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Prison Cut - TV Tropes

  • ️Wed Jun 12 2024

Prison Cut (trope)

They couldn’t find his car, but they found the insurance agent’s body.

The cut, or scene transition, is one of the most popular and used camera tricks in works. Be it Gilligan, ambulance, answer, age, or a Smash Cut, it's a great way to showcase what happens Behind the Black in a story without going overboard in detail (often to shave off runtime).

Unfortunately, one of these "cuts" could wind up with a character going from freedom to jail/prison. Perhaps they mouthed off at a traffic stop (or alternatively, the cop that stopped them just had it in for them and overreacted by abruptly putting them away relatively unprovoked). Perhaps they knew their actions would had lead them to the pokey, regardless of if they were justified in the actions or not. Maybe they (or the story itself) weren't aware they'd actually be punished, believing that their looks/money/connections/etc. had them exempt from punishment or the (usually comedic) environment of the story painted them as not going to be in any real trouble because Status Quo Is God. For added hilarity (when it is Played for Laughs), the trope is usually accompanied by a folly sound effect of slamming or sliding a metal door shut.

A subtrope of Smash Cut. Likely to be seen during the Prison Episode. Compare with Funeral Cut and Falling into Jail. See also Put on a Prison Bus, another way of having a character get arrested without showing all the details. This trope is not meant to be confused with being "cut" while in prison. Keep in mind that the scene should immediately jump from the character(s) interaction with the cop or doing the illegal deed to jail/prison. If it shows them being arrested, booking process, or the like, then it doesn't count.

Because of the trope's potential for gossip and its illogical nature, real-life examples shouldn't be listed.

Warning: spoilers below.

Examples:

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Advertising 

Comic Books 

  • G-Man: As Mr. G argues with his insurance adjuster about their refusal to pay out, the agent calmly informs him that he finds his claims suspicious and has already reported him to the police for insurance fraud. The next panel shows Mr. G. in prison.

    Mr. G: So I've been paying you guys for auto theft insurance, but you can't find my car and you won't replace it. Anything else?
    Insurance Agent: Well, your claim has raised some red flags. I've already reported you to the police for insurance fraud.
    [Cut to Mr. G in jail]
    Cellmate: So, what're you in for?
    Mr. G: I killed my insurance agent.

  • My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (IDW): In the Reflections arc, the main characters arriving in the Mirror Universe and being greeted by stern guards is interrupted by a flashback to 1000 years earlier when Celestia and Starswirl visited the mirror universe for the first time and were thrown in prison because Starswirl made fun of the guard uniforms. When it cuts back to the present, the mane six are in the exact same prison cell because Twilight made fun of the guard uniforms.

Fan Works 

  • Scarlet Lady: After Hawkmoth is defeated and unmasked, he arrogantly attempts to convince the heroes that he was a Well-Intentioned Extremist and that they should totally let him treat their reality as an Expendable Alternate Universe in order to get what he wants, refusing to accept his defeat. He only shuts up after being paralyzed with Venom, after which Pegasus teleports him right into a jail cell, with a note pinned to his forehead declaring "Hawkmoth, please restrain quickly~"

Films — Animation 

  • Big Hero 6: Tadashi saves Hiro from getting beaten up by some thugs at a bot-fighting match who are mad that he won the money. While being chased by them on the motorcycle ride home, Tadashi scolds him for participating in illegal bot-fighting, but Hiro doesn't care, as he's making huge piles of money. He exclaims, "I'm on a roll, big brother! And there's no stopping me!!" Then they hear police sirens in the distance, with Tadashi muttering, "Oh, no." In the next scene, Hiro is sitting in a jail cell by himself, giving an "Oh, Crap!" Smile to Tadashi, who is stuck in a cell with all the bot-fighters crammed in there like sardines and giving his little brother a Death Glare.
  • NIMONA (2023): After his first meeting with Nimona, Ballister goes out to prove his innocence. Nimona taunts him by telling him to have fun getting arrested. Ballister insists that he won't get arrested, before slamming the door. Cut to the next scene where he's been arrested and tossed into a prison cell.
  • The Wrong Trousers: The film ends with Feathers the penguin being taken into a police station, followed by a door slam and a smash cut of him looking out of a prison window, which is then revealed to be part of a much bigger "Welcome to the zoo" motif.

Films — Live-Action 

  • Diary of a Mad Black Woman: When Madea breaks into her granddaughter Helen's ex-husband's house to get her money, she eventually decides to have her get half of everything...which resorts in her using a chainsaw to cut his furniture in half, to Helen's horror and her ex, Charles', anger. The next scene has both Madea and Helen thrown into a jail cell.
  • Ghost Rider Duology: Johnny tells Detective Dolan that when he retires from stunt-riding, he’d like to apply his skills to becoming a motorcycle policeman. The scene cuts immediately to Johnny being pushed down the hall into a holding cell.
  • Groundhog Day: When Phil and the barflies go on a drunken bender and are caught by the police Phil is flippant because he knows the day will reset and he won't have to face any real consequences. He pretends that he's at a drive-thru and starts giving a meal order to the cop. Smash cut to the cell door closing, then smash cut to waking up back at the bed and breakfast.
  • The original version of The Producers is technically an example of this: the protagonists are on trial for their theatrical scam, and about to be sentenced, and try to sweet-talk their way out of it... cut to them in prison running the same scam again.
  • Riding in Cars with Boys: A vengeful Jason, embittered from his mother Beverly ordering his doting but drug-addicted father Ray out of the house, tells his police Sargeant grandfather that she was using the stove to dry weed. While his partner was willing to look the other way on his confession, Leonard decided to teach his wayward daughter a lesson and sends her to lockup.
  • Slap Her... She's French: Starla freaks out after Genevieve plants damning tapes of her bad-mouthing her classmates and attacks her. Since Genevieve also discreetly drugged her and planted a knife in her purse, she's soon sent directly to prison, with her being seen sitting in a cell looking disheveled.
  • The Wandering Earth: Liu Qi, driving a stolen transport, assures Han Duoduo that "no one can catch [him]". He runs into a police vehicle seconds later. Cue the next scene of him in prison.

Live-Action TV 

  • Babylon 5: "And All My Dreams Torn Asunder" has Londo and G'Kar on Centauri Prime trying to avert an imminent war between the Centauri and the Interstellar Alliance, Londo as the Centauri Prime Minister and G'Kar as his bodyguard. After hostilities finally erupt, Centauri officials come to take G'Kar to the palace cells. Londo objects, declaring that where G'Kar goes, he goes, assuring G'Kar that the arrogant official before them would never lock up his own Prime Minister. Cut to the cell door closing on both of them.

    Londo: Shut up.
    G'Kar: I didn't say anything.

  • The Big Bang Theory: In the episode "The Excelsior Acquisition", Sheldon insults a judge and refuses to apologize for it. The very next scene, he's in a prison cell.
  • Breaking Bad: In "Caballo sin Nombre", Walter is pulled over and cited for driving with a cracked windshield. Walt gets belligerent as he tries to make excuses for the windshield until he gets out of the car and starts screaming in the officer's face. The cop warns Walt he's going to get pepper sprayed if he doesn't calm down, which makes Walt even angrier. Smash Cut to Walt crying with puffy eyes in the back of the cruiser in cuffs.
  • El Chapulín Colorado: In one skit where Chapulín has to go to the doctor to get a hand transplant after he was injured in a previous call for help, and after the bandages are taken off so he can try out his hand, the scene switches to him and the nurse having a conversation about his new hand which ends with this:

    Chapulín: Who would ever think that I, the prototype of goodness, would be given the hand of a thief!
    Nurse: Oh well, bad luck Chapulín. [walks out of the jail cell, locks it, and walks away] Do you want me to refer you to another doctor?
    Chapulín: A doctor, for what? Get me a lawyer! Oh, who could ever defend me?

  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: In episode "Mistaken Identity", Will and Carlton are pulled over for Driving While Black. Will immediately knows what's going on, but Carlton naively thinks that it's all mistaken identity and thinks they'll be let go. Cue jump cut to the two staring dumbfoundedly as cell doors slam in front of them.
  • In Living Color!: In a seminar class on embezzlement taught by con-men Ice and Whiz, they talk about how one "successful" man took a part of their program and show a picture of him smiling and displaying his wealth. The next picture shows him in a prison jumpsuit, frowning and with a message that he's now serving five-to-eight years in prison.
  • Kevin (Probably) Saves the World: An episode revolves around a woman who's been helping out the townsfolk but is now on trial for crimes she committed years earlier. Kevin gets the idea to gather the people she's helped and have them speak at her trial to convince the judge and jury that she's reformed. After they stand up one by one and offer support, we cut to them in jail for interrupting a court proceeding. (They still get her a lighter sentence, though.)
  • Poirot: In the show's adaptation of The Mystery of the Blue Train, Ada Mason says that she learned that Derek Kettering entered Ruth's apartment, upon which Van Aldin asks for his arrest. Cue Derek in a jail cell as Poirot interviews him.
  • Perfect Strangers: An episode has Larry called to testify at a trial and reveal the source of his information on a recent story he did. He refuses, citing the adage that journalists need to protect their sources and even tells Balki his intentions to tell the judge this.

    Larry: They're not going to throw us in jail. They'll probably throw us a parade.
    [Cut to them getting thrown in jail.]
    Balki: Does this mean we're going to miss the parade?

  • Sherlock: In "The Reichenbach Fall", while testifying at Moriarty's trial, Sherlock proceeds to Sherlock Scan the entire jury (which includes revealing two of the jurors are sleeping with each other). The annoyed judge tells him he's in contempt of court. ("Do you think you could survive for just a few minutes WITHOUT SHOWING OFF?!") Sherlock opens his mouth to reply — cut to him getting escorted to a jail cell.
  • Taxi Driver (2021): Choi Kyung Goo, in an effort to help his team ends up making a huge scene pretending to be the chief's old friend by shouting and throwing things as a result, and it cuts to him being put in a holding cell for creating a ruckus in a police station.
  • Thunderbirds: In "Brink of Disaster", Grafton ends up as the victim of a crash from his own monorail. Jeff tells him that he can expect a nice long holiday behind bars, while Grafton retorts that he's too smart for that. There is a Gilligan Cut to him declaring his monorail open, in prison, to the bored members of his gang.

Manhua 

  • Old Master Q: A strip has the titular character tries conning his on-again, off-again frenemy, Chiu, to a free meal, by dragging Chiu to an expensive restaurant and claiming dinner's on him. When the (expensive) bill comes, Master Q sheepishly admits he's bluffing and doesn't have his wallet; either Chiu pays the bill, or both of them goes to jail. Cue the next and last panel showing a smiling Chiu and a pissed-off Master Q sharing a jail cell.

Video Games 

  • Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate: If Dangeresque messes up the case file in the first roomisode, either by spilling coffee on it or by stamping it with the "Unsolved" stamp in any way that does not cut off only the "Un" part, the game will cut to a game over sequence with Dangeresque in the back of a police van as it pulls up to a prison, ending with him in a cell. In the full version, the same result plays out if Dangeresque doesn't properly stage the photo to make it look like Strong Sad is being attacked.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: When Link first steps foot onto the Gerudo Fortress' premises, the misandric female guards blow their whistles, advance on him, and immediately toss him into their prison. This will continue to happen to Link until he sneaks around the Fortress, defeats the Gerudo guards and warriors, and frees the captured carpenters, after which will earn the ladies' respect and they'll give him an invite to their exclusive Training Grounds.

Web Animation 

Webcomics 

  • Dominic Deegan: Towards the end of the "Snowsong" arc, Pam is at her Rage Breaking Point about being accidentally Locked Out of the Loop regarding what was going on when Greg tries to make light of it with a pun. Dominic warns him it's not a good time only to unintentionally make several puns himself. Cue a Death Glare from Pam followed by Dominic sitting in a cell.
  • Table Titans: When the leader of the town militia tells the adventurers to come with him, the paladin Drake assumes he wants them to meet the mayor. Cut to them in a prison cell.

    Drake: Guard! When do we see the mayor?

Western Animation 

  • Adventure Time: In "Too Young" after spicing the Earl of Lemongrab's food multiple times, Finn and Princess Bubblegum are immediately sentenced to "ONE MILLION YEARS DUNGEON!" and cuts to them immediately in the dungeon afterwards.
  • The Amazing World of Gumball:
    • "The Heart": Happens to Mr. Robinson three times, each for different crimes like attempting to alter the minds of children using Cold War CIA techniques, taking "bring them (Gumball and Darwin) some followers" literally and violating 14 International peace agreements. Each time, Rocky is there to bail him out, and he gets quite annoyed at his dad's actions.
    • "The Night": Larry has several dreams within a dream, but is awoken by the Donut Cop. However, Larry is under the impression that he is still dreaming and thinking he can do whatever he wants, starts acting like a chicken, smacking the Donut Cop, pretending he's a cuckoo clock and even licking him. It then Smash Cuts to Larry being put in jail, which he still thinks is a dream.
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender: In "Avatar Day", the Gaang finds themselves in a village that burns effigies of both Aang and the two previous Avatars, Roku and Kyoshi. Aang attempts to pay a fine for disrupting the festival... and then finds out that the village, being in the middle of the Earth Kingdom, doesn't take water tribe money. The scene cuts from Aang smiling to him being in a prison cell, with Sokka and Katara looking sour to either side.
  • Batman: The Animated Series: When Batman captures the Terrible Trio, their leader is certain he will get away with everything because of his wealth and shouts "I'll get justice. The best money can buy!" Cut to him walking into his prison cell.
  • The Critic: Played with. When Jay and Alice meet a very Corrupt Corporate Executive who promotes small children to engage in both smoking and sexual contact, he smugly states that if he's a bad man, then he should be in jail. The next scene has him in the back of a paddy wagon, feebly clutching the bars, and whining for a hug before being led away.
  • Danger Rangers: In the episode "Fires and Liars", the song "False Alarms" has the group of characters calling 911 as a prank immediately shown in jail soon after they're shown doing so.
  • The Fairly OddParents!: In "The Big Problem!", Timmy wishes he were an adult so he could do things on his own like see adult movies and not need a babysitter, but this backfires immensely, especially since fairy godparents can only grant wishes to kids, and Cosmo and Wanda are in danger of being reassigned. Near the end of the episode, when Timmy finds Vicky and hugs her, Vicky mistakes him for a pervert and beats him up. Timmy is then found by the police, who say "You are one creepy adult! We got a place for guys like you!" Timmy asks "Home?" and in the next scene, he's thrown in jail.
  • Family Guy: A skit in the episode "Meg Stinks!" involves Stewie in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, where he yells at partygoers from his hotel room over the loud noise. One of the partygoers yells at Stewie to "Show us your boobs!", to which he responds by lifting up his shirt, and is met with cheers and bead necklaces thrown at him. He then wonders what happens when he pulls down his pants. Cut to him in a jail cell.

    Stewie: The rules of this city are very unclear.

  • Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends:
    • "Where There's a Wilt, There's a Way": Wilt does favors for people when he'd much rather be watching a basketball game, due to his inability to say "No" to anyone. At one point, a thief robs a bank and passes by Wilt. The thief tosses the bag of money, and Wilt catches it. Several police cars surround Wilt, as the police assume that Wilt stole the money. In the very next scene, Wilt is shown in jail. Later in the episode, after his cellmates force him to dig them out of jail, Wilt ends up having to catch anchovies, put them on a pizza, and deliver said pizza to the police station. After Wilt rings the police station's doorbell, the next scene shows him back in jail again, as he had broken out earlier.
    • "My So-Called Wife": A rich benefactor named Ben E. Factor shows up at Foster's, mistakes Mr. Herriman and Coco for a married couple, and invites them to a gala at his mansion for a chance at a $10,000,000.00 donation. Mac and Bloo also attend the gala and win the donation, only to discover that Mr. Factor not only isn't a real benefactor, but he threw a fake gala in someone else's mansion without their permission. The mansion's real owner asks "Hey, what are all you people doing in my mansion?", and in the very next scene, Mr. Herriman, Coco, Mac, Bloo, and the other gala guests are all in jail, having been arrested for trespassing.
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: The episode "Duck!" involves a ghostly duck, whom only its chosen victims can see, getting people into trouble by blowing raspberries to make it seem like they're farting at the worst possible moments, ending with the victims getting thrown in jail. When it gets to Harold, we are spared from seeing what goes on with him.

    Harold: Hey, a duck!
    [SLAM!]
    Harold: What the heck just happened?!

  • Looney Tunes: In "Wabbit Twouble", Elmer Fudd comes to Jellostone National Park, whose sign promises "a restful retreat." After having his day ruined by the antics of Bugs Bunny and a bear, Elmer smashes the sign to bits, just as a ranger arrives. Elmer sheepishly smiles at the ranger, and the scene transitions to him behind prison bars. Elmer at least concedes that he'll finally get the rest and relaxation he was looking for, only to find Bugs and the bear as cellmates.
  • Mickey Mouse (2013): In "No", Mickey is tired of people taking advantage of his inability to say no, so Donald teaches him to say the word. However, this makes Mickey start to instinctively say no to everything, even for things where he really should have said yes.

    Cop: Pull over!
    Mickey: No!
    [cut to Mickey in court]
    Judge: Swear to tell the truth?
    Mickey: NO!
    [cut to Mickey in jail]
    Cellmate: Do these horizontal stripes make my butt look big?
    Mickey: NOOOOOOOO!!

  • The Simpsons:
    • "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish": Uncharacteristically Played for Drama. Homer, in a rush to get home to his family, ends up being pulled over by the cops for speeding. When he gets pushy and insists on being given a ticket so he can be on his way, Lou and Eddie get offended and immediately put him in jail, laughing at him after they do so. Seeing how this was (purportedly) Homer's last day alive, this was seen as especially cruel.
    • "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday": A double Bait-and-Switch and Played for Laughs example. After Homer, his friends, and a travel agent were fooled into purchasing bogus Super Bowl tickets, they seemingly devise a plan to pretend to be the half-time act...only to use the clothing rack with the costumes to push past the guards and try to see the game. The next scene then shows them apparently watching the game and hollering in excitement, but only at kicking Homer's butt while they're all crammed into a cell together.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants: Played with in "Hall Monitor". After SpongeBob's attempts at being hall monitor for all of Bikini Bottom ends in chaos, Mrs. Puff arrives to find him about to get arrested. When a police officer asks if she knows the culprit, Puff admits that she was the one who made SpongeBob monitor and that he's her responsibility, which results in a Death Glare from the entire police force and an Oh, Crap! expression from her. The episode then ends just as it began, with Mrs. Puff giving a lecture to the class, only now she's doing it by video as she stands in a prison cell.

    Mrs. Puff: And SpongeBob? I'd like to see you after class... six months from now.

  • South Park: In "Grey Dawn", Stan's grandfather Marvin is pulled over by the cops for driving without a license (due to it being revoked). Marvin mouths off to Officer Barbrady and dares Barbrady to arrest him. The scene then cuts to Marvin sitting a jail cell muttering to himself.
  • Yin Yang Yo!: Near the end of an episode, after battling Carl the Evil Cockroach Wizard in a courtroom, the Woo-Foo Warriors had their names cleared until Yang mentions the damage they made to the courtroom. The last scene cuts to the warriors behind bars with Yin complaining to Yang for his screw-up.