already too much; time to stop
This has gone far enough.The Man from Earth · 2007 — Chapter 18 of 18 · 4'45" · C1
John's Story Is Called a Hoax, Explained: chasing our tails
The surface argument is whether the story is a hoax; underneath, the room is weighing whether to trust a man they cannot verify. A voice announces, "End of the line. Everybody off." A question follows, and only then is the account called a story. The close is anger and a demand for a real name.
What happens
Voices say this has gone too far, call it a hoax and a lie, and warn that someone can be committed for observation. After "End of the line. Everybody off," someone asks what, and then the account is called a story. Shock, anger, and a rubber room joke follow, and the exchange ends with a demand for a real name.
Listen for
gone much too farcommitted for observationend of the lineI'd prefer you were
00:00 / 04:45Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
chasing our tails
circling uselessly and getting nowhere
Someone says they were chasing our tails around the maypole: circling the mystery, enjoying it, and stretching the analysis.
We spent the meeting chasing our tails around the maypole and called it brainstorming.
Also in this scene
- gone much too far
already way past the line
- committed for observation
forcibly held for psychiatric watch
- end of the line
the ride is over; everyone out
- I'd prefer you were
I wish you really were
- old man
an old man; an elderly man
Everything marked in this scene
33 notes across 87 lines
confess the whole thing was faked
The time has come when you must admit this is a hoax...a large amount of care Not kindness; you need to be looked after.
If you don't drop this now - If you can - I'll be convinced that you need a great deal of attention.inserted condition: The aside threatens him and doubts he can stop.
If you don't drop this now - If you can - I'll be convinced that you need a great deal of attention.forcibly held for psychiatric watch
The line is delivered like a notice: stop, or someone can have you held and watched.
I can have you committed for observation.parenthetical demand: The dashes turn a request into an order.
I ask you now - I demand it - that you tell these people the truth.the ride is over; everyone out
Pressed for an ending, someone answers with a conductor's call and tells the whole room to get off.
End of the line. Everybody off.kept people anxiously unsure
John, you had us wondering whether you were sane or not, and it's just a story!where did that idea come from
Where'd you come off with such a half-baked, asinine idea?a crude and foolish plan Not undercooked food; an unfinished idea.
Where'd you come off with such a half-baked, asinine idea?In shadowing, keep not a close and let the t pass lightly.
At least you're relieved I'm not a nut.a crazy person — Casual word for crazy; keep it out of formal talk.
At least you're relieved I'm not a nut.For practice, hit prefer and cut were off quickly.
I'd prefer you were!say that once more — A blunt spoken request to repeat; it can sound rude.
Come again?if even stones had a voice
Dan, you spotted the burin and you said, "if stones could speak."test an idea on someone first
I got the notion, I ran it past you to check your reactions, and I took it too far.spin in a circle and get nowhere The maypole is a circle dance, not a pole in the room.
We were chasing our tails around the maypole, enjoying the mystery, the analytical stretch.the fun of stretching analysis Not a physical stretch; this puzzle pulls the analysis further open.
We were chasing our tails around the maypole, enjoying the mystery, the analytical stretch.fooled people into going along
Oh, man, you know, you had us going, right?boxes nested one inside another
You know those Chinese boxes, one inside the other inside the other inside the other?the innermost box The last box is how trapped he feels, not a real box.
I feel like I'm in the last box.the curse in son of a bitch — A direct curse; humiliating in public.
bitch!back out to dodge the mess — Spoken blame for quitting; rare in formal prose.
I know, I was tempted to cop out many times, But I couldn't resist seeing whether or not you could refute what I was saying.Let the middle of outta drop and keep here close.
I'm outta here. You wanna come? Let's go.I'm leaving right now — A casual exit; do not write it in a resignation.
I'm outta here. You wanna come? Let's go.clearly fit to be committed Not a diploma; mad enough to be committed.
You are absolutely certifiable.Try a light t in pretty instead of a hard stop.
I thought it sounded pretty good.exploit someone's kind trust
But the one thing that I know about you is that you would never use people or abuse their goodwill and intelligence like they think you've just done to them.relative clause: The clause narrows the claim to one trusted fact.
But the one thing that I know about you is that you would never use people or abuse their goodwill and intelligence like they think you've just done to them.intro psychology, textbook level — Campus shorthand that mocks a shallow reading.
Psych 101?a private face-to-face reading Not a sports matchup; a judgment made face to face.
No, it's woman, one-on-one.someone who lies quickly and smoothly
So you're a pretty fast liar, Mr. Ugg, But I wanna know: What's your real name?the name you actually have
So you're a pretty fast liar, Mr. Ugg, But I wanna know: What's your real name?John's Story Is Called a Hoax, explained
What's really going on
Someone says it has gone much too far, these people are upset, and the only explanation left is a hoax. Being committed is waved as a threat if the story is not dropped, along with a demand to tell the truth and "Give them closure." After "End of the line. Everybody off," a question lands, then a story. A line calls the idea a "half-baked, asinine idea." The next lines are "At least you're relieved I'm not a nut" and "I'd prefer you were," with a nut unspoken. Lines then name a fake Van Gogh, never aging, a book on early man, and "if stones could speak." "I ran it past you to check your reactions, and I took it too far" frames a test that went too far. The maypole line says they enjoyed the mystery while circling it. Someone later asks, "How could you do this to us?" One line says this person would never abuse their goodwill. A later line asks, "What's your real name?"
Theme
DeceptionA voice calls the account a hoax, then the room hears it was only a story told to see if anyone could refute it.
IdentityThe closing line asks for a real name, after a pun has already split Dr. Oldman into "old man."
Listen for
- not a nut — In shadowing, keep not a close and let the t pass lightly.
- prefer you were — For practice, hit prefer and cut were off quickly.
- I'm outta here — Let the middle of outta drop and keep here close.
- sounded pretty — Try a light t in pretty instead of a hard stop.
I can have you committed for observation.The speaker warns that refusing to drop the story will look like a need for forced psychiatric observation. It is leverage to end the tale, not a calm clinical judgment.
John, you had us wondering whether you were sane or not, and it's just a story!Spoken to John: the group doubted his sanity, and now hears the whole thing was only a story. The sting is the wasted worry.
We were chasing our tails around the maypole, enjoying the mystery, the analytical stretch.The speaker remembers the group circling the puzzle: they liked the mystery and the stretch of the analysis, and they were not getting anywhere.
Where'd you come off with such a half-baked, asinine idea?Pure disbelief. The speaker cannot see how anyone produced an idea this unfinished and this foolish, right after being told the whole thing was a story.
I'll interview you in the rubber room for further details.A joke, not an appointment. The speaker offers to ask more only once the other person is in a padded psychiatric room, echoing the earlier talk of being certifiable.
So you're a pretty fast liar, Mr. Ugg, But I wanna know: What's your real name?The speaker grants that the lying is quick, addresses the man as Mr. Ugg, and still wants the real name behind it.
Questions about this scene
Why does someone threaten to have him committed?
The threat sits inside a demand to admit a hoax and drop the story. The speaker says that if it continues, they will believe he needs "a great deal of attention," and that commitment for observation is available. The same stretch also asks for "the truth" and for closure. It is pressure to force an ending, not a scene of someone actually filing papers.
Why are people angry that it was just a story?
One line tells John he had them wondering whether he was sane, and that it is just a story. Another calls the idea half-baked and asinine. After "I'm not a nut," a line says "I'd prefer you were." Some lines are lighter: "you had us going," and "You were good." Later someone asks, "How could you do this to us?" The anger is worry that now feels wasted, and not every line stays angry.
What does "rubber room" mean here?
It is slang for a padded room used to hold someone in a psychiatric crisis. The speaker offers to ask for further details only in that room, after another line has already called the person absolutely certifiable. Heard here, it is a jab, not a plan to meet.
Does everyone accept that it was only a story?
No. Some lines treat the telling as a trick that worked: "you had us going," and "You were good." Others stay angry. Near the end one line says, "They believe you because they have to." A later line asks for a real name. The exchange stays split.
Why does someone ask for a real name?
The same line calls him 'a pretty fast liar' and 'Mr. Ugg,' so the asker wants the identity behind the story, not the alias. An earlier line says the others 'believe you because they have to,' and that he would never abuse their goodwill the way they think. The lines do not give the name.
The Man from Earth · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Chapter 1itchy feetJohn Gets Itchy Feet
Chapter 2itchy feetJohn Oldman's Farewell Toast
Chapter 3pan outJohn's Caveman Hypothetical
Chapter 4a day overNot a Day Over 900
Chapter 5just happenedI Just Happened, Not a Mission
Chapter 6You can't go home againJohn's Farewell Talk
Chapter 7almost wish it were trueNever Told the Buddha
Chapter 8no way to disproveNo Way to Disprove John's Story
Chapter 9So much forJohn's Caveman Claim Under Fire
Chapter 10I never saidJohn Says He Is Only Old
Chapter 11survivor's guiltJohn on Dying and Survivor's Guilt
Chapter 12on the ropesWill's Wife Just Died
Chapter 13a touch of senilityJohn Recalls Losing a Man in Brussels
Chapter 14no need of that hypothesisPressing John About the Bible
Chapter 15have something in mindJohn Implies He Was Jesus
Chapter 16the jury is still outSo You Were Jesus
Chapter 17If I said noJohn Won't Confirm He Was Jesus
Watching · Chapter 18chasing our tailsJohn's Story Is Called a HoaxThat's all 18 chapters of this film