Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Chekhov's Party

 Chekhov's Party
type
FeatureClass
 Chekhov's Party
label
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party
page
ChekhovsParty
 Chekhov's Party
comment
Parties are dramatic. Maybe it's a Wild Teen Party, a Surprise Party, or a Masquerade Ball. Or maybe it's simply an (apparently) civilized opportunity to meet and talk, or perhaps it masquerades as a Shoddy Shindig at least for some of its guests.
But, if they're mentioned - even, and often, especially, if it's mentioned offhandedly - something huge happened there. Maybe a Chekhov's Gunman was in attendance, or the party's subject receives a Chekhov's Gift. Whatever you learn about this party, due to the Law of Conservation of Detail , it will be important, and it will probably give you the answer to the mystery. Especially popular because Hidden in Plain Sight is especially easy to pull off in a room full of people who may or may not know each other, and that also makes this a gift for situations where Everyone Is a Suspect.
There are examples both where the protagonist is in attendance, which makes sense because generally, in the crowd, they may have witnessed a Meaningful Background Event whose full implications they don't yet understand. It's often more obvious when the protagonist isn't in attendance, because whatever they learn about the party will often provide them with the other inkling to help them realize, eventually, what happened there and why it matters.
What Did I Do Last Night? examples that involve parties traditionally won't count, because it's often obvious to the protagonist why the party is important. Compare and contrast Ten Little Murder Victims and Reunion Revenge, which often include a dramatic party, but frequently won't overlap with this because they are the main setting.
This is a spoiler trope. There will be unmarked spoilers, and often even knowing these incidents are significant constitutes a spoiler. Proceed with caution.

Examples
 Chekhov's Party
fetched
2023-11-28T05:00:23Z
 Chekhov's Party
parsed
2023-11-28T05:00:23Z
 Chekhov's Party
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Chekhov's Party / int_256b47e5
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_256b47e5
comment
Curtain: The drinks at the Franklins where Mrs Franklin was poisoned. Poirot realizes she was actually the murderer, and was trying to kill her husband. Hastings rotated the table while looking up a crossword answer, which caused a Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo.
 Chekhov's Party / int_256b47e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_256b47e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Curtain
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_256b47e5
 Chekhov's Party / int_2bcfe3b5
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_2bcfe3b5
comment
Draft Day: In the leadup to the draft, Browns GM Sonny Weaver's scouting staff tells him about presumptive top pick Bo Callahan's last birthday party, which none of his teammates attended. This, along with other revelatory character flaws, come up later on and serve to justify Sonny's decision to draft Vontae Mack instead of Callahan first overall.
 Chekhov's Party / int_2bcfe3b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_2bcfe3b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Draft Day
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_2bcfe3b5
 Chekhov's Party / int_311d8bb5
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_311d8bb5
comment
Invoked and played with in Three Act Tragedy. Everyone assumes that Sir Charles's first party is this, where Babbington died, and that it holds the solution to the second party that ends in murder. But it doesn't - the first party is merely a trial run that serves to throw people off the scent. The second one is the important one.
 Chekhov's Party / int_311d8bb5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_311d8bb5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Three Act Tragedy
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_311d8bb5
 Chekhov's Party / int_41b0198a
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_41b0198a
comment
The Dresden Files: The third book features a ball being thrown for the paranormal community by the local Red Court nobility, as part of a trap for Dresden. Aside from setting up the book's climax, which triggers a War Arc that continues until the twelfth book, numerous other plot threads are planted which are still paying off years later.
 Chekhov's Party / int_41b0198a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_41b0198a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dresden Files
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_41b0198a
 Chekhov's Party / int_49430eb3
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_49430eb3
comment
American Vandal:
Nana's party in Season 1. Initially simply where Alex claimed (falsely) to have hooked up with Sara, it was actually where the spray paints had come from that drew the dicks, narrowing it down to someone who had been in attendance there.
In Season 2, the skip day party that got broken up and got several people arrested. Tanner testified against Kevin because of thinking Kevin broke it up. He didn't, Lou did, trying to sabotage DeMarcus.
 Chekhov's Party / int_49430eb3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_49430eb3
featureConfidence
1.0
 American Vandal
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_49430eb3
 Chekhov's Party / int_5959e9e5
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_5959e9e5
comment
Speak: We know that nobody will talk to Melinda since she called the cops on the end-of-year high school party. It takes almost a year for Melinda to reveal (and to acknowledge to herself) that she is selectively mute because she was raped by Andy there.
 Chekhov's Party / int_5959e9e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_5959e9e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Speak
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_5959e9e5
 Chekhov's Party / int_64347e57
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_64347e57
comment
13 Reasons Why: Several references to Jessica's birthday party are made throughout the series as some event Hannah attended before her suicide. Eventually, Hannah reveals in her tapes that Jessica had been raped by Jerk Jock, Bryce, at the party while Jessica was unconscious, and Hannah witnessed the event from inside a closet. We also learn that Jessica's boyfriend knew about this and let it happen. These events played a key role in why Hannah eventually took her own life.
 Chekhov's Party / int_64347e57
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_64347e57
featureConfidence
1.0
 13 Reasons Why
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_64347e57
 Chekhov's Party / int_6c3b0503
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_6c3b0503
comment
In the Sly 2: Band of Thieves level "A Starry Eyed Encounter", the MacGuffin that the Cooper Gang are after — the Clockwork Wings affixed to a statue — are being showcased in a party in Rajan's "ancestral palace." It is at this party that the other members of the Klaww Gang (The Contessa, Jean Bison and Arpeggio) make their first appearance and Sly dances with Carmelita in a Rhythm Game as a distraction, a photo of the event later used by Neyla to have Carmelita falsely arrested as a Cooper Gang member at the end of the following chapter.
 Chekhov's Party / int_6c3b0503
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_6c3b0503
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sly 2: Band Of Thieves (Video Game)
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_6c3b0503
 Chekhov's Party / int_7c6b40
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_7c6b40
comment
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side. Shortly before Heather was killed by a poisoned drink meant for Marina Gregg, she told Marina and Miss Marple about a previous time where she had snuck out while ill in order to meet Marina during another of her appearances. She infected Marina with German measles, which stunted the development her fetus and forced her to give the child up despite wanting him for years. This is why Marina killed Heather.
 Chekhov's Party / int_7c6b40
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_7c6b40
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_7c6b40
 Chekhov's Party / int_7cb04bb5
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_7cb04bb5
comment
Inside No. 9: In "Sardines", Geraldine mentions the last time Andrew's bedroom was open was when they had a scout jamboree twenty years ago. It's gradually revealed that this is where Andrew molested Pip, which is why Pip (in the guise of boring bank manager Ian) has returned in present day to get revenge on them.
 Chekhov's Party / int_7cb04bb5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_7cb04bb5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Inside No. 9
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_7cb04bb5
 Chekhov's Party / int_7e4805b6
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_7e4805b6
comment
Knives Out: Harlan Thrombey dies under suspicious circumstances shortly after his 85th birthday party. As private detective Benoit Blanc investigates, he asks Harlan's family to recollect the gathering and learns Harlan had several confrontations before the party started that may have inspired various suspects to murder him; but in flashbacks we see that one argument during the party was the one that began a chain of events leading to his death.
 Chekhov's Party / int_7e4805b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_7e4805b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Knives Out
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_7e4805b6
 Chekhov's Party / int_8224fbd8
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_8224fbd8
comment
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane: The first party where Emmet goads Dylan into jumping off the roof into the pool. You can see Mandy look at Emmet from the pool, giving him the go-ahead, which is an early hint that Emmet and Mandy are in on the massacre together, and won't be confirmed until Mandy kills Chloe.
 Chekhov's Party / int_8224fbd8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_8224fbd8
featureConfidence
1.0
 All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_8224fbd8
 Chekhov's Party / int_89a3ffd6
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_89a3ffd6
comment
Two in Lord Edgware Dies: Two. The first is obvious, as Jane is at a party when her husband is murdered. Except in fact she isn't - Carlotta was, impersonating her. Donald Ross is killed when he figures it out... and that happens at another party. Donald overhears Jane mistake the "judgment of Paris" as referring to the city of Paris. This appears to be a simple social embarrassment, but it's much more significant to Donald because he was talking about culture with "Jane" at the dinner party. He puts these two parties together to figure out Jane had an impersonator - and so she killed him.
 Chekhov's Party / int_89a3ffd6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_89a3ffd6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lord Edgware Dies
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_89a3ffd6
 Chekhov's Party / int_8ce2ea35
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_8ce2ea35
comment
It's mentioned several times in I Heard That Song Before that the night Grace drowned in the swimming pool she'd been hosting a small party at the Carrington mansion. It ended on a sour note because Grace got completely plastered even though she was in her third trimester of pregnancy; when Peter arrived home and saw this, he flew into a rage and publicly berated her. A few hours later, Grace was dead. When Greco questions the guests about their recollection of that night, several people mention that Grace had shown around a magazine article featuring her favourite actress; she later drunkenly tore the page out and still had it in her pocket when she drowned. It turns out that the photograph of the actress – or rather the painting she's standing in front of – is the key to the entire mystery and the reason Grace died, as it was proof the villain was stealing priceless artworks from the Carringtons to sell and replacing them with copies.
 Chekhov's Party / int_8ce2ea35
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_8ce2ea35
featureConfidence
1.0
 I Heard That Song Before
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_8ce2ea35
 Chekhov's Party / int_9d47a2a2
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_9d47a2a2
comment
A Song of Ice and Fire: In the first book, Ned Stark briefly recalls the Tourney at Harrenhal, a massive, multi-day tournament held by Lord Whent which took place when Ned was a teenager. Its significance is elaborated on in later books, including: Jaime Lannister's promotion to the Kingsguard, which ended his father's friendship with the king; Howland Reed befriending the Stark siblings; a mystery knight disrupting the joust before disappearing; Ashara Dayne apparently being dishonored; the possibility that the whole event was just a pretext for the great lords to conspire together against the king; and Prince Rhaegar snubbing his wife Princess Elia by crowning Lyanna Stark the Queen of Love and Beauty, which eventually lead to a civil war and the end of the Targaryen dynasty.
 Chekhov's Party / int_9d47a2a2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_9d47a2a2
featureConfidence
1.0
 A Song of Ice and Fire
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_9d47a2a2
 Chekhov's Party / int_a61bda23
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_a61bda23
comment
Life Is Strange:
The Vortex Club party that happened just before the game begun. Kate is shown on video kissing multiple guys and very drunk. Max eventually figures out that she was spiked by Nathan, who took her to the Dark Room and took pictures of her.
The Vortex Club party that Max sneaks into qualifies because Mr Jefferson is presenting the Everyday Heroes contest, which is how he manages to sneak up on Max after she and Chloe discover Rachel's body. But it qualifies even more so if you were nice to Victoria and she believes you that Nathan is dangerous - because, after he kidnaps Max, Mr Jefferson reveals that she came up to him at the party and told him about Nathan, causing him to kidnap and eventually kill her.
 Chekhov's Party / int_a61bda23
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_a61bda23
featureConfidence
1.0
 Life Is Strange (Video Game)
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_a61bda23
 Chekhov's Party / int_b3706bb8
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_b3706bb8
comment
Sick: The "end of the world" party where Parker kissed Benji. We see it a couple of times through cell phone footage. Turns out it was a super spreader event and Benji died of COVID, which is the killers' motive for murder.
 Chekhov's Party / int_b3706bb8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_b3706bb8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sick
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_b3706bb8
 Chekhov's Party / int_cffb4c17
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_cffb4c17
comment
Severance (2022): Harmony mentions early on that she's been invited to the Eagan family's gala. This is the setting of the finale, and Helly's outtie - Helena Eagan - is also in attendance, where innie Helly is woken up and manages to raise the alarm about severance.
 Chekhov's Party / int_cffb4c17
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_cffb4c17
featureConfidence
1.0
 Severance (2022)
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_cffb4c17
 Chekhov's Party / int_d23ab89f
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_d23ab89f
comment
Saltburn: Early in his stay, Felix and Elspeth enthusiastically tell Oliver that they'll throw a party for his birthday near the end of the summer. This is what stops Felix from telling his family that Oliver was lying about everything, and where Oliver kills Felix.
 Chekhov's Party / int_d23ab89f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_d23ab89f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Saltburn
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_d23ab89f
 Chekhov's Party / int_d4de82c6
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_d4de82c6
comment
Magpie Murders: The hunt for the gold piece at Pye Hall. Mentioned offhandedly, Mary Blakiston's other son Thomas drowned after finding the coin. But Atticus realizes that, because of the detail about Robert's wet trousers, that Robert actually killed Thomas in a fit of jealousy about finding the gold first. This caused Mary to write the letter implicating Robert that could be opened by Magnus in the event of her sudden death, which was why Robert had to kill him.
 Chekhov's Party / int_d4de82c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_d4de82c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magpie Murders
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_d4de82c6
 Chekhov's Party / int_da861da1
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_da861da1
comment
Veronica Mars:
Shelley Pomeroy's party, which was always important as it was where Veronica had been raped, but whose true significance came back unexpectedly at the end of Season 2. While in Season 1, Veronica found out that she and Duncan had had consensual sex while drugged, Season 2 brought back Cassidy's story that he told her about being encouraged to rape her but not going through with it. In fact, he did rape her, and he infected her with chlamydia.
The school trip that the kids were on when the bus blew up, to the Sharks stadium. It turns out later that Marcos and Peter had planned to reveal that Woody Goodman molested them, and that inspired Cassidy Casablancas to blow up the bus.
 Chekhov's Party / int_da861da1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_da861da1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Veronica Mars
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_da861da1
 Chekhov's Party / int_e91033c0
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_e91033c0
comment
Troubled Blood: The barbecue at Margaret Barnborough's house. It was mentioned as the only time C.B. Oakenden met Margaret, which caused him to write the tell-all book, and where Gloria vomited so much that she realized she was pregnant by her abusive boyfriend. But all of this is just a Red Herring for the ultimate reveal, which is that Janice, a Serial Killer, had poisoned the punch and caused Gloria's illness, privately hoping to poison them all. While it didn't work due to the bowl getting broken, Gloria's illness was enough to make Margaret suspicious, and so Janice killed her.
 Chekhov's Party / int_e91033c0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_e91033c0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Troubled Blood
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_e91033c0
 Chekhov's Party / int_ecafbc14
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_ecafbc14
comment
The ABC Murders: Hermione mentions that Carmichael, her husband, always adored Poirot since they played a murder-mystery game at a party twenty years ago. This turns out to have been where the murderer, Franklin - Carmichael's brother - developed his obsession with Poirot.
 Chekhov's Party / int_ecafbc14
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_ecafbc14
featureConfidence
1.0
 The ABC Murders
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_ecafbc14
 Chekhov's Party / int_f2666f74
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_f2666f74
comment
The Rage: Carrie 2: The party after the big game where the massacre happens is mentioned several times near the beginning before Jesse invites Rachel. It's where she ultimately kills almost everyone.
 Chekhov's Party / int_f2666f74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_f2666f74
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Rage: Carrie 2
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_f2666f74
 Chekhov's Party / int_febc4d2c
type
Chekhov's Party
 Chekhov's Party / int_febc4d2c
comment
At the beginning of The Fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble remembers that on the night he found his wife murdered by an intruder with one arm, he remembers being at the hospital benefit talking to some other doctors, when his best friend, Dr. Charles Nichols comes over and thanks him for letting him borrow his car, and returns his keys. At the very end, when he's cornered in the laundry room, pursued by U.S. Marshall Gerard and the Chicago Police Department, Gerard tells Richard the reason why the C.P.D.detectives determined he was guilty of killing his wife is because there was no forced entry. Which happened because Nichols drove to Richard's house, unlocked the door, called the one armed former cop to wait for Richard and his wife, who left the party early, and kill them by making it look like a robbery gone wrong.
 Chekhov's Party / int_febc4d2c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Chekhov's Party / int_febc4d2c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Fugitive
hasFeature
Chekhov's Party / int_febc4d2c

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Chekhov's Party
processingCategory2
Party at My Index
 Ace Savvy VS Stether (Fanfic) / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Knives Out / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Saltburn / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Sick / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 The Fugitive / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 The Rage: Carrie 2 / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 All Dressed in White / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Curtain / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 I Heard That Song Before / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Lord Edgware Dies / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Magpie Murders / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Speak / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Three Act Tragedy / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Troubled Blood / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 While My Pretty One Sleeps / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 American Vandal / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Severance (2022) / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 The ABC Murders / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 13 Reasons Why / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Veronica Mars / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Fox Spirit: A Two-Tailed Adventure (Video Game) / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Life Is Strange (Video Game) / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party
 Pirates SMP (Web Video) / int_acbe0212
type
Chekhov's Party