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Zodiac · 2007 — Chapter 21 of 30 · 5'10" · B2

Bill Transfers Out of the Chronicle, Explained: holding the bag

A montage of a decade's headlines gives way to quieter goodbyes inside the newsroom. One veteran hands over his car and announces he's quitting to be with his kids — “I wanna see these kids grow up” — while another reporter visits an old colleague and insists he's not the famous name everyone expects.

What happens

After a rush of historic headlines, the story settles into the paper's routine: Graysmith meets a new colleague in the office, and Bill decides to leave the Zodiac beat, handing over the car and saying he wants to watch his children grow up. Later, Graysmith visits Paul Avery and insists he is not trying to be him.

Office chatGoodbyes & funeralsComfortingExplainingCoworkersB2slowamerican
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Listen for

holding the bagput in for a transferDare to dreamflip for it

00:00 / 05:10
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Phrase of the scene

holding the bag

left to take the blame or deal with the mess alone

同事要调离岗位，临走前问格雷史密斯，自己是不是把烂摊子丢给他一个人扛了，语气带着歉意。

They all quit, and I was left holding the bag.

Also in this scene

  • put in for a transfer

    to formally apply for a job transfer

  • Dare to dream

    be bold enough to hope for something big

  • flip for it

    to toss a coin to decide something

Everything marked in this scene

25 notes across 63 lines

Phrase · B1stand up togetherAll of us should stand up together and say, "No more."
Phrase · A2good to meet you-Nice to meet you. -Good to meet you, man.
SoundGood to meet you

weak form

-Nice to meet you. -Good to meet you, man.
Phrase · B1used to do somethingGuy who used to work here was a great reporter.
Grammar · B1used to work here

used to for past habits

Guy who used to work here was a great reporter.
Phrase · B2dare to do something

be bold enough to hope for something big

Dare to dream, right, Robert?
Phrase · A2if you need anything-if you need anything, Duffy. -Yeah.
Phrase · B1drop someone off at a placeYou could just drop me off at my place and take the car.
Sounddrop me off

liaison

You could just drop me off at my place and take the car.
Phrase · B2put in for something

to formally apply for a job transfer

I put in for a transfer.
Phrase · B1be on callI can't be on call anymore.
Phrase · B1see someone grow upI wanna see these kids grow up.
Grammar · B1wanna see these kids grow up

bare infinitive after verbs of perception

I wanna see these kids grow up.
Soundgrow up

liaison

I wanna see these kids grow up.
Phrase · A2good for youHey, good for you, Bill.
Phrase · C1leave someone holding the bag

left to take the blame or deal with the mess alone

I'm not leaving you holding the bag on anything, am I?
Grammar · B2not leaving you holding the bag on anything, am I

tag question for confirmation

I'm not leaving you holding the bag on anything, am I?
Phrase · B1have a chance to do somethingMaybe you'll have a chance to try your Japanese food, the raw stuff.
Phrase · B2flip someone for something

to toss a coin to decide something

-I'll flip you for it. -You wish.
Slang · B2You wish-I'll flip you for it. -You wish.
Slang · B2Zodiac crapNobody has more Zodiac crap than you do.
Phrase · B2someone would kill for somethingMy own kids would kill me for one of those.
Slang · C1fuck itI mean, admittedly, the Bee ain't exactly the Chron, but fuck it, right?
Phrase · A2worry about somethingDon't worry about that. Don't worry about it.
Phrase · B1it's no bother at allIt's no bother at all. Nobody comes by from the old days.

Bill Transfers Out of the Chronicle, explained

What's really going on

The headlines remind you how long this case drags on, and the newsroom scenes show what that cost is paid in. Bill's exit is quiet but pointed: “I wanna see these kids grow up” is a man choosing a life over a legend, and the car keys are the whole transfer in miniature. The visit to Avery has the same undertone. Saying “I'm not Paul Avery” sounds modest, but it also draws a line: the reporter who covered Zodiac isn't the one obsessed enough to keep chasing it. Between the two, the film is quietly measuring which characters will give up their lives to the case and which ones already have.

Theme

DutyOne detective steps away from the Zodiac case for family, showing the personal cost of a job that never really ends.
FriendshipOld colleagues meet with warmth and self-deprecation, checking in even as careers and priorities pull them apart.

What you'll learn

  • Headlines of war, Manson, the pardon, and Hearst bury the Zodiac year by year.
  • Duffy inherits Avery's desk and hears it belonged to a great reporter.
  • Avery leaves the Chronicle for the Sacramento Bee: dare to dream.
  • Someone puts in for a transfer and says, simply, he is done.

Listen for

  • Good to meet you — weak form
  • drop me off — liaison
  • grow up — liaison
All of us should stand up together and say, "No more."

A line from the news montage: a public voice of the era calling for people to unite and reject the violence of the times.

I'm not leaving you holding the bag on anything, am I?

Bill checks that his exit won't dump unfinished responsibility on his partner; it's a courtesy and a guilty conscience at once.

I wanna see these kids grow up.

The plain reason behind the transfer: the job's demands have cost him too much time at home, and he chooses his family over the case.

It's no bother at all. Nobody comes by from the old days.

A wistful welcome: Avery insists the visit is no trouble, and admits how few people from the past still stop by.

Questions about this scene

Why is Bill leaving the Zodiac case?

He says he can't be on call anymore and wants to watch his children grow up, so he asks for a transfer to fraud. It's a personal decision to stop letting the case run his life.

Why does Graysmith tell Avery he's not him?

Graysmith is at Avery's boat and wants to make clear he isn't trying to take over the star reporter's role or compete with him. The line is self-deprecating but also draws a boundary.

Why does Graysmith meet Duffy Jennings?

Jennings has taken over the desk and introduces himself; Graysmith is settling into the newsroom and building the connections he'll need. The brief exchange sets up his place at the paper.

What does 'holding the bag' mean?

It means being left alone to take the blame or deal with the consequences of something. Bill asks the question to make sure his departure won't leave his partner stuck with unfinished business.

Zodiac · 30 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac Book
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 SourceChapter 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 TrailerWatching · Chapter 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 21 of 30 · about 45 min to go