Lesson Eleven
Line: And I lose, right?
Context: Julie is receiving direction from Ron. In the scene, she is wrestling with a sick and weakened man who needs tubes pushed up his nose, but as he tells her, she's really struggling with herself.
After all, "this is a man whose music meant everything to Althea." She half-smiles and says, "And I lose, right?"
Sure the line literally means something sordid will happen on Southwest General. But in the larger context of the movie, the line references the relationship between Julie and Ron in which Ron is the manipulator director and Julie is the hapless actress. Ron sees other women--on the set, no less--and stands Julie up and speaks for her in front of her peers.
Julie tolerates it. She not only predicts she will lose--she's up for it. And even though she, using Dorothy as a role model, dumps Ron (But can you truly “dump” somebody who's been cheating on you and thinks it's fine because he never made an official commitment to you? Discuss), she comes into a more bizarre betrayal from her. Or rather him. Michael, that is.
Dorothy--whom Julie had seen as a peer, a support, and an inspiration--vanishes and is replaced by somebody whom she can reasonably interpret as just another man who tells her a big ol' lie then attempts to play on her emotions in order to direct her behavior. She gets angry and temporarily shuns him--but who does she end up with? Clearly losing and winning in Julie’s world are much the same.
Usage: This lesson is entirely theoretical. This line will never be of practical use to us.Lesson Twelve: “I only did it for the work.”
Lesson Ten: "A disease!."