Oh, please tell me you eat bacon.Uncle Frank · 2020 — Chapter 6 of 17 · 2'25" · B1
Wally Pushes Frank to Come Out, Explained: in my blood
A quiet breakfast turns into a debate about honesty, as Frank asks Beth to keep his secret and Wally refuses to let him. On the surface it's toast and bacon. Underneath, Frank admits he doesn't believe his family could accept him: "I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't."
What happens
At breakfast the morning after the funeral, Beth admits she has never known anyone gay, and Frank asks her not to mention him to the family. Wally argues that Frank should tell them, offering to tell his own family too. Frank deflects with an extreme excuse about Saudi Arabia.
Listen for
appreciate it ifget past itin my bloodbring shame on someone
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Phrase of the scene
in my blood
a quality or habit someone is born with
沃利打趣说自己是个南方男孩，吃培根是刻在骨子里的，用玩笑化解早餐桌上的尴尬。
Racing is in her blood; her father drove too.
Also in this scene
- appreciate it if
a polite way to ask for something
- get past it
to move beyond a problem or hurt
- bring shame on someone
to make someone or a family feel dishonored
Everything marked in this scene
35 notes across 42 lines
Good, 'cause Wally, he hates even the smell of it.a quality or habit someone is born with
But I'm a good Southern boy, and bacon's in my blood.So, you feel any different about me?Never known anybody who was gay before.Of course you have.You just weren't aware of it.liaison
You just weren't aware of it.I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone in the family about me.polite I'd appreciate it if
I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone in the family about me.Eh, we're from such different worlds now.It wouldn't do any... [Wally] Change anything?You don't see them anyways, Frank.You don't see them anyways, Frank.Hey, Beth. How you feeling?When's the last time you saw your family?I go there at least every two years. You know that.He shows them photographs of a phony wife,He shows them photographs of a phony wife,who's also played by Charlotte, by the way.to make someone or a family feel dishonored
If I told them I was with a man, it would bring shame on them.second conditional
If I told them I was with a man, it would bring shame on them.Why do you think it wouldn't bring shame on my family?Americans don't care about honor, Frank.to move beyond a problem or hurt
I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't.wish with past tense
I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't.flap
I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't.I think your family would eventually accept it.Here you go. Yeah, well, you don't know my family.Thank you. No, but you came from them, so how bad can they be?liaison
Thank you. No, but you came from them, so how bad can they be?How about this?you tell your family, and then I'll tell mine.Your bacon smells like death.Delicious death.Wally Pushes Frank to Come Out, explained
What's really going on
The breakfast is the film's clearest look at how Frank's secret works. He is warm and funny with Beth, yet the moment turns when he asks her to keep quiet, an ask he softens with "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone in the family about me." Wally sees the contradiction and pushes, pointing out that Frank barely sees these relatives and that their opinion shouldn't rule him. Frank's answer, "I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't," is honest about his fear rather than angry. The Saudi Arabia joke that follows isn't a real argument; it's the sound of a man ending a subject he can't win.
Theme
IdentityFrank keeps his life hidden from his Southern family even as Wally urges him to stop hiding.
TrustBeth is let into Frank's secret, and Wally keeps pushing him to trust the family with the truth.
What you'll learn
- Use get past it to talk about moving on
- Hear bring shame on as family disgrace
- Make polite asks with I'd appreciate it if
- Hear How about this as a counteroffer
Listen for
- aware of it — liaison
- get past it — flap
- came from them — liaison
I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't.Frank's admission that he has no faith his relatives will accept him, said plainly instead of angrily.
Thank you. No, but you came from them, so how bad can they be?Wally's counter to Frank's fear, arguing that a family which produced Frank can't be all bad.
Eh, we're from such different worlds now.Frank's explanation for the distance, framing the split as time and place rather than as rejection.
If I told them I was with a man, it would bring shame on them.Frank names the exact reason he stays silent, a fear of shaming his family rather than of being hurt himself.
Questions about this scene
Why does Frank ask Beth not to tell the family?
He has spent years keeping his life in New York separate from his Southern relatives and even shows them photos of a fake wife. He fears the truth would end that arrangement.
Why does Frank refuse to tell his family about Wally?
He believes it would bring shame on them, and he doesn't think they could get past it. Wally points out that Frank barely sees them anyway, which makes the fear look more like a habit.
What does Wally propose?
He suggests a trade: Frank tells his family, and then Wally will tell his. It is his way of refusing to let Frank carry the secret alone.
What does Frank mean by the Saudi Arabia line?
It's a deflection and a joke. Wally's family is Saudi, so Frank claims telling them would get him beheaded, using the most extreme excuse he can find to avoid the conversation.
Uncle Frank · 17 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 7push someone awayFrank Pushes Wally Away After the Call
Chapter 1pick on someoneDaddy Mac Mocks Frank's Gift
Chapter 2get to chooseFrank Lets Beth Rename Herself
Chapter 3slave awayCharlotte Meets Frank's Family
Chapter 4try meBruce and Beth Meet at College
Chapter 5take no for an answerFrank Comes Out to Beth
Watching · Chapter 6in my bloodWally Pushes Frank to Come Out
Chapter 7push someone awayFrank Pushes Wally Away After the Call
Chapter 8worth the troubleBeth Opens Up to Frank
Chapter 9there for meWally Shows Up at Frank's Door
Chapter 10Nice always hides somethingWally Asks Beth About Frank
Chapter 11kept in touchMike Apologizes to Frank
Chapter 12make up her own mindBeth Defends Staying at the Motel
Chapter 13turn his back on youMac Bledsoe's Eulogy and Threats
Chapter 14the female frontAunt Butch Grills Frank at the Wake
Chapter 15nothing but disgustThe Will Humiliates Frank
Chapter 16say it to my faceFrank Breaks Down at the Graveside
Chapter 17so much in commonFrank Introduces Wally to the FamilyChapter 6 of 17 · about 30 min to go