“It's an electrical storm. You wanna wind up in an ashtray?”
Why it's great
Calling the storm an ashtray in waiting turns danger into a joke instantly.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Slow down, or you'll wind up in a ditch.
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Isaac and Mary Walk in the Rain, Explained
Manhattan · 1979
Chapter 10 of 23 · 3'10"
Isaac banters with Tracy at a Russian tearoom, then spends the afternoon making phone calls and ends up walking through Central Park with Mary in an electrical storm. He complains about the lightning and the water, and tells her to find someone else next time, before softening: "You look kinda nice, actually. You're sort of pretty."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:34–2:08
Stir-Crazy and a Walk in the Storm
33s - 2:39–3:09
You Look Kinda Nice, Actually
30s
Isaac and Mary Walk in the Rain, explained
What happens
At a Russian tearoom, Isaac and Tracy joke about the menu, and Isaac suggests picking up two women nearby. Later he phones Yale and then a friend, admits he is going stir-crazy, and agrees to a walk. The weather turns into an electrical storm, so the walk in Central Park leaves him soaking wet and complaining the whole way.
What's really going on
The tearoom and the storm are two versions of the same joke: Isaac cannot enjoy anything without arguing about it. He flirts with the idea of picking up strangers, calls a friend for company, and then spends the walk complaining about the weather he chose to go out in. The storm gives him his best line, "It's an electrical storm. You wanna wind up in an ashtray?" and also his worst behaviour, telling his companion, "Next time you want someone to walk with you, get somebody else." What saves the scene is the ending. Once the rain has soaked them both, he stops performing long enough to say the honest thing, that she looks kinda nice and is sort of pretty, which is the closest Isaac gets to affection without a joke attached.
Key lines & what they mean
- “It's an electrical storm. You wanna wind up in an ashtray?”
- His joke about the danger of the storm: stay out in lightning and you could end up as ash.
- “Next time you want someone to walk with you, get somebody else.”
- His sulking threat after being soaked, aimed at the person who wanted the walk, not at the weather.
- “You look kinda nice, actually. You're sort of pretty.”
- His sudden honesty after the fight, an awkward compliment that is also an apology.
- “D'you know every year one or two people get killed during a storm in Central Park?”
- A morbid fact offered as small talk, which shows how Isaac turns fear into a statistic and a performance.
Theme
- Romance — The scene moves from flirting about strangers to a soaked walk that ends with a real compliment.
- Dark humor — Isaac turns a dangerous storm into a punchline and insults his companion before finally being tender.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Next time you want someone to walk with you, get somebody else.”
Why it's great
A sulky line that says she is done being his walking partner, without saying she minds.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Next time you need a ride, get somebody else.
“You look kinda nice, actually. You're sort of pretty.”
Why it's great
Even the compliment hedges itself, so the shy affection shows through the wording.
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Informal
Use it yourself
That colour looks kinda nice on you, actually.
“D'you know every year one or two people get killed during a storm in Central Park?”
Why it's great
A grim statistic delivered as a warning turns care into dark comedy.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Every year one or two people get killed on this road.
Up next · 11at my fingertipsThe scene: Isaac and Mary Talk in the RainTakeaways
What you walk away with- The storm turns a date into a fight and then a compliment.
- Soaking wet says drenched far better than very wet.
- Wind up hints at a bad outcome coming.
- Even Mary's praise arrives with a hedge.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Isaac want to pick up two women?
He is joking with Tracy, or half-joking, about the women in the tearoom. It shows his restless habit of treating any outing as a chance for something new.
Why does Isaac call Yale and then someone else?
He is restless and looking for company. Yale is unavailable, so he ends up calling Mary, who is also stuck indoors and ready to get out.
Why is Isaac so upset about the rain?
He chose to go out and then blames the weather and his companion. He insists it is the electricity he fears, not the water, which is his way of keeping the complaint going.
What does "wind up in an ashtray" mean?
It is a joke about being struck by lightning and reduced to ash. Isaac uses the threat of an electrical storm to warn against walking outside.
How does the walk end?
With the two of them soaked and snapping at each other, until Isaac admits she looks kinda nice and is sort of pretty. It is a small, clumsy moment of warmth after an afternoon of complaints.