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: I'm just curious but is it possible to actually kill a member of the Addams family? Fester survives both the bathtub electrocution and the bomb explosion, Pubert can stop the guillotine blade with his bare hand, and in the first film Pugsley willingly lets Wednesday electrocute him with no apparent ill-effects.

Answer: They can be killed. In the first movie, Morticia talks about several relatives who were murdered, and the whole family seems pretty scared when they're strapped in the electric chairs. They're hard core and lucky, but not immortal.

Brian Katcher

Answer: They originate as a cartoon (1938). So they are basically immortal cartoon characters like the Looney Tunes.

lionhead

Question: Why is Peter smiling when Sarah was crying and frightening after Alan tricked her to roll the dice?

Trainman

Answer: He found the trick amusing. It caused her to continue playing the game and that means finishing the game so their problems would go away. Or so he thought at that time.

lionhead

Answer: Earlier in the film Peter uses "reserve psychology" to trick Alan into continuing the game. He then finds it funny when Alan pulls a similar trick on Sarah to force her to play.

Question: Why weren't scenes of this movie filmed in chronological order? It is evident when Vernon grabs Harry who wanted to escape into his cupboard with his letter. When Harry shouted at Vernon, his voice sounded much deeper than in all other scenes, indicating that Daniel Radcliffe's voice started changing, thus confirming it to be one of the last, possibly the last scene to be shot. But this scene happens early in the movie, it is one of the first scenes. So why was it shot as one of the last scenes?

Answer: Because almost every film is shot entirely out of order, depending on schedules, availability, efficiency, etc. No point setting up a classroom set for one scene, then taking it all down, then a week later setting it all up again. All related scenes will likely be filmed at the same time. No doubt the likelihood of voices changes wasn't deemed as important as other factors, not least because lines could always be re-recorded and dubbed later.

Jon Sandys

Answer: I believe it was mentioned in an issue of Wizard Magazine that the show was cancelled because of low ratings, and reportedly the show's creative shift in the second season had a part to play in the low ratings, as the changes alienated fans.

Phaneron

Question: Why did Gandalf beat Denethor with his staff after Denethor told the troops to flee for their lives?

Answer: Because Denethor had lost his mind and the defenders of the city needed to prepare for battle, not be convinced by the steward to leave their posts.

lionhead

Question: Who was the person on the YouTube video crying and why did the individual say to leave Britney alone?

Answer: He's Chris Crocker. In 2007, he made the YouTube video talking about everything Britney Spears had gone through, and he felt the media and people were ganging up on her and making fun of her, and he ended up breaking down and crying "leave Britney alone." It was thrown in the movie since the movie was making fun of Spears.

Bishop73

Show generally

Question: I'm trying to find out what episode Liz makes reference to a lower back tribal tattoo with a Chinese symbol in it. I've looked everywhere.

Answer: Maybe s02e14, "Sandwich Day"? Liz is talking to Floyd and asking if the girl who answered his phone has a lower back tattoo with a Chinese character that is suppose to mean "peace", but probably means "I have chlamydia." But nothing about it being a tribal tattoo.

Bishop73

Question: Is Quill actually a member of the Sengh Brotherhood or does he just have the spiderweb tattoo for protection in case he encounters them, as happens towards the end of the film?

Answer: No, he was a member, they most likely had different branches scattered all over the world.

Question: There were less than 200 colonists living on LV-246 at the time of the marines arrival based on the Hadleys Hope sign (pop. 158 specifically). Why then did 4 sentry guns with a total of 500 rounds each run dry killing xeno's in the tunnels? There were many more after the fact. We were told 60 families but general population counts would include everyone. And given plenty of of the colonists are still "alive", incubating, there can't have been that many aliens fully grown. Where are all these aliens coming from?

Answer: One possibility alluded to in the "Aliens: Newt's Tale" comic book is that the colony had livestock and pets which could increase the number of hosts considerably. Also the guns were set up as in pairs at two locations, firing about ten rounds a second. A single alien being detected by both guns and flailing around as it dies could expend up to 100 rounds. Depending on how tactical the aliens were in their approach, it's possible that 2000 rounds of rapid fire would kill most, but not all, of 150 xenomorphs.

Sierra1

Answer: It could also include medical personnel, contractors who constructed the buildings and army troops. Plus transport ships coming and going carrying relief crews and new people seeking jobs.

Question: When Ben Healy goes to Junior's school to visit his teachers why is Mr. Thorn wearing a diaper?

Answer: He injured his behind when he sat on the toilet after Junior threw an M-80 firecracker into the pot.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why was John, just before his death, terrified when he saw T-800? The previous T-800 protected him and even there was a bond between them. So, when John saw another T-800, he should have been either sentimental or happy to see the T-800 alive as it should have reminded him of the previous T-800. Why was he scared to see it?

Answer: Because he's not an idiot. He knows Skynet still wants him dead, if it exists, and he knows "his" T-800 was destroyed. Which means if another one suddenly appears in his life, the overwhelming likelihood is that it's another attempt by Skynet to kill him.

The Victim - S4-E17

Question: During the trial, Matlock says that he paid a man to follow Bret which is how they were able to find the rope that Bret used. Would what Ben did to prove that Bret was the killer actually be allowed?

Answer: I did not see this episode, but YES. Both prosecution and defense lawyers use investigators to search for and uncover evidence that is legally admissible.

Question: Why does Ed's Aunt Vesta throw candy at Evelyn? Why is she not shown?

Trainman

Answer: She's a grouchy, hateful, possibly senile woman who doesn't like Evelyn, despite the gifts she brings her. As for not showing her, it's funnier to try to imagine what she looks like.

Brian Katcher

Question: Why does Benji have to enter the facility at the same time Ethan is switching the security profile? It's more dramatic that way, but couldn't Benji have waited to enter until after he knew the profiles were switched?

Answer: He most likely could have waited, but as you pointed out, it's more dramatic that way. This is a movie and the action is choreographed for maximum dramatic and visual effect, timing, tension, continuity, audience attention, and character interaction. We're not supposed to overthink it.

raywest

Question: What did Harry and his friends come across when they were trying to escape from Filch?

Answer: Presumably you are referring to when the trio come upon "Fluffy," the three-headed dog, that is kept in the restricted area of the castle. Inside the room there is a magical self-playing harp that keeps "Fluffy" asleep when it's playing. Hermione also noticed Fluffy was lying atop a floor hatch, which leads to where the Philosopher's Stone is hidden.

raywest

Answer: In addition to raywest I will add that at this point in the book, the Harp isn't playing and Fluffy is awake. It is also not known at this point that music puts Fluffy to sleep.

Ssiscool

True, although the question only relates to what the trio came across while evading Filch, not about knowing what any particular object is or does. (I just added an explanation as an aside.) However, I'm not sure now the harp had been installed yet when they first found Fluffy, so it was probably about the floor hatch.

raywest

Question: At the start it skips to Children's Clinic in Haddonfield and states 1 year later, then we see Jamie having an episode - then she mimics Myers movement as he wakes up and kills the man who looked after him. It's happening at the same time yet it said it was 1 year later - was Myers unconscious for all that time? Or have I got that totally wrong?

Answer: Don't know about being unconscious, however it's safe to assume the old man who found him kept him there and healed him. With all those bullets he took, no surprise it took a year to recover.

lartaker1975

Question: Louis is arrested for theft, and ultimately also booked for PCP possession. Penelope pays his bail and gets him out so the plot can carry on, but the theft and drug charges never come up again. Why is all of that dropped? Do the Dukes just drop the charges?

Answer: It's likely that the Dukes dropped the charges. They initially were planning on bringing Winthorpe back into the company after conducting their little experiment, and only changed their minds after Winthorpe threatened them at the Christmas party.

Answer: Petty theft and first time drug possession wouldn't be impossible to have the charges reduced or dismissed. If found guilty it would most likely be a heavy fine and probation. Also, after the scandal with the Duke brothers and Bryon Beaks, the plot against Louis would have been uncovered.

Answer: Louis became a millionaire again, and likely just hired a good attorney to get the charges dismissed.

Brian Katcher

Question: In the beginning they say that they are going to be 15 minutes late, but they will make it up because of tailwinds. I thought you only got "good" tailwind when flying from West to East with the Jetstream?

Answer: That is true for the global jet stream but usually at the higher altitudes. Otherwise, continental or local weather systems can produce tail or headwinds in any direction. Pilots receive information on "winds aloft" as part of their weather briefing, and it is quite possible that the weather system that day could produce tail winds. More likely, the pilot would request a higher airspeed from air traffic control to make the on-time arrival.

Question: When the kidnapper threatens to shoot Brad Garrett if he doesn't change the channel back, he then pulls the trigger but the gun doesn't go off. But when the gun is checked and empties, there are 6 bullets in the gun. Why did it not go off?

Rollie55

Answer: There were 5 live rounds ("bullets") and 1 empty shell. So the cylinder was positioned to shoot the spent round when the trigger was pulled.

Bishop73

Answer: The line he says in Russian is " Ё моё!" It's a Russian phrase of excitement, surprise, or disappointment. Literally it translates into "it's mine." But as a phrase, it really doesn't have an English translation. Some say it's equivalent to using the F-word while others say not really since it's not an obscene word.

Bishop73

Thanks. I thought he said You're my whore. My brain wouldn't accept that.

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