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: Does anyone know what happened to JD's brother in Philadelphia? As far as I know, nothing is mentioned by anyone once they are trapped in the library.

Question: What spell did Snape use on Dumbledore to knock him off the tower? It couldn't have been the Killing Curse because when that's used, it produces a green light and the light from Snape's wand was blue.

Answer: It was the killing curse. You hear him say Avada Kadavra, too. I think the lighting in the scene makes the color seem a bit off, more turquoise than real green.

lionhead

Question: When police scour the old neighbourhood, there is a shot of a man wearing some kind of huge metal suit. What was this suit used for? (00:46:53)

Answer: Most likely protective body armour.

Question: This question could be for the movie and book since I don't remember it being answered in the book. Why has Snape continued to live in his childhood house? It's in a predominantly Muggle neighborhood, and his childhood was unhappy.

Answer: Interesting comment. I live in my childhood home, which I love and will never sell, even though it was not a particularly happy childhood. I've always separated family issues from other good memories and the house itself. Maybe Snape does the same and finds some comfort in familiar things. It was his father who was abusive, not his mother, so he may associate the house with her or even with Lily, his childhood friend he came to love.

raywest

I think Lily is a big reason. They grew up in the area, and they probably spent summer holidays together before Lily ended their friendship.

Show generally

Question: I seem to remember a scene in which Cartman knocks on Kyle's bedroom window one night and wakes him up, just to laugh at him. Any idea what episode? Might have happened with Stan instead of Kyle.

Answer: It's from "The List" - Season 11, Episode 14. Cartman goes to mock Kyle because he is higher than Kyle on The List the girls made of who the most attractive boy is in their class.

Heather Benton

Question: Commander Malloy is following Snake in the sub on radar while he is heading to L.A. After reaching the concrete platform, the platform gives way and the sub begins to sink. Malloy radios Snake asking him what happened to the sub as it disappeared off the radar. If they were following him the entire time while he was underwater, what would cause the issue when it was sinking? It wasn't damaged, just the support collapsed.

posty

1923 - S1-E1

Question: What point was Father Renaud trying to get across to Sister Mary by hitting her hands with that paddle and shouting for her to recite faster, as she was trying to recite scripture when both she and Teonna were in his office?

Question: What was the reason why the two divers at the start of the film chose to go down into the sunken boat to strip and make love? Of all places, why do it there?

Answer: Probably for the same reason people do it on commercial jets to join the "Mile High Club", or any other unusual place. They're fueled by the excitement of doing something dangerous, forbidden, and/or out of the ordinary.

raywest

Behind Us, A Cliff - S1-E2

Question: How come, as mentioned in episode two, James was unwilling to acknowledge his involvement in the Civil War with others, even lying about not having served when asked and turning away from fellow veterans who recognized him?

Answer: Tim McGraw (the actor of James) put it best. McGraw has explained that James has PTSD from serving in the war. It doesn't help that, per McGraw, James was forced to serve and did not actually want to participate in it. This would make the war not only a shameful memory for him, but a painful one at that. Especially during a time when therapy was not a thing and people, particularly the male head of the households, were taught to hold feelings like that back. In his suffering brain, he thought it was best to try to put that memory aside rather than openly talk about it.

Question: What was the actual reason why Russia and North Korea (actually, it was intended to be China) chose to invade the United States? Was it because they saw it as a threat to them? What purpose would dedicating troops and logistics to an invasion of the USA have served?

Answer: The flimsy plotline was that the European Union's economic crisis had weakened the NATO alliance so much that they were vulnerable to a North Korean and Russian invasion. American troops were deployed to support NATO defenses, which supposedly left the U.S. mainland and its infrastructure open to terrorists and cyberattacks. Presumably, Russia's and Korea's joint objective was to weaken/cripple the USA's power, economy, and global influence by creating internal chaos.

raywest

Question: Why was Ruby sick and tired in the car scene?

Question: How is it possible that Harry has no problems with trusting Alastor Moody in this movie? At the end of the previous movie, he discovered that "Moody" was an evil imposter who conspired against him. He only saw the real Moody briefly when he was trapped inside his trunk and didn't even interact with him. So how come he isn't distrustful/suspicious towards him if he barely knows him?

Answer: How can Harry trust anyone, knowing they could be a Polyjuice imposter? The rest of The Order of the Phoenix trust Moody, and that has to be enough for Harry.

Brian Katcher

But in the book, he remembers that "Moody" was fake.

And was caught and replaced with the real Moody.

Brian Katcher

Still, it would have made much more sense if Harry said, "Professor Moody? Is that really you?" and Moody replied, "Yes, it's really me, the real Alastor Moody, not this cheap imposter."

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that any evil wizard attempting to gain proximity to Harry by using Polyjuice potion would be unlikely to impersonate "Mad-Eye" Moody, as the real one would now be closely scrutinized and vetted by the Order.

raywest

But there is another issue. Harry acts as if he knew Moody very well, despite never interacting with him before.

As mentioned, Harry was present when the real Moody was rescued at the end of "Goblet of Fire." He likely had interaction with him immediately following that event and then later, even though it's not shown on screen. He also knows Moody by his colourful reputation and that Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix fully trust him.

raywest

He didn't interact with Moody in the previous movie because Moody was in a bad mental state due to being trapped for a whole year. It took Moody some time to recover from this trauma.

Question: There is a running theory that Becky actually did not survive, and that her father was imagining reuniting with her was actually his brain reacting to him seeing her body, whether or not first responders were on scene. So, if Becky actually was rescued, how could the helicopter have gotten close enough to reach her without the satellite collapsing due to the helicopter's downwash or the propellers hitting the tower itself?

Answer: There's no indication that the ending is anything but real; the other twist in the film is heavily foreshadowed through dialogue, camera framing, and so on, none of which applies to the ending. A helicopter could have hovered above the tower and lowered a rescue basket/rope to Becky, as she's less than 100 feet from the very top. Given that the tower was probably constructed using a helicopter to position the final pieces of the structure (a common practice for communications towers of this height), there's no reason why it couldn't have held up. The tower itself is never shown to be weakened or compromised, only the ladder affixed to the outside.

Season 1 generally

Question: In the opening sequence, Elsa narrates that violence "stranded us on the beaches of New Jersey." What happened in New Jersey that she was referring to?

Answer: Elsa's narration is a loose timeline, before 1883 (the origin story show). Elsa states "violence has always haunted" her family. They, who travelled, suffered on the overcrowded immigrant "coffin ships" (called this because so many died) sailing to North America. Upon their arrival in the new country, they were "stranded" when the ship landed in New Jersey, at one of the immigrant landing depots on the Northeastern shores. (Then, they served in the armies during the American Civil War, "devoured" at the bloody Shiloh and Antietam battlefields.)

Super Grover

Question: Did Quinn's guys abandon her after her defeat at Panessa Studios?

Rob245

Answer: Most likely, whenever you return to the studio, she's still there.

Question: If the Phantom wanted to remain in the shadows, why did he put himself in his role in Don Juan that had him basically come out in the open in front of the public eye, where everyone, especially law enforcement, could see him?

Answer: He wanted to let Christine know that he was her Don Juan. He loved her and was willing to risk everything to be the only man in her life.

Question: What shirt is Laddie wearing under his military jacket?

Season 2 generally

Question: In season 2, why does Norm's employment status change between episodes several times? One episode he is an accountant, Sam's to be specific, and then the next episode he is unemployed. But the episode after that, he is employed again as an accountant.

Answer: Early in the first season, Norm originally had a steady job as an accountant at an accounting firm, and then he was fired. From then on, he worked for himself as an independent accountant, which results in Norm being unemployed much of the time. Hence, Norm's employment status can change between episodes.

Super Grover

Question: At the bank, near the beginning, what was the security guard watching on the TV?

Answer: The film is Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles. *SPOILER* Within the specific scene that the guard is watching, Quinlan (played by Welles) is holding a box with dynamite sticks inside, with Vargas (played by Charlton Heston) contending, "I looked in that box, just now, there wasn't anything there" (the box had been empty when Vargas was in the bathroom). This scene in Touch of Evil is foreshadowing the end with Cosmo in Sneakers (1992).

Super Grover

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