object clause: The whole why-clause is what they are wondering, so the question itself arrives at the end.
You guys are probably wondering why I asked you here at the same time...Chasing Amy · 1997 — Chapter 18 of 20 · 4'38" · C1
The Threesome Proposal, Explained: kill two birds with one stone
A man gathers the woman he is dating and his best friend to settle two separate grudges. The surface talk is jealousy and past experience; underneath, he is trying to keep the trio from splitting. Then comes the line, “We've all gotta have sex together.”
What happens
A man brings the woman he is dating and his best friend together. He says there is tension between him and each of them, admits his own insecurity, then tells his friend that he is in love with him. He finally proposes a threesome as a cure-all.
Listen for
kill two birds with one stonefuck offsign off onHow perceptive
00:00 / 04:38Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
kill two birds with one stone
get two things done in one go
Two people are summoned at once, and one of them guesses it's a shortcut to settle both scores in one sitting.
Let's kill two birds with one stone and drop the package off on the way to dinner.
Also in this scene
- fuck off
piss off, get lost
- sign off on
officially approve
- How perceptive
how very observant — said sarcastically
- hit a wall
reach a dead end
- have so much in common
share a lot of interests
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 62 lines
In fast speech 'asked you' blurs into one lump; no pause between them.
You guys are probably wondering why I asked you here at the same time...an issue still waiting to be sorted out settle here means clearing the air, not settling down
knowing that we have shit to settle between us separately.get two things done in one go
Two people are summoned at once, and one of them guesses it's a shortcut to settle both scores in one sitting.
I just flgured you wanted to kill two birds with one stone.get lost, piss off — The rudest way to send someone away; never in a formal setting.
You know, by telling her to fuck off with me here...repeat the whole account
so you wouldn't have to go through the story again later on.'let me' loses its middle in fast speech and sounds like a single word.
- Fuck you. - Not even if you let me videotape it.officially approve
The talk turns to the other debt between them: Banky resents the relationship, yet wants the other man to approve the cartoon deal.
You hate me dating Alyssa and you want me to sign off on this cartoon thing.reach a dead end
He turns to his own relationship and admits that one subject stops him cold every time.
Alyssa, you and I have hit a wall...a polite phrasing of something blunter said with a twist: the wording is polite, the reaction is not
That's a nice way of putting it.in some way or other
Now, I know I'm to blame one way or another on both accounts.measured against the other
Alyssa, with you because... I feel inadequate, because you've had such a big life and so much experience, and my life's been pretty small in comparison.Push hard on 'small' — it is the counterweight to 'a big life'.
Alyssa, with you because... I feel inadequate, because you've had such a big life and so much experience, and my life's been pretty small in comparison.manage to finish or survive it here it means finishing the speech, not physically passing through
I have to get through this, okay?struggle badly with something
Banky, I know why you're having such a hard time with me and Alyssa.romantically in love with
You're in love with me.share a great deal
It makes sense. We've been together so long, we have so much in common.I have to leave now — Everyday goodbye between people who know each other; too casual for a client.
Well, I gotta get goin'.crude sex jokes — Fine between close friends, awkward in mixed or professional company.
Jesus, just 'cause a guy's got a predilection toward dick jokes...be connected to
What does one have to do with the other?deep reflection on oneself
And when I did some serious soul-searching, it came to me from outta nowhere.out of nowhere, suddenly — Casual spoken English; keep it out of formal writing.
And when I did some serious soul-searching, it came to me from outta nowhere.equal in level to
Alyssa, with you, I won't feel too inadequate or conservative anymore, because I'll have done something on a par with all your experience.non-restrictive relative clause: Which points back to the whole idea rather than one word, adding a consequence instead of identifying anything.
And it will be with you, which will make it that much more powerful.take a risky step
To Banky he sells the proposal as personal growth: everyone can see the step he should take, except him.
Banky, you can take that leap...nested clauses: The relative clause contains its own object clause, so the verb at the end belongs to the inner layer.
that everyone else but you sees you should take.be each other's whole world
We've been everything to each other but intimates, and now we'll have been through that together too.reduced relative clause: The clause slips in without a marker, so you feel reads as describing the hostility, not as a new statement.
And when it's over, all that hostility you feel toward Alyssa will be gone...The 'do ya' part barely surfaces; the beat lands on 'say'.
What do ya say?The Threesome Proposal, explained
What's really going on
The scene keeps turning a relationship problem into a logic puzzle. Someone lays out two separate tensions, then tells one of them that his trouble with the relationship is really attraction: “You're in love with me.” The proposal that follows is framed as practical, almost housekeeping—one act that will clear jealousy, inadequacy, and hostility at once. The language is calm and organized, which makes the plan feel more unsettling: every emotional complaint gets sorted into a reason why sex should fix it. The line “That would take care of everything” is the tell—it treats desire as a transaction and calls the result cathartic.
Theme
RomanceA threesome is pitched as a fix for jealousy and insecurity, turning desire into a group solution.
FriendshipThe best friend's jealousy is reframed as attraction that has been obvious but unacknowledged, and the proposal asks him to act on it.
Listen for
- asked you here — In fast speech 'asked you' blurs into one lump; no pause between them.
- let me — 'let me' loses its middle in fast speech and sounds like a single word.
- pretty small — Push hard on 'small' — it is the counterweight to 'a big life'.
- do ya say — The 'do ya' part barely surfaces; the beat lands on 'say'.
You're in love with me.Said as a calm diagnosis, not a question: the speaker claims the friend's hostility is really attraction.
What does one have to do with the other?A challenge to the link being built: the two problems do not obviously belong together.
We've all gotta have sex together.The blunt proposal: a single sexual encounter among the three is presented as the solution.
That would take care of everything.The promise attached to the proposal: one act is supposed to resolve jealousy, insecurity, and tension.
We've been everything to each other but intimates, and now we'll have been through that together too.The friend is told that sex is the only experience missing from an otherwise total friendship.
Questions about this scene
Why does one person think the meeting is about killing two birds with one stone?
Because both people have separate business to settle with the speaker, and one confrontation could handle both without making him tell the same story again later.
Why does the speaker say he feels inadequate?
He says his life has been small compared with the other person's big life and much experience, so he does not feel he measures up.
Why does the speaker think his friend is in love with him?
He says their long closeness and shared interests make the attraction make sense, and points to the friend's jealousy, homophobia, and sense of humor.
What does the speaker promise the threesome will fix?
He says it will remove the friend's hostility toward the girlfriend, ease his own inadequacy, and keep all three together.
How does the friend react when told he is in love with the speaker?
He tries to leave, saying he has to catch the last few minutes of Little House; someone tells him to stop and deal with it.
Chasing Amy · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 19hung up onShe Refuses a Threesome Proposal
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
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
Watching · 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 18 of 20 · about 6 min to go