Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Onward · 2020 — Chapter 11 of 16 · 3'59" · B1
Barley Trains Ian With the Sword, Explained: chin up
The brothers argue and train, and the fight at home mirrors the one on the road. "I think Ian s a pretty stand up citizen," someone insists, defending the kid everyone else writes off. Under the slapstick is the older brother's need to be useful and the younger one's fear of being a screwup.
What happens
On the road, Barley and Ian clash while practicing with the sword, and at home Laurel is losing patience with Barley's antics. The argument is about who is really taking care of the family, while the training scene is about who gets to be a hero. Both threads meet in one question: is Ian a screwup, or is he finally becoming someone?
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a screwupa handfulsand downchin up
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Phrase of the scene
chin up
lift your chin, or used to tell someone to stay cheerful
伊恩教巴利摆施法姿势，纠正说 Chin up、手肘张开；听着像体操口令，其实 chin up 也是一句给人打气的话。
Chin up, we still have one more chance to try.
Also in this scene
- a screwup
a person who keeps making mistakes
- a handful
someone or something difficult to control or manage
- sand down
to smooth a surface by rubbing it with sandpaper
Everything marked in this scene
15 notes across 70 lines
Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.someone or something difficult to control or manage
Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.a person who keeps making mistakes
Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley, I don't know what happened back there. But I don't think you're a screwup.Barley Trains Ian With the Sword, explained
What's really going on
Underneath the sword practice and the jokes, the brothers are working out who gets to be trusted and who gets to be blamed. The trip has worn both of them down, and the label nobody can shake is the one that calls someone a screwup. The disguise at the traffic stop turns that worry into a test, and the quiet pushback — "I think Ian's a pretty stand up citizen." — is a defense of the kid everyone else writes off. What finally lands is not a lesson about magic but a plain statement of how much one person is carrying: "Barley, I'm trying to take care of you and Dad, and you're not making it any easier." The training answers it in its own way, because letting another person teach you is a kind of trust.
Theme
Family conflictBarley and Laurel clash over who really takes care of the family, and the brothers' own fight echoes the same unspoken resentment.
IdentityBoth brothers are fighting a label — screwup or hero — and the training scene is where one of them starts to believe a different version.
What you'll learn
- Use get something right to describe doing something successfully.
- Recognize screwup as an informal self-criticism or insult.
- Use It’s not fair to... to ask for a fair chance.
- Hear once in a lifetime as a rare opportunity.
- Notice how "ahead on" changes the exchange.
Barley I don t know what happened back there But I don t think you re a screwupA reassurance aimed at Barley: whatever went wrong, the speaker refuses to accept the label everyone else uses for him.
I think Ian s a pretty stand up citizenA defense of Ian as decent and responsible, pushing back on the idea that he is the problem.
I mean tired Sick and tired Gotta goExhaustion spoken plainly: not just tired, but fed up, and the speaker ends the call before it turns into a fight.
Barley I m trying to take care of you and Dad and you re not making it any easierThe caregiver's complaint: the speaker is carrying the family and feels the other person is adding to the load instead of helping.
Questions about this scene
Why do Barley and Laurel argue?
Because Laurel feels she is holding the family together alone, while Barley keeps acting without thinking. Both are grieving, and neither feels the other appreciates what they are carrying.
Why does Barley defend Ian so strongly?
Because Barley knows what it is like to be written off. Calling Ian a stand-up citizen is his way of insisting his little brother is better than the labels people use.
What does 'a screwup' mean?
It means a person who keeps failing or messing things up. It is a harsh label, which is exactly why the reassurance that someone is not a screwup matters so much.
Why is the sword-training moment important?
It is the first time Ian lets Barley teach him instead of dismissing him. The lesson is silly, but the trust behind it matters more than the technique.
Onward · 16 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 12the worst that can happenIan Crosses the Trust Bridge
Chapter 1wiggle out ofIan's Sixteenth Birthday Morning
Chapter 2was wondering ifIan's Awkward Party Invite
Chapter 3get byDad Leaves Ian a Wizard Staff
Chapter 4Whatever it takesDad Comes Back as Just Legs
Chapter 5followed my gutThe Manticore Refuses to Help
Chapter 6took the easy routeBarley Picks the Path of Peril
Chapter 7go bonkersLaurel Asks the Manticore for Help
Chapter 8wear offThe Growth Spell Backfires
Chapter 9not what it used to beThe Manticore Explains the Curse
Chapter 10With all due respectIan Talks His Way Past Bronco
Watching · Chapter 11chin upBarley Trains Ian With the Sword
Chapter 12the worst that can happenIan Crosses the Trust Bridge
Chapter 13to the count of threeIan Tries the Arcane Lightning Spell
Chapter 14don't have a clueIan Blames Barley for the Detour
Chapter 15gauntletIan and Barley Take the Wrong Path
Chapter 16looked out for meIan Thanks Barley for EverythingChapter 11 of 16 · about 33 min to go