a striking face
Someone opens with a light, teasing compliment on the other person's looks, and the reply accepts it.
That's quite a face you have.Bombshell · 2019 — Chapter 3 of 12 · 2'47" · B2
Drunk Confessions About a Hillary Poster, Explained: thrive in toxic environments
A Hillary poster prompts a joke question, then a flat denial: "No. That's who I'd like to be the President." The same reply soon admits, "I'm a closeted Democrat," and asks for silence: "Can you not tell? You can't tell anyone."
What happens
Two people are drunk and sizing each other up. One says the other has "quite a face"; both admit they're drunk. Then a Hillary poster comes up, and the small talk turns into a trade of confessions — Democrat, lesbian, an old lawsuit — each one raising the stakes.
Listen for
quite a facecloseted Democratthrive in toxic environmentsI never know if
00:00 / 02:47Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
thrive in toxic environments
to do well in a harmful setting
Asked why she stays at Fox, she offers a deadpan self-diagnosis, then says she is kidding, though the job hunt that follows keeps the joke uneasy.
I joke that I thrive in toxic environments, but I'm job-hunting.
Also in this scene
- quite a face
a striking face
- closeted Democrat
a Democrat who hides it
- I never know if
I can't tell whether...
- whack off
to masturbate (vulgar)
- welcome packet
onboarding information packet
Everything marked in this scene
24 notes across 55 lines
Let 'quite a' run together lightly and land on face.
That's quite a face you have.too; also
I'm drunk as well.leave with someone, often romantically not just a friendly ride home
Okay, my parents would be horrified if I went home with a Democrat.second conditional: It frames the parents' reaction as a hypothetical, not a real plan.
Okay, my parents would be horrified if I went home with a Democrat.as a joke
As a joke, though, right?a Democrat who hides it
After a Hillary poster is mentioned, someone admits to working at Fox News and frames a political secret like a coming-out line.
I'm a closeted Democrat.or something like that
Why don't you work at MSNBC or something?to do well in a harmful setting
Asked why she stays at Fox, she offers a deadpan self-diagnosis, then says she is kidding, though the job hunt that follows keeps the joke uneasy.
I think I, like, thrive in toxic environments.filler word — A casual filler; too many can make you sound unsure.
I think I, like, thrive in toxic environments.whether it's a joke
I never know if you're kidding or not.embedded question: It turns a yes/no question into the object of 'know'.
I never know if you're kidding or not.Keep 'if you're' light and blurred before kidding.
I never know if you're kidding or not.continue applying to
And I keep applying to other places and they keep not taking me because I work at Fox.not as bad as it seems
What? It's not that bad.want to — Casual speech only; avoid it in formal writing.
Well, yeah, you don't wanna be gay at Fox.phone someone
You do know he likes to call up female producers and whack off, right?emphatic do: The stressed 'do' pushes the listener to confirm what they supposedly know.
You do know he likes to call up female producers and whack off, right?onboarding information packet
After hearing the scandal, someone jokes that it belongs in the onboarding materials, turning a lurid workplace fact into routine information.
This should be in the welcome packet.Stress the first syllables of welcome and packet; rush through should be in.
This should be in the welcome packet.assistant producer
She was one of his associate producers.masturbate (euphemistic) literally touching oneself; here a euphemism for masturbation
Called her up at 11:00, touching himself and telling her what he wanted to do to her with the old falafel.the real question is
The question is, what does a man do with a vibrator?put it next to
Do you place it alongside the shaft?Drunk Confessions About a Hillary Poster, explained
What's really going on
Neither of them is really talking about politics. The Hillary poster is a test: say it's a joke and you're safe, say it isn't and you've handed over something real. "No. That's who I'd like to be the President," the reply comes, and from there the confessions escalate on purpose — "I'm a closeted Democrat," followed by "Can you not tell? You can't tell anyone." The banter works as cover; the actual transaction is trading secrets so that neither can sell the other out. When the reason for staying at Fox finally arrives — "I think I, like, thrive in toxic environments" — the joke lands because it isn't entirely one.
Theme
SecretsEach confession is offered as a test of trust, and each one makes the other more dangerous to know.
IdentityA closeted Democrat at Fox News: politics here is one more thing you hide.
Listen for
- quite a face — Let 'quite a' run together lightly and land on face.
- if you're — Keep 'if you're' light and blurred before kidding.
- welcome packet — Stress the first syllables of welcome and packet; rush through should be in.
I'm a closeted Democrat.The speaker votes Democrat but keeps it hidden at work; saying it out loud is a secret handed over.
I think I, like, thrive in toxic environments.A half-joking answer to why someone stays: the claim is that they do their best work where the workplace is worst.
I never know if you're kidding or not.Said right after a line that could be a joke or a confession; the next line admits it was a joke.
This should be in the welcome packet.Dry joke: the scandal is treated as basic onboarding information every new hire should be given.
Questions about this scene
Are the Hillary posters a joke?
The reply is flat: “No. That's who I'd like to be the President.” The speaker really supports the candidate, which is what makes saying it out loud a risk.
What does “a closeted Democrat” mean here?
Someone who votes Democrat but keeps it hidden from the people around them. Where they work, saying it out loud is treated as something that could travel — hence “Can you not tell? You can't tell anyone.”
Why does the speaker say they work at Fox?
It starts as a deadpan joke — “I think I, like, thrive in toxic environments” — and when the other person says “I never know if you're kidding or not,” the reply is “I am kidding.” The practical answer follows: they applied everywhere and got a job at Fox; other places now won't take them because they work at Fox.
What is the lawsuit described in the scene about?
It is described through an associate producer taken to the Republican National Convention, then called late at night while the caller touched himself — “using a vibrator upon himself,” in the wording repeated here.
Bombshell · 12 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4give me a twirlKayla Pitches Herself to Roger Ailes
Chapter 1only rains on womenOnly Rains on Women Lawsuit
Chapter 2perpetual outrage machineKayla's Fox News Interview
Watching · Chapter 3thrive in toxic environmentsDrunk Confessions About a Hillary Poster
Chapter 4give me a twirlKayla Pitches Herself to Roger Ailes
Chapter 5cut both waysAiles Tests Kayla's Loyalty
Chapter 6complaint box in occupied ParisCoworkers Debate the Harassment Hotline
Chapter 7political footballRoger Ailes Faces Harassment Charges
Chapter 8sweep something under the rugSilence Gets Noticed in the Hallway
Chapter 9jump off a cliffNo One From Fox Came Forward
Chapter 10play by old rulesKayla and Megyn Discuss Roger
Chapter 11gave in toKayla Calls From a Date
Chapter 12come to thisRoger's Exit NegotiationChapter 3 of 12 · about 23 min to go