What the hell are these?The Menu · 2022 — Chapter 6 of 13 · 4'26" · B2
Tortillas Expose EchoBrite's Crimes, Explained: plausible deniability
The dinner turns into a crime scene when the tortillas turn out to be printed with the guests' own tax records. The men spend the scene bargaining over whether the evidence will "hold up in court," while Chef Slowik closes in on the one guest who refuses to eat.
What happens
At dinner on Hawthorn, the tortillas served to one table are stamped with EchoBrite's tax records and evidence of fake invoices. Bryce, Soren, and Felicity panic and debate whether the evidence can be denied or will hold up in court. Across the room, Margot clashes with Tyler, then slips away and is confronted by Chef Slowik, who demands to know who she really is.
Listen for
plausible deniabilityhold up in courtmake this rightsnap at
00:00 / 04:26Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
plausible deniability
room to deny knowing about wrongdoing
有人安慰同伴说，他们留有可推脱的说法，对方真要举报也会连累自己。
The memo was written to preserve plausible deniability.
Also in this scene
- hold up in court
to be legally valid or defensible
- make this right
to correct a wrong
- snap at
to speak to someone sharply and angrily
Everything marked in this scene
47 notes across 74 lines
liaison
These are tortillas.which contain EchoBrite's tax records and other documents showing how your company has created invoices with fake charges.participial phrase
which contain EchoBrite's tax records and other documents showing how your company has created invoices with fake charges.How did you get these?I'm sorry, but Chef never reveals his recipes.Do you know how fucked you are?We'll have this place closed by the morning. Do you understand?Oh no, that won't be necessary.Well, how the hell should I know? It's faked.It's some sort of stupid joke.to be legally valid or defensible
Yeah, a fucking taco that might hold up in court.room to deny knowing about wrongdoing
We have plausible deniability, and if they try to turn us in,We have plausible deniability, and if they try to turn us in,if-clause
We have plausible deniability, and if they try to turn us in,Yeah, we're good. We're fine. Yeah, fuck it. They can't take your photograph without your consent. This is insane 1994560.without-phrase
Yeah, we're good. We're fine. Yeah, fuck it. They can't take your photograph without your consent. This is insane 1994560.Stop talking and let me think, okay?to correct a wrong
I have to make this right somehow. I have to.You send this shit back. Excuse me.Did you just fucking snap at me?Do you know how long I've been trying to get a reservation here? No, and I don't really care.You thank them for even letting you in the door.because you're fucking acting like it, Tyler. You need to apologize to me right now.because you're fucking acting like it, Tyler. You need to apologize to me right now.You cannot speak to me that way.Actually, I can, because ding dong, I'm the one who's paying. So maybe shut up and eat.Actually, I can, because ding dong, I'm the one who's paying. So maybe shut up and eat.Actually, I can, because ding dong, I'm the one who's paying. So maybe shut up and eat.This is incredible. You have to try this.How can I assist you?Right this way.flap
Right this way.What's behind that silver door?You shouldn't be in here.I'd like to know specifically what it was about the last course that you did not enjoy.You've barely eaten the food.I take my work very seriously, and you're not eating.And that wounds me.I guess I'm just not very hungry.I'll ask again. Who are you?liaison
I'll ask again. Who are you?So where are you from, Margot?Now does that make you feel better?You want the address for Mom's trailer park, you asshole?You want the address for Mom's trailer park, you asshole?Please get the fuck out of my way.Tortillas Expose EchoBrite's Crimes, explained
What's really going on
Everything these people built is suddenly edible. The tortillas carry their own crimes back to them, and their first instinct is not shame but damage control: whether the paper will "hold up in court," whether they can claim "plausible deniability," whether turning them in would also sink Verrick. The joke is that they treat a taco like a legal brief. Meanwhile Slowik keeps circling Margot, the only guest who won't eat; his repeated "Who are you?" turns dinner into an interrogation, and her patience finally breaks. The scene braids the film's two engines: corporate guilt and a chef who wants judgment served hot.
Theme
CorruptionThe guests' fake invoices and tax records turn the fine-dining room into a case file.
SatireCorporate criminals treat a taco full of their own crimes as a legal problem to spin.
What you'll learn
- Notice how "hold up in court" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "hold up in court".
- Try the phrase in a comparable conversation.
Listen for
- These are — liaison
- Right this — flap
- ask again — liaison
I'm sorry, but Chef never reveals his recipes.A deadpan answer to "how did you get these?" The staff treat stolen evidence like a trade secret, refusing to explain how the kitchen got it.
You thank them for even letting you in the door.Tyler tells Margot that sending food back is unthinkable; guests should be grateful just to be admitted to the restaurant.
I take my work very seriously, and you're not eating.Slowik says Margot's empty plate is a personal insult, because her refusal to eat rejects his art.
You want the address for Mom's trailer park, you asshole?Margot snaps back at the interrogation; she refuses to keep performing the classy persona and offers her real, unglamorous background instead.
Questions about this scene
Why are the guests' tax records printed on tortillas?
Because Chef Slowik has turned their own wrongdoing into the menu. The evidence is served as food, so the people who profited from it are forced to look at it across the table.
What does "plausible deniability" mean here?
It is corporate and legal jargon for keeping no proof of wrongdoing, so you can deny knowledge later. The men hope that if they never admit anything, they cannot be held responsible.
Is Margot right to send the food back?
The film seems to side with her. Tyler's worship of the kitchen is what makes him accept being insulted, while Margot trusts her own judgment and refuses to pretend.
Why does Chef Slowik ask Margot who she is again and again?
Because she is the only guest not eating, and she does not fit the image she is presenting. He keeps asking until she drops the act and answers as the person she actually is.
The Menu · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7aspires to greatnessSlowik Humiliates Jeremy
Chapter 1running interferenceGuests Board the Boat to Hawthorn
Chapter 2on the edge of the abyssTyler Explains Why Chefs Are Artists
Chapter 3not brain surgerySlowik Serves the Island Course
Chapter 4pull this cardThe Guests Beg for Bread
Chapter 5on the mapThe Chef Recounts a Childhood Memory
Watching · Chapter 6plausible deniabilityTortillas Expose EchoBrite's Crimes
Chapter 7aspires to greatnessSlowik Humiliates Jeremy
Chapter 8name droppingA Staff Member Shoots Himself at Dinner
Chapter 9hard home truthsSlowik Serves Tea and Truths
Chapter 10rattle youSlowik Sees Through Margot
Chapter 11refused his advancesThe Guest Reveals Her Real Name
Chapter 12swore you to secrecyThe Chef Confronts His Devoted Fan
Chapter 13bear witness toSlowik Makes the Foodie CookChapter 6 of 13 · about 29 min to go