# Twists that everyone knows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830 "2020-12-11T13:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/41 "2020-12-11T19:18:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t remember it being suggested that one of the six was Keyser Soze. It’s been far too long since I saw that movie for the first time and I thought we were led to believe that he was a faceless someone _other_ than the six. Between the cop trying to convince Verbal he’s just a waste of skin and there’s no reason for him to protect Keyser and Verbal explaining his indirect dealings with Keyser, through Kobayashi, and how terrifying he is and that he wouldn’t give him up to the police even if he could, I think we’re absolutely led to believe that it’s someone other than The Usual Suspects. IIRC, the cop does try to convince Verbal that it’s one of the other guys (checks wiki - Dean Keaton/Gabriel Byrne) but Verbal won’t believe it. So, if you were to show the movie to someone that knows nothing about it and pause it when Verbal is released, I think most people would be going back and forth between whoever the cop said it was and whoever Verbal said it was and likely assume that the protagonist (Verbal, from out POV up until now) is correct, that Keyser is some faceless crime lord that they shouldn’t go messing with. (I haven’t seen the movie in at least 10 or 15 years, so it’s also very possible (and very likely) I’ve misremembered some of the details here). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/42 "2020-12-11T19:19:19Z")
_Psycho_. The movie was made before I was born (and I watched it when I was in high school) so I’ve always assumed everyone knows the surprise ending. But I recently watched a YouTube channel where a young woman watches old movies and she had no idea what the ending was. Which demonstrates that pop culture gets forgotten. In fifty years, people will again be surprised by the endings of movies like _Fight Club_ or _The Sixth Sense_ because they will have faded out of popular knowledge and people who see them will once again be going in without prior knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/43 "2020-12-11T19:42:26Z")
There was a graffitti in a wall in Buenos Aires in the 80’s “Meteoro, el enmascarado es tu hermano!” (“Speed Racer, the masked one is your brother!”) ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/44 "2020-12-11T20:09:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > > > The identity of Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects? > > > > I think this is another example of “a plot development/resolution” being confused for a twist. Figuring out Soze’s identity is the central theme of the movie and the notion that it’s quite possibly the alter ego of one of the criminals on the boat is presented explicitly well before the final reveal. The way in which the viewer is shown how Soze improvised his way through the interview to throw off suspicion is memorable, but it’s no more a twist than a murder mystery ending with the reveal of the murderer - the movie had to end with SOMEONE being revealed as Soze. > > I don’t remember it being suggested that one of the six was Keyser Soze. It’s been far too long since I saw that movie for the first time and I thought we were led to believe that he was a faceless someone _other_ than the six. Agent Kulian (sp?) was convinced Dean Keaton was Keyser Soze. Periodically I sarcastically say “thanka a lot Agent Kulian” but nobody gets it. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/45 "2020-12-11T22:57:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > Bit of a pet peeve of mine in these types of threads. If you put something in a spoiler without giving us a hint at what it is, we have to click on, thus ruining the effect of the spoiler. > > Do you really think that applies in this case? I do. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/46 "2020-12-11T23:17:20Z")
The vast majority of replies here seem to be too obscure (relatively obscure books or movies) to be “everybody knows” twists. Only a very few, like “Luke I am your father” would truly qualify. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/47 "2020-12-11T23:57:43Z")
Do you understand there is nothing to spoil? The information is only a secret to cartoon characters. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/48 "2020-12-12T00:05:45Z")
_From Here to Eternity_. Even if you’ve never seen the movie or read the book, I’ll wager you can guess the twist: Circa 1941, members of the peacetime US military stationed in Hawaii concern themselves with boxing championships and personal intrigues. As things seem to spin out of control for one young soldier who refuses to do his Captain’s bidding… Care to guess the twist? ---
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/49 "2020-12-12T01:26:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Do you understand there is nothing to spoil? The information is only a secret to cartoon characters. Well, but one doesn’t know that until one clicks to reveal the spoiler. If you don’t give us some idea what it is, we don’t know whether it’s “safe” to click on. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/50 "2020-12-12T01:34:56Z")
Darth Vader’s identity came as no surprise to some segments of viewers because “vader” means “father” in their native tongue. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/51 "2020-12-12T01:46:27Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > _From Here to Eternity_. Even if you’ve never seen the movie or read the book, I’ll wager you can guess the twist: > > Circa 1941, members of the peacetime US military stationed in Hawaii concern themselves with boxing championships and personal intrigues. As things seem to spin out of control for one young soldier who refuses to do his Captain’s bidding… > > Care to guess the twist? You mean when Burt Lancaster picks up the phone with an obvious calendar behind him showing the date is June 6, 1941? When it came out, everyone knew what that meant. I’m not sure it qualifies as a twist. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/52 "2020-12-12T01:52:00Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > You mean when Burt Lancaster picks up the phone with an obvious calendar behind him showing the date is June 6, 1941? A prequel that will live in infamy forever? ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/53 "2020-12-12T02:05:19Z")
Some have been used so frequently since then that someone seeing the Zone eps for the first time would see them coming a mile off and would need to be told that this is where that twist originated, ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/54 "2020-12-12T02:17:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But I recently watched a YouTube channel where a young woman watches old movies and she had no idea what the ending was. I saw it for the first time around 1998 or so. I had no idea and let me tell you, when Norman appeared in the dress with the knife over his head, I jumped and let out a little scream. I think I was aware he was likely doing it, but I had no idea about him _being_ his mother, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/55 "2020-12-12T04:25:09Z")
Last Sunday’s Peanuts comic has Linus watching Citizen Kane for the first time, and Lucy ruins it for him by telling him what Rosebud means. I had never seen CK when the comic was originally published so it ruined it (a bit) for me when I finally saw CK a few years later. I recall an article that Charles Schulz assumed everyone knew the plot twist. But even today in 2020 it will still spoil the movie for someone. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/56 "2020-12-12T04:49:51Z")
Does the wizard in _The Wizard of Oz_ being exposed as a phony huckster count? Considering Dorothy and Co were in a land where magic was possible (and indeed seemed to be a pre-requisite to becoming a community leader - good or bad), the audience must have assumed the Wizard was genuine. Add to that the idea that Dorothy was always in possession of the means to get home (ie ruby slippers) that the good witch could have told her about _in the first 5 minutes_, and that’s a lot of twists that makes most of the previous 2 hours fairly meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/57 "2020-12-12T06:00:43Z")
Well then, I apologize for making life so complicated for so many people. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/58 "2020-12-12T11:13:28Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > Add to that the idea that Dorothy was always in possession of the means to get home (ie ruby slippers) that the good witch could have told her about _in the first 5 minutes_ , and that’s a lot of twists that makes most of the previous 2 hours fairly meaningless. Yes, but if Glinda had done that then the Wicked Witch of the West wouldn’t have been killed. Glinda used Dorothy as her cat’s paw to rid Oz of her competition. I believe the departure of the Wizard was unplanned but serendipitous, but the original plan was to eliminate the other witch. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/59 "2020-12-12T12:41:01Z")
You are correct, and, as far as I know, it has never been filmed that way. If it has, I would be interested to see the movie. Of course, the identity of Mr. Hyde is so well known now, it would be impossible to surprise anyone with that twist. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830/60 "2020-12-12T12:48:21Z")
Actually, Ripley surviving was a huge surprise. I saw this in the theater right after it came out. Something that people seeing it for the first time today can’t appreciate is that the characters were killed off _in reverse order of the fame of the actors playing them_. That was contrary to the usual Hollywood formula. Sigourney Weaver was the only complete unknown in the film, and yes, John Hurt was the most prominent-- you have to remember that this was a US/UK coproduction, so an actor’s fame in the UK counts too. And yes, Sigourney Weaver was _completely_ unknown before this film. She had done a commercial, a couple of TV episodes, and an uncredited role in a Woody Allen film, and that was pretty much it. Her character didn’t even have a first name, because it was open to being cast with literally anyone (OK, maybe not totally literally-- not a child)-- man, woman, any race, any age. Dystopian-type movies where no one was alive at the end, or everyone was at least clearly doomed, were popular at the time, and when all the famous people had been killed, no one expected Ripley to live-- albeit, the last 10 minutes were the most edge-of-your-seat I’ve ever experienced in a theater. When she closed her pod, and it was clear she survived, the theater broke out in applause. And the film put Weaver on the map. NOW, she is by far the best known actor in the movie. But in 1979, her character’s survival was a HUGE twist. OOPS: ninja’d. Don’t know why I didn’t see that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twists-that-everyone-knows/927830.md?page=4)