History Main / GoLookAtTheDistraction

* LookBehindYou: You point something (probably nonexistent) out to distract someone.

[[redirect:PrivacyByDistraction]]

%% Commented out examples are zero-context examples. Please do not re-add without adding context
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->'''Capt. West:''' Commander Galloway, why don't you get yourself a cup of coffee.
->'''Galloway:''' Thank you sir, I'm fine.
->'''Capt. West:''' Commander, I'd like you to leave the room so we can talk about you behind your back.
->'''Galloway:''' Certainly, sir.
-->-- ''Film/AFewGoodMen''

A type of RoomShuffle where one character actively wants another character out of a room so they can discuss something in private. They'll usually either come up with some absurd reason for the character to go to the kitchen or across the hall or whatever--something along the lines of "Hey, did you know one of the bathroom floor tiles looks just like a map of Tanzania? Go have a look!"--or they say something that they know will make that specific character clear out, like "You know Greg, I was just talking to Bill across the hall and apparently his favorite thing is interminable circus anecdotes."

They may send the character on a search for some item, which may or [[SnipeHunt may not actually exist]].

Often the comic potential of this is stretched by having the departed character reappear at an inopportune time (and [[BrickJoke just after the audience has forgotten about them]]). "You know, you don't even have tiles in your bathroom... [[SorryToInterrupt what are you doing?]]"

A variant in works set before cell phones became ubiquitous is to have the inconvenient party receive a telephone call. Bonus points if this happens in a restaurant or other public place so that the person will have to leave the table in order to take the call. There may or may not actually be someone on the other end of the line when the character picks up the phone, but if there is, the distraction will last longer.

INeedToGoIronMyDog is the inverse of this, where the character offers some excuse for their own departure; if the real purpose is to distance himself from what the others are saying and doing, it's SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee. If a character tags along the unwanted character to get him out, it's an EscortDistraction. Compare and contrast with LookBehindYou and WeNeedADistraction. WasJustLeaving ensues when a character doesn't bother to come up with a pretense for wanting someone else gone.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In the first episode of ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', Tenchi tells Ryoko to look out the window while she's trying to kill him. She does and he runs off, while there's gas filling the room. She's holding a ''LaserBlade'' at the time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In one ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' strip, Dave is sent on an elaborate and extremely convoluted snack run to get him out of the house while the others eat a pizza in his absence.
* A RunningGag in ''{{ComicStrip/Nodwick}}'', employed whenever Arthax and Yeagar need to get Piffany out of the way so they can do something horrid to Nodwick behind her back.
[[/folder]]
%%
%%[[folder:Fanfiction]]
%%* In ''FanFic/DiariesOfAMadman'', strangely enough this seems to be one of the few tactics that works as a means of distracting Pinkie Pie.
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}:''
** After Shrek is... uh, wounded by an arrow, Fiona tells Donkey to get blue flowers with red thorns so he would leave them alone. Donkey then stumbles upon a ''field'' chock full of blue flowers with red thorns... and subsequently complains that his task would be easier were he not colorblind.
** In ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'', Shrek [[spoiler:insults Artie so that he angrily leaves the room, stopping Charming from killing him.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'': When Mittens threatens Bolt with Styrofoam, he comments "That's a weird place to put a piano" which distracts her long enough for Bolt to knock the Styrofoam from her hands.
* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'': To distract P.T. Flea, Francis yells out "Hey, look! Money!"
* ''WesternAnimation/CaptureTheFlag'': Amy distracts the night guard at the retirement home with a rock so she and Mike can get inside. He ignores the first rock, but investigates the second one, and when doing so discovers three of the residents are secretly building their own rocket.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheProducers'': Used at the beginning of the 2005 version. Max tells Leo to use the bathroom while he deals with the octogenarian nymphomaniac at his door. Leo uses the bathroom but gets done before Max can get rid of the old bat. Leo then comments on how sorry he was to interrupt him 'feeling up the old lady'.
* In the film ''Film/OldYeller'', when the mother is treating Old Yeller for an injury from a wild boar, she claims that she needs a horned toad and asks the younger brother to go get one.
* ''Film/AFewGoodMen'' has this exchange:
-->'''Capt. West:''' Commander Galloway, why don't you get yourself a cup of coffee.
-->'''Galloway:''' Thank you sir, I'm fine.
-->'''Capt. West:''' Commander, I'd like you to leave the room so we can talk about you behind your back.
-->'''Galloway:''' Certainly, sir.
* In ''[[Film/HarryPotter Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]'', Dumbledore points out various pieces of landscaping to Fudge in order to keep him from noticing Harry and Hermione sneaking behind him to rescue Buckbeak.
* In ''Film/GrayMatters'', when it's in the middle of the night and Sam tries to get Gray to go to bed so that he can be alone with Charlie:
-->'''Sam:''' Don't you have that big meeting in the morning to get to?
-->'''Gray:''' What big meeting?
-->'''Sam:''' The big meeting in the morning that you have to get to? That big meeting?
-->'''Gray:''' ''Oh'', that big meeting!
* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'', Sherlock sends the policemen inside the recently deceased Sir Thomas's home to look for bath salts while he continues searching by his lonesome for a secret compartment where Thomas kept his occult paraphernalia.
* In the western spoof ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff'', Mayor Perkins wants to discuss the hiring of the new sheriff in private, and so sends all the non-important hangers-on out to watch an ongoing brawl in the street.
* In ''Film/TheLosers'', Jensen tells the occupant to the office he's trying to sneak into that security needs the man's help dealing with the individual who has been exposing himself in the elevator, who happens to be Jensen himself accidentally interrupted in the middle of a costume change.
* A complex example from ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' involves Captain Picard being ordered by Starfleet to take the ''Enterprise'' and patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone to make sure the Romulans don't try to take advantage of the [[TheAssimilator Borg]] invasion of [[TheFederation Federation]] space. Picard and Riker quickly deduce that the rather uneventful assignment was set up just to keep Picard away from the battle and from letting his intimate history with the Borg complicate the fight.
* Used as a RunningGag in ''Film/TheGamers: Dorkness Rising'', in order to get the LawfulStupid Paladin out of the way so the party can torture an enemy (or innocent) for information. At one point, the party captures a demon who points out the Paladin's presence, who then invokes INeedToGoIronMyDog.
* Shows up in ''Film/KellysHeroes'' when Kelly enlists the services of Crapgame.
--> Kelly: I want to talk to you [...] about a deal.
--> Crapgame: What kind of deal?
--> Kelly: The private kind.
--> Crapgame: Yeah?... Henry, go get yourself a haircut.
* When Sulley and Mike go into WesternAnimation/MonstersInc to get Boo back home, they run into Randall, who asks them if they know anything about the child who got loose. To deflect attention from themselves, Mike suggests that "if anyone's involved, I'd put my money on Waxford." So while Randall goes to talk to Waxford, Sulley and Mike slink away.
* In ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'', Dr. Petrov, the chief physician, is the only ''Red October'' officer not part of Ramius' defection plan. So, during dinner in the officers' mess, Borodin orders him to compile his radiation tests so that they can privately discuss their plan.
* In ''Film/LazerTeam'', the Worg-controlled Mindy arrives to her mother's cabin, where the titular RagtagBunchOfMisfits is hiding out. Her dad opens the door. She hands him bags full of take-out and says she brought food as a distraction. He ignores what (and how) she says and grabs the bags, claiming to be starving.
* Intentionally weaponized in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': [[spoiler:Just as Ronan the Accuser was about to thrust his Power Stone-equipped hammer onto Xandar's surface, Peter Quill starts dancing to "Ooh, Child", leaving the former briefly speechless; then Quill reveals that he was just distracting Ronan, so that Rocket could finish repairing the [[{{BFG}} Hadron Enforcer]], which Drax later uses to destroy Ronan's hammer and remove the Power Stone from it.]]
* In ''Film/ThePeanutButterFalcon'', Tyler and Eleanor have Zak practice holding his breath underwater so they can argue about him.
* In ''Film/SeasonOfMiracles'', Richard's mother sends him outside to play when she gets a phone call telling her that [[spoiler:Richard's father has gone missing in [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam]] and may be dead]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/{{Heidi}}'' there is a scene where Mr. Sesemann wants to speak about Heidi with his daughter Klara, so he (somewhat clumsily) makes up an excuse by asking Heidi to bring him a glass of water. This errand turns then into a real adventure for Heidi.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter:''
** Several adults commit variations of this throughout, with several less than comic results in the 5th and 7th books.
** Subverted in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' when Mr.Weasley pulls Harry aside to tell him that Sirius Black is after him after Mrs.Weasley's attempts to hide this tidbit from him.
** And in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Luna does this in the Great Hall [[spoiler:to let a fatigued Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, slip out of the room to be by themselves after Voldemort is defeated.]]
* In "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant" (a ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' story) Taurus sends Conan to check whether there are guards in the garden. Conan suspects this, but obeys. Taurus shuts the door and gets killed.
* [[MagnificentBastard Lord Vetinari]] of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series is fond of doing this with committees. When an emergency is afoot, he will gather all the people who think they should have a say in how to deal with it, carefully organize them into teams, and let them bicker about what color the committee newsletter should be while Vetinari and the other competent people actually see about solving the problem.
* ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'' had a character toss an 'ID card' [[note]]a blank piece of laminated cardboard[[/note]] into the air, then shooting (nonlethally) the bad guys when they watched it go. Crosses with HeyCatch.
* Once in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry needs to pick a lock. Since [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Officer Murphy]] is there, he tells her to "look at that zeppelin." Subverted in that Murphy knows ''exactly'' what he's doing, but complies anyway so that she doesn't actually see him doing anything illegal.
* The gamebook ''[[Literature/TimeMachineSeries Quest for the Cities of Gold]]'' has the protagonist captured by some Aztecs who intend to make him into a HumanSacrifice. The "time travel rules" prohibit the hero from time travelling while being observed, so he distracts the guard by convincing him to check out a supposed noise outside.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Friends}}:''
** In one episode, Phoebe uses the word "Crummies" to make Chandler flee the room.
** A slight subversion where Ross distracts Rachel, despite having nothing made up to distract her with. After a short time of Ross trying to think of a conversation, Rachel assumes that he wants to get back together with her.
* In ''Series/{{Titus}}'', when the titular character is being annoyed by his less-than-smart brother during a car ride, he shouts, "Dave, cow!", causing Dave to look frantically for the cow and moo at it. Later in the same episode, the same trick is tried, and Dave replies, "That doesn't work every time, you know", before surreptitiously looking out the window for the cow.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}:''
** In one episode, JD wants to talk to Elliot, but The Todd is in the room. To get rid of him, JD mimes throwing a ball into the hallway. Todd, naturally, goes to find it then, [[RuleOfFunny inexplicably]], returns after JD and Elliot's conversation and hands JD a tennis ball.
** He tries it again with the Janitor. The Janitor asks what he's doing as the Todd runs past, looking for the ball.
* ''Series/TheITCrowd'': [[DoubleSubversion Subverted multiple times]] in episode four. Roy at one point gets stuck under a desk, with no way to escape because the employee to whom the desk belongs has returned to it. Moss is called in to distract said employee using this trope, but he fails miserably at it because his attempt is only slightly better than literally just saying "Go look at the distraction!". Eventually, Jen successfully pulls it off by claiming that there's a shirtless construction worker outside, a sure distraction for the all-female employees on the floor... and it turns out there really ''was'' a shirtless construction worker, but hardly an attractive one.
* ''Series/ICarly:''
** In ''iOwe You'', Sam tells Freddie his relative got hurt, sending him running back to his apartment, so she could cry to Carly without him seeing.
** In ''iQuit iCarly'', Sam distracts Carly's group by calling out ''Ryan Seacrest''. They fall for it, prompting Sam to occupy the scaffolding they both wanted to shoot a video from first. It's repeated a few seasons later in an INeedToGoIronMyDog fashion when Freddie's control freak (to put it kindly) of a mother walks in on Spencer, his girlfriend, and T-Bo playing a zombie slaying game. Spencer yells "Ryan Seacrest" and he and his date run back into his apartment.
* ''Series/NewsRadio'': Dave helps Lisa get rid of a Japan-obsessed Matthew: "Do you know anyone who knows how sushi is made? Because Joe was wondering..."
* In ''Series/MurderMostHorrid'' episode "A Determined Woman", Dawn French's character, who has travelled back in time to prevent herself killing her husband, sends him out of the house on errands for random implausible items (a specific sort of string and soup from Uruguay). These items of course turn out to be somewhat less than random as they are all present in the house already and his presenting them to the wrong version of her is part of what leads to his murder in the first place.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': When Niles is [[ItMakesSenseInContext dueling his wife's German fencing instructor]], he points offscreen and yells some [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign German-sounding nonsense]] to buy some time.
%%* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''
%%-->'''Tom Servo:''' Look, a huge distracting thing!
* ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' has the most common variant of this trope be asking someone to "go get some water".
* On ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' had a little conversation that ended outsmarted.
-->'''Don Ramon''': Why don't you go check the hour at the [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Big Ben]] Clock.\\
'''Chavo''': It's 2:30.\\
'''Don Ramon''': [[SarcasmMode Reaallly?]]\\
'''Chavo''': If you don't believe me, go yourself.\\
'''Don Ramon''': ''[actually leaves the room to check]''
* In ''Series/LoisAndClark'', a temporarily blinded Superman is staying with Lois, who doesn't know his secret yet. When Jonathan and Martha Kent show up at Lois's apartment (greeting their son with an awkward "Hello, Superman"), Superman suddenly requests oolong tea. Jonathan takes the hint and ushers Lois out to the store for tea so that Superman can be alone with his mom.
* ''Series/RedDwarf''
-->"Excuse me, could I please just distract you for a brief moment?"
* ''Series/TopGear'': during one challenge related to the fallen British sports car industry, the hosts were engaged in a dispute with the producers over the value of the resultant cars. Richard Hammond's car window refused to shut, leading to him pointing the cameraman in another direction while he tried to quickly drag it back into position. Even Jeremy laughed.
* In one episode of ''All in the Family'' a neighbor lady wants to tell Edith something privately; she starts describing her sister's giving birth to her baby in explicit detail, causing Archie to flee. As soon as he's out of the room she stops the story and begins to discuss the real reason for her coming over.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': One of the security guys on immigration duty was becoming annoyed with some religious pilgrims. He pointed the other direction: "Hey look! It's a comet!"
* ''Series/TheWestWing'': In the second episode, Margaret is bugging Leo about something, so he hands her a picture and says "Here, look at this. It's a baby with a new mother." She predictably melts.
* In one episode of ''Series/EvenStevens'', Louis yells "Look, a diversion!" which is enough to fool the security guard they're trying to get away from.
* ''Series/MurderSheWrote'': In "Murder in Milan", Jessica distracts a pack of paparazzi by saying "Isn't that Mel Gibson?" and pointing behind them.
* ''Series/DeadliestCatch'': Season 11 opened with the Hillstrands lighting up thousands of dollars worth of fireworks (safely, on land) to the delight of "practically the entire population of Unalaska" [[spoiler:which was just a distraction so Sig, Edgar, and Jake Anderson could move the Cape Caution as a prank so Wild Bill would think he'd gone senile]].
* In ''Series/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths2019'', the heroes are dealing with [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever a giant Beebo]] when an attempt to trip it up leads to the wire just easily passing through its legs. When Batwoman hits an EurekaMoment, they realize that it's nothing but a distraction.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' tabletop roleplaying game, characters who are lawful and/or good tend to be especially susceptible to this... especially Paladins or Monks, who MUST keep to the straight and narrow or lose their powers. Often, the player will realize it is in their best interests to be easily distracted when their friends want to do something immoral that will benefit them in some way, leading to a sort of selective ADD.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode Two'', Eli Vance sends his daughter Alyx to make some tea for him, so that he can privately talk to [[PlayerCharacter Gordon Freeman]] about their "mutual friend," the G-Man. Unfortunately, just when it looks like we're coming up on TheReveal, Alyx comes back with the tea, and Eli promises Gordon that they'll talk more later. [[spoiler:"Later" never comes, as the next time we see Eli, he's rather unpleasantly killed by a Combine Advisor.]]
* ''VideoGame/MrHoppsPlayhouse'': While stepping on the wrong toys at the wrong time will definitely lead you-know-who right to you, the toys can also serve as a distraction; it makes it easier to control where you want him to end up.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', when the group is looking for more information on Largo possibly being Natalia's father, they plan on keeping her out of the loop at the moment, and claim that they're going to Chesedonia to investigate the fake Scorer. When the fake Scorer ([[spoiler:Sync]]) greatly upsets Anise by [[spoiler:reminding her of her responsibility for Ion's death, using Ion's voice]], the party has Natalia accompany Anise around the marketplace. They notice that Anise is somewhat upset at being used as the bait.
* In the first season of Creator/{{Telltale|Games}}'s ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max]]'', Max is asked by Sam to distract a body guard so Sam can assault the president. One of Max's distractions involve shouting [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "hey, look at Sam!"]]
* In one of the sidequests in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' which has Rean trying to bust Rex for selling candid photos, he corners him at the Old Schoolhouse. Rex then distracts Rean by asking what Alisa's doing in a swimsuit. Rean soon realizes he fell for the oldest trick in the book!
* {{Invoked}} in ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' with Zane's [[ProjectedMan Digi-Clone]] skill. Zane will occasionally attempt to convince his enemies to focus on his hologram while he keeps shooting.
-->"Everyone get the new guy! [[WhatAnIdiot Idiots]]."
-->"[[BlatantLies I'm the fake]]! ''I'm the faaake!''"
-->"[[ButHeSoundsHandsome That handsome devil]] was [[BigBrotherInstinct making eyes at your sister]]!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* On the second night of the Urashima Woman case in ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'', the investigation trio work out a system for two of them to sneak into the Urashima Lake while the third distracts the security guard with a phone call. You can leave again and change partners as many times as you want, and the guard never catches on to anything suspicious even after multiple phone calls.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Seen in the webcomic ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' during the "Lovelace Affair" storyline.
--> '''Dave:''' I'm back. Artie, can you explain why we need vegan burritos right ''now''?
* ''Webcomic/EmergencyExit'': Played hilariously straight in [[http://eecomics.net/?strip_id=1 this]] strip.
-->'''Bob:''' Look! A distraction!
-->'''Eddie:''' Ooh! Where?! I collect those!
* ''Webcomic/MacHall''. "Quick, run home! Your mother is on fire!"
* In ''Webcomic/{{Chirault}}'', at one point Astrid sends Teeko to go collect some water from upstream, leaving him and Kiran alone for some interrogation.
* In ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'', Fooker, wanting to greet the apparently beautiful woman who comes to his apartment first, tells Chuck that someone is keying his car. He immediately comes to regret it when it turns out to be [[DevilInPlainSight Trudy]].
%%* Part of [[Webcomic/EerieCuties Tiffany Winters']] [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/tip_the_odds_in_my_favor extensive monster hunting skills]].
* Hella Jeff does [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/sweetbroandhellajeff/?cid=007.jpg this]] to Sweet Bro in ''Webcomic/{{Sweet Bro And Hella Jeff}}'' by asking him where his socks are, which leads to Bro going into an endless rant about Jeff's inability to locate his socks. Jeff uses the opportunity to take Bro's car from outside while Bro is ranting and go drive it directly into a river.
* Rather than suffer the bad cuisine at The Golden Trough, Florence of ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' decides to go kill a deer to eat. Problem is, Helix puts human emotionalism about animals over the needs of his carnivore friend. After using his survival programming to get him to compromise on "roadkill", [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff300/fv00228.htm she distracts him]] while going to [[spoiler:kill a deer. [[ExactWords With a section of road]].]]
* The Demonic Duck from ''WebComic/ElGoonishShive'' is an expert in "distraction magic," and when it goes on strike [[http://www.egscomics.com/comic/2005-02-23 attempts to summon it]] fail to serve as efficient distractions.
* In ''Webcomic/ForestHill'', Colin uses a videotape to distract his son, Hunter, so that he can talk to his daughter, Tanya, about [[spoiler:Hunter being molested at school.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] has his method of going "Look at the pretty bunny! Look at the pretty bunny!" while waving an adorable rabbit sculpture in front of the camera whenever the logic in the terrible comic he's reviewing falls apart.
* {{Lampshaded}} in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', when Goku throws two small energy blasts to distract Freeza so he can attack from behind:
-->'''Freeza''': ''*dodge*'' What? Well, that's just distracting! ''*dodge*'' And that's just ''annoyingly'' distracting!
* ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'': I'm a distraction, of pure satisfaction...
* [[WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou Nash]] once did a WTFIWWY episode on fails pertaining to the Olympics. He starts by discussing the history of the games, and shows footage of the first televised Olympics, the 1936 Games in Berlin. Awkwardness ensues.
-->'''Nash''': Going back to 1936 with the first live broadcast of --
--> (Video footage of Hitler at the Olympics appears.)
-->'''Nash''': OKAY! (He quickly cuts to footage of a bunny.) Here's a bunny! Everybody look at the bunny! The...the Not-Hitler Bunny!
* This is demonstrated '''beautifully''' in Episode 16, Season 15 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', complete with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' references, especially a literal '''!''' (exclamation icon) a la MGS style.
[[spoiler: Grif does this to conceal the '''real rescue''' being done by Locus.]]
-->'''Tucker:''' They'll pay for this... I promise. I'll make them pay...
-->'''Grif:''' We all will.
-->'''Tucker:''' You shut the fuck up, Grif, you've done enough already!
-->'''Grif:''' Ease up, dude. I did muh best.
-->'''Tucker:''' Your best!? You fucking botched our '''only''' chance of escape!
-->'''Grif:''' Uh, no I didn't.
-->'''Tucker:''' You busted in here, made an ass of yourself, and got caught! What do '''you''' call that?!
-->'''Grif:''' Uh, '''[[spoiler: pretty fucking sweet diversion.]]'''
* During ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'''s review of ''Film/LesMiserables'', he (alongside WebVideo/PawDugan and [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]]) was interrupted by ''Music/BrentalFloss'', who wanted to participate in the review while impersonating Creator/RussellCrowe's Javert. The three critics tried to get rid of him by telling him to get a [=PhD=] in medicine before he can join them.
** They also send away Maven of the Eventide by telling her there's going to be a ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' screening down the hall because her 'LoveAtFirstSight' musical number with Paw was distracting from the rest of the review .
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Reverend Lovejoy once got Ned Flanders to leave by telling him there was an oil stain in the parking lot that looked just like St. Barnabus.
** Bart gets the Red Hot Chili Peppers out of Moe's by telling Moe to look at a wall. Moe does so and isn't sure what it is he is supposed to be seeing, but continues looking regardless. He even charges Homer to do the same.
** Another time:
---> '''Milhouse:''' Hey look it's Bart! And he's doing stuff!
---> '''Bart:''' Hey, look at me! [dances around]
---> '''Skinner''' Bart! Stop creating a diversion and get out of here!
** After receiving a hospital bill, Homer shouted about a bear and tried to run away. He didn't go far, given the reason he needed medical help in the first place. [[SubvertedTrope Also, there really was a bear]].
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''
** Lois gets Brian (the dog) to leave the room by [[MyInstinctsAreShowing throwing a ball through the doorway.]]
** In "Wasted Talent", in order to win a piano competition, [[ItMakesSenseInContext Lois takes Peter drinking at a teenager's house]]. When the cops catch the two of them:
---> '''Cop:''' Aren't you two a little ''old'' to be underage drinking?
---> '''Peter:''' Uh... uh... Lois! Look over there! ''(to cops)'' Run!
---> ''([[DuckSeasonRabbitSeason Cops run away]])''
* In ''A WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain Christmas'', Pinky shouts "Look! A decoy!" to Shotzy the elf.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', Butt-head unsuccessfully tries to get Beavis off the couch so he can sprawl out on the couch by himself. When Beavis refuses to leave, Butt-head tells him "Hey Beavis, my uncle was over earlier, and he left a 6-foot poop in the toilet, and didn't flush". Beavis goes to check it out, Butt-head sprawls out on the couch.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'':
** In one episode Dib shouts "Hey! Look at that garbage can!". Zim turns, while Dib rams an IncrediblyObviousBug into Zim's computer. The bug then activates a noisy drill to insert itself, [[RuleOfFunny leaving a huge hole]]. Zim: "Yes. It is rather impressive, that can."
** Dib's method of distracting the Pig-thing in "Gaz: Taster of Pork": "Hey! Look! It's something a Pig-thing would like!"
* From ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', "The Lake Nose Monster": "Hey Ferb! It's a Red Herring! I say we follow it and see where it leads us..."
* From ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'', "The Tick vs. Arthur's Bank Account": "Hi, I'm Arthur, and this is my diversion."
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
-->'''Azula:''' Ahem! Zuko, could I have a word with you?\\
'''Zuko:''' Can't you see we're busy?\\
'''Azula:''' Oh, Mai... Ty Lee needs your help untangling her braid.\\
'''Mai:''' ''(completely deadpan)'' Sounds pretty serious.
** Also {{Lampshaded}} and parodied in "The Ember Island Players."
--->'''Not!Azula''': "Look Zuko! It's your honor!"
--->'''Not!Zuko''': "WHERE!?"
* On ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Jimmy is about to discover one of [[StalkerWithACrush Heloise's]] Jimmy dolls. In order to distract him, she quickly shouts "Look, a meteor!" It works.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': In "Hitman", Ice King tries this when the unflinching [[ProfessionalKiller assassin]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Scorcher]] turns on him.
-->'''Ice King:''' ...Look - a supermodel! ...Look - a hoverboard! ...Look - ''the Apocalypse''! ...[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Someone got]] [[GroinAttack hit in the boingloings.]] ...Hit in the boingloings. Boingloings. Boingloings. Someone got hit in them...
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' cartoons:
** In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', Sonic distracts one of Robotnik's more dim-witted robots simply by running up to it and telling it, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CitM__yqJY I'm over there!]]"
** In the B-plot of the ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' episode, "You and I Bee-Come One", Dr. Eggman goes on vacation to the Villain's retreat. At one point, he participates in a limbo contest, then distracts T.W. Barker, Willy Walrus, and the Weasel Bandit Leader by telling them to look at a solar eclipse, so he can cheat without them looking. Barker looks up at the sun and says, "Wait a sec! You're not supposed to look directly into a solar eclipse!", then sees Eggman cheating by crawling under the limbo stick, which Charlie sees and scolds him for.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite "Sweet and Elite"]], Rarity has spent most of the episode trying to keep her small-town roots a secret from the Canterlot elite. She tries to distract Fancy Pants before Twilight Sparkle can blab that Rarity is "the friend from Ponyville" who made her dress, saying "I'd like to show you... uh, this thing that's over there, on the other side of the room."
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 "The Crystal Empire, Part 2"]], Applejack is tasked with keeping the crystal ponies' morale high by making sure they don't learn that [[AmplifierArtifact the Crystal Heart]] hasn't actually been found yet. AJ is also [[BadLiar a terrible liar]], so every time somepony asks her about the Crystal Heart, her response is something along the lines of "Hey, look! Food! Look! A jousting match!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' Clara tells Foxxy that Creator/DenzelWashington is out the room so she can stop Wooldor from telling that Clara is keeping him sick. It works. Twice. And the third time Denzel DOES show up. And when he starts telling Foxxy that Clara is keeping Wooldor sick she manages to distract Foxxy by saying that there's another Denzel Washington ''with two penises''.
-->'''Foxxy:''' DOUBLE DONG DENZEL!
* WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}} does this mercilessly in one scene of the episode where Dilbert and the building security guard switch jobs for a day. Apu is dealing Blackjack in the office that night (ItMakesSenseInContext) and on one hand every players except Loud Howard distracts him to look at his hole card.
--> '''Loud Howard''': Look Apu, there's a wall behind you!...What Am I doing wrong?
* The ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episode "Lyle the Kindly Viking" features an entire musical number in which Sven and Otar make up increasingly ridiculous things to distract Olaf.
-->Look, Olaf! There's a turtle\\
And he's wearing pink pajamas\\
And he's got a cowboy hat upon his lid!\\
Look, Olaf, very close, and see\\
He's riding on a llama\\
And he's chasing down a herd of giant squid!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy uses this on occasion, on [[SadistTeacher Crocker]] for example ("Look! A child in pain!"). Double-subverted when he tries it on Francis:
--> '''Timmy:''' Uh, look! A rottweiler!
--> '''Francis:''' I'm not falling for that one.
--> '''Timmy:''' You're right. It's just a brick wall.
--> '''Francis:''' [[MundaneObjectAmazement A brick wall! Where?!]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': While Professor Farnsworth removes Bender's head to work on his body, Bender tells Amy to look at him ("Look, I'm being entertaining!") while the body picks her pocket.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': In ''Frigid Hare'', WesternAnimation/BugsBunny distracts Playboy Penguin by shouting "Look! A four-legged airy-plane!" and pointing up. When Playboy looks up, Bugs kicks him off the ice shelf.
* In the short, "Minister Golf" from the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode, "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS3E16SportsShorts Sports Shorts]]", when Baby Plucky plays miniature golf with his dad, he tells him to look at a helicopter to distract him while he throws his ball into the gingerbread house, and a blimp to distract him while he throws his ball into the windmill. When Baby Plucky tries this a third time by telling his dad to look at a rocket ship, he doesn't fall for it. At the end of the short, Plucky in his normal age distracts Buster, Babs, and Hamton by telling them to look at Creator/JuliaRoberts.
[[/folder]]
----
->[[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Squirrel]]!
----

-->'''Tucker:''' You shut the fuck up, Grif! You've done enough already!

-->'''Tucker:''' You busted in here, made an ass of yourself, and got caught! What do -->'''you''' call that?!

[[Spoiler: Grif does this to conceal the '''real rescue''' being done by Locus.]]
'''Tucker:''' They'll pay for this... I promise. I'll make them pay...
'''Grif:''' We all will.
'''Tucker:''' You shut the fuck up, Grif! You've done enough already!
'''Grif:''' Ease up, dude. I did muh best.
'''Tucker:''' Your best!? You fucking botched our '''only''' chance of escape!
'''Grif:''' Uh, no I didn't.
'''Tucker:''' You busted in here, made an ass of yourself, and got caught! What do '''you''' call that?!
'''Grif:''' Uhh... '''[[Spoiler: Pretty fucking sweet diversion.]]'''

* This is demonstrated '''beautifully''' in Episode 16, Season 15 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', complete with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' references, especially a '''literal''' '''!''' (exclamation icon) a la MGS style.

* This is demonstrated '''beautifully''' in Episode 16, Season 15 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', complete with ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' references, especially a '''literal''' '''!''' (exclamation icon) a la MGS style.

INeedToGoIronMyDog is the inverse of this, where the character offers some excuse for their own departure; if the real purpose is to distance himself from what the others are saying and doing, it's SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee. If a character tags along the unwanted character to get him out, it's and EscortDistraction. Compare and contrast with LookBehindYou and WeNeedADistraction. WasJustLeaving ensues when a character doesn't bother to come up with a pretense for wanting someone else gone.

** In ''Shrek the Third'', Shrek [[spoiler:insults Artie so that he angrily leaves the room, stopping Charming from killing him.]]
* ''Disney/{{Bolt}}'': When Mittens threatens Bolt with Styrofoam, he comments "That's a weird place to put a piano" which distracts her long enough for Bolt to knock the Styrofoam from her hands.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

->[[WesternAnimation/{{Up}} Squirrel]]!

---> '''Milhouse:''' Hey look its Bart! And he's doing stuff!

* In the first season of Creator/{{Telltale|Games}}'s ''SamAndMax'', Max is asked by Sam to distract a body guard so Sam can assault the president. One of Max's distractions involve shouting [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "hey, look at Sam!"]]

* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' has the most common variant of this trope be asking someone to "go get some water".

INeedToGoIronMyDog is the inverse of this, where the character offers some excuse for their own departure; if the real purpose is to distance himself from what the others are saying and doing, it's SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee. Compare and contrast with LookBehindYou and WeNeedADistraction. WasJustLeaving ensues when a character doesn't bother to come up with a pretense for wanting someone else gone.

* In ''Gray Matters'', when it's in the middle of the night and Sam tries to get Gray to go to bed so that he can be alone with Charlie:

->''"Oh look, is that a reason to leave?"''
-->-- '''Jeff Winger''', ''Series/{{Community}}''

* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Oh, look, is that a reason to leave? And [[AxCrazy Chang]] [[ButtMonkey falls]] [[TooDumbToLive for]] [[TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket it.]]

[[folder:Film]]

* When Mittens is threatening ''Disney/{{Bolt}}'' with Styrofoam, he comments "That's a weird place to put a piano" which distracts her long enough for Bolt to knock the Styrofoam from her hands.

* ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'': To distract P.T. Flea, Francis yells out "Hey, look! Money!"

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptureTheFlag'': Amy distracts the night guard at the retirement home with a rock so she and Mike can get inside. He ignores the first rock, but investigates the second one, and when doing so discovers three of the residents are secretly building their own rocket.