close that deal
You better be ready to make that deal.Chasing Amy · 1997 — Chapter 13 of 20 · 4'28" · C1
Comic Signing Advice on Alyssa, Explained: barkin' up the wrong tree
The talk starts as gossip about Banky's problem with Alyssa, then turns into a riff on gay identity and male ego. The sharpest turn is the advice to ask Alyssa about her past: "Just ask the girl about her past point-blank." Under the jokes, it is about whether someone can face what he does not want to know.
What happens
The talk at a comic-book signing turns to Banky's reaction to Alyssa. Someone launches into a comic monologue about gay stereotypes, black identity, and male sexual vanity, then tells the other person to stop circling the issue and ask Alyssa about her past directly.
Listen for
warped perceptionbarkin' up the wrong treebullshit detectorThanks for being so comforting
00:00 / 04:28Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
barkin' up the wrong tree
pursuing the wrong target
After hearing the gossip, someone says the scheme is aimed at the wrong target; the tone is teasing, not mediating.
If you want me to cancel the trip, you're barkin' up the wrong tree.
Also in this scene
- warped perception
a distorted view of reality
- bullshit detector
a knack for spotting lies
- Thanks for being so comforting
sarcastic thanks for no comfort
- Screw that all-for-one shit
vulgar rejection of forced solidarity
- resort to
turn to something as a last resort
Everything marked in this scene
32 notes across 72 lines
a cutting insult, here aimed at a man — Highly offensive; here it targets a man, and it is never safe in formal company.
So, where's that bitch partner of yours been?seriously struggle with something
He's having a real problem with this Alyssa thing.stirred that buried feeling It stirred that homophobic streak rather than literally connecting a pipe.
This latest episode between you and Miss Thing has tapped into that.non-restrictive relative clause: The clause after the comma adds that "the dark side" is she; it comments rather than defines.
In his warped perception, he lost you to the "dark side," which is she.In fast speech, in a stays light; let way carry a little length.
That boy loves you in a way that he ain't ready to deal with.uncover gossip about someone Dirt here means damaging gossip, not actual soil.
- He's been digging up dirt on Alyssa. - Uh-uh, honey!break the two of you apart
Then he's barkin' up the wrong tree if he wants to split you up, isn't he?realize one's mistake
He's not gonna make you see the error of your ways...affected me emotionally Not physical arrival; it means the remark has unsettled me.
- Actually, it has kinda gotten to me. - How so?Stress so and comforting, and stretch thanks to let the sarcasm land.
Thanks for being so comforting. I appreciate it.become a victim of something
by falling prey to that latest of trendy beasts.a feminine-looking lesbian A cultural label, not a literal reference to lipstick.
Got this fool picture of lipstick lesbians in their heads, like they all resemble Alyssa, while most of'em look more like you.a homophobic slur — A homophobic slur; avoid it unless quoting or confronting it.
I thought you fags were all supersupportive of one another.a minority within a minority
I gotta deal with bein' a minority in the minority of the minority, and nobody's supportin' my ass.praising eagerly
While the whole of society's fawning over girls-on-girls, here I sit, a reviled gay man.and on top of that It adds another bad item to the list rather than physically topping something.
And to top that off, I'm a gay black man, notoriously, the most swishy of the bunch.effeminate in a stereotyped way — An old stereotype-laden word; even joking use can offend.
And to top that off, I'm a gay black man, notoriously, the most swishy of the bunch.zero copula: The omitted is is a dialect feature; it makes the warning sound blunt and streetwise.
He the devil. Understand?stop watching or guarding something Not literal eye movement; it means never stop watching authority.
Never take your eye off the Man.authority or the system — Black vernacular for oppressive authority; not for formal writing.
Never take your eye off the Man.my word is my bond — Street and hip-hop slang for a serious promise; use with insiders.
- Fight the power, little G. - Word is bond.young brother or kid — A streetwise address from an older speaker to a younger boy.
- Fight the power, little G. - Word is bond.everyone else in the world
What is it about gay men that terrifles the rest of the world?emphatic question: The frame What is it about X that... puts the focus on the quality in X, not just the fact.
What is it about gay men that terrifles the rest of the world?an emotional block about something
- As for this hang-up with Alyssa's past, - Um-hm.in the matter of
Men need to believe that they're Marco-fuckin'- Polo when it comes to sex.live under a false belief Labor here means carrying a false belief, not doing physical work.
and let them labor under the delusion that they're rockin' my world...nothing is truly original
if people would just accept there's nothin' new under the sun, and anything you can do with a person...take this advice It means take this advice, not perform a task for yourself.
Do yourself a favor: Just ask the girl about her past point-blank.deal with it before it grows It means resolve the issue early, not physically move an object.
Get it out of the way before it gets too big for both of y'all to move.In both of y'all, of almost disappears; keep y'all close to both.
Get it out of the way before it gets too big for both of y'all to move.Comic Signing Advice on Alyssa, explained
What's really going on
The scene keeps sliding away from the couple's problem. Banky's complaint is framed as homophobia, then as a warped perception that the person being addressed has been stolen by the "dark side"; the reply is a performance about who gets to be visible and who gets left out. The punchline is that the discomfort may be less about Alyssa's past than about a need to be the explorer: "Men need to believe that they're Marco-fuckin'- Polo when it comes to sex." The final advice turns the abstract argument into something practical: "Just ask the girl about her past point-blank." The scene is funny because it keeps making the personal sound like a cultural lecture, but the advice is blunt.
Theme
IdentityThe monologue turns a talk about Alyssa into a riff on gay, black, and male identity.
SatireThe scene mocks homophobic panic and the male need to be a sexual explorer.
Listen for
- in a way — In fast speech, in a stays light; let way carry a little length.
- so comforting — Stress so and comforting, and stretch thanks to let the sarcasm land.
- both of y'all — In both of y'all, of almost disappears; keep y'all close to both.
That boy loves you in a way that he ain't ready to deal with.The line says Banky's love for Holden is real, but Banky is not ready to face what that love means.
Gay or straight, ugly's still ugly.Orientation does not make someone attractive; the joke rejects the idea that gay people are automatically cute or stylish.
Men need to believe that they're Marco-fuckin'- Polo when it comes to sex.Men want to see themselves as explorers discovering new territory, even when the woman already has more experience.
Do yourself a favor: Just ask the girl about her past point-blank.The advice is to stop guessing and ask Alyssa directly about her sexual history before the worry grows.
Questions about this scene
Why does Banky have a problem with Alyssa?
The dialogue says Banky has "a real problem with all things not hetero," and a reply calls him "a bit homophobic." Another line says that in his warped perception, the person being addressed was lost to the "dark side," meaning Alyssa.
What does "barkin' up the wrong tree" mean here?
It means aiming at the wrong target. The line says that trying to split the couple by "pointing out how truly gay she's not" would be barking up the wrong tree.
What is Holden actually bothered by?
He says he should not care about Alyssa's past, but "it gets to me." He is fine with the idea of an all-girl encounter, but "just the thought of her with guys" bothers him.
What does the closing advice tell him to do?
The advice is to ask Alyssa about her past "point-blank" and to "get it out of the way" before it becomes too big for both of them to move.
Chasing Amy · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14badgering a witnessBasketball Game Turns Into Interrogation
Chapter 1station in lifeComic Signing Turns Into a Fight
Chapter 2chickens come home to roostComic Panel Erupts Over Star Wars
Chapter 3beyond the shadow of a doubtArguing About Archie at the Bar
Chapter 4hook someone upHooper Invites Him to Meow Mix
Chapter 5small worldStrangers Discover a Small World
Chapter 6baggageBanky Grills the Group About Sex
Chapter 7up close and personalThe Virginity Definition Debate
Chapter 8throw down the gauntletTwo Friends Fight Over Alyssa
Chapter 9queer our friendshipThe Confession That Risks Friendship
Chapter 10the other shoe's gonna dropFriends Argue Over Couch and Romance
Chapter 11on my own termsWhy Me, Why Now Monologue
Chapter 12pulling your chainFinger Cuffs Argument
Watching · Chapter 13barkin' up the wrong treeComic Signing Advice on Alyssa
Chapter 14badgering a witnessBasketball Game Turns Into Interrogation
Chapter 15lay a guilt trip on someoneHolden Faces a Public Confession
Chapter 16has a pastFriends Tease Him About Alyssa
Chapter 17drops the bomb on meBob's Chasing Amy Monologue
Chapter 18kill two birds with one stoneThe Threesome Proposal
Chapter 19hung up onShe Refuses a Threesome Proposal
Chapter 20better off withoutA Fan Grills a Comic ArtistChapter 13 of 20 · about 26 min to go