Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

These are questions relating to specific titles. General questions for movies and TV shows are here. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: Why change Ra's group's name to League of Shadows? League of Assassins sounds better.

Rob245

Answer: The group has often gone by different names. For example, it was the Society of Shadows in Batman The Animated Series.

Question: When the gang kicked Scrappy out, how did he get to Spooky Island and learn about the Daemon Ritus?

Answer: It's never explained. We're just left to assume he was somehow able to.

Question: During the dance with the skipper and his wife while at the Dutch girls' school, there is a cat on the serving table. Was the cat supposed to be there?

Answer: No.

Question: A few questions about this movie. Firstly, Syndrome's ultimate plan was first testing his prototypes on other supers, using the next had the last been defeated, and all leading up to the final face off with Mr. Incredible. What would Syndrome had done had Mr. Incredible denied the opportunity from Mirage of coming to the island to do the hero work as devised and everything he planned had been spoiled? Secondly, when Mr. Incredible was captured and held hostage in the round electric type of cell, did Syndrome plan for him to just hang there until he died? Thirdly, what made Mirage suddenly have a change of heart after all the working she's done with Syndrome and killing off supers in the past?

Answer: Syndrome's plan worked because even though the superheroes were retired a lot of them missed the old days and wanted to do real superhero work. This opportunity lured a lot of them to the island, including Mr. Incredible. If he hadn't gone there Syndrome would have found others. He kept Mr. Incredible locked up there until his plans of sending the robot were executed. Afterwards he probably would have killed him, perhaps by turning the robot loose on him again but this time in public. Mirage got second doubts when she realised Syndrome didn't care about her or the lives of innocents, I'm guessing a lot of information was kept from her and she simply thought Syndrome was after power and not petty revenge on superheroes.

lionhead

I'm a little confused about the second and third answers. We saw that Syndrome was trying to destroy the robot while mimicking it (really, using his remote) while he meanwhile had the Incredibles held hostage at his island. How would he have sent Mr. Incredible to the public to be killed by the robot if it were destroyed? Also, if Mirage thought the superhero revenge on Mr. Incredible was minor and the other supers he was killing were innocent, why did she decide to be his assistant and help him in the first place?

I'm sure his first encounter with the robot was just for show, letting the people think he beat it, without actually damaging it. The point was that the robot could not be defeated by any superhero and then everybody would flock to him and he could sell his inventions to make everybody "super" so superheroes will not be necessary anymore. It's somewhere along the lines of that anyway, I've never actually known what his actual plan was. The point was to make an unbeatable robot that only he could defeat by cheating, then sell his inventions to everybody. That I'm sure of. How he was going to take his revenge on supes to the next stage I don't know. Mirage wasn't innocent, she knew supes were being killed by the robot but she thought he did it for power. She also started to like Mr. Incredible I think. Once she realised he didn't care about her or literally anyone else she decided to betray him. Maybe she found out what real power is, and he didn't have it.

lionhead

Question: Corben and Leeloo fly to Fhloston Paradise planet in spaceship at hyper-speed (around speed of light). And the flight takes long enough for the spaceship crew to put passengers asleep. Let's say the flight at hyper-speed takes 2 hours. That means it would take 2 hours for radio signal originated from Fhloston to reach Earth. But 1) After Corben enters his hotel room on Fhloston he gets call from his mother who is on Earth. And they are talking over the phone in real time with no signal delay! 2) President and his cabinet - who are on Earth - are observing events on Fhloston via radio with no signal delay! How that might be? I realise that movie events take place in the future where new advanced communication technologies might be invented. But the speed of light is a universal constant that can't be changed or exceeded. So it would still take 2 hours (in our example) for the signal to be exchanged between planets. How come Earth and Fhloston communicate each other with no signal delay?

grrench

Answer: I think the issue here is that you are trying to apply real-world logic to an overly fantastical film. There's not necessarily a feasible or realistic explanation... but that's okay, because the film doesn't need one. It's just not that type of movie. And that's part of the fun of this film. It's a wacky, crazy movie. (Not to mention, instantaneous communication when there should be a delay is a pretty common trope in all of sci-fi.) You just gotta go with it. The best possible explanation I could give you is "futuristic sci-fi technology somehow makes it possible." But again, it's just not that type of film where it really matters.

TedStixon

Show generally

Question: Why don't any of the bullies ever get in trouble for throwing slushies at the members of the Glee club?

Answer: The show is purposefully stylized and over the top. It is not designed to be an accurate, realistic representation of American high school. The idea that the glee club is so unpopular other students can literally throw garbage at them with impunity is an over-exaggeration of how glee club is considered "un-cool" compared to things like football. However, there is a second way of looking at it. The audience is simply never shown anyone getting into any trouble for throwing slushies. Just because we don't see it doesn't mean it never happened.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Maybe this is explained better in the book, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. But at the end, when Ender killed all the Formics, did he kill any innocents, or were they all involved in the first invasion? Because Ender never mentions innocents being killed, that would be a pretty good argument as to why it was wrong. If they were all involved in the first invasion, I don't see anything wrong with killing aliens that murdered millions of humans.

MikeH

Answer: In the book, Ender had grown disillusioned with military school and was depressed. Destroying the entire Formic homeworld was his attempt to force the school to expel him, by enacting a suicidal plan of action so ruthless his superiors would believe him unfit for leadership. In the film it appears that Ender is simply trying to win the game as best he can. As for the Formics themselves, they operate with a hive mind so in a sense, yes they were all "involved" in the invasion of earth. However, wiping out of the entire civilization in retribution, especially once the audience hears the Formic queen express her dismay over the Formic's actions, is evil. The film somewhat glosses over this fact, but in the books it is clear the Formics did not understand that humans were sentient at all because they could not comprehend an intelligent species lacking a shared consciousness.

BaconIsMyBFF

Yeah misunderstanding is the constant of the book series.

lionhead

Question: Why does Stu go along with Billy's plan? He's got nothing to gain. That and why kill Sidney? She can't help what her mother did with Billy's father.

Rob245

Answer: Stu is simply crazy. Probably brought down by Billy, sucked into his psychosis, sometimes that can happen if Stu is mentally unstable and easily manipulated. We don't know where his instability comes from, but its positive Billy has had a bad influence on him and brought him down this path of killing.

lionhead

Answer: To add to the other answer, Stu briefly mentions "peer pressure" as his reason for going along with Billy's plan. Sure, he's being slightly sarcastic when he says it... but I think that it's a hint to his motivation. He's already somewhat unstable (his hyperactive personality throughout the film backs this up), and I think the implication is that Billy gave him the final "push" that put him over the edge into full-on violent insanity.

TedStixon

Answer: Some people are influenced by a "leader" friend. They don't make many decisions for themselves. Stu apparently latched onto Billy at some point, and is willing to join him in the murders. There are real-life cases in which murderers had associates who obeyed them.

Question: Why did Thomas go with Gerry's family? Why didn't he stay with his own family?

Answer: They were attacked and bitten. You can see his father on the roof top when they escape in the helicopter as one of the zombies.

Question: If Ender would destroy the planet in the simulation, why wouldn't he do it for real? The simulations are supposed to be practice.

MikeH

Answer: For the same reason when you are playing a video game you will run people over, or shoot them without figuring out who they are. He thought it was the equivalent of a video game, i.e. not real, so he would potentially do things he wouldn't do if he thought it was real. This is the very reason the power structure put them into a real operation while leading them to think it was a simulation, so they would be likely to act when faced with a moral dilemma.

jimba

Question: If the airport and a plane don't allow dogs, then why is a cat is allowed on a plane?

Answer: Maybe because cats are smaller than dogs and all felines are relatively the same size and fit into a small pet carrier. Dogs range in size from a few pounds to over a hundred, making crating them more difficult.

raywest

I should add that this being a movie, they make up their own rules about things to serve the plot. It's unlikely in real-life that an airline would ban dogs entirely, though there may be size limits.

raywest

Answer: Well before boarding Shaggy said they wouldn't allow large dogs on board. Implying smaller dogs would be OK.

Question: After they've defeated the villain Shaw says "you forced me to kill my own brother." Am I missing something? Last we saw in Fate of the Furious his brother was alive and well.

Answer: I believe he was referring to the villain being once like a brother to him.

Quantom X

Answer: SPOILER ALERT: Hook up, yes. Married, no. Children, maybe. The rumors that Mulder and Scully were married started when David Duchovny (Mulder) called Scully "Mulder's wife" when discussing the return of "The X-Files" show. However, series creator Chris Carter said "they were together but never married." In the 2nd X-Files film, "I Want to Believe", they are in a romantic relationship. But by Season 10, they are broken up as Scully has left Mulder. It is revealed that Scully's son, William, is the son of The Smoking Man, who is Mulder's father as well. In Season 11, Mulder and Scully hook up again and in the last episode of Season 11, Scully tells Mulder she's pregnant with his child. As of now, there are no plans for a Season 12 and Gillian Anderson (Scully) has no intention of returning to her role in "The X-Files."

Bishop73

Question: Within the movie itself, they introduce the fictitious ADAA instructional film reel which shows a closeup of the lead based paint Timmy is using. You can see the name 'Lead Shield' on the paint can, but does anyone know what phrase is written above the name? (00:22:22)

Answer: "You get better yield with"

Bishop73

Thank you! I had a feeling that's what it read, but since I figured it would be more humorous, I had to ask. Thanks again, I can now sleep at night :).

I looked to see if it was a reference to an old slogan or something, but couldn't find anything, so it seems to just be something to rhyme.

Bishop73

Question: What was it that Dolarhyde thought Reba had found at his house? He woke in bed to find her gone, then sort of panicked, going upstairs to his vault where he kept his journal. I never understood what he thought she had found - and how could she? She was blind and couldn't have read his journal, if that is what he thought she had found.

Answer: The fact that Will was at his workplace gives way to at least a general suspicion, so naturally the first thing you investigate is the woman who had been in your house. While it would be unreasonable to think Reba would discover his identity or intentionally give him away, he had to at least be sure she did not frivolously take a souvenir.

Answer: Dollarhyde was insane, so there was nothing rational about his thoughts or actions. In his alter-ego state, he is hallucinating that Reba may have found his journal, regardless of her being blind.

Thanks for your answer. I found it strange that his line of reasoning, even if insane, did not really inform the audience just what he was so specifically upset about. Good movie, but thoroughly disturbing.

Question: Why exactly did Ruth jump out of the boat into the acid lake water later on in the movie? Was it to make it easier for the boat to get to the dock? If so, this doesn't make sense as they were still pretty close. Did she just make a bad decision and not think on it?

Answer: It was a deliberate act on her part. She jumped out in shallow water to help propel the boat to shore before it sank. She sacrificed herself to save the family.

raywest

Answer: She was also very adamant that she did not want to leave her home, believing that the mountain would never hurt her. She eventually realised she was wrong. She also loved the home she and her late husband built, but it was destroyed. By sacrificing herself she got her wish to stay.

dewinela

Question: Just before Miss Collins dies she screams "Carrie!" I interpret this as she somehow knows what's happening, what do you guys think?

Rob245

Answer: I believe she does know. Carrie is the only one in the room who remains calm and is standing still during the chaos. Based on that, Miss Collins seems to surmise that it is Carrie who is somehow manipulating the carnage.

raywest

Question: Why is Angelique so obsessed with Barnabas?

Answer: She was obsessively and eternally in love with Barnabas, though he had spurned her.

raywest

Along with the answer by RayWest: She is in love with him. How does anyone fall in love? People usually don't choose or plan to fall in love with a certain person. Of course, as RayWest wrote, her love is obsessive in nature. Sane, rational people will try to accept rejection and move on.

Question: Why did Christopher Reeves drive up to the Grand Hotel if cars weren't allowed on the island?

Answer: For environmental reasons, cars are not allowed on the island. The filmmakers received special permission to use autos for the movie. This was likely done for logistical reasons to simplify filming the scene. It is easier for Christopher Reeve to drive a car up to the hotel rather than using an alternative transportation mode available on the island. For example, using a horse-drawn carriage would be more complicated. It would also make little sense to most of the audience and would require plot exposition to explain the island's auto ban.

raywest

Question: Loki was very edgy when Thor returned to Asgard and while I know why, why didn't Thor see through his disguise when he went to Asgard at the end of Age of Ultron?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Loki, in the guise of Odin, might have instructed Thor to go to another world when he returned to Asgard. What tipped Thor off that Loki was impersonating Odin in this movie was Surtur previously telling him that Odin was not on Asgard, and then Thor returning to Asgard to see Odin with a carefree and hedonistic attitude despite the Nine Realms having plunged into chaos, all the while watching a play that was glorifying Loki.

Phaneron

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