# They were all just dreams! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 20, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067 "2005-06-20T16:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/1 "2005-06-20T16:14:40Z")
How many instances can we come up with, including all possible variations, on that old deus ex machina warhorse - “It was all just a dream” ?? - _Wizard of Oz_ (most famous - _Dallas_: the ‘return’ of Bobby Ewing (most infamous) - _Newhart_ finale (funniest) - _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ - In the only instance of this series to feature an episode-long ‘plot’ (such was the case), Michael Palin is being held prisoner in the U.S.S.R. and will be executed at dawn. In his prison cell, he dozes off, cue wavy ‘dream sequence’ dissolve, and…he finds himself back in his home in merry old England with his mother (Eric Idle) bringing him a drink. Palin exclaims: “Mother! I’m home. It was all just a dream!” Idle / mother chuckles and relates: On no, son. _This_ is the dream. In reality, you’re still in a jail cell. Cue wavy ‘dream sequence’ dissolve, and…Palin wakes up in the cell. - “Occurance at Owl Creek” - civil war soldier imagines that he escapes his hanging by yankee troops. What are some others? ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/2 "2005-06-20T16:27:16Z")
George Romero’s **Day of the Dead** where it happens twice:[ul] [li]Sara sees her boyfriend’s entrails spill out onto the floor, then wakes up;[/li][li]At the end, one of the zombies grabs her, and then she awakens on the desert island.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/3 "2005-06-20T16:27:39Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > _Wizard of Oz_ Only the movie, not the book. But Lewis Carroll’s _Alice_ books used it. Didn’t _Married… With Children_ use this to explain away Peggy’s pregnancy after Katey Sagal had a miscarriage? ---
**Author:** ![MrAlpen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@MrAlpen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAlpen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/4 "2005-06-20T16:28:29Z")
Sophie’s World? And two levels to boot! Not a dream in the exact sense, but the story takes place inside the creative mind of an author, who is inside the creative mind of THE author. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/5 "2005-06-20T16:35:32Z")
Recycled from [Fiction that strains, but does not break the fourth wall.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305941). Sure, so it incredibly minor, compared to Oz, or Dynasty, but is still an example of “It was all a dream!” a storyline in an online comic,[**Savvie and Lacey**](http://www.savvieandlacey.com) , (about a cute couple, (who just so happen to be women, and are into S&M)here is a summary: Warning: This summary contains noting offensive, besides the suggestion that two women can be happy together, but if you would like to read the comics, rather than a summary,[click here](http://www.savvieandlacey.com/cgi-bin/snl.cgi?date=20030505). [spoiler]The storyline starts out with the blonde one, Lacey, getting drunk on May 5th, Cinco de Miyo, which is also Web-Comic Awareness Day. Previously, I was aware that the dark-haired one, Savvie, was a webcomic fan, but I never figured she was aware of her own webcomic. I soon realized she was, when she asks Lacey her full name, and finds out it is Mikki Price. She states aloud that if she had just realized, she could have named the comic S&M, instead of S&L. Lacey does not believe that they are just characters in a comic strip, and despite her ability to look outside the panels, through the fourth wall, she continues to deny the obvious. L: “That can’t be right. He’s not even real!” S: “Why do you say that?” L: “He doesn’t have outlines!” Savie just get a bemused look, and returns to drinking her coffee. Lacey then precedes to refer to Star Trek, make demands of the artist, press against her side of the computer monitor, and tug at the panel divider, before she reaches a crescendo of panic and wakes up. She wonders to kitchen, where she finds her Savvie. Lacey asks her for her own names, despite the fact she knows full well what it is. The dream sequences does not start again, since she is now in “reality”, but as this storyline ends, Savvie gives the viewer a knowing glance, which goes unnoticed by Lacey.[/spoiler] [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/6 "2005-06-20T16:37:34Z")
**Sphere**. One of the worst examples ever, frankly. Also, the device is used to good effect in **Final Destination** and **FD2** , though the stories in both are basically about what happens _after_ the dreamer wakes up. ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/7 "2005-06-20T16:39:53Z")
The dream story to end all dream stories - Ursula K. LeGuin’s _Lathe of Heaven_. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/8 "2005-06-20T16:40:21Z")
Mulholland Drive ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/9 "2005-06-20T16:43:54Z")
It’s not the whole movie, but… In “An American Werewolf in London,” there’s a funny scene where the protagonist wakes up in his hospital room after an awful dream about the brutal murder of his family by a bunch of Nazi-wolf-monsters. A beautiful nurse comes in, talks briefly with him, and pulls open the curtains to let in sunshine. A monster just like those in his dream jumps out, and stabs the nurse to death. The protagonist then wakes up AGAIN, and the nurse comes in and talks to him just as before. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/10 "2005-06-20T16:50:38Z")
Henry James’s “[The Great Good Place](http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~hathawar/goodplace.html).” IIRC (I’m not going to read James again; like Steve Brody, I did it wunst), the point was that a place so good could only be a dream. John Varley did it in a story of his – it may have been called “Equinoctal.” > [@](#): > > - Monty Python’s Flying Circus - In the only instance of this series to feature an episode-long ‘plot’ (such was the case), There were a couple of others in the final season (after Cleese left) with a loose overarching story: “Mr. Neutron,” “The Golden Age of Ballooning,” and, to some degree, “Michael Ellis.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/11 "2005-06-20T16:54:03Z")
There’s also **Sandman #1** , “Sleep of the Just.” ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/12 "2005-06-20T16:55:33Z")
The broadcast version of Carpenter’s **Prince of Darkness** makes the entire movie into a dream- apparently, none of it really happened. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/13 "2005-06-20T17:02:24Z")
_Under the Rainbow_ with Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/14 "2005-06-20T18:23:52Z")
Does anyone else remember the comic strip [“Steve Canyon”?](http://www.toonopedia.com/canyon.htm) Every so often a new adventure would start with a panel that said “Steve is Dreaming,” and cartoonist Milt Caniff would then be free to spew forth any ridiculous illogical plot he wanted. It was so annoying that I stopped reading the strip altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/15 "2005-06-20T18:34:31Z")
Come to think of it, Mattel needs to have Barbie, and her now ex-boyfriend Ken to be boyfriend and girlfriend, not husband and wife. Thus, according to some book I read about reclaiming barbie for feminists, all the wedding dress barbies are not called “Wedding Day Barbie”, but instead something like “Wedding Dream Barbie” ---
**Author:** ![jkusters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/fbc32d/32.png) [@jkusters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkusters)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/16 "2005-06-20T18:41:03Z")
I seem to recall a “Young Ones” episode that used a variation on this theme. Haven’t seen it in ages, though, so I might be mis-remembering. JOhn. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/17 "2005-06-20T18:57:22Z")
The “gotcha” moment at the end of the movie version of Carrie. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/18 "2005-06-20T19:25:21Z")
The “Year of Hell” 2-parter on Voyager. Not a dream, per se, but it didn’t “really” happen. ---
**Author:** ![MrAlpen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@MrAlpen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAlpen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/19 "2005-06-20T19:42:33Z")
> [@jkusters](#): > > I seem to recall a “Young Ones” episode that used a variation on this theme. Haven’t seen it in ages, though, so I might be mis-remembering. > > JOhn. Yeah - what was that one? It was Neil’s dream, if I recall correctly … ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067/20 "2005-06-20T19:45:38Z")
You know, I love bringing up one particular example, involving most Tv shows, when this kinda thing rolls around, but this time, I will not post it the second I think of it, but instead wait for someone else to remember it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-were-all-just-dreams/309067.md?page=2)