Now, I have some forms you'll have to fill out.The Mask · 1994 — Chapter 2 of 8 · 4'02" · B2
Arguing the Plan Against Niko, Explained: school is out
On the surface it is a heist pitch: detectors, a bank, then Niko. Underneath, it is a coup against the man who owns the club and the town. One warning says mess with him and you sleep in the dirt. The reply is cocky: "He's the only one who's napping." After the bank and Niko, the city is their playground.
What happens
Someone at a bank lists savings, checking, CDs, and T-bills, then jokes about a mattress. Elsewhere, partners plan around motion detectors and Niko, who owns the club and the town. Their order is the bank, then Niko, then the city as a playground. A caller is told to stop panicking. At a garage, an oil change turns into shot brakes, a new transmission, and a loaner.
Listen for
school is outowns youa pain in the assget your panties in a twist
00:00 / 04:02Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
school is out
everything is over, not actual school
多里安对查理讲计划：先抢银行再收拾尼科，然后说 school is out，意思是游戏到此结束。
Once the audit is filed, school is out for the whole team.
Also in this scene
- owns you
he has total control over you
- a pain in the ass
something or someone very annoying or troublesome
- get your panties in a twist
to get overly upset or agitated about something minor
Everything marked in this scene
30 notes across 79 lines
Will you guys keep it down back there?You can pull this off, right?liaison
You can pull this off, right?zero copula
Hey, you talking to the doctor.emphatic do
I do have one question.What does Niko have to say about all this?a scam or a hustle
This ain't his grift, man.Get real, man.he has total control over you
He owns you, he owns this club, he owns this whole stinking town.You mess with Niko, you end up taking a dirt nap.a euphemism for being dead
You mess with Niko, you end up taking a dirt nap.And I'm about to give him a serious wake-up call.And I'm about to give him a serious wake-up call.everything is over, not actual school
then we take Niko, and then, my friend, school is out...Watch where you're going!Hang on! Hang on!to get overly upset or agitated about something minor
Don't get your panties in a twist, would ya?elision
Don't get your panties in a twist, would ya?What can I do for you?The brake drums are shot,all-cleft
All I wanted was an oil change.time clause
Well, you're lucky you caught these problems now before they cause serious trouble.Sign, uh, right here and press down hard.elliptical answer
There will be.Bring around...It's a classic.What do you say we get in this joint, huh?weak form
What do you say we get in this joint, huh?How you doing, buddy?Arguing the Plan Against Niko, explained
What's really going on
The fight is not about whether the job can work. It is about who may want it. Asked what Niko thinks, one man says "Nothing." and says the job is not his grift. The answer leaves no outside: "He owns you, he owns this club, he owns this whole stinking town." The comeback treats that owner as asleep. "He's the only one who's napping" turns the dirt-nap threat into a joke, and "a serious wake-up call" softens the move against him. The steps then come in order: the bank, Niko, and "And this whole city is our playground." School being out is the same boast. The garage plays a smaller version. A man who wanted an oil change is told the brakes are shot and the transmission is next, with no price yet. His night survives as a loaner. Coup or Civic, someone else writes the bill.
Theme
PowerNiko is said to own the man, the club, and the town, and the plan is to take the bank and then him.
AmbitionOnce the bank and Niko are handled, one voice calls the whole city their playground.
What you'll learn
- Use pain in the ass in the same situation
- Hear pull this off as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
Listen for
- pull this off — liaison
- Don't get your — elision
- What do you say — weak form
He's the only one who's napping.The speaker flips a death threat: Niko is the one asleep, which leads straight into the wake-up call.
And this whole city is our playground.The last step of the boast. With the bank and Niko out of the way, the city itself is treated as unsupervised fun.
He owns you, he owns this club, he owns this whole stinking town.The case for total control. One man, the club, and the town are all described as already belonging to Niko.
You mess with Niko, you end up taking a dirt nap.Crossing Niko is not a scolding here. The line says you end up buried, which is what a dirt nap means.
Questions about this scene
Why do they take the bank before going after Niko?
They say it outright: they need cash, so the bank comes first and Niko comes after. The robbery is the budget for the coup. When both are done, one of them calls the city their playground.
What does "taking a dirt nap" mean here?
It is gangster slang for being killed and buried. The warning is that anyone who messes with Niko ends up dead. The reply grabs the nap image and claims Niko is the one sleeping.
Does anyone actually answer what Niko thinks?
Barely. The first reply is "Nothing," plus a claim that this job is not his grift. The other man says everything is Niko's grift because Niko owns the person, the club, and the town. The wake-up call is a boast, not new information about Niko.
Why does the oil change turn into a loaner?
The customer only wanted an oil change and needs a car tonight. The garage says the brake drums are shot and a new transmission is required, then asks him to sign a form with no price. He has no car, so they call Irv to bring the loaner, which gets an immediate eww.
The Mask · 8 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3put downStanley Becomes the Mask
Chapter 1crème de la crèmeStanley Hands Over the Tickets
Watching · Chapter 2school is outArguing the Plan Against Niko
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 2 of 8 · about 24 min to go