History Main / NeverTheObviousSuspect

Sometimes the writers like to play with audience expectations and [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] the trope by having the detective dismiss the most obvious suspect and go through others, only to discover later on that the person she originally suspected ''was'' guilty after all. This is usually accompanied by some kind of unexpected [[TheReveal reveal]] that explains how the obvious suspect was able to appear innocent. To use the example above, if the murder was commited by a right-handed person, and the detective rules out the obvious suspect because he's a leftie, she may later discover that he's ambidextrous, so he was the murderer after all.

If this trope is completely {{averted}}, and it turns out the obvious suspect did it exactly as suspected, we're dealing with TheUntwist. SubvertedSuspicionAesop is another plot formula where someone who appears to be guilty really is so. See also ArkhamsRazor, where a scenario like this is played for humor, and OrgyOfEvidence, which can apply to the first suspect.

This plot formula is typically used in [[FairPlayWhodunnit fair-play whodunnits]] and other types of mysteries where there are several suspects. The obvious suspect functions as a RedHerring, and the story often culminates with TheSummation, where the unexpected culprit and the reason why he commited the crime are revealed.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. In "Wolf in the Fold", Scotty is found on three separate occasions standing over the corpese of an attractive woman with blood on his hands and no idea of what happened. Captain Kirk uses InsaneTrollLogic to argue that the ghost of Jack the Ripper is responsible. He's right, of course.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. In "Wolf in the Fold", Scotty is found on three separate occasions standing over the corpese of an attractive woman with blood on his hands and no idea of what happened. Captain Kirk uses InsaneTrollLogic to argue that the ghost of Jack the Ripper is responsible.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. In "Wolf in the Fold", Scotty is found on three separate occasions standing over the corpese of an attractive woman with blood on his hands and no idea of what happened. Captain Kirk uses some rather dubious logic to claim that the spirit of Jack the Ripper is responsible, and turns out to be right.

* Played straight in 32 out of 34 trial cases in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' games (including [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney the crossover with Professor Layton]]), where the culprit is not the defendant. That's ''over 90 percent''.

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* Played straight in of 99% of all ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' cases, where the culprit is never the defendant.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/AShotInTheDark''. CluelessDetective Clousseau ignores blatant evidence that the woman he's infatuated with is the killer, even though she keeps being found standing over a victim, holding the murder weapon, with no idea of what happened. Of course everyone except her turns out to be a murderer.

#The detective then finds out the real culprit was someone unexpected. For example, it can be someone who didn't seem to have any motive for committing the crime, until the detective uncovers said motive.

#She comes across a very obvious suspect: someone who had the motive and the means to commit the crime.

* In the ''Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E09ThePassenger "The Passenger"]], a bad guy named Vantika escapes the death of his body by transplanting his mind to another person. The most obvious target for this mind transfer is [[spoiler:Kajada]], who becomes the main suspect because of this. But then it turns out Vantika actually resides in the brain of [[spoiler:Bashir]], whom none of the protagonists suspected, even though most of the viewers had probably guessed it long ago due to a very obvious hint dropped in the first act.

* In the ''Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E09ThePassenger "The Passenger"]], a bad guy named Vantika escapes the death of his body by transplanting his mind to another person. The most obvious target for this mind transfer is [[spoiler:Kajada]], who becomes the main suspect because of this. But then it turns out Vantika actually resides in the brain of [[spoiler:Dr. Bashir]], whom none of the protagonists suspected, even though most of the viewers had probably guessed it long ago due to a very obvious hint dropped in the first act.

* In the ''Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E09ThePassenger "The Passenger"]], a bad guy named Vantika escapes the death of his body by transplanting his mind to another person. The most obvious target for this mind transfer is [[spoiler:Kajada]], who everyone suspects because of this. But then it turns out Vantika actually resides in the brain of [[spoiler:Dr. Bashir]], whom none of the protagonists suspected, even though most of the viewers had probably guessed it long ago due to a very obvious hint dropped in the first act of the episode.

* In the ''Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS01E09ThePassenger "The Passenger"]] a bad guy named Vantika escapes the death of his body by transplanting his mind to another person. The most obvious target for this transfer is [[spoiler:Kajada]], who everyone suspects because of this. But then it turns out Vantika actually resides in the brain of [[spoiler:Dr. Bashir]], whom none of the protagonists suspected, even though most of the viewers had probably guessed it long ago due to a very obvious hint dropped in the first act of the episode.

If this trope is completely {{averted}}, and it turns out the obvious suspect did it exactly as suspected, we're dealing with TheUntwist. SubvertedSuspicionAesop is another plot formula where someone who appears to be guilty really is so. See also ArkhamsRazor, where a scenario like this is played for humor. See also OrgyOfEvidence, which often applies to the first suspect.

Writers like to use the above formula because it adds a [[PlotTwist twist]] to the story. Discovering the culprit becomes an interesting puzzle instead of the detective simply finding suspect number one and arresting him. However, this trope has become so common that the audience is now used to it, which means they pretty much expect the real culprit to be someone else than the obvious choice. In most cases, the twist is also SpoiledByTheFormat: if a detective show lasts for 45 minutes, and after the first 15 minutes the detective already appears to have caught the guilty party, it's almost certain the real culprit will turn out to be someone else.

--->'''Lord Peter:''' Enter the obvious suspect.
--->'''Harriet:''' The obvious suspect is always innocent.
--->'''Superintendent Kirk:''' [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall In books]], my lady.

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* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': When Linda performs a stage play in the restaurant, Louise plays a butler who reacts dismissive to the murders and loudly remarks that the murder weapon is hers. This is intended as a (lazy) RedHerring, with Linda actually being the killer. When the true killer is revealed, the audience becomes angry since clearly TheButlerDidIt and there were no clues pointing to Linda.

* Subverted in the Creator/AgathaChristie novel ''Literature/TheMysteriousAffairAtStyles''. The murderer [[spoiler:deliberately makes himself the very obvious first suspect, then prepares fake evidence, so the case against him will be overturned and he won't be suspected again (in English law at the time, one couldn't be tried twice for the same crime).]]

If this trope is completely {{averted}}, and it turns out the obvious suspect did it exactly as suspected, we're dealing with TheUntwist. SubvertedSuspicionAesop is another plot formula where someone who appears to be guilty really is so. See also ArkhamsRazor, where a scenario like this is played for humor.

* Subverted in the Creator/AgathaChristie novel ''The Mysterious Affair at Styles''. The murderer [[spoiler:deliberately makes himself the very obvious first suspect, then prepares fake evidence, so the case against him will be overturned and he won't be suspected again (in English law at the time, one couldn't be tried twice for the same crime).]]