How old were you when you realized that the legendary "Hasta la vista, baby" from Terminator 2: Judgment Day was not just a cool line from Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, but... a joke that almost no one considered? It seems that the Internet has just experienced a cultural catharsis — and now your knowledge of the iconic cinematic universe may be shaken.
Here's the trick: John Connor taught the T-800 different slang expressions. Among them is "chill out". It was, well, to put it mildly, ideal for a scene where the T-1000 is frozen to a state of ice. The perfect moment to say, "Chill out." But Arnie says instead, "Hasta la vista, baby." Stylish? Absolutely. But... Why?
It turned out to be because he's a machine. He just didn't understand how humor works. This is the joke itself — a subtle, almost imperceptible deception of expectation. The Terminator skips the most successful remark because he does not distinguish the ironic context. And this is so much in the spirit of James Cameron that it's even a shame how few people noticed it at all.
And now — bang — and the meaning of the scene turns upside down. It's not just a slogan on a T-shirt. Not just a meme. This is a robot that didn't understand its funniest line. And, to be honest, this only makes Terminator 2 more believable.
