there has been
There's been an incident in the United States.Come from Away · 2021 — Chapter 2 of 22 · 1'45" · B2
Planes Land Unexpectedly in Gander, Explained: shaking like a leaf
A captain's calm announcement hides the real reason for the stop: "There's been an incident in the United States." Passengers watch planes line up outside like sardines and a flight attendant shaking like a leaf. Nobody says the word yet, but everyone is starting to understand that this landing is not routine.
What happens
An airliner is diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, and the captain blames a cabin lighting problem rather than the real cause. Inside, passengers fasten their seat belts and trade memories. One notices the flight attendant shaking like a leaf; another sees planes parked outside lined up like sardines. The scene turns a routine announcement into the start of a shared ordeal.
Listen for
shaking like a leafset downlined up like sardinesdoctor's orders
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Phrase of the scene
shaking like a leaf
抖得像片叶子；害怕得直发抖
乘客看到空乘抖得厉害，以此判断情况不妙，于是允许自己表现出害怕。
She was shaking like a leaf before the exam.
Also in this scene
- set down
to land an aircraft; to put something down
- lined up like sardines
packed tightly in a long row
- doctor's orders
something a doctor has told you to do
Everything marked in this scene
23 notes across 31 lines
We're just going to touch down while we fix the system.while-clause
We're just going to touch down while we fix the system.liaison
We're just going to touch down while we fix the system.Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts.Looks like we'll be making an unexpected landing in Gander, "New-found-land."Anybody in the business knows when you set down in Gander, it's for an emergency.to land an aircraft; to put something down
Anybody in the business knows when you set down in Gander, it's for an emergency.when-clause
Anybody in the business knows when you set down in Gander, it's for an emergency.We will be dimming the lights in the cabin.gerund subject
Pushing the light bulb button will turn your reading light on.something a doctor has told you to do
I told them it was doctor's orders.My dad's always saying, "Bob, you got to calm down."elision
My dad's always saying, "Bob, you got to calm down."But the flight attendant is shaking like a leaf, so I figure I've got permission.And when I get back, I'm telling him, "This is exactly why."A sudden change in direction.I fly a lot, so I know that's not normal.Outside the window, all I can see below are trees and rocks and… nothing.There are planes lined up like sardines.There are planes lined up like sardines.liaison
There are planes lined up like sardines.And as far as I can see, there's cars lined up too.Planes Land Unexpectedly in Gander, explained
What's really going on
This is the moment the musical's larger story begins, and it does it with a small, calm lie. "We're having trouble with the cabin lighting system" is the captain's cover for a crisis no one on board can see, and the passengers respond the way real people do: by watching the crew, reading the mood, and filling the silence with their own stories. Bob, told by his father to calm down, notices that the flight attendant is "shaking like a leaf" and decides he now has permission to be afraid. Others look out at the tarmac, where planes and cars are lining up like sardines, a small town suddenly holding the world's diverted flights. The scene never names the crisis, and lets the audience feel the weight instead.
Theme
SurvivalA plane is put down in a small town with no explanation, and everyone on board must wait and trust strangers with their safety.
TrustPassengers read the crew for signs of danger, and the whole town's response begins with people deciding to rely on one another.
Listen for
- touch down — liaison
- calm down — elision
- lined up — liaison
Anybody in the business knows when you set down in Gander, it's for an emergency.An insider's rule: landing in Gander means something is seriously wrong, so the airport's name itself becomes a warning.
But the flight attendant is shaking like a leaf, so I figure I've got permission.He takes the crew's visible fear as permission to be scared himself, a small human moment inside the crisis.
There are planes lined up like sardines.A homely image for an enormous event: dozens of diverted jets packed onto a small airport's tarmac.
It looks like everybody in Newfoundland is here.A joke that measures the scale of the event: the whole town has turned out for the stranded planes.
I fly a lot, so I know that's not normal.Experience tells him the sudden drop and turn are wrong, even though no one has explained anything yet.
However, pushing the flight attendant button will not turn your flight attendant on.A deadpan cabin announcement that plays on the double meaning of 'turn on,' hiding fear behind a joke.
Questions about this scene
Why did the plane land in Gander?
The captain blames a cabin lighting problem, but the real reason is an incident in the United States that has closed the airspace, so the flight is diverted.
Why does the captain give a false reason?
To keep passengers calm. Saying there is a lighting problem is easier than telling them the country they are flying toward is in crisis.
What does "shaking like a leaf" mean?
It means trembling uncontrollably from fear or nerves. Here it describes the flight attendant, which tells the narrator how serious things are.
What do the passengers see outside?
They see a tarmac crowded with diverted planes and cars, with jets lined up like sardines in a town too small for them.
How does the scene end?
It ends with the town filling up with planes and people, setting up the story of how Gander hosted thousands of stranded passengers.
Come from Away · 22 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3a state of emergencyGander Declares a State of Emergency
Chapter 1a lay of the landGander Learns of the Emergency
Watching · 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
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 2 of 22 · about 69 min to go