History Main / SpeakFriendAndEnter

* The [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney version]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': Quasimodo and Phoebus find the entrance to the Hall of Miracles (the Gypsies' secret hideout) using the amulet Esmeralda gave Quasimodo. The amulet leads them to a large grave with mysterious writing on the lid. While Phoebus tries to decipher the writing, Quasi simply lifts it open, uncovering a staircase.

* In ''{{Manga/Working}}'', there's a brief subplot where Inami tells everyone at Wagnaria that she mentioned she had a friend named Takanashi to her mother, who mentioned it to her father. Her father doesn't want her to have any male friends, so Inami begs Takanashi to cover up for it by crossdressing. Only after he's reluctantly agreed to do it does Yachiyo point out that they could have just had a girl like her pretend to be Takanashi when her father came to meet him. [[TheGadfly Souma thought of it, but didn't feel like bringing it up.]] [[ForTheLulz Because it's funnier that way.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': There's this huge obstacle course covering the area that loops around to a pedestal with the goal. After the others have failed to get through the course, Clay asks if all he has to do is get the object at the goal. When told he does, he simply walks over to the pedestal and picks the goal up, completely ignoring the obstacle course.

'''Gandalf:''' ''Mellon''. ''(door opens)''

* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' uses a variant of this trope, amazingly enough, in [[Anime/Pokemon2000 the second movie]]: "And the world will turn to Ash." (This was a {{Woolseyism}}; the Japanese version simply referred to "a trainer".)

---> " Why couldn't I have been named George or Bob?"

* In issue #4 of the IDW ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' comic, to open a door, Chrysalis poses a riddle to the mane 6 - "How is a pegasus like a writing desk...can you answer this riddle?". While the rest of the mane 6 try to answer how a pegasus is like a writing desk, Pinkie opens the door with the correct answer - "No, I can't answer it".

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''

* ''VideoGame/ZorkGrandInquisitor''

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' is the TropeNamer. Gandalf spends hours casting opening spells and trying passwords on the door into Moria. He finally realizes that he mistranslated the inscription on the door: instead of "Speak, friend, and enter", it was "Say 'friend' and enter" All he had to do was say the elven word for "friend" and the door opened. Gandalf read the inscription aloud before, but in the common tongue, not in Elvish.

-->-- ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'' (we're just going to assume Gandalf knew Frodo meant Sindarin, and not Quenya, Nandorin, Telerin or Silvan)

* In ''FanFic/WithStringsAttached'', the Hunter, with twenty years of nonstop adventure behind him, begins to plot out a long, difficult slog into the Misery Mountains, citing lurking undead and other nasty things lying in wait along the cold, windy, miles-long path. George stops him and basically says, “Hey, I'll just turn into a dragon and fly us up there.” End of problem.

* ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' is the TropeNamer. Gandalf spends hours casting opening spells and trying passwords on the door into Moria. He finally realizes that he mistranslated the inscription on the door: instead of "Speak, friend, and enter", it was "Say 'friend' and enter" All he had to do was say the elven word for "friend" and the door opened. Gandalf read the inscription aloud before, but in the common tongue, not in Elvish.

* ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'': In the episode ''Cheesed Off'' protagonists are faced with an infestation of mice. Lennox-Brown suggests using high tech methods to get rid of them such as laser beams or ultrasonics). His secretary suggests a cat.

* ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'': In the episode ''Cheesed Off'' protagonists are faced with an infestation of mice. Lennox-Brown suggests poisoning them (and in the Finnish version using high tech methods to get rid of them such as laser beams or ultrasonics). His secretary suggests a cat.

* The [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney version]] of ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': Quasimodo and Phoebus find the entrance to the Hall of Miracles (the Gypsies' secret hideout) using the amulet Esmeralda gave Quasimodo. The amulet leads them to a large grave with mysterious writing on the lid. While Phoebus tries to decipher the writing, Quasi simply lifts it open, uncovering a staircase.

* ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad'' references the Trope Namer and parodies it, as the Witches discuss the Invisible Dwarf Runes while at the door. Granny even strikes the door "and spake thusly:'Open up, you little sods!'"

-->-- ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' (we're just going to assume Gandalf knew Frodo meant Sindarin, and not Quenya, Nandorin, Telerin or Silvan)

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': In the episode "Syren", Master Fu is working on completing a recipe for a kwami power-up potion, but is stuck on his attempts to decipher the meaning of one of the listed ingredients, "tears of joy". As it turns out, the potion does in fact require literal TearsOfJoy.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': In the episode "Syren", Master Fu is working on completing a recipe for a kwami power-up potion, but is stuck on his attempts to decipher the meaning of one of the listed ingredients, "tears of joy". As it turns out it's not a riddle at all and the potion calls for ''literal'' TearsOfJoy.

-->-- ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. We're just going to assume Gandalf knew Frodo meant Sindarin, and not Quenya, Nandorin, Telerin or Silvan.

In any story, there are problems. Characters need to solve those problems. Usually, they do so in the most straightforward way. But sometimes, they create an [[RubeGoldbergDevice extremely complex and convoluted plan]] for what should be a [[OverrideCommand simple solution]]. They may just plan it, or they may actually go through with it, but often before, during, or after, some other character points out how complicated ThePlan is, [[JustEatGilligan or what the simplest solution would be.]]

* ''{{TabletopGame/Rolemaster}}'' ''Shadow World'' supplement ''Emer''. Inside the Ahrenthrok, a door made of frosted green laen has a silver rune inlaid on it. It will open if the Iruaric word "IKen" ("open") is spoken.

* In ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}'' has [[https://xkcd.com/530/ a strip]] (based on something the author actually did) where a character forgets his keys and works out a complicated system to log into his desktop and have the text-to-speech tell his roommate to let him in. The woman he explains the situation to then asks why the doorbell doesn't work...

* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', towards the beginning of the Sith Inquisitor story, you come across a holocron that Sith Lords and apprentices have been trying to open for years. Your character can attempt to meditate and recite the Sith Code, but the solution is actually to simply shoot it with lightning, one of the most iconic abilities of the Sith.

* ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'': Near the end, they realize the spell they were looking for was in the [[spoiler:child's book]] all along. This make a large part of the movie somewhat of a ShaggyDogStory in retrospect.

-->-- ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''

Compare with ThereWasADoor, a specific subtrope where rather than simply opening a door, someone smashes through the door or wall [[note]] smashing through is simpler in the short term, and only in the long term is it more complicated) [[/note]]. Also compare CuttingTheKnot. May overlap with WeHaveTheKeys if the "key" is found before the more violent solution is tried (or after the more violent solution has failed).

* In the {{Infocom}} game ''Journey'', the characters find a gate with an inscription reading "Please only say 'gate open' to enter storage-room." [[spoiler:Clues allow the player to read this correctly as "Storage-room entrance. To open gate, say only 'Please'."]]