Homer's Triple Bypass - S4-E11
Question: Bart and Lisa say they don't feel highs and lows because their generation watches MTV. Can someone explain more?
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Answer: They probably mean that MTV has little to do with real life, and viewers became numbed and emotionally detached from reality by watching the contrived idealized images almost non-stop. It prevents them developing empathetic feelings toward others in their lives.
This episode aired Dec 1992, and given that it took 6-9 months to produce an episode, the writing took place early or mid 1992. MTV's first reality show, "The Real World", didn't air until May 1992. "Road Rules", MTV's 2nd reality TV show didn't air until 1995.
But that's all equally applicable to watching endless music videos, shortening attention spans. The fear is/was that constant "input" like that would slightly numb people to the real world, with exciting music/images being the only thing that generates an emotional response, in comparison to the more "boring" real world.
Question: How did Nick get off the boat? Did he swim 3+ miles across open sea in the middle of the night, or did Angie pick him up?
Answer: They were sailing on Puget Sound, not the open sea. This is a relatively narrow inlet that cuts into Washington state from the Pacific Ocean. Land is on either side and there're many islands. However, it's unlikely Nick just swam ashore as the water's year-round temperature is too cold for any long-term survival. Most people die from hypothermia within 30 minutes. It's possible Angie had a small boat and picked him up, but I'd guess that Nick hid a small, self-inflatable raft on the boat and paddled ashore. He likely positioned the sailboat close to land before staging his disappearance.
Question: At the end of the movie, why was Paul the only one to get arrested? Both him and Beverly were con artists wanted for different types of fraud but only Paul was being taken away while Beverly simply walked off with Zalinksky.
Answer: It's a bit of movie silliness, mostly. She'd definitely have been arrested in real life. If you wanted to justify it, you could say that Paul was the one who actually did all the illegal acts (bigamy aside), so he was the one the police would be most interested in apprehending. Beverly could still be arrested at a later date if Paul provided evidence of her involvement in the various crimes they committed (her bigamous marriage would definitely constitute a felony since it was done to defraud the Callahans).
Question: When Stacy is giving a speech at her bat mitzvah, she tells Andy Goldfarb that he's basic and not nice to people. What does she mean he's "basic"? And what parts of the film prove that he's not nice?
Answer: She's saying that even though he may be good-looking and popular, there is really nothing special or notable about him. His bad behavior was his meanness in driving a wedge between Stacy and Lydia, threatening their friendship.
Well, she told Andy that she destroyed her friendship with Lydia because of him. So, what other evidence is there in the film that he isn't nice?
Question: How could Baracus have been in Vietnam, as flying is the only way to get there and he hates it?
Answer: It was actually hinted early in the show's run that he wasn't afraid to fly until he was in Vietnam. Something that happened there made him afraid of flying. They revisited that again in the 2010 film, where it was Murdoc's insane flying of a helicopter that scared him.
That was my first thought - unless it's explicitly stated he's been afraid of flying all his life, it makes perfect sense that it was a fear triggered by a wartime experience.
Answer: Vietnam is accessible by sea. Also, just because someone hates flying doesn't mean they can't just "suck it up" and do it, if it's important enough. If he was in the military, then he would not have a choice. His fear may have grown over the years. His A-Team members often sedated him and would even knock him out to get him on a plane.
Question: How could they get an unconscious Baracus on commercial flights?
Answer: Several times, Face would pose as a doctor to get Murdock out of the Mental Hospital. How easy would it have been to convince airport officials that he was a doctor taking a sedated patient on board? Or simply tell them, this man is afraid of flying, so he had to be sedated. They could say, "Believe me, you don't want this man to be awake."
Answer: The reply does not answer the question. It does not ask how they sedated him, but how a sedated person can be checked in at the airport.
Answer: In the pilot episode, they would give him a tranquilizer dose with a needle injection. In two episodes, he tried to fly awake but went wild once in the air. In another episode, when hijackers held a plane, it was on the ground. When it took off, B.A. went into a catatonic state.
Question: When Bourne meets Dr. Albert Hirsh, he gets a keycard to enter. Where did he get it from?
Question: What exactly did Ryback mean when he told Private Nash that they "brainwashed him at Boot Camp"? I never understood that line all these years.
Answer: Boot camp teaches you to obey. As long as the person talking to you has a higher rank, you're supposed to say "yes, sir or yes, ma'am." You do what you're told when you're told. You don't question it. That's why he goes along with putting Ryback in the freezer instead of the brig. That's why he believes it when he's told that the gunfire is party poppers. That's why Ryback says he's been brainwashed. Because he can't or won't think for himself.
Question: The scientists decided to launch their ship into the Marianas Trench. What is the advantage of launching there?
Question: After Nick and Carver's confrontation in the restaurant, as Cassie and Nick arrive back at the new hotel, we see Hook Waters, along with Pinky, standing in the waiting room. Why was he there and how did he know where they were? (01:05:00)
Question: Why does Dan tell Anna that Alice is "un-leaveable"? What stops him from leaving her if he wants to?
Answer: He apparently feels that Alice "needs" him too much, so maybe he can't bring himself to leave yet. Later, when he does end their relationship, he points out how Anna "doesn't need" him. I find this interesting because he actually shows "needy" behavior toward Anna. He does what he complained about Alice doing.
Question: When the ghost of Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees, appears in his dream, why is Pamela so much older than when she died? (Actress Betsy Palmer was 54 when she played the character in the first film.)
Answer: Supposedly, they actually tried to get Betsy Palmer to appear in the film as a cameo, but she didn't for one reason or another. While I can't know for sure, I'm assuming that they cast Paula Shaw because she loosely resembled Betsy Palmer around the time the movie was being made. (I actually remember a lot of people wrongly thinking it was Palmer in the film.)
Frasier Gotta Have It - S5-E19
Question: What does Martin mean when he says Caitlin is a flake?
Question: Except for "Come on, Eileen", what other songs were Tommy and Richard singing to while driving?
Answer: In that scene, that song is followed first by "It's the End of the World as we Know It (And I Feel Fine) " (R.E.M.) and then by "Eres tú" (Mocedades). Earlier, they sing "Superstar" (The Carpenters) just before the hood flies off.
Question: Spoiler alert: Why did Freddy try to hide Eve's baby from Frasier? I know he didn't want to tell Frasier that he needed to save money by living there, but how does it help to hide his roommate's baby?
Answer: He wanted his father to believe that his life was more "stable": his own apartment, a serious/committed girlfriend.
Question: Unless the Robin signal was still turned on, how did Barbara know where to find the guys?
Answer: When Barbara told Holligran Alfred, she wanted to help, he said, "I prepared for this." He gave her a suit, which meant he equipped it with the latest tech. After years of serving Batman, it's logical to assume he put a GPS tracker into his batsuit.
The Odyssey - S7-E12
Question: Why would Julia care that Carlene voted for Ross Perot?
Answer: The group, including Carlene, were invited to attend Bill Clinton's inauguration in D.C. Julia was apparently bothered that Carlene is attending a Democratic victory event after she had voted against Clinton and for Perot, an Independent candidate. Julia probably considers it hypocritical and something of a betrayal.
Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name - S5-E10
Question: Before Frasier and Daphne go to the pub for the first time, the text says "So authentic, there isn't an ice cube in the joint." What does that mean?
Answer: It's a joke that relies on the stereotype that British people drink warm beer (i.e., the pub is so authentically British, they don't have any means to cool a drink). In reality, this isn't the case; lagers and most beers are refrigerated, while cask ales (a.k.a. "real ales") are served at "cellar temperature", which is usually colder than room temperature but not as cold as being in the fridge. For Americans used to "chilled" or "ice cold" beers, this comes across as warm and gave rise to the idea that Britons drink warm/tepid/room temperature beer...whence the joke.
Question: What is the meaning of the symbols on Little Jack's blue T-shirt when he first appears in Jack's learning lab?
Answer: They are the mathematical symbols of pi, infinity, and square root. I'm not a math person, and this is only what I read regarding calculating the square root of pi: "Pi is the constant equal to the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The number (3.14) has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. Calculations can continue infinitely without repetition or pattern, because Pi is an irrational number." I'm sure the more scientifically-minded members here can provide a better explanation. I interpreted the symbols on Little Jack's T-shirt as meaning his future has infinite possibilities.
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Answer: I think Lisa and Bart are actually referring to Generation X and early Millennials. People of these ages are also known as "the MTV Generation." They dealt with the political, social, and economic issues that were happening in the '80s and '90s. Many were also "latchkey kids" who had to be independent from an early age. They are known for being apathetic or even cynical, after growing up the way they did.