How It All Goes Down
Going Forth to Lutsk
- There's a lot of farting and biting going on in the backseat between Sammy Davis, Junior, Junior and Jonathan, which makes this a lot like your typical family road trip or first date in the 1950s.
- During the five-hour car drive Grandfather and Alex fight a lot, and Jonathan reveals why he came to Ukraine.
- He shows them pictures of his grandfather Safran and a picture of Augustine, whom he thinks is still alive.
- Allegedly she saved Safran from the Nazis.
- He has an old map with Trachimbrod on it, and says that "most of the places we're looking for aren't on new maps" (10.10). (Yes, Virginia, maps used to be printed on paper rather than created by Google.)
- They check in to a terrible hotel and go to dinner at a not-as-terrible restaurant, where Jonathan reveals he's a vegetarian.
- Grandfather has a typical reaction to this revelation: "What is wrong with you?" (10.17).
- He gets two potatoes for dinner, and one of them falls on the floor.
- Grandfather picks the potato off the floor, cuts it into two pieces (one for everyone, including the dog), and eats his piece.
- "Welcome to Ukraine" (10.21) he says, and they all laugh. (This scene is never going to be in any Ukraine tourism board ads.)
- Alex and Jonathan talk about America, books, and sex: three tastes that go great together.
- Back at the hotel, Alex tells Jonathan that "there are many dangerous people who want to take things without asking from Americans, and also kidnap them" (10.28).
- Something else that's not going in any Ukrainian tourist ads.
- Jonathan refuses to sleep in the same room as Sammy Davis Junior, Junior, so the dog sleeps in the hall.
- Alex and Grandfather stay in the same room, and Grandfather says he really wants to find Augustine.
- Before bed, Alex checks on Jonathan, who didn't lock his door. Sammy Davis Junior, Junior slips in, and Alex leaves her in there.
- Back in his room, Alex can tell that Grandfather isn't sleeping, and he wonders what Grandfather did during the war.