Answered questions about specific movies, TV shows and more

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Answer: The Shrieking Shack was actually well-known to everyone. The dilapidated house was located near Hogsmeade and was believed to be haunted, as wails and screams were regularly heard. There wasn't another similar-type house in the area, and Hermione, being very smart, merely deduced that based on their location from the Whomping Willow tree, that was where they were.

raywest

Show generally

Question: What is the actual line spoken by JJ? This is a paraphrase from what I remember from almost 50 years ago: "When poor folks get money from the government they call it welfare, but when corporations get it, it's called subsidies."

Answer: It's from s01e03, "Getting Up the Rent." They're short on rent and Florida finally agrees to go to the welfare office with Willona. But she's turned down because they made too much money. Willona says "You know, if we were rich and needed some emergency funds, we'd get it just like that." Florida says, "But rich folks don't take welfare, do they?" And Willona says, "No, they call it subsidy."

Bishop73

Answer: Bruce can't have human kids, but Hulk has entirely different physiology, and Skaar's mother is no doubt not human either. Changes the dynamic entirely.

Jon Sandys

Question: Was it ever explained why the aliens didn't start the reactor on their own?

Answer: No.

Answer: Probably because Gilligan has a history of getting things wrong more often than being right. The others, rightly or wrongly, tend to automatically dismiss him.

raywest

Question: This question could be for the movie and book since I don't remember it being answered in the book. Why has Snape continued to live in his childhood house? It's in a predominantly Muggle neighborhood, and his childhood was unhappy.

Answer: Interesting comment. I live in my childhood home, which I love and will never sell, even though it was not a particularly happy childhood. I've always separated family issues from other good memories and the house itself. Maybe Snape does the same and finds some comfort in familiar things. It was his father who was abusive, not his mother, so he may associate the house with her or even with Lily, his childhood friend he came to love.

raywest

I think Lily is a big reason. They grew up in the area, and they probably spent summer holidays together before Lily ended their friendship.

Question: When Leatherface starts rampaging during Stretch's flirting with him, and he's starting his chainsaw up, is this supposed to represent something? It's right after she repeatedly asks if he's mad at her and how good he is.

Rob245

Answer: It's basically Leatherface's version of an orgasm. Stretch appeals to his sexuality in order to survive, and he's aroused. He uses his chainsaw as a phallic object, rubbing it against her leg and then pressing it into her groin, and is panting, which obviously symbolizes his idea of sex. And then he becomes aggressive, revs up his chainsaw, and destroys the studio in an explosive emotional display, not unlike the strong physical/emotional sensation that comes with an orgasm. You could also theoretically make an argument that the mess he creates by sawing and throwing things around specifically represents male ejaculation, which involves a pulsating release of semen and can be, let's just say, "messy" sometimes depending on what sexual activity you're doing.

TedStixon

Thank you.

Rob245

Show generally

Question: I seem to remember a scene in which Cartman knocks on Kyle's bedroom window one night and wakes him up, just to laugh at him. Any idea what episode? Might have happened with Stan instead of Kyle.

Answer: It's from "The List" - Season 11, Episode 14. Cartman goes to mock Kyle because he is higher than Kyle on The List the girls made of who the most attractive boy is in their class.

Heather Benton

Question: Right at the end of the movie Rocky and Apollo have their behind closed doors deciding fight. They are supposedly alone. How did they tie their own gloves on? You try tying a boxing glove on with one free hand.

Answer: Nobody says no-one was at the dressing lockers to help them out.

lionhead

Question: What spell did Snape use on Dumbledore to knock him off the tower? It couldn't have been the Killing Curse because when that's used, it produces a green light and the light from Snape's wand was blue.

Answer: It was the killing curse. You hear him say Avada Kadavra, too. I think the lighting in the scene makes the color seem a bit off, more turquoise than real green.

lionhead

Question: Why did Regina and Gretchen do a "three-way calling attack" on Cady? Regina says, "See, Gretch, I told you she's not mad at you!" I think Gretchen would worry more about what Regina thinks, not Cady. Otherwise, she never would have told Regina about Cady being interested in Aaron.

Answer: I don't think Gretchen was actually worried about Cady being mad at her. They did the calling attack to find out what Cady would say if she didn't know that Gretchen was listening. It's part of the manipulation and games.

Answer: Maybe she just doesn't like Vicky.

Question: What was the actual reason why Russia and North Korea (actually, it was intended to be China) chose to invade the United States? Was it because they saw it as a threat to them? What purpose would dedicating troops and logistics to an invasion of the USA have served?

Answer: The flimsy plotline was that the European Union's economic crisis had weakened the NATO alliance so much that they were vulnerable to a North Korean and Russian invasion. American troops were deployed to support NATO defenses, which supposedly left the U.S. mainland and its infrastructure open to terrorists and cyberattacks. Presumably, Russia's and Korea's joint objective was to weaken/cripple the USA's power, economy, and global influence by creating internal chaos.

raywest

Question: What was the reason why the two divers at the start of the film chose to go down into the sunken boat to strip and make love? Of all places, why do it there?

Answer: Probably for the same reason people do it on commercial jets to join the "Mile High Club", or any other unusual place. They're fueled by the excitement of doing something dangerous, forbidden, and/or out of the ordinary.

raywest

Question: If the Phantom wanted to remain in the shadows, why did he put himself in his role in Don Juan that had him basically come out in the open in front of the public eye, where everyone, especially law enforcement, could see him?

Answer: He wanted to let Christine know that he was her Don Juan. He loved her and was willing to risk everything to be the only man in her life.

Season 2 generally

Question: In season 2, why does Norm's employment status change between episodes several times? One episode he is an accountant, Sam's to be specific, and then the next episode he is unemployed. But the episode after that, he is employed again as an accountant.

Answer: Early in the first season, Norm originally had a steady job as an accountant at an accounting firm, and then he was fired. From then on, he worked for himself as an independent accountant, which results in Norm being unemployed much of the time. Hence, Norm's employment status can change between episodes.

Super Grover

Question: How is it possible that Harry has no problems with trusting Alastor Moody in this movie? At the end of the previous movie, he discovered that "Moody" was an evil imposter who conspired against him. He only saw the real Moody briefly when he was trapped inside his trunk and didn't even interact with him. So how come he isn't distrustful/suspicious towards him if he barely knows him?

Answer: How can Harry trust anyone, knowing they could be a Polyjuice imposter? The rest of The Order of the Phoenix trust Moody, and that has to be enough for Harry.

Brian Katcher

But in the book, he remembers that "Moody" was fake.

And was caught and replaced with the real Moody.

Brian Katcher

Still, it would have made much more sense if Harry said, "Professor Moody? Is that really you?" and Moody replied, "Yes, it's really me, the real Alastor Moody, not this cheap imposter."

Answer: Agree with the other answer, but would add that any evil wizard attempting to gain proximity to Harry by using Polyjuice potion would be unlikely to impersonate "Mad-Eye" Moody, as the real one would now be closely scrutinized and vetted by the Order.

raywest

But there is another issue. Harry acts as if he knew Moody very well, despite never interacting with him before.

As mentioned, Harry was present when the real Moody was rescued at the end of "Goblet of Fire." He likely had interaction with him immediately following that event and then later, even though it's not shown on screen. He also knows Moody by his colourful reputation and that Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix fully trust him.

raywest

He didn't interact with Moody in the previous movie because Moody was in a bad mental state due to being trapped for a whole year. It took Moody some time to recover from this trauma.

Season 1 generally

Question: In the opening sequence, Elsa narrates that violence "stranded us on the beaches of New Jersey." What happened in New Jersey that she was referring to?

Answer: Elsa's narration is a loose timeline, before 1883 (the origin story show). Elsa states "violence has always haunted" her family. They, who travelled, suffered on the overcrowded immigrant "coffin ships" (called this because so many died) sailing to North America. Upon their arrival in the new country, they were "stranded" when the ship landed in New Jersey, at one of the immigrant landing depots on the Northeastern shores. (Then, they served in the armies during the American Civil War, "devoured" at the bloody Shiloh and Antietam battlefields.)

Super Grover

Question: Did Quinn's guys abandon her after her defeat at Panessa Studios?

Rob245

Answer: Most likely, whenever you return to the studio, she's still there.

Question: Can anyone explain the part where the Mariner says he's gotta throw the girl over the side? He tells Helen the reason as "My boat's tore up, I'm taking on water. I'd be lucky to get half a hydro ration out of that." What does his boat taking on water have to do with his water-making device?

Answer: The water-making device, just like the boat, was damaged when the Smokers attacked the atoll. With the device damaged, the Mariner wasn't sure if it would still be possible to get it to work and get any water to drink from it. Not only that but, with his boat taking water, it would eventually sink. He needed to repair it before that happened.

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