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The Trip · 2011 — Chapter 4 of 20 · 4'31" · B2

Steve Calls From the Trough, Explained: in a trough

On the surface it's gums, a cancelled booking, and which room has the better view. Under that, separate beds get a toast, and the room tour slides into Andersen and a Michael Caine voice. "I'm in a trough, literally and metaphorically" makes the Trough of Bowland a verdict: momentum only shows up on the way down.

What happens

A cancellation frees the two men from sharing a bed. One inspects room 7, trading the view and a fairy tale for a Michael Caine impression, then takes a call about Doctor Who. He refuses British TV, says he has done ten films, and wants good ones. From the Trough of Bowland he calls it a trough, literally and metaphorically.

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a honey trapdrink to somethingin a troughgoing downhill

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Phrase of the scene

in a trough

in a low period, and literally in a place named Trough

格雷格问库根人在哪儿，库根借当地地名 Trough of Bowland 自嘲，说自己正处在低谷里。

Sales are in a trough right now, but the team expects a rebound.

Also in this scene

  • a honey trap

    something tempting that lures you into trouble

  • drink to something

    to raise a glass in agreement or celebration

  • going downhill

    getting worse, or literally rolling down a slope

Everything marked in this scene

30 notes across 100 lines

Phrase · A2look all rightThose look all right, you know.
Phrase · B2a honey trap for somethingWell, that is a honey trap for morsels of food.
Phrase · B2be an open invitationThat is an open invitation.
Phrase · A2go on a dateYou still go on dates, do you?
Phrase · B1get something out of somethingI take a toothpick, go to the toilet, and just get every little bit out of my teeth, or I try to avoid foods that get lodged in your teeth, 'cause...
Phrase · B2get lodged in somethingI take a toothpick, go to the toilet, and just get every little bit out of my teeth, or I try to avoid foods that get lodged in your teeth, 'cause...
Phrase · B2strike someone as somethingSee that strikes me as odd, that a man at our age would be thinking about trying to kiss girls.
Grammar · B2strikes me as odd

strike someone as

See that strikes me as odd, that a man at our age would be thinking about trying to kiss girls.
Soundstrikes me as

liaison

See that strikes me as odd, that a man at our age would be thinking about trying to kiss girls.
Phrase · B1it's your lucky dayIt's your lucky day.
Phrase · B1have a cancellation- Why? - We've had a cancellation.
Phrase · B2drink to something

to raise a glass in agreement or celebration

I'll drink to that.
Sounddrink to that

liaison

I'll drink to that.
Phrase · B2do you mind doing somethingDo you mind excusing me?
Phrase · B1can't go wrongYou can't go wrong around this area.
Grammar · B1isn't it

tag question

It's pretty high, isn't it?
Phrase · A2remind someone of somethingIt reminds me of The Princess and the Pea.
Phrase · B2through the noseThrough the nose. Through the nose.
Phrase · B1how long have you done somethingSo how long have you worked here?
Grammar · B1how long have you worked

present perfect for duration

So how long have you worked here?
Phrase · B2if I can avoid itIf I can avoid it.
SoundIf I can avoid it

liaison

If I can avoid it.
Phrase · B2purely platonicIt's all right, but the relationship's purely platonic.
Phrase · B1go with somethingI think we should go with that.
Phrase · A2can you hear meCan you hear me, Greg?
Slang · B2baddieDoctor Who? What, is it the baddie?
Phrase · B2be going downhill

getting worse, or literally rolling down a slope

Yeah, you get momentum when you're going downhill.
Phrase · B1at the momentWhere exactly are you at the moment?
Phrase · C1be in a trough

in a low period, and literally in a place named Trough

Rather appropriately, Greg, I'm in a trough, literally and metaphorically.
Phrase · B2literally and metaphoricallyRather appropriately, Greg, I'm in a trough, literally and metaphorically.

Steve Calls From the Trough, explained

What's really going on

The gum bit is a contest. One man calls receding gums "a honey trap for morsels of food" and dreads kissing a girl with chicken in a molar; the reply is that it is odd for men their age to be thinking about kissing girls at all. A cancellation then separates them for the night, and "I'll drink to that" lands like relief. He still tours the other room: the view, Andersen, a nasal Michael Caine, and how long the staffer has worked. Asked about Rob, he says they work together "Very rarely", "If I can avoid it", and that it is "purely platonic". Doctor Who wants the villain; he wants films, good films. Offered momentum, he answers "you get momentum when you're going downhill", then stands in the Trough of Bowland "literally and metaphorically". Asked if Mischa is enjoying it, he stalls on "Yes, she's... yes, she's... yes, she is, yeah." The place name admits it for him.

Theme

AmbitionHe turns down Doctor Who, insists he wants good films, then admits momentum only comes while going downhill, and that he is in a trough.
Dark humorReceding gums are called a honey trap, separate beds earn a toast, and a real valley is flipped into a career joke.

What you'll learn

  • Mark both literal and metaphorical layers
  • Hear cancellation as a freed slot
  • Drink to that as a cheerful yes

Listen for

  • strikes me as — liaison
  • drink to that — liaison
  • If I can avoid it — liaison
Rather appropriately, Greg, I'm in a trough, literally and metaphorically.

He has just named the Trough of Bowland. Keeping the word trough, he judges the work and the trip together: both have bottomed out, not only as geography.

Yeah, you get momentum when you're going downhill.

Someone has just praised the momentum behind him. He accepts the image and ruins it: that kind of speed arrives on the way down.

See that strikes me as odd, that a man at our age would be thinking about trying to kiss girls.

Chicken stuck in a molar has just made kissing sound risky. This moves the objection up a level: at their age, planning those kisses already seems strange.

It's all right, but the relationship's purely platonic.

They have just been told they seem to know each other quite well. He blocks the hint: familiar enough, but not romantic, and not a tie he will own.

I want to be in films, good films.

British TV, including the villain on Doctor Who, is what is being offered. He states the only standard he cares about: good films, not merely more work.

Questions about this scene

Why does he say he is in a trough, literally and metaphorically?

He has just answered "I'm in the Trough of Bowland." The next line keeps trough and adds both senses, so the valley and the career slump share one sentence. It also answers the pep talk about momentum: the low point is the point. Asked if Mischa is enjoying the trip, he only manages "Yes, she's... yes, she's... yes, she is, yeah."

Why won't he do Doctor Who?

The caller says they are "very keen again" and agrees it is "the baddie." Back comes "I don't want to do British TV," then "I've done ten," then "I want to be in films, good films." The promise that one film will propel him gets the downhill line instead of a yes.

Why toast the news that they need not share a bed?

A staffer announces a cancellation: "You don't have to share a bed tonight." The reply is immediate, "I'll drink to that." Minutes earlier they were on receding gums, dates, and whether men their age should still be planning kisses, so separate rooms play as a narrow escape.

Why describe the relationship as purely platonic?

Someone says they seem to know each other "quite well," after "Very rarely" and "If I can avoid it." "It's all right, but the relationship's purely platonic" answers the hint: familiar, maybe, but not a couple. The room chat still continues.

The Trip · 20 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 5put someone on the back footCalls on the Road to Cartmel
Chapter 1have someone down asSteve and Rob Set OffChapter 2part of its charmSteve and Rob Share a RoomChapter 3take a long, hard look in the mirrorThe Michael Caine Impression DuelWatching · Chapter 4in a troughSteve Calls From the TroughChapter 5put someone on the back footCalls on the Road to CartmelChapter 6the king of understatementBond Impressions Over DinnerChapter 7living the dreamTelling Steve He's Living the DreamChapter 8method in my madnessSteve and Rob at Greta HallChapter 9contend withSteve and Rob Rank Their CareersChapter 10not unlikeTurned Away at Dove CottageChapter 11at first lightSteve and Rob's Costume DramaChapter 12not a lot of people knowThe Michael Caine ImpressionsChapter 13Cut to the chaseSteve Takes His Agent's CallChapter 14don't come running to meShushed on the B RoadsChapter 15a wee bitA Phone Call by the LakeChapter 16an albatross around my neckCoogan and Brydon Compare CareersChapter 17as empty experiences goDad Phones Joe About DrinkingChapter 18stick the knife inMock Eulogy at the GraveChapter 19if push came to shoveHiring Divers for the GestureChapter 20as broad as it's longSteve Leaves His Parents
Chapter 4 of 20 · about 84 min to go