"things up" is useful here.
Yeah. For fixing things up with me and Ricky.Mighty Aphrodite · 1995 — Chapter 11 of 15 · 1'41" · B2
Linda Says She's Starting Over, Explained: gave up on you
Linda brings Lenny a loud tie as thanks for helping her patch things up with Ricky, then tells him she wants to start over: a house, a man who loves and respects her. The catch is that he'd have to be as smart as she is. She also tells Lenny she has finally given up on him.
What happens
Linda visits Lenny with a gift — a very bright tie — to thank him for smoothing things over with Ricky. She says his son's photo has stayed in her mind, and that she would like to start over: a house, and someone who loves and respects her. Lenny promises to keep his eye open, and she adds that the man would have to be as smart as she is.
Listen for
fixing things upblow jobout of my mindstart over
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
gave up on you
stopped expecting you to come through
She frees him by naming him a closed case.
I gave up on you after the third no-show.
Also in this scene
- fixing things up
repair a broken arrangement
- blow job
oral sex
- out of my mind
unable to stop seeing it
- start over
begin again from zero
- take care of me
look after me
Everything marked in this scene
22 notes across 33 lines
"the least I could do" is useful here.
You didn't want a blow job, so the least I could do was get you a tie.oral sex — crude; keep it among adults who can take it
You didn't want a blow job, so the least I could do was get you a tie."Good thinking" is useful here.
Good thinking. That's uh-- Oh!"If the occasion demanded" is useful here.
- Would you ever wear anything that bright? - If the occasion demanded.conditional clause: The phrase If the occasion demanded shapes the meaning of the line.
- Would you ever wear anything that bright? - If the occasion demanded.Practice Would you ever with one clear stress group.
- Would you ever wear anything that bright? - If the occasion demanded."picture out" is useful here. not taking a photo out; she cannot stop seeing the boy
I couldn't get your son's picture out of my mind.a child — warm everyday word for a child
- Well, he's a very cute kid, you know. - Yeah."start over again" is useful here.
I would like to start over again. Maybe have a house. That would be nice.Practice would like to with one clear stress group.
I would like to start over again. Maybe have a house. That would be nice.a man — casual talk for a person, often a partner
- Yeah. - The problem is, now, finding the right guy.relative clause: The phrase somebody who'll love me shapes the meaning of the line.
I need to find somebody who'll love me, you know.look after me
Care and respect are the job description for a partner.
Somebody who'll take care of me and respect me.Practice take care of with one clear stress group.
Somebody who'll take care of me and respect me."keep my eye open" is useful here.
Well, I'll keep my eye open."The only thing is" is useful here.
The only thing is, Len, he'd have to be as smart as me.modal phrase: The phrase he'd have to be as smart as me shapes the meaning of the line.
The only thing is, Len, he'd have to be as smart as me.Practice as smart as with one clear stress group.
The only thing is, Len, he'd have to be as smart as me.stopped expecting you to come through
She frees him by naming him a closed case.
And don't worry, Len. I gave up on you.conditional clause: The phrase if I made love with you shapes the meaning of the line.
Let me tell you, at my age, if I made love with you, they would have to put me on a resuscitator.Practice they would have with one clear stress group.
Let me tell you, at my age, if I made love with you, they would have to put me on a resuscitator.Linda Says She's Starting Over, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a quiet goodbye dressed as a thank-you. Linda has left the business and picked up her life, and the visit exists to close something: 'I gave up on you.' What makes it generous rather than bitter is that she says it kindly, right after imagining her own future. Her requirements are funny and revealing — the man must love and respect her, and he must be 'as smart as me' — and Lenny, who has been avoiding her truth all along, can only promise to keep an eye open and make a joke about being too old for her. The comedy of the film is here in miniature: real feeling, delivered awkwardly, and neither person quite saying what they mean.
Theme
IdentityLinda rebuilds her life and names what she wants, which is also her way of saying goodbye to Lenny.
FriendshipThey part warmly, with a gift and a joke, though neither fully says what they feel.
What you'll learn
- Use start over to describe a fresh beginning.
- Hear take care of as caring for someone.
- Catch the finality in give up on you.
- Use as smart as me for equal comparison.
- Notice how "fixing things up with me" changes the exchange.
Listen for
- Would you ever — Practice Would you ever with one clear stress group.
- would like to — Practice would like to with one clear stress group.
- take care of — Practice take care of with one clear stress group.
- as smart as — Practice as smart as with one clear stress group.
I would like to start over again. Maybe have a house. That would be nice.Linda's simple picture of a new life: leave the past behind, get a home, and live like an ordinary person.
The only thing is, Len, he'd have to be as smart as me.Her half-joking condition for a future partner — a sign of the self-respect she has started to grow.
Let me tell you, at my age, if I made love with you, they would have to put me on a resuscitator.Her teasing way of letting Lenny off the hook and ending any romantic possibility between them.
And don't worry, Len. I gave up on you.The line that closes their story: she says it warmly, releasing him from guilt while also moving on.
I couldn't get your son's picture out of my mind.What set her thinking about motherhood — the photo that made her imagine a different life for herself.
Questions about this scene
Why does Linda give Lenny a tie?
As a thank-you for helping her fix things with Ricky. She says that since he did not want anything physical, a tie was the least she could do.
What kind of life does Linda want now?
She wants to start over: a house, and a man who will love her, take care of her, and respect her, instead of the life she had before.
Why does Linda say the man must be as smart as she is?
It is her playful way of setting a standard. After years of being treated as less, she insists on someone who is her equal.
What does 'I gave up on you' mean here?
She means she has stopped hoping for a romance with Lenny. She says it kindly, so it works as a friendly goodbye rather than a rebuke.
How does the scene end?
With a joke about Lenny being too old for her, and laughter. The two part warmly, closing the odd relationship they have had.
Mighty Aphrodite · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 12killer instinctLenny Visits the Boxing Gym
Chapter 1out of left fieldLenny and Amanda Debate a Baby
Chapter 2put my foot downLenny and Amanda Name the Baby
Chapter 3old passionLenny and Amanda's Hamptons Fight
Chapter 4Let sleeping dogs lieLenny Wants to Find Max's Mother
Chapter 5in the ballparkLenny Meets Linda Ash
Chapter 6gone straightLinda Tells Lenny Her Backstory
Chapter 7long shotLenny and Linda at the Races
Chapter 8a hundred percent definiteLinda Reveals She Gave Up a Child
Chapter 9a way with wordsLinda Asks Lenny for a Favor
Chapter 10level with youLenny Negotiates With Ricky
Watching · Chapter 11gave up on youLinda Says She's Starting Over
Chapter 12killer instinctLenny Visits the Boxing Gym
Chapter 13drove me up the wallLenny Sets Linda Up With a Farmer
Chapter 14superfluousLinda and Kevin's Blind Date
Chapter 15flew off the handleKevin Blows Up at LennyChapter 11 of 15 · about 15 min to go