effectively when Shang Tsung taunts Raiden by pointing out the limits to his dominion.
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' ...until we reach the island, where you have no dominion.\\
'''Raiden:''' My dominions are well known to me, sorcerer!
** Done much more clumsily later on as Shang Tsung explains to Goro, who should know the hierarchy of Outworld as well as the backs of his four hands:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Princess Kitana is ten thousand years old! She is the lawful heir to the throne of Outworld!
* In ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress1974'', Hercule Poirot tells Colonel Arbuthnott that in his opinion the late Colonel Armstrong should have been awarded the VC, "which stands, as you may know, for Victoria Cross and is awarded for valor."
* Early in ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', the Professor presides over a meeting of national security types and explains the situation, so that we in the audience can be ahead of Roger Thornhill, who is still clueless at this point. He explains what's going on (that Roger Thorhill's been mistaken for secret agent George Kaplan, that there ''is'' no such person as George Kaplan, and that the real secret agent is someone else entirely) in exacting and repetitive detail -- to an assembly consisting of the only people in the world who already know all this.
* ''Film/ThePhantom1943'': The Tartar's guards explain to each other that the sound they're hearing is an intruder alarm and that their master will shortly send men out to capture the trespassers on his domain -- just as he does every time somebody happens past.
* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'': The two comic relief pirates, watching the main characters duke it out in an epic battle over the MacGuffin, wonder exactly how they got into this situation and briefly recap the whole movie up to that point for the benefit of anyone still watching. For extra points, they couldn't have possibly known everything they recapped.
* In ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice2005'', Mrs Bennet stresses to her daughters that if and when Mr Bennet dies, their daughters will be left without an inheritance and no roof above their heads if they do not marry well. However, Elizabeth exasperatedly groans that it's early in the morning, indicating that Mrs Bennet makes these types of statements frequently.
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' "It's odd, [Evil Right-Hand-Man who was in on the plot], but when I hired Vizzini to have her murdered on our engagement day..." This conversation is made even more awkward by being so close to Inigo's drunken "You told me to go back to the beginning" exposition rant.
* In TheFilmOfTheBook for ''Literature/TheReader'', Michael's daughter asks "Where are we going" while they're on a train. He replies with "I said I'll tell you when we get there."
* ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne'':
** When Parzival visits the Halliday Journals for the first time onscreen, the Curator launches into a prepared speech about their inner workings: what is stored there and where, how events from Halliday's life have been recreated in 3D, etc. This could be justified as information a new visitor would want or need to know - even something the Curator is programmed to tell all guests - but the Curator greets Parzival as a familiar and ''very'' frequent visitor to the archives, [[spoiler:and the Curator is ultimately revealed to not be a program at all, but an avatar of Ogden Morrow, Halliday's one time friend and business partner.]]
** During the VirtualRealityInterrogation of Sorrento, Parzival takes a break from asking questions to check on the rest of the High Five and explain that they've hacked Sorrento's VR gear and trapped him in a near perfect simulation of his office. The people he's explaining this to are busy running the simulation in question.
* In ''Film/RoadToMorocco'', when Jeff and Turkey are thrown in jail, Turkey gives a speech recapping all the events that have led up to this point in the story:
-->'''Turkey''': A fine thing. First, you sell me for two hundred bucks. Then I'm gonna marry the Princess; then you cut in on me. Then we're carried off by a desert sheik. Now, we're gonna have our heads chopped off.
-->'''Jeff''': I know all that.
-->'''Turkey''': [[MediumAwareness Yeah, but the people who came in the middle of the picture don't.]]
-->'''Jeff''': [[ItsAllAboutMe You mean they missed my song?]]
* Parodied and {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', when Colonel Sandurz unnecessarily explains the EvilPlan to Dark Helmet, who turns to the camera and asks, "Everybody got that?" According to Creator/MelBrooks, filmmakers are obliged to provide the audience with a minimum amount of plot. That was it.
* In ''Film/{{Roxanne}}'', this trope is used to explain the inevitable FridgeLogic that comes with transporting Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac into modern times: why doesn't he just get a nose job? In an early scene, CB visits the local plastic surgeon, who must remind him that he's allergic to anaesthetic, and therefore can't get a nose job.
* The 1964 political drama ''Seven Days in May'' includes a scene where the President of the United States explains to his best friend, a United States Senator -- in a speech studded with repetitions of the phrase "you know" -- the concept of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_football nuclear football]].
-->"You know who that gentleman is down there with the black box. There are five of them -- you know that one of them sits outside my bedroom at night? You know what he carries in that box. The codes. The codes by which I, Jordan Lyman, can give the orders sending us into a nuclear war."
* Used painfully in ''Film/SharkAttack3Megalodon'' when two coworkers explain their job to one another, laughing uproariously after every line to inform us that they are jovial people.
* In ''Film/SmilesOfASummerNight'', Fredrik's coworkers quickly summarize the characters' backstories and relationships to each other at the beginning of the film.
* In ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', Batiatus greets Crassus, Glabrus, and their consorts by reeling off their names and personal histories to them (and the audience).
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** In ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'', the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan ambassadors spend several minutes describing each other's backstories and the purpose and history of the planet they're sitting on, which they must already have known, ''while a revolutionary army is taking possession of their city.'' There are a lot of other examples throughout the movie, but this scene is especially ridiculous because the fact that they're occupied explaining things to each other that they already know means they're caught unprepared by the insurgents.
--->'''Website/TheAgonyBooth''': So what are the rules for this Dueling Infodumps game, anyway? Is this like Trivial Pursuit? Do you win pies? Big, indigestible, incompetently baked pies?
** Used in ''Film/{{Star Trek VI|The Undiscovered Country}}'', when Valeris demonstrates that firing an unauthorized phaser aboard ship sets off an alarm. The reason it's particularly painful is that she's demonstrating it for Commander Chekov, the ship's ''Chief of Security'' and the one who probably set the system up in the first place.
** ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': Because the film begins InMediasRes with the crew on an action-filled away mission, Sulu has to tell his co-pilot that the shuttle wasn't designed for the heat of a volcano, Spock has to tell everyone that the volcano will destroy the planet, Uhura has to tell Spock that he might die, Sulu has to tell Spock that the shuttle wasn't designed for this amount of heat, Spock has to tell everyone that his device will detonate when the timer reaches zero, and Sulu and Scotty have to tell Kirk that the ship won't withstand the heat. They should've covered that in the pre-mission briefing, and some dialogue indicates they have.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** ''Film/ANewHope'' has a pretty egregious one when Vader and Tarkin discuss the escape of the Falcon from the Death Star:
--->'''Tarkin:''' You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?
** Count Dooku pulls this in the middle of ''Film/AttackOfTheClones''.
--->'''Obi-Wan:''' Qui-Gon Jinn would never join you.\\
'''Dooku:''' Don't be so sure. You forget... he was once my apprentice just as you were once his.
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie''. Lois Lane to a Native American chief she's interviewing.
-->'''Lois Lane:''' As you know, my newspaper, the Daily Planet, is very interested in that dam, Chief.
* Towards the start of the western spoof ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff'', the town leaders get into this territory as they hash over their dilemma regarding the local bandit clan, for likely the five thousandth time.
* Sort of done in ''Film/TalesFromTheDarksideTheMovie''. In one story, a hitman lectures an elderly billionaire on how addictive the pharmaceutical that made him rich was. The strange thing with this was that, while the billionaire should have known this already, it seems bizarre that the hitman, even having looked into his client's past, would have researched such a trivial and tangential detail.
* ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'':
** In ''[[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen Revenge of the Fallen]]'' Galloway recaps the events of the [[Film/{{Transformers}} first movie]] over a secure video link. Or not so secure, since Soundwave is linked to the satellite and monitoring most broadcasts on Earth. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero He now knows exactly]] where the NEST base and the last Allspark piece is.
** Occurs in ''[[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon Dark of the Moon]]'', when the new intelligence director appears for her first scene and hurriedly informs somebody about all of the important things she is in charge of.
* In ''Film/UnderworldUSA'', Driscoll delivers a long spiel to the members of his team on the operational structure of TheSyndicate. As the consists of {{FBI Agent}}s and federal attorneys who have been investigating organized crime for months (if not years), it would seem that this is information they should already possess.
* ''Film/WarGames'' has an early scene that consists mostly of two senior-level military-industrial-complex types saying things they both must already know since they run the program in question. In the DVD commentary, the screenwriters point out that this is less bad if the characters are getting into an argument (which they were), since arguments are about the only time someone will say things the person he is talking to already knows.
* ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' journalists will explain things to characters who already know them.
** During Adrian Veidt's introduction, a reporter begins the scene by explaining Veidt's past to Adrian himself. Justified, as reporters will often do this in real life to confirm that their information is correct.
** During the press conference scene, another reporter stands up and explains the entire purpose behind the Doomsday Clock to Dr. Manhattan before actually asking the question. Since they're on live television, he's probably just doing it for the sake of the more ignorant members of the audience who are only watching because it's Dr. Manhattan on the telly.
* ''Film/WeddingCrashers''. John surely doesn't need Jeremy to explain exactly what the idea is behind crashing weddings, especially since they've been doing it for years.
* ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'' offers an interesting variation on this trope. Jordan's voiceovers explaining things like how [=IPO=]s work, or why what he's doing is criminal, were not so much intended for the audience, who by 2013 were generally cognizant of these things, but for Creator/MartinScorsese, who wasn't.
* ''Film/TheXFilesFightTheFuture'' had to introduce Mulder and Scully for cinemagoers who hadn't watched the series, so Mulder spills his {{backstory}}/woes to a bartender while Scully falls into this, telling Mulder about the last few years.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** ''Film/TheWolverine'': When Logan sees the old pit where he saved Ichirō, he is about to tell Mariko what had happened there... and [[DefiedTrope she stops him]]; she already knows that story.
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJwFE319Yk Scott's teacher]] begins her lecture with, "As everyone knows, the existence of mutants was first discovered during the Paris Peace Accords after UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar in 1973."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'':
** At the beginning of a scene in Episode 21:
--->'''Yugi:''' Your brother's been kidnapped?\\
'''Mokuba:''' Yes, that is exactly what I just finished telling you.
** Episode 25:
--->'''Tea:''' Now we are at the museum!\\
'''Yami:''' (''annoyed'') I know.
** Episode 42 takes the lampshading to new extremes:
--->'''Mai:''' I can't believe Joey is dueling Marik!\\
'''Yugi:''' Yep, that sure is the current situation.
* An interesting variation appears in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' SelfInsertFic ''Fanfic/MassVexations''. AuthorAvatar Art has already heard all of the exposition in the game prior to experiencing it himself; however, the characters giving the exposition aren't aware of this fact, so to them they're just telling the story of the game as it happens. It's {{lampshade|Hanging}}d the first time it happens, and a few times it cuts away before said exposition can be said. It's played straight later to help him prove that he really is from another dimension.
* The early chapters of ''Hogwarts Exposed'' are full of [[JustForPun (well)]] {{expospeak}} which often takes this form, even using the actual phrase "As You Know" at one point.
* ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'':
** Lampshaded:
--->'''[[SnarkyNonHumanSidekick Jack:]]''' Yeah, and if I recall correctly, that's all the stuff we already knew.
** This is later played straight when Calvin describes [[LethalLavaLand Planet]] [[APlanetNamedZok Zok]]'s living conditions.
* ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'': Lampshaded and justified during Drago's first confrontation with Karasu. Karasu sums up Drago's BackStory [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble from the future]], and when Drago asks why he's discussing what they both already know, Karasu comments that he's just keeping Drago distracted long enough for the heroes to show up and deal with him.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/92428/forever Forever]]'': "Are you ready?" "Are you asking me if I'm ready to leave tomorrow, or are you asking me if I'm ready for this party Colgate's throwing us?" Two As You Know-s in one.
** ''Fanfic/TheDearSweetieBelleContinuity'': "Dear Scootaloo" uses this word for word when Feather Duster points out, to his former weather team coworker Rainbow Dash, the storm cloud production engines [[spoiler:that he plans to overload]].
** Used in ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'', when [[MookLieutenant the Cadet]] begins a report to [[TheDragon General Esteem]] with this exact phrase, and goes on to quickly sum up what happened during the one month TimeSkip. The trope is then lampshaded by the narration, which points out that, yes, Esteem does know all this already.
** This is often parodied in ''WebVideo/MyLittlePonyTotallyLegitRecap'':
*** He says this word-for-word when the Crystal Heart is destroyed in Season 6 Episode 1, but then goes on to explain a concept that no one in the audience could've even ''expected'', especially since the episode had more or less been a straight recap before that.
*** This pretty much turns into a RunningGag in the preceding episodes, either having the characters [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall lean on the fourth wall]] by bringing up the possibility of "having an expository conversation", or by Starlight questioning ''why'' everyone is acting like she doesn't know stuff.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':
** In ''[[Fanfic/LegacyTotalDrama Legacy]]'', Heather invokes this trope when she explains to a fellow show alumnus how she happened to be near enough to the camp to drop by on a whim.
--->'''Heather:''' Muskoka is a major summer colony, you know.
** ''Fanfic/TheLegendOfTotalDramaIsland'' has several examples:
*** Chris invokes the trope during the orientation, when he grants the contestants amnesty to surrender forbidden electronic gadgets.
*** When two contestants are in urgent need of medical attention, Chef Hatchet reminds a couple of interns that the infirmary can only handle one patient at a time.
*** At a certain elimination ceremony, Chris reminds the contestants and the audience that there is no set procedure for breaking tie votes.
* ''Fanfic/QueenOfShadows'': The ritual for the Queen to create new Shadowkhan starts with [[HighPriest Sanshobo]] reciting the [[InfoDump origins of the race]]. Ikazuki [[LampshadeHanging comments to himself]] that they all know this already, as it's one of the first things they learn.
* Played with in ''WebVideo/SailorMoonAbridged'' when Malachite tells one of the monsters that he must again tell her the plan he detailed to her before they went to find the Sailor Scouts, because the viewers didn't hear the plan yet, but flashing back to when he said it earlier might feel too jarring. The monster then tells Malachite that he didn't properly explain the plan before.
* Lampshaded in ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical''.
** Their first scene together features [[spoiler:Quirrell]] doing an {{Expospeak}} of their plan for the audience, to which Voldemort replies "Yesss, no one must know any of that." Whenever [[spoiler:Quirrell]] delivers some bit of exposition to Voldemort, Voldemort replies, "I know, [[spoiler:Quirrel]]! I hear everything you hear!"
** Also:
--->'''Hermione:''' Professor Snape, what exactly is the point of this lecture?\\
'''Snape:''' Oh, just important things that ALL of you should know. (''points to a person in the audience'') Especially YOU!
* Repeatedly averted in the ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' story ''Fanfic/FlamGush''. Lina and Gourry each run into people run their pasts who know the gruesome story. Each time one of them discusses it alone with the old friend, they keep to oblique references and partial explanations for the most part. Justified both to preserve suspense and because Lina and Gourry each have a troubled past that left them traumatized, and thus they don't want to talk about it.
* ''Webcomic/{{Guardian}}'' has Wakka point out that Yuna's father was a summoner. Lulu cuts him off with an angry "'''I know.'''"
* Played with in ''Fanfic/IAmNOTGoingThroughPubertyAgain''. Naruto asks Guy how Lee's training weights work just so everyone else can hear. Naruto already knows, but Guy doesn't know that Naruto knows.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9283538/7/The-Black-Star The Black Star]]'':
-->'''Sirius:''' Harry, there's something I want to talk about. Since the end of your third year we have met in secret so I could train you both magically as well as regarding pureblood culture and everything you need to know to be a lord of your house.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11237394/8/One-Thread-Pulled One Thread Pulled]]'':
-->'''Blaise:''' You know that after Peter Pettigrew stole your blood from the wizarding blood bank Voldemort came back to power last summer.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11995519/9/Harry-Potter-Air-Elemental Harry Potter: Air Elemental]]'':
-->'''Robards:''' As you know, sir, Obliviations can only be overridden and the memories restored by the same caster or by someone who's more powerful magically, a group casting would only cause the patient to go insane as it would essentially shred his mind.
* {{Averted|Trope}} in ''Fanfic/DailyEquestriaLifeWithMonsterGirl''. There are certain fundamental facts about the world of Menajeria (that Celestia and Princess Luna are immortal, that Sun and Moon must be manually raised and lowered and that only the Diarchs can do so, that ponies regulate their weather manually, etc) that are never explained to anyone other than babies, because it's simply not possible to grow up on Menajeria without learning them. It takes a long time before it occurs to anyone that Cerea, who is from another world, doesn't have any of these fundamentals.
* At the start of ''Fanfic/OfBloodAndSteel'', [[Anime/GirlsUndPanzer Riko "Erwin" Matsumoto's]] [[OriginalCharacter mother]] announces that she got a job as a defense contractor in the U.S., and will have to move there, resulting in Erwin protesting. In response, Mrs. Matsumoto then tells Erwin that the family has barely been making ends meet after Erwin's father died two years ago, and they have been in debt ever since, so she can no longer afford Oarai's tuition. Obviously, Erwin has known this non-canon bit of backstory for some time, but the fic had to establish this for the readers.
* ''Fanfic/MemoriesOfDaysLongPast'': Played with; even though she has access to her ancestor's memories, she's frustrated to discover that while Midnight Star knows what things like the Goddess and the Quota are, she doesn't think about them enough for Twilight to find out. This is significant later.
* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheOtherverse'': In the third chapter of "A World Without Heroes", [[Characters/MarvelComicsProfessorX Professor Xavier]] reminds [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mister Fantastic]] that [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]'s soul was rehoused in her clone's body, prompting Reed Richards to retort he is perfectly aware of proceedings he took part in.
-->"I think we are all forgetting that this young woman is not the same Kara Zor-El that died at the hands of the Anti-monitor." Xavier continued. "It is, rather, the clone of that young woman merged with the spirit of that woman."\\
"I think we are all well aware of that, Prof." Reed said, somewhat stiffly. It was his and Dr. Strange's efforts that had accomplished that merger in the first place.
* ''Fanfic/TheGreatAlicornHunt:'' In Chapter 42, Cotton Mouth reminds the lich Malifec that he cannot enter the Counterbalance, which Malifec already knows perfectly well. Of course, Cotton Mouth is actually speaking for the benefit of the two escaped fillies hiding in the Counterbalance, who ''don't'' know that. That, and getting in a jab at Malifec by reminding him of the limits of his lichly existence.
* In Chapter 45 of ''Fanfic/BlazBlueAlternativeRemnant'', this is lampshaded by Glynda when Relius opens his speech with "Now, as you all know..." and proceeds to exposit about things that are common knowledge among Atlas elite. As she puts it, Relius loves to hear himself talk.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* This was literally a mandate at Creator/MarvelComics from the late 1970s onward. Then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter wanted writers to write "as if every issue is someone's first." Thus, scores of comics would have characters recapping events from the previous issues to someone who was right there when it all happened. Even after Shooter was fired, several writers continued this trend. This would ease up in the late-90s with Marvel simply printing "Previously on..." recaps.
* Lampshaded in one ''Franchise/XMen'' issue:
-->'''Cyclops:''' This isn't good, Emma. Warren isn't answering and I can't even tell if my calls are going through.\\
'''Emma Frost:''' You needn't narrate, dearest. I'm sitting right here.
* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'':
** Lampshaded (via emphasis) and subverted: Beast begins an As You Know introduction of Hansel to Prince Charming, but Charming protests he really has no idea who Hansel is.
** Since ''Fables'' primarily focuses on a small community, the members of whom have lived together for centuries, early issues in particular are prone to this trope, as the author tries to catch the reader up without benefit of a NaiveNewcomer. This gets lampshaded in the very first issue; Bigby Wolf is talking to Snow White about Rose Red, and refers to her as "your sister, Rose Red" and Snow promptly tells him that she ''does'' in fact know who her sister is.
* Lampshaded in ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'' with General Glory, an old [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicbooks Golden Age]] superhero. The Leaguers are all shocked by his "comic booky" dialogue and wonder aloud how he can possibly cram so much pointless exposition into his sentences.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': The comic-book adaptation of ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' features Lando Calrissian telling Chewbacca about the adventures they just had off-screen (on-screen in the novels). For all we know, Chewbacca is reprimanding him for being Mr. Exposition; [[TheUnintelligible we'll never know.]]
* In ''ComicBook/BlazeOfGlory'', Clay Harder spends a panel talking about his past lives as Matt Hawk and the Two-Gun Kid, and how he buried them both so he could live a normal life. This is for the reader's sake, as Marcel is quick to point out he was there when it happened.
* ''ComicBook/SensationalSheHulk'':
** Mocked in issue #3. Louise, who had been the 1940s heroine the Blonde Phantom is the only other person besides [[ComicBook/SheHulk Jennifer]] who grasps she's in a comic book and talks to the readers. Before her secret is revealed, she goes to District Attorney Tower to hand some papers over.
--->'''Tower''': But...these are just about Stilt-Man's recent escape? You showed these to me this morning.\\
'''Louise''': Yes, but the readers weren't here for that. It's {{foreshadowing}} for the next issue. Have a nice night!\\
''(walks off as Tower just stares in utter confusion)''
** Mocked again in issue #35 when She-Hulk complains about the Black Talon doing a repeat of the expository speech he made in the previous issue. For context, the Black Talon has resurrected four previously dead X-Men:
--->'''She-Hulk:''' I mean, I know it's good to do a recap so new readers can catch up, but it sure makes for choppy reading when these stories get put together in a trade paperback.
** In the same issue as the above, two aliens from Dimension Z are discussing how their people are in need of atomic power and the various ways in which they have tried to obtain it. One of the aliens points out how the other is just repeating information that they already know.
* Used all the time in ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'' comics, usually clumsily as anything; the picture at the top of the page shows a rare lampshading from Creator/DonRosa's ''The Last Lord of Eldorado''.
* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' largely avoids this, but some examples still stands out:
** One is the story of Madcoil told around a campfire, which allows the main character's love interest to find out about his {{backstory}} (through eavesdropping). It's told because of tradition, and because the children present haven't heard it yet.
** A ''far'' more jarring example is found in the ''Discovery'' books (written by the same original author, but a good three decades later) in which the characters... well, talk like [[http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics/DISC/DisplayDISC.html?page=14 this]].
** Another jarring example occurs in the first issue of ''Siege at Blue Mountain'', the second print series which began after a 2-year hiatus. In lieu of a synopsis, the Wolfriders explain the whys and wherefores of the story so far to each other, ostensibly as part of their decision-making process. Later series got a lot better at integrating the {{backstory}} into the dialogue.
* In an early ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Season 8 comic, Willow is visiting Buffy and Xander, and asks about their love life. Xander replies jokingly that all women desire him, a statement which Willow appears to take seriously, as she gratuitously adds that she herself had once been attracted to him. Given that the only people in the room were both there at the time of Willow's infatuation (in Seasons 1-3), the only reason for this line to be included was to remind the audience that Willow wasn't always a lesbian.
* ''ComicBook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'' frequently uses this as a simple ploy to avoid having to show them travelling: one panel in an early comic has Sam saying "We're off to the Philippines!" In the next panel they're standing in front of a bunch of weird buildings:
-->'''Sam:''' Well, here we are in the Philippines.\\
'''Max:''' [[WhoWritesThisCrap Drawn without reference material, apparently.]]
* The first issue of ''ComicBook/MegaManArchieComics'' is especially guilty of this, having Light explain to [[ObviouslyEvil Wily]] that he lost his credentials years ago, and to Mega Man and Roll about their origins.
* Turned into a RunningGag by ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': As it is stated in every book (and, in many editions, explained on the presentation page), Obelix isn't allowed any of Getafix's magic potion because he fell into a cauldron full of the stuff when he was little. Obelix himself remarks in one story "We'll never hear the end of it!" A few times they skip the story, with Obelix grumbling "Of course, I don't get any because [-grumble grumble-]..."
* In ''ComicBook/DeadpoolWadeWilsonsWar'', ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} explains the context of a military operation, and the senator cuts him off, saying that he knows. The brilliance is that every time, what Deadpool explained is true in the real world (America's implication in Soviet/Afghan war...), but readers may not know this stuff as a senator does.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' comic "The Forgotten", Turlough goes to the effort of explaining the rules of cricket to Tegan, who already knows them since she's Australian.
* ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons'':
** One comic has Bart telling Lisa what had happened as exposition for the reader. When Lisa asks why he's telling her what she already knows, Bart says he's filling in the readers, which confuses Lisa until he further explains [[FourthWallPsych he's filling in their new neighbors, whose last name is Reader, on the situation]].
** Spoofed, in another instance, when a Radioactive Man villain stops going over her plan, and announces "I have a sudden, irrelevant desire to recount my origin!" Cue her henchmen groaning and complaining about how she did this at breakfast.
** And earlier than that, in another ''Radioactive Man'' story, a creature is expositing his plans, only to stop and angrily announce "Why am I doing this? I ''know'' what my plan is!"
* It's something of a RunningGag in the fandom of Fleetway's ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' that, whenever [[PhlebotinumRebel Shortfuse the Cybernik]] shows up, he'll reiterate his origin as a once-normal squirrel who was [[UnwillingRoboticisation unwillingly converted]] into his current form by [[BigBad Dr. Robotnik]], against whom he has sworn vengeance.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** Done in [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] comic books. Sometimes the villains would explain their plan to each other after they had carried it out. As often as not, the heroes would overhear this conversation and swoop down to capture them, having had no clue prior to this what had been going on.
** In ''ComicBook/KryptonNoMore'', Protector spends one whole page explaining to his partner Radion how Radion gained powers, how his powers work and how they first met.
--->'''Protector:''' I know how you found yourself alive after the explosion which destroyed all your co-workers... I know how you climbed from the rubble... and found your body altered!
** ''ComicBook/TheUntoldStoryOfArgoCity'': Zor-El's explanation of the Zygor's origins to his daughter starts with the history of Argo City, which he knows ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} obviously knows:
--->'''Zor-El:''' As you know, when our native planet, Krypton, exploded, a large chunk of it, containing Argo City, was hurled away.
** In ''ComicBook/TheStrangeRevengeOfLenaLuthor'', Lena and Lex have an argument where the former retells the lab accident which granted her powers, which she knows Lex is aware of, since he was present. It works as a recap for readers who had not read ''ComicBook/TheGirlWithTheXRayMind'', which was a twenty-year-old story by that point.
* ''ComicBook/StarTrekUntoldVoyages'':
** In "Worlds Collide", Spock finds it necessary to remind Saavik of her life story, how they met and everything that has happened to her in the meantime.
** In "Past Imperfect", Admiral Kirk, Spock and Dr. [=McCoy=] remind each other of everything that happened to them on Miri's planet in "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E8Miri Miri]]".
* Issue 20 of the ''ComicBook/InvaderZimOni'' comics opens with Zim expositing on his newest plan, much to the confusion of the Computer.
-->'''Computer''': [[LampshadeHanging I know all this already. Who are you saying this again for?]]
* In the Evoluzione comic ''Ma'Ari'', two adults who've supposedly been friends since childhood [[AuthorTract remind each other of their sexuality]]:
-->'''Janaan:''' As if you'd ever have a reason to be naked in my room.\\
'''Simone:''' You don't need to remind me, my dear asexual friend!
* ''ComicBook/{{Vigilante}}'': J.J. Davis likes to explain things to Theresa that she is already well aware of, but which the audience does not know.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMenII'': Following the remains of a giant robot, [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] and [[Characters/UltimateSpiderManMilesMorales Miles Morales]] arrive at the location where, in the [[ComicBook/SpiderMen first miniseries]], there was a portal between the Franchise/MarvelUniverse and the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe... a universe that ceased to exist in ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015''. Peter provides the full exposition about the significance of the place.
* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy:''
** The first issue of vol. 1 has Starhawk standing there explaining the team's history to Martinex. All thirty years of it. Then Marty points out he ''knows'' this, because he was there for all of it. In fairness, this was the 90s, so Stakar's explaining for readers who might not have known, and wouldn't necessarily have access to means of checking (especially when the Guardians' story was spread across a lot of titles over those thirty years).
** In Vol 2., Moondragon cuts off the Matriarch of the Universal Church of Truth mid-sentence to state she ''knows'' what the woman's talking about, and then recaps in full detail what she's doing (namely, kidnapping Moondragon because she's got an EldritchAbomination in her the Church want to worship).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/Berserk2016'': In episode 2, when Farnese is interrogating Guts, she basically recaps the history of the Band of the Hawk to him, who knows it better than anyone because he's one of the only people who survived their destruction. The [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Watsonian]] reason is that she wants to emphasize that she already knows everything about him and that he'll only drag out the inevitable by refusing to confess to his "crimes", but the [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Doylist]] reason is to get viewers who haven't seen the Golden Age adaptations caught up on the backstory.
* '80s anime series ''Anime/TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'' employed this trope regularly. This was mostly because, unlike many other '80s cartoons, it featured an on-going storyline that frequently built upon events from previous episodes. Children couldn't be expected to watch a show that patiently, so cue many long conversations with characters telling each other "Yes, you may remember the golden condor we discovered underneath the Inca ruins," etc., etc. This trope is only present in the English version, however; in the original French (the show is a France/Japan co-production and the writing team was French) characters never use this trope. At best it's them applying what they previously learned to new situations (if X was solar powered, then Y must also be!).
* The anime version of ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'' tends to occasionally fall back on this.
* [[TheSyndicate Team Aqua and Team Magma]] meet for the first time onscreen in ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Advanced]]'', and not only speak in an As You Know, but also make an {{Introdump}} at the start of that dialog.
* Early chapters of the ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' manga have Lucia constantly being reminded she's a princess, a mermaid, forbidden to date humans, can't go into water in public, and various things she already knows. Then again, she's always been a bit headstrong about these limitations anyway. The anime got rid of this by tacking on a prologue on every episode explaining the whole situation.
* ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'':
** Hit hard by ''Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone'', during the scene in which Ritsuko explains the specifics of Operation Yashima to Misato, the ''person who came up with the plan in the first place''. The dub tries to fix this by turning it into a LetMeGetThisStraight. It helps... a bit.
** Mari in 2.22 frequently gives exposition... ''to herself''.
* In episode 112 of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Urahara and Isshin Kurosaki have an extended conversation telling each other things they both already know about the two new sets of bad guys on the plot horizon, for the benefit of both the audience and some other characters standing off to the side. What is most inexplicable is that they don't just tell the other characters instead of talking to each other, which would have made the scene make sense!
* Used rather neatly in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' with the explanation that the main character is an idiot who never paid attention in school. Things frequently have to be explained to him several times in gradually simpler terms. This is usually done during training segments, so it has a natural feel to it. Sasuke, on the other hand, is improbably ignorant given his backstory. Plenty of other characters among the rookies are clueless about things they absolutely should know as well, especially the members of team "[=InoShikaCho=]," whose fathers have been grooming them as heirs.
* ''Anime/KiddyGrade'' uses this trope right off the bat in the first episode to set up the show's premise.
* In Episode 14 of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', Fate quizzes her adopted children Erio and Caro on history as a way of providing the viewer with exposition on the origins of the TSAB.
* In the first chapter ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'', Sakura and Shaolan tell each other how they first met and for how long they've been friends, obviously to fill in the reader on their backstory. In this case, they are simply revelling in memories.
* This way of recapping is constantly and irritatingly used in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' manga. A commander telling his fellow warriors about the great battle in which they all participated...
* There's a strange example from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. After the first arc, Touma [[spoiler:has had his memory erased]], so whenever someone like Stiyl starts talking about something that happened then, Touma is more or less completely in the dark, even though it's something he ''should'' know. It'd be a fine example of As You Know if he actually ''did'' know.
* In the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise, every time an effect is activated, the player has to explain exactly what it does -- sometimes more than once for the same card in the same duel in the same episode. [[TruthInTelevision Either this is because most players do this in real life, or it caused most players to do this in real life]]. The Chicken or the Egg? Strictly speaking, this is actually a rule of the game. Made no less funny when Kaiba lampshaded it as unnecessary in The Movie, [[HypocriticalHumor then explained it anyway]].
** This is also justified by the fact that card effects suddenly change to reflect their OCG counterparts, and the same card in the same series has two different effects depending on the era it is played. Then there are cards like "Makiu, the Mystical Mist" which changes its effect every time it is played.
** In the third episode of the [[Anime/YuGiOh second anime]], Yugi and Jonouchi revel in memories of how they became friends. Since the anime skipped almost everything of the first ''seven'' volumes, it is the only way to explain what happened in chapter 1.
* In the first two episodes of ''Anime/SailorMoon S'', the Professor retells his plan to Kaolinite for the audience's benefit, even though she, as his second-in-command, should already know it in the first episode and definitely knows by the second.
* ''Manga/SoulEater:'' The main objective of the protagonists (collect 99 evil souls and then a witch's to make your weapon into a Deathscythe) is revealed to us in this manner by [[TheGrimReaper Death himself]] in the first episode... except, the main characters had already exposited about it as they got the 99th soul, earlier in the episode. Death even goes as far as actually saying the words "As you know" in his explanation. It's very odd since the earlier scene would have precluded the need for this.
* ''Anime/IGPXImmortalGrandPrix'' does this at the end of episode one. As Team Satomi prepares to race Team Sledgemamma in the first race of the IGPX-1, equivalent to the major league, the announcer Benjamin Bright explains the rules of IGPX to thousands of fans, and the racers. In the English dub, he actually says, "Let's recap the rules of the IGPX for those two or three of you who don't know."
* ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'': At the start of episode 1, Luluco manages to remind Keiji of everything he already knows but the audience doesn't, in response to him praising her for turning out so normal growing up in an abnormal environment:
-->'''Luluco:''' You're part of the Space Patrol that upholds Ogikubo's law and order, and hardly get any time off. Mom left home after a fight and took all the furniture with her, so now we live in this run-down apartment. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, we're super normal alright]]."
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** When Lucy meets Natsu and Happy for the first time, she goes into detail explaining to them what guilds are and that she wants to join the most popular guild around (the eponymous Fairy Tail guild), and then laughs it all off as something the two wouldn't be interested in. She doesn't realize until later that the two are ''from'' the guild she's trying to join. Granted, Lucy doesn't refer to Fairy Tail by name in her description, and Natsu and Happy really don't seem very interested in what she has to say, but considering how ''everyone'' in the series seems to know what guilds are (in fact, there probably isn't a character in the series who ''hasn't'' heard of Fairy Tail) it's all the more obvious that she's explaining it to the audience. This comes off a touch better in retrospect once Lucy's educated but sheltered backstory is known, as at the time she probably ''wouldn't'' know just what the average citizen knows and has reason to expect there are a lot of topics she'd know more about (this just isn't one of them). And while the city they're in does get wizard traffic, the plot implies it's well off the beaten path for guild members.
** Master Hades has one later on, explaining the nature of the wizards in his guild -- to nobody but himself.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Invoked during Impel Down when Bon Clay, in the disguise of the vice-warden Hannyabal, wants to know more about the phenomenon "demoning away" that has apparently taken away his great hero Ivankov. He asks a jailer to explain it, and when the jailer confusedly says that Hannyabal already knows, Bon Clay asks him to tell it again since it is "such a great story". Fortunately, the real Hannyabal is [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} weird like that]], so the jailer doesn't get suspicious.
** Lampshaded and Played for Laughs. As Rayleigh limited Luffy's access to the outside world during his two years of training, Luffy, and, by extension, us, missed out on several major events in ''One Piece'' universe. Notable events are [[spoiler:the fall of every island in Whitebeard's territory, the battle between Akainu and Aokiji that resulted in Aokiji's resignation and Akainu's promotion to Fleet Admiral, the rise of Luffy and the other Supernovas' bounties, Sengoku and Garp's resignation, Law and Buggy as the new Warlords of the Sea, the new danger to the Devil Fruit users, Blackbeard's usurping of Whitebeard's Four Emperors seat, his crew's rise to power, the moves of the Revolutionaries, and most notably ''how exactly'' [[CurbStompBattle Blackbeard usurped the above mentioned seat]]]]. But, these above events changed the power of the world so much, that these are household talks. Quoth Usopp:
--->'''Usopp:''' ''[to Luffy]'' This was huge news!! Where were you eh, hiding under a rock???
** And happens once again during the ''Wano Country Arc'' while during the Act 2 Interlude, '''major plot points and the Yonkou's as well as Gol D. Roger's bounties''' were casually revealed by Sengoku in a history lesson to the Marines to make the point of [[spoiler:how dangerous a pirate alliance between Big Mom and Kaido would be]]. But it helps that Sengoku also reveals information that is kept secret from the general public and the newer generations of Marines, like that three of the original Yonkou used to [[spoiler:sail under the flag of Rocks D. Xebec]] and that Roger and Garp [[spoiler:teamed up to defeat the Rocks Pirates]].
** At the beginning of the flashback telling the story of Kozuki Oden, a servant reports to Kozuki Sukiyaki about the exploits and accomplishments Sukiyaki's own son Oden has achieved in his 18 years. Sukiyaki already knows all of this and is visibly bored, whereas the servant is telling the life story in such a hammy and thrilled passion that it's clear that he's a massive fanboy of Oden. He even begins the report with "I suspect you probably know".
* ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie'', Robotnik begins his exposition by stating that the world the story takes place in is split in two- the outer half called the Land of the Sky, and the inner half called the Land of Darkness. At the Land of the Sky part, Sonic says, "Tell us something we DON'T know." and Robotnik snarls, "Shut up! Heed me!"
* In ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'', the villains Scanty and Kneesocks often explain their plans to each other, saying they both already know but like to hear themselves talk.
* The BigBad of the 2003 ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' reveals her backstory by explaining it to literally the only other person in the world who already knows. You'd think it would have been easy to avoid that.
* Played straight in ''Anime/SwordArtOnline'', where veteran MMORPG players feel a need to explain things among themselves from the major gameplay elements to the very basic ones such as [[CaptainObvious "use potions to heal HP."]] Granted, it's {{justified|Trope}} sometimes if they're talking to newbie players who are still getting a handle on the mechanics (and the fact said mechanics are now [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame literally life and death]] means an occasional refresher isn't too out there), but it doesn't help when they're doing it between each other.
* Lampshaded in the first episode of ''LightNovel/MyriadColorsPhantomWorld'' when Haruhiko describes [[{{Youkai}} Phantoms]] to Izumi, noting, "It's common knowledge, but I'll explain anyway."
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Mostly averted since the 104th Trainee Corps would logically have explained things to them for the first time during training and at the start of service in their branch. At one point, though, the DrillSergeantNasty yells at Connie for screwing up the salute ("I've already explained to you that the salute represents..."). Going by what it represents (see StrangeSalute), he likely [[TheDitz thought his heart was on the right side of his chest]].
** Just after the TimeSkip, Gabi reminds Falco about the war they've been fighting in for the past four years, as well as the operation they're conducting to win that war, because she notices he may have suffered a concussion and might not remember any of those details.
* In the first episode of the third season of ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'', one of the BridgeBunnies is seen explaining to his co-worker everything that happened to the organization they work for in the 3 months TimeSkip after the episode's opening scene.
* An amusing example of a JustifiedTrope in ''Anime/TurnAGundam''. When {{Identical Stranger}}s Queen Dianna and Kihel Heim get trapped in their TwinSwitch, they use this kind of conversation to brief each other on what they're supposed to know and how they should act.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
** The series has frequent recaps in the manga due to the chapter format and original magazine publication. While it's both an established convention for mysteries and believable for a detective at ''some'' point to sketch out the case, suspects and evidence, at times this ends up happening multiple times to an identical audience in a remarkably short period of in-universe time. And as in this series the detective doing the recap is rarely a major factor in the investigation s/he may not even know about developments in the case and have anything new to say, or be audibly working anything out.
** Men in Black at times do the same thing (explain their plans and situational knowledge to each other) when they show up, usually about things they've long since communicated with each other previously and more securely. While going over the plan isn't unreasonable, especially as "the plan" often involves somebody being killed, at times this also gets suspiciously repetitive. Sometimes even those end up as plausible, because their ''modus operandi'' includes constantly testing to see if somebody's aware of their existence or the details of their discussions.
* The recap at the start of the ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' anime's second season is framed as a letter to one of All Might's mentors, Gran Torino, but includes details about the mechanics of All Might's quirk, One For All, that are both closely guarded secrets and information Gran Torino is already well aware of.
** The season three opener as well, with a scene where two of the adults summarize the powers of every kid in Class 1-A.
** The beginning of the [[TournamentArc Sports Festival Arc]] also has Aizawa telling the class how the festival is a nationally-televised event more popular than the Olympics, which you'd think that they would already know.
** In the aftermath of Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida's fight with Stain, the police chief tells the three about the law against unauthorized uses of Quirks to fight crime, pointing out that they ''should'' already know this -- all so he can emphasize his displeasure that they used their Quirks to fight a villain anyway.
** When Tsukauchi and Gran Torino bring Aizawa and Present Mic in to see the captured Kurogiri, they begin by explaining that Nomu are bio-engineered humans with multiple Quirks, something that Tsukauchi mentions that they already know, but insists on providing the background to prepare them for the real point; [[spoiler:Kurogiri's Warp quirk was created with Aizawa and Present Mic's old friend Shirakumo's Quirk]].
* Amusingly subverted in ''Anime/CaroleAndTuesday''. Tao tells Angela that 99% of the world's pop music is now generated by [=AIs=], then remarks that she probably already knew that. Angela replies that she actually had no idea.
* Justified in ''Manga/MonsterMusume''. Miss Smith drops by in the first chapter to make sure that Kimihito knows the rules for the Interspecies Exchange Act and is following them because he's only been a host for Miia for a couple of days. And because she couldn't remember if she'd actually told them to him first. (And because it gets her free coffee in a place not containing her paperwork.)
* In ''Manga/MuhyoAndRoji'', during a flashback, Rio goes to Executor Elena to beg for the latter's help in saving Rio's mother from a ghost. In the anime, Rio apparently feels the need to remind Elena, an elite magical law practitioner, that artificers like Rio don't have the power to defeat spirits. To make matters worse, the fact that Rio can't use magical tools had already been explained to the viewer and become relevant in the previous episode, when [[spoiler:her [[CoverBlowingSuperpower using a magical tool to save Biko]] revealed that Rio was a forbidden magical law user(the flashback showed why Rio turned to forbidden magical law and joined Enchu)]].
* In ''Anime/{{Charlotte}}'', after Yuu's little sister Ayumi mentions having feeling that there used to be an additional member of the family- [[spoiler:who turns out to be their older brother]]- Yuu reminds her that they've been living on their own since their mother abandoned them, with their uncle supporting them but not living with them.
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Kayneth's fiancee Sola-Ui reminds him of the special trick he played when making a contract with Lancer- unlike other Master-Servant pacts, Sola-Ui provides Lancer with mana while Kayneth gets the Command Seals, so Kayneth can use his mana on his own spells- a secret only the two of them know. She does this as a way of chiding him for hiding during Lancer's first battle.
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