The Birds Scene 17 Summary

  • Dissolve to later in the evening, with them all sitting around quietly while Mitch checks the defenses.
  • Cathy asks if they can bring the lovebirds into the living room with them, but Lydia is dead set against it. They're birds.
  • They leave them in the kitchen.
  • Cathy asks why the birds are doing this.
  • Mitch says, "Because we're in a Hitchcock film."
  • No, actually, he says he doesn't know.
  • Waiting, waiting, waiting—everyone casting scared glances at the air.
  • Cathy goes to the bathroom to throw up; Melanie goes with her.
  • More waiting.
  • Bird cries get louder and louder, and Cathy runs to her mom.
  • Bird attack—finally.
  • Mitch throws more wood on the fire. Why didn't he board up the fireplace, exactly? Bad move, Mitch.
  • There's a sound of glass shattering, and Mitch goes to struggle with a bird getting in.
  • The birds are trying to get through the door, too. The wood is splintering.
  • Melanie thrashes around faint and useless while Mitch gets his hand all bloodied as he tries to close the window they've gotten open.
  • Lydia and Cathy cower in a corner.
  • Mitch uses a lamp cord to tie the window shut.
  • A basement. For goodness' sake, doesn't anyone in this town have a basement? Go into the basement, lock the door, and have done with it. How hard is that?
  • Mitch bandages his hand.
  • The birds are pecking through the door. Those are some birds.
  • Mitch puts a big piece of furniture in front of it and hammers it in place.
  • Melanie looks on uselessly.
  • There's a big electronic screech, and the lights go out.
  • This whole time, none of the characters talk; the only sound is the birds.
  • The screeching gets fainter, and Mitch says, "They're going," which means that's it, more or less.