Mm. Everyone up there talk like a Yankee?Uncle Frank · 2020 — Chapter 14 of 17 · 3'35" · B2
Aunt Butch Grills Frank at the Wake, Explained: the female front
At the wake, the family trades small talk and old gossip, and Frank keeps the truth about Wally hidden. Aunt Butch corners him with the usual question: "any news on the female front?"
What happens
At the family wake, relatives catch up on kids, marriages, and New York. One cousin gushes about her husband, and Frank is asked about Wally, who is staying at a motel. Aunt Butch then presses Frank about finding a woman.
Listen for
get it onthe female fronthurt her feelingsgo by a name
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Phrase of the scene
the female front
the romantic side of someone's life
弗兰克模仿布奇阿姨的问法，等着她问 any news on the female front，把催婚说成一个固定节目。
Any news on the job front?
Also in this scene
- get it on
to have sex, said lightly
- hurt her feelings
to make someone feel upset or hurt
- go by a name
to use a particular name
Everything marked in this scene
40 notes across 70 lines
Mm. Everyone up there talk like a Yankee?You see any famous people in New York?So, what about you?How's life? Mm.Honestly, Beth, I've never been happier.present perfect with never
Honestly, Beth, I've never been happier.I love being a mother. I love being pregnant.He's a really good daddy.flap
He's a really good daddy.to use a particular name
He don't go by Tee Dub no more now that he's a business owner.dialect don't with double negative
He don't go by Tee Dub no more now that he's a business owner.But, oh, we still get it on all the time.He is very blessed in that department. [chuckles]What's wrong, monkey?He loves to do that. I have no idea why.I think he should be here with you.I want to meet him. After all these years.liaison
I want to meet him. After all these years.At Dad's funeral?Mike, that's a question mark.No shit.No shit.It's just for this. I swear.You want to pinkie-promise me?What kind of wake doesn't have a bar?One in this town.She has a spider in her hair.Did you tell her?to make someone feel upset or hurt
Oh, I don't want to hurt her feelings.I mean, remember how mad she got when I told her her wig was on backwardshow-clause with when
I mean, remember how mad she got when I told her her wig was on backwardsThat's why she stopped wearing wigs.Tell me, any news on the female front?Well, how old are you?You must be getting on up there.liaison
You must be getting on up there.Well, you got to get moving, boy.You're gonna end up like me. Oh.Course, it's different for men.Aunt Butch Grills Frank at the Wake, explained
What's really going on
The wake is a room full of people talking around the one subject that matters. The cousins perform their happy lives out loud, and Frank listens, keeping Wally at a motel instead of at his side. When he says, "He is here," the line is technically false in the room but true in his head, and the idea of announcing it at his father's funeral is staged as a nervous joke. Aunt Butch's question, "any news on the female front?", is asked with affection and lands like pressure, because the family can imagine only one kind of future for him. The scene is funny on the surface, but every laugh comes from what everyone is avoiding.
Theme
SecretsFrank keeps Wally hidden at a motel while the family talks about marriage, and the secret shapes the whole evening.
Family conflictAunt Butch presses Frank about a wife without knowing why he cannot answer honestly.
What you'll learn
- Use after all these years for a long wait
- Hear on the female front as dating news
- Catch get it on as sexual slang
- Say hurt someone's feelings with care
- Read a question mark as maybe not
Listen for
- good daddy — flap
- all these years — liaison
- getting on up — liaison
Honestly, Beth, I've never been happier.A cousin's boast about her perfect life, which sets the tone the others feel they have to match.
I want to meet him. After all these years.Beth's wish to finally meet Wally, turning Frank's secret into an invitation he is not ready to accept.
You're gonna end up like me. Oh.Aunt Butch's blunt warning that Frank will end up alone if he does not marry.
Course, it's different for men.Her parting double standard, excusing Frank's situation in a way that still keeps the pressure on.
Questions about this scene
Why is Wally at the motel instead of the funeral?
Frank has not told his family about their relationship, so Wally stays away from the wake. Beth wants to meet him, but Frank resists bringing him to his father's funeral.
Why does Frank say Wally is here?
He is hiding the truth from the relatives but admitting it to Beth. Wally is nearby at the motel, so the answer is a half-truth rather than an outright lie.
Why does Aunt Butch ask about the female front?
She is an older relative who wants Frank to settle down and sees it as her business. She does not know why the question is painful for him.
What is the joke about announcing Wally at the funeral?
Frank imagines standing up and introducing him to the whole family at the wake. It is funny because everyone knows exactly how badly that would go.
Uncle Frank · 17 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 15nothing but disgustThe Will Humiliates Frank
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
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
Watching · 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 14 of 17 · about 9 min to go