“I don't see why not, you know, since we're all doomed anyway.”
Why it's great
He agrees to a walk and then spoils it with doom, which is exactly his humor.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I don't see why not, since we are already here.
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Melodie Meets Perry, Explained
Whatever Works · 2009
Chapter 7 of 16 · 5'01"
Melodie meets Perry while walking dogs, and the two fall into easy conversation as they walk together. When she tells Boris about her date, he reacts with suspicion, warning her to watch out for serial killers and interrogating Perry when he arrives to pick her up.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:07–0:45
Melodie Meets Perry
38s - 1:15–1:24
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Boris scolds his student
He turns a chess mistake into a lecture, and the impatience carries the comedy.
9s
Melodie Meets Perry, explained
What happens
While out walking dogs, Melodie meets Perry and the two immediately hit it off. She tells Boris about the date later, and he responds with grim warnings about serial killers. When Perry comes to collect her, Boris quizzes him about identification and compares him to Ted Bundy.
What's really going on
The chapter gives Melodie the ordinary life Boris keeps telling her to want. Perry is nice, the conversation is easy, and nothing dramatic happens, which is exactly why it matters: for once the film shows her happy without a joke attached. Boris, of course, cannot let it be simple, and his worry comes out as a lecture about murderers. The line that catches his tone is his own backhanded concession that "he's not a serial killer. At least he didn't mention it." Under the jokes, the scene quietly turns on the question the film keeps asking: is Boris protecting her, or keeping her?
Key lines & what they mean
- “I don't see why not, you know, since we're all doomed anyway.”
- Boris's bleak permission to walk together, an invitation wrapped in pessimism.
- “Whichever's bigger. I just know that we're all flying apart.”
- His cosmic talk, offered as small talk and landing as nonsense.
- “You know what banter is, it's like flirty talk.”
- Melodie explaining her date to Boris, delighted by the word itself.
- “He's not a serial killer. At least he didn't mention it.”
- Her deadpan answer to his warnings, showing she can play his game.
- “But I happen to be pretty sharp, too, and I have a natural talent in the field of fooling around.”
- Her self-assessment, a rare moment where she claims her own strengths.
Theme
- Romance — Melodie gets an ordinary, hopeful date, the kind of life Boris keeps telling her she should want.
- Trust — Boris meets Perry with open suspicion, turning a first date into an interrogation about identification.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/7
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Whichever's bigger. I just know that we're all flying apart.”
Why it's great
He answers a cosmic question with a shrug and a line about everything drifting apart.
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Informal
Use it yourself
I just know that these plans keep falling apart.
“You know what banter is, it's like flirty talk.”
Why it's great
She defines a word with a wink, and the plainness is the charm.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You know what a meme is, it's like a running joke online.
“He's not a serial killer. At least he didn't mention it.”
Why it's great
The reassurance collapses into a joke the moment she qualifies it.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
The car is not broken. At least it did not explode.
“But I happen to be pretty sharp, too, and I have a natural talent in the field of fooling around.”
Why it's great
She turns flirting into a field of study and claims a natural gift for it.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I have a natural talent in the field of bargaining.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Boris scolds his student
- Sorry, Mr. Yellnikoff. - Yeah, you're sorry, you're sorry. Use your head next time, you won't be sorry! - Boris! - Yeah. Do your homework next week. Don't waste my time. - Hey! - Poisoned!
He turns a chess mistake into a lecture, and the impatience carries the comedy.
Up next · 08What possessed me?The scene: Boris on a Year of MarriageTakeaways
What you walk away with- Boris treats a first date like a criminal investigation.
- Melody explains slang with total confidence.
- The doom talk is his way of agreeing.
People also search
Questions, then the linesHow do Melodie and Perry meet?
She meets him while she is out walking dogs. They start talking, he asks to walk with her, and she tells him she wants to work with children.
Why is Boris suspicious of Perry?
He assumes any man interested in Melodie is dangerous. He warns her about serial killers and, when Perry arrives, asks to see his identification.
What does Boris ask Perry for?
He asks for identification, such as a driver's license or a birth certificate. Perry says he never carries his birth certificate and does not understand the question.
What is Melodie's theory about capital punishment?
She jokes that it should apply to small annoyances, like people who do not pick up after their dogs or who ride bikes on the sidewalk.