Don't Look Up · written by Adam McKay · 2021

The Herald quantifies the broadcast’s low engagement, reveals Kate became a meme and Randall a sex symbol, and tells them NASA disputes the impact; Kate discovers Phillip’s article about sleeping with her and breaks down.

Scene 60 of 205 · ≈ 4 min on screen · Act two

Media Quant
Randall
Kate
Chief Editor Paula Woods
Adul Grelio

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 46 min into a 2:06 film

The story so farBefore scene 60

After PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky discovers a comet on a direct collision course with Earth, she and Professor Randall Mindy try to persuade a politically distracted President, a media-saturated public, and a powerful technology company to stop it before impact.

Scenes 1–7
Kate and Randall work within the familiar routine of astronomy and university research.
Scenes 8–26
They discover the impact deadline and need the government and public to respond, but Orlean refuses immediate action.
Scene 27
After Orlean tells them to wait until after the midterms, Oglethorpe and Kate decide to leak the evidence to the press.
Just before
Scene 57
Kate explains the comet’s impact course, but Jack and Brie joke about its danger until she angrily walks off set.
Scene 58
Phillip and a colleague watch Kate’s outburst in horror.
Scene 59
Randall makes a joke about Xanax after Kate leaves, winning the hosts’ laughter and an invitation for drinks.
Scene 60
This scene

60INT. NEW YORK HERALD OFFICE - AN HOUR LATER - AFTERNOON

Randall, Kate, Adul, Chief Editor Paula Woods and the Herald’s MEDIA QUANT go through the numbers on a giant computer screen.

MEDIA QUANT

You can see this spike here is when

Riley Bina asked to take DJ Chello

back on the segment before you. We

saw engagement across all social

media platforms.

RANDALL

What about our story?

MEDIA QUANT

Randall and Kate your TV appearance

got some nice traffic when Ms.

Dibiasky cursed. But unfortunately

there was an immediate backlash

that quickly became a meme...

Screen shows VT of Kate next to Charles Manson reading, “CRAZY. It’s all in the eyes.” Another meme of Kate’s deformed face looking like a monster.

KATE

Jesus. They just think I’m crazy.

RANDALL

I mean look at that. That’s so

unnecessary.

Another meme of Kate screaming paired with a wet cat.

CHIEF EDITOR PAULA WOODS

You can move on.

RANDALL

Is that even allowed?

Another meme of Kate eating a baby, captioned, “Delicious!”

RANDALL (CONT'D)

I think that’s photo shop Kate.

MEDIA QUANT

Dr. Mindy on the other hand had

very high favorables. VeganBabe

wrote “Meooow. Me likey hunky Star

Man” Some accounts called him “The

Bedroom Eyes Doomsday Prophet” and

“A.I.L.F.” which means “Astronomer

I’d Like to Fuck.”

RANDALL

I don’t see what that has to do

with anything.

MEDIA QUANT

Annnd that’s everything. We did not