BECAUSE they are the cutest pictures ever! OHMIGOD those two are sooo cute, (and may I just say that Adam Baldwin has got the sexiest arms of any man I have ever seen, and that smile......) Thanks so much for posting those, you've made my morning!
Aren't they? And yes, the arms... I will continue to say that this is the sexiest TV cast ever.
...I just noticed (the computer monitors at work are so much better than mine) that in the top picture Adam's holding Sean's shoe, trying to disentangle him. Poor boy. Helpless before the challenge of the dreaded seat belt.
I know. That and not knowing the secret of what the hell was up with Inara (the box in the pilot, why she left Sihnon, etc) are the two biggest regrets I have about the way the movie ended. I feel pretty confident about Book's backstory, but Inara's is almost a completely blank page. And Zoe... poor Zoe. That scene at the end of Serenity still drives me nuts. I know it's meant to give us hope, but I can't help just getting tied up in worry for her and how cold she seems.
As for whether or not there'll be more, best we can do is hope. On some level, I'd almost rather I keep my precious ability to pretend it didn't happen, and that it won't get worse.
Yeah, I'd really like to know what's up with Inara as well. I was watching Out of Gas the other day with the commentary on (yes, I know I'm a nerd) and Tim Minear (I think) says something about how there's a clue to her past in the scene where Simon and Inara are talking about how they don't want to suffocate, and Inara says she doesn't want to die at all and looks real sad ... argggh! How could he say something like that, knowing there's a good chance there might not be any place to tell the story?
I was also OK with the resolution of Book's story, but I wasn't sure why because we didn't really get all that much more information from the BDM. However, something I read on TWoP the other day explains it, I think.
"Have to tell me about that, sometime," says Mal. "No, I don't," says Book. And that's maybe the bravest thing about this movie: he doesn't. And he won't get to. And we get to suck on that. And that is good, because the point of him is: you can change it. You can be reborn. What he is, is what Mal deserves. And that's only true if we don't get access. It only means anything if we're denied.
Is that where the theory that she's dying came from? I wondered about that... huh. I'd seen the theory that she's got some sort of degenerative disease, but something about it didn't quite seem to fit all together. It's probably the best theory, though, as far as I'm concerned. In an little blurb in the Serenity Visual Companion, Morena says that Inara left because of something that "happened to her," and that always made me think it wasn't a disease, but maybe... I don't know. Argh, I hate trying to piece stuff like this together with so little evidence!
As I read it, the "No, I won't" was effectively an admission from Book - I interpreted it as him meaning "I've given you all you'll need to figure it out, if you think about it," because of what he'd said about the Operative. I'm totally convinced that Book was a government operative on the same level, before he left... and, like the operative, he eventually saw something that made him choose to 'vanish.' Instead of killing himself, though, as I assume the Operative did, Book chose to enter religious orders and start over. In the original script (again, Visual Companion) that whole scene with him and Mal includes a couple more references, and the beginning of it is overlaid with Book praying for forgiveness for what he's done in the past... which seemed like another of Joss' ways of linking it to the current problem, in my mind. I like your reading of that scene, too, though - especially the idea that he's had a total rebirth.
I'm not sure what's going on with Inara ... maybe she's deathly ill, and maybe something did happen on Sinhon (whether or not it has to do with her being sick), or maybe it's something else all together. I think I read somewhere that they were planning on doing an episode where Inara gets taken by Reavers, but she survives because the vial in the box is a poison that she injects herself with that will affect anyone who has sex with her (some old Companion trade secret, no doubt). *shivers* That just sounds so dark and horrible ... I can only imagine how she would be affected by that, how they all would be affected. But I think that's what they intended for the box, so I don't know how that ties in with her deathly illness, if she does have one.
I agree with your theory about Book ... I think he was definitely an Operative, maybe even the original?Operative, if there is such a thing. Instead of killing himself, though, as I assume the Operative did, Book chose to enter religious orders and start over. ... effectively "killing himself", and completely starting over. I also agree with you that the Operative in the movie most likely killed himself shortly after his conversation with Mal. Seems like he wanted to stick around just long enough to get them in the air.
Also, if you haven't read the TWoP recap that I quoted and linked to above, you should. I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions this guy comes to, but in my opinion, it's full of some very thought-provoking insights about the movie.
I also think both of us have spent waaaaay too much time thinking about this show (not that that's a bad thing). :) I'm so impressed with Joss and Co. for presenting such a full and nuanced 'verse in such a limited amount of screentime.
I heard the same rumor, about that episode you mentioned... I don't know, something kept niggling me about it, making me think it might be at least partially untrue. I can't put a finger on it, but some of the details in the description I read just seemed too far off from what I'd have expected of the show. Hard to say, though - other parts did definitely sound like something Joss would do. It's an unbelievably horrific thought, anyway - I can't imagine how Inara (and Mal, as well as everyone else) would have gone through that.
I agree that he probably was holding on just long enough to get them going again, but I'm kind of surprised that's how they did it - it's so close to a deus ex machina, I was almost disappointed in Joss for pulling it out of his hat like that. There are hints, of course, but the actual shift in the Operative's character still can seem a bit... abrupt, almost. I don't know, I'm still trying to work through exactly how I feel about that way of ending the movie.
I will have to read that, then - I'm not sure why I'd never gotten around to it in the first place, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it before.
We have. I excuse myself by saying it's what I'm trained to do (literary analysis added to anthropology? kind of fits....), and also that... well, it's fun. ;) Yeah, I'm still boggled by how fabulous the show is, and how much thinking it allows, you know? I mean, there are some great things, great movies, books or shows, that you just plain can't think this much about because you'd get through everything that's there. And then there's stuff like Firefly where maybe it's the fan in me, but I really do feel like there's so much to work with.
OK, I've gots lots to say to this, but it's finally actually time for me to go home from work, so ... I'll have to get to it later. Seems like I'm always saying that about something. :)
I'm just about at that point, myself, but since I've got a bit of time, I'll spam you with my favorite quote (so far) from the TWoP article you linked me to:
"He loves his ship more than anything, but like with anything else he loves, he has no idea what's going on inside her."
What a brilliantly succinct, hilarious, and slightly depressing way to sum up Mal. ;) A lot of his exact interpretations of people's expressions/tones in different scenes seem off to me (for instance, I would hardly say that Jayne "whines" the line about 'Sure would be nice if we had some grenades!' - it's more that he throws it back in Mal's face with his own brand of sarcasm) but I'm liking the way he phrases things nonetheless.
Ahhh, that one is so great. And so right. That guy sure has Mal's number, doesn't he?
Like I said, I don't agree with absolutely everything that guy has to say, but he looks at things in a very interesting way.
I like this: I forgot how good she was in these scenes with Simon, the way she takes the non-energy of his obliviousness and returns it in a signal without a feedback loop, just loving forever, into space like a microwave. It's painful.
and this: Down on Haven, Book comes to greet Serenity with hugs, Kaylee sweeping a child into her arms, the planet name even more on the nose than usual. It says what it is, for both Book and the crew. It feels like they come back here a lot. I hope that they do.
Awwww ... that makes me sad and happy all at the same time.
Yeah, it didn't really seem like a plausible storyline to me either ... until I read this. I know it's just fanfic, but I think this is exactly what Joss had in mind, if they were really going to make this episode. It's just fantastic.
I think the Operative's sudden shift in personality at the end of the movie can partially be explained by the complete and utter belief he had in those who were giving his orders, and in the Alliance in general. Book talks about how hard he believes, and then we witness it first hand ... it must be pretty mind-blowing to come across such concrete proof that what he has believed so completely for so long may not be true. It would sure screw with me, if I were in his position. He truly does believe that he is doing the right thing, right up until the end. Just look what that realization did for Book (if we're right about him, which I think we are).
Yup, you're right - that story makes it work, in a way that I wouldn't otherwise have imagined. And the writing is just plain unbelievable.
I'll just be over here, now, basking in my unworthiness. ;)
...And beyond that, I find that I'm currently without words, aside from saying 'yes' to the issue about the Operative, and to the lovely quotes you pointed out. I think I'm still too wrapped up in the story you linked to say much else, honestly.
Yup, Adam is the actor who plays Jayne... and I haven't got a clue what happened. Looks to me like Sean (the poor fellow who plays Simon and who's currently upside-down) got tangled in the 'safety harness' somehow.
...How he managed to get that tangled is completely beyond my imagination, mind you. But that's all I can think of!
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 02:21 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for posting those, you've made my morning!
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Date: 2006-03-24 06:34 pm (UTC)...I just noticed (the computer monitors at work are so much better than mine) that in the top picture Adam's holding Sean's shoe, trying to disentangle him. Poor boy. Helpless before the challenge of the dreaded seat belt.
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Date: 2006-03-25 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 04:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 06:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 07:10 pm (UTC)And attractive.
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Date: 2006-03-24 07:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 07:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 07:50 pm (UTC)(Eeee. I don't usually get into Inara/Kaylee, but your icon reminds me that it could be oh-so cute. *G*)
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Date: 2006-03-24 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 08:30 pm (UTC)*cries*
I just don't believe that we won't get to see the aftermath of that event ... I know there'll be more, somehow, someday. I just know it.
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Date: 2006-03-24 09:25 pm (UTC)As for whether or not there'll be more, best we can do is hope. On some level, I'd almost rather I keep my precious ability to pretend it didn't happen, and that it won't get worse.
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Date: 2006-03-24 09:51 pm (UTC)I was also OK with the resolution of Book's story, but I wasn't sure why because we didn't really get all that much more information from the BDM. However, something I read on TWoP the other day explains it, I think.
"Have to tell me about that, sometime," says Mal. "No, I don't," says Book. And that's maybe the bravest thing about this movie: he doesn't. And he won't get to. And we get to suck on that. And that is good, because the point of him is: you can change it. You can be reborn. What he is, is what Mal deserves. And that's only true if we don't get access. It only means anything if we're denied.
... I really need a Book icon ...
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Date: 2006-03-24 10:05 pm (UTC)As I read it, the "No, I won't" was effectively an admission from Book - I interpreted it as him meaning "I've given you all you'll need to figure it out, if you think about it," because of what he'd said about the Operative. I'm totally convinced that Book was a government operative on the same level, before he left... and, like the operative, he eventually saw something that made him choose to 'vanish.' Instead of killing himself, though, as I assume the Operative did, Book chose to enter religious orders and start over. In the original script (again, Visual Companion) that whole scene with him and Mal includes a couple more references, and the beginning of it is overlaid with Book praying for forgiveness for what he's done in the past... which seemed like another of Joss' ways of linking it to the current problem, in my mind. I like your reading of that scene, too, though - especially the idea that he's had a total rebirth.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-24 11:03 pm (UTC)I agree with your theory about Book ... I think he was definitely an Operative, maybe even the original?Operative, if there is such a thing.
Instead of killing himself, though, as I assume the Operative did, Book chose to enter religious orders and start over.
... effectively "killing himself", and completely starting over. I also agree with you that the Operative in the movie most likely killed himself shortly after his conversation with Mal. Seems like he wanted to stick around just long enough to get them in the air.
Also, if you haven't read the TWoP recap that I quoted and linked to above, you should. I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions this guy comes to, but in my opinion, it's full of some very thought-provoking insights about the movie.
I also think both of us have spent waaaaay too much time thinking about this show (not that that's a bad thing). :) I'm so impressed with Joss and Co. for presenting such a full and nuanced 'verse in such a limited amount of screentime.
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Date: 2006-03-24 11:27 pm (UTC)I agree that he probably was holding on just long enough to get them going again, but I'm kind of surprised that's how they did it - it's so close to a deus ex machina, I was almost disappointed in Joss for pulling it out of his hat like that. There are hints, of course, but the actual shift in the Operative's character still can seem a bit... abrupt, almost. I don't know, I'm still trying to work through exactly how I feel about that way of ending the movie.
I will have to read that, then - I'm not sure why I'd never gotten around to it in the first place, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it before.
We have. I excuse myself by saying it's what I'm trained to do (literary analysis added to anthropology? kind of fits....), and also that... well, it's fun. ;) Yeah, I'm still boggled by how fabulous the show is, and how much thinking it allows, you know? I mean, there are some great things, great movies, books or shows, that you just plain can't think this much about because you'd get through everything that's there. And then there's stuff like Firefly where maybe it's the fan in me, but I really do feel like there's so much to work with.
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Date: 2006-03-25 12:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 12:34 am (UTC)"He loves his ship more than anything, but like with anything else he loves, he has no idea what's going on inside her."
What a brilliantly succinct, hilarious, and slightly depressing way to sum up Mal. ;) A lot of his exact interpretations of people's expressions/tones in different scenes seem off to me (for instance, I would hardly say that Jayne "whines" the line about 'Sure would be nice if we had some grenades!' - it's more that he throws it back in Mal's face with his own brand of sarcasm) but I'm liking the way he phrases things nonetheless.
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Date: 2006-03-25 01:19 am (UTC)Like I said, I don't agree with absolutely everything that guy has to say, but he looks at things in a very interesting way.
I like this:
I forgot how good she was in these scenes with Simon, the way she takes the non-energy of his obliviousness and returns it in a signal without a feedback loop, just loving forever, into space like a microwave. It's painful.
and this:
Down on Haven, Book comes to greet Serenity with hugs, Kaylee sweeping a child into her arms, the planet name even more on the nose than usual. It says what it is, for both Book and the crew. It feels like they come back here a lot. I hope that they do.
Awwww ... that makes me sad and happy all at the same time.
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Date: 2006-03-25 01:27 am (UTC)I think the Operative's sudden shift in personality at the end of the movie can partially be explained by the complete and utter belief he had in those who were giving his orders, and in the Alliance in general. Book talks about how hard he believes, and then we witness it first hand ... it must be pretty mind-blowing to come across such concrete proof that what he has believed so completely for so long may not be true. It would sure screw with me, if I were in his position. He truly does believe that he is doing the right thing, right up until the end. Just look what that realization did for Book (if we're right about him, which I think we are).
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Date: 2006-03-25 04:01 am (UTC)I'll just be over here, now, basking in my unworthiness. ;)
...And beyond that, I find that I'm currently without words, aside from saying 'yes' to the issue about the Operative, and to the lovely quotes you pointed out. I think I'm still too wrapped up in the story you linked to say much else, honestly.
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Date: 2006-03-26 11:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-27 02:01 am (UTC)...How he managed to get that tangled is completely beyond my imagination, mind you. But that's all I can think of!