What's up, dawg?We're the Millers · 2013 — Chapter 18 of 21 · 5'29" · B2
Interrogating Casey's Boyfriend, Explained: a cheap shot
Casey's tattooed boyfriend is put through a dinner-table Q&A, and his "know what I'm saying" tic meets a flat "I'm awake and I speak English." The talk swings from his job to his misspelled tattoo, then turns into a real conversation about who these people really are.
What happens
Before Casey can leave with Scottie, David and Rose sit him down for a chat. They ask about his job and his tattoos, trade barbs, and send the pair off. Once they are gone, David and Rose swap insults and reveal that even their names are fake.
Listen for
know what I'm sayingdo something for a livingyou're the mana cheap shot
00:00 / 05:29Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
a cheap shot
损人的话、下作的一击
大卫拿罗丝的感情经历开刻薄玩笑，事后承认那是句损话并收回。
Bringing up his divorce was a cheap shot.
Also in this scene
- know what I'm saying
懂我意思吧
- do something for a living
靠什么谋生、做什么工作
- you're the man
你真行、你太厉害了
- make good choices
做出明智的选择
Everything marked in this scene
32 notes across 109 lines
What's up, dawg?Here to pick up Casey, know what I'm saying?infinitive with omitted subject
Here to pick up Casey, know what I'm saying?liaison
Here to pick up Casey, know what I'm saying?But I appreciate you continuing to check in with me.liaison
But I appreciate you continuing to check in with me.We will leave with or without you. if you're not here, we're gone. Got it?will for the future
We will leave with or without you. if you're not here, we're gone. Got it?liaison
We will leave with or without you. if you're not here, we're gone. Got it?Wait. Come here. I'd like to have a chat with your friend.So, Scottie P., what exactly do you do for a living?wh-question
So, Scottie P., what exactly do you do for a living?You're working at the fair. You're a carny.- Denver...? - That's the one. There you go.Oh, for real. Thank you, bro. You see the cobra?That's my credo. "No ragrets."Mm-hm. How about that.- Doggie style. Know what I mean? - Dope.A real winner. If I were you, I wouldn't use protection.subjunctive if I were you
A real winner. If I were you, I wouldn't use protection.Scottie P., you're the man.- Nice meeting you. You do you, Scottie P. - You too.Casey, make good choices!I cannot believe her. Where the hell is she?Look who is concerned about someone other than themselves.I'm sorry. It was a cheap shot.Cheap shot, okay? I'm taking it back.- I'm really sorry about that. That sucks. - Whatever.That's what you get for dating a guy who dates strippers.elision
That's what you get for dating a guy who dates strippers.Oh, scarred childhood.Interrogating Casey's Boyfriend, explained
What's really going on
On the surface this is a parent grilling a daughter's awful boyfriend, and the boyfriend supplies most of the comedy: his tic is "know what I'm saying," his tattoo reads "No ragrets." But the scene is really about two people who cannot stand each other and cannot quite admit it. David's barb — that Casey's taste in men must come from her mother — draws the line, and Rose's answer lands harder still: "You're a lot more than that, Rose, and you know it." Then the mask slips in a different way: Rose admits Rose isn't her real name, and David admits the same. When they trade those truths, the insults stop being a debate tactic and start looking like the only intimacy they know how to do.
Theme
IdentityRose and David both admit their names are fake, hinting their whole act is a cover for who they really are.
Family conflictDavid and Rose bicker through the meeting, using Casey's boyfriend as a way to jab at each other.
Listen for
- pick up Casey — liaison
- check in with me — liaison
- with or without you — liaison
- what you get for — elision
I'm awake and I speak English, so, yeah, I do know.A dry put-down: the phrase "know what I'm saying" is answered as if it were a literal question, which deflates it.
Look who is concerned about someone other than themselves.A pointed jab suggesting the other person only cares about others when it is convenient.
That's what you get for dating a guy who dates strippers.A harsh line blamed on the other's own bad choices, meant to sting rather than help.
You're a lot more than that, Rose, and you know it.A rare sincere line: after the insults, one person insists the other is worth more than her mistakes.
Questions about this scene
Why do David and Rose quiz Scottie so hard?
They are suspicious of him and want to know what kind of person Casey is dating. The questions about his job and tattoos are their way of sizing him up before the trip.
What is the joke about the "No ragrets" tattoo?
The tattoo is meant to say "No regrets," but it is misspelled as "ragrets." Scottie presents it as his personal credo, which makes the mistake funnier.
What does Scottie ask that shocks everyone?
He asks how David and Rose made Casey "so hot," then fumbles toward asking about how attractive kids are made. The blunt, awkward question kills the small talk.
Why do David and Rose reveal their real names here?
After trading insults, they start trading truths instead. Admitting that "Rose" and "David" are fake shows a brief moment of honesty under all the performance.
We're the Millers · 21 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 19dead in a ditchThe Fake Family Falls Apart
Chapter 1what I wouldn't giveDavid Runs Into Little Ricky
Chapter 2a real Sophie's choiceDavid Fights for Casey
Chapter 3out of my leagueBrad Offers David a Job
Chapter 4a huge red flagDavid Recruits Rose for the Trip
Chapter 5in my sleepThe Millers Fly to Mexico
Chapter 6blend inThe Millers Cross into Mexico
Chapter 7as we speakDavid Picks Up the Wrong Load
Chapter 8be a team playerA Cop Demands a Bribe
Chapter 9look the partFake Family at the Border Checkpoint
Chapter 10save your baconThe RV Breaks Down in the Desert
Chapter 11a bit of a hiatusHow David and Rose Met
Chapter 12pass the batonThe Millers Perform at the Jamboree
Chapter 13the birds and the beesKenny's Bad Drawing
Chapter 14spice things upThe Couple Walks In on Them
Chapter 15Mum's the wordCasey Teaches Kenny to Kiss
Chapter 16worth way more alive than I am deadPablo Chacon Confronts the Millers
Chapter 17make a good caseKenny Gets Bitten by a Spider
Watching · Chapter 18a cheap shotInterrogating Casey's Boyfriend
Chapter 19dead in a ditchThe Fake Family Falls Apart
Chapter 20get one's hands off someoneCasey Punches Scottie P.
Chapter 21a huge paydayDavid Begs the Group to Come BackChapter 18 of 21 · about 12 min to go