Original artwork, not a still
Never let them see you bleed. / And the second? / Always have an escape plan.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Q's two lessons are the opposite of his gadget briefings: advice on how to be Bond rather than what to carry. Coming at the end of seventeen films, it plays as a handover, and the straight-faced way he sinks out of sight is the farewell fans remember. Because Llewelyn died weeks after the release, the escape-plan line became one of the franchise's best-loved goodbyes.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The World Is Not EnoughShow the scene
In The World Is Not Enough (1999), Q is working on a boat in Q Branch when Bond runs past and steals the unfinished craft for a chase, and Q is furious: he had hoped to use it in retirement. Later Q introduces Bond to his assistant, played by John Cleese, whom Bond jokingly calls R. Q tells Bond he has always tried to teach him two things: never let them see you bleed, and always have an escape plan. Then he sinks through the floor on a lift. It was Desmond Llewelyn's last film as Q; he died in a car crash in December 1999, a month after its release.
Sources (4)
- Wikiquote: The World Is Not EnoughQ and Bond, the two thingsReference checked
- James Bond Wiki: Q (Desmond Llewelyn)The World Is Not Enough sectionReference checked
- Wikipedia: The World Is Not EnoughCastReference checked
- Wikipedia: Q (James Bond)Desmond Llewelyn sectionReference checked
Context reviewed
