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Come from Away · 2021 — Chapter 19 of 22 · 2'34" · B2

A Muslim Passenger Is Searched, Explained: take seriously

In the chaos of the grounded airport, a flight attendant reports a Muslim passenger as suspicious because he was praying. He is taken away and searched, and the captain later apologises to him. Then the passengers try to vote on where the plane should fly, and the captain shuts it down: "This is not a democracy!"

What happens

At the airport in Gander, bags are emptied and anything suspicious is treated as a bomb. A Muslim passenger is reported by a flight attendant for praying, then questioned and searched while the captain watches. Afterwards she apologises to him. Later, passengers try to vote on their destination, and the captain refuses to let them.

Police questioningAccusationsApologizingConfrontingStrangersB2fastother-accentClean
IMDb ↗

Listen for

be free to goblow uptake seriouslyno control over

00:00 / 02:34
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
  18. ❝ MonologueAli names awrah5 linesPractice page ↗
  40. ❝ MonologueThe captain kills the vote6 linesPractice page ↗
Tap a line to replay it

Phrase of the scene

take seriously

treat as important

安保人员说，任何 perceived threats must be taken extremely seriously，必须严加对待。

You should take his warning seriously.

Also in this scene

  • be free to go

    可以走了；获准离开

  • blow up

    destroy with an explosion

  • no control over

    have no power to change something

Everything marked in this scene

34 notes across 45 lines

Phrase · B2chaosWe get down to the airport, and it's chaos.
Phrase · B1drop someone offPassengers dropped off from multiple flights.
Phrase · B2unidentifiedIf any bags are unidentified, they'll be blown up.
Phrase · B2blow something upIf any bags are unidentified, they'll be blown up.
Grammar · B1One of my flight attendants

one of

One of my flight attendants comes to find me, and she says…
Phrase · B2act suspiciousI saw him praying, and he's been acting suspicious.
Phrase · B2out of lineI arrive at the airport and am pulled out of line.
Soundout of line

flap

I arrive at the airport and am pulled out of line.
Phrase · B1be responsible for somethingI am responsible for the safety of my passengers and my crew.
Grammar · B1responsible for the safety

be responsible for

I am responsible for the safety of my passengers and my crew.
Phrase · B2take something extremely seriouslyAnd Security tells me that any perceived threats must be taken extremely seriously.
Grammar · B2must be taken

must be done

And Security tells me that any perceived threats must be taken extremely seriously.
Phrase · B2bring someone in for questioningThey bring me into a private room, and he's brought in for questioning.
Phrase · B2forbiddenIt is forbidden in my religion for anyone to see this but my wife.
Phrase · C1a body searchIt is the most thorough body search I've ever witnessed.
Phrase · B2ever witnessedIt is the most thorough body search I've ever witnessed.
Phrase · B2be free to goAm I free to go now?
Phrase · B1one of the firstGood morning! We are one of the first flights to leave, which makes us one of the lucky ones,
Phrase · B1the lucky onesGood morning! We are one of the first flights to leave, which makes us one of the lucky ones,
Phrase · B2quite some timeas some planes may still be here for quite some time.
Phrase · B2have no control over something

have no power to change something

Now, I have no control over this.
Soundno control

liaison

Now, I have no control over this.
Phrase · B2get clearanceYou have paid for a flight from Paris to Dallas, and if I get clearance, I'll take you to Dallas.
Phrase · B2make arrangementsBut we will make arrangements as quickly as we can to get y'all back to the United States
Phrase · B1as quickly as one canBut we will make arrangements as quickly as we can to get y'all back to the United States
Phrase · B1adopt a childI just adopted my daughter, and if I don't--
Phrase · B1vote on somethingHey! Hey! We can vote on this!
Soundvote on

flap

Hey! Hey! We can vote on this!
Slang · B2Screw thatScrew that! Who's for Switzerland?
Phrase · B2not a democracyThis is not a democracy!
Phrase · B1come from someoneI am the captain, and this is coming from American Airlines and the FAA.
Grammar · B2are not voting

present continuous negative

You are not voting on our destination.
Phrase · B1deal with somethingNow, if we have any situation that needs to be dealt with, we will be pulled out of line,
Phrase · B2thank you for your cooperationThank you for your cooperation.

A Muslim Passenger Is Searched, explained

What's really going on

The scene is the film at its most uncomfortable, and it does not look away. The profiling is described plainly: a man is reported for praying, then searched in a way the captain calls the most thorough she has witnessed. What makes it land is that both things are held at once, the fear that produced the search and the shame of having carried it out, and the captain's apology is genuine without undoing what happened. The second half turns the same theme in a lighter direction: passengers try to vote the plane's destination, and the captain answers, "This is not a democracy!" It is a joke and a lesson in authority at once, and it shows how quickly a crowd will reach for control when it feels powerless. The scene keeps its balance by letting the apology and the order sit side by side.

Theme

TrustA passenger is profiled and searched, and the captain has to rebuild trust after the fear that drove it.
PowerAuthority is tested twice: over who is a threat, and over who gets to decide where the plane goes.

Listen for

  • out of line — flap
  • no control — liaison
  • vote on — flap
I am responsible for the safety of my passengers and my crew.

The captain's reason for acting: responsibility for everyone on board, used to justify a decision she is not proud of.

It is the most thorough body search I've ever witnessed.

A witness's account of the search, making clear how invasive it was without editorialising.

I am so very sorry that happened.

A direct apology after the fact, owning the harm even though the action was taken for supposed safety.

Am I free to go now?

A flat question that carries the humiliation of the search: the passenger asks only whether he can leave.

This is not a democracy!

The captain's sharp correction when passengers try to decide the destination by vote.

You are not voting on our destination.

The rule stated flatly, separating what passengers can choose from what belongs to the flight crew.

Questions about this scene

Why is the Muslim passenger searched?

A flight attendant reports that he was praying and calls him suspicious. He is taken aside and given a thorough body search before the flight is allowed to continue.

Does the captain think the search was right?

She does not. She explains that security told her any perceived threat had to be taken seriously, but afterwards she finds the passenger and tells him she is very sorry it happened.

Why do the passengers try to vote?

They are told the plane might have to fly back to France, and some passengers, like a woman who has just adopted her daughter, cannot accept that. So they propose a vote on the destination.

Where do they end up going?

Clearance allows them to fly on to Dallas as ticketed. The captain promises to make arrangements to get everyone where they need to be as quickly as possible.

Come from Away · 22 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 20seize the momentDiane and Nick at the Lookout
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 VisitorsWatching · Chapter 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 19 of 22 · about 11 min to go