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: What did Philby mean when he told George to destroy his time machine before it destroyed him?

Answer: He was worried about George's obsession with it and where he could end up and the unknown dangers in the future that could possibly be fatal.

raywest

Answer: I've never seen a scene with Jack and Danny in the real world at a video rental store. The video rental store scene takes places in the Jack Slater movie world. Since Slater is Schwarzenegger, Schwarzenegger doesn't exist in the movie world. So the Terminator is played by Stallone, who does exist in the movie world.

Bishop73

Answer: It's not the real world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6PBhdM9Ftg. Danny's in Slater's world and trying to find evidence of Arnold Schwarzenegger existing, but instead finds that Stallone has taken that role in this version of reality.

The Disease - S5-E17

Question: Why would Kim be in trouble for being in a relationship with Derran Tal? In many episodes of other Star Trek series, Starfleet officers have been in relationships with species of other planets but are never reprimanded for it.

Answer: Voyager is in a completely unknown region of space and they have little contact with or knowledge of other alien species and their cultures, potentially leading to deadly conflicts. There were particular diplomatic concerns with the Varro race because they were extremely xenophobic. Janeway ordered the crew to have minimal personal contact with them as a safety precaution, which Harry Kim inevitably ignored.

raywest

Question: Why is the Princess called Peach instead of Toadstool and why is the main villain called Bowser instead of King Koopa?

Answer: "Princess Toadstool" was used in the original English-language manual, but she was Peach in the original Japanese, and that name continued in later versions, being combined with Toadstool. Bowser was originally called "Kuppa", but presumably the English-language version resonated more with people, plus removed any confusion of "Kuppa, King of the Koopas", so the English version stuck.

Answer: As Reacher had arrived in town just after the murder occurred and being a stranger, he became a suspect (or at least a person of interest) and taken into custody for questioning by the police. He was released fairly quickly. It was coincidental timing of an outsider arriving at the same time as the crime occurred.

raywest

Question: When Harry and Hermione go to rescue Sirius from the tower, why did Hermione cast Bombarda instead of Alohamora? Using Bombarda caused a very loud sound to erupt and destroyed the door which could have got all three caught. Using Alohamora would have been easier since there's hardly any sound and the door would have simply been unlocked instead of being blown practically to pieces.

Answer: For one, Sirius is being held in an isolated area, high up in the tower, so any sound would be muted or not heard at all. Also, he is not in an ordinary room, but a cell with fortified locks. Hermione used a powerful charm to blast open the iron gate. Alohamora simply unlocks ordinary doors. Bombarda blows things up. It also made the scene more dramatic and climatic.

raywest

Question: The fang of the basilisk has been shown in the other movies to be able to destroy a horcrux. Since Harry was a horcrux himself, when the basilisk bit him, why didn't it kill him or at the least destroy the piece of Voldemort's soul that was inside of him?

Answer: Because he is alive and the piece of Voldemort inside him is too. He had to die to kill the horcrux inside him, but Fawkes the phoenix healed him before that could happen.

lionhead

Good answer. Would add that if Fawkes had not healed Harry with his tears when he did, then the basilisk venom would have quickly killed Harry and the horcrux.

raywest

Answer: As the other answer says, Harry has to die for that part to be killed. Since he doesn't die, that part of Voldemort doesn't die and so is still inside him.

Ssiscool

Question: Kind of a silly question, but why do the rebels kidnap children and train them to fight in the war? Wouldn't it make more sense to take the adults since they are stronger and more skilled?

Answer: Adults may be physically stronger and more skilled, but that makes them harder to capture and more dangerous to their captors as they would resist and attempt to escape. Children can be indoctrinated to their cause and are more easily intimidated into being compliant. If they're killed, it's easier to kidnap more.

raywest

Question: If Carl is so terrified of being killed by the drug dealers after losing their money, why can't he simply leave the city?

Answer: Large sums of laundered money were involved, and the drug dealers are not "small-time crooks." They would relentlessly hunt Carl, eventually finding him. It would be, "he can run, but he can't hide."

raywest

Question: How could Fred and George fly into the Great Hall to set off fireworks when they were in the Great Hall taking their OWLs?

Answer: Fred and George were not in the Great Hall during the O.W.L. exam (specifically the Theory of Charms exam), which is only for 5th years. Fred and George are in their 7th year (they've already sat their own O.W.L.s, 2 years prior). Note at the start of this scene there's a closeup of the board, and it reads, "O.W.L. examinations -Year 5" (time code 01:35:45).

Super Grover

Answer: Mortgage interest on a second home was a tax deduction allowed by the IRS in 1997. Because this deduction primarily benefited high income individuals, Bobby's statement might have been meant to imply that he had a large income and might benefit from such a tax scheme.

Rolling Dark - S1-E9

Question: So they get the scientist on a four-seater, single-prop plane, and then send them from Siberia to Afghanistan. That's by the route from the briefing about 1800 miles. They fly with gear down. Is that possible? (00:06:47)

Answer: Yes. They would have to land 3-4 times for refuelling. The plane could fly with the wheels down, but the additional drag slows the plane and increases fuel consumption.

The One Where Rosita Dies - S7-E13

Question: When Phoebe meets Earl she says that her mothers name was "Pearl", but every other time Phoebe's mothers name is mentioned her name is "Lilly". Is Phoebe trying to relate her life more to Earl's? Or is this just a mistake?

Answer: Phoebe rushed to Earl's office to talk him out of killing himself. She told him about her own mother's suicide and deliberately lied that Lily's name was "Pearl" (rhyming with Earl) hoping to establish a personal connection with him. She stumbles a bit on the name, saying P-earl, as she makes it up "on the fly."

raywest

Show generally

Question: Why was Toad's color palette sometimes way different, primarily in the first couple of episodes? Why didn't they bother changing this with the final results? It's relatively inconsistent on what palette is used in each episode, despite the fact the more recognizable of the two (white mushroom with red spots along with a variety of coloring in clothes) is shown much more often than the other (red mushroom with white spots along with the majority of his clothes being red and white).

x8bitpixel

Season 10 generally

Question: Why does Clark keep burning his "S" symbol on the sides of buildings after saving someone? I get him doing it under the influence of red kryptonite, but at this point it just seems like vandalism that Superman would never do. Clark even saw Chloe having to scrub his mark off the wall of Watchtower, which wasn't an easy task. And if it's meant to be a symbol of hope against crime for the people of Metropolis, why burn it into the side of the refinery in Smallville after putting out the fire?

Bishop73

Question: The Bond films have traditionally hired English directors to helm all the films (much to the annoyance of many American directors like Steven Spielberg who would love to direct a Bond film). So why with this film did they decide just once to break tradition and hire a New Zealand born director instead. I'm truly baffled.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: I'm not sure about the idea that Bond films traditionally only hired English directors. Tamahori wasn't even the first New Zealander to direct a Bond film. Martin Campbell is a New Zealander who directed "GoldenEye" in 1995 (and "Casino Royale" in 2006). The first Eon Bond film, "Dr. No" was directed by Terence Young who was Irish, who directed 2 additional Bond films. Technically, Roger Spottiswoode is Canadian, but has dual citizenship. The first non-Eon Bond film, which had 5 directors credited, had 2 Americans, a German, and a Scottish director. And the 1983 film, "Never Say Never Again" was directed by Irvin Kershner who was American. And following Tamahori, there have been Swiss and American directors of Bond films (Marc Foster and Cary Joji Fukunaga).

Bishop73

Question: When did the Vinyards have to move into the apartment? Had Derek taken over the mortgage after his Dad died? So when he got locked up the payments stopped?

Answer: Bail, lawyers and court costs are very expensive, they most likely mortgaged, sold and borrowed what ever they could for his defense.

Show generally

Question: In nearly every episode there are two bailiffs standing in the back of the courtroom, a blonde white guy and a black man with glasses. They also appear hanging out in the cafeteria, walking in the halls, etc. However, I don't think they ever had a single line during the entire series run, even in episodes that prominently featured the building's entire bailiff staff. Any reason they made an effort to keep these two extras for the entire run, but never had them say anything?

Brian Katcher

Answer: Most likely, they were stand-ins for members of the main cast. When lighting sets, rather than have the main actors stand around while they adjust the lights, they will get someone with similar physical characteristics to fill in. Since they are already on the set and have nothing to do during the actual shooting, it is more convenient, and probably cheaper, to also use them as extras.

Answer: Most likely it was about money. Actors who have speaking parts, even if it's only one word, are paid more than "extras", who do not have any dialogue. As the two characters played no part in any of the plots, there was no reason to have them speak lines. Therefore, they were paid less money.

raywest

So why hire an extra to play a messenger or bailiff from another courtroom when that pair was already on the set and could have easily said the lines?

Brian Katcher

What lines? Your question specified that they never spoke any lines and you wanted to know why.

raywest

Lines that other extras playing bailiffs said.

Brian Katcher

If an actor speaks any dialogue, they are billed as "co-stars" and paid at a higher rate than "extras" (also known as Background Actors), who are uncredited. The two you mentioned were regulars who were merely silent background characters used to "dress the set", making the courthouse look more realistically populated. Extras often have no acting ability and are unsuitable for speaking lines. Some people work exclusively as extras in various TV shows and movies and do not actually act or have dialogue.

raywest

Question: How many injections does Jekyll need to take to prevent himself from turning into Hyde? The first time Jekyll speaks with Nick, he feels himself about to transform but takes a serum to prevent it but, later, when Jekyll's talking to Nick again, he feels himself about to change again and tries to take another injection.

Answer: As many as needed, Mr. Hyde was asserting himself, trying to take over. Like "Blade," he needed to take more and more injections of the serum, because the vampire blood was getting stronger and stronger.

Question: I'm a bit confused by the end of the movie. When Jake takes off with Keri, where was he taking her? Was Jake going to start a new life with Kari somewhere else or, was he going back to heaven and decided to take her with him?

Answer: He said he came back for her, only in a new face. So, yes, like in the old westerns the hero rode off into the sunset with his lady love.

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