present perfect with never: Never plus the perfect covers all time up to now.
Of course. Brilliant race. I've never seen a race that close.The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 19 of 23 · 2'51" · B2
The Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark, Explained: at our disposal
After the race, the Winklevosses learn that the video everyone is watching is on a new site called Facebook. Their father pushes them to stop negotiating and take Mark to court: "let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court."
What happens
At Henley, the Winklevoss twins finish a close race and are introduced to Prince Albert. Then their host's father mentions that his daughter has been watching the race online, on something called Facebook. Their father uses the moment to push them to sue Mark.
Listen for
Take the bitter with the betterWouldn't have missed itat our disposala tough beat
00:00 / 02:51Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
at our disposal
Available for us to use
哥哥劝大家动用现有资源：take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court。
The whole archive is at your disposal this week.
Also in this scene
- Take the bitter with the better
Accept the bad along with the good
- Wouldn't have missed it
Nothing would have kept me away
- a tough beat
A hard loss to swallow
- frigging
A softened swear word
Everything marked in this scene
35 notes across 63 lines
May I introduce my teammates?I'm sorry. You'll have to excuse us.Sorry you flew all the way out here to see that.Nothing would have kept me away
Wouldn't have missed it, brother. How was the royalty?I just wanted him to tell me a couple more times how close the race was.The guy is the prince of a country the size of Nantucket.noun phrase in apposition: The phrase appends a size tag without a full clause.
The guy is the prince of a country the size of Nantucket.A hard loss to swallow
- Mr. Winklevoss. - That was a tough beat.- Mr. Winklevoss. - That was a tough beat.I'm sorry that you and Mom had to fly out here to see that.No, don't ever apologize to me for losing a race like that.Dad, this is Mr. Kenwright, head of the host family for this week.I've just had a phone chat with my daughter.which they've just seen via their computers.non-defining relative clause: The which-clause adds how they saw it, not another event.
which they've just seen via their computers.Majoring in French literature, though I wasn't aware there was such a thing.Majoring in French literature, though I wasn't aware there was such a thing.concessive though-clause: The concession is how the insult slips in.
Majoring in French literature, though I wasn't aware there was such a thing.liaison
That's awesome.Accept the bad along with the good
Good race, boys. Take the bitter with the better, eh?stress
Good race, boys. Take the bitter with the better, eh?Knock it off.flap
Knock it off.I don't mind that we lost to the Dutch today by less than a second.I don't mind that we lost to the Dutch today by less than a second.is showing up on Monday for a race that was run on Sunday.We tried talking to him ourselves, we tried writing a letter,Available for us to use
let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court.let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court.let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court.liaison
Screw it.Screw it.Let's gut the frigging nerd.Let's gut the frigging nerd.The Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark, explained
What's really going on
The scene is about a family turning humiliation into litigation. The race was close and fair, and the twins can live with losing it; what they cannot accept is that the loss traveled online before they got home. Their father reframes the insult as a legal wrong, insisting: "let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court." The phrase matters because it admits the real advantage — money and lawyers. What begins as wounded pride ends as strategy, and the closing line, "Let's gut the frigging nerd," shows how quickly sport turns into war.
Theme
JusticeThe family frames suing Mark as the right response, turning a perceived wrong into a federal case.
PowerThey reach for their resources and lawyers, treating money as the way to win off the water.
Listen for
- That's awesome — liaison
- bitter with the better — stress
- Knock it off — flap
- Screw it — liaison
Don't ever apologize to anyone for losing a race like that.A parent's consolation: losing a close, fair race is not something to be ashamed of.
That was a good race, and that was a fair race.The twins' own view of the loss, stated plainly, before the dispute turns personal.
Good race, boys. Take the bitter with the better, eh?A friendly send-off that tells them to accept both the bad and the good of competition.
let's take the considerable resources at our disposal and sue him in federal court.The father's call to action: stop negotiating and turn the fight into a legal case.
Let's gut the frigging nerd.The blunt ending line, turning a lawsuit into a personal attack and setting the tone for what follows.
Questions about this scene
Why do the Winklevosses decide to sue Mark?
They feel he took their idea. Their father, frustrated that talking and letters have failed, argues that they should use their resources and take him to federal court.
What is Facebook doing in this scene?
It is already spreading at other schools, including in England. Learning that a race they just lost is online shows the twins how far the site has reached.
What does "take the bitter with the better" mean?
It means to accept losses along with wins. The phrase twists the usual expression about the bitter and the sweet, and it fits a close, fair race.
What does the last line suggest?
It suggests the dispute has become personal. Calling Mark a nerd to be gutted turns a legal complaint into a grudge.
The Social Network · 23 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the Bar
Chapter 2take my mind offMark Builds Facemash
Chapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's Network
Chapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad Board
Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site
Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Chapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark
Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About Money
Chapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum Attention
Chapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the Internet
Chapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at Stanford
Chapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President Summers
Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition Story
Chapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo Alto
Watching · Chapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark
Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company Account
Chapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His Shares
Chapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at FacebookChapter 19 of 23 · about 12 min to go