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Come from Away · 2021 — Chapter 1 of 22 · 2'02" · B1

Gander Learns of the Emergency, Explained: a lay of the land

Gander wakes up as usual at Tim Hortons, where the mayor greets his neighbours and picks up the town's gossip. A new reporter arrives on her first day, and then the radio cuts in: planes are being ordered to land at Gander. "No, sir. This is not a drill." The ordinary morning is over in a sentence.

What happens

The mayor starts his day at Tim Hortons, the place where everything in Gander begins and ends. He swaps news with the regulars and meets Janice, a reporter on her first day. Then air traffic control comes over the radio: incoming flights are being diverted to Gander, and the message is clear that this is no exercise.

Small talkPhone callsSmall talkWarningNeighborsB1mediumother-accent
IMDb ↗

Listen for

a lay of the landkeep in touch withcoming to the tablenot a drill

00:00 / 02:02
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
  1. ❝ MonologueThe mayor’s Tim Hortons open5 linesPractice page ↗
Tap a line to replay it

Phrase of the scene

a lay of the land

先摸清情况；熟悉环境

镇长介绍自己每天早上去 Tim Hortons 喝汽水，顺便了解镇上大家的情况。

Let me get a lay of the land before we make a plan.

Also in this scene

  • keep in touch with

    stay in contact with someone

  • coming to the table

    agree to negotiate

  • not a drill

    this is a real emergency

Everything marked in this scene

23 notes across 40 lines

Phrase · C1get a lay of the landBut I'll grab a Pepsi and get a lay of the land.
Soundget a lay

flap

But I'll grab a Pepsi and get a lay of the land.
Phrase · B1keep in touch with someone

stay in contact with someone

As the mayor, it's how I keep in touch with the people and such.
Phrase · B2and suchAs the mayor, it's how I keep in touch with the people and such.
Grammar · B2As the mayor

as

As the mayor, it's how I keep in touch with the people and such.
Phrase · C1come to the table

agree to negotiate

Well, we're coming to the table.
Phrase · B1tear something down-They tearing down the airport? -Not today.
Slang · B2Lucky shit-You don't say. -Lucky shit.
Phrase · B1one's first day-It's my first day. -Where you 'longs to, Janice?
Phrase · B1run a red lightSo if you see me running red lights or anything, just forgive me because we don't have stoplights over there.
Soundtalk to

liaison

If you're looking for news, you should talk to that man running in here.
Phrase · B2full of storiesThat's our constable, Oz Fudge. He's full of stories.
Phrase · B1turn something upCrystal, turn up the radio so's we all can hear.
Soundturn up

liaison

Crystal, turn up the radio so's we all can hear.
Grammar · B2get down to

get down to

Doug, you probably wanna get down to air traffic control right away.
Phrase · B1be supposed to do somethingThere's only supposed to be two air traffic controllers on,
Grammar · B1supposed to be

be supposed to

There's only supposed to be two air traffic controllers on,
Phrase · B1show upEveryone's heard, and they all shows up without even being asked.
Phrase · B1due to somethingDue to a recent development, you are ordered to land at Gander YQX immediately.
Phrase · B1have a choiceNo, sir, you do not have a choice.
Phrase · B2this is not a drillNo, sir. This is not a drill.
Phrase · C1see and raiseI'll see your VIPs and raise you an international emergency.
Grammar · C1see your VIPs and raise

parallel structure

I'll see your VIPs and raise you an international emergency.

Gander Learns of the Emergency, explained

What's really going on

The scene does two things at once, and the contrast is the point. First it shows Gander as a small town running on routine and gossip, a place where the mayor keeps his finger on the pulse over coffee and where everyone greets everyone by name. Then the routine breaks. The order to land flights at Gander arrives without warning, and it is delivered in the flat language of authority: "No, sir. This is not a drill." The joke and the tragedy sit in the same minute. Even the town's odd charm — the mayor describing his morning as a way to get a lay of the land — becomes part of what the emergency will test. These are the people, and this is the ordinary, that the next days are about to ask something enormous of.

Theme

DutyAn ordinary town morning turns into a call to action, and the people begin showing up without being asked.
CourageBefore anyone knows the scale of the crisis, Gander's people start organising to take strangers in.

Listen for

  • get a lay — flap
  • talk to — liaison
  • turn up — liaison
Everything starts and ends at Tim Hortons.

A small-town line that doubles as the scene's setting: the coffee shop is where the mayor reads the town and where the day is organised.

Everyone's heard, and they all shows up without even being asked.

The town's reflex, described in its own accent: news travels fast, and help arrives before anyone has to ask.

I'll see your VIPs and raise you an international emergency.

A poker joke from air traffic control, turning a tussle about priority passengers into a cold statement of urgency.

No, sir. This is not a drill.

The flat, official line that turns a radio broadcast into a real emergency.

So if you see me running red lights or anything, just forgive me because we don't have stoplights over there.

A new reporter's self-deprecating joke about small-town traffic, used to introduce herself and win the room.

Questions about this scene

Why is the mayor at Tim Hortons?

It is his daily routine and his way of keeping in touch with the town. He grabs a Pepsi, greets people by name and picks up the local news before work.

Who is Janice Mosher?

A new reporter for Rogers TV who has just arrived from Port aux Basques. It is her first day, and she introduces herself to the mayor looking for a story.

What order comes over the radio?

Flights are being ordered to land at Gander immediately because of a developing national emergency. The controller makes clear it is not a drill and not negotiable.

What does the poker line mean?

The controller says he will "see your VIPs and raise you an international emergency," borrowing poker language to say that no passenger's status matters more than the crisis.

Come from Away · 22 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 2shaking like a leafPlanes Land Unexpectedly in Gander
Watching · Chapter 1a lay of the landGander Learns of the EmergencyChapter 2shaking like a leafPlanes Land Unexpectedly in GanderChapter 3a state of emergencyGander Declares a State of EmergencyChapter 4for the love of GodA Town Gathers SuppliesChapter 5rumors start flyingPassengers Stuck on Planes for 28 HoursChapter 6make no mistakeWaiting on the Plane for NewsChapter 7left over fromPassengers Disembark into the DarkChapter 8hear a pin dropGander Finds Translators and AnimalsChapter 9speak the same languageLocals Drive Passengers to the CampChapter 10to the ends of the earthGander Academy Becomes a ShelterChapter 11suit yourselfStranded Passengers Wait for NewsChapter 12make small talkGander Locals Take In the PassengersChapter 13praise be to GodThe Gayest Town in NewfoundlandChapter 14there for meA Mother Waits and Tells JokesChapter 15a moment of silenceA Gas Station Falls SilentChapter 16jump at one's own shadowA Fight Breaks Out in the HallwayChapter 17take the plungeThe Screech-In CeremonyChapter 18Don't be a strangerGander Says Goodbye to the VisitorsChapter 19take seriouslyA Muslim Passenger Is SearchedChapter 20seize the momentDiane and Nick at the LookoutChapter 21ground zeroThe Aftermath Back HomeChapter 22a big breakGander Remembers the Plane People
Chapter 1 of 22 · about 71 min to go