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Ordinary People
- 294 statements
- 56 feature instances
- 14 referencing feature instances
| Ordinary People | type |
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Ordinary People | |
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OrdinaryPeople | |
| Ordinary People | comment |
A 1976 novel by Judith Guest, Ordinary People was brought to the screen in 1980 as the directorial debut of Robert Redford. The film stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, and Timothy Hutton.The story centers around the upper-middle-class Jarrett family of Lake Forest, Illinois: father Calvin (Sutherland), mother Beth (Moore), and teenaged son Conrad (Hutton). Prior to the events of the story elder son Buck was killed in a freak sailing accident, and Conrad — who was with Buck when he died — was committed to a mental hospital for four months after attempting suicide out of grief. Now he's been released, and we see the ways that the continuing fallout from Buck's death has affected the family. It's not pretty. While Calvin and Beth confront their own issues, psychiatrist Dr. Berger (Hirsch) tries to coax Conrad out of the emotional shell he's built around himself.The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture (for which it infamously beat out Raging Bull), Director (Redford), Adapted Screenplay (Alvin Sargent), and Supporting Actor (Hutton). Moore and Hirsch were also nominated for their performances. The cast also includes M. Emmet Walsh as Conrad's swim-team coach; Elizabeth McGovern as Jeannine, a classmate whom he begins dating; Fredric Lehne as Lazenby, a friend since childhood from whom he has been pulling away since the accident; and Dinah Manoff as Karen, a fellow patient he befriended at the hospital.Not to be confused with non-magical people, or with Normal People. | |
| Ordinary People | fetched |
2024-03-21T18:31:57Z | |
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2024-03-21T18:31:57Z | |
| Ordinary People | processingComment |
Dropped link to CallingTheOldWomanOut: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN | |
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Dropped link to FearAndLoathingInLasVegas: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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Dropped link to JudeTheObscure: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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Dropped link to TheRiseAndFallOfTheThirdReich: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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CallingTheOldWomanOut | |
| Ordinary People | isPartOf |
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| Ordinary People / int_11cdc5d8 | type |
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant | |
| Ordinary People / int_11cdc5d8 | comment |
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: The Jarretts, very much so. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_18d15922 | type |
Title Drop | |
| Ordinary People / int_18d15922 | comment |
Title Drop: Midway through the novel, as Calvin tries to convince himself that things have returned to normal for the family. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_19851b86 | type |
The Sociopath | |
| Ordinary People / int_19851b86 | comment |
The Sociopath: Beth seems to be a high-functioning, realistic version. She's not sadistic or cruel, but underneath her superficial charm (shallow affect) and socialite exterior (pathological need for stimulation in the form of parties, dinners, vacation trips and other events) she is incapable of loving or truly empathizing with anyone. It's implied she learned to fake superficial emotions like love and attachment from an early age (since WASP culture is pretty shallow to begin with), but is a cold Control Freak underneath. What little actual love she was capable of feeling she invested in Buck (who, it's implied, she mostly loved because he was The Ace and she saw him as an extension of herself), and when he died, she basically stopped pretending. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_19d1c1ae | type |
Always Someone Better | |
| Ordinary People / int_19d1c1ae | comment |
Always Someone Better: Buck is presented as exactly this to Conrad, as a more talented and more loved brother. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_1ba17583 | type |
The Ghost | |
| Ordinary People / int_1ba17583 | comment |
The Ghost: In the novel, Conrad often recalls Dr. Crawford at the hospital who, like Berger, was helpful to him. But Crawford is never actually present diegetically. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_1bf3170b | type |
The McCoy | |
| Ordinary People / int_1bf3170b | comment |
The McCoy: Conrad (Stricken with depression and misplaced guilt.) | |
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| Ordinary People / int_1c4e308e | type |
The Spock | |
| Ordinary People / int_1c4e308e | comment |
The Spock: Beth (Represses her emotions.) | |
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Crappy Holidays | |
| Ordinary People / int_24ec14c7 | comment |
Crappy Holidays: Some of the drama takes place against the backdrop of the Christmas and New Year season. A scene of Calvin and Conrad happily bonding after bringing home a Christmas tree quickly sours when Beth shows up and angrily confronts Conrad over quitting the swim team. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_2c9e262 | type |
Catapult Nightmare | |
| Ordinary People / int_2c9e262 | comment |
Catapult Nightmare: Conrad has one of these at the start of the film. | |
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Skewed Priorities | |
| Ordinary People / int_3d2c6d30 | comment |
Skewed Priorities: Talking with Dr. Berger helps Calvin remember a detail from Buck's funeral that he'd buried in the back of his mind: he'd been so distraught he could barely function, and when he started to dress for the funeral, Beth coldly told him not to wear the blue shirt, but a white shirt and different shoes. | |
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Parental Substitute | |
| Ordinary People / int_3f11ef74 | comment |
Parental Substitute: Arnold Bacon, in the novel, to Calvin. | |
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Bittersweet Ending | |
| Ordinary People / int_40cc0c7e | comment |
Bittersweet Ending: Beth leaves her family, not knowing if she'll ever be capable of love again. However, Calvin and Conrad finally connect with each other. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_48ca7c29 | type |
Broken Ace | |
| Ordinary People / int_48ca7c29 | comment |
Broken Ace: Buck was The Ace in life, but it didn't save him from the sailing accident. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_516f986d | type |
Loving a Shadow | |
| Ordinary People / int_516f986d | comment |
Loving a Shadow: Calvin eventually realizes Beth was never the giving, loving person he thought she was, and is devastated to realize he doesn't really know her or love her anymore. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_53c9fc92 | type |
Flashback | |
| Ordinary People / int_53c9fc92 | comment |
Flashback: In the novel, Conrad recalls the accident that killed Buck in greater and greater detail as the story proceeds, culminating in him realizing he doesn't have to feel guilty about being the one who survived. The film also has flashbacks of the accident, as well as some moments with the family prior to the accident. | |
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At Least I Admit It | |
| Ordinary People / int_55bf1a48 | comment |
At Least I Admit It: While Calvin and Beth are arguing about Conrad during a golf game: | |
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Trickster Mentor | |
| Ordinary People / int_58b42f3d | comment |
Trickster Mentor: Berger can be like this at times. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_5e260ea6 | type |
Conveniently an Orphan | |
| Ordinary People / int_5e260ea6 | comment |
Conveniently an Orphan: Averted with Calvin (more so in the novel than the film, though it's mentioned in both). He grew up in an orphanage in Detroit and, while he admits to Dr. Berger that he sometimes still feels rootless, he has a family and successful tax law practice and is not about to go anywhere. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_60df53e2 | type |
Suburbia | |
| Ordinary People / int_60df53e2 | comment |
Suburbia: The wealthy suburb of Lake Forest (and the Jarretts' unhappiness within it) is contrasted with the peace Calvin and Conrad find in Evanston (technically a city – and referred to as such in the novel – but still a suburb of Chicago). Calvin and Conrad move to Evanston at the end of the novel. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_658f7193 | type |
Lack of Empathy | |
| Ordinary People / int_658f7193 | comment |
Lack of Empathy: Beth can't see that any of Conrad's pain is genuine, only he that he's trying to manipulate his parents somehow. | |
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The Un-Favourite | |
| Ordinary People / int_69121204 | comment |
The Un-Favorite: Even when he was alive, Beth gave all her love to Buck and had none left for Conrad. | |
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| Ordinary People / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
| Ordinary People / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Names: Calvin and Conrad. The former suggests John Calvin, a theologian of The Protestant Reformation, and the character's work ethic; the latter, author Joseph Conrad and the conflicted characters in his works (in the novel, one of the essay questions on Conrad's English final concerns Lord Jim). | |
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| Ordinary People / int_6d089995 | type |
The Shrink | |
| Ordinary People / int_6d089995 | comment |
The Shrink: Dr. Berger, who serves as The Awesome Shrink. He ping-pongs Conrad's rage when he needs it and comforts him in all other times. Judd Hirsch's portrayal of him in the film is often recalled by Psychology Today as one of the most positive depictions of a psychiatrist in American cinema. | |
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Driven to Suicide | |
| Ordinary People / int_6d332aea | comment |
Driven to Suicide: Conrad tried to kill himself six months before the story opens. Karen, a friend Conrad made during his stay in the hospital, eventually succeeds in doing so. | |
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Colour-Coded for Your Convenience | |
| Ordinary People / int_735b4101 | comment |
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: More like "Lighting-Coded for Your Convenience". The Jarretts' house and all the other locations in the film are generally brightly lit and well-kept ... except for Dr. Berger's office, which by his own admission is untidy, and is always filmed in a somewhat noirish fashion. The fact that it's the one place in the film where Conrad can and must confront his demons is, of course, a complete coincidence. | |
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Armor-Piercing Question | |
| Ordinary People / int_7b6e47a5 | comment |
Armor-Piercing Question: Dr. Berger gets a few of these: "Maybe you were stronger. Did it ever occur to you that you might have been stronger?" Then, after a Beat to let Conrad have it sink in: "How long are you going to punish yourself? When are you going to quit?" | |
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"The Reason You Suck" Speech | |
| Ordinary People / int_7d89315b | comment |
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Toward the end of the film, Beth encounters Calvin shedding some Manly Tears. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he confronts her: | |
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Evil Matriarch | |
| Ordinary People / int_81ae2774 | comment |
Evil Matriarch: Deconstructed; Beth tries to put on this facade in the wake of Buck's death, but that soon crumbles. | |
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Jerk Jock | |
| Ordinary People / int_863fac26 | comment |
Jerk Jocks: Conrad's swim team friends. No wonder he decides to quit. Again. | |
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Parental Favoritism | |
| Ordinary People / int_88933ad4 | comment |
Parental Favoritism: Buck was always number one in everyone's eyes, especially Beth. This makes her post-Buck relationship with Conrad quite difficult. | |
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Posthumous Character | |
| Ordinary People / int_8b568cb7 | comment |
Posthumous Character: Buck, as recalled frequently in the novel by his father and brother, and shown in brief flashbacks in the film. In the novel, Calvin also frequently recalls his relationship with Arnold Bacon, an older mentor who guided him from an orphanage to law school, until they had a falling out over him marrying Beth. He never reconciled before the older man died. | |
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Villainous Breakdown | |
| Ordinary People / int_957e5fc2 | comment |
Villainous Breakdown: Beth's attitude isn't due to malice, but her coldness towards Conrad is pretty unfair. When Calvin finally calls her out on this, telling her that Conrad thinks his mother hates him, Beth's composure breaks and she responds by not only shouting at Calvin, but also verbally attacking her brother, who calmly tries to reassure her. | |
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Moral Guardians | |
| Ordinary People / int_96e5792c | comment |
Moral Guardians: The book's themes and a brief sex scene between Conrad and Jeannine (which is mostly post-coital conversation) have sometimes led to it being pulled off school library shelves. | |
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All-Loving Hero | |
| Ordinary People / int_99e14f05 | comment |
All-Loving Hero: Discussed between Conrad and Berger. Conrad's dad loves him, sure, but Calvin loves everybody. Berger replies with" so his opinion doesn't count because he has bad taste?" | |
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Ice Queen | |
| Ordinary People / int_9d080c44 | comment |
Ice Queen: Beth freezes up when Conrad gives her a warm hug, hinting to Calvin that she's not the warm, loving person he thought she was. | |
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Leitmotif | |
| Ordinary People / int_9f6fb586 | comment |
Leitmotif: Pachelbel's Canon is so ingrained into the film that most people who know the film can't disassociate the music from the film. invoked | |
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Fatal Flaw | |
| Ordinary People / int_aba8065b | comment |
Fatal Flaw: Buck was The Ace and The Favorite in life, but never took anything seriously. His dad would often have to get on his case about chores and school because he always took things in stride. The film makes it clear that the reason he didn't survive the boating accident was because he treated it like a big joke until he was swept away by the surge of the waves. | |
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Oscar Bait | |
| Ordinary People / int_acedb8f5 | comment |
Oscar Bait: Albeit successful, as well as a long Tear Jerker.invoked | |
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What You Are in the Dark | |
| Ordinary People / int_afc6df04 | comment |
What You Are in the Dark: As Calvin realizes in his conversation with Beth, she was more or less a relatively decent mother and wife. But when faced with the horrendous tragedy of losing a son, she revealed just how deeply unable she is to deal with trauma and her unwillingness to be supportive to her son or husband, or even to admit that she needs help herself. | |
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The Film of the Book | |
| Ordinary People / int_b9af5ef3 | comment |
The Film of the Book: And an extremely faithful adaptation, too, largely because Redford requested Judith Guest's input on the film. | |
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Empty Bedroom Grieving | |
| Ordinary People / int_c019a4c7 | comment |
Empty Bedroom Grieving: After Buck drowns in a boating accident, the Jarretts, or more specifically Beth, keeps the room preserved, to the point where she berates Buck's brother Conrad for entering the room and sitting on the bed. | |
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Uptown Girl | |
| Ordinary People / int_c3286b8e | comment |
Uptown Girl: Mild inversion. Jeannine appears to come from a rather less well-to-do background than Conrad does, but it doesn't seem to be an issue for either of them. | |
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Informed Judaism | |
| Ordinary People / int_c673210e | comment |
Informed Judaism: Berger is likely the only character in the story who isn't a WASP. We know for certain he's Jewish by Beth's mother's tartly asking as much when the Jarretts mention his name at Christmas. | |
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Shout-Out | |
| Ordinary People / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: We learn that Conrad is reading Jude the Obscure in English class, and Karen's drama club is performing A Thousand Clowns. Conrad keeps Karen's phone number hidden inside a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. When we first see Calvin and Beth in the film, they're attending a production of Same Time, Next Year. In the novel, Calvin mentions that he's reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich at a few different points. | |
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Honor Thy Abuser | |
| Ordinary People / int_cff05c2c | comment |
Honor Thy Abuser: Book-only example. The film ends with an extremely open ending that leaves it very ambiguous what happens with Beth and Conrad's relationship in the future and even if they'll continue to have one. The book reveals that they do, because Conrad ultimately came to the conclusion that Beth did the best she could and that he "needs" to forgive her. | |
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Broken Bird | |
| Ordinary People / int_d08595d3 | comment |
Broken Bird: Beth. | |
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The Chessmaster | |
| Ordinary People / int_d62dd556 | comment |
The Chessmaster: Beth's interpretation of Conrad's depressive behavior; she insists it's all an elaborate attempt to manipulate Calvin, probably because it's the only reason she can conceive of for why someone would act that way. | |
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Reasonable Authority Figure | |
| Ordinary People / int_dca70c44 | comment |
Reasonable Authority Figure: Coach Salan is very sympathetic to Conrad's situation and tries to accommodate him, such as holding private practice sessions to make up for time missed through doctor's appointments. That said, he doesn't take Conrad's decision to quit the swim team well. And he makes some rather insensitive remarks about the electroshock therapy Conrad underwent while in the hospital. | |
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Grief-Induced Split | |
| Ordinary People / int_e16cd2c8 | comment |
Grief-Induced Split: The ensuing trauma and grief from Buck's death that land Conrad in the hospital after a failed suicide attempt bring to light Beth's coldness and inability to love. After the final time Calvin confronts her over this, she packs her bags and leaves. | |
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The Kirk | |
| Ordinary People / int_e602a3 | comment |
The Kirk: Calvin (Tries to mediate between the two.) | |
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Freudian Trio | |
| Ordinary People / int_e8cae797 | comment |
Freudian Trio: The Jarretts fall squarely into this trope: The McCoy: Conrad (Stricken with depression and misplaced guilt.) The Spock: Beth (Represses her emotions.) The Kirk: Calvin (Tries to mediate between the two.) | |
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Dead Sparks | |
| Ordinary People / int_f275ee5f | comment |
Dead Sparks: Calvin and Beth. | |
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Evil Cannot Comprehend Good | |
| Ordinary People / int_f8e010ce | comment |
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: While not evil, Beth believes Conrad is just manipulating his father because she herself cannot love anyone, so she cannot see his grief over his brother's death and being The Unfavorite as anything but a manipulation tactic. | |
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Survivor Guilt | |
| Ordinary People / int_feaf12e8 | comment |
Survivor Guilt: Conrad has lots and lots of this. | |
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Doting Parent | |
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Doting Parent: Beth accuses Calvin of being positively fixated on Conrad. While Calvin does desperately want to make him happy, this only strikes Beth as unhealthy because she can't see Conrad as anything other than The Unfavorite. | |
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Ordinary People |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Taps | seeAlso |
Ordinary People | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
American Literature (N to S) / int_499abd5e | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
Conveniently an Orphan / int_499abd5e | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
Critical Backlash / int_499abd5e | |
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Dead Sparks / int_499abd5e | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
Flashback Nightmare / int_499abd5e | |
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Honor Thy Abuser / int_499abd5e | |
| Ordinary People | seeAlso |
Ordinary People | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
Suburbia / int_499abd5e | |
| Ordinary People | hasFeature |
Survivor Guilt / int_499abd5e | |
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The Film of the Book / int_499abd5e | |
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The Shrink / int_499abd5e | |
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Why Couldn't You Be Different? / int_499abd5e | |
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You Should Have Died Instead / int_499abd5e |
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