Rapid-Fire Interrupting

Rapid Fire Interrupting is when—

Rapid Fire Interrupting refers to those moments when a character keeps interrupting another one while speaking, without letting them utter a single sentence.

Umm… thanks Alice. Naturally thi—

As you can expect, whoever is getting interrupted will insist on trying to speak, only to get constantly stopped by the other one. Angrish is to be expected if they get the opportunity to speak after the long breaking-in streak.

This usually mea—

This can happen either because the one interrupting is so angry they won't let the other talk, knows that they are more knowledgeable in the topic than the other, knows that the other is going to say something incredibly stupid, or just wants to get them angry.

Though it doesn—

The interrupting doesn't necessarily need to come from another person though, a Loud Speaker Truck (a passing vehicle makes a very loud noise to indicate awkwardness) or something to that effect showing up regularly can do the job just fine.

It's related to—

Compare Mamet Speak (in which both sides interrupt each other in quick sucession), Conjunction Interruption, Speechbubbles Interruption, Preemptive "Shut Up", and Silence, You Fool!.

*grumble*

Is there something wrong, Bob?

GAH! Just… forget it!

Is she gone? Phew… Exam— Examples: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Advertising

• The Cheez-its commercial with the "interrupting cheese" joke. The idea of all the ads is waiting for the cheese to mature, and there are always cheeses doing childish 'immature' things. This one has the cheese doing a knock knock joke about 'interrupting cheese' and then interrupting the guy's reply question.
• This anti-drug PSA has a father asking his kid who taught him to do drugs (It was the father himself, teaching by example).
  Dad: Where did you get it?
  Son: Dad I—
  Dad: Answer me.
• Early Aflac commercials were like this, where the duck mascot would try to remind people of the company but something in the background would always drown him out, whether being on a roller coaster with screaming patrons or an auto mechanic with a loud drill (and a truck horn later in the same ad), among other scenarios.

Anime & Manga

• One conversation in March Comes in Like a Lion combines this with Conjunction Interruption. Rei continuously tries to make a rebuttal against Hayashida's attempts to convince him to return to his foster home and to join a study group with "but," only to be repeatedly interrupted by the next part of Hayashida's spiel. When it seems like he's finally about to let Rei have a word in...
  Rei: …but—
  Hayashida: Gah, geez! All that's been coming out of your mouth is, "but, but, but!" It's be great if a hundred "buts" would make a door open, but to be perfectly honest, there are no doors like that!
  Rei: But—
  Hayashida: No buts!
• Happens to Jounouchi in Yu-Gi-Oh! as he tries to congratulate Yugi for beating Pegasus.

Comic Strip

• A Dilbert comic introduced "the Sentence Finisher", who would constantly interrupt people to finish their sentences for them, and give them sinister meanings.
  Dilbert: I think I should take...
  Sentence Finisher: Money from orphans?
  Dilbert: No. I mean, I need...
  Sentence Finisher: A large sack and an alibi?
  Dilbert: You keep finishing my sentences with...
  Sentence Finisher: Uncanny accuracy?

Fan Works

• In the Ultra Fast Pony episode "Hail to the Queen" the rooster shouts "Cock!" instead of crowing. As Applejack starts to speak, the rooster interrupts with "A-doodle!" and again with "Doo." Then it interrupts with "Penis!" causing Applejack to give up and skip to the next scene.
• In the Star Trek: Voyager Slash Fic "The Relevance of Discretion", B'Elanna Torres switches off the Emergency Medical Hologram so she can have a tiff with Seven. Seven gets annoyed at this and turns him on again.
  The Doctor appeared in a flurry of protest. "What the__"
  "Computer, de-activate EMH!" growled B'Elanna. The Doctor vanished again.
  "Computer, re-activate EMH!" said Seven.
  "__hell do you__"
  "Computer, de-activate EMH!"
  "Computer, re-activate EMH!"
  "__think you're__"
  "Computer, de-activate EMH!"
  "Computer, re-activate EMH!"
  "__doing!"
  "Computer, de-activate EMH!"
  "Computer, re-"
  "STOP!" said B'Elanna.

Film — Animation

• In The Lion King 1 ½ after Simba heads back to Pride Rock to reclaims his throne and Timon initially refuses to back him up. He debates with himself whether to do so and comes upon Rafiki once more who looks to offer him some advice. Timon pretty much cuts him off before he does so and comes to the conclusion he does want to help his friend before running off. Rafiki takes it in stride and just states "My work here is done."
• Skipper does this to Classified in Penguins of Madagascar when he tries to explain his plan, Skipper loudly chews Cheezy Dibbles. He interrupts him so many times that he ends up covered in cheese dust.
• In The Princess and the Frog, Charlotte asks Big Daddy to tell Tiana the big news about Prince Naveen being a guest in their house, but she is so excited that she keeps blurting it out before Big Daddy can get a word in. She also keeps him from enjoying the beignets he ordered.

Film — Live-Action

• Dr. Evil does this to his son Scott in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Scott is trying to convince Dr. Evil to let him shoot Austin and Vanessa Kensington instead of leaving them in a Death Trap.
  Scott: It's no hassle…
  Dr. Evil: Shhh!
  Scott: But…
  Dr. Evil: Shhh!
  Scott: All I'm saying…
  Dr. Evil: Shhh!
  Scott: They're gonna get awa…
  Dr. Evil: Shhh! [snip]
  Scott: Look…
  Dr. Evil: Shhh!
• His Girl Friday is famous for this. To pack in more dialogue and allow to be interrupted without the audience missing anything essential that the characters were saying, superfluous words were added to the beginning and end of the sentences, so if you missed what the characters were saying when they talked at the same time, you could still follow the story.
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh's character pays homage to the above in The Hudsucker Proxy. Launching into a "Reason You Suck" Speech at the protagonist and tossing out a quick "Shuttup" each time he tries to speak in his defense.
• The Muppets (2011) has a scene where Kermit is trying to explain to Gonzo what's going on, but Fozzie keeps interrupting with suggestions about what he should say.

Literature

• Happens repeatedly in the Dragaera novel Dragon, when Vlad awakens in Castle Black after he's been beaten up. Even his complaint about how no one's letting him complete a sentence is interrupted.
• Night Watch Discworld: One of the younger Lord Rust's many unpleasant traits is that he will ask someone a question, then interrupt the answer to ask another question, because he doesn't recognize the difference between being plain-spoken and just rude.
• In Tough Magic one case happen with Thran and Yil, when the former was worked up and not paying attention to what the latter was saying, and another at the very end, which was more of a crowd of people constantly interrupting each other.

Live-Action TV

• Arrested Development:
  Michael: It's like we finish each other's...
  Lindsay: Sandwiches?
  Michael: Sentences. Why would I say...
  Lindsay: Sandwiches.
  Michael: That time, I was going to say sandwiches.
• Doctor Who: In "The Christmas Invasion", Jackie Tyler does this to the recently-regenerated Doctor while trying to guess what he needs, and due to a nasty bout of regeneration sickness he can barely get a word in edgewise.
• The whole premise of the "Interrupter" sketch on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Conan attempts to introduce his next guest but is interrupted by the Interrupter, who finishes Conan's sentences throughout the rest of the sketch, eventually leading to the Interrupter revealing self-deprecating and disturbing facts about himself. Sometimes the sketch would end with the Interrupter beginning the sentence and Conan interrupting him instead, or another character (such as a therapist or female Interrupter) would appear to interrupt the Interrupter.
• If you can find a copy of the show where Isaac Asimov wrote "Insert Knob A in Hole B", you'll see Hansen and Woodbury are deliberately trying to interrupt Dr Asimov as he writes this story, making it harder for him to win The Bet.
• Happens a lot in Mock the Week, particularly to Ed Byrne.
  Ed Byrne: (to Dara) Now that it's just me and you I probably still can't get a word in.
• Monk: In "Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan", Monk is attempting to talk to Stottlemeyer, but a jackhammer keeps interrupting. At one point, Monk even attempts to perform a fake-out, but the jackhammer doesn't start. Then Monk attempts to speak again...at which point the jackhammer begins making noise.
• The intro to the MythBusters Demolition Derby Special contains this. Adam keeps interrupting Jamie, who eventually gives Adam an annoyed glare.
• This was Larry's M.O. towards Balki on Perfect Strangers, much to the later's chagrin, and when Larry's father appeared in one episode we learn where he picked up the habit.

Theatre

• Happens a lot in the work of David Mamet, but especially in Oleanna, where Carol barely gets to finish a sentence in Act I.

Theme Parks

• The Disneyland version of Carousel of Progress had this during the scene about life in the 1960s, when the father of the household would start talking about the most recent technological advancements, only for his wife to start praising how easier life has become with modern technology.

Video Games

• In Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, just as Kokichi starts with the opening statement for the second Class Trial, Tenko repeatedly interrupts him to stop him from casting suspicion on Himiko. Eventually, Angie interrupts Tenko to say exactly what Kokichi was trying to say.
• In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater this happens between two members of Snake's Mission Control, specifically between Sigint and Para-Medic, when discussing LIFE medicine.
• In one of the 'previews' in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Captain Gordon, DEFENDER OF EARTH! interrupts Etna's speech so many times, that in the end, out of annoyance, Etna proceeds to beat up, shoot and overall brutalize the guy.
• Infamously common in Sonic Adventure 2 regardless of whether it's gameplay dialogue or cutscene. In fact, it's so bad that, in what may very well be the game's most iconic cutscene, Shadow doesn't get to finish his Badass Boast before Sonic rushes him down.
• Happens in a skit in Tales of Graces. Asbel is asking Sophie questions about her Protos Heis abilities. Sophie keeps trying to answer, only to have Emeraude interrupt her (and at one point Asbel himself) to answer the questions herself.
  • Also played for laughs in another skit. Pascal tries to figure out the purpose of some cryas stones, but as she figures it out and is about to give her guess, Lambda interrupts and gives the answer himself. When Pascal asks for clarification on one aspect, Lambda answers, "Figure it out yourself." Pascal takes him up on that and thinks for a moment before coming up with an answer... only to once again be interrupted by Lambda revealing the answer anyway, much to Pascal's annoyance.
  Malik: Lambda is kind of a jerk.
• One of the things that is there to make you hate Manfred von Karma in the first Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game is that he does this to Phoenix (and by extension, the player) in the one trial you face him in. Usually with his demonic-sounding "OBJECTION!"

Webcomics

• In El Goonish Shive, "Tengu" gets interrupted multiple times in quick succession by both Nanase and Charlotte and manages to get out less and less each time with the last being a Conjunction Interruption.
• Hiimdaisy: Snake does this to Meryl in Let's Destroy Metal Gear! as she's asking him about his personal life
  Meryl: Hobbies?
  Snake: Shut up!
  Meryl: Any family?
  Snake: Shut up!
  Meryl: Anyone y—
  Snake: SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!
• Rusty and Co.: When the Princess learns about a security threat, she starts demanding information faster than her guard can provide it, to the guard's escalating frustration:
  Princess: Explain faster, Sergeant.
  Dorilys: I'm trying, ma'am.
• In the webcomic version of Valkyrie (based off the Namco game from the 80's). The group come across a guardian name the Phantom Quiz, who guards a pathway they need. But will only grant them the route if they solve his riddles. One of them, Sabrine, gets excited to take the challenge as she loves riddles. But every time she tries to answer one, one of the group interrupt her with the answer. By the third riddle, she begrudgingly gives up.

Western Animation

• This happens to Aquaman in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Bold Beginnings!" as he repeatedly tries to tell the story of how he first met Batman.
• Bob's Burgers: Its very first episode features Hugo moping aloud to Linda about her marrying Bob as Gene puts out a kitchen fire with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
• In the DuckTales (1987) episode "Top Duck", Launchpad's parents, Ripcord and Birdy, keep trying to tell him that they're not ashamed of him, but he keeps interrupting them...until the end of the episode.
  Ripcord: Launchpad, these things just happen.
  Launchpad: To me, over and over and over again. I know!
  Birdy: Oh, but Launchpad, we—
  Launchpad: I know, I know. You're ashamed and embarrassed to be seen with me.
  Ripcord: Launchpad, you've got to stop—
  Launchpad: Crashing! I know, I know! But the ground and I are like two irresistible forces, destined to keep meeting again and again.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: In "Applebuck Season", this happens to Twilight Sparkle when she tries to give a speech in Applejack's honor. She eventually gives up.
• One episode of The Simpsons is set in the future where Maggie is a teenager. For her, when it comes to speaking, Failure Is the Only Option.
• In Steven Universe episode "Friend Ship", Pearl is so enthusiastic to catch Peridot she keeps cutting off everyone else's taunts with her own.
  Garnet: Peridot! We're here to—
  Pearl: And you'll never get away with this!
  Peridot: Don't you Gems have anything better to do than annoy me?
  Amethyst: Nope! We're gonna—
  Pearl: Prepare to be annoyed!

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