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: In Dune: Part Two, towards the end, Paul is stabbed in the side by Feyd Rautha. Then suddenly, a knife appears at his shoulder? What?! Did I miss something?

Erik M.

Answer: Feyd uses Paul's blade to stab Paul in the left abdomen. Then Feyd uses the emperor's blade to stab Paul in the right shoulder. Paul then pulls out his own blade from his own lower left abdomen to kill Feyd, leaving the emperor's blade in Paul's right shoulder.

Thanks so much! I think that I got it! Have a terrific day.

Erik M.

Answer: After doing some research, it appears that after the first production went bankrupt, the second and third seasons were produced at a dramatically reduced budget, which most likely impacted the decision.

Ssiscool

Question: Why was July 5th the day of the planned terrorist plot? Was it just a coincidence, or did they think that the day after Independence Day would be the day people would least suspect and therein catch DC off guard?

Answer: This is most likely just a coincidence. Why was September 11th chosen? They just have to choose a day.

Ssiscool

Question: When President Asher takes the phone call regarding Prime Minister Wilson's death, who would be the one authorized to call him to let him know? Would it be the new Prime Minister or someone else in the British government?

Answer: Simple answer is that no one knows for sure; there is no pre-determined process for this.

Ssiscool

Answer: This is never explained in Mamma Mia or Mamma Mia 2. All we know is that they don't live on the island as they arrive on a ferry.

Ssiscool

The Redneck on Rainey Street - S8-E21

Question: After Kahn and Minh neglect their home and bills, the realtor tells Hank that they will be out of the house "in ten working days." Wouldn't the bank be required to give them thirty days?

Answer: The realtor says that "with any luck", the Souphanousinphones will be gone in ten working days. I think she was actually hoping that Kahn and Minh would give up and abandon the property quickly. The foreclosure and eviction process can take at least three months.

Azalea

Question: Why isn't Tavington ever arrested for the war crimes he commits? Cornwallis, as well as the rest of the British, obviously don't want him to do what he does.

Answer: Sure they do; they just make a token show of disapproval for his "ungentlemanly" (or "brutal") strategies, but then turn a blind eye because he gets results. Tavington explicitly states this, and Cornwallis sheepishly acknowledges it, then allows Tavington do whatever it takes to end Martin's rebellious activities. Tavington, knowing this, strongarms Cornwallis into sanitising his actions (like burning the church) in the official record so that Tavington can return to England after the war with honour (and fortune and property). As in all armed conflicts, "rules" exist but are routinely broken at all levels if that's what it takes to win.

Question: If Linus knows the true meaning of Christmas, why didn't he tell Charlie Brown what it was when Charlie Brown brought up his feelings of depression earlier in the special?

Rob245

Answer: He never asked about the "true" meaning of Christmas, only that he was depressed about it. He didn't have the Xmas spirit. The feelings of love and compassion. He was talking about Santa Claus and gift-giving, but Linus told him what Christmas is all about.

Question: When Jimmy tells Ricky and Bobby to go home after the bar fight, they go to the limo with the Welshman. The 3 get in. Who drives?

Answer: Horace is also with them; he drives.

jshy7979

Question: In the finale, when the team is spraying Doom with water, when Ben closes the fire hydrant, the same noise made when Sue gained powers is heard. Was this on purpose?

sunfox35

Answer: I've just watched the scenes back-to-back and the similarities are pretty vague, so I can only assume you're referring to some subtle background noise I didn't notice. Regardless, chances are if they reused the same sound, it was just because it was some sort of licensed music-library sound they thought worked well in both scenes. This actually happens all the time. I've seen movies where, if you listen very closely, you can hear the same sound clip 2, 3, 4 or more times mixed into the background noise. (Ex. "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" reuses the same "pottery breaking" sound about a half-dozen times if you pay attention during the earthquake scenes.)

TedStixon

Question: Right after the battle with the guerrillas, why does Dutch get pissed off and yell at Dillon? He says something about them being set up. However, Dutch and his men already knew they were going into a combat situation. What was Dutch so angry about?

Answer: Dutch is upset because Dillon lied to his team about the objective. Dutch and his team don't take on assassination-type missions, and he doesn't view his team as expendable... whereas Dillon needed a skilled but expendable hit-squad to take out the guerrillas. It was basically just a large-scale assassination mission. So Dillon lied and said it was a much more noble rescue to lure them in and make them think it wouldn't be as dangerous.

TedStixon

Question: Given Connie's a psychologist and knows Norman's state of mind, why would she marry him and also trick him into getting her pregnant?

Rob245

Answer: Norman is mentally stable in this film. Connie and Norman fell in love during his institutionalization. After being deemed sane and released, they were married. Norman is afraid to have children because he doesn't want to pass on his psychosis. Connie believes that with proper care, their child won't end up like Norman, and plans to become pregnant.

Question: The Beast accuses Maurice of coming to "stare at the Beast", as if people know about him. So why do the townspeople not believe there is a Beast, until Belle shows them with the mirror?

Answer: The Beast is self-absorbed, selfish and cannot see the good or innocence of people (hence why he was changed into a beast). He assumed that the only reason Maurice would be there is to stare at "The Beast" (after all... EVERYONE must know about "The Beast" in the Beast's mind).

Answer: It's doubtful the Beast was aware of what the villagers actually knew or believed about him. Typically, people become divided in their beliefs. Some may have believed there was a monster living in the castle, while others completely dismissed it as total nonsense.

raywest

Question: Carmichael died at his home. Was it his ghost or something else that John saw in the house as it was burning?

Answer: It was implied to be his "spirit" or "soul" that John saw.

TedStixon

Question: Where were Lonnie's friends from the first movie and why didn't they appear in the 1978 flashback?

Answer: The flashback occurs some time after the ending of the first movie. They likely just separated in the meantime.

TedStixon

Answer: Director Mark Lester replaced Wings Hauser the first day of shooting because he didn't think Hauser clicked as a maniacal counterbalance to Schwarzenegger's larger-than-life portrayal of Matrix. Last-minute cast changes are not unusual when an actor fails to meet certain character expectations. A classic example is Michael J. Fox replacing Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future because Stoltz portrayed Marty too intensely for a humorous sci-fi film. Viggo Mortensen replaced Stuart Townsend as Aragorn in Lord of the Rings because Peter Jackson felt Townsend wasn't properly preparing for the role.

raywest

Also, Peter Jackson thought that Stuart Townsend was too young to play Aragorn.

Question: This is more of a general question for the franchise. What happens if Jedi discover children who have Force ability, but they are in stable, happy families? We see situations where Jedi were found as orphans, i.e. after battles, or a parent is glad to give their child a better life, as Shmi Skywalker did. But this can't be the case for everyone.

Answer: Jedi don't only go for the ones that are orphans, but they are the most likely to be taken in by the order, since they offer them a home and goal in life. When a child is showing he or she is force-sensitive, any legal guardian could or would contact the Jedi to find out more, possibly allow that child to be trained to become a Jedi, but it is not required. The order is basically a boarding school, or military school; the younglings can still see their parents, but not for too long. It's the choice of the parents, and later the child itself, whether or not to continue with the training. During the time of the Republic, the Jedi order even checked children for force-sensitivity and consulted the parents about training to gain new recruits.

lionhead

Question: Is a witch or wizard basically powerless without a wand? If so, could a Muggle, maybe one who has a magical family member, perform magic if they picked up a wand and tried a spell?

Answer: They can perform magic without wands, though on a more limited basis. The books mention wizards performing "wandless magic." Students even received some training in this. Also, a Muggle cannot use a wand to cast any spells. Only a wizard can use magic. The wand itself cannot generate magic but is just a conduit for a wizard's powers.

raywest

Question: What place was the Beast a Prince of? Considering that Maurice had to inform the other villagers about a castle in the woods. The village is not extremely far from the castle, apparently. Belle gets there soon enough when she wants to return, after helping her father. Were the villagers not ruled over by the Beast's parents?

Answer: One possibility is that this property belonged to the Prince. This could explain why the witch asked him for shelter, instead of asking a parent.

Answer: It's never specified that the Beast's family were rulers. Until 1789, France was ruled by a monarch. Lower-ranking royals can have titles and live in castles, but it does not mean they hold any political power or position. Some royals or aristocrats may act as an appointed regional governor under the monarch or hold a ceremonial position. For example, Prince William of England is also the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry is the Duke of Sussex, though neither "rule" those districts. Also, this is a fairytale, so details are deliberately vague and generalized.

raywest

Question: Otho says he was a paranormal researcher until "the bottom dropped out in '72." What does that mean - specifically, what happened in 1972?

Answer: He's probably referring to the 1960s Hippie counter-culture when people were into quasi-trends like the paranormal, séances, mysticism, occultism, ESP, astrology, Eastern philosophy, etc. Those fads faded by the early 70s, diminishing Otho's clientele.

raywest

Answer: In all probability, it has no relevance to the real world. In the world of the film, something unexplained happened in that year.

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