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.
The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby - S1-E29
Question: When Martha was first looking around the antique shop, why did Mr. Appleby refuse to sell multiple items to her? He needed money, so why not sell any of those expensive items to someone who was interested?
Question: Throughout the movie, why are there sprigs of tree branches on the floors of various places?
Answer: It was a typical practice and served multiple purposes. Castles were cold and the tree springs provided insulation. They also were fragrant and masked bad odors, thought to repel insects and other vermin, and absorbed various spilled liquids and food. The practice was also unsanitary, as the branches were infrequently replaced and actually attracted bugs, mice, etc.
Question: If Pollyanna were paralyzed and survived that fall, would a doctor loft her out of the bed? Carry her to the train? Wouldn't that be harmful?
Answer: Yes, it would have been dangerous. Even though not as much was known about spinal cord injuries in that time period, it's unlikely a patient would have been moved that way. However, this appears to be more of an artistic license for the purpose of the movie plotting. It avoids Pollyanna awkwardly being moved on a stretcher, loading her onto the train, how she is interacting with the townsfolk, etc. It just made for a smoother, quicker and more intimate movie ending.
Question: Did they ever show Mr. Moore teaching another class? Surely he had more than one class a day.
Question: Why did they have to build a raft when doing the work to re-float the pirate ship? The small boat that came ashore to fill their water casks wasn't damaged and could have been used. (01:10:00)
Question: If the fake Mr Body couldn't get out of the house in the beginning, why did the fake butler open the door so fast to throw away the cabinet key? No pause, no master door key used to unlock.
Question: Where did the horse and cart come from? And what did the children do with them afterwards?
Question: I know it's based off the book, but when the big Urak-Hai is heading to the bombs to blow up the wall at Helms Deep, why is Aragorn only asking Legolas to kill him? Aragorn knew killing him was of great importance, which is why he was saying "Take him down, Legolas" and "Kill him, kill him." Wouldn't it make more sense to ask everyone to shoot at him or even take a shot at him himself?
Answer: I believe it was because supposedly Legolas was the best archer there. In the book, the other elves were not there like in the movie, so it does sort of play fast and loose with the logic around that fact. However, Aragorn knew Legolas's abilities and that over all the battle noise he could hear him when the humans could not. While the other elves could have helped, it was more of just an in-the-moment thing most likely.
Question: Why do Miss Peregrine and the children wear the same outfits every day? Don't they have other clothes?
Question: Why does the audio sound so odd when Dutch screams "Get to the chopper!"? It almost sounds like he's shouting it into a tin can.
Answer: Being an editor myself for YouTube and other projects, and working with audio editing, to me this sounds like they tried to double layer the audio in that moment to make him sound a bit louder. But the syncing on the two layers was not perfect. That's an easy trick to get a robotic sound to a voice: to layer it twice and have the second layer slightly off and at a different pitch, but doubling it also makes it louder. That's just my guess based on my own editing experience.
Question: Things are vastly different these days, obviously, but back when this movie was made, would a bank really have $30 mn in their vault like that and let him take $3 mn with him, or is this just for the movie?
Answer: A bank would never have that much money on hand. Not only would it be poor asset management to keep millions in cash on hand instead of in some sort of investment, it would be a safety hazard as well. Even in modern day, most banks would have less than $50,000 in cash on hand.
Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees - S6-E5
Question: Why can't Rob Sherman just divorce his wife instead of murdering her if he wants to be with his assistant, Allison?
Question: I actually have two questions. On the commentary for Back to the Future around when Doc breaks the clock tower ledge, Bob Gale mentions that the 4 on the clock is IV and not IIII. I just need a better understanding of how he is talking about it being a mistake. Is it really a mistake? Because I will submit it as a mistake. What kind of mistake would this fall under? Continuity, factorial error, plot hole, or other? If it's not a mistake, then I won't submit it.
Answer: Romans used both numerical styles for the number four. Romans used IIII for vertical lists, on stone columns, etc. It was supposedly easier to add the extra "I" rather than IV. For horizontal writing, the IV was used. Bob Gale is apparently referring to how old clock faces typically used the IIII instead of the more familiar IV. The clock tower in the movie was supposed to be 100 years old, so "IIII" is what should have been used in the 1800s instead of "IV," so that appears to be the mistake. As far as the type of mistake, probably "Factual Error."
Fun fact, my mom has a clock that uses Roman numerals, and the 4 is indeed IIII on it, not IV. If it is a mistake, it is one that is common and not unique to the movie. I think it is used in clocks traditionally since the Romans used to use it on their sundials.
Question: Is it really possible to fall asleep while walking? Sure, one can stand up and walk around while sleeping (sleepwalking), but does it work the other way around too?
Answer: Yes, it's possible. People with a neurological disorder called narcolepsy can fall asleep while standing or walking. Some can even engage in complex activities like driving a car.
But what if you aren't narcoleptic? Can a normal person fall asleep while walking just because of general fatigue?
Yes, it is possible for a person to fall into a state of semi-sleep or "doze" while walking without having narcolepsy, especially under extreme conditions like those shown. When the brain is severely deprived of sleep, it can involuntarily enter microsleeps. These are brief, uncontrolled episodes of sleep lasting from a fraction of a second up to about 30 seconds.
No, there would have to be some underlying neurological issue that caused it. Normal people cannot fall asleep for an extended time period while walking and remain upright and mobile. Microsleep only lasts a few seconds, but a person has to have been extremely sleep deprived for many hours and they cannot function normally during an episode like with narcolepsy or sleepwalking.
Yes, they can. When the brain is severely deprived of sleep, it can involuntarily enter microsleeps. These are brief, uncontrolled episodes of sleep lasting from a fraction of a second up to about 30 seconds.
You are thinking of parasomnia, where a person who is asleep can perform complex tasks. Narcolepsy is not the same thing, and the two do not go together. A narcoleptic who also happens to have parasomnia would be like finding a needle in a haystack in a field of haystacks.
Question: What are the fates of Sergio St. Carlos, Deandra, the nuns, and Willa's friends?
The Original Fry Cook / Night Light - S5-E9
Question: Why was Jim so critical of SpongeBob's fry cook skills?
Question: Why did the Kothoga sometimes have a wheezing breath?
Answer: It's gasping for air. It's gasping for life. It needed the packing leaves to sustain itself. Like an addict going through withdrawal. That's why it went for the human hypothalamus, but it wasn't enough; it needed more.
Answer: It's because he considers the items in his shop as his personal treasured possessions rather than items to be sold for profit. That was why he murdered his wife for the insurance money rather than part with anything.
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