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The Intern · 2015 — Chapter 5 of 18 · 2'22" · B1

Ben Arrives at Jules's House, Explained: slammed

Ben arrives to pick up Jules, but the house is a blur of Legos, a princess game, and a schedule being talked through. The surface is small talk; underneath, one line — "Oh, I'm so slammed next week" — keeps a family dinner at arm's length.

What happens

Ben comes to Jules's house to pick her up. Matt lets him in, introduces Paige, and warns him about the Legos. When Jules appears, Matt runs through the evening and next week's dinner plan; she says she is slammed, then promises to make it, and admits she was fixated on tissue paper.

Small talkFamily dinnersExplainingPromisingSpousesB1mediumamericanClean
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Listen for

hystericalslammedNo, actuallydid I lose you

00:00 / 02:22
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Phrase of the scene

slammed

extremely busy

Asked about dinner next week, someone says this first, signalling a packed schedule with tired reluctance.

I'm slammed until Thursday, but Friday is open.

Also in this scene

  • hysterical

    extremely funny, not frantic

  • No, actually

    polite correction

  • did I lose you

    have I lost your attention

  • fixated on

    unable to stop focusing on

  • make it

    manage to attend

Everything marked in this scene

26 notes across 66 lines

Phrase · A2walk away from something

leave it alone

Oh, walk away.
Phrase · A2hang on a second

wait a moment

Hang on. I'm coming.
Phrase · A2be on a call

be on the phone

Uh, she's on a call. Do you want to come in?
Soundwant to

In fast speech, want to blurs together; listen for the main verb after it.

Uh, she's on a call. Do you want to come in?
Phrase · B1watch your step

be careful where you walk

Legos everywhere, so watch your step.
Phrase · A2have a seat

please sit down

Have a seat, Ben.
Phrase · A2work with someone

work with someone

Hey, Paige, this is Ben. He works with mommy.
Phrase · B1be about to do something

be just about to win

Oh, yeah. Looks like you're about to win.
Phrase · B1go over a couple of things

review a few things not walk over; review a few points

Hey, and, honey, uh, before you leave, Just got to go over a couple things.
Soundgot to

Got to often collapses in speech; don't wait for two separate t sounds.

Hey, and, honey, uh, before you leave, Just got to go over a couple things.
Sounddid an

Did an can run together; keep the article from disappearing.

Matty, did an ATF box arrive for me?
Phrase · B2check on how something arrived

see how something arrived

I ordered some stuff to check on how it arrived.
Grammar · B2how it arrived

how-clause: The how-clause explains what was being checked; it keeps statement order, not question order.

I ordered some stuff to check on how it arrived.
Phrase · B1by the way

incidentally

Not great, by the way.
Phrase · A2go to someone's for dinner

go to someone's place for dinner

Yeah, okay. You're working, So Paige and I are gonna go to my mom's for dinner.
Slang · A2gonna

going to — Everyday speech only; avoid it in formal writing.

Yeah, okay. You're working, So Paige and I are gonna go to my mom's for dinner.
Phrase · B1Do you know yet if...?

have you found out whether...

Do you know yet if we can go to dinner with Robbie and Annie?
Grammar · B1if we can go to dinner

embedded question: The if-clause turns a yes/no question into a polite indirect one; keep the subject before the verb.

Do you know yet if we can go to dinner with Robbie and Annie?
Slang · B2slammed

extremely busy — Casual complaints about work; use 'fully booked' in formal writing.

Oh, I'm so slammed next week.
Phrase · B1make it to something

manage to attend

After mentioning a busy week, someone adds this to turn a refusal into a concession for the other person.

I'm sorry. If you want to go, I'll make it.
Grammar · B1If you want to go

conditional clause: The if-clause sets the condition for the promise in the main clause; use present tense there.

I'm sorry. If you want to go, I'll make it.
Phrase · B2be fixated on something

unable to stop focusing on

Okay, I'm sorry. I was fixated on this tissue paper.
Phrase · B1thanks for letting me do something

thanks for allowing me to...

Thank you for the coffee. Thanks for letting me play.
Slang · A2sweetie

term of endearment — Warm address for a child or close person; not for strangers.

Actually, I have to go. Come on, sweetie.
Phrase · A2drop someone at school

take someone to school

Ben, we're gonna drop Paige at school, okay?
Phrase · A2kiss someone goodbye

kiss someone as a goodbye

Kiss daddy goodbye. Mwah!

Ben Arrives at Jules's House, explained

What's really going on

The scene looks like household admin: dry cleaning, a missing button, a birthday party, dinner with friends. But the timing is the tell. When a dinner date comes up, the first answer is "Oh, I'm so slammed next week," which keeps the plan at a distance without refusing it outright. The follow-up, "If you want to go, I'll make it," shifts the decision to the other person and turns a busy schedule into a concession. Then comes the admission, "I was fixated on this tissue paper" — a small, comic excuse for not catching the date. By the end, the promise is explicit — "I will be there" — but the scene shows how a family keeps talking while work keeps pulling one person away.

Theme

ParenthoodA parent lists school, a party, and dinner while work keeps interrupting the plan.
MarriageA couple negotiates the week's schedule, and a busy answer turns into a promise.

Listen for

  • want to — In fast speech, want to blurs together; listen for the main verb after it.
  • got to — Got to often collapses in speech; don't wait for two separate t sounds.
  • did an — Did an can run together; keep the article from disappearing.
Oh, yeah. Looks like you're about to win.

A gentle encouragement during a child's memory game, used to make small talk with a kid.

are you listening, or did I lose you?

A half-joking check that someone is still following the conversation, not a real accusation.

I'm sorry. If you want to go, I'll make it.

An apology plus a concession: the speaker will try to attend if the other person wants the dinner.

Oh, I'm so slammed next week.

A casual way to say the week is packed, often softening a refusal before any compromise.

Questions about this scene

Why does the reply correct the "new driver" guess?

The reply says, "No, actually, I'm her intern." It turns down the driver label politely and supplies the actual role in the same breath.

What does slammed mean in "Oh, I'm so slammed next week"?

Here it means extremely busy, with the week already full. It is a casual way to signal that a dinner plan may be hard to keep.

Why does the speaker mention tissue paper?

It comes as an apology for not catching the date: the speaker says they were fixated on the tissue paper, then adds, "I will be there."

Does the dinner plan get settled here?

By the end, yes: after "I'll make it," the speaker says, "I will be there." The scene closes on that promise, though the dinner itself is not shown.

The Intern · 18 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6stay-at-home dadJules Gets the Guacamole Assignment
Chapter 1gave me the drillBen Meets His New BossChapter 2make the trains run on timeJules Is Told to Consider a CEOChapter 3goes without sayingBen Confronts the Drinking DriverChapter 4me timeTwo Parents Keep Dozing OffWatching · Chapter 5slammedBen Arrives at Jules's HouseChapter 6stay-at-home dadJules Gets the Guacamole AssignmentChapter 7force of habitBen's Old Factory RevealChapter 8brownnoseIntern Sets Up Facebook ProfileChapter 9jumped the gunBen Gets His Job BackChapter 10I happen to thinkBecky Breaks Down at WorkChapter 11little does ... knowJules's Team Plans a Break-InChapter 12no such thing asFake Alarm at Jules's Mom's HouseChapter 13above and beyondCoworkers Toast After a HeistChapter 14glass ceilingBen Takes Paige to a Birthday PartyChapter 15bowl of mushBen Comes Back FlushedChapter 16pull offBenjamin Opens Up About His MarriageChapter 17take the rapA Wife Reveals Her Husband's AffairChapter 18add upBen Talks Jules Out of Giving Up
Chapter 5 of 18 · about 34 min to go