liaison
Come on, buddy.Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 2 of 30 · 5'06" · B2
The Zodiac Confession Call, Explained: I wouldn't kid you
A voice on the phone admits to killings and hangs up; later a letter reaches the Chronicle claiming the murders and offering proof only the killer and police would know. The newsroom reads it out — "To prove I killed them, I shall state some facts which only I and the police know" — before anyone grasps the danger.
What happens
Someone calls in a confession, then the San Francisco Chronicle receives a letter from a writer claiming the murders. The staff reads its details aloud, including a promise to prove guilt and a demand to print a cipher on the front page. Editors debate how to cover it while a reporter senses a story getting out of hand.
Listen for
go withI wouldn't kid youon the front pageswallow it
00:00 / 05:06Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
I wouldn't kid you
I am not joking; I mean it
同事聊起一条离谱的新闻，一人追问真假，另一人甩出这句话强调自己没有拿他寻开心。
The tickets cost two thousand dollars. I wouldn't kid you.
Also in this scene
- go with
to choose or settle on one option
- on the front page
printed on the first page of a newspaper
- swallow it
to believe a lie or story without questioning it
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 49 lines
Come on, buddy.to believe a lie or story without questioning it
-I swallowed it. -Why?You can't do that. It's not good for you.weak form
You can't do that. It's not good for you.Okay, you're staying with your mom and Aaron tonight.-No, not really. -Oh, that's honest.There will be a test tonight!future with there will be
There will be a test tonight!How's the coffee today, Shorty?Editorial in two.Well, Stanton, tell Mr. Howe the draft board piece was damn near perfect.Well, Stanton, tell Mr. Howe the draft board piece was damn near perfect.to choose or settle on one option
Horrid. I'm thinking we go with not so horrid.Paul, what's on the crime beat?I am not joking; I mean it
Have you seen her? Wouldn't kid you.liaison
Have you seen her? Wouldn't kid you.It may be the beginning of a crime wave."To prove I killed them, "I shall state some facts which only I and the police know.relative clause with which
"To prove I killed them, "I shall state some facts which only I and the police know."Ten shots were fired.passive voice
"Ten shots were fired."The boy was on his back with his feet to the car."The girl was on her right side, feet to the west.printed on the first page of a newspaper
"I want you to print this cipher on the front page of your paper.want someone to do something
"I want you to print this cipher on the front page of your paper.The Zodiac Confession Call, explained
What's really going on
The scene is built on the gap between newsroom banter and what is actually in the letter. The staff joke about the crime beat, then go quiet as lines like "To prove I killed them, I shall state some facts which only I and the police know" are read out. What makes it unnerving is the killer's request to be published: he isn't hiding, he's asking for a stage. The paper faces its own dilemma, because printing the cipher both sells papers and feeds the man's appetite for attention. The half-joking remark about it being "the beginning of a crime wave" lands less as a joke than a forecast, and the whole office is suddenly part of the story rather than just covering it.
Theme
DeceptionA caller claims the murders and feeds the press details only the killer would know, turning proof into theater.
PowerBy demanding front-page printing, the writer forces a powerful paper to do his bidding.
What you'll learn
- Hear crime beat as a reporter's assignment
- Catch the pun in that's a crime
- Use front page for the lead slot
- Split joke crime wave from a real one
Listen for
- Come on — liaison
- for you — weak form
- kid you — liaison
"To prove I killed them, "I shall state some facts which only I and the police know.The letter's chilling core: the writer offers private details as proof, daring the paper to confirm his guilt.
Horrid. I'm thinking we go with not so horrid.An editor picking a headline: he dislikes both options but settles on the milder one, a moment of ordinary office business.
It may be the beginning of a crime wave.Spoken half in jest, it reads later like a forecast, as the killings continue.
You can't do that. It's not good for you.Ordinary parenting, telling a child not to eat something, that sits oddly beside the confession.
Questions about this scene
Why does the letter ask to be printed on the front page?
The writer wants publicity. By demanding space on the front page and offering proof only he and the police would know, he turns the newspaper into his stage.
Who reads the letter aloud in the newsroom?
The staff take turns with it, reading out details about the victims, the ammunition, and the demand to print a cipher, so everyone can see how specific the claims are.
Is the confession call connected to the letter?
Both present the same person claiming responsibility. The call is brief and hangs up, while the letter arrives at the paper with far more detail and a request to publish.
Why does the paper consider printing the cipher?
Publishing is the biggest story available, but it also gives the writer exactly the attention he asks for, which is the dilemma the editors begin to weigh.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last Drive
Watching · Chapter 2I wouldn't kid youThe Zodiac Confession Call
Chapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle
Chapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the Lake
Chapter 5a hell of a get-upZodiac's Lake Berryessa Attack
Chapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab Murder
Chapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi Murder
Chapter 8skip townPolice Bicker Over the Zodiac Case
Chapter 9at a moment's noticeZodiac Calls the TV Talk Show
Chapter 10crack the codeBelli Tries to Catch the Zodiac
Chapter 11What's your angle?Graysmith Cracks the Zodiac Cipher
Chapter 12the more the merrierKathleen Johns Escapes the Zodiac
Chapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's Source
Chapter 14in my gutGraysmith Talks Zodiac on a Date
Chapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare Notes
Chapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh Allen
Chapter 17the whole pointPolice Question Arthur Leigh Allen
Chapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's Mother
Chapter 19home turfPolice Build a Case Against Allen
Chapter 20tore out of herePolice Search Allen's Trailer
Chapter 21holding the bagBill Transfers Out of the Chronicle
Chapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac Book
Chapter 23yesterday's newsGraysmith Talks His Way In
Chapter 24more than just a coincidenceGraysmith Follows the Birthday Clue
Chapter 25tread lightlyGraysmith Chases Rick Marshall
Chapter 26blow overThe Letter That Framed Toschi
Chapter 27put yourself out thereGraysmith Chases the Case at Home
Chapter 28get it in your headGraysmith Meets the Theater Owner
Chapter 29the date that didn't endLinda Recalls the Painting Party
Chapter 30cancel each other outRobert Confronts Dave About AllenChapter 2 of 30 · about 141 min to go