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Onward · 2020 — Chapter 6 of 16 · 5'26" · B1

Barley Picks the Path of Peril, Explained: took the easy route

The brothers have a van, a deadline and no time to waste. Ian wants the expressway; Barley insists that a real quest demands the old trail instead. "On a quest the clear path is never the right one," he says, turning a bad decision into a rule of life. It is funny, and it is also why they get lost.

What happens

On the road to find a new Phoenix Gem, Ian and Barley argue about which route to take. Ian wants the expressway so they can reach their goal faster. Barley refuses, quoting the rules of Quests of Yore: a true adventurer avoids the obvious road and follows an old trail he calls the Path of Peril. The shortcut turns out to be the wrong choice.

SiblingsArgumentsPersuadingWarningSiblingsB1americanClean
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in the long runtook the easy routeon your owngelatinous cube

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Phrase of the scene

took the easy route

to choose the easiest option instead of the better one

巴利讲起当年游戏里他和同伴抄近路，结果同伴被凝胶方块吞掉；took the easy route 说的正是那次图省事的选择。

He took the easy route and copied the answers.

Also in this scene

  • in the long run

    over a long period, considering the final result

  • on your own

    alone, or without anyone's help

  • gelatinous cube

    a fantasy monster shaped like a giant cube of jelly

Everything marked in this scene

23 notes across 101 lines

Phrase · B2nail somethingOh, you're gonna nail Dad's spell now.
Phrase · B2use what you've gotLook, on a quest you have to use what you've got.
Phrase · B1this is what someone has gotAnd this is what we've got.
Phrase · B1solve the puzzleBest part is, little Kayla already solved the puzzle.
Phrase · B1according to someoneWell, according to Kayla, we just have to look for Raven's Point.
Phrase · A2look for somethingWell, according to Kayla, we just have to look for Raven's Point.
Phrase · B1by a certain timeWe could be there by tomorrow morning.
Phrase · B1have plenty of timeThat still gives us plenty of time with Dad.
Phrase · B1a little too adjectiveMmm, expressway is a little too obvious.
Phrase · B2the clear path is never the right oneOn a quest, the clear path is never the right one.
Phrase · B2take the easy route

to choose the easiest option instead of the better one

Shrub Rosehammer and I took the easy route. Led him straight into the belly of a gelatinous cube.
Phrase · B2suffer the same fateOnly reason I didn't suffer the same fate,
Phrase · B2follow one's gutI followed my gut.
Phrase · B2in the long run

over a long period, considering the final result

Maybe not in the long run.
Phrase · B2all that matters is ...I know you want this to be like one of your adventure games, but all that matters
Phrase · B2spend as much ... as possibleis that we get to spend as much time as possible with Dad.
Phrase · B2end up inside somethingBut if you end up inside a gelatinous cube, you are on your own.
Phrase · B1run offand, well, this just isn't like Ian to run off.
Phrase · B2go bonkersWell then, you wouldn't know that when their blood is exposed to air, it makes them go bonkers.
Phrase · C1lose one's grip on realitySee? She's already losing her grip on reality.
Phrase · B1be a piece of junkGuinevere was actually kind of a piece of junk.
Phrase · B1in time to do somethingBarley, we're not gonna be able to get Dad back in time to see Mom.
Phrase · B1work on somethingYou're gonna wanna work on that.

Barley Picks the Path of Peril, explained

What's really going on

The route argument is the whole movie in miniature. Ian counts the minutes because his father has one day; Barley counts the stories because that is how he makes sense of the world. One wants the fastest line to the goal, the other insists the journey itself is the point. "On a quest the clear path is never the right one," Barley says, and it sounds like wisdom until you remember it is also why they are lost. His story about a friend who "took the easy route" and ended up inside a gelatinous cube is a warning and a joke at once, and Ian's dry answer about the expressway being faster is the voice of every younger sibling who just wants to arrive. Under the bickering is trust: Ian lets Barley choose, even when the choice looks wrong.

Theme

CourageBarley chooses the harder, riskier trail on principle, and Ian follows him even though he doubts the choice.
Family loveThe brothers fight over the route because both are racing to give their father one more day.

What you'll learn

  • Use “use what you ve got” for improvising
  • Understand “followed my gut” as intuition
  • Use “in the long run” for long-term effects
  • Soften disagreement with “Maybe not in the long run”
  • Notice how "Miss mighty" changes the exchange.
On a quest the clear path is never the right one

Barley's rule of adventure: the obvious, easiest route is usually a trap, and the true path is the hidden one.

And it s telling me we take an ancient trail called the Path of Peril But the expressway is faster

Barley claims a sign is directing them onto an old, dangerous trail; Ian's flat reply that the expressway is faster sums up the whole argument.

But if you end up inside a gelatinous cube you are on your own

Barley's mock warning: if you take the easy route and fall into a gelatinous cube, nobody is coming to save you.

Look on a quest you have to use what you ve got

Barley's lesson: in an adventure you work with the tools and people at hand instead of waiting for better ones.

Questions about this scene

Why won't Barley take the expressway?

Because in his view of Quests of Yore, a real quest never follows the easy, obvious route. He believes the harder trail is the one that leads somewhere.

What is a gelatinous cube?

A creature from fantasy games, a blob-shaped monster that swallows adventurers whole. Barley uses it as a joke: take the easy route and you end up inside one.

Who actually decides which route they take?

Barley does, because Ian lets him. Ian is in a hurry but gives way to his brother, which is why the wrong route becomes the plot's problem.

Why is the Path of Peril a bad idea?

It costs them time they do not have, since their father's spell ends at sunset. The detour is the first sign that Barley's stories and Ian's deadline will keep clashing.

Onward · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7go bonkersLaurel Asks the Manticore for Help
Chapter 1wiggle out ofIan's Sixteenth Birthday MorningChapter 2was wondering ifIan's Awkward Party InviteChapter 3get byDad Leaves Ian a Wizard StaffChapter 4Whatever it takesDad Comes Back as Just LegsChapter 5followed my gutThe Manticore Refuses to HelpWatching · Chapter 6took the easy routeBarley Picks the Path of PerilChapter 7go bonkersLaurel Asks the Manticore for HelpChapter 8wear offThe Growth Spell BackfiresChapter 9not what it used to beThe Manticore Explains the CurseChapter 10With all due respectIan Talks His Way Past BroncoChapter 11chin upBarley Trains Ian With the SwordChapter 12the worst that can happenIan Crosses the Trust BridgeChapter 13to the count of threeIan Tries the Arcane Lightning SpellChapter 14don't have a clueIan Blames Barley for the DetourChapter 15gauntletIan and Barley Take the Wrong PathChapter 16looked out for meIan Thanks Barley for Everything
Chapter 6 of 16 · about 54 min to go