Truth Serums: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"Wait, what the hell? This was supposed to be a truth serum, not a VOLUNTEER INFORMATION serum!"''|'''T-Rex''', ''[http://www.qwantz.com/archive/000416.html Dinosaur Comics]''}}

 

== [[Anime and Manga]] ==

* In ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', in one of the later chapters, as Negi {{spoiler|was running away from his cute students who want to know the name of the girl he likes using every means necessary}}, He got an injection of "truth serum" up his... "back side". It still didn't work.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* Perhaps the most famous example is [[Wonder Woman]]'s magic lasso, which forces others to tell her exactly what she wants to know. Originally it was portrayed without such powers, with the assumption [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique|an Amazon with her foot on your neck was a compelling enough tactic]].

** Subverted another time when the Joker's henchmen gave him some truth serum in order to get him to tell them where he kept his money. Unfortunately for them, the Joker's state of mind isn't exactly normal at the best of times, let alone under hallucinogenic drugs. Needless to say, the henchmen didn't get anything for their efforts other than mad ramblings.

* Played with in ''[[Fifty Two|52]]'' when Lex Luthor kidnaps a [[Brought Down to Normal|depowered]] [[Superman|Clark Kent]] and gives him an experimental truth serum which his scientists explain is a synthetic recreation of Wonder Woman's magic lasso (See above). He then asks Clark, who broke the story about new hero Supernova, why it is that Superman [[It's All About Me|is toying with Luthor by pretending to be someone else]]. Clark, [[Laughing Mad|laughing madly]], informs Lex that he does not know who is under the Supernova mask, but he is absolutely certain of one thing, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|that it is not Superman]]. Creator commentary in the trade-paperbacks points out that this scene, and perhaps the entire future path of DC comics, could have gone so differently if Luthor had simply known to ask ''the right question''.

* In a ''[[Numbskulls]]'' strip, Brainy accidentally switched Ed's truth control from 'true' to 'false'. When the other numbskulls find out, he resets it to 'as truthful as can be.' Ed immediately insults an enormous violent thug.

* Represented realistically in [[Diabolik]], as lowering compulsions and possible to resist: Diabolik himself was once dosed with it and his interrogators got only a glare, and a man he kidnapped for information for a theft was revealed being an undercover cop who managed to lie without getting caught.

* 1980's British ''Starblazer''. [[P 30 M]]-90 is an extremely potent truth drug. Pentathax is used for the same purpose.

* Parodied in ''[[Johnny English]]'', when the titular inept super-spy gets two gadget rings mixed up. Instead of a strong sedative, he accidentally injects a [[Mook]] with sodium pentothal. The [[Mook]] becomes not only truthful but extremely helpful, happily obeying Johnny's request for safe directions out of the heavily guarded building before realising in horror what he's just done.

* In ''[[Meet the Parents|Meet the Fockers]]'', Pam's father Jack, suspicious of Greg, injects him with sodium pentothal. Greg forgets after five seconds that he'd had a syringe jammed into his neck, and proceeds to get on the mic and spill his guts to the whole family reunion about his lust for Pam's [[Hot Mom|mom]], {{spoiler|his (supposedly) illegitimate son}}, and Pam's pregnancy.

* ''[[Tank Girl]]''. The Rippers try to use nitrous oxide as a [[Truth Serum]] to find out if Tank Girl and Jet Girl are spies for Water and Power. It doesn't work at all: the girls only give nonsense responses.

* ''[[The Guns of Navarone]]''. The Germans use scopalomine on Major Franklin to find out the Allied plans. It works, but unfortunately for the Nazis he was (unknown to him) given false information in the hope they would use [[Truth Serum]] on him.

* The ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books feature a magical truth serum called Veritaserum. It's mentioned quite a lot, but the only time it's actually used was on an unconscious {{spoiler|Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody}}.

** However, [[Word of God|according to J. K. Rowling,]] all magical truth serums are fallible when used on a victim who is prepared for it, and its effects can be counteracted. Thus it's not useful in wizard courts of law.

* Spider Robinson wrote a short story "Satan's Children" about the unexpected positive effects of a drug that made people permanently incapable of lying. It wreaked particular havoc among politicians and prominent religious leaders (although it didn't break *all* of them).

* [[Lois McMaster Bujold|Lois McMaster Bujold's]] [[Vorkosigan Saga]] has a truth drug called fast-penta, which when it works properly fulfills this trope perfectly. Inducing honesty is not actually its primary effect, though: what it does is make the subject ''want to be helpful'', allowing the interrogator to suggest that it would be helpful if they would answer a few questions. The distinction is illustrated in ''Ethan of Athos'', in a sequence where fast-penta is used to interrogate a character who is actually entirely ignorant of the subject at issue; instead of explaining that he can't understand the questions, let alone answer them, he attempts to help out by tacitly translating them into questions he ''can'' answer and answering those instead, to the confusion of his captors.

** However, as fast-penta is a drug, not everyone reacts the same way. Most exceptions are fatal allergies. People whose work involves sensitive or classified information can have the allergy artificially induced, unless their lives are deemed more important than the secrets they know. Bujold often uses artificial allergies to keep the characters from learning too much too soon. Another exception to the norm is Miles Vorkosigan. Due to his screwed up body chemistry, fast-penta induces a temporary mania in addition to the typical long-windedness. He uses this to his advantage, forcing himself to be discursive and bouncing off the walls reciting ''[[Shakespeare|Richard III]]'' until his interrogators give up and put him back in his cell.

** Fast-penta also removes its subject's inhibitions, making them voice whatever is on their mind. So when Ekaterin is under fast-penta, she talks about her sexual curiosity about Miles, to his embarrassment.

* Protagonist of one of [[Leo Gursky]] detective comedy series is [[The Chew Toy]] [[Absent-Minded Professor]] pharmacologist. One of substances he tested was claimed to be "Super Truth Serum" and explicitly said to be pentothal derivative, and he forgets one ampoule in his pocket. Naturally, when Mafia captures him, [[Mook]] ordered to search him is a narcoman who barely avoids being offed already, so he stashed it, and soon [[Hilarity Ensues]]. Still more believable than usually: aside of talking [[Mook]] giggled, drooled and looked like heavily drugged idiot he was, so even after he collapsed boss didn't got what's going on until doc explained it; "euphoria plus logorrhea. ... But it's considered failure. ... See, he said almost nothing and already turned off, and don't forget disordered motor function".

* In the [[Harry Turtledove]] novel ''Worldwar: In The Balance" the aliens try their truth drug on one of the protagonists, but all it does is make him rather giggly. With some difficulty, he manages to keep his cover story straight. The aliens don't know this of course, so they believe his story that he's an innocent civilian and let him go.

* No one can tell lies in close proximity to the one of griffins in [[Tamora Pierce]]'s [[Tortall Universe|Tortall]] books.

** However, truth ''spells'' can be fooled fairly easily, even when you don't have magic.

* The titular drug of Kallocain by Swedish author Karin Boye made people respond truthfully to all questions. Problem for the [[The Empire|Universal State]]: {{spoiler|It turns out everybody hates the system of government.}}

* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' books, the Aes Sedai have an artifact called the Oath Rod, which binds the will of one who makes an oath while grasping it. Each Aes Sedai before becoming a full sister must swear three oaths using the Oath Rod, one of which is never to speak a lie. However, they tend to become skilled at (and widely distrusted for) making misleading statements while never saying anything technically untrue.

* In Henry Seslar's short story "Examination Day", when a child reaches the age of 12, they are made to take a Government Intelligence Test. To prevent ''cheating'' the child been tested is told to drink a Truth Drug in a form of a buttermilk-like liquid which tastes faintly like peppermint.

** The reason is that the drug compels the subject to answer the IQ tests truthfully, making sure they do not try to deliberately answer the questions wrong in case the child in question found out what happens to those whose {{spoiler|intelligence quotient is higher than what the Government regula­tion allow,}} they are killed.

* In ''[[Bored of the Rings]],'' a parody of ''[[Lord of the Rings]],'' Goodgulf the Wizard used "one of his secret potions<ref>Probably Sodium Pentothal.</ref>" to get the truth about how he obtained the Ring out of Dildo Bugger.

* In the ''[[X Wing Series]]'', it is mentioned that CorSec officers undergo a chemical interrogation as part of their training. When it was done to Corran Horn, he ended up confessing to every childhood misdeed committed in his entire life, which would have been amusing had the interrogator not provided a transcript to his father (A fellow officer).

* Subverted in [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]''. Slothrop is administered sodium amytal twice in the course of the narrative. In both cases he is reduced to surreal babblings and squicky nightmares instead of volunteering information.

** Lampshaded in-universe by one of the heroes, who makes it clear that generally speaking they ''all'' die, because the information extracted invariably leads to a successful conviction for treason, with the death penalty to follow. When the bad guys use it, the subjects all die because once they've milked you of what you know, you're too dangerous to leave alive.

** On another occasion the heroes capture the [[The Dragon]] and inject them with a conveniently-left-lying-around dose. The information they obtain turns out to be false, but their boss is quick to point out that the dose was ''too'' conveniently left lying around, and for all they knew they were injecting them with distilled water. Later, it's discovered that [[The Dragon]] is {{spoiler|a humaniform android}}, and it could have been the real thing.

"Yes, I do. You're ugly. See that woman there in the jury box? I'd really like to sleep with her. Do I continue, or are you gonna ask me questions?"

** Nothing to do with [[Truth Serums]], really, but [[Rule of Funny|too funny to omit]].

** In another episode, he is drugged and ordered to tell his interrogators "everything you know". Naturally, this results in a seemingly endless stream of trivia, including multiplication tables.

* ''[[The Middleman]]'': The Middleman sets off a truth bomb to get Pip to confess he copied Wendy's paintings. Everyone else in the vicinity starts spontaneously confessing embarrassing truths. Wendy tries to take advantage of the truth bomb to [[No Name Given|find out the Middleman's name]], but he manages to dodge the question by giving her an honest answer that says nothing.

* Subverted in ''[[Star Trek]]:[[Deep Space Nine]]'' where they inject Quark with 6 doses of sodium pentathol, with no effect. But that's a Ferengi's metabolism for ya.

** Quark ironically is only too willing to talk, to stop these mad humans from jabbing him with sharp needles.

* ''[[UFO]]''. The 'GL-7 serum' is used on a captured alien, but it either kills him or he somehow commits suicide to prevent himself from talking.

* Played straight on ''[[Lost]]'' when Sayid is restrained and given an unnamed drug by {{spoiler|members of the Dharma Initiative, who believe him to be a hostile spy}}, and informed that he will have no choice but to answer their questions truthfully. When he does so, {{spoiler|eventually revealing that he is from the future,}} the interrogator concludes that he used too high a dose.

** Admittedly this didn't stop her from getting sarcastic with the torturers during the first session:

{{quote| '''Aeryn:''' No, don't use that, I won't lie to you. I'll just tell you what you want to know.<br />

* In one episode of ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'', Maxwell is given a truth serum by the [[General Ripper]] villain of the story. The resultant babblings about [[Clothes Make the Superman|Ralph's supersuit]] are dismissed as crazy talk.

* In the ''[[Quantum Leap]]'' episode "Star Light, Star Bright", Sam leaps into an old man obsessed with UFOs who is dosed with sodium pentothal by government [[The Men in Black|Men in Black]]. Instead of telling them what his host knows about UFOs, he starts revealing top-secret information about himself and the Quantum Leap project. [[The Men in Black]] just assume it's gibberish and that they've given him too high a dosage.

* In an episode of ''[[Human Target]]'', the plan is for Ilsa to give the villain of the episode wine dosed with such a chemical so he'll tell them his password. Played with, in that to convince him that it isn't poisoned, she also drinks it herself, after which she tells him the whole plan.

 

** Both 2nd and 3rd Edition had a Potion of Truth that forced anyone who drank it to speak the truth. The 3rd Edition version allowed the drinker to make a saving throw to refuse to answer a question.

* White Wolf's ''Vampire: The Requiem'' has several methods of forcing somebody to tell the truth, from the gentle to the awesome. On the gentle side, "Majesty" can compel somebody to want to confess their innermost secrets to you. On the awesome side, the "Liar's Plague" causes bugs to swarm out of a subject's mouth when they lie.

* There are a few in ''[[GURPS]]''; the Truth potion from ''Magic'' as well as Sodium Pentothal and Sodium Amytal in ''High-Tech''.

** There's also the standard "Compel Truth" spell, and an equivalent psychic ability. Again, despite the name it only prevents victims from lying (if it works...) It does not force them to say anything.

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* A variation; a tomb-robber in ''[[Ballerina Mafia]]'' is cursed to have an illusion of the mummy following him around, constantly announcing what he's thinking to all in earshot.

 

* An episode of ''[[Kim Possible]]'' had Kim hit by a Truth Ray, with the full effect of the entire trope: not only could she not lie, she was compelled to say anything and everything, in [[Too Much Information|far more detail than was needed]]. She confessed a crush to members of the sports teams, and told her dad's bosses everything her dad found annoying about them (one tells ''very bad'' jokes, one won't stop talking about his home country, and one obviously wears a wig). She ended up covering her mouth to suppress the truth compulsion. Ron, who was hit by the same ray, instead becomes more confident and popular. He does things like admitting to Mr. Barkin that not only did he not read the assigned book, but that it was boring and dumb, earning Barkin's respect by stating an opinion he'd secretly shared, and winning the heart of a beautiful girl by talking about the beauty of her eyes.

* Subverted in "The Incredible Mr. Brisby" episode of ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', when Dr. Venture is given a truth serum to reveal what his research on cloning has yielded. Apparently, it has an antagonistic reaction with one of the multitude of pills Venture is taking, and makes him think he is some sort of country milk maid and recite lines from ''[[Rear Window]]'' (which might actually be a realistic reaction).

{{quote| '''Alfred:''' You'll get nothing but gibberish out of me, madam. <singing> I come from haunts of cootenfern and knicker sudden Sally. Uh...dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum dee-dum, and bicker down the valley.<br />

'''Red Claw:''' ''(shakes her head)'' And people wonder why no one takes Britain seriously anymore. }}

** One rather brilliant episode later on had Scarecrow make up a gas that rendered people subjected to it incapable of fear. While this didn't exactly stop them from lying, it pretty effectively removed their motivations for keeping any socially inconvenient truths to themselves, leading them to do and say all kinds of things they normally wouldn't for fear of the consequences. When Batman himself fell under the influence of the gas, we learned, among other things, that his code of honor [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|against killing]] is driven more by fear of disapproval than by any actual moral inhibitions.

** He was perfectly capable of telling a direct lie unless asked a direct question-when first asked by some Muggles what's going on in this whole crisis here, he gives them one of the standard-issue weird-but-believable cover stories. When one of the bystanders finds himself impressed by this, he says, "Wow! Really?" and Jay admits that no, it's actually a cover story to hide the fact that he's a government agent meant to protect them from this threat and cover up the fact that it was ever there.

* In an episode of ''[[Rex the Runt]]'' Bob and Rex start drinking what they assume is a truth serum (it was actually orange juice) and, presumably due to their [[Your Mind Makes It Real|minds making it real]] started admitted to old lies they'd told in the past, revealing secrets and plenty of assorted lampshading ("Why do you wear that [[Eyepatch of Power|eyepatch]] anyway? You have two eyes!"). However at the end of the episode Wendy pours the real truth serum down the sink and we cut to a pair of rats in the sewer who start doing the same thing!