Where's Everyone Going? Bingo?

About

Where's Everyone Going? Bingo? is a memorable line uttered by Leon Kennedy in both the original 2005 Resident Evil 4 video game and the 2023 remake. Since the game's initial release, the catchphrase has been parodied and beloved by fans of the Resident Evil franchise, inspiring fan art and humorous tributes.

Origin

In Resident Evil 4, first released on January 11th, 2005, the opening level finds Leon Kennedy fighting off a village of zombies. After a memorably tense sequence navigating the closed village and fending off enemies, a bell tolls that causes the zombies to all wander into a church. After the zombies leave, Kennedy bemusedly asks, "Where's everyone going? Bingo?" The scene was first uploaded to YouTube on January 25th, 2007, by user Yandere Archive, gaining over 46,000 views in 16 years (shown below).

Spread

The line has long been a fan favorite in the Resident Evil fandom, alongside quotes like "Jill Sandwich" and "Master of Unlocking." In 2012, IGN^[2] included the line in a list of the top 10 most absurd Resident Evil quotes. According to TV Tropes,^[1] the line is an example of "Mood Whiplash." The site writes:

… after the intense and, particularly for new gamers, panic-inducing siege in the village that saw EVERY resident bearing down on Leon's ass, including one with a chainsaw, Leon's response when they give up and leave at hearing the church bell is the perfect blend of smartassery and utter disbelief.

While the line was often quoted in discussions of the game after its release, image macros and other meme templates referencing the line began growing in prevalence in the late 2010s and early 2020s. On December 26th, 2019, Redditor Codegrammerx^[3] posted a reaction image meme with the line, gaining over 1,300 points in three years (shown below, left). On August 10th, 2022, iFunny user Herne_the_hunter^[4] posted an anti-meme reaction image with the line, gaining 30 likes in one year (shown below, right).

Ahead of the 2023 release of the Resident Evil 4 remake, there was some concern that the line would be cut.^[5] However, the line did make it into the remake, much to the delight of fans of the original. In his review of the game, Yahtzee Croshaw jokingly addressed the "Bingo" line as his first concern heading into the remake (shown below, left). When the remake was released, many streamers expressed delight that the line had survived. On March 12th, 2023, YouTuber GameReactions posted a compilation of streamers reacting to the line, gaining over 249,000 views in two months (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References