History Main / WildcardExcuse

[[quoteright:350:[[TheWorldGodOnlyKnows http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TWGOK83_09_RH_6412.png]]]]

** A [[RuleOfFunny hilariously]] nonsensical excuse, since CGI isn't applied in real-time, but rather on top of recordings of live-action or hand-drawn things.
*** Do you think the average bystander knows that?
*** [[ViewersAreMorons I should hope so...]]
*** This one actually makes a little sense: The original Japanese phrase means "special effects," which includes CGI, but also fireworks and other stagecraft. But somebody translated it as CGI on accident, and [[GoodBadTranslation the other translators thought it was funny enough to keep]].

* In the first book of the Song of the Lioness series, Alanna always uses "I fell down" to explain her black eyes, and broken bones, and other conspicuous injuries obviously gotten from fighting.

* A variation in ''DoctorWho'', the question being "Who are you?" and the answer being "I'm the Doctor.", rarely yielding any further questions.

* The {{Coneheads}} claim to be from France.

* Near the beginning of FinalFantasyX, Tidus is advised to say "I got too close to Sin's toxin" to cover up his ignorance of life in Spira.

* [[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' was full of this: "gangs on PCP" (group of vampires); "slipped and fell on a barbeque fork" (vampire bite resulting in loss of blood, consciousness, and memory); "office broken into by a pack of wild dogs" (students possessed by hyenas eating the principal); "neck rupture" (vampire bite); "gym full of asbestos" (full of vampires)... By the sixth season, it's gotten to the point where the official line is "Mayhem caused; monsters definitely not involved."

[[caption-width-right:350:The Wild Card Excuse at work]]

See also WellExcuseMePrincess, ExcusePlot, and the actual WildCard.

* In ''{{Discworld}}/InterestingTimes'', Rincewind visits [[ImperialChina the Agatean Empire]], where foreigners are routinely executed. He's advised to tell anyone who gets suspicious that he's from Bes Pelargic, an Agatean town looked down on by everyone else for being a bit weird.

**** Even earlier. Timmy's parents got a 50,000 dollar vase for a buck...on the internet.
***** They said 'garage sale', and as such not an example.

* In ''{{Sliders}}'', whenever the team lands on a new world and has to explain why they don't know what's going on, they use the excuse "We're from Canada." We've hardly ever seen it fail. Although one time they had to pretend to be illegal immigrants from Canada the entire episode, who had snuck south into Mexico for work. (Thanks to the non-existence of United States in the middle, and Mexico ending up with California.)

* In ''{{Sliders}}'', whenever the team lands on a new world and has to explain why they don't know what's going on, they use the excuse "We're from Canada." We've hardly ever seen it fail. Although one time they had to pretend to be illegal immigrants from Canada the entire episode, who had snuck south into Mexico for work. (Thanks to the non-existence of America in the middle, and Mexico ending up with California.)

->Dad: ''"Timmy, where did all that stuff come from?"''\\
Timmy: ''"Uhhh... internet."''\\
Dad: ''"All right then!"''

* In the "Knifin' Around" episode of ''[[SpaceGhostCoasttoCoast Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' featuring Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Space Ghost takes a break from the interview to discretely reveal to his director, Moltar, the fact that he has illegally copied Radiohead CDs. When Yorke appears to be listening in, Space Ghost covers by saying, "Don't look at me... we're talking about dragons!"

* In the "Knifin' Around" episode of ''[[SpaceGhostCoasttoCoast Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' featuring Thom Yorke from Radiohead, Space Ghost takes a break from the interview to discretely reveal to his director, Moltar, the fact that he has illegally copied Radiohead CDs. When Yorke appears to be listening in, Space Ghost covers by saying, "Don't look at me... we're talking about dragons!"