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Barbie · 2023 — Chapter 22 of 26 · 4'04" · B2

The Barbies Plot Their Return, Explained: the old standby

With Ken in charge, the Barbies plot a comeback built on performance: act confused, get money wrong, be bad at sports, and let the Kens lecture. "You have to find a way to reject men’s advances without damaging their egos," is the strategy in one line. The segment is a sharp, funny how-to for surviving men who explain everything.

What happens

With the Kens running Barbie Land, the Barbies gather to plan a takeover. They rehearse playing dumb, mixing up money, and being terrible at sports so the Kens will lecture and compete with one another. The plan is to distract them with the old standby until every Barbie is ready to take back Barbie Land.

SpeechesArgumentsPersuadingExplainingFriendsB2mediumamericanClean
IMDb ↗

Listen for

deep downthe old standbycertificate of depositprude

00:00 / 04:04
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Phrase of the scene

the old standby

a reliable method or item kept in reserve

Weird Barbie names the tired trick of distracting men with a makeover.

When conversation stalls, my old standby is asking about their pets.

Also in this scene

  • deep down

    内心深处；其实一直明白

  • certificate of deposit

    a bank deposit held for a fixed term at higher interest

  • prude

    a derogatory label for someone seen as sexually prudish

Everything marked in this scene

25 notes across 89 lines

Phrase · B1remind someone of somethingYou have to be their mommies but not remind them of their mommy.
Phrase · B2be masked under somethingAny power you have must be masked under a giggle.
Grammar · B2masked under a giggle

passive voice

Any power you have must be masked under a giggle.
Phrase · B1one minute ... the next ...One minute I was president, and the next I was cutting a Ken steak for him.
Phrase · A2welcome backWelcome back, Madam President.
Phrase · B2talk through somethingCan you start the movie over and just talk through the whole thing?
Grammar · B2find a way to reject

find a way to

You have to find a way to reject men’s advances without damaging their egos.
Phrase · A2say yes to someoneBecause if you say yes to them, you’re a tramp,
Slang · B2trampBecause if you say yes to them, you’re a tramp,
Phrase · A2say no to someonebut if you say no to them, you’re a prude.
Slang · B2prudebut if you say no to them, you’re a prude.
Phrase · B1be confused about somethingAnother one, be confused about money.
Phrase · B1stand for somethingCD stands for Certificate of Deposit.
Soundstands for

flap

CD stands for Certificate of Deposit.
Phrase · B1distract someoneOr distract them with the old standby.
Phrase · B1be terrible at somethingAnd then there’s pretending to be terrible at every sport ever.
Phrase · B1take something backWe’ll do this until every single Barbie is deprogrammed and ready to take back Barbie Land.
Grammar · B2until every single Barbie is deprogrammed

until-clause

We’ll do this until every single Barbie is deprogrammed and ready to take back Barbie Land.
Soundtake back

liaison

We’ll do this until every single Barbie is deprogrammed and ready to take back Barbie Land.
Phrase · B2turn people against each otherto turn the Kens against each other.
Phrase · B2have power over someoneNow that they think they have power over you, you make them question whether they have enough power
Phrase · B1deep downAnd because he knows deep down that you don’t like him the same way.
Grammar · B2knows deep down that you

that-clause

And because he knows deep down that you don’t like him the same way.
Phrase · B2catch someone doing somethingOh, hey. You’ve caught me reading.
Soundcaught me reading

elision

Oh, hey. You’ve caught me reading.

The Barbies Plot Their Return, explained

What's really going on

The sequence is a comedy about survival, and it is built on how women manage men who explain the world to them. The Barbies decide to lose on purpose, and the logic is laid out in a line: "You have to find a way to reject men’s advances without damaging their egos." Every joke is a tactic, from pretending to be bad at sports to asking why the money is so confusing, and the point is to let the Kens feel superior long enough to turn on each other. What makes it sting is that the lessons are borrowed from life, not invented for the film. When one Barbie says, "It’s like I’m a woman already.", the gag and the truth land together.

Theme

PowerThe Barbies win by understanding how the Kens need to feel superior, and turning that ego against them.
SatireThe montage turns everyday female survival tactics into a comic battle plan against mansplaining.

Listen for

  • stands for — flap
  • take back — liaison
  • caught me reading — elision
You have to find a way to reject men’s advances without damaging their egos.

The strategy in one line: say no to men without giving them a reason to turn hostile.

It still doesn’t mean I want to hurt him.

Barbie's hesitation, insisting that taking back her world does not have to mean hurting Ken.

It’s like I’m a woman already.

The punchline of the training montage: the tactics for surviving men feel exactly like being a woman in the real world.

Is this what it’s like?

A sincere question under the joke, asking whether this performance is how women actually have to live.

Questions about this scene

What is the Barbies' plan?

They will play dumb and let the Kens explain and compete, distracting them until every Barbie is deprogrammed and ready to take back Barbie Land.

How do the Barbies distract the Kens?

By playing dumb about things the Kens want to explain, like sports or money, so the Kens lecture and compete with each other instead of paying attention.

What does "CD stands for Certificate of Deposit" mean?

It is the joke of a man explaining a basic financial term to someone who already knows it. The Barbies use that kind of lecture as bait to keep the Kens talking.

Who is Allan in this scene?

Allan is the lone man who is on the Barbies' side and helps with the plan, standing outside the world the other Kens are building.

Why does the plan work?

Because it uses the Kens' need to feel important. The more they lecture and compete, the easier it is to set them against each other.

Barbie · 26 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 23take advantage ofThe Kens Build a Patriarchy
Chapter 1burst their bubbleBarbie Rewrites the Doll StoryChapter 2the voice of a generationBarbie's Perfect Day in Barbie LandChapter 3beach offKen Beaches Off and Gets HurtChapter 4dying toBarbie Asks About DyingChapter 5fall into disrepairBarbie's Heels Touch the GroundChapter 6be that as it mayBarbie Opens a Portal to RealityChapter 7a figure of speechBarbie Leaves Barbie LandChapter 8hold it against meBarbie and Ken Hit the Real WorldChapter 9man upThe Mattel Men Celebrate ThemselvesChapter 10with all due respectMattel Panics Over Barbie in LAChapter 11the last resortSasha Confronts BarbieChapter 12seek my fortuneKen Tries to Bring Patriarchy HomeChapter 13up the wazooMattel Execs Try to Box BarbieChapter 14Isn't that marvelousBarbie Meets Ruth at MattelChapter 15come off itSasha and Her Mom Pick Up BarbieChapter 16dream upBarbie Flees to Barbie LandChapter 17fly off the shelvesBarbie Finds Ken's Casa HouseChapter 18snap out of itKen Takes Over Barbie LandChapter 19make a run for itBarbie Hits Her Lowest PointChapter 20existential crisisIt's Impossible to Be a WomanChapter 21tie herself into knotsGloria's Monologue About WomenWatching · Chapter 22the old standbyThe Barbies Plot Their ReturnChapter 23take advantage ofThe Kens Build a PatriarchyChapter 24took you for grantedBarbie Apologizes to KenChapter 25hold on toBarbie Tells Ken to Find HimselfChapter 26living in the shadowsBarbie Says Maybe She's Not Barbie
Chapter 22 of 26 · about 15 min to go