History Main / TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat

* A particularly meta example [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSd-9ZVbZA4 during a]] WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}}.[[note]]The "reveal", as it were, is 8 and a half minutes in, if you don't want to have to deal with the crappy video.[[/note]]

-->'''Poirot's Letter:''' [[spoiler:For you see, Hastings... YOU killed her.]]\\
'''Hastings:''' [[spoiler:''I'' killed her?!]]\\
'''Poirot's Letter:''' [[spoiler:Oui, mon ami, you did.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdz}}'', Eddie tries to pull it on his away-from-home mom by recording an answering machine prompt structured like this, in an attempt to fool his calling parents into thinking that he's still home, babysitting his sister, rather than at a club. It doesn't works.

** Denholm not only knows enough to be prepared for his son to show up, but enough to know that he'll cause a fuss and start flirting, and [[CrazyPrepared prepare a specific tape for that circumstance]]. Also with Roy's troubleshooting audiotape, which answers the tech support phone by asking "[[CatchPhrase Have you tried turning it off and on again?]]". Created out of sheer exasperation with the number of people whose problems can be solved with this.

'''Price''': [[CatchPhrase Ooooh, I love when I'm nasty]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE25TheClockKing The Clock King]]" uses this trope. Fugate's tape perfectly predicts what Batman would do, down to the second. Of course, [[ClockKing this is Fugate's gimmick]]:

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13715296/1/A-Vampire-in-Love A Vampire in Love]]'', Danny Fenton recieves a letter from Clockwork that manages to predict the young halfa's immediate reactions. Since this is [[TimeMaster Clockwork]] we're talking about, he might have just used his knowledge of the future to figure out what Danny would do.

* In at least a couple of books in Creator/MargaretPetersonHaddix's ''Literature/TheMissing'' series, the character Second manages this using a combination of knowledge he gained through time-travel and advanced technology.

** In the episode "Lounge Singer", there is a scene in which Filbert wants to order a self-help tape from TV called "GEQ-O-NETICS" by Buddy Gecko so that he can learn to perform without getting stage fright. Filbert is confused by the number of digits he needs to dial to order the tape, but Buddy Gecko from TV told him to dial the number anyway.

* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': When Kelso decides he no longer wants to spend time with patients, he has Ted go room to room with a pre-recorded tape of him. Every time Ted leaves the room, the tape yells at him not to forget the tape. Ted wonders how the tape always knows.

* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7099768?view_full_work=true On The Run]]'' Katsuki Bakugou is reading a journal left to him and Izuku by their teacher Aizawa telling him how they should go about training to face the League of Villains in the future with each page causing him to become more and more frustrated with what he's supposed to do to help both himself and Izuku. On the very last page, Aizawa writes in all caps “BREAK THE CHAINS YOUR PRIDE USES TO HOLD YOU DOWN” causing Katsuki to tear that page out and burn it. Behind that text written on the inside of the back cover itself Aizawa has written “Do not let your superiority complex control you. Stop burning my pages.” He then proceeds to chuck the journal as far away from him as he can.

* This happens in ''Film/IronEagle''. Chappy Sinclair is the wingman for Doug Masters in a plan to use two Air Force jets to rescue Doug's father. Just in case something happens, Chappy makes a tape recording of advice the night before so his voice can continue to guide Doug. Somehow, Chappy manages to predict exactly when he was shot down and doesn't bother to give advice about anything up to that point. The strangest part is when the tape says something like, "You did a good job shooting at the refinery. Now that that's out of the way..."
** Doug is shown to be starting and stopping the tape, so it's likely that if he hadn't taken out the refinery, he wouldn't have been in a position to start the tape again from Chappy's perspective.

* ''Series/BreakingIn'': Oz has a [=PowerPoint=] presentation set up with responses to everything Cameron says.

:: He then caps the whole thing with a slide informing Cameron that his fly is open.
* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Doug Judy leaves a video apologizing to Peralta for conning him and stealing some diamonds:
-->'''Video of Doug Judy:''' I did you dirty. I never meant to cause you any troubles.\\

* ''Series/DeathNote'': At [[spoiler:L's]] funeral, the Kira task force members watch a video he'd prepared for them beforehand. When Watari tells them it contains a hint as to the killer's identity, [[TheDitz Matsuda]] excitedly asks what it is, at which point [[spoiler:L]], in the video, says, "Now, Matsuda-san, don't be so impatient."

'''Watari:''' [[spoiler:L]] anticipated everything.\\

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFldBVWFgWo Last Will and Temperament.]] Boot To The Head! ''Every'' Boot To The Head. Perfectly timed with statements to get subjects to drop their BOOT TO THE HEAD *WHATHONK* guard.

'''*WHATHONK*'''\\

--> '''Asmodeus''': "Do you have any idea [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils who]] you are '''FUCKING WITH???'''"
--> '''Stolas''': "I think it's a recording."
--> '''Crimson''': "Ya probably just asked if I know who I'm dealing with. And oh yes, I know."

* One episode of ''Series/{{Castle}}'' had a teen girl make one of these as a prank to her friend (though it was very simplistic, basically a greeting, pause for response, and then the prank interrupting). Said friend then used it as an alibi when she murdered the girl, making it seem like her death happened hours later, because clearly she was video calling so she must have been alive.

* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', Henry leaves an answering machine recording that replies to what Travis is saying, and the player is ''thinking''.
-->'''Henry:''' Travis... Forgive your big brother, who was too much of a shitebag to thank you face to face.\\
'''Travis:''' How does ''he'' know which one of us popped out first?\\
'''Henry:''' You're prob'ly spoutin' off about which one of us popped out first. Point is, there's no honor in getting rescued by my ''younger, BABY'' brother. So, I took it upon myself to proper kill Scott Gardner, Greg Cantrell and Massimo Bellini. [...] I took pictures of the three skangers as souvenirs. [[NoFourthWall You'll just have to drool over 'em, 'cause there's no way you can play through these fights. The game's stuffed full as it is.]]\\
'''Travis:''' How long is this message?!
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': In the comic for the Mann vs. Machine update, when the Sniper asks if they're going to get paid for destroying all the robots, Saxton Hale in the video tape responds "This is pre-taped, [[LampshadeHanging so I don't know what anybody's talking about right now]], but I am not paying you for this."

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In the {{Eroge}} ''VisualNovel/SnowSakura'', the main character's father sends him tapes like this repeatedly including, in one [[MultipleEndings ending]] [[spoiler:sending him a wedding ring needed to propose to his Love Interest (and [[KissingCousins cousin]]) weeks before it's needed, and orchestrating the entire proposal ''via tape''.]]
[[/folder]]

** "WesternAnimation/PrehystericalHare" has Bugs watching a film purportedly made in prehistoric days which presents a rabbit that looks like Bugs only with longer buck teeth. Bugs wonders if he could be an ancestor, to which the rabbit in the film turns toward the camera and answers "Ehhh... could be!"

** "Prehysterical Hare" has Bugs watching a film purportedly made in prehistoric days which presents a rabbit that looks like Bugs only with longer buck teeth. Bugs wonders if he could be an ancestor, to which the rabbit in the film turns to the camera and answers "Eh...could be!"

** In one episode, Peter, has a protracted conversation with an actress on his TV, with her giving appropriate responses to everything he says. Cut to Bruce watching the same show at his home, "This is a weird episode".

** In the episode where Peter attends Meg's high school while pretending to be a student, he leaves a taped message to fool his wife, and though it works with the first two recorded lines, the third one is inappropriate and tips Lois off that it is a recording. The recording eventually straight up asks her, "If you haven't figured out this is a recording yet, [[ImplausibleDeniability please flip the tape over to side 2]]".