Oh, this is going to be fun.My Fellow Americans · 1996 — Chapter 6 of 13 · 1'52" · C1
Passengers Gossip About the Presidents, Explained: stick a fork in
On the train, talk turns to the former presidents, and one passenger claims a past fling with Douglas. Asked how it was, she answers with a line that lands like a verdict: "it was a lot like his presidency" — plenty of buildup, nothing much delivered.
What happens
Aboard a train, passengers swap stories about the ex-presidents, including a woman who claims she once had a fling with Douglas and says it was a lot like his presidency — all talk beforehand and little follow-through. Meanwhile the two real ex-presidents bicker about where a presidential library should sit and what deal a city gave them.
Listen for
stick a fork into tell you the truthstay in the gamelead up to
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
stick a fork in
someone is finished, done for good
节目里的人笃定那位过气总统出书也翻不了身，用厨房的说法判他出局。
After that third injury, you can stick a fork in his season.
Also in this scene
- to tell you the truth
honestly, to be frank
- stay in the game
继续留在局中；不下场、不退出竞争
- lead up to
为…做铺垫；一直发展到某个事件
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 36 lines
It's spooky. He really looks like him.elision
It's spooky. He really looks like him.Give me a break!Our dreams are like children? They need to be nurtured.They need to be supported. They need to eat their vegetables.weak form
They need to be supported. They need to eat their vegetables.This is so weird.I shouldn't tell you this, but a couple of years ago, I had a thing with the real President DouglasI shouldn't tell you this, but a couple of years ago, I had a thing with the real President DouglasHow about that.someone is finished, done for good
Stick a fork in the guy. He's done.He was president. He had his four years.We don't need another piece-of-crap book from him.All these old guys, they want to stay in the game, but they don't have it anymore.All these old guys, they want to stay in the game, but they don't have it anymore.left dislocation
All these old guys, they want to stay in the game, but they don't have it anymore.A muscle spasm. I've been getting them lately.I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what-- They just-- There it goes again.liaison
I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what-- They just-- There it goes again.I'd better go and take my medication.I hope you don't mind my asking, but how was he? Any good?mind plus gerund
I hope you don't mind my asking, but how was he? Any good?honestly, to be frank
Well, to tell you the truth, it was a lot like his presidency.a lot like for similarity
Well, to tell you the truth, it was a lot like his presidency.There was a lot of talk leading up to it, but then he didn't do much.Well, yeah, I was, but Cleveland wouldn't cut me a decent deal on the property taxes.I mean, moving that house was a bitch, but the financial benefits have been fantastic.Passengers Gossip About the Presidents, explained
What's really going on
Most of the talk on this train is gossip, but it keeps circling the same idea: old men who cannot let go. One passenger describes a night with Douglas in a line that doubles as political commentary — "it was a lot like his presidency" — meaning lots of promise and very little delivery. Another table is even harsher, wishing the old guard would simply lie down, since "they want to stay in the game, but they don't have it anymore." The joke cuts both ways. It mocks the ex-presidents for clinging to relevance, and it mocks the public appetite for stories about them. Even the quieter exchange, about where the library goes and who gave a better tax deal, shows what these men actually care about once the cameras are gone.
Theme
SatireThe gossiping passengers reduce presidential legacies to punchlines about performance and delivery.
PowerEx-presidents still jostle for attention and perks, even about where their libraries sit.
What you'll learn
- Use Stick a fork in the guy in the same situation
- Hear stay in the game as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
Listen for
- looks like him — elision
- eat their vegetables — weak form
- There it goes again — liaison
Stick a fork in the guy. He's done.A cooking metaphor for being finished: the man is cooked, so there is nothing left for him in politics.
Well, to tell you the truth, it was a lot like his presidency.A blunt comparison that turns a private story into a verdict on Douglas's time in office.
All these old guys, they want to stay in the game, but they don't have it anymore.The complaint that older politicians cling to influence long after they have lost the ability to use it.
Lie down, old fella, you're dead, and you don't know it!A mockery of a politician who is finished but has not noticed, told like a line to a tired animal.
Questions about this scene
What does the passenger's 'a lot like his presidency' line mean?
It is a punchline at Douglas's expense. She says the experience had plenty of buildup and then little follow-through, comparing that to his time in office.
Why do the passengers keep talking about the ex-presidents?
The train is taking them near the former presidents, and they pass the time trading gossip and complaints about men who once ran the country.
What are the two ex-presidents arguing about?
Their libraries. One notes the train stops near where his library is, and they get into where exactly it sits and why Cleveland would not give him a decent deal on property taxes.
What does 'stay in the game' refer to here?
It is said of older men who refuse to retire from public life. The speaker means they still want the attention and influence even though they no longer have the ability.
My Fellow Americans · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7steams my clamsPresidents Trade a Watch for a Ride
Chapter 1too little too lateGolf Talk Turns Awkward
Chapter 2shift the stinkThe Missing Appointment Log
Chapter 3skedaddleTanner Summons the Presidents
Chapter 4in the middle of nowherePresidents Hijacked in the Woods
Chapter 5get away with itWalking to Ohio for Evidence
Watching · Chapter 6stick a fork inPassengers Gossip About the Presidents
Chapter 7steams my clamsPresidents Trade a Watch for a Ride
Chapter 8live in the pastOld Rivals Almost Bond
Chapter 9shut your cake holeWayne Gets the History Wrong
Chapter 10put on a spreadKramer and Douglas Find the Fix
Chapter 11up to its knees inHaney Confesses to the Cover-Up
Chapter 12the end of the worldTanner Corners Them in the Tunnel
Chapter 13a way aroundThe Presidents Confront Each OtherChapter 6 of 13 · about 18 min to go