elision
Mei, chill. It's okay.Turning Red · 2022 — Chapter 9 of 13 · 2'20" · B2
Mei Attacks Tyler at the Party, Explained: take advantage of someone
Tyler pushes Mei too far, and the panda comes out for a fight. When he insults her mother, she knocks him down; her friends can't pull her off. Ming arrives to apologise and then turns on the girls: "She is a good girl, and you've taken advantage of her."
What happens
At Tyler's birthday party, Mei is performing as the panda when a fight breaks out. Tyler demands more rides, insults her family, and Mei attacks him. Her friends try to stop her, Ming arrives, and the party ends with Ming apologising to Tyler's mother and blaming the girls for using her daughter.
Listen for
take advantage of someonesneak outwhat is going on herewhat came over someone
00:00 / 02:20Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
take advantage of someone
to exploit someone's weakness
外婆当着众人指责美美的朋友们利用她的熊猫赚钱。
He took advantage of her generosity.
Also in this scene
- sneak out
to leave secretly
- what is going on here
a demand to know what is happening
- what came over someone
某人怎么突然变成这样、一时冲动
Everything marked in this scene
27 notes across 47 lines
But the ritual. I'll let everyone down.Buzz off, jerkface. I'm busy.Buzz off, jerkface. I'm busy.Oh, snap!Oh, snap!You want your money? Then get your butt down here now.Forget your money and forget you.[GROWLS] What about our deal?Shove your deal.Fine. Get out of here.liaison
Fine. Get out of here.Go back to your psycho mom and your creepy temple, you freak.[TYLER GRUNTS] Take it back.flap
[TYLER GRUNTS] Take it back.Don't talk about my family like that.a demand to know what is happening
What is going on here?TYLER'S MOM: I cannot believe you would let your daughter do this.She's never done anything like this before.present perfect with never
She's never done anything like this before.I don't know what came over her. I don't want to hear your apologies, okay?what-clause as object
I don't know what came over her. I don't want to hear your apologies, okay?All right, party's over. Everyone go home.Putting all these thoughts into Mei Mei's head, parading her around.to leave secretly
Now she's lying, sneaking out.how-clause as object
Do you know how dangerous this is?to exploit someone's weakness
She is a good girl, and you've taken advantage of her.Mei Attacks Tyler at the Party, explained
What's really going on
The disaster is a collision of two kinds of pressure. Tyler wants the panda as a show, and Mei wants to get home before her mother notices; both are using her, and neither will admit it. When Tyler mocks her family, the line "Don't talk about my family like that" marks the point where the performance stops and the real anger takes over. What makes the aftermath worse is Ming's reaction. She sees a good daughter and a group of girls to blame — "She is a good girl, and you've taken advantage of her" — and her certainty saves her from asking what her daughter actually wanted. The friends, who pushed the party but also tried to pull Mei off Tyler, are shouted at before they can explain, and the one adult in the room decides the story.
Theme
Family conflictMing's first move after the disaster is to blame Mei's friends and defend her daughter, deepening the conflict between them.
FriendshipThe girls are accused of using Mei, and Ming's accusation tests the friendship just as it matters most.
What you'll learn
- Use let everyone down in a comparable exchange.
- Listen for the attitude around let everyone down.
- Notice how the reply changes the scene.
Listen for
- It's okay — elision
- out of here — liaison
- Take it back — flap
She is a good girl, and you've taken advantage of her.Ming's accusation against Mei's friends: she refuses to blame her daughter and puts the fault on them instead.
She's never done anything like this before.Ming's apology to Tyler's mother, insisting the attack is completely unlike her daughter.
Don't talk about my family like that.Mei's warning to Tyler after he insults her mother and her family's temple, and the moment the fight starts.
You think this is a joke?Ming turning on the girls, treating their protests as if they were making fun of a serious disaster.
Questions about this scene
Why does Mei attack Tyler?
Tyler insults her mother and her family's temple, and Mei loses control of the panda and goes for him while her friends try to pull her off.
What does Ming blame Mei's friends for?
She believes they used Mei and put ideas into her head. She says Mei is a good girl and that they have taken advantage of her, ignoring their protests that they never would.
Did Mei's friends really take advantage of her?
The film is ambiguous: they did enjoy the panda's fame and pushed her to attend the party, but they also tried to stop her when she attacked Tyler. Ming's accusation lands before anyone can explain.
What happens to the ritual because of the party?
Mei worries that the party will ruin the ritual, and the disaster at Tyler's house is what makes her mother drag her home. The ritual is meant to seal the panda before it grows more dangerous.
What does "what came over her" mean in Ming's line?
It means Ming cannot explain Mei's sudden behaviour — she is asking what got into her. It is her way of saying the attack was completely out of character.
Turning Red · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10make room forJin Explains the Panda to Mei
Chapter 1take advantage ofMei Turns Into a Red Panda
Chapter 2watch someone like a hawkMei Turns into a Red Panda
Chapter 3once in a lifetimeMei's Friends Have Her Back
Chapter 4in the bagMing Refuses the 4*Town Concert
Chapter 5fight the powerThe Girls Plot Their Concert Escape
Chapter 6keep one's mouth shutTyler Blackmails Mei for a Party
Chapter 7have a word with someoneMei's Family Takes Over
Chapter 8pin one's hopes on someoneMei Chooses 4*Town Over the Ritual
Watching · Chapter 9take advantage of someoneMei Attacks Tyler at the Party
Chapter 10make room forJin Explains the Panda to Mei
Chapter 11too good to be trueMei Refuses the Ritual and Bolts
Chapter 12it was all meMei Confesses to Ming
Chapter 13ride or dieMei Reconciles With MingChapter 9 of 13 · about 16 min to go