...have you decided which of these three gentlemen you'll go on a date with?Minions · 2015 — Chapter 4 of 14 · 2'23" · B1
Scarlet Overkill's Villain-Con Ad, Explained: a new bad man in town
On the surface it's a garish TV commercial: Villain-Con promises guest lectures, networking and "the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere." But it's also Scarlet Overkill's entrance. "Hey, a girl's gotta make a living!" she shrugs, turning a mass-murder convention into a career fair.
What happens
The Minions are watching TV: first a dating game, then a loud ad for Villain-Con in Orlando. The spot promises guest lectures, underworld contacts and a headline appearance by Scarlet Overkill, who struts in and says crime is "red hot." Kevin, Stuart and Bob decide to go.
Listen for
move asidemake a livinga new bad man in townmake contacts
00:00 / 02:23Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
a new bad man in town
a newcomer is about to shake things up
宣传片的旁白宣告反派大会来了个新坏蛋，紧接一句把「男人」翻成「女人」。
There is a new boss in town, and she is already rewriting the rules.
Also in this scene
- move aside
to step to one side and clear the way
- make a living
to earn enough money to live on
- make contacts
建立人脉、结识有用的人
Everything marked in this scene
19 notes across 40 lines
embedded question with which
...have you decided which of these three gentlemen you'll go on a date with?Um, I think I'm gonna go with...weak form
Um, I think I'm gonna go with...You're watching the top-secret Villain Network Channel.If you tell anyone, we'll find you.Sponsored by Villain-Con, for 89 years straight, the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere!Sponsored by Villain-Con, for 89 years straight, the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere!Attend guest lectures from esteemed villains, make contacts in the underworld community,Attend guest lectures from esteemed villains, make contacts in the underworld community,and for the first time anywhere,to earn enough money to live on
Hey, a girl's gotta make a living!gotta as a modal
Hey, a girl's gotta make a living!to step to one side and clear the way
Move aside, men! SCARLET: Make way.liaison
Move aside, men! SCARLET: Make way.a newcomer is about to shake things up
There's a new bad man in town... SCARLET: Excuse me.Get to Villain-Con this weekend.flap
Get to Villain-Con this weekend.So much fun, it's a crime.Scarlet Overkill's Villain-Con Ad, explained
What's really going on
The whole scene is about packaging. Villain-Con sells evil the way a trade show sells software: "Sponsored by Villain-Con, for 89 years straight, the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere!" Guest lectures, networking, a keynote villain — it's corporate language applied to crime. Scarlet is the product, and her line "Hey, a girl's gotta make a living!" makes the joke explicit: villainy is just a job. For the Minions, though, this isn't satire at all. They've been looking for a master, and the ad hands them one, complete with a location: Orlando. The comedy works because the audience sees marketing while the Minions see destiny.
Theme
SatireThe ad sells villainy with corporate buzzwords — guest lectures, networking — mocking how ordinary evil has become.
AmbitionScarlet demands attention and a stage, and the Minions chase the promise of a new, more powerful master.
What you'll learn
- Use it's a crime in a comparable exchange.
- Listen for the attitude around it's a crime.
- Notice how the reply changes the scene.
Listen for
- gonna go with — weak form
- Move aside — liaison
- Get to — flap
You're watching the top-secret Villain Network Channel.A mock warning that frames the broadcast as forbidden content. "Top-secret" and "Villain Network" parody a pay-TV bumper.
If you tell anyone, we'll find you.A fake threat aimed at the viewer. It sounds menacing but functions as a joke, since this "network" is advertising a public convention.
Hey, a girl's gotta make a living!Scarlet shrugs off her crimes as just her way of earning money. It's a casual idiom that makes villainy sound like any other job.
So much fun, it's a crime.A pun to close the ad: "it's a crime" usually means something illegal or outrageous, but here it's a joke about how fun the convention is.
Questions about this scene
Why does the TV switch from a dating show to a Villain-Con ad?
The dating game is just what's airing before the break. The ad is the point of the scene: it introduces Villain-Con and Scarlet Overkill, and it gives the Minions their destination, Orlando.
Why do Kevin, Stuart and Bob want to go to Villain-Con?
They still need a master. The ad promises the biggest gathering of criminals anywhere, so to them it's the obvious place to find a new boss.
Is Scarlet Overkill the main villain?
She becomes the Minions' new boss, yes. Her ad is the film's way of introducing her as the next despicable master they will end up serving.
What does "a girl's gotta make a living" mean?
It's a casual way of saying everyone has to earn money, so don't judge her. Scarlet uses it to brush off a life of crime as simply her job.
Minions · 14 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 5stretch one's legsThe Nelsons Give the Minions a Ride
Chapter 1therein lies the rubMinions Can't Keep a Boss
Chapter 2Truth be toldKevin Volunteers to Find a New Master
Chapter 3marked downMinions Wreck a Department Store
Watching · Chapter 4a new bad man in townScarlet Overkill's Villain-Con Ad
Chapter 5stretch one's legsThe Nelsons Give the Minions a Ride
Chapter 6let's not kid ourselvesScarlet's Henchmen Tryout
Chapter 7get down to businessScarlet Assigns the Crown Heist
Chapter 8Bob's your uncleBob Pulls the Sword from the Stone
Chapter 9above and beyond the call of dutyScarlet Confronts the Minions
Chapter 10take this the wrong wayScarlet Breaks Up with the Minions
Chapter 11I proclaim theeScarlet's Coronation Turns into a Chase
Chapter 12how's that working out for youScarlet Gives Kevin Until Dawn
Chapter 13so help meScarlet Taunts Kevin, Then Flees
Chapter 14from here on outThe Queen Knights KevinChapter 4 of 14 · about 55 min to go