History Main / ReadingAheadInTheScript

A type of MediumAwareness (and, by extension, often a sign of NoFourthWall in the comedy varation). Closely related to NoticingTheFourthWall; also compare GenreSavvy, ThisIsThePartWhere, and ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud. Will often prompt a "WhoWritesThisCrap" reaction in {{Self Parody}}ing works. Contrast ''both'' RealityEnsues and ThisIsReality. Can overlap with AnimatedActors.

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* In ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', rather than explain the whole complicated story so far, Kermit simply hands the Electric Mayhem the movie script, and they read up to the point where they are now. This comes back as a BrickJoke when the gang gets stranded in the desert and the Electric Mayhem comes to their rescue. How did they knew they were there? Kermit left the script behind.[[note]]Although, even with the script, it's still fairly far-fetched that Dr. Teeth managed to locate them.[[/note]]
-->'''Kermit:''' How did you know where to find us?\\
'''Dr. Teeth:''' We just read the script. ''[holds up script]'' "EXT. DESERT - NIGHT." We knew right where you were.
[[/folder]]

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[[caption-width-right:207:Fourth Wall? [[NoFourthWall What Fourth Wall?]]]]

[[quoteright:207:[[WebComic/BobAndGeorge https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bob_and_george.png]]]]

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

[[folder:Theater]]

-->'''Pacha''': Phew! I hope that's the last we'll see of her.
-->'''Kuzco''': She'll be back. I've seen it in the script!

** In the short "Wind-Blown Hare", TheBigBadWolf reads a copy of ''Literature/ThreeLittlePigs'' to know what to do. When WesternAnimation/BugsBunny pretends to be Literature/LittleRedRidingHood, he gives the wolf a copy of that book to catch up.

* Creator/MelBrooks uses this from time to time:
** At one point in the climax of ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', after the battle spills over into the Studio, Lamarr goes into a theater watching that very movie, and sees that Bart is on his trail. After the final shootout, Bart and The Kid go back into the theater to see the end of the movie.
** In ''{{Film/Spaceballs}}'', the titular villains lose track of Lone Star and Princess Vespa. They then decide to watch the movie itself to find their quarry. (When it's pointed out they're still making the movie, it's revealed that they have instant video where they can get a movie on video while it's still being made.) Results in a memorable scene when they get to "now".
** PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', when Lucky Lucha bests Robin, during [[AffablyEvil Prince]] [[BigBad John's]] archery contest, by [[SplittingTheArrow splitting his arrow.]] Robin literally pulls out the movie's script and quickly flips through it, 'til he finds where it says he gets another shot. Prince John and [[{{Angrish}} the Sheriff]] [[TheDragon of Rottingham]], along with the rest of the cast, consult their own copies and see that he's right. Cue Robin's [[DeusExMachina "Patriot Arrow".]]

* The Genie from ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' pulls out a copy of the movie's script and tries to feed Aladdin his next lines, which will have him use his third wish to free the Genie.

* In ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', the Electric Mayhem come to rescue Kermit and the others when they get stranded in the desert. How did they knew they were there? They read it in the script Kermit had given them earlier. Although, even with the script, it's still fairly far-fetched that Dr. Teeth managed to locate them.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' the TV series, Genie is seen watching Aladdin's latest predicament on a TV in his lamp and reads the script to see where he'll come in.

* In ''{{Film/Spaceballs}}'', the titular villains lose track of Lone Star and Princess Vespa. They then decide to watch the movie itself to find their quarry. (When it's pointed out they're still making the movie, it's revealed that they have instant video where they can get a movie on video while it's still being made.) Results in a memorable scene when they get to "now".
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', when Lucky Lucha bests Robin, during [[AffablyEvil Prince]] [[BigBad John's]] archery contest, by [[SplittingTheArrow splitting his arrow.]] Robin literally pulls out the movie's script and quickly flips through it, 'til he finds where it says he gets another shot. Prince John and [[{{Angrish}} the Sheriff]] [[TheDragon of Rottingham]], along with the rest of the cast, consult their own copies and see that he's right. Cue Robin's [[DeusExMachina "Patriot Arrow".]]

* ''Fanfic/ThinkingInLittleGreenBoxes'' ends the [[Literature/HarryPotter Philosopher's Stone]] arc when Harry reads ahead in the book to find that [[spoiler: Quirrel was Voldemort.]] Disappointed by this, {{Deadpool}}, Harry's father, punishes Harry by banning him from BreakingTheFourthWall for five whole chapters. Harry kept to it... mostly.

A type of MediumAwareness (and, by extension, often a sign of NoFourthWall in the comedy varation). Closely related to NoticingTheFourthWall; also compare GenreSavvy, ThisIsThePartWhere, and ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud. Contrast ''both'' RealityEnsues and ThisIsReality. Can overlap with AnimatedActors.

* In ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'', Linda realises that Sutter Cane's book is influencing their reality, and reads ahead to see what happens. PlayedForDrama; knowing what's about to happen causes her to GoMadFromTheRevelation and play out her role until she vanishes from the script in-universe.

* ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness'': When Linda Styles realizes that Sutter Cane's latest novel is in fact their own reality, she reads ahead to see the ending for herself. The revelation turns her into one of Cane's minions, and she's later retconned out of the story.

** The Muses are the ones who decide on chapter titles in the volumes of history they record so a minor character knowing this stuff is less BreakingTheFourthWall and more of a weird form of clairvoyance. At least one main character has had the good fortune to be in the library of the Muses when some of the safeties were turned off, so the book titles for about a dozen of the novels in the series, many yet to be written, became public knowledge.

[[folder:Comics]]
* In ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'', Opus was once lost without direction in a desert, and finally got a script, and edited it so that the inbred psycho who's picked him up hitchhiking turns into Zsa Zsa Gabor. Then when Zsa Zsa drops him off in Vegas, he leaves the script in the car, and is stuck back in the desert again.

* ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'': [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Pinkie]] doesn't waste any time; she already had a good part of the script read beforehand, thus she already knew what one of [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix's]] next destinations was, and that "something strange" was going to happen there. At least she had the courtesy of not reading too far into it to avoid spoilers.

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

* In ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'', the Electric Mayhem come to rescue Kermit and the others when they get stranded in the desert. How did they knew they were there? They read it in the script Kermit had given them earlier. Although, even with the script, it's still fairly far-fetched that Dr. Teeth managed to locate them.
-->'''Kermit:''' How did you know where to find us?\\
'''Dr. Teeth:''' We just read the script. ''(Holds up script)'' "EXT. DESERT - NIGHT." We knew right where you were.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'' has the song ''Go, go, go Joseph'' with the line "Go, go, go Joseph, fight till you drop/We've read the book, and you come out on top."
** Not to mention, "Don’t give up Joseph, wait and you’ll see/We’ve been outside, and you’re on the marquee."

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* [[OnlySaneMan Proto Man]], in [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/020704c this]] BobAndGeorge strip, reveals a device he uses to read ahead in the webcomic.

--> '''Cloud''' ''(to a copy of the script):'' You ''monster!!''

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Wind-Blown Hare", TheBigBadWolf reads a copy of ''Literature/ThreeLittlePigs'' to know what to do. When WesternAnimation/BugsBunny pretends to be Literature/LittleRedRidingHood, he gives the wolf a copy of that book to catch up.

* Disney's ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'': The Genie pulls out a copy of the movie's script and tries to feed Aladdin his next lines, which will have him use his third wish to free the Genie.
** In an episode of [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} the TV series]], Genie is seen watching Aladdin's latest predicament on a TV in his lamp and reads the script to see where he'll come in.
--->'''Genie:''' Let's see, "Al plummets. Al says 'Oh no'. Genie poofs to the rescue." Sort of predictable. ''(his pocket watch rings)'' I'M LATE! ''(poofs to the rescue)''
--->'''Aladdin:''' Genie, thanks.
--->'''Genie:''' Oh, just doing my part, Al. I think.

[[folder:Film]]

* A variation occurs in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Angels Take Manhattan." The events of the episode are written down in a book the Doctor found. Amy is quick to realize that reading ahead gives them some warning about what will happen, only for the Doctor to tell her not to do it. This is because it becomes close to impossible to ScrewDestiny once you've read it. Reading ahead would seal their fate, with no way to know if it would be for better or for worse. As a balance between the two, they read the chapter headings.

* ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'' takes this trope and does the tango. Looping universes are backed up on the Hub universe, our reality, which causes the natives to write fiction about the backed up worlds and results in a lot of MutuallyFictional scenarios. GenreSavvy loopers gather as much fiction as they can, so they can quickly acquaint themselves with any other world they end up in; some loopers even keep their own scripts on hand to offer to newcomers.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

** not to mention, "Don’t give up Joseph, wait and you’ll see/We’ve been outside, and you’re on the marquee."

-->'''Aladdin:''' Genie, thanks.
-->'''Genie:''' Oh, just doing my part, Al. I think.