History Main / CuttingBackToReality

** The finale: [[spoiler:Upon making it to Konrad's lair at the top of the Burj Khalifa, Walker finds Konrad's desiccated corpse and finally realizes that the man killed himself long before Walker ever set foot in Dubai: everything seen and heard of him up until now was just Walker's hallucinatory efforts to [[NeverMyFault deflect blame onto a convenient villain]]. The imaginary Konrad remarks, "it takes a strong man to deny what's in front of him", -- and then with a flash of light, the perspective shifts to reveal that Walker is alone in the penthouse, silently mouthing along with Konrad's lines.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': [[Recap/OKKOLetsBeHeroesS1E1LetsBeHeroes The first episode]] has KO facing off against Darrell for the first time, with him defeating the later in a spectacular fashion. A cut [[SuccessHallucinations reveals this all to have been a dream]], as KO got knocked out from his fire gauntlets going on in his face when blocking Darrell's punch, tripped over his own cape, and got electrocuted from accidentally sitting on his lightning nachos. KO is very embarrassed when told about it.

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[[quoteright:338:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/calvin_back_to_reality_3.png]]]]

Supertrope to CrashingDreams, when this happens to dreams specifically.

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/{{Akira}}'':
** Tetsuo begins to hallucinate not long after [[EscapedFromTheLab escaping from the lab]] for the first time: first, he sees the ground beneath him beginning to crack open, sending him tumbling into the chasm below - only for a cut to reveal that the ground is still intact, and he was just falling forward onto his hands and knees. ''Then'' Tetsuo's guts appear to spill out of his torso, much to his horror; another cut reveals that he's completely unharmed and frantically trying to scoop up internal organs that exist only in his mind.
** During Tetsuo's second stay at the lab, he is suddenly attacked by a trio of giant toys, and his attempts to escape his room result in the walls turning to Lego and the floor turning to milk under his feet. With nowhere to run to, he backs up, trips over his fallen glass of water - and when he hits the ground in the next cut, the room is suddenly back to normal. Turns out that the whole thing was just a psychic illusion created by [[PsychicChildren Kiyoko, Takashi and Masaru]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'': In one scene Terk, Tantor, and the other gorillas have a musical number, but when Jane and Tarzan arrive all they see and hear is animals trashing the camp site.

* In ''Film/ABeautifulMind,'' it's revealed about halfway through the film that John Nash is [[spoiler: suffering from schizophrenia]], but it takes a while for him to accept it, and a [[NoMedicationForMe relapse]] causes him to briefly abandon the truth. This results in a very tense scene where John's "handler" orders him to stop Alicia from calling the hospital; we then cut to Alicia's perspective as she turns to see what John is looking at - only to find there's nothing there. From then on, it becomes common to cut between John's perceptions and what is actually happening.

* ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' [[spoiler: ends with Sam being rescued from the Department of Information Retrieval by Harry, escaping from the bureaucracy-ridden dystopia and his own demons, then finally achieving a happy life with the girl of his dreams... and then [[TortureTechnician Jack Lint]] and [[PointyHairedBoss Mr Helpman]] loom into shot for no apparent reason. Cut back to reality: Sam is still in the torture chair at Information Retrieval, [[DownerEnding having been completely broken by his ordeal and retreated permanently into his]] HappyPlace.]]

* ''Film/EventHorizon'' features the main characters slipping progressively deeper into hallucinations as they spend more time aboard the eponymous GhostShip, until Dr Weir suddenly finds himself at home, witnessing his wife Claire [[BathSuicide committing suicide]]. As Weir collapses to the floor in grief, "[[MouthOfSauron Claire]]" climbs out of the bath, explaining that she has such wonderful things to show him... and then [[spoiler: gouges his eyes out with her fingers.]] Cut back to reality, where Weir is still kneeling on the floor of the core chamber, screaming as he [[spoiler: gouges his ''own'' eyes out.]]
* Late in ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies,'' a gold-crazed Thorin finally begins to experience a HeelRealization as he walks across the golden floor of his new fortress and begins hallucinating out of guilt. Initially only seeing Smaug's [[SinisterSilhouettes ominous shadow]] under the gold, he soon finds the golden floor collapsing under his feet as if still molten, [[RuleOfSymbolism forming a whirlpool that slowly swallows him despite his best efforts to claw his way to the top]]... and then we cut back to Thorin standing on the surface, unharmed but deeply shaken.

* ''Film/RequiemForADream'' features Sarah Goldfarb [[SanitySlippage descending into amphetamine psychosis]] as a result of her addiction to "diet pills", resulting in a sequence where characters from the TV show she was watching appear in her living room and her fridge tries to eat her. Sarah naturally flees the building in terror... but a cut back to her apartment reveals that everything appears perfectly normal, and the TV was tuned to a test pattern all along.

* In the finale of ''Film/ShutterIsland'', Teddy Daniels manages to get his hands on [[ChekhovsGun the firearm that was confiscated from him at the start of the film]] and hold Dr Cawley and Dr Sheehan at gunpoint. Cawley makes it clear that shooting them is the only way Daniels is going to get off the island, so Daniels shoots him four times in the chest, splattering the board behind him in blood, then turns the gun in Sheehan's direction... and then we cut back to Cawley, who is completely unharmed. [[spoiler: The gun is a toy and always has been: Daniels is actually a patient at the hospital - specifically the mysterious Andrew Laeddis that "Daniels" has been pursuing - and wouldn't be trusted with a real firearm even in the roleplay scenario that's been established for him.]]

* During Renton's [[GoingColdTurkey big withdrawal scene]] in ''Film/{{Trainspotting}}'', he frequently hallucinates people sitting on or around his bed who immediately vanish in the next cut. In one instance, while hiding his head under the covers he finds [[AxCrazy Begbie]] [[BedmateReveal lying next to him]], threatening to kick the heroin out of him if it's still there when he comes back; terrified, Renton crawls out from under the covers in an attempt to escape - only to find that the bed is empty and he's once again alone.

* Late in ''Film/TheWitch'', Katherine finds herself confronted by Caleb and baby Samuel, [[spoiler: both of whom are dead in reality.]] After a very unsettling conversation, Katherine decides to nurse Samuel; one scene later, we cut back to reveal that the "baby" is actually [[spoiler: a crow pecking at her bare breast. For good measure, she has blood on her dress the next morning, indicating this part was real.]] It's not made clear if what she saw was an illusion created by the Witch or a hallucination brought on by stress, but either way, Katherine responds to it with [[LaughingMad delirious laughter]].

** In Chapter IV, [[BrokenBird Harper]] retreats into her drug-fueled fantasies after finding out that her husband doesn't really love her, descending to an illusory Antarctica with the help of the travel agent Mr Lies. This eventually results in her apparently cutting down a spruce tree - though Mr Lies [[LampshadeHanging points out that there aren't any trees in Antarctica]] - and using it to light a fire for warmth. Harper then notices red and blue lights in the distance and turns around... only for a cut to reveal that she's actually in Central Park. As it turns out, Mr Lies is actually a very bemused homeless man, and the spruce tree was stolen from the nearby arboretum, hence why the police have been called.

** Jesse's first scene in "[[Recap/BreakingBadS5E16Felina Felina]]" features him daydreaming of carpentry, putting the finishing touches on a beautifully handcrafted box. Satisfied with his work, he steps away from the bench with the box still in hand - and then we cut back to reality with a loud ''clank.'' [[spoiler: He's still chained to the ceiling in Jack Welker's meth lab, [[BeardOfSorrow bearded]], [[PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars scarred]] and [[BreakTheCutie traumatized for life]]; the "box" is actually the latest ingredient of the meth that the neo-Nazis are forcing him to cook.]]

** The episode "[[Recap/HannibalS01E05 Coquilles]]", concludes with [[MonsterOfTheWeek the Angelmaker]] found dead at his own hand, strung up and given the [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Blood Eagle]] treatment. However, after being left alone with the corpse for a moment, Will Graham is suddenly started to discover that the Angelmaker has climbed down from his perch and is approaching him. For a few seconds, we have every indication that the killer is somehow still alive, even cutting to a shot of Will from his perspective, WreathedInFlames... and then another cut reveals that Will is alone and the Angelmaker is still hanging from the roof - one of the earliest indications that [[SanitySlippage Will's mind is starting to suffer as a result of his work]].
** In "[[Recap/HannibalS01E10 Buffet Froid]]", troubled killer Georgia Madchen happens to walk in on Hannibal Lecter just as he's [[FacialHorror tearing Dr Sutcliffe's skull open]]. However, Georgia suffers from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia prosopagnosia/face blindness]] and cannot recognize faces, so when Hannibal turns to look at her, she perceives him as TheBlank. Just as quickly, we cut back to reality to observe Hannibal's face as he hands her a pair of scissors to frame her for the crime.
** Another Will Graham moment: in "[[Recap/HannibalS01E11 Roti]]", a feverish and delusional Will manages to capture a man he believes is deceased serial killer Garret Jacob Hobbes; however, cuts confirm that the man is actually [[MadDoctor Dr Abel Gideon]], another psychopath. In a state of some confusion, Will takes him to Hannibal's house and begs Hannibal to identify the man... but [[{{Gaslighting}} Hannibal is actually able to convince him that he arrived at the house alone]]. Consequently, Will's perspective shows that Gideon's chair is empty, while cuts back to reality reveal that Gideon is most definitely still present and rather confused.
* ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse2018'' features three notable instances of this in the episode "The Bent-Neck Lady": here, Nell returns to the house and is quickly [[LotusEaterMachine ensnared by an illusion of the house in its heyday]], eventually being lured into a dance with a ghostly simulacra of her husband... and then the camera cuts away to reveal that Nell is dancing alone through the ruined house. Shortly afterwards, Nell is invited upstairs to a tea party by Olivia, and is finally given the locket she was promised so long ago. Suddenly, Nell looks down, [[OhCrap realizing that something is wrong]]: cut back to reality [[spoiler: where it turns out that Nell is on the wrong side of the staircase railing, poised to fall - and the locket is actually a noose around her neck. Ignoring her daughter's pleas, Olivia pushes her off the edge and out of the illusion; in the next cut, Nell [[SickeningCrunch jolts to a stop]] in the real world.]]

** Early in the pilot episode, Jessica suffers [[PastExperienceNightmare numerous flashbacks]] to her time spent with Kilgrave, all of which are at first framed as if real: in one, she's spying on Luke Cage from a fire escape when the camera slowly begins to zoom in on her face and Kilgrave appears next to her, whispering in her ear - only for a cut to reveal that she's alone. In another scene, Jessica is half-asleep at her desk when Kilgrave suddenly dips into view and [[LecherousLicking licks her forcibly across the cheek]]. Next cut, Jessica shoots upright in a panic... only to find that it was just a nightmare.
** In season 2, after Jessica [[spoiler: accidentally kills a sadistic prison guard who was brutalizing her mother]], she begins repeatedly hallucinating Kilgrave as a sadistic SpiritAdvisor, all the more upsetting given that he's gleefully commenting on how low Jessica's prepared to sink in pursuit of her goals. Eventually, she gets so upset by the visions of Kilgrave accosting her in the street that she actually attacks one of them - only for a cut back to reality to reveal that she's just assaulted an innocent bystander.
* In ''Series/Preacher2016'' Jesse Custer accidentally uses [[CompellingVoice the power of Genesis]] to send [[spoiler: Eugene]] to Hell; however, in "El Valero," he manages to call [[spoiler: Eugene]] back to Earth, leaving him unharmed but desperate for a glass of water. While he drinks up, they discuss what to do with Genesis; however [[spoiler: Eugene]] happens to mention something that Jesse hadn't shared with anyone else, [[SpottingTheThread immediately arousing the preacher's suspicion]]... and then we cut back to a shot of the suddenly-unoccupied pew in front in front of Jesse, where the requested glass of water is still sitting, untouched. Turns out that his rescue of [[spoiler: Eugene]] was just a guilt-induced hallucination.
* In ''Series/ThePrisoner2009'' episode "Schizoid", the protagonist starts seeing a double of himself with a darker personality appearing around the Village. Several times during the episode, a scene between the two of them ends with a cut to another camera angle in which the double has suddenly disappeared. In keeping with the series' MindScrew nature, there's also one time where it's the ''protagonist'' who disappears while the double is still there.

** Played for laughs in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVBackToReality Back To Reality]]": here, the Despair Squid's ink causes the crew to believe that [[NightmareOfNormality their experiences so far were just part of a virtual reality game]] taking place in [[CrapsackWorld a fascist dystopia]]. The audience is given no indication that this is a hallucination up until the Dwarfers have to escape from the police in a dramatic car chase... whereupon we cut back to the crew in the midsection of Starbug as they sit down on a bunch of crates and ''act out the chase'' - complete with swerves, bullet wounds, and driving over a spit bridge -- all while [[BenevolentAI Holly]] remains in the background, trying to tell them that they're hallucinating.

** "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIGunmenOfTheApocalypse Gunmen Of The Apocalypse]]" begins with Lister apparently starring in a black-and-white film noir movie as a private detective. When he kisses the FemmeFatale, however we cut back to reality to reveal that Lister is playing a virtual reality game and acting out the seduction in thin air - complete with him working on an invisible bra strap!

* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "[[Recap/StargateSG1S6E7ShadowPlay Shadow Play]]," a Kelownan scientist by the name of Dr Kieran offers aid to SG-1, claiming to have become part of a resistance movement that can reopen negotiations with the other superpowers on Langara and prevent a war. Unfortunately, it turns out that Dr Kieran has been studying [[ToxicPhlebotinum naquadria]] with inadequate shielding and has developed schizophrenia as a result - meaning that the resistance movement was just a delusion. In his final scene before he's taken away to a psychiatric facility, Kieran assures Jonas that the coup is almost ready to begin, and then looks up and sees that one of his allies from the resistance is standing behind the observation windows, nodding reassuringly. Jonas follows his gaze... but there's no-one there.
* ''Series/TheTerror'': The final episode features [[spoiler: Lt. Thomas Jopson]], in the last moments before his death from scurvy, hallucinating a lavish feast with Captain Crozier seated at the head of the table, completely oblivious to him. [[spoiler: Jopson]] proceeds to crawl onto the table, knocking everything off [[PleaseDontLeaveMe in a desperate attempt to get Crozier to notice him]] - but then the scene cuts away and we see that he was only crawling on sharp rocks a short distance from his tent.

** Late in "[[Recap/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019S01E07 The Day That Was]]," Klaus attempts to rescue a high-as-a-kite Luther from a rave club, only to succumb to his withdrawal symptoms and go chasing after the ecstasy pill that he just threw away. As he gets closer to the pill, he begins experiencing flashbacks to his time in Vietnam, with sounds and voices intruding on the club until he finally stumbles upon a memory of Dave lying dead on the floor, exactly as he was the last time Klaus saw him. Klaus cradles his body in grief... only for a cut to reveal that he's just clutching the pill in his hands.
** In "[[Recap/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019S03E01MeetTheFamily Meet The Family]]," Number Five ends up on the receiving end of Jayme's hallucinogenic SuperSpit; immediately, Five finds himself being reunited with his old flame [[CompanionCube Dolores the mannequin]], this time fully animated and becoming progressively more human until the two of them finally kiss... and then we cut back to the real world, where Jayme is looking on in bemusement at the sight of Five kissing thin air.

* ''Music/TheLonelyIsland:'' The end of "Great Day," where the coked-up singer Dennis sings that they're all in [[Film/TheMatrix the Matrix,]] and everybody around him begins moving extremely slowly. Cut to a couple watching Dennis by himself, moving slowly and making weird noises.

* ''VideoGame/ThePark'' begins with [[AmusementParkOfDoom Atlantic Island Park]] at sunset, just before closing time, with everything seeming orderly and even idyllic. However, while ascending the escalator, Lorraine's perspective blacks out for a moment, and when she looks again, the park is a dilapidated ruin that looks to have been abandoned for years on end. [[spoiler: It turns out that ''this'' is the park as it really is, for the game is set well after the venue was shut down and taken over by the monsters that rule the park by the time of ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld''; Lorraine was only [[HappyPlace imagining]] the park in its heyday.]]
* ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxHitTheRoad'' gives Sam an opportunity to use a virtual reality headset in order to access the security systems at Bumpusville. Finding himself in a fairy-tale kingdom with [[ExcaliburInTheStone a sword in a stone nearby]], Sam naturally tries to pull it out - and then we cut back to reality to find that the "sword" is Max, who is being yanked into the air by his ankles while [[AmusingInjuries his head is pressed flat against the ground with Sam's feet]]. Later, Sam uses the sword to slay a dragon within the simulation, which another cut reveals to involve [[GrievousHarmWithABody Max being swung energetically through the air]]. To his credit, [[DissonantSerenity Max doesn't seem to mind]].

** After [[spoiler: Agent Riggs]] is killed, Walker can stumble upon two statues in a rather suspicious condition: if you {{mercy kill}}ed [[spoiler: Riggs]] with a gunshot to the head, one of the statues is pointing finger guns at the other; if [[PayEvilUntoEvil you allowed him to burn alive]], the two statues appear to be made of molten lava. Either way, one flash of light later and the two statues are back to normal.

** The finale: [[spoiler: Upon making it to Konrad's lair at the top of the Burj Khalifa, Walker finds Konrad's desiccated corpse and finally realizes that the man killed himself long before Walker ever set foot in Dubai: everything seen and heard of him up until now was just Walker's hallucinatory efforts to [[NeverMyFault deflect blame onto a convenient villain]]. The imaginary Konrad remarks, "it takes a strong man to deny what's in front of him," - and then with a flash of light, the perspective shifts to reveal that Walker is alone in the penthouse, silently mouthing along with Konrad's lines.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Struggling}}'': The epic final boss fight against [[spoiler: the Metaphorical Duck]] is revealed to be AllJustADream when the game cuts to show Troy sleeping (or knocked out) on a boat...with a [[spoiler: normal duck's corpse lying right next to them.]] Whoops.
* In ''VideoGame/SunlessSkies'', the Quest for the Martyr-King's Cup delivers several cases of this ''in text.'' As you grow closer to unlocking [[ImmortalityInducer the power of the Cup]], you begin to experience visions of a fantastical kingdom where the [[AmbiguouslyEvil Unseen Queen]] holds sway, but with an effort of will you can see through the illusion into the industrial wastelands and garbage heaps where the quest actually takes place. Perhaps the most detailed of these moments involves the player revealing their quest to the officers of their locomotive, envisioned as a meeting of heroic knights in a medieval dining hall (including the rat brigade if you have them); after having a opportunity to talk with all of your thoroughly nonplussed officers/knights, you drive your sword into the table in a grand heroic gesture... only for the text to cut back to reality and reveal that you just drove a butter knife through four inches of solid oak!
* In the ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' trailer "Meet The Pyro," it's revealed that the eponymous character sees the world as an idyllic SugarBowl: enemy team members are portrayed as cupidlike infants, and Pyro plays with them by feeding them giant lollipops and blowing bubbles in their faces. At various points in the trailer, we cut back to the real world to see that Pyro is ''massacring'' the opposing team, [[ObliviouslyEvil with every innocent act revealed as another brutal murder]].
* During the final chapter of ''VideoGame/UntilDawn,'' Josh suffers a [[FreakOut psychological meltdown]] due to a combination of stress, guilt, withdrawal from antidepressants and [[spoiler: being captured by a Wendigo]], and begins hallucinating. This goes on for several scenes, with Josh screaming at hideous monsters in caverns made entirely of meat - and then we cut to Sam and Mike, who are standing directly in front of him and trying to bring him to his senses.
* On occasions in ''VideoGame/{{Whacked}}'', Eugene is shown having vivid imagination spots, only for the game to cut back to reality where, in fact, he's just standing there. A good example of this is in his audition, where he's shown doing Matrix-like stunts to dodge missiles, but when we cut back to reality, he's standing afraid as a missile is facing him.

** At the very beginning of the story, the protagonist is waiting to play in a concert and having a conversation with a bartender. Then, the story cuts to him at home with Bethany, revealing that he is just daydreaming. Bethany is so angry that she kicks him out of the house and breaks up with him.

* ''WebVideo/DrGlaucomflecken'': Dr Bill's (a much-abused medical trainee) [[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lI5ndLMx-3Q daydream]] about leaving the hospital and smelling the flowers.

** In ''Zero Hour'' Episode 3, Lex Luthor orders the Green Goblin to retrieve the head of an LMD from Deadpool, giving him yet another truckload of drugs so he can mentally keep pace with the legendarily crazed mercenary. What follows is an insanely elaborate fight scene that apparently ends with Deadpool dropping a nuclear bomb on his opponent... only for a cut back to reality to reveal that the entire fight took place in the combatants' imaginations, and Goblin is just writhing around on the floor, play-acting his temporary death scene - [[SurroundedByIdiots much to Lex's annoyance]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In "The American Dad After School Special", Stan becomes worried that he's gaining weight and hooks up with an abusive trainer named Zack. A little later, it's revealed that Stan is actually suffering from anorexia, and a cut to reality shows him totally emaciated and talking to thin air.

* Towards the end of the ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' episode "[[Recap/LoveDeathAndRobotsBeyondTheAquilaRift Beyond The Aquila Rift]]", Thom finally becomes aware that he's trapped in a LotusEaterMachine, to the point that the world around him appears to ''[[AGlitchInTheMatrix stutter]]'' in and out of reality as he grows more upset. Eventually, Greta unveils the true nature of reality: the repair station is a gigantic alien hive, Thom is a withered husk of a human being, and Greta is an EldritchAbomination "caring" for the unlucky spacers caught in her web. Then, without warning, Thom finds himself waking up back in his pod and being welcomed to the station by Greta for the first time. For a moment, it looks like the big reveal was just a nightmare... but then the closing shot of the repair station flickers, and [[WhamShot suddenly it's an ugly red-and-black alien hive floating in space]].
* ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': The first episode has KO facing off against Darrell for the first time, with him defeating the later in a spectacular fashion. A cut [[SuccessHallucinations reveals this all to have been a dream]], as KO got knocked out from his fire gauntlets going of in his face when blocking Darrell's punch, tripped over his own cape, and got electrocuted from accidentally sitting on his lightning nachos. KO is very embarrassed when told about it.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E5TheCartridgeFamily The Cartridge Family]]" has Homer obtain a handgun, ostensibly to protect his family. While shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart, he daydreams about robbing the Kwik-E-Mart and living in luxury; emerging from this ImagineSpot, he decides, "I'll do it!" -- only to for a cut to reveal that he's finished his shopping, paid Apu, and is driving home. Apparently, Homer's body can function perfectly without his mind engaged.

* ''Series/TheHauntingOfHillHouse'' features three notable instances of this in the episode "The Bent-Neck Lady": here, Nell returns to the house and is quickly [[LotusEaterMachine ensnared by an illusion of the house in its heyday]], eventually being lured into a dance with a ghostly simulacra of her husband... and then the camera cuts away to reveal that Nell is dancing alone through the ruined house. Shortly afterwards, Nell is invited upstairs to a tea party by Olivia, and is finally given the locket she was promised so long ago. Suddenly, Nell looks down, [[OhCrap realizing that something is wrong]]: cut back to reality [[spoiler: where it turns out that Nell is on the wrong side of the staircase railing, poised to fall - and the locket is actually a noose around her neck. Ignoring her daughter's pleas, Olivia pushes her off the edge and out of the illusion; in the next cut, Nell [[SickeningCrunch jolts to a stop]] in the real world.]]

[[quoteright:338:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/calvin_back_to_reality.png]]]]

** In "[[Recap/FarscapeS03E17TheChoice The Choice]]", a chronically depressed Aeryn begins imagining a ghostly version of Crichton [[spoiler:after [[CloningBlues the one]] she's been in love with for most of the season dies]]. At one point, the two of them share a kiss -- only for a cut to reveal that nothing has changed, and Aeryn is still alone. The episode ends with Aeryn finally managing to come to terms with her grief, only to tell the illusory Crichton he has to leave as a result; her ImaginaryFriend sadly turns his back on her, and a cut reveals that [[BittersweetEnding Aeryn is once again alone]].

* ''Literature/TheTroop'': People infested with the parasitic worms often begin to suffer delusions as the lead [[PuppeteerParasite Conqueror Worm]] takes room in their brain, believing themselves healthy, even empowered; in reality, they're NothingButSkinAndBones thanks to the Devourer Worms [[WeightLossHorror eating them alive]]. Consequently, after Kent gets infested all the way to the final stages, the confrontation between him and Shelley is told from the perspectives of both kids, with Kent's segments portraying him as a being of godlike power who can easily crush Shelley... only for the narrative to regularly shift over to Shelley's perspective, revealing that Kent is a zombie in all but name and too week to hurt anyone of his own free will.

In stories featuring hallucinations, illusions, fantasies, VR, flashbacks or other unreal elements superimposed on reality, a popular means of demonstrating this to the audience is by allowing them to see these imaginary elements from the perspective of the character experiencing them, often without indicating that they are anything other than reality... and then cutting and/or transitioning to a different perspective that shows that the character is interacting with something vastly different -- or in extreme cases, something that isn't there.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': The episode, "The Downer" is about Gumball thinking that, thanks to a wish he made the night before, everyone has disappeared. However, it turns out that he was just imagining the whole thing, and everyone was confused by his antics, such as flushing a toy down the toilet while Nicole was in the shower, looking for any signs of life… in the middle of a crowded road, pinching Richard’s man-boobs, etc.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E5TheInconveniencing The Inconveniencing]]," Mabel ends up getting high on [[GRatedDrug Smile Dip]], resulting in [[MushroomSamba one of the strangest sugar highs]] depicted in animation. At one point, she finds herself meeting two giant backwards-talking dogs in a psychedelic landscape and tries to eat their candy paws... only for the narrative to cut back to reality, where she is still slumped in a corner, chewing on nothing.
* Towards the end of the ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' episode "[[Recap/LoveDeathAndRobotsBeyondTheAquilaRift Beyond The Aquila Rift]]," Thom finally becomes aware that he's trapped in a LotusEaterMachine, to the point that the world around him appears to ''[[AGlitchInTheMatrix stutter]]'' in and out of reality as he grows more upset. Eventually, Greta unveils the true nature of reality: the repair station is a gigantic alien hive, Thom is a withered husk of a human being, and Greta is an EldritchAbomination "caring" for the unlucky spacers caught in her web. Then, without warning, Thom finds himself waking up back in his pod and being welcomed to the station by Greta for the first time. For a moment, it looks like the big reveal was just a nightmare... but then the closing shot of the repair station flickers, and [[WhamShot suddenly it's an ugly red-and-black alien hive floating in space]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Cartridge Family" has Homer obtain a handgun, ostensibly to protect his family. While shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart, he daydreams about robbing the Kwik-E-Mart and living in luxury; emerging from this ImagineSpot, he decides, "I'll do it!" - only to for a cut to reveal that he's finished his shopping, paid Apu, and is driving home. Apparently, Homer's body can function perfectly without his mind engaged.

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS16E7CartmanFindsLove Cartman Finds Love]]", Cartman talks to and plays with a little cherub version of himself that he calls "Cupid Me", and the show occasionally cuts to people watching Cartman talking to nothing and jumping around like an idiot. This continues in "Tweek X Craig," with the final scene of the episode depicting Cartman having sex with Cupid Me before it cuts to his mom walking in and seeing Cartman just masturbating.

** In the episode "Cuddle E. Hugs", a bite of a moldy Krabby Patty causes [=SpongeBob=] to hallucinate the titular hamster; when he asks for a hug and [=SpongeBob=] leans in for one, Patrick comes by and only sees [=SpongeBob=] hugging on air.
** In "The Idiot Box", Spongebob and Patrick playing inside a cardboard box are able to produce [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ict6dg76s immersive sound effects]] that Squidward can hear from outside the box. But when he looks inside, he only sees them closing their eyes. Spongebob explains that this is due to using their "imaaaaaginaaaaaatioooon".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': The episode, “The Downer,” is about Gumball thinking that, thanks to a wish he made the night before, everyone has disappeared. However, it turns out that he was just imagining the whole thing, and everyone was confused by his antics, such as flushing a toy down the toilet while Nicole was in the shower, looking for any signs of life… in the middle of a crowded road, pinching Richard’s man-boobs, etc.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': The episode, “The Downer,” is about Gumball thinking that, thanks to a wish he made the night before, everyone has disappeared. [[spoiler: However, it turns out that he was just imaging the whole thing, and everyone was confused by his antics, such as flushing a toy down the toilet while Nicole is in the shower, looking for people in the middle of a crowded road, pinching Richard’s man-boobs, etc.]]

* Bob Arctor finds himself losing his grip on reality throughout ''Film/AScannerDarkly'' as his addiction to Substance D worsens, his perspective often being overwhelmed with hallucinations but just as often changing back to normal in cuts, usually while his eyes are closed or his back is turned. In one of the most prominent ones, Arctor rolls over in bed and [[BedmateReveal finds that the woman he's just slept with has transformed into Donna Hawthorn]] - the woman he ''really'' wanted to have sex with; Arctor is confused and alarmed, but in the following cut, he looks again and finds that Donna has turned back into his bedmate.
* In the finale of ''Film/ShutterIsland,'' Teddy Daniels manages to get his hands on [[ChekhovsGun the firearm that was confiscated from him at the start of the film]] and hold Dr Cawley and Dr Sheehan at gunpoint. Cawley makes it clear that shooting them is the only way Daniels is going to get off the island, so Daniels shoots him four times in the chest, splattering the board behind him in blood, then turns the gun in Sheehan's direction... and then we cut back to Cawley, who is completely unharmed. [[spoiler: The gun is a toy and always has been: Daniels is actually a patient at the hospital - specifically the mysterious Andrew Laeddis that "Daniels" has been pursuing - and wouldn't be trusted with a real firearm even in the roleplay scenario that's been established for him.]]

** During Tetsuo's second stay at the lab he is suddenly attacked by a trio of giant toys, and his attempts to escape his room result in the walls turning to Lego and the floor turning to milk under his feet. With nowhere to run to, he backs up, trips over his fallen glass of water - and when he hits the ground in the next cut, the room is suddenly back to normal. Turns out that the whole thing was just a psychic illusion created by [[PsychicChildren Kiyoko, Takashi and Masaru]].

** In Chapter IV, [[BrokenBird Harper]] retreats into her drug-fueled fantasies after finding out that her husband doesn't really love her, descending to an illusory Antarctica with the help of the travel agent Mr Lies. This eventually results in her apparently cutting down a spruce tree - though Mr Lies [[LampshadeHanging points out that there aren't any trees in Antarctica]] - and using it to light a fire for warmth; Harper then notices red and blue lights in the distance and turns around... only for a cut to reveal that she's actually in Central Park. As it turns out, Mr Lies is actually a very bemused homeless man, and the spruce tree was stolen from the nearby arboretum, hence why the police have been called.

* ''Series/TheTerror'': The final episode features [[spoiler: Lt. Thomas Jopson]], in the last moments before his death from scurvey, hallucinating a lavish feast with Captain Crozier seated at the head of the table, completely oblivious to him. [[spoiler: Jopson]] proceeds to crawl onto the table, knocking everything off [[PleaseDontLeaveMe in a desperate attempt to get Crozier to notice him]] - but then the scene cuts away and we see that he was only crawling on sharp rocks a little ways from his tent.

* In ''VideoGame/SunlessSkies'', the Quest for the Martyr-King's Cup delivers several cases of this ''in print.'' As you grow closer to unlocking [[ImmortalityInducer the power of the Cup]], you begin to experience visions of a fantastical kingdom where the [[AmbiguouslyEvil Unseen Queen]] holds sway, but with an effort of will you can see through the illusion into the industrial wastelands and garbage heaps where the quest actually takes place. Perhaps the most detailed of these moments involves the player revealing their quest to the officers of their locomotive, envisioned as a meeting of heroic knights in a medieval dining hall (including the rat brigade if you have them); after having a opportunity to talk with all of your thoroughly nonplussed officers/knights, you drive your sword into the table in a grand heroic gesture... only for the text to cut back to reality and reveal that you just drove a butter knife through four inches of solid oak!

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS16E7CartmanFindsLove Cartman Finds Love]]", Cartman talks to and plays with a little cherub version of himself that he calls "Cupid Me", and the show occasionally cuts to people watching Cartman talking to nothing and jumping around like an idiot. This continues in "Tweek X Craig," with the final scene of the episode depicting Cartman having sex with Cupid Me before it cuts to his mom walking in and seeing Cartman just [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbating]].

* ''Series/BreakingBad''

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}''
** In "Rhapsody In Blue," a group of Delvian priests use their EnlightenmentSuperpowers to keep the crew preoccupied with [[MasterOfIllusion illusions]] while they deal with Zhaan. In one case, they convince Aeryn that her pulse rifle has been smashed to bits, but a quick cut to D'Argo's perspective reveals that it's actually still intact. D'Argo exasperatedly tries to get her to see through the illusion by picking up the rifle and giving it back to her, but she only perceives it as him giving her the broken-off scope.
--->'''Aeryn:''' [''obliviously shaking the entire rifle''] I don't have any training to use this bit!

** The imaginary Scorpius appears again in "[[Recap/FarscapeS02E14BewareOfDog Beware Of Dog]]," at one point being seen lurking menacingly behind Aeryn. Crichton is so freaked out he draws his pistol and opens fire, scaring the crap out of Aeryn - as a cut from a third-person perspective reveals that Crichton had [[RecklessGunUsage just shot at the bulkhead right next to her]] for no reason whatsoever.
** The conflict between Crichton and the imaginary Scorpius AKA Harvey comes to a head in "[[Recap/FarscapeS02E22DieMeDichotomy Die Me Dichotomy]]," in which Harvey appears to him in a mirror, taunting him. Pushed to the absolute limit of his sanity, [[RageAgainstTheReflection Crichton smashes the mirror]] - only for it to reappear intact with Harvey still mocking him; Crichton ends up breaking the mirror about five or six times before Aeryn drags him away, whereupon a cut to reality reveals that he actually destroyed the mirror on his first try and [[PunchAWall he's been punching the wall behind it]] on every other attempt.
** In "[[Recap/FarscapeS03E17TheChoice The Choice]]," a chronically-depressed Aeryn begins imagining a ghostly version of Crichton [[spoiler: after [[CloningBlues the one]] she's been in love with for most of the season dies.]] At one point, the two of them share a kiss - only for a cut to reveal that nothing has changed, and Aeryn is still alone. The episode ends with Aeryn finally managing to come to terms with her grief, only to tell the illusory Crichton he has to leave as a result; her ImaginaryFriend sadly turns his back on her, and a cut reveals that [[BittersweetEnding Aeryn is once again alone]].

* ''Series/TheWestWing'': "Two Cathedrals" features a prominent scene where President Bartlet imagines himself having a conversation with his [[DeadPersonConversation recently deceased]] assistant Mrs. Landingham. Partway through the scene the camera cuts to a wide angle that shows Bartlet sitting alone in the Oval Office to remind the viewers that Mrs. Landingham isn't really there.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Catarina has a group of five alternate personas who meet in her head to form plans and discuss the situation...which, since Catarina is [[DumbIsGood a genuinely lovely person but in many ways thicker than a yard of lard]], takes place at about the speed of normal conversation and absorbs all her attention while reality continues without her. One early episode, where she drifts into a Council of Catarinas discussion while eating snacks with Geordo and Keith, ends the scene by cutting back to the two boys, who are idly discussing whether she's heard a word they've said in the past several minutes.