take someone's order
Welcome to Mooby's. May I take your order?Clerks II · 2006 — Chapter 5 of 17 · 3'11" · B2
Trilogy Showdown at Mooby's, Explained: Say what you will about
Over fast food, a movie argument turns into a loyalty test: one side recites The Lord of the Rings, the other insists "There's only one trilogy." The fight is less about films than about who gets to define taste, and the reply is a flat verdict on the other side's entire worldview.
What happens
At Mooby's, an order for a shake and onion rings turns into a full-blown argument about film trilogies. One person recites the ring verse; another counts repeat viewings; the talk escalates from Oscar credentials to where the third film should have ended.
Listen for
I'm the geekwhipping out your preciousesdownfucking morons
00:00 / 03:11Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
I'm the geek
So I'm the geek now?
After being called a Star Wars geek, the reply throws the label straight back with mock surprise.
I'm the geek? You're the one with three box sets.
Also in this scene
- whipping out your preciouses
pulling out your prized things; a crude double entendre
- down
okay with; into
- fucking morons
fucking idiots
- Mannequin Skywalker
a pun on Anakin Skywalker: wooden acting
- massive achievement
a huge accomplishment
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 61 lines
Keep 'your' light; land the beat on 'order'.
Welcome to Mooby's. May I take your order?isn't / aren't — Informal speech; avoid it in formal writing.
All right, look, there's only one Return, okay, and it ain't of the king... it's of the Jedi.nerd; obsessive fan — Fine among friends, but it can sting if aimed at someone.
Oh, Star Wars geek.make allowances for him
You'll have to excuse him.what the hell — Strong profanity; never use it in formal settings.
Oh, what the fuck happened to this world?start calling someone something
Maybe we should start calling your friend Padme, because he loves Mannequin Skywalker so much, right?Hit 'hell' hard and glide through 'boring as'.
Those fucking hobbit movies were boring as hell.extremely — Casual intensifier; too crude for formal writing.
Those fucking hobbit movies were boring as hell.a lot of; a group of
All it was was a bunch of people walking.double was construction: The first was belongs to 'All it was'; the second links it to 'a bunch of people walking'.
All it was was a bunch of people walking.completely wrong Here it means 'completely wrong', not physically far away.
He is way off. Loser.hell yeah; absolutely — Vulgar slang for enthusiastic agreement; keep it casual.
Fuckin' A.be fed up with someone
I've had enough of you.Let 'enough of' blur; 'of' barely takes a beat.
I've had enough of you.an overly simple analysis
Your simplistic analysis of the trilogy aside,fronted aside: The aside is fronted to dismiss the analysis before the main claim arrives.
Your simplistic analysis of the trilogy aside,relative clause: The that-clause qualifies 'achievement'; the when-clause adds the Academy's award moment.
The Lord of the Rings was a massive achievement that even the Academy recognized when they gave Peter Jackson the Best Directing Oscar...a great comeback — Praise among friends for a sharp comeback; not for formal settings.
Oh, sick burn.counterfactual if-clause: The if-clause sets up a hypothetical; the result arrives in the next line with would've ended.
If Peter Jackson really wanted to blow me away with those "Rings" movies,a logical point to end the story
he would've ended the third one on the logical closure point, not the 25 endings that followed.explain it to us A sarcastic 'do tell', not a sincere request for enlightenment.
Yeah, friend, enlighten us.come out of sleep or a coma
When fucking Frito wakes up from his little coma or whatever, and the little hobbits are jumping up and down on his bed, and Sam leans in the doorway and gives him that very fuckin' gay look.whatever you say about
Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this.keep something out of this
Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this.Run 'out of' together, with the t kept light.
Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this.go away for a while Here it means 'go away for a while', not a casual stroll.
That look was so gay, I thought Sam was gonna tell the little hobbits to take a walk so he could saunter over to Frodo and suck his fuckin' cock.a homophobic slur — A homophobic slur; never use it.
Hey, faggot, they're not gay. They're hobbits.just before the closing credits
And then right after the Sam-Frodo suckfest, right before the credits roll,Trilogy Showdown at Mooby's, explained
What's really going on
The ordering counter is a stage for status games. The ring verse, the repeat-viewing tally, the Oscar citation: each detail is offered as proof that the speaker belongs to the right fandom and the other does not. The argument keeps shifting from taste to authority—who has seen more, who understands structure, who can invoke the Academy. "Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this" turns a movie debate into a mock-sacred boundary, and the reply about "the Shire" answers in the same register. Under the jokes, the scene is about the pleasure and pettiness of defending the thing you love in front of people who don't.
Theme
Dark humorThe debate treats fandom trivia as life-or-death, turning fan culture into black comedy.
IdentityThe argument is really about who belongs in the right fandom and whose taste counts.
Listen for
- take your order — Keep 'your' light; land the beat on 'order'.
- boring as hell — Hit 'hell' hard and glide through 'boring as'.
- enough of you — Let 'enough of' blur; 'of' barely takes a beat.
- out of this — Run 'out of' together, with the t kept light.
There's only one trilogy, you fucking morons.The speaker declares that only one trilogy counts and calls the others idiots; in this argument, that means Star Wars.
Those fucking hobbit movies were boring as hell.A blunt verdict that the fantasy films are tedious; 'as hell' intensifies 'boring' rather than adding literal meaning.
Even the fuckin' trees walked in those movies.An exaggerated complaint about slow pacing: the films are so full of walking that even the trees join in.
Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this.You may say what you like about Jesus, but The Lord of the Rings is off-limits here; the line draws a joking sacred boundary.
I am gonna kick your ass back to the Shire if you don't shut your fuckin' mouth.A mock threat to beat someone and send them 'back to the Shire' unless they stop talking; the place name turns the threat into a fantasy-flavored joke.
Now, that would've been an Academy Award-worthy ending.A sarcastic claim that a crude imagined ending would deserve an Oscar; 'worthy' is used as mock praise.
Questions about this scene
Why does the film argument turn into a fight about trilogies?
Because each side treats the word as a claim to legitimacy. One line insists, "There's only one trilogy," while another defends The Lord of the Rings as "a massive achievement" backed by Peter Jackson's Oscar. The disagreement is about which films count and whose taste has authority.
What is the joke about "Return"?
One line says there is only one Return and "it ain't of the king... it's of the Jedi." The joke is that the word Return belongs to a different film, which sets up the claim that only one trilogy counts.
Why does the argument suddenly bring up Jesus?
The line sets up a contrast: "Say what you will about Jesus, but leave the Rings out of this." Jesus can be discussed, but The Lord of the Rings is treated as untouchable. The joke is the mock-sacred exception.
Is the Oscar brought up as praise or as a weapon?
As a weapon. One line calls The Lord of the Rings a "massive achievement" and notes that the Academy gave Peter Jackson Best Directing, then contrasts that with George Lucas never winning. The award is used to win the argument.
Why does someone count repeat viewings?
The count serves as evidence in the fandom argument: three for Fellowship, two for Towers, and five for Return are offered as proof of commitment and knowledge. The exact numbers matter less than the claim they support.
Clerks II · 17 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6give someone the time of dayDante and Becky Debate Marriage
Chapter 1take issue withCoworkers Argue Over Wheelchair Blogger
Chapter 2hit the jackpotDante and Emma Argue Over a House
Chapter 3more than meets the eyeTransformers Argument at Mooby's
Chapter 4sow your wild oatsCan't Be Friends With Your Boss
Watching · Chapter 5Say what you will aboutTrilogy Showdown at Mooby's
Chapter 6give someone the time of dayDante and Becky Debate Marriage
Chapter 7at its finestPlanning a Donkey Show for a Send-Off
Chapter 8piece togetherRandal Grills Elias About Sex
Chapter 9bet dollars to donutsLance Dowds Visits Mooby's
Chapter 10blow off some steamA Slur at the Mooby's Counter
Chapter 11term of endearmentRandal Defends a Slur
Chapter 12tie your life to someoneWedding Jitters, But Only About Dancing
Chapter 13You and what army?A Man Confesses He's the Father
Chapter 14at its finestGoing-Away Party Turns Into a Stage Act
Chapter 15smooth things overDante and Randal's Jail Blowup
Chapter 16take a bullet for someoneFriends Fight Over Moving Away
Chapter 17pan outFriends Negotiate the Quick Stop LoanChapter 5 of 17 · about 37 min to go