no changing your mind
Okay. - No second thoughts.Knives Out · 2019 — Chapter 6 of 14 · 4'04" · B2
Harlan's Last Game of Go, Explained: close the book with a flourish
On the night of his birthday, a man refuses to take his medicine or break his tradition, and instead plays a game of Go. He doesn't play "to beat you," he says; he plays "to build a beautiful pattern." Then the talk turns to his family, and he admits he may have kept them down.
What happens
Harlan refuses to take his medicine on his birthday and makes his nurse finish their Go game instead. He explains he plays "to build a beautiful pattern," not to win. Then he looks back on how he raised his family, saying he may have kept them beneath him.
Listen for
no second thoughtsa bad loserclose the book with a flourishschmuck
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Phrase of the scene
close the book with a flourish
to end something in a stylish way
哈兰说自己想在走之前把一些事理好，close the book with a flourish，像作家给小说收尾。
She closed the book with a flourish and left the stage.
Also in this scene
- no second thoughts
no changing your mind
- a bad loser
someone who cannot accept losing
- schmuck
a foolish or contemptible person
Everything marked in this scene
46 notes across 88 lines
We are not breaking tradition on my birthday!Can you just take your goddamn medicine and go to bed?If you're gonna put that vile shit in me, you have to earn it.conditional clause
If you're gonna put that vile shit in me, you have to earn it.liaison
If you're gonna put that vile shit in me, you have to earn it.- Oh, God. - Eighty-fifth birthday.- I'm so old. - You really love drama, huh?- I'll whip your ass. - Are you sure?liaison
- I'll whip your ass. - Are you sure?I know how this is gonna end.What is that?Why can't I beat you at this game?Because I'm not playing to beat you.present continuous for a current practice
Because I'm not playing to beat you.I'm playing to build a beautiful pattern.That's elder abuse.Don't make me get the belt, abuelo.My only hope is that an earthquake will strike.someone who cannot accept losing
Such a bad loser you are! Meds, then bed.I'm done with you.Walt is smoking that filthy cigar out there on the porch.I know you weren't looking forward to it.I cut the line on all four of 'em.Wasn't easy.without knowing, or maybe to keep them beneath me.infinitive of purpose
without knowing, or maybe to keep them beneath me.to write his own stories, not just be a caretaker of mine.And I could have been kinder to Linda and Ransom...Oh, there's so much of me in that kid.Playing life like a game, without consequence.Until you can't tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife.You know, I don't fear death.I'd like to fix some of this before I go.to end something in a stylish way
Close the book with a flourish.I guess we'll see. Hmm?You had a long day.You wanna do drugs?Oh, come on, send me to la-la land.Just a tiny bit, okay?Why did I wait till my mid-age to become a morphine user?liaison
Why did I wait till my mid-age to become a morphine user?What a schmuck.What a schmuck.What a nudnik. This... (CHUCKLES) This stuff is the best.What a nudnik. This... (CHUCKLES) This stuff is the best.Harlan's Last Game of Go, explained
What's really going on
The Go game is the scene's argument in miniature. One player wins everything and gloats; the other insists he is not playing "to beat you" but "to build a beautiful pattern." That is how Harlan talks about his whole life a few minutes later: money and family as a design he got wrong. He says he suspects he did everything "to keep them beneath me," that he should have let Walt "write his own stories," that he could have been kinder. The warning about Ransom — playing life "like a game, without consequence," until you cannot tell a stage prop from a real knife — is also a confession, and a hint at what is coming.
Theme
Family conflictHarlan confesses that he may have kept his family beneath him and could have been kinder to them.
GuiltLooking back on his birthday, he admits his mistakes and says he wants to fix them before he goes.
Listen for
- put that — liaison
- whip your — liaison
- morphine user — liaison
I'm playing to build a beautiful pattern.His answer to losing: the game is not about winning but about making something elegant.
Until you can't tell the difference between a stage prop and a real knife.A warning about Ransom: a life without consequences can blur play and real danger.
You know, I don't fear death.Harlan, calmly, saying what he wants is not to live longer but to set things right.
I'd like to fix some of this before I go.The wish behind the whole birthday night: to repair family wounds before the end.
Questions about this scene
Why does Harlan refuse to take his medicine?
He refuses to break the birthday tradition, and jokes that they have to earn it — by finishing their usual game of Go first.
What game do Harlan and Marta play?
A game of Go, nine-by-nine. Harlan calls it tradition and insists they finish it on his birthday before he will take his medicine.
Why does Harlan play if he keeps losing?
He says he does not play to beat her. He plays "to build a beautiful pattern," which is how he thinks about his life and work as well.
What does Harlan say about Ransom?
He sees a lot of himself in Ransom — confident, stupid, protected — and says Ransom plays life like a game, until he cannot tell a stage prop from a real knife.
What does Harlan want before he dies?
He says he does not fear death, but he would like to fix some of what he got wrong with his family and "close the book with a flourish."
Knives Out · 14 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7stone-cold deadHarlan Coaches Marta's Alibi
Chapter 1pass the torchPolice Question the Thrombeys
Chapter 2at the behest ofBlanc Introduces Himself to the Family
Chapter 3the black sheep of the familyThe Family Recounts Party Night
Chapter 4a little bird told meMarta Fails the Lie Test
Chapter 5with a forked tongueReconstructing the Night of the Death
Watching · Chapter 6close the book with a flourishHarlan's Last Game of Go
Chapter 7stone-cold deadHarlan Coaches Marta's Alibi
Chapter 8conflateThe Family Fights at the Memorial
Chapter 9burn bridgesRansom Arrives Before the Will Reading
Chapter 10hold your horsesThe Family Learns About the Will
Chapter 11lay lowA Deal at the Diner
Chapter 12twist the knifeBlanc Reveals Who Hired Him
Chapter 13a shred of evidenceBlanc Explains the Vial Switch
Chapter 14in for a penny, in for a poundBlanc Reveals the Whole PlanChapter 6 of 14 · about 41 min to go