Say My Name taken to the limit. A scene consisting entirely (or almost entirely) of characters saying other characters' names. This tends to occur when four or more characters happen to cross paths unexpectedly, often under very awkward circumstances. Usually ends when a character, not wanting to feel left out, says their own name or something entirely unrelated.
Very often combined with Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. See also Say My Name. Not to be confused with Robot Roll Call.
Examples
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Anime & Manga
- Minami-ke: "Sensei! Ninomiya-kun! Sensei! Ninomiya-kun! Sensei! Ninomiya-kun!" Ninomiya is run over by a car "NINOMIYA-KUUUUN!!!"
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 has the end of Season 2, Episode 18, where everyone starts saying the names of people precious to them... and then we get to Tieria and Setsuna.
Comedy
- Stan Freberg has a hilarious comedy routine called "John and Marsha" that consists of nothing but the names John and Marsha repeated with different intonations.
Comic Books
- Spider-Man: In The Amazing Spider-Man #43, there's a storyline where Luke Carlyle steals Doctor Octopus's technology and builds himself a new, improved Octopus suit. Luke then takes a group of people, including Aunt May and Mary Jane, hostage:
Off-screen voice: Leave that woman alone!
Mary Jane: Thank God... Pe—
(Doc Ock enters)
Mary Jane: —ter?
Aunt May: Otto?
Doctor Octopus: May?
Aunt May: Otto...? Otto Octavius?
Luke Carlyle: "Brad! Janet! Doctor Scott!" - One of the old Archie Comics features a story in which the only dialogue was the words "Archie" and "Veronica", said in different intonations each time. Archie and Veronica were on a date, Archie flirted with another girl, Veronica got mad at him and broke up with him, Betty and Reggie plotted to steal their respective objects of affection away, Archie and Veronica got back together, and Betty and Reggie pined. All with only two words.
Comic Strips
Fan Works
- A Man of Iron: In Chapter 36, the Brotherhood (including Arya) and Tony attend a party at the Sealord's manor, where they soon run into Theon and Brienne, who are visiting Braavos on business for Ned, and Tyrion, who is passing through on his way east. When they all recognize each other, they quickly descend into saying each other's names in surprise, which is topped off by Tyrion's companion (T'Challa, incidentally) saying his own name because he felt left out.
- The Journey of Hatsune Miku has an instance of this, owing to the Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! characters having One Degree of Separation.
Akito: Ena?
Ena: Akito?
Mizuki: Kamishiro!
Rui: Akiyama...
Kanade: Mochizuki?
Honami: Yoisaki!
Emu: (pale) A-Asahina!
Miku: Well, that should make things easier.
Films — Animation
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs drags it even longer and including a monkey wearing a speech-translation invention that often defaults to the monkey's own name.
- In Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip:
- Two of Dexter's future selves keep saying "Hello" to each other for a good while when they first meet, much to Dexter's annoyance.
- At the ending, when the Dexters are going back to their own times, they repeatedly say "Goodbye, Dexter!".
- Finding Dory: When Dory's parents meet Marlin and Nemo near the end of the movie, they react to each other's presence this way, culminating in Becky, the loon who had been carrying the clownfish around, chirping.
- Happens in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, concluding with Timon sarcastically introducing himself and Pumbaa. "Great! Now that we all know each other... GET OUTTA OUR PRIDELANDS!!"
- The table scene in Shrek 2.
Queen Lillian: Harold!
Fiona: Shrek!
Shrek: Fiona...
King Harold: Fiona!
Fiona: Mom!
Queen Lillian: Harold!
Donkey: Donkey!
Films — Live-Action
- The Trope Namer is, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, as outlined above. Rocky and Janet are in bed together, Doctor Scott is shocked to see his prudish student in bed with a gleaming muscleman, and Brad and Frank are both pissed off to see their respective lovers in flagrante delicto. And Janet is of course freaked out to have been caught in bed with a gleaming muscleman by her high school teacher, her fiance, and the muscleman's lover. Rocky actually looks kind of relieved to not have a voice, so he doesn't have to join in. Brad, Janet, and Doctor Scott all thus call out both the other two's names in sequence. Frank repeats himself out of sheer stupification. And thus an Overly Long Gag becomes perhaps the single most awkward moment ever depicted in media.
- Arguably, the "dude!" scene in BASEketball also qualifies.
- Near the end of We're the Millers, the Miller "family" has been reunited and is about to leave the carnival, but comes across the mom and daughter of the Fitzgeralds, a family they've come across numerous times on their trip. To clarify, the Millers are a fake family who secretly smuggled drugs across the Mexican border; the dad of the Fitzgerald family is a DEA agent, and the daughter of the Fitzgeralds had a mutual crush on the Miller "son", but walked in on him kissing his "sister" and his "mom" while his "dad" watched and so is now grossed out by him. This exchange occurs:
Kenny: Melissa!
Melissa: Kenny...!
Edith: Rose!
Rose: Edie...!
David: Shit.
Casey: Shit. - In Thor: The Dark World Darcy and Ian (in the middle of a Foot Popping dip kiss - with Darcy on top) are teleported in front of Jane and Selvig:
Jane: Darcy?
Darcy: Jane! (Dramatic Drop; Ian hits ground with a grunt.)
Selvig: Ian!
Ian: Selvig!
(Mjölnir shoots by)
Darcy: Myeh-Myeh!
Literature
- Lightly parodied in the novel The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma:
The exchange that followed was as inconsequential as it was idiotic, but I will reproduce it word for word, even though it is scarcely worth mentioning, simply because I am not trying to make any one episode in this story stand out.
"Jane," said Wells, in a faint, almost inaudible voice.
"Bertie," replied Jane, alarmed.
"Charles-" Andrew began.
"Andrew," Charles interrupted him.
Then there was silence.
Live-Action TV
- The Dick Van Dyke Show:
- One episode has Mel complaining to Rob about Buddy's insults. The exact order is not remembered, but we got a couple of rounds of "Rob!" "Buddy!" "Sally!" "Mel!" and then Buddy said "Your turn" to Mel.
- In "Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac, Etc", Rob, Sally, Buddy, and Laura break into Alan's office to recover a script they unintentionally gave Alan with insults to him, they encounter someone else coming in.
Rob: It's just us, Ma-...Mel!Mel: Rob?Laura: Mel?Mel: Laura!Sally: Mel!Mel: Sally!Buddy: Mel!Mel: Yeuch! - The "Chief?" "McCloud!" running gag from the MST3K show "Pod People" grows longer throughout the episode.
- A Stargate Atlantis scene involves various characters acknowledging each other using their joint title — "Colonel". McKay follows the introductions with "Seriously?"
- From an episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
London: Todd!
Todd: London!
Mr. Moseby: London!
Ilsa: Todd!
Maddie: Maddie! - The Suite Life on Deck, the Spin-Off of the above, has this:
Bailey: Cody.
Cody: Bailey.
Woody: Woody! Sorry, I wanted to play. - It turns up in The Big Bang Theory:
Sheldon: Doctor Gablehauser.
Doctor Gablehauser: Doctor Cooper.
Leonard: Doctor Gablehauser.
Doctor Gablehauser: Doctor Hofstader.
Raj: Doctor Gablehauser.
Doctor Gablehauser: Doctor Koothrapali.
Howard: Doctor Gablehauser.
Doctor Gablehauser: Mister Wolowitz. - Drake & Josh in the episode "We're Married?"
(after Yooka orders an unnamed girl to take her eyes off her "husband" Drake, and calls her a "Skunkbag"
Drake: Yooka!
Girl: (shocked) Husband?
Josh: (confused) Skunkbag? - In an episode of Henry Danger Captain Man and Kid Danger bring two criminals, Frankini and Goomer to the Man Cave, resulting in this exchange.
- Titus:
- Used as a Running Gag:
Titus: Erin!
Erin: Tommy!
Tommy: Erin!
Titus: Tommy!
Tommy: Erin!
Erin: Tommy!
Dave: Dave!
All: DAVE!
(cue Dave looking smug as the audience laughs) - Lampshade in an earlier episode:
Dave: Don't yell at me, this is your deal, Titus.
Titus: Dave.
Dave: Titus.
Titus: Dave.
Dave: Titus.
Erin: Guys! This never goes anywhere!
Titus: Because you always interrupt it.
- Used as a Running Gag:
- The Scrubs season three episode "My Fault" has the following sequence:
Carla: TURK!
Dr. Cox: KELSO!
Danni: Oh, Danni!
J.D.: Turk!
Dr. Cox: Kelso!
J.D.: Danni!
Danni: Turk!
Turk: Carla?
J.D.: Not here.
Turk: Danni! - Happens in the Seinfeld episode "The Virgin":
Jerry: Hi, Marla.
Marla: Jerry.
Jerry: George, Marla
George: Marla.
Marla: George. Jerry, Stacey.
Jerry: Stacey.
Stacey: Jerry.
Jerry: George, Stacey.
George: Stacey.
Stacey: George.
Jerry: (hinting) George.
George: (getting the hint) Jerry. Marla... Stacey! - In Ned's Guide to School Carwashes, Moze and her rival-turned-friend Suzie Crabgrass confront Missy Meaney:
Moze: (menacingly) Meaney.
Missy: (menacingly) Mosely. Crabgrass.
Suzie: (menacingly) Meaney. Mosely.
Moze: (hurt) Crabgrass!
Suzie: (apologetic) Mosely!
Missy: (taunting) Crabgrass... I mean, Mosely!
Moze and Suzie: (menacingly) Meaney. - M*A*S*H:
Margaret: Colonel Blake...
Henry Blake: Oh, uh, Major Houlihan, Major Stoner.
Margaret: Major.
Maj. Stoner: Major.
Henry Blake: Major. Major Burns, Major Stoner.
Frank Burns: Major.
Maj. Stoner: Major, Major.
Hawkeye: Major Pierce.
Henry Blake: Major.
Hawkeye: Well, I think we've made a major breakthrough here. - From How I Met Your Mother episode "The Wedding Bride":
Ted: Royce!
Movie!Tony: Stella!
Royce: Ted?
Movie!Stella: Tony!
Movie!Ted: Tony?!?
Barney: Ted?
Ted: Barney?
(Barney slurps his drink) - From Monty Python's Flying Circus in the "Life of Tchaikovsky" skit:
Robin.
Peter!
Simon!
Maurice!
Me. - Pushing Daisies in the episode "Smell of Success":
Chuck: Ned?!Ned: Chuck?!Napoleon LeNez: Oscar!Oscar Vibenius: Napoleon!(Beat)Olive: Hi, Emerson.Emerson: Hey, Olive.
Professional Wrestling
- A conversation
between The Miz, Christian, and R-Truth.
Theatre
- In Hello, Dolly!, all the main characters end up at the same restaurant in several separate groups, some of which are trying to avoid the attention of others. Inevitably, eventually, they all collide.
Vandergelder: Cornelius Hackl!
Cornelius: Mr. Vandergelder!
Vandergelder: Barnaby Tucker!
Barnaby: Mr. Vandergelder!
Ermengarde: [wails]
Vandergelder: Ermengarde! - The stageplay the Trope Namer's based on, The Rocky Horror Show, features almost the exact same example as the film, under the exact same circumstances. Rocky Horror himself, who can actually speak in this version (he's The Voiceless in the film), actually has the last line at the very end:
Doctor Scott: Janet!
Janet: Doctor Scott!
Brad: Janet!
Janet: Brad!
Frank: Rocky!
Rocky: Piss off.
Video Games
- Mass Effect:
- Typical conversation:
Wrex: Shepard.
Shepard: Wrex.
Wrex: Shepard.
Shepard: Wrex. - Spoofed in Mass Effect 3: Citadel, during the party scene. If Wrex and Grunt are there, they proceed with an epic Ascended Meme:
Wrex: Commander Shepard.
Shepard: Wrex.
Grunt: Shepaaaaaaaaard...
Shepard: [confused] Grunt?
- Typical conversation:
- Knights of the Old Republic: There's a Romeo and Juliet quest (Sandral-Matale Feud), when the lovers and their fathers have a confrontation (apparently in homage to The Rocky Horror Picture Show):
Ahlan: There you are, Shen!
Shen: Father!
Rahasia: Mr. Matale!
Nurik: Rahasia!
Rahasia: Father!
Shen: Mr. Sandral!
Ahlan: Nurik!
Nurik: Ahlan! - From Tales of Monkey Island:
Elaine: GUYBRUSH!
Guybrush: Elaine...?
Elaine: GUUUYBRUUUUSH!
LeChuck: LECHUCK! Arr, this name-shouting is jolly good fun! - From Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin:
Jonathan: Charlotte!
Charlotte: Jonathan!
Jonathan: Charlotte!
Charlotte: Jonathan!
Jonathan: Charlotte!... - One mission in City of Heroes has you rescuing Dr. Frank N. Scott and references The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
First Enemy: Dr. Scott! Hero Name!
Dr. Frank N. Scott: Hero Name!
Second Enemy: Hero Name! Dr. Scott! - Kid Icarus: Uprising has this happen twice.
Hades: I've been so looking forward to your arrival, Pitty-Pat.Pit: Hades!Hades: Pit!Pit: Hades!!Hades: Pit!!Pit: HADEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!Hades: PIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!"Both: It's on!(one Womb Level and one mixture of familiar levels later)Hades: Hello again, Pit.Pit: Hades.Hades: Pit.Pit: Hades.Hades: Piiit!Pit: Haaades...Hades: Achoo!Pit: Excuse you! But anyway,
- In the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions of Donald Duck: Goin' Qu@ckers, the cutscene before the final boss fight against Merlock has this happen between Merlock, Donald, Daisy, and Gladstone Gander, hilariously ending with Donald shouting "Gyro" even though Gyro Gearlose isn't there.
- In Fallout 4, if you switch Paladin Danse for Nick Valentine, the former is irritated at being switched out for a synth, only for Nick to give a quick retort. But if you switch Nick for Danse, this trope comes into play and is downplayed as they greet each other coolly.
Nick: Danse.Danse: Valentine.
Web Animation
- RWBY had this occur when the gang are meeting up in Episode 8.
Webcomics
- Looking for Group: Richard is upset that he wasn't included.
- The Order of the Stick, last panel of "Plotus Interruptus".
Samantha: Dad!
Sam's father: Samantha!
Elan: Haley!
Haley: Elan!
Belkar: Hot chick! - Done in Punch an' Pie (with a Rocky Horror reference) here.
- In Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic: "Masterful Series of Tiny 3-dimensional Klips"
Web Original
- Done by TheGeekyBlonde in her condensed version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, to summarise the lovers' quarrel in the forest.
Hermia: Hi, everyone.Lysander: Ew, Hermia, how repulsive!Hermia: ...Lysander?Lysander: Helena.Hermia: Helena?Helena: Hermia?!Demetrius: Helena.Hermia: Demetrius?!Lysander: Demetrius!Puck: (shrug) Wenches be trippin'.
- She also did it in her rendition of Cymbeline, during the final scene as the characters finally recognise each other.
Posthumous: Iachimo!Imogen: Posthumous?Posthumous: Imogen!?Cymbeline: ...Imogen?Imogen: Dad!Cymbeline: Belarius?Belarius: Yes. I kidnapped your sons and raised them as my own. All is forgiven lol?Arviragus: Dad?Iachimo: I'm still here.Guidarius: Dad?Imogen: Brothers!!Cymbeline: Sons!!Iachimo: Iachimo! - She also did it in her rendition of Cymbeline, during the final scene
- A variant where they call out species instead of names happens in Sibylline Sounds in the video Tea in Erusinego.
Bryce: Snake.Sage: Binturong.Oreo: Skunk. O-oh, w-were we not, doing a thing?Bryce and Sage: No!
- YouTuber ilovetrains323 has a fan-made Thomas & Friends series, where the main 12 engines did this to each other in an episode where they were blaming each other for a crash.
Henry: But Gordon!Gordon: But Thomas!Thomas: But Toby!Gordon: But Percy!Percy: Hello! Oh... but James!James: But Emily!Emily: But Edward!Edward: But Duck...?Duck: But Toby!Toby: But Donald and Douglas!Thomas: But The Fat Controller...!Donald and Douglas: But Oliver!Oliver: But Toby!The Fat Controller: That is quite enough!
- StacheBros: In "The Curse of Toadsworth Mansion", when Mario finds everyone in the basement:
Mario: What the... Spike? Yoshi?
Yoshi: Mario?
Spike: Red Stache?
Peach: Honey?
Mario: Peach!
Bowser: Plumber!
Mario: Bowser!
Boo: Boo!
[everyone screams]
Western Animation
- In the American Dad! episode "Finances with Wolves", we get an example of this near the climax as several parallel plots throughout the episode begin colliding together. For context: Stan is trying to stop Klaus (who got his brain implanted back into a human body) from making the moves on an unknowing Francine, Hayley gets involved with an eco-warrior group only to realize its leader is an eco-terrorist threatening to bomb a shopping mall, and Steve — mistakenly convinced that he's become a werewolf — debriefs his friends on how to kill him with a silver bullet.
Stan: You're dead, Klaus!
Francine: (gasps) Klaus?!
Klaus: (smoothly) Francine.
Arboreus: Nobody move!
(camera pans over)
Arboreus: I've got a bomb!
Hayley: Arboreous?!
Stan, Francine, and Klaus: Hayley?!
Hayley: (confused) Klaus?
(cut to a forest)
Steve: Barry, Toshi, Snot... - Dexter's Laboratory: A Running Gag is Dexter, Dee Dee and Mandark yelling each other's names when they're together. The climax of "Mandarker" in particular (wherein Dexter and Mandark team up to rescue Dee Dee from JoJo using their giant robots) has them communicating in nothing but their names.
- Here's a delightful exchange from an episode of DuckTales (1987):
- Family Guy, between Quagmire, Cleveland, Loretta, Lois, Peter and Bonnie. Which finishes off with Loretta angrily prodding Cleveland to say her name as she had been left out.
- I ♡ Arlo:
Marcellus: Lily!
Lily: Marcy!
Marcellus: (laughs) Lily!
Arlo: Arlo! So you two know each other? - My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
- "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone":
- "The Washouts"
Rainbow: Lightning Dust!
Lightning: Rainbow Dash!
Scootaloo: Scootaloo. I'm Scootaloo. Hi. - "The Big Mac Question":
Big Mac: Sugar Belle!
Sugar Belle: Big Mac?
Big Mac: Discord!
Discord: Mrs. Cake!
Mrs. Cake: What did I do?
Discord: Nothing. I thought we were just saying each other's names.
- The Owl House:
- From "Wing It Like Witches":
Eda: Lilith.
Lilith: Edalyn.
Hooty: Hooty!
- From "Wing It Like Witches":
- The Penguins of Madagascar has one with the 2010 Christmas Special "The All-Nighter Before Christmas." Mort finishes the roll call with the non-sequitur "Potato!"
- Phineas and Ferb gives us a repeating one in a direct shout-out to the Trope Namer in "Night of the Living Pharmacists":
- Phineas: Candace?
Candace: Phineas!
Isabella: Candace!
Candace: Isabella?
Vanessa: Ferb!
Ferb: (turns around)
- Used in the Sheep in the Big City episode "Daddy Shearest" between Sheep, Private Public, and Private Public's father General Public until the narrator gets sick of the repetition and demands it to stop.
Private Public: Dad!
General Public: Son!
Private Public: Dad!
General Public: Son!
Sheep: Baaa?
Private Public: Sheep?
General Public: Sheep? - The Simpsons: In "Bart's Dog Gets An 'F'", Homer is jealous after Flanders gets the high-tech and expensive Assassins sneakers, and decides to get them himself on a whim. When he's home, everybody's impressed until Bart mentions that they cost $125 (almost $300 in 2023).
Marge: Those are very elaborate sneakers.Bart: They better be for 125 big ones.Homer: D'oh!Marge: 125 dollars?!Homer: Bart! (tries to strangle Bart)Bart: (screams)Marge: Homer!Homer: D'oh!
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast, during an interview with Kevin Smith:
Kevin Smith: Zorak.
Zorak: Kevin.
Kevin Smith: (throws horns) Zorak!
Zorak: Kevin!
Kevin Smith: ZORAAAK!
Zorak: KEVIIIN!!!
Space Ghost: SPAAAAAAACE GHOOOOOOOOST! - SpongeBob SquarePants:
- From "Imitation Krabs":
- From "Enemy In-Law":
Mr. Krabs: Plankton!
Plankton: Krabs!
Mr. Krabs' Mom: Eugene!
Mr. Krabs: Mommy?!
Plankton: "Mommy"?
SpongeBob: SpongeBob!
Mr. Krabs: SpongeBob!
- In Steven Universe, it's the Crystal Gems in "Beach Party." Complete with flamboyant Transformation Sequences... into regular summer wear. This is the way that they formally introduce themselves to the Pizzas, an angry family whom had their restaurant destroyed in a monster fight. Mr. Pizza thinks that they're circus performers at first.
- Total Drama Island
Owen: Duncan?
Heather: Owen?
Duncan: Heather?
Heather: Duncan?
Gwen: Heather?
Heather: Gwen?
Owen: Gwen?
Gwen: Owen?
Heather: Now that we've taken roll call... - Viva Piñata:
Franklin: Paulie!
Paulie: Franklin!
Fergy: Fergy!...Oh, that's me. Paulie!
