Line #16 TearJerker/ChickenRun


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6	Never again will chickens make you feel so much...
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8	----
9	* Ginger is the ''only'' reason the rest of the chickens even consider escape as a possibility, let alone stay motivated. As a result, she has to shoulder the burden of not only keeping everyone's spirits up -- including her own -- and creating new escape plans, but then taking the fall for them every time they fail, and it's shown to be ''really'' taking its toll on her. The chickens all panicking when she's taken to the pie machine and, later, the mud fight which ensues after Rocky deserts them shows just how quickly everything falls apart without Ginger's guidance.
10	-->'''Ginger:''' I ''care'' about what happens to them!
11	** Shortly after hearing Edwina getting [[OffWithHerHead "the chop"]], she watches a flock of migrating birds from the roof of her hut. With tears in her eyes, she whispers to herself "We've ''got'' to get out of here".
12	** After Bunty tells Ginger that the odds of their escaping are a million to one, Ginger replies sturdily, [[ArmorPiercingResponse "Then there's still a chance"]]. She steps out of the hut with her composure intact... and breaks down crying as the weight of the whole situation crashes down on her. You truly feel her anguish when she punches the fence in hopeless frustration before slumping against it, muttering to herself "[[GodHelpUsAll Heaven help us]]".
13	** Rocky's entire demeanour, when everyone thinks that the flying demonstration he'll give them tomorrow will help them fully understand the process. [[MaintainTheLie You can tell he's absolutely miserable about how disappointed they're going to be]] when they learn that their problems are not going to be solved at all.
14	** The subtle way that Ginger's look of curiosity gives way to heartbroken shock when she finds the torn piece of the poster revealing that Rocky was a fraud, followed by the shot of her walking back to the poster with [[HeroicBSOD an unflinching look of total devastation frozen on her face]], is some amazing work on the animators' part.
15	*** As she walks back, she passes several cheerful and eager hens, whose faces fall and/or darken when they look at her. She hasn't said anything yet, and they can't see the poster piece, but they just know that if [[TheDeterminator Ginger]] of all chickens [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness looks that disheartened]], something has gone horribly, ''horribly'' wrong.
16	** Adding to it all as well is the [[https://youtu.be/5kaZCTJyvO4 immensely dramatic and depressing theme]] that flares up right [[WhamShot when Ginger completes the poster]]; punctuated by a bleak rainstorm setting in as the chickens [[LiarRevealed finally put two and two together about everything]]. At this point, Rocky himself can be seen slowly trudging away from the farm -- having left his medal and the poster piece behind -- and you can ''feel'' [[ItsAllMyFault his absolute guilt and shame at building their hopes up]], only to abandon them when they needed him.
17	** Ginger's HeroicBSOD when she discovers that not only has Rocky deserted them, but he could never fly. He was just shot out of a cannon. Not only does their last chance of escape ''and'' her one chance at love literally walk out on them, but they realize that [[AllForNothing all their hard work trying to learn to fly amounted to nothing]]. Ginger doesn't give up because she's sad, she gives up because ''she's finally out of options''.
18	---> '''Ginger''': (''[[DespairEventHorizon despairingly]]'') Let's face it. Our only way out of here... is wrapped in ''pastry''.
19	** The afore-mentioned slapstick mud-fight doesn't even phase her.[[note]]At least, not up until [[ChekhovsGun she more closely examines Rocky's medal knocked near her feet]] and [[EurekaMoment gets one last idea]].[[/note]] Ginger just quietly accepts that they're done for and there's nothing they can do to avoid their gruesome fate.
20	* While you won't be RootingForTheEmpire, it's still sad to see Mr. Tweedy [[HenpeckedHusband get abused and ordered about constantly by Mrs. Tweedy]]. After getting a hard kick up the rear the last time he failed to fix the machine, we see him trying to activate it again, painfully feeling his rear while quietly begging for it to work. You may not necessarily want the man to succeed, but you do get the impression he's being treated unfairly and deserves a better wife than the monstrous woman he ended up marrying.
21	* Edwina's death -- by decapitation from an axe, before eventually being eaten -- has an even deeper impact than possibly imagined with the simple exchange of dialogue between two characters.
22	--> '''Ginger''': (''whispering'') Oh, no... [[OhCrap Edwina...!]] (''horrified'') Bunty! Why didn't you give her some of yours?!
23	--> '''Bunty''': (''whispering'') I '''would''' have! But she didn't tell me! ''[[FaceDeathWithDignity She didn't tell anyone!]]''
24	** This simple exchange of dialogue reveals every subtle detail we need to know about this scene:
25	*** 1) That morning, Edwina ''knew'' she was going to die.
26	*** 2) It's clearly stated that if she had told the others, any of them would've most likely been more than happy to give her an egg, allowing her to survive.
27	*** 3) [[FaceDeathWithDignity She willingly refused to inform anyone]].
28	** With the above factors in mind, one conclusion is drawn: [[DespairEventHorizon Edwina was so miserable in the chicken pen that she purposely allowed herself to be chosen]] as a means of freedom [[DrivenToSuicide through what essentially amounts to suicide]]. Go watch that scene again, and wonder if the expression on Edwina's face is fear... or anticipation? From the way Edwina just meekly hangs upside down, and never once struggles even at the last moments before the inevitable, either way it's pretty chilling.
29	--->''Thunk''
30	** Or consider an alternate interpretation: she became essentially a martyr. Seeing a normally productive hen such as Bunty lay less eggs than usual could've been taken as a sign that she wouldn't have been worth keeping within some weeks. And that could be said of any other chicken. Edwina simply preferred to accept her fate rather than risk having someone else be unjustly killed because of her.
31	** It's also possible that if Edwina were to be able to lay eggs or she didn't refuse to lay them, then Ginger's life would have been in danger; since presumably, with Ginger coming up with all of the plans for everyone to escape, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness she would probably be the chicken with the lowest production of eggs]]. It wouldn't help that Mr Tweedy would have a bone to pick with her for getting him in trouble with Mrs Tweedy, and if Ginger were to be killed, then Edwina probably thought it would be all over for both herself and the other chickens; so [[HeroicSacrifice she sacrificed herself so that Ginger and the other chickens could escape and live]]. Her fears and actions then would be justified in that without Ginger, the chickens wouldn't try to escape and they would all eventually be killed and turned into Chicken Pies for Mrs Tweedy to sell to the markets.
32	** And then it's revealed she ''doesn't'' even leave the farm at all. Her execution is just a hen house away to the chopping block. And even if the actual kill is off-screen, the OST, the timing, and chickens' reactions to it makes it very uncomfortable to watch. The chickens all then sadly walk away to the rest of their day! It is clear that by this point, this has happened so many times that they feel they can't ''do'' anything about it!
33	** The tie-in book ''Chicken Pies For the Soul'' has a chapter dedicated to Edwina from Ginger’s perspective, and it’s quite clear that she still feels some kind of remorse and guilt towards her death.
34	*** It's even worse when you realize that she gave up at exactly the wrong time; Rocky's arrival the very next night inspired hope throughout the trapped chickens as they believed the means to escape had come and even when Rocky was revealed to be a fraud, there was still enough time for them to figure out another solution in the next couple of moments. Had Edwina held out hope for just one more day, she would have been free.
35	* The meeting in Hut 17. It's played for BlackComedy and is indeed very funny, but it also shows how much of a struggle it is for Ginger to keep everyone's morale up.
36	-->'''Ginger:''' Think, everyone, think! What haven't we tried yet?
37	-->'''Bunty:''' We haven't tried ''not trying'' to escape.
38	-->'''Babs:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Hmmm, that might work!]]
39	-->'''Ginger:''' (''aghast'') ...What about ''Edwina''? How many more empty nests will it take?!
40	-->'''Bunty:''' Well, perhaps it wouldn't ''be'' empty if she'd spent more time ''laying'', and less time ''escaping!''
41	-->'''Ginger:''' [[ArmorPiercingQuestion So laying eggs all your life, then getting plucked, stuffed and roasted is good enough for you, is it?]]
42	-->(''[[{{Beat}} long pause]]'')
43	-->'''Babs:''' [[AskAStupidQuestion It's a living]].
44	* After Rocky calls Ginger "difficult" for her BrutalHonesty [[JerkassHasAPoint (while not wrong)]], he turns the corner and sees just how miserable all the chickens are. Most of them are staring at the ground, some are slumped against the huts, others are just wandering around in a daze or crying at the thought of their eventual fate. Bunty scoops up seed and lets it fall through her fingers. Meanwhile, Babs is ''knitting a noose.'' Again, it's played for BlackComedy, but the only reason it's funny is because all of their reactions are perfectly appropriate.
45	* At the end of the montage of the chickens building the crate, Babs jokingly calls Ginger "doll face" which Rocky used to do. Ginger clearly gets emotional hearing this and looks over at his poster (which for some reason she didn't remove). It then cuts to Rocky far away somewhere, riding a tricycle as he sings "The Wanderer". He acts happy at first, then his expression changes as he sings ''"And when I find myself falling for some girl..."''. He's clearly thinking about Ginger too.
46	** Another thing that makes him turn around is when he sees a billboard advertising Mrs. Tweedy's Chicken Pies. He knows he can't let that happen to the chickens he promised to free.
47	* Depending on your view, you'll probably feel bad for Nick and Fetcher when they start crying over having to deploy the eggs at the climax scene, especially since they spent practically the whole movie scheming and wanting these eggs. It's basically like the equivalent of having to give up your prized possession that you love so much.
48	* [[BigNo Rocky's]] [[FutileHandReach reaction]] when Ginger is seemingly killed by Mrs. Tweedy. The next shot reveals that he started ''[[ManlyTears crying]]''.

Context TearJerker / ChickenRun