I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed that this flight has been delayed for an hour.The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two · 2020 — Chapter 14 of 20 · 4'06" · B1
Kate Gets Stopped at the Airport, Explained: for all I know
Kate tries to buy batteries with toy money and gets caught: "This is the worst counterfeit job I've ever seen." With no ticket and no parents, she is taken for a runaway, and the flight she needs is canceled. Meanwhile a choir asks the stranded crowd for the spirit of Christmas.
What happens
At the airport, Kate tries to pay for batteries with what the clerk calls the worst counterfeit money he has ever seen. With no boarding pass and no parents, she is suspected of being a runaway. Then every flight is canceled, and she is left demanding a plane to Chicago.
Listen for
the man with the planfor all I knowregret to inform youget right on that
00:00 / 04:06Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
for all I know
据我所知、说不定
机场工作人员说，光看这情况，这孩子说不定就是个离家出走的人。
For all I know, they moved away years ago.
Also in this scene
- the man with the plan
有主意的人、主事的人
- regret to inform you
a formal way of announcing bad news
- get right on that
said to promise action, often sarcastically
Everything marked in this scene
40 notes across 63 lines
present perfect passive
I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I have been informed that this flight has been delayed for an hour.Sorry about this delay.liaison
Sorry about this delay.I think I found out what this thing runs on.Yeah. There we go.That's all I've got.-The gift shop. They'll have some there. -Yeah. Good thinking. All right.You go get 'em and then meet me right back here. All right?Here you go. Keep the change.elision
Here you go. Keep the change.-Is this some kind of joke? -[Kate] Hmm?Is this Monopoly money?This is the worst counterfeit job I've ever seen.superlative with present perfect
This is the worst counterfeit job I've ever seen.-Um, right. Um, my mistake. Sorry. -Hey, you gotta pay for those batteries.Oh, they're… they're cool with me traveling alone.Hmm. Can I see your boarding pass, please?You know what? Hey! Why don't you come with me?-What? No, please. -Look, kid, you got no ticket, no parents.-For all I know, you could be a runaway. -But I'm not a… Not exactly.-For all I know, you could be a runaway. -But I'm not a… Not exactly.-For all I know, you could be a runaway. -But I'm not a… Not exactly.said to promise action, often sarcastically
-Yeah, I'll get right on that. -[scoffs]a formal way of announcing bad news
we regret to inform you that your flight has been canceled.regret to do
we regret to inform you that your flight has been canceled.liaison
we regret to inform you that your flight has been canceled.We will continue to keep you updated as new flights are scheduled.-Thank you for your patience. -[chuckles]So you're telling me you didn't know five minutes ago that it was a cancellation and not a delay?Listen, we can offer you a complimentary hotel room for the night.-[choir vocalizes] -Now, listen, brothers and sisters.liaison
-[choir vocalizes] -Now, listen, brothers and sisters.We ain't going nowhere with all this negativity.double negative
We ain't going nowhere with all this negativity.We ain't going nowhere with all this negativity.All this fussin' and fightin' ain't nothing but stupidity.Now, let's hear what the man with the plan has to say.Well, it's real simple.…the spirit of Christmas!Kate Gets Stopped at the Airport, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a small comic disaster with a bigger point underneath. Kate, a child from the North Pole's magic, is stranded in the most ordinary place imaginable — an airport counter — and every rule there works against her. She has no money that anyone accepts, no ticket, no parent, and her story sounds exactly like a lie. The clerk's line, "For all I know, you could be a runaway," is fair, which is what makes it funny and sad at once. Then the real blow lands: the flight is canceled, and her magic cannot fix a grounded airline. The chapter ends with the stranded crowd being told that what they actually need is not a plane but "the spirit of Christmas," which turns the whole delay into the film's recurring test.
Theme
IdentityA magical child is read as a runaway because she has no ticket and no parent.
TrustNothing she says is believed, and even her money is judged counterfeit.
Listen for
- Sorry about this delay — liaison
- Keep the change — elision
- regret to inform you — liaison
- brothers and sisters — liaison
This is the worst counterfeit job I've ever seen.The clerk's verdict on the toy money — comic, and fatal to Kate's errand.
-For all I know, you could be a runaway. -But I'm not a… Not exactly.The suspicion she cannot fully deny, since her story is stranger than a lie.
We ain't going nowhere with all this negativity.The choir leader's claim that a whole crowd is stuck because of its bad mood.
Now, let's hear what the man with the plan has to say.The line that hands the floor to Santa, setting up the demand for Christmas spirit.
Questions about this scene
Why does the clerk refuse Kate's money?
She pays with toy-like notes, and the clerk calls them the worst counterfeit money he has ever seen.
What does 'for all I know' mean here?
It means the clerk cannot rule it out; based on what he does know, Kate could be a runaway.
Why does Kate get upset at the counter?
Her flight, already delayed, is canceled, and she urgently wants a plane to Chicago.
What does the crowd actually need, according to the scene?
Not a flight but the spirit of Christmas, which the choir leader calls on everyone to show.
The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 15the sky is fallingKate Confesses to a Stranger
Chapter 1come from a long line ofBelsnickel Reveals Himself
Chapter 2could care lessKate Grumbles Through a Beach Christmas
Chapter 3the time of one's lifeKate Sees Through the Bribe
Chapter 4a real dragKate and Jack Reach the Pole
Chapter 5took matters into my own handsKate Wakes Up at the North Pole
Chapter 6time stands stillSanta Tours the Village
Chapter 7whipped upKate and Jack Stay One Night
Chapter 8one of a kindMrs. Claus Tells Santa's Origin Story
Chapter 9buy some timeBelsnickel Steals the Star
Chapter 10one way or anotherSanta Flies with Seven Reindeer
Chapter 11not a moment to loseMrs. Claus Arms Jack With Cookies
Chapter 12hallowed groundSanta Returns to the Elf Forest
Chapter 13a tear in the fabric of timeThe Sleigh Tears Through Time
Watching · Chapter 14for all I knowKate Gets Stopped at the Airport
Chapter 15the sky is fallingKate Confesses to a Stranger
Chapter 16see something throughKate Meets Her Father Doug
Chapter 17a game of chickenMrs. Claus Stops the Chicken Game
Chapter 18at the end of the daySanta Talks Belsnickel Down
Chapter 19from time to timeThe Last Sleigh Ride Home
Chapter 20one day at a timeKate and Jack Come HomeChapter 14 of 20 · about 19 min to go