"Huh, of course you can knock someone out for a few minutes. Chemically, I presume (as opposed to a fist to the jaw or some other old-fashioned method)."

Well, in my very limited previous experience with general anesthesia it was a more gradual process. Count backwards from 100, drift away, drift back in confusion, slowly wake up in a different room. This was just Ready? Done! Want to see the trick again?

The only time I ever experienced the whack-on-the-head version it lasted no longer than a second or two, but that was weird too. Skating, losing my balance and going over backwards, and then I was lying on the ice without actually hitting it.