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My Fellow Americans · 1996 — Chapter 4 of 13 · 2'03" · B2

Presidents Hijacked in the Woods, Explained: in the middle of nowhere

Two ex-presidents realize their helicopter isn't heading to Camp David at all; the pilot is under classified orders and won't break radio silence. The argument turns physical, they force the aircraft down, and then discover they're stranded: "They're taking us out to the middle of nowhere."

What happens

On a helicopter, two former presidents learn the flight is not going to Camp David; the pilot says his orders are classified and that he must maintain radio silence. One of them pulls a gun and forces the aircraft down. It lands in open farmland, the two men argue over whose fault it is, and they end up stranded in the middle of nowhere.

ArgumentsThreatsThreateningComplainingRivalsB2fastamerican
IMDb ↗

Listen for

in the middle of nowhereflag downduplicitousmaintain radio silence

00:00 / 02:03
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
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Phrase of the scene

in the middle of nowhere

in a remote place far from anything

两位前总统发现直升机没有飞向戴维营，而是把他们带向一个荒无人烟的地方。

The car died in the middle of nowhere with no signal.

Also in this scene

  • flag down

    to signal a vehicle to stop

  • duplicitous

    两面三刀的；当面一套背后一套的

  • maintain radio silence

    保持无线电静默；一律不对外联络

Everything marked in this scene

26 notes across 41 lines

Phrase · B1as far as I knowSir, as far as I know, President Haney's back at the White House.
Phrase · A2something's wrongSomething's wrong.
Phrase · B2the middle of nowhereThey're taking us out to the middle of nowhere.
Soundmiddle of nowhere

liaison

They're taking us out to the middle of nowhere.
Slang · C1turdOh, that duplicitous little turd.
Phrase · B2maintain radio silenceI'm sorry, sir. I've been instructed to maintain radio silence.
Phrase · C1put the bird on the groundThen put this bird on the ground right now and that's an order!
Slang · B2this birdThen put this bird on the ground right now and that's an order!
Phrase · B2orders are classifiedRespectfully, sir, I can't do that. My orders are classified.
Phrase · C1blow someone's head offAll right, major, you land this contraption or I'll blow your friggin' head off!
Grammar · B2you wanted to maintain

object clause without that

You gentlemen said you wanted to maintain radio silence.
Phrase · B2a confined areaYou don't shoot a gun off in a confined area!
SoundWhat do we do now

weak form

What do we do now?
Phrase · C1it's our buttsI don't know. It's our butts if we let them out of our sight.
Phrase · B1out of one's sightI don't know. It's our butts if we let them out of our sight.
Grammar · B1if we let them out of our sight

conditional clause with if

I don't know. It's our butts if we let them out of our sight.
Phrase · B1send someone the billIf I have to get a hearing aid after this, don't be surprised when I send you the bill.
Phrase · B2beat someone to deathIf I have to listen to you bitch, don't be surprised when I beat you to death with my shoe!
SoundGet out of here

flap

Get out of here! Get out!
Phrase · B1make a scary faceMaybe if you make a scary face.
Phrase · B1as usualWell, as usual, the Republican comes up with a plan while the Democrat just aimlessly wanders in the woods.
Phrase · B1come up with somethingWell, as usual, the Republican comes up with a plan while the Democrat just aimlessly wanders in the woods.
Grammar · B2while the Democrat just aimlessly wanders

while for contrast

Well, as usual, the Republican comes up with a plan while the Democrat just aimlessly wanders in the woods.
Phrase · B1shut upJust shut up and flag them down.
Phrase · B2flag someone downJust shut up and flag them down.
Phrase · A2bring something downBring it down.

Presidents Hijacked in the Woods, explained

What's really going on

The scene's comedy is bureaucratic: the men who once commanded the country are reduced to arguing with a pilot who only has orders. Rank and authority mean nothing here - the president asks, orders, and threatens, and the answer is still "classified." The helicopter is a small stage for a bigger point about power: out of the White House, these men are just two passengers who can be shipped "out to the middle of nowhere." Their bickering, split along party lines, is the film's real subject. Even when they gain the upper hand, they fumble it and end up trying to "flag them down," shouting at a chopper they could have commanded. The scene sets up the odd-couple dynamic the rest of the movie rides on.

Theme

PowerTwo former presidents discover how little their authority is worth once they leave office.
DutyBoth men insist on taking charge, and their rivalry keeps them from acting effectively.

What you'll learn

  • Use radio silence in the same situation
  • Hear confined area as pressure, not small talk
  • Catch who the line is aimed at

Listen for

  • middle of nowhere — liaison
  • What do we do now — weak form
  • Get out of here — flap
They're taking us out to the middle of nowhere.

A blunt realization that the flight has no official destination and that they are being isolated.

If I have to listen to you bitch, don't be surprised when I beat you to death with my shoe!

A threat delivered as comedy, showing how fast the two ex-presidents fall into bickering.

Do you know we never had to leave the chopper?

The belated realization that they gave up their one advantage for nothing.

Well, as usual, the Republican comes up with a plan while the Democrat just aimlessly wanders in the woods.

A partisan jab that turns their shared predicament into the same old political rivalry.

Questions about this scene

Why did the helicopter not go to Camp David?

The pilot's orders never mentioned Camp David and are classified. He was told to maintain radio silence, which makes the two presidents suspect they are being taken somewhere against their will.

Who is flying the helicopter and why won't he turn back?

A military pilot who says he is only following classified orders. He refuses to make radio contact or land until one of the passengers forces him to.

What mistake do the two presidents make in the woods?

They get out of the helicopter even though they have the pilot's gun, which means they lose their only leverage. One of them realizes they could have made the crew fly them back to Washington.

Why do they end up waving at the helicopter?

They are stranded with no other way out, so they try to flag the chopper down and get it to take them back.

What does the scene say about power?

Out of office, the two men discover that their authority is gone: the pilot obeys orders, not presidents, and their titles cannot make the helicopter change course.

My Fellow Americans · 13 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 5get away with itWalking to Ohio for Evidence
Chapter 1too little too lateGolf Talk Turns AwkwardChapter 2shift the stinkThe Missing Appointment LogChapter 3skedaddleTanner Summons the PresidentsWatching · Chapter 4in the middle of nowherePresidents Hijacked in the WoodsChapter 5get away with itWalking to Ohio for EvidenceChapter 6stick a fork inPassengers Gossip About the PresidentsChapter 7steams my clamsPresidents Trade a Watch for a RideChapter 8live in the pastOld Rivals Almost BondChapter 9shut your cake holeWayne Gets the History WrongChapter 10put on a spreadKramer and Douglas Find the FixChapter 11up to its knees inHaney Confesses to the Cover-UpChapter 12the end of the worldTanner Corners Them in the TunnelChapter 13a way aroundThe Presidents Confront Each Other
Chapter 4 of 13 · about 23 min to go