When an actor wants to leave a show or is fired, why is the character killed off instead of having them do something else? In House M.D, Kal Penn wanted to leave the show, so his character was written as having committed suicide. Wouldn't it have been better to have his character leave the show by either having him take a job somewhere else or having him get fired instead of him killing himself? In Roseanne, her character overdosed. Why not have her character divorce Dan instead?
raywest
9th Jun 2024
General questions
21st Jul 2024
Aliens (1986)
Question: How exactly was Burke planning to convince the others to get an impregnated Newt and Ripley off the planet without causing suspicion from Hicks or the other marines if the facehuggers had succeeded as he wanted?
Answer: The marines worked for the Weyland-Yutani company. They're basically a corporate para-military. Burke was in charge of the operation, so he presumably assumed they, and also Bishop, the company android, would follow his orders, not fully knowing the circumstances. Burke probably intended that most of the marines would also be "infected."
19th Jul 2024
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Question: If Norman married Claire when she was "touring with a baby" (Caitlin), why is he not referred to as Caitlin's stepfather? When they take her to college, Claire refers to him as "Norman" when speaking to her. I've seen the movie a few times and always thought this was a little odd. Many people would even think of a stepfather as "father" if he was the one who raised them for most of their life.
Answer: There's no rule about how a step-father is referred to. Caitlin may simply not consider him a father figure to remain close to her real dad. Many step-children call their step-parent by their first name, regardless of how long the parents have been married. Most likely this is a plot device so that the audience isn't confused about or doesn't forget that Norman is not Caitlin's real father. Some may be offended by a father killing his biological child's mother. It makes Norman less attached to either Claire or Caitlin.
I am not trying to be rude, but have you seen this movie? You say that Caitlin might be close to her real dad. He is dead. Claire was "touring with a baby" after he died, and then she met Norman. Hence why I found the situation a bit odd. Norman has been in Caitlin's life since she was a "baby."
I saw the movie some years ago and don't remember every small detail. However, my main point was that calling Norman by his first name was a plot device to keep the audience focused on him not being Caitlin's biological father. This kept his character more detached from Claire and Caitlin, and made him less sympathetic. It showed an emotional/personal divide existed between Norman and Claire and her daughter. He has less resistance in killing Claire if they did not share a biological child.
18th Jul 2024
Real Genius (1985)
18th Jul 2024
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
18th Jul 2024
Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo (2003)
Question: Why is Eeyore always sad? Does he suffer from depression?
Answer: It's never definitively explained, but Eeyore apparently suffers from depression, is sad about his tail, and generally always feels unhappy. Actually, he is just one character that displays a certain emotional type. Tigger is hyperactive and attention deficit, Rabbit is obsessive-compulsive, Owl is narcissistic, Piglet suffers from anxiety, and Pooh has an eating disorder.
18th Jul 2024
Predator 2 (1990)
Question: Since the Alien and Predator movies take place in the same universe, is it possible that Jerry Lambert (who was played by Bill Paxton) may be the ancestor of Hudson (also played by Paxton) from "Aliens"?
Answer: Not likely. Bill Paxton was a popular actor who was in high demand by various directors. He also had a reputation of being professional, reliable, and was well-liked. Many directors or producers like working with the same actors in multiple projects.
18th Jul 2024
Spider-Man (1994)
Question: Why were animators constantly repeating footage throughout the entire series? For me, this method was totally nonsensical because it led to numerous continuity errors. For example, in the episode "Enter the Punisher," Spider-Man lacked his extra arms in one shot because the footage was used from a different episode. Why were animators doing this?
18th Jul 2024
Overboard (1987)
Question: Why were the Proffitt boys all in the same class even though they're different ages?
18th Jul 2024
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Question: Why did Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts hate each other during the filming?
Answer: Sometimes actresses just do not get on. Being that they were both from different backgrounds. For more examples of this you just have to look at Charmed and Desperate Housewives.
18th Jul 2024
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Question: Why is a toad, a cat or an owl a requirement for first year students?
Answer: Witches are said to have familiars. Animals that act as guardians, protectors, and mascots. Merlin, Circe, and Morgan Le Fay all had familiars.
18th Jul 2024
Aliens (1986)
Question: When Ripley and Newt are trapped in the Med Lab with face huggers (thanks to Burke), Ripley wakes Newt and tells her they are in trouble (which they are). But how does Ripley know this? She hasn't seen the face huggers at this point.
Answer: The two face-huggers were being kept in glass containers. When Ripley woke up, she saw that the jars had been tipped over, were empty, and the creatures were loose; Burke had released them, took her weapon, and locked the doors, while she was sleeping. He also turned off the CCTV monitors.
17th Jul 2024
The Godfather (1972)
Question: When Sollozzo offers Vito 30% of the drug profits for his financing and political protection, Vito asks him why he (Vito) deserved such generosity. Was Vito being sarcastic, or was it actually a good deal?
Answer: Vito was being sarcastic, but it's also a negotiating tactic. Vito is uninterested and considered it a meager offer. Sollozzo naturally would offer a low-ball price as an opening bid to test Vito's reaction. He would then negotiate further, gradually upping the amount. I took it as Vito testing why Sollozzo is coming to him with the deal rather than the other crime families and is gathering intel. He doesn't trust Sollozzo and likely suspects there is some collusion going on with another don, which was the case.
Given Vito's aversion to getting involved in the drug trade, I doubt it's about negotiating or getting a better offer. He has already decided not to go into business with Sollozzo even before meeting him. I think it's more the second part of the answer, about feeling Sollozzo out and trying to find out more about him and which of the other families he's already involved with.
28th Jun 2024
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Question: To become master of the Elder Wand, it must be taken from the wizard who owns it. How could Harry become the new master of the wand when it was buried with Dumbledore and Harry took away Draco's own wand?
Answer: You don't have to physically take the wand to become the master; you have to disarm the master. When Harry disarmed Draco, the wand became his. Even though the wand was not present, it still knew. Call it magic.
Answer: The Elder Wand or Deathstick must be removed by force from the current owner. Draco disarms Dumbledore at the top of the tower. Thus, its allegiance passed to Draco and he becomes the wand's master. When Voldemort takes the wand from Dumbledore's grave, he's not taking it from the wand's master. Later, Harry disarms Draco and as such Harry is now the wand's master. This ultimately proves helpful and a key point in the final showdown in the Great Hall. As Lionhead said above, it's magic. But at its deepest level, as explained by Mr. Ollivander at Shell Cottage.
28th Jun 2024
Cliffhanger (1993)
Question: Why was Hal mad and blamed Gabe for Sarah's death? It wasn't his fault. Also, how did Sarah get to that height at the beginning of the movie with no climbing experience? I mean, I can barely climb an indoor climbing wall, but she can climb a mountain like a walk in the park. (02:16:00 - 02:16:35)
Answer: There was no realistic reason. First, the steel buckle on the safety harness would never just bend and break like that. The accident was not Gabe's fault, but Hal is supposedly so angry and grief-stricken that he unfairly claims Gabe ignored his advice when rescuing her. The movie uses melodramatic plotting to contrive a conflict between the two men. It's also unrealistic that Sarah, an inexperienced climber, was able to make such a difficult climb, even with Hal's help. The movie had many plot holes.
28th Jun 2024
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Question: When Bellatrix sees the Sword of Gryffindor, why did she assume that Hermione had broken into her vault when it was below the icy lake the whole time?
Answer: To protect the Sword of Gryffindor for Harry, Dumbledore had a replica made. Bellatrix acquired the fake sword (unaware it was a copy) and placed it in her Gringott's vault. Upon seeing the real one, Bellatrix assumed it was stolen from the vault. The genuine sword hidden in the pond wasn't there the entire time. When Snape discovered where Harry and the others were hiding in the Forest of Dean, he magically sent the sword to the frozen pond and then led Harry to it with his Doe Patronus.
26th Jun 2024
War of the Worlds (2005)
Question: What is the liquid that comes out of the first tripod in the movie when it sounds the horn? I think it could be blood, but it was the first tripod to rise and it hasn't harvested any humans yet. Can someone please explain?
Answer: As it emerges, a lot of dirt is falling off it. I can see no liquid falling off. If you mean at the moment it sounds its horn, that's just more dirt falling off. It falls much later, probably because of the vibrations from the horn blowing.
Answer: It looks to be a combination of dirt, dust, steam, and water. As it's breaking through the ground, spouting water is erupting, which could be a broken water main. The machine is probably generating heat, causing the steam. The dirt is covering the hull and falling off as it rises. The machine also appears to vent some type of gas or exhaust on one side after it's fully risen.
23rd Jun 2024
Frasier (1993)
23rd Jun 2024
Pacific Heights (1990)
Question: Can someone explain the scene where Patty tries to get a $5,000 loan, but she would need to deposit $5,800 to qualify? As she herself points out, she wouldn't even need a loan if she had $5,800. The employee might not be friendly, but the offer still doesn't make sense if the company wants to be in business.
Answer: A reputable bank requires borrowers to have an adequate income, a good credit rating, and some type of collateral (property, investments, other assets, etc,) above the amount of the loan in the event the customer defaults. It's been years since I've seen the movie, so I don't remember the timeline of events or what the loan was for, but if Patty and Drake had already bought the house, that could be used as collateral, though they might not want to risk it for such a low amount. If they hadn't bought the house, and had no other assets, it's highly unlikely they'd qualify for a loan.
And plenty of people might not "need" a loan because they've got the money saved, but they'd rather take out a loan and make predictable monthly payments they know are well within their means, rather than eat into their savings, leaving them with no safety net if some financial emergency hits.
This is still unrealistic and made up only for the film. No loan company would ever ask a client to put down a payment of that extravagant amount in order to get back the same amount of what they're asking for a loan for. Why on earth would a person take out a loan in the first place if they didn't actually need the money?
23rd Jun 2024
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Question: How come Officer Ronnie pulled up in the squad car with lights and sirens near where Lee was parked, and just stood outside for a couple moments when there was no emergency in that immediate area (until the creek just started attacking)?
Answer: While what was happening was not yet considered an emergency, a situation was growing, and town residents were becoming somewhat panicked or were confused. Officer Ronnie used his siren and lights as a safety precaution to warn people milling in the street to move away. He also signaled Lee not to drive off because he wanted to talk to him. Ronnie didn't appear to just stand there. He was looking around and assessing the situation while Lee was walking up to him.
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Answer: Often times it's done for dramatic purposes, even if the actor leaves on good terms. Writing an episode where a character dies is much more jarring to the audience and something they may talk about the next day. Plus, actors that suddenly leave the show, don't return the next season, or die in real life, aren't there to say goodbye to friends, family, or colleagues before taking another job, going off to college, or getting fired. Which is what normally happens in real life, so it would come across as unrealistic. But there's plenty of shows/characters where an actor is knowingly leaving the show, so writers do have time to write a farewell type episode in. Also, by killing off characters, the audience doesn't have an expectation for their return and writers don't have to think about them. Of course, the alternative is recasting the character and then just dealing with the backlash or criticism of such a cheap move.
Bishop73
It does seem like recasting is rarely done, and the audience usually doesn't like the replacement.
Azalea
There's a number of cast replacements in TV shows, but often it's minor characters. More prominent ones include Dick Sargent replacing Dick York as Darrin in "Bewitched," and Sarah Chalke taking over Lecy Goranson's role as Becky in "Roseanne." Neither replacement actor was warmly received by viewers.
raywest ★