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Come from Away · 2021 — Chapter 13 of 22 · 2'25" · B1

The Gayest Town in Newfoundland, Explained: praise be to God

A gay couple in a small Newfoundland bar brace for a bad reaction when one of them mentions being together for five years. Instead, the owner answers with "praise be to God" and tells them his daughter is gay, and the whole bar joins in. "We somehow ended up in the gayest town in Newfoundland."

What happens

Two men stop in a Newfoundland bar and worry about how much to reveal, unsure where the red states are in a foreign country. After a few drinks one of them mentions they have been together five years, and the room goes quiet. Then the owner says his daughter is gay, and the whole bar answers with its own family stories.

Small talkPartiesComfortingInvitingStrangersB1fastother-accentClean
IMDb ↗

Listen for

get one's mind offpraise be to Godround upoffer to help

00:00 / 02:25
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Phrase of the scene

praise be to God

thank God, an exclamation

出柜后酒吧老板一句 praise be to God，反而先说起自己女儿也是同性恋。

Praise be to God, everyone got out safely.

Also in this scene

  • get one's mind off

    把注意力从某事上移开；别再想它

  • round up

    gather people or things together

  • offer to help

    volunteer to help

Everything marked in this scene

27 notes across 44 lines

Phrase · B2make small talkSo we stay in the bar and make small talk with Matty, the owner, and his wife, Brenda.
Soundsmall talk

elision

So we stay in the bar and make small talk with Matty, the owner, and his wife, Brenda.
Phrase · B2how much to sayBut we're not sure how much to say.
Phrase · C1red statesYou just don't know where the red states are in a foreign country, right?
Phrase · A2a foreign countryYou just don't know where the red states are in a foreign country, right?
Grammar · B2where the red states are

where-clause

You just don't know where the red states are in a foreign country, right?
Phrase · B1be together for a timeKevin and I have been together for almost five years.
Phrase · B2pass out-I'm about to pass out. -But then Matty says…
Grammar · B2about to pass out

be about to

-I'm about to pass out. -But then Matty says…
Soundpass out

liaison

-I'm about to pass out. -But then Matty says…
Phrase · B2praise be to God

thank God, an exclamation

Well, praise be to God. My daughter's gay.
Phrase · B2run off with someoneAnd the woman across the road just ran off with her best friend.
Grammar · B2ended up in

end up in

We somehow ended up in the gayest town in Newfoundland.
Grammar · B1That's why

that's why

-And then Brenda's brother says… -That's why I only drink the beer.
Phrase · B2lose itWatching the news all day, some of us are starting to lose it.
Phrase · B2get one's mind off somethingjust trying to get our minds off of everything.
Phrase · B1do someone a favorRight, my son, do me a favor and start to round up some grills.
Phrase · B2round something up

gather people or things together

Right, my son, do me a favor and start to round up some grills.
Phrase · B1the whole timeand the whole time I keep thinking, "Someone's gonna shoot me in the back."
Phrase · B1in the backand the whole time I keep thinking, "Someone's gonna shoot me in the back."
Phrase · B2a cuppaThe wife's got the kettle on, if you want a cuppa.
Slang · B2cuppaThe wife's got the kettle on, if you want a cuppa.
Phrase · B1offer to do something

volunteer to help

And most of 'em offer to help me steal their own barbecues.
Phrase · B1no namesWe bring 'em all over to the community center, no names on 'em.
Soundno names

liaison

We bring 'em all over to the community center, no names on 'em.
Phrase · B1get something backI don't know how they ever get 'em back.
Phrase · B1stop doing somethingAfter that, I stop worrying so much about my wallet.

The Gayest Town in Newfoundland, explained

What's really going on

The scene is about the fear of saying too much, and the relief of needing to say nothing at all. The couple have learned to check the room first - "You just don't know where the red states are in a foreign country" - so when the truth slips out over drinks, they brace for the worst. What arrives instead is the opposite: "Well, praise be to God. My daughter's gay." The kindness is funny because it is so unbothered, and each new voice in the bar adds another gay relative to the list. The scene lets the punchline be a place: "We somehow ended up in the gayest town in Newfoundland." It also quietly reverses the town's image of itself, showing hospitality less as tolerance than as total acceptance.

Theme

IdentityTwo men who have learned to hide for safety are met with a town that treats their relationship as ordinary.
TrustStrangers offer their own family stories instead of judgment, turning a tense moment into instant belonging.

Listen for

  • small talk — elision
  • pass out — liaison
  • no names — liaison
Well, praise be to God. My daughter's gay.

The perfect non-reaction: instead of shock, the owner claims the news as familiar and welcomes them with a blessing.

We somehow ended up in the gayest town in Newfoundland.

The joke that reframes the whole stop: a place they feared turned out to be the most accepting one around.

I think I say, "There must be something in the water."

A dry one-liner that turns the town's openness into a local mystery, as if it were something you drink.

And most of 'em offer to help me steal their own barbecues.

The town's generosity at its most absurd: people not only lend their grills but help borrow them back.

Questions about this scene

Why are the couple nervous in the bar?

They do not know how a small town will react to two men being a couple, and they have learned to be careful about how much they reveal.

How does the bar react when they find out?

Warmly and without surprise: the owner says his daughter is gay, and others in the bar chime in with their own gay relatives.

What does "praise be to God" mean?

It's an old-fashioned way of saying thank God, used here to welcome the news rather than judge it - which is exactly the joke.

Why does the mayor ask for grills?

The town is holding a big cookout for everyone stranded there, so he sends people around to collect grills from people's yards.

How do the neighbours respond to having their grills taken?

They offer tea and even help carry the grills away themselves, which is the scene's measure of how welcoming the town is.

Come from Away · 22 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14there for meA Mother Waits and Tells Jokes
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 PassengersWatching · Chapter 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 13 of 22 · about 32 min to go