I was wondering if anyone would care to explain what they thought of the scene between Johnny and the girl from the diner (Giselle?). I didn't quite understand what happened there and thought I might have missed something. Thanks in advance.
shareShe's friendly enough, but is too well-bred, has too much self-respect, something - he starts making sexual insinuations - 'dreamt of skeletons effing' and touches her bum. She gets where he's going, and will have none of it, and shoos him out. I was glad she didn't fall victim to him like the others did.
shareIt's an interesting interaction. At first Diner girl appears quite confident, somewhat sassy and cheerful person. After she lets Johnny stay in her place a while we realise a couple of things about her; the house isn't hers, she hasn't read any of the books, she starts drinking vodka prior to Johnny taking a bath and doesn't stop, and lastly she appears to be as isolated as Brian.
You could take it to mean that she is actually far duller than she initially appeared in the Diner; a person who doesn't express much personality or interest in anything (she wasn't even curious to read one of the books?). Otherwise you could say that she is simply a disconnected person who lives in a home that is alien to her and asks the suicidal question about Christmas. It was weird to see Johnny so baffled by the end of it- someone who fancies himself as knowing every tick of everybody else seems positively bewildered at her behaviour. Also as far as flirtatiousness goes Johnny was pretty tame (say in comparasion to when he talks to Sandra). Thankfully the Diner girl had similar strength to Sandra and basically got rid of Johnny.
i actually think it there is something more. A terminal illness perhaps, theres reference to the girl living with a homosexual man who is away on a trip. She is living under his charity, i thought it was to do with aids and then the talk of future christmas's?
shareIt seems to me that there is quite a sinister subtext in this scene, that might suggest a history of abuse at the hands of men like Johnny for the girl. Maybe? I don't know why, but every time I watch this scene, it seems as though the character's eyes are having their own conversation that runs below the words. The wide, timid but knowing eyes (hers) of the prey and the narrowed, focussed eyes of the hunter (Johnny's). She doesn't react to Johnny's jokes or advances because it as if she can see the motive behind them, which terrifies her - as a deer might shy from the affections of a friendly wolf. She has known men like this and is scared of where it might go.
It reminds me of the scene in 'Natural Born Killers', where the Shaman sees Mickey's true form and the word 'Demon' appears on the wall. And Mickey kills him, despite his charity. She can see his darkness, but is drawn to his isolation and takes him in, as it is something she obviously knows all to well. But whereas Johnny is an expert at expressing his isolation, she has either lost the ability or simply never had it. So afraid, half-drunk and frustrated at the difficulty she has with expressing herself (which seems amplified by Johnny's articulate wit), she kicks him out, to his bewilderment. And then, in his anger, as he stands in the doorway about to leave, he reveals the Demon, "May your children be born blind (something... something) hunchbacks!" or something, can't remember exactly what he says. Close call for Diner girl.