Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Question: In the second Terminator movie, the Terminator says that he can't self-terminate. When the Terminator is trying to defeat T-X, he manages to destroy himself and her in the process. If the Terminator couldn't self-terminate in the second movie, how come the new one could?

Answer: The difference there would be suicide vs sacrifice. In T2, basically what he meant is he could not commit suicide as it was against his programming. They had beat the T-1000 and had won, but it was too dangerous for Terminator to stick around and knew he had to be destroyed. But he could not purposely do it to himself as it was an act of suicide. However in T3, it was a sacrificial move. The goal of his actions was not to destroy himself, it was to take out the TX and prevent her from reaching John. He had to do this by any means necessary and made a sacrifice play by shoving his core into her mouth and blowing them both up. It wasn't suicide this way, it wasn't self termination. He was taking her out but caused himself to be collateral damage.

Quantom X

Also, after watching that scene again, I'm adding this little tidbit. The Terminator didn't actually die from the thing he did to the TX in that move. If you notice towards the end after the nuclear bombs go off, the fall out ash is falling down around its head and its eyes are still on, slowly fading away. It was badly damaged by its move, but the bombs in the end finished him off.

Quantom X

Answer: For me, T2 was a lot about machines being able to learn so in T3 when he managed to shut himself down it was because he had learned compassion and not to be just a machine following orders as well as understanding how vital it was that John survived.

The_Iceman

Answer: If you listen in the second film, I don't remember if it was cut out of the theatrical film and put back in the extended version or not, John and Terminator are in the desert looking at the guns Terminator says "I have to stay functional until the missions is complete." Once the T1000 is dead Terminator had no other reason to function and thus sacrificed himself. In this film he knows the fuel cell would destroy the TX once that happened his mission was completed and no longer had any real reason to function anyone.

That can't be the case, because by the end of T2 his mission was complete, and he still couldn't self terminate.

Answer: He's old and going senile, and is also quite sick and experiencing seizures. It would seem all the inane things he's droning on about (including Mrs. Muffet and the Spiders, and reciting a Taco Bell commerical) are just a result of that - he falls into delirious states where he acts completely insane before he gets his medicine, which calms him back down.

TedStixon

My impression, and I may be wrong, was that he was hearing random thoughts from people in the area and repeating them.

Question: Between this and Fallen Kingdom, why did the filmmakers suddenly decide to have Blue be a caring character? The Raptors have always been known as blood-thirsty carnivores that'll tear you apart-even when they're not hungry, and yet Blue is almost the opposite. Why her of all Raptors/dinosaurs and why was that decision made? And movie-wise, why were the scientists suddenly keen on doing that for her as well? What's there to gain from it?

Answer: Blue and the other raptors in Jurassic World were trained to respond to human commands, particularly to Owen. The reason the raptors "turn" on Owen is because the I-Rex has raptor DNA in it and became the alpha of the raptors. But then the raptors turn their loyalty back to Owen at the end of the Jurassic World. In Fallen Kingdom, the scientists try to use the fact that Blue follows command to breed a new dinosaur capable of being used as a weapon (by using Blue's DNA/blood).

Bishop73

Answer: Owen raised Blue since birth, and she imprinted on him as her "mother." Blue retained her bond to him though she instinctively responded to the Indominus rex as the new alpha. In Fallen Kingdom, there were videos showing the young Blue's strong attachment and obedience to Owen. That does not mean Blue was tame and wouldn't hurt humans and Owen always maintained the raptors were not safe. Of course, this is a move, and the raptors are written to behave in a way that serves the plot, regardless of logic.

raywest

Question: Why is it that the aliens, who obviously possess technology and intellect far beyond humans, didn't think to use their pictographs to communicate right out the gate? We had to wait for Amy Adams and her dry erase board?

Answer: The Heptapods' "present" encompassed about 6000 years of our human past, present and future. So, they perceived 3000 years of our past and 3000 years of our future simultaneously. It's a confounding idea to humans, but the Heptapods already knew, 3000 years in advance, that Louise was the critical contact for the evolution of communication between our species. For the Heptapods, there was no coincidence or impatience or blind luck; they already knew exactly when and how to start communicating with her.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: The aliens don't see time in a linear fashion but all of time at once, meaning they can see the future, which is why their writing is like it is. They therefore knew Louise (played by Adams) would be the one to figure out their language and had to wait for her, or simply chose to wait for her.

Bishop73

Answer: This question was never answered in the movie. Any response would be speculation. One guess: the aliens waited for humans to make the first attempt to communicate in order to assess how to respond.

raywest

Answer: I wouldn't say they were surprised, exactly. They hadn't seen Harry all summer and their reunion was a bit awkward because Ron and Hermione were squabbling with each other. They didn't expect to see Harry at that moment.

raywest

Question: During the press conferences, Is there any reason why Drago remained quiet? My best guesses are a) He's shy during Q and A's, b) Just a pride thing, or c) he's simply been ordered by his superiors not to speak. Anyone know for sure?

Gavin Jackson

Chosen answer: Being Russian, English was not his first language and it may have been felt that he could not articulate himself well enough to where he wouldn't be misunderstood or misquoted.

raywest

Answer: To make him appear more menacing and machine like.

The_Iceman

Answer: There are many theories and claims, but there seem to be no definitive answer. My take is that Drago was shy and pretty much a puppet of his wife and nation, both obsessed with creating a "stone cold iron machine" in where a human personality is only in the way This theory is supported by the fact that when Rocky starts winning over Drago's respect, Drago (instead of his seemingly shy and yet cold demeanor) starts shouting something like "I AM NOT FIGHTING FOR ANY OF YOU ANYMORE! THIS FIGHT IS FOR ME! I AM FIGHTING FOR ME!" Ignoring the boos of the crowd and garnering a slight smile from Rocky Drago seemingly regains a bit of himself, his own identity during the fight of his life.

Question: Do both Meg and Charles Wallace go to the same school? I'm asking because I thought Meg is 13 and in middle school while Charles Wallace is 6 and they both get sent to Principal Jenkins' office.

Cody Fairless-Lee

Answer: Some schools can go from kindergarten all the way up to grade nine. My school was that way.

Answer: The dog did not die, at least not in the film. After Ben and Alex are released from the hospital, Ben took the dog with him.

raywest

Question: What does Fridge do now if he's still kicked off the football team by the end of the movie? It seems that only Spencer, Bethany, and Martha had some character growth, but not Fridge.

Cody Fairless-Lee

Answer: Fridge absolutely had character growth. He learned to value others as actual friends instead of using people to make his life easier. He learned to have respect for less popular students. He learned that physical strength can't solve all your problems. He learned the true value of teamwork. He never would have learned any of these lessons had he not played Jumanji.

BaconIsMyBFF

What about Spencer? What kind of character growth did he have?

Primarily he gains confidence and self-esteem. He learns to be more decisive but also seems to have much more courage than before.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: Spencer learned to be more confident in himself.

Answer: Teal'c had heard promises of freeing his people before. O'Neil struck him as the kind of man who was serious and could pull it off, so he decided to trust him and was proven right.

Captain Defenestrator

James Bond Special: Part 1 - S6-E1

Question: The three magnets Adam brought are same diameter, three times as thick as the other ten magnets. Are they also stronger than the other ten magnets?

Answer: They were all rare earth magnets, but yes, the bigger ones were stronger. With that addition, strong enough to deflect steel bullets.

Friso94

Answer: Without going back to rewatch the episode to be certain, I believe the second batch were Rare Earth magnets, so yes.

Captain Defenestrator

Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike - S5-E2

Question: Why would it have been political suicide if it was discovered that Mayor Nicholson was secretly meeting with Cusack to end the garbage strike? If anything, if the people found out that they were meeting to find a way to end the garbage strike, wouldn't that have made everybody happy considering how much garbage was piling up all over the city?

Answer: The two men are trying to work out a secret deal between them without involving the union, which means the workers' interests aren't being represented and defeats the whole purpose of a union. The mayor would lose labor's support and Cusack's union troubles would just be starting.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: At the beginning, M and agents representing the USA, Soviet Union and France try to convince James Bond to come out of retirement. Bond steadfastly refuses; whereupon, M lights his cigar as a signal for British troops in the distance to destroy Bond's estate with mortar fire (M is accidentally killed in the mortar attack). But what was the purpose of destroying Bond's estate? Wouldn't that action only drive Bond further away from rejoining the spy corps? Why would the British government go to such lengths to punish Bond? And then why did Bond return to the secret service, anyway, after such treachery?

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Given that this is a comedy, the thinking was probably "Well, we'll just blow up your retirement so you've got no choice but to come out of it."

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: Even when leaders are "cut off from the outside world," there's typically some way to get hold of them. A secure line unknown to the general public, a couriered message, somebody just got in a car and drove there; there would still be ways.

Captain Defenestrator

The Birnam Wood - S6-E2

Question: When C.J. gives the press conference announcing that after lunch the committees would meet to discuss the proposed topics, why do all the members leave in totally different clothes than just before? If it's supposed to be the same day, why would they change their clothes? The president also quickly changed his clothes to meet with the Palestinian president and the Israeli PM. Does anyone know why the costume change in that scene is still the same day? Or could it be a scene error?

Eduardo Sánchez Rodríguez

Answer: There are a couple of press conferences in this episode, so I'm not sure which you're referring to. The final press conference is at Camp David, which is in the woods, so some of the reporters may have changed from wearing suits at the White House to more fitting clothes for outdoors at the summit. It wouldn't also necessarily be the same group of reporters. Some of the faces would stay the same, but reporters get switched out as they go post their stories and others come to replace them, so they rotate.

Captain Defenestrator

Season 6 generally

Question: The fifth season begins at the end of the first year of the second legislature, and the sixth begins at the end of the third year of the legislature. Has it really been two years in season five? Another thing that doesn't add up to this time jump is Doug's career in Congress. In episode 5x09 (end of the first year of term of the second legislature) Doug wants the support of the White House to run for Congress (following the chronology of the series, the next year would be the Congressional elections, and therefore that's where Doug is going to run because it's the most logical thing to do and it doesn't say anything to make us think otherwise) in the mid-term elections that are held the following year, but in season 6 and 7 we see Doug running for Congress along with the presidential elections. A script failure due to wanting to make a time jump from season five to season six? If someone would explain it to me, I would be very grateful.

Eduardo Sánchez Rodríguez

Answer: Just because Doug wanted to run next year doesn't mean the election was the same year. It's not unheard of for a politician to spend months campaigning before an election.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: Near the end, when Dean Wormer and Mayor DePasto are in the grandstand, officially launching the parade, there is an elderly gentleman in the background (also in the grandstand, about 2 levels up, on the left side of the screen) who is making odd, excited gestures and comical facial expressions. His appearance and odd mannerisms are so striking that he draws my attention away from the dean and the mayor every time that I've seen this film, and that's a lot of times. Surely, director John Landis must have been aware of the gentleman and his antics in the background through multiple takes, so it would seem Landis intended the peculiar distraction. Who was that gentleman, and was there any significance to his appearing in the scene?

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Sometimes these things get left in because it's simply the best take. (The child covering his ears before the gunshot in "North by Northwest," for example.) It could also be that John Landis cast the extra because he wanted someone with goofy expressions in the crowd. He simply could have told the extras "Ok, be excited that you're at a parade," and that's how this extra did it.

Captain Defenestrator

Caballo sin Nombre - S3-E2

Question: When Saul buys Jesse's house from his parents, he said that he showed their lawyer, Mr. Gardner, "all the pertinent financials", meaning $875,000 in cash available to buy the house. Jesse only had $450,000 and that money was not in any account. How did Saul show Mr. Gardner that he had $875,000 in cash?

dweezel7

Answer: Saul is a criminal himself. It's not past his capabilities to forge some documents to show the 857k is available.

Ssiscool

Forged documents by Saul is most likely the correct answer.

The_Iceman

Answer: Saul has a stash of cash himself, hidden in his office. It's possible he used some of that instead as part of the scheme instead of having to go through the effort of falsifying documents.

Phaneron

Answer: In all likelihood, he sold some more meth.

Captain Defenestrator

At the time, they were not producing enough Meth to get that much money in the time frame of the events.

Ssiscool

Question: Why does everyone stop and stare at the plane?

Answer: It's a bit complicated and subject to interpretation. They all look as soon as they hear the engines starting. For each one it signifies something different. Ilsa knows she must part with Rick, the man she loves, and stay with her husband, Victor, to support him and help with his work. For Rick, he knows he is losing Ilsa, by his own choice because he has chosen to stay behind to aid the war resistance and may not survive. Victor knows his wife Ilsa really loves Rick and he will be out of their lives, but she is staying with him out of duty.

raywest

Answer: Because the plane taking off meant that the people on board were on their way to Lisbon, and from there, America. Everyone is envious.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: For protection from the inmates.

raywest

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