Get out of the road!The Mask · 1994 — Chapter 3 of 8 · 4'04" · B2
Stanley Becomes the Mask, Explained: put down
Someone in a wild new face treats the road like a stage. He calls himself road kill, then gives a boy who asked the time a sidewalk magic show. "And last but not least" introduces the closer, and the closer is a tommy gun. The decent speech about being a superhero lasts one breath.
What happens
On a public road, someone turns traffic into a cartoon. He sprawls in the street, calls himself road kill, then stops a boy who asked for the time. The boy gets a giraffe, a story about a rabid poodle, and a tommy gun. The same voice briefly pictures fighting crime for world peace, then tells everyone to hold on.
Listen for
last but not leastroad killput downstep right up
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
put down
to kill a sick or dangerous animal painlessly; also to set down or humiliate
面具变出一只法国贵宾犬送给小孩，转眼又说狗有狂犬病、只能让它安乐死。
The vet had to put the old horse down.
Also in this scene
- last but not least
last in order, not last in importance
- road kill
an animal killed on the road, used here as self-mockery
- step right up
come forward, especially in the loud style of a carnival barker
Everything marked in this scene
21 notes across 54 lines
You got the time?flap
You got the time?As a matter of fact, I do, cubby.a teasing name for a kid or a younger person
As a matter of fact, I do, cubby.time clause with before
It's exactly two seconds before I honk your nose and pull your underwear over your head.come forward, especially in the loud style of a carnival barker
Step right up here!an insult meaning a thick-headed fool
Nobody likes a bashful leatherhead!Move it!For my first trick...There ya go, son. Now, get outta here. You bother me.There ya go, son. Now, get outta here. You bother me.A little body English.The dog was rabid. Had to put it down.subject drop
The dog was rabid. Had to put it down.last in order, not last in importance
And last but not least,elision
And last but not least,With these powers, I could be...fronted prepositional phrase
With these powers, I could be...Hold on to your lug nuts!liaison
Hold on to your lug nuts!Stanley Becomes the Mask, explained
What's really going on
The talk sounds like a street magician who has just discovered he can break every rule. "Look, ma, I'm road kill!" is not a cry for help. He is lying in traffic and enjoying the bit. When a boy asks for the time, the answer is a threat dressed as a joke: "It's exactly two seconds before I honk your nose and pull your underwear over your head." The tricks that follow, a giraffe, a poodle he says was rabid, then "A tommy-gun!", keep raising the stakes while the patter stays cheerful. He does pause to imagine a decent version of himself, "A superhero!" who could fight crime and work for world peace. "But first..." cuts that speech off. The powers show up in the lines, and the use he picks is the gag.
Theme
IdentityHe lists a better self, fight crime, protect the innocent, world peace, then drops it for a gag. The new self is a wish he will not hold.
AbsurdityA boy asks the time and receives a giraffe, a rabid poodle joke, and a tommy gun. Cause and effect have left the road.
What you'll learn
- Use As a matter of fact in the same situation
- Hear last but not least as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
Listen for
- got the time — flap
- but not least — elision
- Hold on to — liaison
It's exactly two seconds before I honk your nose and pull your underwear over your head.He is not telling the boy the hour. The time is a two-second countdown to a playground humiliation, nose honked and underwear pulled over the head.
The dog was rabid. Had to put it down.In the magic act the poodle has vanished, and this is the punch line: the dog was sick, so it had to be destroyed. The cheerful tone makes the euphemism put down land as a dark joke.
Look, ma, I'm road kill!He is flat in the road and inviting an audience, not reporting an accident. Road kill is the cartoon version of being run over, and he is proud of the pose.
There ya go, son. Now, get outta here. You bother me.The giraffe trick is over. He hands the boy the prize and, in the same breath, tells him to leave because he is annoying. The gift and the brush-off arrive together.
Questions about this scene
Why does he threaten the boy who asked for the time?
The boy only asks, "You got the time?" The reply refuses a normal answer. "It's exactly two seconds before I honk your nose and pull your underwear over your head" turns a clock into a countdown for a prank. He wants a victim for the bit, not the hour.
Why does the magic show end with a tommy gun?
The tricks get wilder in order: a giraffe, a poodle he says was rabid and had to be put down, then "A tommy-gun!" called "my favorite." The patter still sounds like a children's show. The laugh is that mismatch, a weapon landing as the final trick.
What does "Hold on to your lug nuts" mean here?
Lug nuts keep a car wheel on. Telling everyone to hold on to them means the ride is about to get violent and cartoonish. He shouts it right after "But first..." cuts off the superhero speech, so the warning is the real choice: brace, the gag is starting.
Does he mean it when he says he could be a superhero?
He says the job out loud: fight crime, protect the innocent, work for world peace. Then "But first..." stops the list. The wish is spoken and immediately parked. The scene shows the thought and the swerve, not a promise he keeps.
The Mask · 8 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4you can quote mePeggy Questions Stanley
Chapter 1crème de la crèmeStanley Hands Over the Tickets
Chapter 2school is outArguing the Plan Against Niko
Watching · Chapter 3put downStanley Becomes the Mask
Chapter 4you can quote mePeggy Questions Stanley
Chapter 5beat him to the punchPolice Grill Ipkiss Over Pajamas
Chapter 6written in the starsThe Mask Cornered by Police
Chapter 7I'm historyStanley Confesses He's the Mask
Chapter 8one hell of a timeStanley at the Police StationChapter 3 of 8 · about 20 min to go