well known for something bad or controversial
very, very good professors who are notorious for seducing their female pupils.Husbands and Wives · 1992 — Chapter 5 of 15 · 3'02" · C1
Gabe's Kamikaze Women Theory, Explained: penchant for
Gabe, in an interview, explains why he is drawn to dangerous women. He calls them 'kamikaze women' because they destroy themselves and take the people who love them down too. "They're self-destructive. But they crash it into you, and you die along with them." He traces the pattern back to Harriet Harmon, the great love of his life.
What happens
In a documentary-style interview, Gabe talks about his weakness for what he calls kamikaze women: partners who are exciting, self-destructive, and almost impossible to keep. He admits he has never acted on his classroom daydreams, then tells the story of Harriet Harmon, the most passionate relationship of his life, and how she ended up in an institution.
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penchant fornotorious fora cinchwound up
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Phrase of the scene
penchant for
a strong liking for or habit of choosing something
盖布对着镜头自辩从不招惹学生，却承认自己一辈子专挑危险的恋人；他把这类女人命名为 kamikaze women，用的正是 penchant 这个词。
He has a penchant for expensive watches he can't afford.
Also in this scene
- notorious for
well known for something bad or controversial
- a cinch
something very easy to do
- wound up
ended up in a place or situation
Everything marked in this scene
21 notes across 38 lines
This goes on, and, um... because it's a cinch.You know, they-they look up to them, and they're, you know, they're older men, and their students are flattered by the attention.You know, they-they look up to them, and they're, you know, they're older men, and their students are flattered by the attention.It's not something that I've ever done.I'm not saying that I haven't had daydreams in class at times, because some of those women areI've never acted on it, and I've, you know, I've never cheated on Judy, um, or any other relationship in my life, really, 'cause that, that has not been my style, um, to...I've never acted on it, and I've, you know, I've never cheated on Judy, um, or any other relationship in my life, really, 'cause that, that has not been my style, um, to...I've never acted on it, and I've, you know, I've never cheated on Judy, um, or any other relationship in my life, really, 'cause that, that has not been my style, um, to...I'm ashamed to say this, but Harriet Harmon remains...was the great love of my life.She was, she was sexually carnivorous, you know?I mean, she was really something, and she...She wanted to make love with other women, and she used to... she got into dope for a while.And, you know, I was... For me, I was getting a real education.And I was, you know, fascinated. I was just absolutely nuts about her.And, um, you know, ultimately she wound up in an institution.a strong liking for or habit of choosing something
See, I've always had, um, this penchant for what I call kamikaze women, because they...They're self-destructive. But they crash it into you, and you die along with them.Now, soon as there's a challenge, as soon as there's very little chance of it working out, or no chance, or there's gonna be hurdles or obstacles, something clicks into my mind.that's almost as if I'm in... I fall in love with the person, in love with the situation in some way.Gabe's Kamikaze Women Theory, explained
What's really going on
The monologue is a confession dressed as a theory. Gabe begins with professors who seduce students, insists he is not one of them, and then spends the rest of the interview describing exactly the pattern he claims to avoid. "They're self-destructive. But they crash it into you, and you die along with them." The joke is that he knows the danger and still finds it attractive: trouble is what makes a person interesting to him. When he calls Harriet the great love of his life and adds that she ended up in an institution, the two facts arrive together, which is the whole confession. The closing line, that it has not worked out well for him, is as close as he comes to admitting the theory is about himself.
Theme
RomanceGabe describes love as a pattern of doomed attractions, measuring every relationship by intensity rather than by whether it lasts.
Dark humorHe names the women who wreck him 'kamikazes' and delivers the bleak parts with a laugh, including his own bad record.
What you'll learn
- 'kamikaze women' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'penchant' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
They're self-destructive. But they crash it into you, and you die along with them.Gabe's definition of the women he falls for: they ruin themselves, and the crash takes the person who loves them down too.
She was, you know, great but-but nuts.His summary of Harriet, affectionate and blunt at once: she was wonderful and also deeply unstable.
I mean, it's not funny. It was a very sad thing.The correction he adds after a laugh: he knows the story is not a joke, and Harriet's breakdown was genuinely painful.
And, um, of course, it has not worked out well for me.A flat admission that his taste in women has cost him, delivered as an aside rather than a complaint.
Questions about this scene
What does Gabe mean by 'kamikaze women'?
It is his own term for the women he is drawn to: exciting, self-destructive partners who crash and take him down with them, like a pilot diving into a target.
Why does Gabe mention the professors who seduce students?
He uses them to set up his own confession. He insists he is not like them, then proves that he is chasing a different but equally damaging kind of trouble.
Who is Harriet Harmon?
A woman Gabe lived with years earlier and calls the great love of his life. He describes a passionate, chaotic relationship, and says she eventually ended up in an institution.
Does Gabe regret his relationships?
He admits they have not worked out well for him and that the pattern has cost him, but he tells it as a joke, which suggests the insight has not changed his behaviour.
Why does he say the trouble is what attracts him?
He says something clicks when a relationship is impossible, full of hurdles and obstacles. As a writer, he is drawn to the drama of the situation as much as to the person.
Husbands and Wives · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6out of left fieldGabe and Jack Fight Over Sam
Chapter 1grow apartJack and Sally Announce a Split
Chapter 2to the best of my knowledgeGabe and Judy's Late-Night Talk
Chapter 3a different ball gameSally Calls Jack During a Date
Chapter 4I meant it as a complimentGabe Praises a Student's Story
Watching · Chapter 5penchant forGabe's Kamikaze Women Theory
Chapter 6out of left fieldGabe and Jack Fight Over Sam
Chapter 7touch a nerveFriends Discuss Divorce Over Lunch
Chapter 8knocked out by itGabe and Rain Talk About Writing
Chapter 9Sooner or laterSally Stops Michael From Rushing
Chapter 10cleaned up my actGabe Meets Rain's Parents
Chapter 11out of lineJack and Sam Fight About Astrology
Chapter 12wipe outJack Comes Back to Sally Drunk
Chapter 13in your cornerRain Critiques Gabe's Novel
Chapter 14go sourJudy Tells Gabe It's Over
Chapter 15get the wrong ideaRain's Birthday Party in a BlackoutChapter 5 of 15 · about 37 min to go