Following an assault by the demoniac Mrs. McKeltch on an ordinary, day-lit, gas stop corner of their little Main Street American town, the uncanny juxtaposed with public courtesy telephone booths, Coca Cola machines, and Mrs. McKeltch's uncharacteristic Ford truck...
Linda: "My GOD! What did she do to you? Is your neck alright??"
David: "Yes it's fine. Did you get the state police?"
The "state police." Uh huh. From the mouths of babes, right?
Linda: "No I didn't ALL their lines were busy!!"
(Read: "I completely buy into this now, I am at your bidding, I am going to answer all your ridiculous questions, David, as if your slave!")
Linda: "Are you sure you're alright, David?"
David: "Yes."
(Subtext: "Yes. I am a pint-sized man, am I not?")
Linda: "David, there IS one place we can hide--"
"--while we call the FBI!"
Cut to: alien lights.
Beams in the darkness.
Alien flowers that reveal themselves simply the bizarre arts and crafts of elementary school that we all remember doing at one point.
Hooper's compositional play with foreground and background to highlight strange character dynamics is in full exhibition here. Linda thinks she is in charge, being the one who came up with the idea to go back to the school, but David quickly acts on his precocious and very male agency.
We linger emphatically on Linda, confused at the commotion occurring out of sight behind her. She hardly can control this tyke who always has designs of his own. The little brat... She turns in cue with an inspired rack focus to David.
Linda: "David!"
His own designs, no explanations. Linda is a pawn and a servant to his stratagem. If he continues on this track, David's bound to blow up a lot of Martians and foreigners in his life.
The Junior Letterman jacket...
David: "I'm comin', comin'!"
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