Hey, pal, I hate to tell you this...The Lego Movie · 2014 — Chapter 3 of 22 · 2'22" · B1
Emmet Touches the Piece of Resistance, Explained: I hate to tell you this
An after-hours worker tells Emmet he isn't allowed on the site, then something strange pulls him toward a hidden object. The command repeats until he obeys — "Touch the Piece." A prophecy follows about a yellow-faced Special who will find the Piece of Resistance and defeat the Kragle.
What happens
Emmet lingers at a construction site after hours and is told he should not be there. Chasing something odd, he falls into a pit, touches a mysterious object, and hears a voice repeat "Touch the Piece." A prophecy then declares that a yellow-faced Special One will find the Piece of Resistance and save the realm.
Listen for
didn't mean toTouch the Piecenot so badI hate to tell you this
00:00 / 02:22Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
I hate to tell you this
a softener before delivering bad news
Emmet softens the bad news that Wyldstyle is not allowed on the work site.
I hate to tell you this, but your flight has been cancelled.
Also in this scene
- didn't mean to
to not intend to do something
- Touch the Piece
a repeated call to take the leap
- not so bad
surprisingly okay
Everything marked in this scene
18 notes across 45 lines
elision
Hey, pal, I hate to tell you this...Hey, pal, I hate to tell you this...but, uh, I don't think you're supposed to be here.be supposed to: be supposed to marks what the rules expect, not what the speaker wants.
but, uh, I don't think you're supposed to be here.weak form
but, uh, I don't think you're supposed to be here.work site closes at 6, it's a hard-hat area only."If you see anything weird, report it immediately."have to report youuu...to not intend to do something
Where are you going? Miss! I didn't mean to scare you! I'm sor...surprisingly okay
Hey! Heh. That's not so bad.a repeated call to take the leap
Touch the Piece.I feel like maybe I should touch that.What's going on down here?present continuous question: The continuous form pins the question to what is happening right now.
What's going on down here?liaison
What's going on down here?This MasterBuilder will thwart The Kragle and save the realm.It's your turn to be the hero.Emmet Touches the Piece of Resistance, explained
What's really going on
Emmet is a rule-follower who only wants to clock out and go home, which makes him an odd choice for a chosen one. The scene's joke is that destiny arrives through procedure: he hears "Touch the Piece" like an instruction, and his first instinct is to look for the manual. The prophecy promises "It's your turn to be the hero," but nothing about Emmet suggests he is ready. The gap between the grand language and the ordinary guy standing in the pit is exactly the film's point.
Theme
IdentityAn ordinary Emmet is told he is the Special One, and the prophecy hangs on a yellow face rather than any real deed.
DreamsThe prophecy frames the Piece of Resistance as a destiny waiting to be claimed, and Emmet stumbles into it.
Listen for
- hate to tell — elision
- supposed to be — weak form
- going on — liaison
but, uh, I don't think you're supposed to be here.A soft, rule-based warning: the speaker is not angry, just sure the rules say Emmet does not belong.
What do I do? I don't have my instructions.Emmet's helplessness in one line — faced with destiny, he asks for the manual he has always relied on.
It's your turn to be the hero.A call to action that turns the scene toward Emmet, even though he seems like the least likely hero in the room.
That's not official safety orange.A joke about the film's obsession with rules: even a stranger's gear is judged by regulation orange before anything else.
Questions about this scene
Why is Emmet on the work site after hours?
He stays past closing and gets caught by a worker who reminds him the site is off limits. Curiosity about something strange keeps him there, and that choice leads him to the Piece.
What is the Piece of Resistance?
A mysterious object hidden underground that Emmet touches by accident. A prophecy says the Special One who finds it will defeat the Kragle and save the realm.
Why does the voice keep saying "Touch the Piece"?
It works like a compulsion driving Emmet toward his fate. The repetition wears him down until he acts, and it becomes the scene's signature line.
Is Emmet really the Special One the prophecy describes?
The prophecy only names a yellow-faced figure, and Emmet fits by accident more than by skill. Whether he deserves the title is the question the rest of the film plays with.
The Lego Movie · 22 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4a blank slateBad Cop Interrogates Emmet
Chapter 1put to sleepEmmet Follows the Instructions
Chapter 2between the linesEmmet's Morning Routine in Bricksburg
Watching · Chapter 3I hate to tell you thisEmmet Touches the Piece of Resistance
Chapter 4a blank slateBad Cop Interrogates Emmet
Chapter 5drop the actWyldstyle Rescues Emmet
Chapter 6no time to loseVitruvius Explains the Universe
Chapter 7No more Mr. Nice GuyPresident Business Reveals the Kragle
Chapter 8blend inEmmet Fails the MasterBuilder Test
Chapter 9in the first placeEmmet Invents the Double-Decker Couch
Chapter 10Trust your instinctsEmmet Learns to Trust His Instincts
Chapter 11tale of woeEmmet Addresses the MasterBuilders
Chapter 12every man for himselfCuckoo Land Gets Raided
Chapter 13after allBusiness Mocks the Double-Decker Couch
Chapter 14the last thing someone expectsEmmet Pitches His Master Plan
Chapter 15out of the blueEmmet Plans the Tower Heist
Chapter 16put on a tough actLucy Reveals Her Real Name
Chapter 17made it upVitruvius Reveals the Prophecy Is Fake
Chapter 18special little snowflakeLord Business Releases the Kragle
Chapter 19sounds like a cat posterGhost Vitruvius Reveals the Truth
Chapter 20a face in the crowdWyldstyle Rallies the Universe
Chapter 21Fire in the holeDad Finds His Lego Collection Wrecked
Chapter 22back from the deadLord Business Offers His HandChapter 3 of 22 · about 67 min to go