We have done everything that you've asked.Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 5 of 30 · 4'56" · B2
Zodiac's Lake Berryessa Attack, Explained: a hell of a get-up
A masked attacker ties up two young people at a lake, reassuring them that "It's okay" even as he prepares to kill. The boy survives, the girl does not. The scene then jumps to a phone report — "I want to report a murder. No, a double murder." — and a city learning to live in fear.
What happens
At Lake Berryessa, a hooded man binds a couple by the water, then stabs them, leaving one survivor. A caller reports it to the Napa police as a double murder, and the newsroom, the police, and a call-in radio show all try to make sense of the spreading Zodiac attacks.
Listen for
a little touchedwhat's the story with someonebring up a questiona hell of a get-up
00:00 / 04:56Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
a hell of a get-up
a very striking or unusual outfit
众人看见那身夸张的穿戴，一句 that's a hell of a get-up 把惊讶全塞进一个名词短语里，半是调侃半是打趣。
He showed up in a cape and a top hat; that's a hell of a get-up for a barbecue.
Also in this scene
- a little touched
slightly strange or mentally unwell
- what's the story with someone
what is going on with someone or something
- bring up a question
to raise a question for discussion
Everything marked in this scene
38 notes across 76 lines
relative clause with that
We have done everything that you've asked.She tied you loose, didn't she?Get on your stomach so I can tie your feet.liaison
Get on your stomach so I can tie your feet.Okay. It gets really cold out here at night.We could freeze.You know, just because people are gonna ask,This is all gonna be okay.weak form
This is all gonna be okay.I want to report a murder. No, a double murder.They are two miles north of park headquarters.I'm the one that did it.God, can you imagine surviving something like that?Writing the dates on the side of the car.What the hell is he doing out of Vallejo?What the hell is he doing out of Vallejo?Sweet mother of Christ, what are you drawing?Sweet mother of Christ, what are you drawing?a very striking or unusual outfit
God, that's a hell of a get-up.Now I just got to type it up.liaison
Now I just got to type it up.Type it up? It's not finished until you type it up.what is going on with someone or something
What's the story with the kid?slightly strange or mentally unwell
He seems a little touched or medicated or...He's a fucking boy scout.I knew that I heard that from somewhere.It's a movie about a Count who hunts people for sport.We've got curfews in effect tonight for the following counties,Vic in San Francisco, you're on the line. You're not scared ofthe Zodiac?Heck no, he's only shooting those farm kids.Hey, nobody's downplaying the loss of human life here, Alfred.negative present continuous
Hey, nobody's downplaying the loss of human life here, Alfred.Unlike in the city where you have Satanists running around.to raise a question for discussion
Well, you bring up a good question. Is the Zodiac a Satanist?demand that someone do something
Well, the Zodiac did demand they print his letters or he'd kill more people.would have done
Yeah, but he would have done it anyway,whether ... or not
whetherthey printed it or not, I think.Zodiac's Lake Berryessa Attack, explained
What's really going on
The scene moves from intimate horror to public noise, and the contrast is the point. Up close, the killer is calm and almost polite, saying "It's okay" while he ties his victims, which strips the attack of any reason. Later, the same crime becomes a radio argument about whether the victims were farm kids and whether the papers should print anything the Zodiac wants, and someone answers, "I want to report a murder. No, a double murder." What began as one night at a lake turns into a city negotiating its own fear, its own taste for blame, and its own appetite for the story.
Theme
Death & griefA quiet lake night ends in a double killing that leaves one survivor and a community in mourning.
SurvivalThe attack is built around who lives and who does not, a fact the radio callers keep circling.
What you'll learn
- Hear boy scout as too wholesome
- Use type it up for a finished draft
- Read get-up as an outfit
- Catch in progress as happening now
Listen for
- on your stomach — liaison
- gonna be okay — weak form
- type it up — liaison
I want to report a murder. No, a double murder.The caller corrects himself mid-report, turning a single killing into two, a blunt sign of how the case has grown.
I'm the one that did it.The person on the phone claims the crime outright, which is how the Zodiac announced several attacks.
God, can you imagine surviving something like that?Someone reacts to the news that one victim lived, finding the idea of carrying that memory almost unthinkable.
"Man is the most dangerous animal of all."A quote the attacker left behind, later traced to a story about hunting people, which gives the crimes a strange source.
Heck no, he's only shooting those farm kids.A radio caller dismisses the danger with a classist shrug, exactly the attitude the next caller calls offensive.
Questions about this scene
Why does the attacker say 'It's okay' to the victims?
He comforts them while binding them, which makes the violence feel planned and cold rather than a sudden rage.
Who is the 'kid at the lake' in the drawing?
A survivor of the Berryessa attack who gave a description of the attacker's clothing, which the newsroom turns into a sketch.
Why does the radio show ask whether the Zodiac is a Satanist?
Callers push moral theories about the killer, and the host uses them to keep the audience engaged, which is part of how the case becomes public entertainment.
Where does the phrase 'man is the most dangerous animal of all' come from?
A newsroom staffer traces it to The Most Dangerous Game, a story about a count who hunts people for sport, which makes the Zodiac's words feel borrowed.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab Murder
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last Drive
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
Watching · 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 5 of 30 · about 126 min to go