History Main / PlotDrivingSecret

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]

* In ''Series/Lucifer2016'', the {{Deuteragonist}} Chloe always disregards Lucifer's CassandraTruth that he's ''the'' [[{{Satan}} Lucifer Morningstar]], first among angels, Prince of {{Hell}}, and not just a [[BunnyEarsLawyer quirky, delusional]] nightclub owner. [[spoiler:She realizes the truth in the Season 3 finale, just in time for the show to be canceled.]]

* Subverted in ''Series/TheGoodPlace''. Each season sets up a secret that someone needs to hide from their superiors (such as Eleanor being sent to The Good Place by mistake, or Michael secretly betraying Shawn), only to have that secret unexpectedly revealed as a MidSeasonTwist that ends one arc and creates another.

If an InternalReveal exposes the secret, expect it to be a GameChanger, or even to mean that NothingIsTheSameAnymore.

See Also:

* TheCon -- "Wait, you're ''not'' a Nigerian Prince who needs help hiding his fortune?"

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': Olberic's path centers around finding Erhardt and discovering why he betrayed them.
Cyrus' path centers around solving the mystery of the ancient tome missing from the academy's archives.

[[folder:General]]
* Almost every mystery depends on someone not knowing who the culprit is. Once that knowledge is revealed, the story ends, unless the plot is actually about gathering evidence.
** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' gets around this... by switching the this from 'whodunnit' to 'whydunnit'.
* Any character with a SecretIdentity is likely to have a few stories of this nature.
* Pretty much every undercover cop story runs on this. If the criminals knew from the outset that the new guy in their ranks was a cop out to bust them all, they would be dead in short order.
[[/folder]]

* BruceWayneHeldHostage -- "You mean our hostage is actually TheHero?"

* Pretty much every undercover cop story runs on this. If the criminals knew from the outset that the new guy in their ranks was a cop out to bust them all, he or she would be dead in short order.

* The plot in ''{{Fanfic/Nosflutteratu}}'' kicks off when Twilight learns what everypony else in Ponyville already knows-that Fluttershy is a vampire.

[[folder: General: ]]

* Almost every Mystery depends on someone not knowing who the culprit is. Once that knowledge is revealed, the story ends, unless the plot is actually about gathering evidence.
** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' gets around this... by switching the this from 'whodunnit' to 'whydunnit',

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Fearless}}'' books, the plot was frequently driven by the fact that [[TheHero Gaia]] was either keeping a secret from someone or having one kept from her.

[[folder: Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'' would likely have been a much different show if Alex had told her parents about the accident.
* In ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'', "A"'s identity is the main mystery of the entire show.

[[AC: General:]]

** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' gets around this... by switching the PlotDrivingSecret from 'whodunnit' to 'whydunnit',
* Any character with a SecretIdentity is likely to have a few stories of this nature.
* Pretty much every undercover cop story runs on this. If the criminals knew from the outset that the new guy in their ranks was a cop out to bust them all, he or she would be dead in short order.

[[AC: Fan Works]]
* The plot in ''{{FanFic/Nosflutteratu}}'' kicks off when Twilight learns what everpony else in Ponyville already knows—that Fluttershy is a vampire.

[[AC: Film]]

[[AC: Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Fearless}}'' books, the plot was frequently driven by the fact that [[TheHero Gaia]] was either keeping a secret from someone or having one kept from her.

[[AC: Live Action TV:]]

* TheCon - "Wait, you're ''not'' a Nigerian Prince who needs help hiding his fortune?"
* BruceWayneHeldHostage - "You mean our hostage is actually TheHero?"
* LockedOutOfTheLoop - "You ''all'' knew this?" "Yes, but there's a reason we didn't tell you."
* LovesMyAlterEgo - "You mean the guy I love and the guy with an unrequited crush on me are the same man?"
* Masquerade - "Dude, they're really vampires?"

* TheMasquerade - "Dude, they're really vampires?"

** ''LawAndOrder'' gets around this... by switching the PlotDrivingSecret from 'whodunnit' to 'whydunnit',

* TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack would likely have been a much different show if Alex had told her parents about the accident.
* In ''PrettyLittleLiars'', "A"'s identity is the main mystery of the entire show.

* The plot in {{FanFic/Nosflutteratu}} kicks off when Twilight learns what everpony else in Ponyville already knows—that Fluttershy is a vampire.

* A minor plot point in ''AkataWitch'' was that Sunny was the only one in the group whose parents weren't magical and didn't know that she was taking lessons to improve her magic.

** ''LawAndOrder'' gets around this... by switching the PlotDrivingMystery from 'whodunnit' to 'whydunnit',

* Almost every Mystery depends on someone not knowing who the culprit is. Once that knowledge is revealed, the story ends, unless the plot is actually about gathering evidence.

* TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack would likely have been a much different show if Alex had told her parents about the accident.