Careful, there could be booby traps.Onward · 2020 — Chapter 15 of 16 · 3'58" · B1
Ian and Barley Take the Wrong Path, Explained: gauntlet
The brothers fight through traps, puzzles and a gelatinous cube, only to open the final door and find themselves back home. Their whole detour was the wrong way, and the gem is in the mountain they skipped. "You can never take the obvious," Barley insists, but Ian has had enough, and the argument turns ugly.
What happens
Ian and Barley brave a gauntlet of traps, puzzles and a gelatinous cube, certain the Phoenix Gem waits behind the final door. Instead they step through and land back at home. The whole dangerous detour was the wrong way, and the gem was in the mountain they could have reached hours earlier on the expressway.
Listen for
take the obviousstay away frommake sensegauntlet
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Phrase of the scene
gauntlet
a long series of difficult tests or attacks
伊恩坚持宝石就在附近，理由是刚才经过了 gauntlet；这个词既是游戏里的连环关卡，也暗示他们一路被考验。
New hires run a gauntlet of interviews before they get an offer.
Also in this scene
- take the obvious
to choose the most obvious and easy option
- stay away from
to avoid someone or something; to not go near them
- make sense
to be reasonable or easy to understand
Everything marked in this scene
33 notes across 48 lines
There's no way there could be.It can't be.A gelatinous cube.Whoa. Wait. It's some kind of puzzle.We gotta figure it out before. No time. Grab a shield.We gotta figure it out before. No time. Grab a shield.Jump. Trust me. What?Don't step on that.I didn't touch it.The tile down there has the same shape as the opening.Maybe we were supposed to step on it.Oh. It's working.It's impossible.No one can hold their breath that long.We made it.The Phoenix Gem awaits beyond this door. Shall we?The Phoenix Gem awaits beyond this door. Shall we?We certainly shall.Dad, we have followed the quest and it has led us to our victory.Dad, we have followed the quest and it has led us to our victory.We're back home. No, that doesn't make sense. We took the Path of Peril.to avoid someone or something; to not go near them
We went to the end of the water. Unless the X meant stay away from the water.Or it could be like a campfire.It's okay. We can figure this out.Figure out what? We're back where we started.I mean, it has to be here. There was a gauntlet.I mean, unless that gauntlet was for coincidentally some different quest. That's a possibility. What?to choose the most obvious and easy option
You can never take the obvious.If I hadn't listened to you. Okay.I can't believe this.You act like you know what you're doing, but you don't have a clue.And that's because you are a screwup.Ian and Barley Take the Wrong Path, explained
What's really going on
This is the scene where the movie's philosophy is tested and loses. Barley has been telling everyone that a real quest avoids the easy, obvious path, and the film has rewarded that idea with magic, monsters and a working Trust Bridge. Then the gauntlet delivers them straight back to their front door, and the faith that carried Ian over an invisible bridge turns into the reason they are lost. "You act like you know what you're doing, but you don't have a clue," Ian snaps, and for once Barley has no story ready. His answer, "It's okay. We can figure this out," is the same comfort he offers whenever things go wrong, and it is not enough this time. The brothers end the scene further apart than they began, with Ian's real fear spoken out loud.
Theme
Family conflictIan finally blames Barley out loud, calling him a screwup for leading them the wrong way and wasting their one chance.
DreamsThe quest's failure puts Ian's wish to meet his father out of reach, turning a detour into a loss.
What you'll learn
- Use “figure it out” to mean solve or understand something.
- Use “follow my gut” for an instinctive decision.
- Hear how “be supposed to” expresses expectation.
- Distinguish a “screwup” from “screwed up.”
- Notice how "booby trap" changes the exchange.
You can never take the obvious.Barley's rule of adventure, which the movie has just disproved: refusing the obvious route is exactly what sent them the wrong way.
It's okay. We can figure this out.Barley's default reassurance, offered when he has no answer and the situation looks impossible.
No one can hold their breath that long.A stunned reaction to the puzzle's challenge, showing how absurd the gauntlet's tests have become.
You act like you know what you're doing, but you don't have a clue.Ian's outburst: he accuses Barley of confident bluffing and, for the first time, says what he really thinks.
Questions about this scene
Why do they end up back home?
The route they chose was a loop. The gauntlet and the door led them back to where they started, proving Barley's shortcut-by-complication was the wrong way.
Where is the Phoenix Gem really?
In the mountain. They could have driven there in hours on the expressway, but Barley insisted the obvious route had to be avoided.
What is a gauntlet?
A long series of trials you have to survive one after another. The term comes from an old punishment, and it now describes any punishing string of challenges.
Why is Ian so angry at Barley?
Because the detour cost them the one day they had with their father. Ian blames Barley for acting sure of himself when he was guessing all along.
Onward · 16 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 16looked out for meIan Thanks Barley for Everything
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
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
Watching · Chapter 15gauntletIan and Barley Take the Wrong Path
Chapter 16looked out for meIan Thanks Barley for EverythingChapter 15 of 16 · about 14 min to go