The Big Snit (1985) Plot Summary Explained

The husband was dozing off while watching his favorite show 'Sawing for Teens' when the emergency broadcast interrupted the program. Before he could see or fully process the warning about worldwide nuclear war, the family cat chewing on the TV cord knocked the television dark. This left both him and his wife completely unaware that a nuclear catastrophe had begun.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the husband drifts off to sleep while the TV glows softly, establishing his disconnection from the world outside.

• nuclear war
• emergency broadcast
• TV
• cat
• unaware

When the wife returned to the Scrabble game after vacuuming, she noticed her letters had been moved. She immediately assumed her husband had tampered with them while she was away, accusing him of cheating. The argument escalated quickly, though in reality the cat had likely caused the disruption while investigating the TV cord.

Foreshadowing: The cat was already shown nibbling at cords earlier in the scene, making its interference with the letters plausible.

• Scrabble
• cheating
• argument
• letters
• wife

After their argument, the husband found an old photograph of him and his wife at a fair, which reminded him of happier times. Filled with remorse, he approached her with a concertina and began playing music. This gesture touched her emotionally, leading them to embrace and reconcile, restoring their bond despite the chaos around them.

Foreshadowing: The photo was visible in the room throughout their dispute, waiting for the right moment to be noticed.

• reconciliation
• concertina
• photo
• marriage
• embrace

When the husband reached for the doorknob to let the cat outside, a pale white glow poured from the keyhole. He was instantly vaporized by the nuclear blast. The scene then shifts to reveal angels, clouds, and heavenly imagery, suggesting he has entered the afterlife.

Foreshadowing: The chaos visible outside the window earlier hinted at the catastrophe unfolding in the world.

• door
• vaporized
• nuclear blast
• afterlife
• glow

The nuclear war that began earlier had reached their location. When the husband opened the front door, the blast wave struck him and vaporized him instantly. The white glow from the keyhole was the nuclear explosion reaching their home.

Foreshadowing: The emergency broadcast they missed announced a worldwide nuclear war, which has now reached their neighborhood.

• vaporized
• nuclear war
• explosion
• death
• door

Because the couple never saw the emergency broadcast or understood what happened, they had no idea a nuclear war had occurred. When the husband opened the door and they saw the white glow, angels, and clouds, they interpreted this extraordinary vision as simply beautiful, completely unaware it was actually the nuclear aftermath. Their blissful ignorance allowed them to perceive destruction as paradise.

Foreshadowing: Their complete unawareness of the emergency broadcast establishes they had no context to understand what they were seeing.

• heaven
• afterlife
• beautiful
• ignorance
• angels

After witnessing the heavenly vision, the couple chose to return to their Scrabble game. Seeking comfort in familiar routine, they interpreted the extraordinary experience as something beautiful to marvel at together, then went back to their quiet evening as if nothing had changed, though in reality they had just died.

Foreshadowing: Their earlier reconciliation emphasized their desire to return to normalcy and each other.

• Scrabble
• afterlife
• return
• routine
• heaven

The cat served as the comic catalyst for the couple's ignorance. While chewing on the TV cord, it knocked out the television just as the emergency broadcast about nuclear war was airing. This act prevented the husband from seeing the warning and set in motion the entire tragic irony of the film.

Foreshadowing: The cat was shown nibbling at the TV cord early in the scene before the emergency broadcast interrupted.

• cat
• TV cord
• blackout
• nuclear warning
• chaos

The ending carries poignant irony: the couple dies in a nuclear blast but perceives it as a beautiful heavenly vision. This highlights how their trivial domestic dispute and reconciliation became their entire world, while global catastrophe passed them by unnoticed. The film comments on human connection versus world events, showing how love and routine can blind us to larger realities.

Foreshadowing: The contrast between their quiet indoor world and the chaos visible outside the window establishes this theme throughout.

• ending
• irony
• nuclear war
• meaning
• blissful ignorance

The couple's argument over Scrabble completely overshadowed the nuclear war because they never knew about it. The TV went dark before they could receive the emergency broadcast, leaving them focused solely on their domestic dispute. The film uses this absurd contrast to emphasize how personal conflicts can feel monumental when we lack awareness of larger events.

Foreshadowing: The initial scene establishes their isolated, domestic world with the TV as their only connection outward.

• argument
• nuclear war
• oblivious
• domestic
• trivial