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.

Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan - S3-E1

Question: When Monk took the train I was confused as to where they were going to? It seemed to me they left downtown Brooklyn on a train going further into Brooklyn, not Manhattan?

Question: Could someone tell me when Gillian got her sunburn?

Answer: It wasn't shown on camera, but it happened the same night that Roy was also "sunburned." Jillian and other local residents had been going out after dark watching the UFOs as they were buzzing around the county.

raywest

The Jingle - S1-E2

Question: Did anyone else notice a few things that are weird about this episode. 1) Jim is known for his shaky voice and propositioning Jackie but in this episode he seems to talk normally and isn't even asking to see her. It's like Mark Heap forgot to do this or the showmakers were testing it for future episodes. 2) The camerawork is different. In all the other episodes the camera shots are shaky but still OK; however, the camera stays still and uses normal zooming in and normal camera switching methods.

Answer: This is most likely down to the filming order. If this episode was filmed before 'The Sofa Bed' then it could easily be concluded that they added in Jim's quirks to make his character more unique. Several shows have done this in the past.

Ssiscool

The Violin - S5-E5

Question: All the way up until season 5 Nelly (the nice Grandma) and Martin get along nicely. In season 1 EP 3 they are joking with each other. In season 2 EP 7 he apologises for pouring water on her (and keep in mind he is being sincere here). But in this episode he hears that she had a fall and suggests that she have a bigger one. What happened?

Answer: Martin is simply making a joke. Even after this episode you see him and Nelly get along perfectly fine.

Ssiscool

Question: When Josh is giving his presentation to everybody, why did Paul say he doesn't get it? Was he mocking Josh? If so, why?

Answer: When Josh started at the toy company, he torpedoed Paul's skyscraper transformer by saying 'I don't get it.' Paul is returning the favor.

Brian Katcher

Answer: The trustee may be knowledgeable about the symptoms and physical characteristics of being poisoned as opposed to a seizure.

raywest

Question: How come Wilson never deflates from the time Chuck opens the parcel to the time it falls off the raft and is swept away? A normal ball would go flat after a period of time, but 4 years on and Wilson is fully pumped. Does Chuck have a pump?

Paulspurs

Answer: Look closely. In the later scenes, Wilson's entire top is gone, now filled with dirt and grass to give him the illusion of hair.

Brian Katcher

Thanks Brian.

Paulspurs

Question: What is the source of that strange, echoing voice heard as Michael, in the hospital to visit his father, realises that all of Don Corleone's bodyguards are gone and even many of the staff seem to have abandoned the place (the better to facilitate Solozzo's second attempt on Don Corleone's life)? It sounds like a male voice almost chanting the words 'two-nine, two-nine, two-nine'.

Answer: It's a 45 (a small vinyl record that generally held one song per side...a "single") playing on a record player in the nurses' station. It is skipping, thus repeating the word "tonight" over and over. You can see it when Michael arrives at the desk; we also see a half-eaten sandwich.

Question: How many dead bodies are in the pool?

Question: John McClane's wife calls herself "Miss Gennero." Later in the movie her children are being interviewed on television - but how could Hans Gruber possibly know these are her children? And how does he connect her and the surname "McClane"?

Answer: He sees her reaction to seeing them on the news; he can tell she knows them, and from this, it's not a big leap to the conclusion that they are her children. Then, the reporter says to her daughter, "Your mommy and daddy...", but Holly has claimed to be single and her husband is not among the party guests, so he further deduces that she must be married to John McClane, or if nothing else that she's avoided mentioning her husband for a reason. A look at the downturned photograph on her desk confirms his suspicion.

Show generally

Question: At some point in season 3 it is discovered that Mrs McCluskey has been keeping her dead husband's body in the freezer so that she can keep drawing his pension. For a while the other residents of the lane ostracize her because they believe she has murdered her husband. When she explains the reason why she kept him in the freezer everyone just accepts it and it is never mentioned again. However, pension fraud is a major crime. Why was she not arrested?

Answer: Sympathy most likely. The husband didn't leave anything to her upon his death, so they might have not wanted to upend her life any more.

Lummie

Question: Why can't Michael take Tommy with him at the racetrack with Gina and her dad instead of taking him to the Kiddie Zone?

Trainman

Answer: Because Michael's family hates Gina's. They see her as a spoiled brat and not a good influence on Michael. He knew if he took Tommy with him, he would tell the family about not going to Disneyland but to the racetrack.

Question: Would finding the button during the initial investigation (or even at the end) really have been enough to overcome all the evidence against her? It validates her innocence and the morality of the escape in the eyes of the viewer, just not sure if finding a button would lead investigators/prosecutors to say "yep, we found a button. She's definitely innocent."

Answer: It wouldn't have been that simple to say, "We found the button, she's innocent." It would however validate her story and reopen her case. Investigating further the cops may have found further evidence of her innocence.

Question: Why was Aragorn so reluctant to claim the throne? While in the novel he is proud to be destined to rule Gondor and Arnor.

DFirst1

Answer: Probably for multiple reasons. For the movie, having Aragorn struggle against his own desires and an inherited destiny makes for a more conflicted, intriguing, and three-dimensional character rather than the stereotypical power-obsessed trope. Being king is an immense responsibility and a heavy burden. Personal wants and freedom are sacrificed to serve others. Not every ruler craves power and oftentimes were born into an unwanted, pre-destined path. Aragorn was raised in Rivendell, unaware he was the heir, nor was he groomed to become king.

raywest

Question: At the beginning of the film, Ingerad says that Vlad left the Turkish army and returned to Transylvania. Would Vlad really have been allowed to leave considering how great a warrior he was?

Answer: He was a prince, and likely had the power to leave if he chose.

raywest

Question: Why was Commissioner Hurst shocked to find out that Commandant Lassard would be helping with the crime wave? They had been friends for a long time, and Hurst knows that Lassard would never do such a thing, so it seems out of character for Hurst to think so.

Answer: Because they found jewelry from the last crime in his office. That's why he was shocked. They may be friends, but he knows he can't ignore evidence even for a friend.

lartaker1975

Answer: Poisoned food, heart attack from eating too much food, or he slipped in the shower. The list is endless.

Question: When daylight appears in the house, Maddie, Colin and Jason reach the front door but stop when Colin says something wasn't right. What did Colin see that made him realise something was wrong?

Answer: A sense that it was too easy to just open the door and leave. Evil is a sore loser and will always have a trick up their sleeve to win.

If you pay attention, you can hear bugs and insects that are night creatures making noise.

Chosen answer: The living painting is taken straight from the Family Ties intro.

BaconIsMyBFF

Ah, that makes sense - I first saw this one on Youtube, which at a guess was the first season or an early version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRdtO6UKD0. But yeah, this is exactly right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip1szfz9nZ8.

Jon Sandys

Answer: I noticed that too and although I can't think of any sitcom starting like that it does remind me strongly of Bob Ross "The Joy of Painting" intro, which was from the 80's as well.

lionhead

Question: When Tony gets busted for money laundering, he says "$200,000 more and we ought to take a leak." This line triggers the bust when the cops arrest him. Is this really what he said and why is this statement so significant to the investigation? (01:59:20)

Answer: That's the cop's signal for the task force to move in and make the arrest.

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