WinkLingo
Log in

Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 14 of 30 · 5'04" · B2

Graysmith Talks Zodiac on a Date, Explained: in my gut

On the surface it is a first date over pasta, with someone asking what is good here. Underneath, the conversation slides into the Zodiac case: a writer is chasing an anonymous tip, and the date interrupts, "So it could be an ambush." Romance and danger share the table.

What happens

A cartoonist and a woman meet for a first date at a restaurant. He admits he is working near Paul Avery, the reporter the Zodiac threatened, and that Avery is driving to Riverside to chase an anonymous tip. She calls the plan dangerous, and he ends up getting the food to go.

First datesInvestigationExplainingWarningStrangersB2mediumamerican
IMDb ↗

Listen for

the hunted has become hunterwork the casein my gutAll due respect

00:00 / 05:04
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it

Phrase of the scene

in my gut

based on instinct rather than proof

专家被问到手写鉴定结果时，先说自己一开始凭直觉就认定了，再抛出证据，强调判断来得比证据更早。

My gut told me something was wrong with the deal.

Also in this scene

  • the hunted has become hunter

    the prey has turned into the predator

  • work the case

    to handle or investigate a case

  • All due respect

    a polite opener before disagreeing

Everything marked in this scene

35 notes across 82 lines

Soundwhat're you

weak form

Well, what're you doing at a gun range?
Phrase · A2work with someoneSo, you work with Glynnis.
Phrase · B1be terrified of someoneMy children are terrified of Glynnis.
Phrase · B1sound kind of familiar-Do you know who Paul Avery is? -Sounds kind of familiar.
Soundkind of

elision

-Do you know who Paul Avery is? -Sounds kind of familiar.
Grammar · B2the writer that the Zodiac threatened

relative clause

He's the writer that the Zodiac threatened.
Phrase · B2track someone downWell, I work near him and he's going down tonight to track an anonymous tipster down in Riverside.
Phrase · B2an anonymous tipWell, you said it was an anonymous tip, right?
Phrase · B1could be somethingSo it could be an ambush. I mean, it could be the Zodiac.
Grammar · B1it could be an ambush

could for possibility

So it could be an ambush. I mean, it could be the Zodiac.
Phrase · B1kind of stupidDon't you think it's kind of stupid?
Phrase · B1what's good hereSo, do you know what's good here?
Phrase · A2give someone another minuteMaybe give us another minute?
Phrase · A2hold onOh, wait, no wait, hold on.
Soundhold on

liaison

Oh, wait, no wait, hold on.
Phrase · A2make a phone callDo you have to make a phone call?
Phrase · B1hear from someoneStupid. And I just thought that I should call his wife and just see if she's heard from him.
Grammar · B2she said she'd call when she heard from him

reported speech with past future

Okay. Well, she said she'd call when she heard from him.
Phrase · B1wait for the callMelanie, I should really go home and wait for the call.
Phrase · B2get someone to do somethingIs this some sleazy plan to get me to go home with you?
Grammar · B2to get me to go home with you

get someone to do something

Is this some sleazy plan to get me to go home with you?
Slang · B2sleazyIs this some sleazy plan to get me to go home with you?
Phrase · B1be supposed to do somethingHi! I'm supposed to meet somebody here.
Grammar · B1I'm supposed to meet somebody

be supposed to

Hi! I'm supposed to meet somebody here.
Slang · B1kiddingAre you kidding?
Phrase · B1the most interesting ...This is the most interesting date I've ever had.
Grammar · B2the most interesting date I've ever had

superlative with present perfect

This is the most interesting date I've ever had.
Phrase · B1not going to believe thisYou're not gonna believe this.
Phrase · C1the hunted becomes the hunter

the prey has turned into the predator

In a bizarre twist, the hunted has become hunter.
Phrase · B2in one's gut

based on instinct rather than proof

What I knew in my gut, Ron.
Soundknew in

liaison

What I knew in my gut, Ron.
Slang · C1the son of a bitchHe took it to Sherwood without telling us, the son of a bitch.
Phrase · B1how bad something looksYou know how bad this looks?
Phrase · B2work the case

to handle or investigate a case

Dave, you know Mel Nicolai. He's working the case for Justice.
Phrase · C1all due respect

a polite opener before disagreeing

All due respect, can someone explain to me why I'm reading about breaks in this case

Graysmith Talks Zodiac on a Date, explained

What's really going on

The scene works as two conversations at once. On the surface it is a first date, full of small talk about pasta and what to order, but the man keeps steering it toward the case that has taken over his life. He mentions the reporter who was threatened and the anonymous tip pulling him to Riverside, and the woman's mind goes straight to danger: "So it could be an ambush. I mean, it could be the Zodiac." That worries him enough to call the reporter's wife and then leave early, even as she teases him about using the case as an excuse. The evening ends with the hunted becoming the hunter, which is exactly the turn that will keep him hooked.

Theme

RomanceA first date is repeatedly interrupted by the case, testing whether the two have a future.
JusticeEven over dinner, the characters can't stop chasing the unsolved Zodiac killings.

What you'll learn

  • Hear ambush as a trap
  • Use to go for takeaway food
  • Read in my gut as instinct
  • Treat all due respect as a preface to blame

Listen for

  • what're you — weak form
  • kind of — elision
  • hold on — liaison
  • knew in — liaison
In a bizarre twist, the hunted has become hunter.

The newscast's framing of the reporter turning investigator, which makes the case sound like a thriller.

You know how bad this looks?

A police complaint about others acting on their own, more about damaged appearances than the case itself.

This is the most interesting date I've ever had.

A wry line that says the evening was strange and memorable, and that the case has upstaged the romance.

So it could be an ambush. I mean, it could be the Zodiac.

The date's blunt read of the plan: a secret meeting with a tipster is the perfect setup for the killer.

Questions about this scene

Why does Graysmith bring up the Zodiac on a date?

He works near the reporter Avery and is already absorbed by the case, so it spills into ordinary conversation.

Why does Avery go to Riverside?

He is following an anonymous tip about an old unsolved killing that may have been the Zodiac's first murder.

Why do the police get upset later?

Someone took Riverside evidence to a handwriting expert without telling them, and the break reached the press before the police, which makes them look bad.

What does the newscast say about Avery?

It reports that the reporter chasing the story now believes he has found the Zodiac's first victim, flipping the hunted into the hunter.

Zodiac · 30 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare Notes
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last DriveChapter 2I wouldn't kid youThe Zodiac Confession CallChapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the ChronicleChapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the LakeChapter 5a hell of a get-upZodiac's Lake Berryessa AttackChapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab MurderChapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi MurderChapter 8skip townPolice Bicker Over the Zodiac CaseChapter 9at a moment's noticeZodiac Calls the TV Talk ShowChapter 10crack the codeBelli Tries to Catch the ZodiacChapter 11What's your angle?Graysmith Cracks the Zodiac CipherChapter 12the more the merrierKathleen Johns Escapes the ZodiacChapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's SourceWatching · Chapter 14in my gutGraysmith Talks Zodiac on a DateChapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare NotesChapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh AllenChapter 17the whole pointPolice Question Arthur Leigh AllenChapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's MotherChapter 19home turfPolice Build a Case Against AllenChapter 20tore out of herePolice Search Allen's TrailerChapter 21holding the bagBill Transfers Out of the ChronicleChapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac BookChapter 23yesterday's newsGraysmith Talks His Way InChapter 24more than just a coincidenceGraysmith Follows the Birthday ClueChapter 25tread lightlyGraysmith Chases Rick MarshallChapter 26blow overThe Letter That Framed ToschiChapter 27put yourself out thereGraysmith Chases the Case at HomeChapter 28get it in your headGraysmith Meets the Theater OwnerChapter 29the date that didn't endLinda Recalls the Painting PartyChapter 30cancel each other outRobert Confronts Dave About Allen
Chapter 14 of 30 · about 81 min to go