Original artwork, not a still
So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish · 1984
But you don't understand, said Ford, his expression slowly ripening from a little taken abackness into rank incredulity. "This is the American Express Card. It is the finest way of settling bills known to man. Haven't you read their junk mail?"
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Ford treats a credit card as though it were a marvel of civilisation, the finest way of settling bills. His slow shift from surprise to incredulity drives the joke. Even the junk mail, he insists, should have convinced you.
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