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Onward · 2020 — Chapter 9 of 16 · 3'30" · B1

The Manticore Explains the Curse, Explained: not what it used to be

The night keeps getting worse until the Manticore explains what the boys are up against. A curse will rise if they take the gem, and asked how they handle danger, she does not fake optimism: "Not great. One of them is afraid of everything, and the other isn't afraid of anything."

What happens

At a gas station convenience store, Ian and Barley try to resupply while their half-formed father tags along. The Manticore catches up with them and explains the Guardian Curse: if the boys take the Phoenix Gem, it will rise as a beast and fight them. The one weapon that can break it is a sword she sold years ago.

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Keep the changenot what it used to begot a lot of nervestay out of trouble

00:00 / 03:30
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Phrase of the scene

not what it used to be

no longer as good as it was in the past

科里本想带大家飞去救两个男孩，却说自己这对老翅膀不中用了；not what it used to be 就是他对力不从心的自嘲。

This street is not what it used to be.

Also in this scene

  • Keep the change

    keep the extra money as a tip

  • got a lot of nerve

    used to tell someone they are being shockingly bold

  • stay out of trouble

    to avoid getting into difficult situations

Everything marked in this scene

24 notes across 64 lines

Phrase · B1look any adjectiveDo I look any bigger yet?
Phrase · B1bump into someoneHey! Did you just bump into me?
Phrase · B1be terribly sorryOh, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you there.
Phrase · B1not see someone thereOh, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you there.
Phrase · B1keep the change

keep the extra money as a tip

Give me a bag of extra sours. Keep the change. Outta the way, beanstalk.
Phrase · B2out of the wayGive me a bag of extra sours. Keep the change. Outta the way, beanstalk.
Phrase · B1Can it wait?Can it wait?
Phrase · A2get out of somewhereOkay, be quick. I want to get out of here.
Phrase · B1watch itHey, watch it.
Phrase · B1have a problemYou got a problem, Shades?
Phrase · B2where someone's head is atI'm sorry. I don't really know where his head's at right now.
Phrase · B1get any worseHow could this night get any worse?
Phrase · B2not what it used to be

no longer as good as it was in the past

You know, I would fly us to help your boys, but the old wings aren't what they used to be.
Phrase · B1be one's own faultIt's my own fault.
Phrase · B2you know how that goesI should be doing my wing exercises every morning, but you know how that goes.
Phrase · B2assume the form of somethingand assume the form of a mighty beast and battle your sons to the...
Phrase · B2let someone have itNo, no, the little guy. Ooh, he really let me have it.
Phrase · B1have something on youWell, okay, but you don't seem to have that on you.
Phrase · B1a few years backGot in a little tax trouble a few years back.
Phrase · B1be on one's wayI am on my way, boys.
Phrase · B1stay out of trouble

to avoid getting into difficult situations

Just try to stay out of trouble.
Phrase · B2have a lot of nerve

used to tell someone they are being shockingly bold

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You've got a lot of nerve. I'm just saying.
Phrase · A2take care of someoneBarley, I'm trying to take care of you and Dad, and you're not making it any easier.
Phrase · B2not make it any easierBarley, I'm trying to take care of you and Dad, and you're not making it any easier.

The Manticore Explains the Curse, explained

What's really going on

The scene tells the film's bigger story in miniature: everyone is past their prime and improvising. The Manticore admits she cannot simply fly in and save the day — "You know, I would fly us to help your boys, but the old wings aren't what they used to be" — and the help she offers instead is knowledge, not power. That is the pattern of the whole movie: old magic, old heroes and old wings have all stopped working, and the characters have to make do with whatever is left. Meanwhile the curse raises the stakes, and the missing sword makes clear that even the solution is a problem. The gas station setting keeps it grounded: a mythic quest stopping for snacks and a bathroom key.

Theme

CourageThe heroes keep going even though their best powers are gone, and the curse forces them to face a fight they are not ready for.
IdentityThe Manticore has slipped from her glory days, so the scene is partly about living up to a version of yourself that no longer exists.

What you'll learn

  • Use bump into for accidents or chance meetings
  • Hear Outta the way as a blunt command
  • Understand let me have it as a harsh attack
  • Use stay out of trouble to warn someone
  • Notice how "bump into" changes the exchange.
You know, I would fly us to help your boys, but the old wings aren't what they used to be.

A proud offer undercut by reality: the speaker wants to help the way she once could, but her body no longer allows it.

Every curse has a core.

A rule of the fantasy world stated like a fact of life — every problem has a center you can target.

Not great. One of them is afraid of everything, and the other isn't afraid of anything.

A blunt assessment of the brothers: the danger is real, and the two of them are opposite kinds of unprepared.

And only one weapon, forged of the rarest metals, can destroy it:

The set-up for the quest's new problem: the one solution exists, but the sentence trails off before revealing that it is gone.

Questions about this scene

What is the Guardian Curse?

It is a defense on the Phoenix Gem: if the boys take it, the curse will rise up in the form of a mighty beast and fight them. Destroying it requires a specific weapon.

Why can't the Manticore just fly the boys out of danger?

Because she is out of shape. She admits her wings are not what they used to be, which is why she offers knowledge and a plan instead of a rescue.

What does 'not what it used to be' mean?

It means something has gotten worse than it was before. The Manticore uses it about her wings, but the phrase fits anyone or anything past its best days.

What weapon can destroy the curse?

The Curse Crusher, the Manticore's enchanted sword. The catch is that she sold it years ago, so finding it becomes part of the quest.

Onward · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10With all due respectIan Talks His Way Past Bronco
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 HelpChapter 6took the easy routeBarley Picks the Path of PerilChapter 7go bonkersLaurel Asks the Manticore for HelpChapter 8wear offThe Growth Spell BackfiresWatching · Chapter 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 9 of 16 · about 44 min to go