People start taking passengers back to their houses to get cleaned upCome from Away · 2021 — Chapter 12 of 22 · 3'45" · B1
Gander Locals Take In the Passengers, Explained: make small talk
The people of Gander and the nearby towns open their homes to the stranded passengers, offering showers, dinner and beds. One traveller is sure it must be a trick, until the mayor's wife simply shows him to his room. Meanwhile two Kevins keep their relationship quiet, expecting judgment: "I mean, you just don't know how redneck people can be."
What happens
Locals around Gander invite the stranded passengers into their homes to shower, eat and sleep. One traveller suspects a catch until he ends up at the mayor of Appleton's house. Two other passengers walk through town together, wary of being open about their relationship, and trade small talk with the strangers who join them.
Listen for
make small talkget cleaned upput upfall for it
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Phrase of the scene
make small talk
寒暄；闲聊些无关紧要的话
几个陌生人一起散步，先聊些无关紧要的话题，气氛礼貌又小心。
We made small talk while waiting for the elevator.
Also in this scene
- get cleaned up
wash and tidy yourself
- put up
give someone a place to stay
- fall for it
be tricked by something
Everything marked in this scene
31 notes across 72 lines
and then inviting 'em to dinner, then putting 'em up in their guest room.and then inviting 'em to dinner, then putting 'em up in their guest room.set up
My Terry has already set up the nursery.I mean, are they charging for these "free" showers?be tricked by something
Anyway, I wasn't falling for it.past continuous negative
Anyway, I wasn't falling for it.That sounds fancy. But it's not.There is a mayor for every town of a thousand people in Newfoundland.Come on in, son. The Irish whiskey's in the bar downstairs.liaison
Come on in, son. The Irish whiskey's in the bar downstairs.and through it all, I keep thinking, "Where am I gonna leave my wallet?and through it all, I keep thinking, "Where am I gonna leave my wallet?where-clause
and through it all, I keep thinking, "Where am I gonna leave my wallet?Someone says there's a way out of here. They say there might be a boat.Kevin, we're on the other side of the continent.There's a bus there to Port aux Basques, leaves once a day. That's about six hours.It's about two or three days' travel, but it's sure a nice view.I don't leave the hotel. I wait by the phone,Planes are made to be in constant motion.be made to do
Planes are made to be in constant motion.They start to break down.liaison
They start to break down.Our pilot says we're not leaving anytime soon. And Nick says…They're nice enough. Kevin and I are wary of telling people we're together.I mean, you just don't know how redneck people can be.And we kind of make small talk. They ask me what I do.She's going on and on about England and how she didn't get to travel much when she was married.I travel a lot for work.liaison
I travel a lot for work.Now, they'd heard it was a bar, but I wasn't going into a bar in the middle of the afternoonGander Locals Take In the Passengers, explained
What's really going on
The scene is about hospitality meeting suspicion, and it shows both sides honestly. The offers are extraordinary and unconditional — a shower, a dinner, a guest room — and yet the travellers have spent a lifetime learning to expect a catch. The narrator's own instinct is telling: he cannot believe the showers are free, and wonders whether the hosts will turn out to be Norman Bates. There is a second, quieter suspicion running underneath: the two Kevins assume the town will judge them, saying, "I mean, you just don't know how redneck people can be." The scene doesn't pretend those fears are irrational; it simply lets the kindness keep going anyway. The small talk on the walk, and the discoveries it brings, is how strangers start to become people rather than types.
Theme
TrustPassengers expect a catch and fear judgment, and the town keeps offering kindness anyway.
FriendshipSmall talk on a walk turns strangers into people, softening the fear both sides carry.
Listen for
- Come on in — liaison
- break down — liaison
- for work — liaison
People are saying, "We want you to come to our house."The simple, repeated offer at the heart of the scene: ordinary people inviting total strangers home.
It's about two or three days' travel, but it's sure a nice view.The officer's practical directions to the mainland, ending on a cheerful note about the scenery.
Planes are made to be in constant motion.A pilot's way of explaining the situation: a grounded plane is not merely delayed, it is out of place.
When they sit still for too long, well, it's not good for 'em.The other half of the thought, suggesting that being stuck does real harm, to machines and people alike.
I mean, you just don't know how redneck people can be.The fear of judgment spoken plainly, the assumption that a small town will not accept two men together.
Questions about this scene
Why do the locals take passengers home?
Because the passengers have nowhere to stay and the town wants to help. They offer showers, dinner and guest rooms to strangers at no charge.
Why does one traveller distrust the offer?
He assumes there must be a catch, joking that the showers cannot really be free and wondering if the hosts are like Norman Bates. It says more about his expectations than the town.
Why are the two Kevins cautious?
They are a couple and are afraid of how people in a small, unfamiliar town might react. They hold back on telling others they are together.
What does the walk change?
It turns strangers into company. Small talk and small revelations make the group easier with each other, even if old suspicions do not vanish at once.
Come from Away · 22 chapters
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Up next · Chapter 13praise be to GodThe Gayest Town in Newfoundland
Chapter 1a lay of the landGander Learns of the Emergency
Chapter 2shaking like a leafPlanes Land Unexpectedly in Gander
Chapter 3a state of emergencyGander Declares a State of Emergency
Chapter 4for the love of GodA Town Gathers Supplies
Chapter 5rumors start flyingPassengers Stuck on Planes for 28 Hours
Chapter 6make no mistakeWaiting on the Plane for News
Chapter 7left over fromPassengers Disembark into the Dark
Chapter 8hear a pin dropGander Finds Translators and Animals
Chapter 9speak the same languageLocals Drive Passengers to the Camp
Chapter 10to the ends of the earthGander Academy Becomes a Shelter
Chapter 11suit yourselfStranded Passengers Wait for News
Watching · Chapter 12make small talkGander Locals Take In the Passengers
Chapter 13praise be to GodThe Gayest Town in Newfoundland
Chapter 14there for meA Mother Waits and Tells Jokes
Chapter 15a moment of silenceA Gas Station Falls Silent
Chapter 16jump at one's own shadowA Fight Breaks Out in the Hallway
Chapter 17take the plungeThe Screech-In Ceremony
Chapter 18Don't be a strangerGander Says Goodbye to the Visitors
Chapter 19take seriouslyA Muslim Passenger Is Searched
Chapter 20seize the momentDiane and Nick at the Lookout
Chapter 21ground zeroThe Aftermath Back Home
Chapter 22a big breakGander Remembers the Plane PeopleChapter 12 of 22 · about 34 min to go