Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: Why does Ralphie's father win a weird lamp instead of money and why is his mother jealous of it? Why not tell him how she feels about it? He might've listened.

Rob245

Answer: The weird lamp was the prize, there was no cash prize. Just the hideous lamp. The mother is not jealous of the lamp at all, it is tacky and ugly and she doesn't want it displayed in her home. The dad only says she is jealous because he is being defensive and argumentative after the lamp is broken. The dad was very proud of his prize so telling him how she felt about it would hurt his feelings. Whether or not she intentionally broke the lamp is a mystery.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Where does Kimble's money come from? We only see him get whatever pocket money Nichols had on him at the time, but the next thing we see, he's renting an apartment and living his life and starting his investigation. Is the assumption that the wealthy doctor had a stash of cash at home or something?

applejackson

Answer: The assumption is actually that Nichols gave him quite a bit of money. When asked about how much money he gave Kimble, Nichols downplays the amount as just "pocket change, whatever I had on me" but in reality it was probably a few hundred dollars. Renting the room was probably only a few dollars a day, it was in an un-finished basement in a bad neighborhood. He also didn't live there for very long.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: When Jules and Vincent are in the diner at the end of the movie Jules says he never eats meat, but earlier we see him take a few bites out of Brett's burger and Jules said he likes it. I don't understand the context of the conversation with Vincent and Jules about eating meat?

Answer: At the diner he didn't say that he doesn't eat meat, only that he doesn't eat pork because he considers swine a "filthy" animal. He tells Brett that he rarely gets to eat cheeseburgers because his girlfriend is a vegetarian, but that he himself loves the taste of a good cheeseburger.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: Out of the numerous (and mostly unnecessary) changes George Lucas has made to this film over the years, has he ever given any reason as to why he has never fixed the appearance of the lightsabers in the film, or updated the awful CGI Jabba the Hutt? Those have always stood out to me as the two most glaring weaknesses in the visual department.

Phaneron

Answer: The CGI Jabba was updated for the 2004 DVD release from the version first added in the 1997 Special Edition.

Sierra1

Answer: He has not. He has only ever generally commented on the updates to the 90's Special Edition re-releases having scenes updated to fit what he always envisioned but was limited by budget and technology. The additional changes that have been made since the films were released on Blu-Ray and now Disney Plus have gone without comment. To your point about the lightsabers, they have been improved on the Disney Plus version of the film. The colors are more vibrant, and they now have a more noticeable sparking effect with clashes in the Obi-Wan/Vader duel.

BaconIsMyBFF

I plan on watching this film on Disney+ within the next few days, so I look forward to seeing what they did with the lightsabers.

Phaneron

Question: This has always been a question between my friend and I. Why does the T-800 take the sunglasses in the movie?In the first movie it made sense, to hide the glowing eye. Here it appears to serve no purpose beyond appearance. Is there any other reason beyond this?

Answer: The real life answer is because the sunglasses are part of the Terminator's signature look. The in universe answer is because they are a clothing item that will augment his appearance. He also takes a leather jacket he doesn't need. He would look perfectly normal with just the gray T-shirt but since the biker was also wearing the jacket, he took that as well.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: By best guess, I believe it is because of the glow in the eyes. The mechanical eyes, as seen when the skin is gone, are glowing red lights and they aren't exactly dim. This could potentially shine through skin, or eye tissue, like when you hold a flashlight against your hand. In a dim lighting, like at night, it could be possible to see the glow of these mechanical parts behind the already thin tissue of the organic parts of the eye, and thus give him away.

Quantom X

That would make them very poor infiltration units, wouldn't it?

Jukka Nurmi

Question: When Jar Jar is used as a patsy to suggest granting Palpatine emergency powers, why does Palpatine immediately accept the proposal and order the creation of the army? Isn't the Senate supposed to vote on the proposition first? It's not much of a democracy if one Senator's proxy can just unilaterally grant the Supreme Chancellor emergency powers.

Phaneron

Answer: They did have an immediate vote, the means of which we don't see. It would seem that the floating platforms in which each delegation sits has a device that allows for voting. Even if that isn't the case, Palpatine could read the room and recognized that nearly everyone was cheering after the motion, so it was clear the motion would pass.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: From what I understand, but I could be wrong, the Senate as a whole was already pretty much willing to grant Palpatine these powers as it was. But as was so eloquently put in front of Binks, "But what senator would have the courage to propose such a radical amendment?" Followed up by "If only Senator Amidala were here." Given the context of this, I gather that, like I said, the Senate was already poised to grant these powers to him, but nobody was brave enough to be the one to risk their career to speak up and officially suggest, or request this. Thus, when Binks was manipulated into doing so, everybody was set to just go with it and be relieved they didn't have to suggest it. I could be completely wrong on this, but this is how I interpret it.

Quantom X

Question: Why does Darth Maul just stand there and watch Obi-Wan flip over him and then bisect him? As a Sith, Maul had plenty of time to react to what Obi-Wan was doing, and his training means he shouldn't have been surprised by it either.

Phaneron

Answer: It was meant to be very fast. It couldn't be so fast that the audience would have no idea what was happening, so we wind up with an awkward scene where Darth Maul literally watches Obi-Wan flip over his head. He never even notices that Obi-Wan has Qui-Gonn's lightsaber. He seems quite shocked that Obi-Wan was even able to get above him at all.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: In the book, The Life and Legacy of Obi-wan Kenobi, it actually talks about this a little bit. Darth Maul wasn't expecting this move, and it caught him by surprise. Obi-wan was hanging on for life down below, and to Maul's mind there wasn't a way he could really get back up, much less armed. One thing to consider is the fact that Darth Maul is actually pretty weak in using the Force compared to most other notable Force users. He's mostly a martial artists, and a damn good one to, having extraordinary combat ability to the point he can fend off a Jedi Knight and a Padawan at at the same time. But his actual strength in the force is weak, where he's only able to lift/push small objects or do a Force jump. He didn't predict, or "foresee" Obi-wan's move. Nor could he sense that Obi-wan was moving the light saber on the ground next to him, and would never have guessed that not only Obi-wan would Force jump out like that so suddenly, but also grab a saber at the same time and go for a swing.

Quantom X

I remember at least two books - which may not be canon now - describing Maul as prideful. It seems like he was quite skilled in fighting, as you say, but he underestimated opponents.

Answer: I always saw it as Maul didn't realise Kenobi was going for the lightsaber at the same time and the whole move was suicidal from Maul's point of view. His lack of reaction is him being stunned by what he sees as Obi-Wan just jumping in front of him to be attacked.

Question: When Bond gets out of the Aston Martin for the big game, he retrieves the pistol with silencer from the glove box, and puts it in his jacket. One of the breaks from the poker game, they go to the front desk and are handed an envelope with another pistol with silencer... Did he lose the first pistol in fight with the Ugandans?

danielb702

Answer: It's the same gun. The gun was stored in the Aston Martin, which Bond first retrieves when he gets the envelope from the front desk with the dossier and key fob for the car. He puts the gun in the envelope and has the front desk hold it for him (off screen) since weapons aren't allowed in the poker room (the players are searched). He retrieves the gun from the front desk when he goes to Le Chiffre's room. It does appear that he leaves the gun in the stairwell after the fight but Mathis would have retrieved it and likely disposed of it.

BaconIsMyBFF

Valentine's Day / The Paper - S1-E16

Question: I wasn't the one who originally thought about this, but in "The Paper," why didn't Squidward just get another piece of wrapped gum and keep the wrapper of it or buy another one and keep its paper instead of trading SpongeBob everything he owned for the one he promised he could keep? Also, how could SpongeBob make the paper do everything he was able to make it to but Squidward couldn't?

Answer: Because it's a Spongebob cartoon. Nothing makes logical sense.

Brian Katcher

Question: In the scene with the hot air balloons and Barney and the gang are trying to catch the egg, what's making the buzzing noise?

Answer: The propellor.

Question: Are the hot air balloons that the gang fly through on an airplane part of the Apple Day Festival?

Answer: No.

Question: Why didn't they immediately send Padme to Naboo when they knew she was in danger from the assassins instead of waiting until the next day and sending Anakin and Obi-Wan to watch over her for that one night Coruscant?

Answer: They were going out undercover on civilian transport (like a Greyhound bus). Apparently the next ship wasn't scheduled to leave until the next day.

BaconIsMyBFF

As a follow up, Padme wanted to stay in Coruscant to participate in the vote. She only left after the second attempt on her life and the Jedi decided to launch an investigation, ordering Anakin to take her to Naboo and keep her safe.

BaconIsMyBFF

Question: In the scene right after Carnegie discovers Eli escaped his room and we see him doing something with the old shopkeeper, it looked like he was stealing the battery he needed for his MP3. Does anyone else have a different take? Maybe he bought it? (00:49:03)

Answer: He wasn't stealing the battery, the shopkeeper was purposely trying to stall him. That is what why Eli said "tell them I made you do it". Because he was being forced to stall him against his will.

Show generally

Question: Henry VIII was over 300 pounds through much of his reign. Why was Jonathan Rhys Myers not padded more realistically to portray him?

Answer: While he was obese for much of his life, Henry VIII didn't gain significant weight until after the death of Jane Seymour when he fell into a deep depression and succumbed to the pain of a leg injury he obtained from a jousting accident. He should've been heavier but he wasn't obese for his whole life, especially during his younger years. He was known to be 210 pounds, standing at 6'2", and to have a 32" inch waist for much of his life.

Answer: Although the series claimed to be historically accurate, there were many factual discrepancies throughout, including the extent of Henry's physical health and morbid obesity. As to why this was changed, the creators apparently felt they could better dramatize the story with a more physically fit and mobile Henry. In the real Henry VIII's later years, he was so incapacitated by weight and other maladies, that he literally had to be carried around by attendants.

raywest

Question: How did Papillon, Diega and Marturette manage to sail to Colombia after their second escape attempt? Colombia is on the opposite side of South America from French Guiana/Devil's Island. It seems like they would have ended up in Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao or Aruba long before ending up in Colombia. I'm sure the book sheds light on this, but the movie completely glosses over it.

Phaneron

Answer: I discovered the answer to this by reading the book's plot synopsis on Wikipedia. The inmates actually sailed to Trinidad and then picked up three other inmates. They set sail again and were captured near the Colombian coastline when the wind died down. It would appear that in the interest of saving time, the movie chose to just have them appear in Colombia.

Phaneron

Question: Shortly before the two girls present Dewy the final name of the band "School of Rock" inside the class room, he plays a melody on his guitar. Does someone know the song?

Answer: Computerman theme song. It was a video Jack Black made.

Answer: While I can't find any definitive scenes that have been deleted prior to theatrical release, there was supposed to be a scene involving Kevin having a similar experience with the aftershave as in the first film. Although I can't find a definitive reason to why. There is also an edited version for TV where the scene from the World Trade Centre is removed following the infamous terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001.

Ssiscool

Question: When they fire the test missile it appears to come out of the sail. That would be incorrect, no? (00:49:30)

Answer: The movie is correct on this. The early Soviet ballistic missile subs like this one had the missile launcher in the sail, carrying 3 missiles. Missile tubes integrated into the hull, and the ability to fire while completely submerged, didn't come til later.

The Enforcer - S2-E13

Question: Why send only one enforcer? Hera surely know what he can do so why not send a dozen to be sure? She can't have been that arrogant.

Rob245

Answer: It's a matter of plot. Having multiple characters who basically would have the same purpose, to kill Hercules, complicates and confuses the story line. It would lose the focus on the characters themselves and the interaction between them. In film and literaturea, characters, plots, scenes, etc. have to be crafted in a way that serves the story in an understandable and satisfying way for the viewer.

raywest

Question: What did Nicky mean when he said some of the diamonds he was fencing had "n*****s in them"?

Answer: He wasn't referring to the diamonds. He was talking about sending the gems to Las Vegas. He says he has several "sand n*****s" out there, meaning fencers, and clarifies that they are Arabs.

raywest

But BEFORE that he did say "some of these stones have a lot of n*****s in them", look it up on youtube.

Before that they're talking about the quality of the diamonds and whether or not there are any flaws (n*****s) in them that affect their value.

raywest

He's referring to "dark inclusions" or imperfections, which, of course, reduce their value.

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