to write something in full Here it means putting the apologies in writing.
Ms. Norbury had us write out apologies to people that we'd hurt in our lives.Mean Girls · 2004 — Chapter 9 of 10 · 2'44" · B2
Students Confess at Apology Assembly, Explained: can't help it
An apology assembly is meant for owning up, but one apology repeats the insult it is supposed to take back, and another turns into a public confession. When someone says, “I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me,” the sorry is doing the opposite of apologizing.
What happens
At a school apology assembly, students take turns reading apologies for past cruelties. One apology repeats the insult it claims to regret; another student uses the floor to confess a plan to wreck someone's social life. The tone swings from tearful to absurd as private grudges become public entertainment.
Listen for
bitchhave a lot of feelingswalk it offmess up someone's life
00:00 / 02:44Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
can't help it
to be unable to stop or avoid
After a fake apology about people being jealous, she adds that she can't help being popular, turning a boast into a shrug.
I can't help it that I laugh when I'm nervous.
Also in this scene
- bitch
a cruel insult for a woman
- have a lot of feelings
to be very emotional
- walk it off
walk until a minor injury eases
- mess up someone's life
to ruin someone's life
- turn someone against someone
to make someone hostile to another
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 39 lines
relative clause: The clause narrows 'people' to those the speaker had hurt before.
Ms. Norbury had us write out apologies to people that we'd hurt in our lives.a cruel insult for a woman — A vulgar slur; never use it in formal settings.
"Alyssa, I'm sorry I called you a gap-toothed bitch."you are not to blame
"It's not your fault you're so gap-toothed."to have a friendly relationship
I just wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school.made from a material
I wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles, and we'd all eat it and be happy.wish + could: It marks the cake as an impossible wish, not a plan.
I wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles, and we'd all eat it and be happy.The t in 'doesn't' often drops before 'even'; keep the phrase light.
She doesn't even go here!to be very emotional
When asked whether she even attends the school, she dodges the question with a line about being emotional.
No. I just have a lot of feelings.Let 'lot of' blur into one unit; don't chop it into three words.
No. I just have a lot of feelings.to perform very well
Sharon, I think you're doing a great job.to succeed in making someone understand Literally 'passing through', but here it means her message is landing.
Thanks. I feel like I'm getting through.envious of someone
I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me.to be unable to stop or avoid
After a fake apology about people being jealous, she adds that she can't help being popular, turning a boast into a shrug.
But I can't help it that I'm popular.Link 'help' into 'it' so the phrase comes out as one unit.
But I can't help it that I'm popular.walk until a minor injury eases
After someone gets knocked down, people yell at her to walk it off and keep the line moving.
Oh, my God! Oh, jeez. OK, walk it off. Walk it off.a mild exclamation of surprise or annoyance — Informal exclamation for mild shock or annoyance.
Oh, my God! Oh, jeez. OK, walk it off. Walk it off.something you have always wished for The line is sarcastic: she calls the pile-up a dream come true.
Oh, my God. It's her dream come true, diving into a big pile of girls.to ruin someone's life
Someone confesses that she talked a new student into wrecking Regina's life as if it were a fun plan.
And I convinced her that it would be fun to mess up Regina George's life.to fake a friendship with someone
So I had her pretend to be friends with Regina, and then she would come to my house after and we would just laugh about all the dumb stuff Regina said.silly or stupid things — Casual teasing among friends; avoid it in formal writing.
So I had her pretend to be friends with Regina, and then she would come to my house after and we would just laugh about all the dumb stuff Regina said.to become heavier
And we gave her these candy bar things that would make her gain weight,relative clause: The clause explains what the candy bars were supposed to do.
And we gave her these candy bar things that would make her gain weight,to make someone hostile to another
The confession continues: they pulled Regina's best friends to their side and got those friends to turn on her.
and we turned her best friends against her.to kiss and be intimate with someone It is not 'produce'; it means kissing and being intimate.
She made out with Regina's boyfriend and then convinced him to break up with her.to end a romantic relationship with someone
She made out with Regina's boyfriend and then convinced him to break up with her.object clause: The clause is the thing she doesn't know; word order stays statement-style.
Really, I don't know why I did it.to have romantic feelings for someone It means romantic attraction, not physically crushing someone.
I guess it's probably because I've got a big lesbian crush on you.a rude taunt after winning — A rude victory taunt; do not use it with elders or in polite company.
Suck on that!Students Confess at Apology Assembly, explained
What's really going on
The assembly makes apology a performance. One student repeats the exact insult they are supposed to regret — “I'm sorry I called you a gap-toothed bitch” — then adds, “It's not your fault you're so gap-toothed,” so the apology becomes a second attack. Later, a confession turns the same stage into a score-settling session: a plan to “mess up Regina George's life” is laid out as a funny story, and friendship itself is described as a tactic. The scene's real subject is not remorse but audience. Everyone is watching, and each speaker is playing to the room.
Theme
SatireAn apology assembly becomes a stage for insults, boasts and score-settling, so public remorse is played as entertainment.
BetrayalA confession lays out fake friendship, a plan to cause weight gain, turned friends and an engineered breakup as a casual group plan.
Listen for
- doesn't even — The t in 'doesn't' often drops before 'even'; keep the phrase light.
- a lot of — Let 'lot of' blur into one unit; don't chop it into three words.
- help it — Link 'help' into 'it' so the phrase comes out as one unit.
She doesn't even go here!A voice calls out that the person speaking is not even a student here, turning the emotional speech into a public joke.
But I can't help it that I'm popular.An apology about people being jealous ends with a boast disguised as helplessness: being popular is framed as something uncontrollable.
No. I just have a lot of feelings.Asked whether they even attend the school, the speaker answers with an emotional non sequitur, using feelings as a shield.
I wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles, and we'd all eat it and be happy.A tearful wish for a rainbow cake and universal happiness sounds sweet but completely avoids the harm being discussed.
I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me.The apology frame is hijacked: the supposed fault is everyone else's jealousy, so the line sounds like a boast and a dig.
Questions about this scene
Does the first apology actually take the insult back?
No. It quotes the original insult word for word, then adds “It's not your fault you're so gap-toothed.” So the apology repeats and extends the insult instead of taking it back.
Is “I'm sorry that people are so jealous of me” really an apology?
Not in effect. The line is followed by “But I can't help it that I'm popular,” so the supposed fault is other people's jealousy rather than the speaker's own behavior.
What does the public confession reveal?
It describes a plan to “mess up Regina George's life”: fake friendship, candy bars meant to cause weight gain, turning her best friends against her, and a breakup after making out with her boyfriend.
Why does someone say “She doesn't even go here!”?
After a tearful wish about a cake made of rainbows and smiles, a voice cuts in with “She doesn't even go here!”; the follow-up question is “Do you even go to this school?” and the reply is “No. I just have a lot of feelings.”
Mean Girls · 10 chapters
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Up next · Chapter 10sudden-death roundCady Wins the Mathletes Championship
Chapter 1queen beeReading the Cafeteria Map
Chapter 2scam onJason Gets Dressed Down at Lunch
Chapter 3hump dayCady Visits Regina's House
Chapter 4huge crush onCady's Crush Gets Exposed
Chapter 5getting on my last nerveTalent Show Rap and a Formation Switch
Chapter 6You didn't hear it from meThree-Way Call Gossip
Chapter 7the word had gotten outThe Party Gets Out of Hand
Chapter 8girl-on-girl crimeRegina George Gets Called Out
Watching · Chapter 9can't help itStudents Confess at Apology Assembly
Chapter 10sudden-death roundCady Wins the Mathletes ChampionshipChapter 9 of 10 · about 3 min to go