“why don't you just humanly invite her out?”
Why it's great
One word, humanly, cuts through the scheming and asks for the simple, direct move.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Why don't you just tell her how you feel?
00:00 / 05:03
00:00 / 05:03
Walter and Cheryl Walk Together, Explained
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty · 2013
Chapter 6 of 16 · 5'03"
Walter calls the dating site again, and this time the advice is blunt: stop building an elaborate plan and simply ask the woman out. Walter would rather recreate a love song, complete with an ad and a stranger who turns out to be his soul mate. Later he and Cheryl walk together and talk about clues and skater tricks.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:28–1:16
Todd Tells Walter to Just Ask
48s - 1:58–3:09
Walter and Cheryl Walk Together
71s
Walter and Cheryl Walk Together, explained
What happens
On the phone, Todd tells Walter to stop filling in his profile with nothing and just invite the woman out. Walter refuses, preferring the plot of a 'Piña Colada Song'. Later, walking to meet Cheryl's son, the two talk about skateboarding, the LIFE motto, and the missing Sean O'Connell.
What's really going on
The chapter turns Walter's shyness into a running joke. His support agent points out the obvious solution — "why don't you just humanly invite her out?" — and Walter's answer is to prefer a pop song where strangers discover they are soul mates. That is the whole character in one exchange: he wants the romance without the risk of asking. The second half gives him something better than a daydream. Walking with Cheryl, he is awkward and honest and they actually connect over skateboards, the LIFE motto, and the missing negative. The film lets the real thing be quieter and stranger than the fantasy, and the last clue about the boat places the adventure in front of him.
Key lines & what they mean
- “why don't you just humanly invite her out?”
- Todd cutting through Walter's elaborate plan with the obvious, ordinary solution.
- “No, no, no, I'm trying to do like a "Piña Colada Song" thing.”
- Walter rejecting reality in favour of a romantic fantasy he has heard in a song.
- “and it turns out they were soul mates and didn't even know it...”
- The plot he is trying to imitate, where love reveals itself without anyone having to ask.
- “and they end up making love in capes, or on a cape.”
- The joke at the end of Walter's story, and a sign of how little of it he has actually thought through.
- “If you like piña coladas, getting caught in the rain.”
- The lyric he actually sings, the one real piece of the song he can offer.
- “Yeah, we got to figure this out. It's a big deal.”
- The shift back to the actual stakes: the missing photograph and the deadline.
Theme
- Romance — Walter wants a love story to happen to him, and his first honest step is simply walking with Cheryl.
- Dreams — He prefers the fantasy of a song to the real risk of asking her out, a habit the film keeps testing.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“No, no, no, I'm trying to do like a "Piña Colada Song" thing.”
Why it's great
Three nos and a song reference show a man determined to overcomplicate a simple crush.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I'm trying to do like a movie thing here.
“and it turns out they were soul mates and didn't even know it...”
Why it's great
It delivers the song's twist in one clause, hopeful and a little wistful.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
It turns out they were neighbors and didn't even know it.
“and they end up making love in capes, or on a cape.”
Why it's great
A pun on cape twists a love song into a punch line, told completely deadpan.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
They end up singing, or on a stage.
“If you like piña coladas, getting caught in the rain.”
Why it's great
A single lyric does all the romantic work, and quoting it out loud is the joke.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If you like quiet mornings, getting up early, you'll fit in.
“Yeah, we got to figure this out. It's a big deal.”
Why it's great
Two short beats pair shared effort with stakes, and the line sounds like a plan forming.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
We got to figure this out before Friday.
Up next · 07follow up on somethingThe scene: Walter Finds a Lead in GreenlandTakeaways
What you walk away with- The direct ask beats every clever scheme in this chapter.
- A love song becomes Walter's entire dating strategy.
- Tracing a boat name turns a walk into a shared investigation.
- Talking about layoffs brings the two of them closer.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhat advice does Todd give Walter?
He tells Walter to stop beefing up his profile and simply ask the woman he likes out, rather than treating the website as the only way to meet her.
Why does Walter prefer the 'Piña Colada Song' idea?
Because in the song a man and a woman find each other through an ad and turn out to be soul mates. Walter wants romance to arrive that way instead of taking the risk of asking.
Who does Walter walk with, and why?
He walks with Cheryl, after they run into each other on the way to pick up her son. They talk about skateboarding, the LIFE motto, and the missing Sean O'Connell.
What does 'last in, first out' mean here?
It is a joke about the layoffs. Cheryl has only been at LIFE for a month, so under the 'last in, first out' rule she would be the first to lose her job.