Poker night? Bachelor party?

Question

In many ways Edge of Tomorrow feels like a video game with the quotes being fast, exciting and witty. The plot of this intelligently written sci-fi centers on military officer, Bill Cage who is demoted into serving a combat mission to take down a hive-like alien race invasion. When Cage is killed within minutes by one of the aliens he wakes up again to find himself in a time loop forcing him to relive the day over and over again.

Cage: Do I strike you as a fresh recruit?

Sgt Farell: No, sir, you do not.

Cage: My name is Major William Cage. I'm an American officer.

Sgt Farell: Officer? This is Processing. There's no officers here.

Sgt Farell: How the hell did you end up in Processing? What was it? Poker night? Bachelor party?

Cage: If it's all the same to you, Sergeant, I'd like to explain that to my Commanding Officer in Washington. So if you just take me to the phone...

Sgt Farell: Haven't you heard? We're t-minus-haul-ass-h-hour. we're fixing to invade France. This whole F.O.B is on lockdown, no calls, in or out.

Cage: You're name's Farell?

Sgt Farell: That's right. Master Sergeant Farell.

Cage: Master Sergeant Farell, you're an American.

Sgt Farell: No, sir. I'm from Kentucky.

Cage: Okay, well, look at me and look at where I am. I've been railroaded. It's obvious, I don't belong here. So please, Sergeant, there has to be a way I can make a phone call.

Sgt Farell: I'll get you sorted out, sir.

Cage: Thank you.

I find this movie very entertaining in every way. However, I failed to understand some ironic humor in the script.

I think Sgt Farell is taunting Cage by saying "Poker night? Bachelor party?", but I don't know the cultural or social hints here.

Is Processing a proper noun here? And why does Sgt Farell deny he's an American while saying he comes from Kentucky?

Answer 1

I haven't seen this, but I from reading the script as you posted it, I think I can help you.

How the hell did you end up in Processing?

Here, "Processing" is the name of some sort of department. I'm thinking of it like a Triage department in a hospital emergency room. To understand the grammar, it might help to think of "Data Processing" (except that here, it sounds like they're not processing data...).

What was it? Poker night? Bachelor party?

This means, did you get here as a result of a poker game, or a bachelor party? Because at a poker game, you might run out of money, and start betting something else, such as, "the person who loses this round has to go to Processing tomorrow." At least, that's my guess.

At a bachelor party, you might get drunk and wander around doing crazy things, and end up in a strange place like this.

No, sir. I'm from Kentucky.

Farrell is saying that his primary identification is as a person from Kentucky, and he feels that the Kentucky culture is strong enough that he considers it a separate culture (separate from the rest of the U.S.), as opposed to a sub-culture.

I liked that joke. I hope I didn't destroy it for you by being too pedantic.

Answer 2

U guys are getting way too technical and reading too deep into it which I understand if u haven't watched the film...simply put hes being cheeky because the whole time he knows and has been informed as to why Cage is in the processing and hes just playing along letting cage try to explain his way out of a hopeless situation by throwing his own excuses out there expecting to hear a lie from cage.

Answer 3

Processing

[Processing] stations process applicants for military service, putting them through a battery of tests and examinations to ensure that they meet the standards required to serve in the United States Armed Forces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Entrance_Processing_Command

Do I strike you as a fresh recruit?

Processing is a place where applicants for the army are tested. Clearly a Major is not a recruit - he is an experienced officer.

---

P.S. Don't forget Google . I didn't know any of this until 5 minutes ago. I simply searched for military processing