Chapter 23 of 30 · 3'05"
Clifford argues they should write Deathtrap together, insisting the public does not care about guilt: "All they want is to be in on it." Then he turns the questions around, asking whether anyone ever called Sidney a sociopath. Sidney says the word does not frighten him, but gives him pause.
❝ Monologue · 9 lines All They Want Is to Be in on It
Sidney and the Word Sociopath
Clifford makes the case that they should write the play together. Morality is beside the point, he says; the audience just wants to be let in on the secret. He then presses Sidney about his past, asking if anyone ever used the word 'sociopath,' and Sidney admits the word gives him pause.
The scene flips the earlier argument: now Clifford is the one who wants to write the play, and he uses the same logic Sidney did. His pitch is cold and simple, 'All they want is to be in on it,' which treats notoriety as the product rather than the risk. Then he stops selling and starts digging, asking whether any court or social worker ever called Sidney a sociopath. Sidney tries to stay above it, 'No, it doesn't frighten me,' and immediately concedes, 'It does, however... give me pause.' The scene shows two people testing how far each will go, and who is really holding the pen.
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
“Sidney, nobody gives a shit who did what or who they did it to.”
The crude phrasing makes the public's indifference sound blunt and undeniable.
Informal
“All they want is to be in on it.”
Bare and final, it reduces a crowd's motive to one line.
Neutral
“It means one who has no sense of moral obligation whatsoever.”
The clinical tone makes the definition land like a verdict.
Formal
“All the news is fit to print and show.”
It twists a famous newspaper motto into a slogan for showbiz scandal.
Neutral
Just look around you! Jesus Christ. You don't have to read Hustler. Just read Village Voice, People Magazine... Sidney, I'll tell you something. Everything that you have ever thought of and a hell of a lot that you haven't... All the news is fit to print and show. Sidney, nobody gives a shit who did what or who they did it to. All they want is to be in on it. I mean, you killed your wife? That's okay. Why don't you abuse your kids, poison the well, fuck bats? As long as you get on television, talk about it afterwards.
Up next · 24kid a kidderThe scene: Bruhl and Anderson Team UpHe sees a hit. He argues that scandal and notoriety would only help the play, and that audiences care more about being in on the secret than about justice.
Clifford. He has done the thinking, makes the pitch, and then turns the questions back on Sidney, testing how far he is willing to go.
He is probing Sidney's past and his character, asking whether courts or doctors ever used that word about him, which unsettles Sidney more than he admits.
He means breaking free of restraint and finally writing the play, even though it came out of a murder, giving in to what Clifford has been arguing.
