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: At the beginning of the film, what part of the Battle of Antietam was shown where Robert Shaw was involved?

Question: Colonel Dolarhyde mentions about having participated in the Battle of Antietam and losing men in the Cornfield. Did he fight for the Union or the Confederacy?

Answer: I was unable to find any reference about which side Dollarhyde fought for in the Civil War. It may have been deliberately left ambiguous to make his political alliances more neutral, and instead, focus on his personal character and how it evolves during the film.

raywest

Question: Seconds before the first battle started, one soldier had jumped up and started screaming when the other soldier approached him just before they both were killed. What was that about?

Pine Barrens - S3-E11

Question: When the not-so-dead Russian gets away from his pursuers, what happened to him? It seems to be implied that he doubled back and drove away in their car, but it was never really explained. Incidentally, there is no way that scene was filmed in the real Jersey Pine Barrens.

Question: When the girls got stuck at the top of the tower on the first night, why didn't they think to climb to the very top to screw and unscrew the light bulb back and forth in an SOS pattern at alternate speeds? That surely would have been seen as out of place, and the SOS is universally known as a distress signal that would have alerted motorists and people on the ground. No doubt that would have been strenuous to perform, but at least they would have been trying everything to get help.

Answer: Most likely, that never occurred to them, or they had no idea about how to do that. Not to mention, it would be extremely dangerous, physically difficult, with no guarantee it would be successful.

raywest

Answer: To add to the other answer, while "SOS" as a distress signal is widely known, the Morse code equivalent (... - - -...) is not. So, unless they were educated in such signals, anyone seeing it probably wouldn't interpret it as a deliberate call for help...even law enforcement in this day and age couldn't be guaranteed to understand it correctly.

Question: Why didn't the Japanese just cut the rope net off the cliff side to prevent the Americans from climbing up and attacking? Common sense would have been to inhibit their advance any way they could.

Answer: I'd classify it as a deliberate mistake or choice on the moviemakers' part. It fit the plot to have it play out that way and have the Japanese being attacked.

raywest

A deliberate mistake is something like using an 8-month-old baby as a newborn, something done intentionally for filming purposes. Writing in a plot contrivance isn't a deliberate mistake. At best, it could be considered a character mistake if it's something a real person would do in the character's position or a stupidity, a stupid act by a character for the sake of the plot.

Bishop73

I have seen so many movies and TV shows where some contrived plot device is thrown in solely to make the story work, even though it makes little sense in a real-world context. If you're going to make an issue about it, you can call it whatever you want.

raywest

It was a plot mechanic. Unfortunately, resulting in a massive, obvious plot hole.

A Devil of My Word - S3-E24

Question: What is the red stuff on Lucifer's wings? I first thought it was Chloe's blood, but there was too much and she wasn't bleeding anyway. Lucifer had his wings out to stop the bullets, so he wasn't hit. So, what was on his wings?

The_Iceman

Answer: It's Lucifer's blood from when his wings got hit by the bullets. As Lucifer spreads his wings, they're white, and before he wraps them around Chloe, you see a bullet hit his wing above his right shoulder, and the spot turns red. After that, he continues to get shot in the wings before fleeing.

Bishop73

Agreed. His wings take damage and "bleed" similar to how he bleeds when Decker is around.

Ssiscool

Infection, Part III - S7-E4

Question: In the wake of the bioterror attacks, how come we didn't see the FBI get involved with the investigation and subsequent manhunt? Also, with the bioterrorist finally located, how come the SWAT team wasn't called in to spearhead the takedown? In real life, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team would most likely be the ones to go in after a terrorist.

Question: When the bus enters the airport and drives over the spike strip, the tyres should have been shredded. Why did the bus not lose speed and therefore blow up?

DEvans

Answer: Also, when the bus runs over the spikes, the camera is more close-up on it, and possibly some of the tires may have just missed hitting the spikes out of view of the camera. So, that would keep it speeding OK with just SOME of the tires shredded (but not all).

Answer: You wouldn't necessarily lose speed just because you've got a deflating tyre. It would become harder to control as the tyre deflated, but with an engine that can produce a lot of torque, there is no reason why it should slow down much, if at all. Also, as a heavy vehicle, it featured dual tyres on the rear which would've aided the drivability of the bus.

Answer: To add to the other answers, larger trucks and buses use different types of tires. Regular cars and light trucks usually have tires lined with two steel belts. Heavier vehicles use tires with four steel belts, making them more durable.

raywest

Answer: Spike strips are designed to deflate a tyre over a short time, not instantly, so as to avoid a blowout and possible accident. The tyres are going down over time as they should. That's why Jack has to tie the steering wheel in place, as it's harder to control the bus with the tyre shredding.

Ssiscool

Question: When Special Agent Frawley hurried around a parked car to escape from Coughlin shooting at him, was Coughlin actually trying to kill him or just get him flustered and disoriented so he can make his escape? It looked like he had a clear line of sight at him.

Question: Why did the daughter's boyfriend, Henry, want to kill her father, James? It just seemed to come out of nowhere, and to me, it seemed like he didn't have any real motive.

Answer: He didn't like Henry, so Henry wanted him out of the way, so they could be together.

Rob245

The Way We Was - S2-E12

Question: In this episode, there is a song playing on the record player that starts off with someone singing "Don't be a baby, lady - just be a lady, baby" and then suddenly the classic 70's song "The Hustle" plays. The Hustle never had this intro in the real song that I'm aware of. My question is - was there ACTUALLY a version of "The Hustle" that included that start with those words or was it just made up for this episode on the show?

Question: McPherson broke the grandfather clock and nothing was in there. But then, the next time he opened it with Laura there, nothing was broken, and there was a gun in there. How did it get fixed? What did I miss?

Answer: It's a different clock. The first one is in Lydecker's flat, and there's an identical one in Laura's. McPherson finds the secret compartment in Lydecker's clock, and since Laura's is the same, he checks that one, too. The shotgun is in Laura's clock.

Question: Who and why was the highboy moved to cover the linen closet?

Answer: Mrs. Gardenia, the elderly previous resident, had moved the highboy dresser there to block the closet passageway connecting her apartment to the Castevette's. She was involved in the coven, but after realizing how sinister it was, tried to disassociate herself. The coven later cast a spell causing her fatal coma.

raywest

Question: Why was the "I'm Gonna Wash That Man" number severely hacked about for the film and is not the same as in the soundtrack recording?

Answer: The song was likely shortened to maintain the scene's brisk pace and keep the film's overall length to a certain running time. There were many other musical numbers and sequences in the movie.

raywest

Question: By what means did the pirates intend to escape from the ship when they originally boarded it, and before they were told about the lifeboat?

Paulspurs

Answer: They intended to sail the ship to Somalia, where they would hold the ship, cargo, and the crew for ransom. The crew managed to power down the ship, rendering it inoperative. This meant their only option was to use the lifeboat.

Question: What does the Predator say when he is in the slaughterhouse and looking at his hands in the gray/red vision?

Answer: Now you will die.

Question: Given the design of the rooms within the Cube, how do the rooms actually move? If you look closely, where 2 rooms meet, there is a zigzag pattern along the entrances/exits of each room which doesn't seem able to allow any shifting.

Question: When Frank travels into the future and sees an older Calvin sitting on the floor, Calvin glances up. Did Calvin see Frank?

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