History Main / OvertRendezvous

* PlayedForLaughs in an episode of ''Series/HunterNBC'' where a small-time crook steals a package of drugs from a crime boss, and says he'll sell it back to him. To avoid his inevitable death, the exchange takes place in the foyer of a police station.

* PlayedForLaughs in an episode of ''Series/{{Hunter}}'' where a small-time crook steals a package of drugs from a crime boss, and says he'll sell it back to him. To avoid his inevitable death, the exchange takes place in the foyer of a police station.

** PlayedForLaughs in the first episode of Season 2. Crowley is sat on a bench in St James' Park and a man sits next to him and delivers a line of SpySpeak in a thick Eastern European accent. Crowley tells him he's got the wrong bench and points him towards his actual contact.

* There's a duck pond in ''Literature/GoodOmens'' which is specifically ''the'' place in London where spies from different agencies (and [[NobleDemon Crowley]] and [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Aziraphale]]) go to meet. Some of the more amusing anecdotes include two members of [=MI9=] trying to recruit each other, and the ducks having learned to differentiate and appreciate the kinds of crumbs left by assorted diplomats and spies. There's also the café at the British Museum, (described as a second home for the battle-weary foot-soldiers of The UsefulNotes/ColdWar) where two agents argue over who keeps the receipt.

* The page quote refers to the same duck pond as in ''Literature/GoodOmens'', which may or may not be TruthInTelevision, but is certainly ''believed'' to be. The St James's Park Bridge is popularly known as the Bridge of Spies.

* ''Series/GoodOmens'': Aziraphale and Crowley meet several times on a very public park bench to discuss very confidential matters of Heaven and Hell. Notably, this is the setting of their conversation where Crowley asks Aziraphale to [[spoiler:provide him with holy water for "insurance"]].

Of course, while this kind of meeting decreases the odds of being noticed by the specific people you're trying to avoid, it substantially increases the odds that your conversation will be overheard by random passers-by. This is generally [[PoseOfSilence glossed over]], though sometimes it's nodded at by selecting an [[CacophonyCoverUp exceptionally loud meeting place]], or by having the characters speak in some way that appears innocuous: TroubleEntendre, TalkingThroughTechnique, SpySpeak, or the like.

For an extra layer of security, sometimes the two people meeting will sit back-to-back so it doesn't look like they're talking to each other -- on park benches facing in opposite directions, or at adjacent tables in a restaurant. This is also close enough to exchange a briefcase.

Of course, while this kind of meeting decreases the odds of being noticed by the specific people you're trying to avoid, it substantially increases the odds that your conversation will be overheard by random passers-by. This is generally [[PoseOfSilence glossed over]], though sometimes it's nodded at by selecting an [[CacophonyCoverUp exceptionally loud meeting place]], or by having the characters speak in some way that appears innocuous: TroubleEntendre, TalkingThroughTechnique, SpySpeak, or the like. Or it's assumed that those random passers-by simply won't give a damn. This is somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified actually]]. If you are discussing something highly technical using lots of jargon, then most people will have no idea what you are talking about. Not only will they be unlikely to think that your conversation is significant, they also won't be able to remember it very well even if the authorities start asking about it later. This also works better in places where both you and most of the other people are moving around: because then nobody will be able to catch more than a small slice of your conversation.

** ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'': Bond meets with his Japanese Secret Service contact at a sumo match.

** Subverted in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun''. Bond has a rendevous at a Thai boxing match with Scaramanga's girlfriend so she can hand over the McGuffin that she stole from him. He sits down next to her and starts talking, only to realise she's not responding. Then he notices the bullethole over her heart, Scaramanga having murdered her with a precision shot without anyone else noticing.

** ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'': The conspirators discuss their EvilPlan via radio earpieces while sitting in the audience of an opera house. Bond exposes them by breaking into their comms and taunting them, then photographing anyone who gets up to leave. Mr White is smart enough to discreetly pocket his earpiece and continue watching the opera.

* In ''Series/AgentCarter'', Peggy meets with Edwin Jarvis back-to-back at neighbouring tables in a diner.

** In the pilot episode, Harold Finch does a WalkAndTalk through Central Park while revealing the existence of the Machine to John Reese. We then see them from the Machine's POV, showing the all-seeing A.I. [[ParanoiaFuel can still hear their conversation]].

** Control becomes suspicious of Samaritan and to [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou escape its ubiquitous surveillance]] goes to the park, sits on a bench and uses a satellite phone to contact one of her men directly. However Samaritan adapts by sending a bike rider into the park with a microphone attached to his arm in the guise of a smartphone, to hear her conversation.

* A park bench.

For an extra layer of security, sometimes the two people meeting will sit back-to-back so it doesn't look like they're talking to each other -- on park benches facing in opposite directions, or at adjacent tables in a restaurant.

* Lampshaded in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'', when Dodgson meets Nedry in a restaurant.

-->'''Dodgson:''' (''sitting down'') You shouldn't us my name.

* Lampshaded in ''Film/JurassicPark'', when Dodgson meets Nedry in a restaurant.

* In ''Film/{{Notorious}}'', the lead couple (American agents) are seen meeting up strictly in public, at the horse races and on a park bench in the city of Rio.

* Parodied in the made-for-TV movie ''Two on a Bench'', which is about two people who strike up a conversation on a park bench and are consequently MistakenForSpies.

* ''Series/TheBoys2019''. At the start of Season 2, Hughie Campbell is a federal fugitive, so has to meet with an incognito Starlight by pretending to be passengers sitting next to each other on a crowded subway train.

* Discussed in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix''. Harry, Hermione and Ron have a secret meeting in a public location, but choose the less-frequented Hog's Head over the Three Broomsticks. Both the Order and Umbridge learn what they're doing, making things that much harder. Sirius tells them should have chosen the Three Broomsticks, because while they could never know if someone was ''watching'' them, in a noisy crowded place any spies would have trouble ''hearing'' them. This gets foreshadowed when Harry looks around during the meeting and realizes that the entire bar is hanging onto his every word.

* In the 1990's Australian cop show ''Series/{{Phoenix}}'' the head of Major Crime Division meets a colleague in the park to discuss an undercover operation. After they finished one of them grumbles: "Jesus, what do ''we'' look like? Two bloody old poofs holding hands, sucking their ice creams. Is there a pub nearby?"