Table of Contents

Setting the Table

“The Kid in the Hall: An Introduction on a Prologue.” An unnamed young boy in the final prologue spotlights the movie’s interest in damaged children.

Character Studies

“Prisoner and Preacher: Earl Partridge.” Earl’s deathbed confession cleverly becomes his redemption.

Jimmy and Claudia (and Rose)

“Kiss, Interrupted: ‘Say it, Jimmy’/‘Just let me go, Jim.’” Jimmy and Rose intrude on Claudia’s attempt at intimacy.

“but it did happen”: The Importance of Four Words in the Corner. Why the art in Claudia’s apartment is crucial to understanding Rose’s development.

God

 “Why Are There Frogs Falling from the Sky?” Explaining the rain of frogs through God and Exodus.

“An Active God, Acts of God: Dixon as an Agent of the Divine.” What if Dixon is, literally, a prophet?

Closings

“The Unseen Ending: The Death of Jimmy Gator.” Rose asks, and Paul Thomas Anderson obliges.