1/7: Out of Gas - Keeping the Faith - (previous)

[TechnoSlut]

Written by: Tim Minear
Directed by: David Solomon
Air date: 10/25/02

The crew is forced to abandon ship when the Serenity is crippled by an explosion, leaving behind a dying Mal, who recalls how he first acquired the vessel and assembled the crew.

[Nickim]

Double-cross is the theme that came to my mind during this episode.

According to Mal ship like Serenity will "be with you 'til you die." Course Zoe's response is that's cause it's a "death trap." Serenity seems to be double-crossing the crew when something--never did get what part exactly--blows up. The crew is enjoying their dinner, laughing and having a good time. (Did you notice that Book's story is never actually told to the audience?)

River is so calm when she says, "Fire." Then all hell breaks loose on the ship. To stop the fire, Mal has to vent the oxygen. Makes me think of side effects from medication that are almost as bad as the disease itself.

Zoe doesn't like Wash when they first meet. Maybe that's a result of that once over look he gives her?? Obviously she changes her mind later. An attraction double-crosses her first impression.

The first mechanic double-crosses himself with his lack of knowledge about a Firefly. Kaylee "just knows" how to fix things. I felt so sorry for her when she says, "I shoulda kept better care of her. Usually she lets me know when something's wrong." We know Kaylee LOVES Serenity, so it can't be that she's been neglecting the ship, but perhaps her attention to a certain young doctor has double-crossed her usual Serenity radar. We know how desparate the situation really is when Kaylee says, "Sometimes a thing gets broke, can't be fixed."

The scene of Mal closing all the doors behind him to save the oxygen makes me think of him sealing out the past. He bought Serenity to fly away from his troubles, to be "free" again. But, it's really not possible to fly away, our past just follows--even Mal's blanket is brown.

The "rescue" scene is the classic double-cross. Predators stalking the weak, vulnerable member of the herd--we even know that Serenity is in an empty part of space, cut off from the herd, so to speak.

We see how willing Jayne is to double-cross his compatriots--the "ugly one", "can you be more specific?" LOL

Zoe even double-crosses Mal--though it does result in his life being saved. She disobeys his orders, though it could be argued that the order didn't apply to her, since she was unconscious.

I just love the exchange between River & Book. We think River's going to comfort Book, but instead she just makes him more scared. "You're afraid we'll die gasping. Not going to happen. We'll freeze to death first." Also, the final scene and Mal asking if everyone will be there when he wakes up. "We'll be here." They may disagree and even disobey orders, but they're loyal when it counts.

[Lola m]

Love this ep. Love, love, love this ep!!

I love the construction of it - with the current timeline of dying Mal and the two sets of flashbacks. Back to the disaster and how we got to where we are. And back to the beginnings of everyone. All running and playing off each other and then coming back together for the final scenes.

I love the introductions of each person.

Zoe first, because it's always Zoe at Mal's right hand. Using "sir" almost every other word, not liking his idea about taking off in Serenity one bit, but still sticking by him. (Plus, the whole prophetic, "be with you 'til the day you die" "'cuz it's a death trap" conversation.)

Wash, all kooky with his mustache and excessive cheerfulness and there's Zoe saying "I don't like him. He bothers me". Skeezy Bester hardly rates a glance from her, but Wash "bothers" her.

Kaylee, all farm girl pretty and just. So. Herself. Cheerfully putting her clothes back on and noticing the bad part "when I was down there on my back before" (doesn't speak highly of Bester's technique, although he was righter than he knew when he said "she likes engines LOL). "I'm pointin' right at it" and "I just gotta go ask my folks". And Mal just zeros right in on how great a mechanic she really is, versus how great Bester says he is.

Inara and her smooth talk and poise. Laying out her rules for renting the shuttle, so logical and true to her profession. Autonomy/privacy; no servicing the crew; make sure she keeps her appointments. Just knowing what he's probably up to and that he needs a respectible front. And talk about prophetic lines; "I prefer something with a few miles on it." Uh huh.

Jayne. Not much brighter than a bunch of rocks, but better than his old employers are giving him credit for. Love how we suddenly see Mal realize his potential. Sorta like how he did with Kaylee. Yes, he's running a scam/ploy to get Jayne over to their side so they don't get shot, but the look he suddenly shoots at Jayne when he says "Found you easy enough" "Yeah, you did." Tells you just why Jayne is still on the crew, not just paid off and left behind. And of course, how fitting for future events that the first experience Mal and crew had with Jayne was when he turned on his employer. Helps explain why Mal is always keeping an eye on him and keeping him in line.

These "introductions" to our already known crew are just the perfect parallel to the "introductions" we got to the non-crew members in the initial two part pilot.

Lola

Will post more tomorrow, but gotta turn in soon.

[Rachael]

Lola said:

Love this ep. Love, love, love this ep!!

Oh, me, too. It's just the perfect disaster movie, coupled with lots of wonderful characterization.

Wash, all kooky with his mustache and excessive cheerfulness and there's Zoe saying "I don't like him. He bothers me". Skeezy Bester hardly rates a glance from her, but Wash "bothers" her.

Uh-huh. "Bothers" as in "hot and bothered". ;D She just don't know it yet.

Kaylee, all farm girl pretty and just. So. Herself. Cheerfully putting her clothes back on and noticing the bad part "when I was down there on my back before" (doesn't speak highly of Bester's technique,

I was thinking just the same thing. ;D

--------------------

For me, the thing that jumped out at me was how this episode was about loneliness, and how awful it is to feel alone. We start out with the shots of completely empty Serenity - and it just feels wrong. Right from the very first shot of the ship, not moving, alone in space - we know something's not right.

And then - no, the ship's not empty. Mal's there. Alone, and injured, and suffocating and freezing to death. And we don't know WHY, and it just feels all the more - wrong. And lonely.

I think that the point is, on some level, that Mal is always lonely. He's not alone, but he really has no one to alleviate the feelings of being an island in the universe. Zoë isn't a friend; she's a comrade, a fellow soldier, and someone who calls him "sir". No doubt they love one another, but it's not something that they speak of, or even admit to one another.

Jayne isn't a friend to anyone on board - he's his own agent, and in some ways, probably as lonely as Mal.

Kaylee, and to a lesser degree, Simon and River, are like younger siblings, who Mal watches over, but he can't really confide in them, or let them shoulder his troubles.

Book is - well, an enigma, and Mal keeps him at arm's length, much of the time.

Wash is the closest thing that Mal has to a friend on board - and yet, he doesn't allow himself to really get close to Wash, either.

Finally, Inara is the likeliest of them all to both understand and alleviate Mal's loneliness - she's not "crew" - he doesn't give her orders; she's as close to an equal as he's got on Serenity. But she's deliberately keeping her distance from Mal, as he is from her, and so, ironically, the person who could understand him the best is also the one he's least likely to be able to talk to.

In one of the flashbacks, we see the force of the bond between Wash and Zoë, and how Mal is forced to put himself between them, albeit temporarily, and to me, it throws Mal's own loneliness into stark relief.

Other stuff that points to the loneliness theme:

"Everybody dies alone." - Mal, trying to be stoic. But it's terrible to contemplate, dying alone in the cold of space. And Inara is reaching out to him, partly because she's the only one on board who knows how lonely the captain is, and partly because she also doesn't want to leave him there, to go off with her three crewmates and die (alone).

"It was my birthday." - This is the line that finally made me like Simon. It's just so. . .human, at last. And so lonely. It was his birthday, and now he's gonna die, in space, separate from nearly everyone he ever loved. It's just about the saddest line I could imagine - because, well - it was his birthday.

And on a tangent - what IS it with Joss and birthdays? Huh? I mean, does anyone ever have a happy birthday in the Jossverse? The man has issues.

Mal, wrapped up in his blanket, all alone on the bridge of Serenity, hoping someone will call. God, I just cry like a little baby.

And finally, "You all gonna be here when I wake up?" Oh, jeez. Now, THAT'S about the saddest line I could imagine.

But, there's hope - Zoë made them go back for him. There's the potential for real friendships between Mal and Wash, Mal and Zoë, and something still more with Inara. If only Fox had given us time to see it!

Other notes: people in space are just rotten and evil. 'Nuff said.

I love that space is silent in Firefly.

"'Kay, I need that in Captain Dummy Talk, Kaylee." Hee.

"They'd be forced to stop and dig out our signal before they could go any further! (beat) Well, maybe I should do that then!"

Ahem. "Prairie harpy"?

Does anyone else think of Han Solo in the stolen Imperial shuttle when Inara powers up HER shuttle?

And - "Point of interest? Offerin' to shoot us might not work so well as an incentive."

[Nickim]

Rachael,

The loneliness theme made me think of the old Elton John song Rocketman. He says "it's lonely out in space."

Maybe the thing that makes us most lonely is feeling we've been betrayed. If that's the case, then Mal must be the loneliest person in the 'verse.

[Rachael]

Nicki said:

Rachael,

The loneliness theme made me think of the old Elton John song Rocketman. He says "it's lonely out in space."

Maybe the thing that makes us most lonely is feeling we've been betrayed. If that's the case, then Mal must be the loneliest person in the 'verse.

Excellent point, and I think that with time, Mal overcoming his loneliness (and maybe learning to trust again?) would have been a theme that was explored thoroughly.

[Lola m]

Nicki said:

Double-cross is the theme that came to my mind during this episode.

According to Mal ship like Serenity will "be with you 'til you die." Course Zoe's response is that's cause it's a "death trap."

It’s such a great natural scene for Mal to think back on as he is trapped and dying on Serenity. I also love how this opening scene with the language about how great the ship is, etc. is brought full circle by the final scene. Where we go the furthest back in time and finally realize that the “real beauty” the salesman was showing Mal wasn’t even Serenity. The real gem was sitting off in the distance, waiting to be discovered by Mal.

Serenity seems to be double-crossing the crew when something--never did get what part exactly--blows up. The crew is enjoying their dinner, laughing and having a good time. (Did you notice that Book's story is never actually told to the audience?)

River is so calm when she says, "Fire." Then all hell breaks loose on the ship. To stop the fire, Mal has to vent the oxygen. Makes me think of side effects from medication that are almost as bad as the disease itself.

Nice analogy, Nicki! This episode gives us a real feeling for the fragility of living in space. Where even breathing isn’t a given. And fire! The thing most feared on a ship since the days of sailing.

Zoe doesn't like Wash when they first meet. Maybe that's a result of that once over look he gives her?? Obviously she changes her mind later. An attraction double-crosses her first impression.

The first mechanic double-crosses himself with his lack of knowledge about a Firefly. Kaylee "just knows" how to fix things. I felt so sorry for her when she says, "I shoulda kept better care of her. Usually she lets me know when something's wrong." We know Kaylee LOVES Serenity, so it can't be that she's been neglecting the ship, but perhaps her attention to a certain young doctor has double-crossed her usual Serenity radar. We know how desparate the situation really is when Kaylee says, "Sometimes a thing gets broke, can't be fixed."

She does such amazing things with her lines here, doesn’t she?

The scene of Mal closing all the doors behind him to save the oxygen makes me think of him sealing out the past. He bought Serenity to fly away from his troubles, to be "free" again. But, it's really not possible to fly away, our past just follows--even Mal's blanket is brown.

The "rescue" scene is the classic double-cross. Predators stalking the weak, vulnerable member of the herd--we even know that Serenity is in an empty part of space, cut off from the herd, so to speak.

We see how willing Jayne is to double-cross his compatriots--the "ugly one", "can you be more specific?" LOL

Zoe even double-crosses Mal--though it does result in his life being saved. She disobeys his orders, though it could be argued that the order didn't apply to her, since she was unconscious.

I just love the exchange between River & Book. We think River's going to comfort Book, but instead she just makes him more scared. "You're afraid we'll die gasping. Not going to happen. We'll freeze to death first." Also, the final scene and Mal asking if everyone will be there when he wakes up. "We'll be here." They may disagree and even disobey orders, but they're loyal when it counts.

Very interesting thoughts, Nicki!

Lola

[Lola m]

Rachael said:

Oh, me, too. It's just the perfect disaster movie, coupled with lots of wonderful characterization.

Uh-huh. "Bothers" as in "hot and bothered". ;D She just don't know it yet.

I was thinking just the same thing. ;D

--------------------

For me, the thing that jumped out at me was how this episode was about loneliness, and how awful it is to feel alone. We start out with the shots of completely empty Serenity - and it just feels wrong. Right from the very first shot of the ship, not moving, alone in space - we know something's not right.

And you saying that reminded me of when Kaylee says “she’s not movin’” and you think she’s talking about Zoe but she means the ship. That just gets me every time I watch it. Really. Chills down my spine time.

And then - no, the ship's not empty. Mal's there. Alone, and injured, and suffocating and freezing to death. And we don't know WHY, and it just feels all the more - wrong. And lonely.

I think that the point is, on some level, that Mal is always lonely. He's not alone, but he really has no one to alleviate the feelings of being an island in the universe. Zoë isn't a friend; she's a comrade, a fellow soldier, and someone who calls him "sir". No doubt they love one another, but it's not something that they speak of, or even admit to one another.

Jayne isn't a friend to anyone on board - he's his own agent, and in some ways, probably as lonely as Mal.

Kaylee, and to a lesser degree, Simon and River, are like younger siblings, who Mal watches over, but he can't really confide in them, or let them shoulder his troubles.

Book is - well, an enigma, and Mal keeps him at arm's length, much of the time.

Wash is the closest thing that Mal has to a friend on board - and yet, he doesn't allow himself to really get close to Wash, either.

Finally, Inara is the likeliest of them all to both understand and alleviate Mal's loneliness - she's not "crew" - he doesn't give her orders; she's as close to an equal as he's got on Serenity. But she's deliberately keeping her distance from Mal, as he is from her, and so, ironically, the person who could understand him the best is also the one he's least likely to be able to talk to.

Just, eetah on all this.

In one of the flashbacks, we see the force of the bond between Wash and Zoë, and how Mal is forced to put himself between them, albeit temporarily, and to me, it throws Mal's own loneliness into stark relief.

Other stuff that points to the loneliness theme:

"Everybody dies alone." - Mal, trying to be stoic. But it's terrible to contemplate, dying alone in the cold of space. And Inara is reaching out to him, partly because she's the only one on board who knows how lonely the captain is, and partly because she also doesn't want to leave him there, to go off with her three crewmates and die (alone).

"It was my birthday." - This is the line that finally made me like Simon. It's just so. . .human, at last. And so lonely. It was his birthday, and now he's gonna die, in space, separate from nearly everyone he ever loved. It's just about the saddest line I could imagine - because, well - it was his birthday. <snipped for space>

Good stuff, Rachael.

Lola

[Lola m]

Few random thoughts after watching "Out of Gas" again. (Just love this ep - had to do it. Plus, was avoiding "Hero" for one more day. I know, I know! I'll watch it tonight.)

* The whole scene of the emergency on the ship is Just. So. Amazingly. Filmed. Everytime I watch it, I just go . . . wow! The handheld camera idea serves Joss particularly well on this kind of stuff. You really feel you are there with the crew.

* Loved to watch the way the different folks on the ship react to and deal with the emerging crisis. Each tends to fall back to their own place of expertise for safety. Mal and Jayne move right into the actions needed to save the ship. (And I bet if Zoe hadn't been injured, she would have done the same. Loved Jayne's bit about this not being the time to argue **pause for amazed looks from Wash and Mal ** 'cuz they'll use up too much air LOL, but also true!) Kaylee needs a push, but then her love for Serenity pulls her to her natural inclination of "find the problem, try to fix the problem". Which is why she's so lost when she realized that this part can't be fixed. Wash is the most emotionally invested in what is happening with Zoe, of course, so his reactions are the most haphazard. Still, fighting with Mal, making sarcastic comments, and then ultimately just calmly doing what is needed seems a natural Wash reaction, even without the Zoe issues. Simon is less lost when he has doctoring to do. Inara moves to comfort others but also to tackle the practical things needed to prepare and launch the shuttles. Book turns to contemplation, his "book", and solitude. River is still just River - keeps on flowing down her own route.

* We see all the things people have talked about before with Mal. His isolation and lonliness, how this will make you vulnerable to the predators that are out there. But also, this ep showcases what a good leader he is, how good a leader he must have been in the war. Because, actually, his plan is a good one, the right one. Even numbers of folks on the two shuttles to maximize the air and resources for all on both the main ship and the shuttles. Sent in opposite directions to maximize their chances of finding someone. Someone to stay on Serenity, rigged to capture passing ships and with an automatic "recall" button ready to go. And it worked. OK, it worked better because they came back even tho' he'd collapsed before he could recall them, but still. And really, by most calculations, they should all have died.

Lola

[Queen E]

Lola said:

Few random thoughts after watching "Out of Gas" again. (Just love this ep - had to do it. Plus, was avoiding "Hero" for one more day. I know, I know! I'll watch it tonight.)

* We see all the things people have talked about before with Mal. His isolation and lonliness, how this will make you vulnerable to the predators that are out there. But also, this ep showcases what a good leader he is, how good a leader he must have been in the war. Because, actually, his plan is a good one, the right one. Even numbers of folks on the two shuttles to maximize the air and resources for all on both the main ship and the shuttles. Sent in opposite directions to maximize their chances of finding someone. Someone to stay on Serenity, rigged to capture passing ships and with an automatic "recall" button ready to go. And it worked. OK, it worked better because they came back even tho' he'd collapsed before he could recall them, but still. And really, by most calculations, they should all have died.

Lola

I need to go back and listen to the commentary again; if I'm recalling correctly, Tim Minear posited that had Mal died, this would have been his idea of an afterlife...that there is rather an unreality to that last moment, when he asks if they all be there when he wakes up...

[Linda]

Hi all!

Thank you, Nicki, Lola, Rachael & Erin, for your posts so far. Wonderful insights.

I just wanted to mention that I thought that there was some significant information regarding Mal & Inara's relationship. I felt that their introduction flashback nicely illustrated their immediate attraction to one another. But it also showed how incompatible they were for each other: Inara is from an entirely different social background AND she backed the Alliance. Mal expressed no respect for her respectability and called her a whore for the first time. However, aside from the caregiving side of them that we've seen in the previous episodes, I thought it was pretty significant compatibility-wise when Inara told Simon that she loved Serenity ever since she first saw her. EXACTLY the same as Mal's reaction to Serenity: Love at first sight.

Oh, and in the DVD commentary, Tim Minear mentioned that there was a hint of Inara's past during her conversation with Simon. I have no idea what he meant. Anyone have any speculation about this? Conspiracy theorists? Bueller?

Linda, there was more that I liked about this episode (EEETAH with Lola on the episode love), but I kinda got distracted by the following post...

[Linda]

Hi all!

Okay, the last time I posted something about Serenity, I mentioned that one of the things Nathan Fillion said on the commentary track was that he thought that the crew of Serenity represented aspects of Mal -- just as for Buffy, Willow represented her spirit, Xander her heart, and Giles her mind.

NF said that he thought Kaylee represents Mal's heart.

So, I started obsessing about it. I was trying to figure out who represented what aspect. These are just ideas that I wanted to put out there. Feel free to refine or disagree. It's just what I do for fun. (Yep, me=geek.)

Kaylee: Heart. Mal's sweet, soft, optimistic heart. She always assumes the best about people. She notices when Mal's being extra mean to others and tries to scold him about it.

Zoe: Intelligence & self-discipline. She never left him, even at his lowest point. She lets him know when his plans or actions are dangerous. And she can out-think & out-fight him.

Jayne: Survival instinct (or maybe self-interest) & aggression. Significantly, I think, he was drugged in The Train Job when Mal makes his decision to give back the medicine to the settlers. And he never forgets that the Tams are a danger to them all.

Wash: Sense of fun and adventure. He's always trying to get Zoe to go and try something different for the fun of it. Perhaps I can expand or alter this thought after watching War Games.

Inara: Caretaker & empathy. She is the one who is first to offer aid and comfort whenever someone is hurting. She is important to Mal, but he doesn't seem to want to accept her OR give her up.

Book: Morality & faith. He questions Mal's reasons for doing things from a right/wrong perspective. Mal doesn't like him much in the beginning. But he will, on occasion, listen to him. And Kaylee forms an instant connection with him.

Simon: Social / civilized awareness / respect? (Sorry, the concept is not quite *there*.) These are the factors that I feel are significant, however: Simon is strongly associated with the Central Planets. His strengths as a doctor are skewed towards technical/clinical, rather than compassion/caretaking. His assumptions about what is right & proper are always being undermined. He tells Kaylee that, because he has nothing (is so far from the enforced rules of Society?) polite respect is the only way to show her that he likes her. (i.e. When you're so far from civilization, you have to carry it within yourself?) Mal doesn't like him much.

River: Insight. Scary, eerie, process-information-from-*everywhere*-insight. She is the closest thing to the supernatural in the series. Insight is not always explainable to us, either. And as of Jaynestown, she and Book don't get each other, despite their sincere efforts. "Just keep walking, Preacher Man." Hee!


This being a Joss show, with all of the symbolic layers and such, I think that these concepts are a part of the way everyone interacts with each other.

I thought this was shown in Out of Gas, especially.

Zoe is the first person we see Mal introduce to Serenity (before he's even named her, in fact), and Zoe is dubious at best. So Mal is trying to convince himself that the decision to buy Serenity is a good one.

Wash is enthused by Serenity, and is eager to get her up and running. Wash told Saffron, back in OMR, that he went to pilot school just to see what's out there. And he is extremely excited about flying out with her. And with Zoe, for that matter.

Kaylee loves Serenity from the very beginning, and is way more interested in her engine than in the Mechanic-guy. Mal fell in love with Serenity at first sight, too.

Jayne is introduced the first time we see a Mal & Zoe caper gone wrong. And you can see Mal grab a hold of the situation, despite being the one held at gunpoint by three other people. I think it says a lot about his survival instinct. 'Cause given his history, I can't otherwise see him willingly accept a betrayer onto his crew.

Inara joins him after they've been a going concern for a while, possibly after he feels they have reached a certain level above subsistence and can afford the "luxury" of compassion.

For Book, Simon and River, the more recent flashbacks tell me something about what they represent.

Simon feels helpless in the face of the oncoming disaster. But he's kept Zoe alive. And his clinical knowledge and medical supplies help to keep Mal alive as well in the "current" timeline.

Book looks to his Bible for comfort. But he is isolated in this dire situation, and he doesn't seem to be helping anyone. (Not something I'd normally expect of Book, really.)

River just sees the cold, hard facts: We won't suffocate -- we'll freeze to death, first. And she almost taunts Book with the knowledge. Mal is very far from reconciled to his faith.

Of course, your mileage may vary.


Linda, but isn't this FUN?


P.S. Oh and I don't recommend thinking about this when you're running a few errands for work. You know, for example, if, among other things, you are on your way to the bank to pick up a payroll or something. Because you might just get distracted by the shiny thoughts and drive past with the vague idea that you've forgotten something, only to discover in your business' parking lot that what you've forgotten isn't related to Firefly at all.

Just sayin'.

[Lola m]

Linda said:

Hi all!

Thank you, Nicki, Lola, Rachael & Erin, for your posts so far. Wonderful insights.

I just wanted to mention that I thought that there was some significant information regarding Mal & Inara's relationship. I felt that their introduction flashback nicely illustrated their immediate attraction to one another. But it also showed how incompatible they were for each other: Inara is from an entirely different social background AND she backed the Alliance. Mal expressed no respect for her respectability and called her a whore for the first time. However, aside from the caregiving side of them that we've seen in the previous episodes, I thought it was pretty significant compatibility-wise when Inara told Simon that she loved Serenity ever since she first saw her. EXACTLY the same as Mal's reaction to Serenity: Love at first sight.

Oh, and in the DVD commentary, Tim Minear mentioned that there was a hint of Inara's past during her conversation with Simon. I have no idea what he meant. Anyone have any speculation about this? Conspiracy theorists? Bueller?

Linda, there was more that I liked about this episode (EEETAH with Lola on the episode love), but I kinda got distracted by the following post...

I have to agree with your fears about how compatible Mal and Inara could really be. I love the idea of them as a couple, but I'm not sure if it could really work in the long run. Then again, stranger things have happened.

Only thing I could think of as a hint about Inara's past is the same line you mentioned - about loving Serenity from moment she first saw it. It could be she had seen the ship even before Mal or had some experience with it and then signed on with him partly because he was the new owner. Or maybe she had past experiences with this type of ship, or something like that.

But I'm really reaching.

Lola

[Nickim]

Linda said:

Hi all!

Okay, the last time I posted something about Serenity, I mentioned that one of the things Nathan Fillion said on the commentary track was that he thought that the crew of Serenity represented aspects of Mal -- just as for Buffy, Willow represented her spirit, Xander her heart, and Giles her mind.

NF said that he thought Kaylee represents Mal's heart.

So, I started obsessing about it. I was trying to figure out who represented what aspect. These are just ideas that I wanted to put out there. Feel free to refine or disagree. It's just what I do for fun. (Yep, me=geek.)

Kaylee: Heart. Mal's sweet, soft, optimistic heart. She always assumes the best about people. She notices when Mal's being extra mean to others and tries to scold him about it.

Zoe: Intelligence & self-discipline. She never left him, even at his lowest point. She lets him know when his plans or actions are dangerous. And she can out-think & out-fight him.

Jayne: Survival instinct (or maybe self-interest) & aggression. Significantly, I think, he was drugged in The Train Job when Mal makes his decision to give back the medicine to the settlers. And he never forgets that the Tams are a danger to them all.

Wash: Sense of fun and adventure. He's always trying to get Zoe to go and try something different for the fun of it. Perhaps I can expand or alter this thought after watching War Games.

Inara: Caretaker & empathy. She is the one who is first to offer aid and comfort whenever someone is hurting. She is important to Mal, but he doesn't seem to want to accept her OR give her up.

Book: Morality & faith. He questions Mal's reasons for doing things from a right/wrong perspective. Mal doesn't like him much in the beginning. But he will, on occasion, listen to him. And Kaylee forms an instant connection with him.

Simon: Social / civilized awareness / respect? (Sorry, the concept is not quite *there*.) These are the factors that I feel are significant, however: Simon is strongly associated with the Central Planets. His strengths as a doctor are skewed towards technical/clinical, rather than compassion/caretaking. His assumptions about what is right & proper are always being undermined. He tells Kaylee that, because he has nothing (is so far from the enforced rules of Society?) polite respect is the only way to show her that he likes her. (i.e. When you're so far from civilization, you have to carry it within yourself?) Mal doesn't like him much.

River: Insight. Scary, eerie, process-information-from-*everywhere*-insight. She is the closest thing to the supernatural in the series. Insight is not always explainable to us, either. And as of Jaynestown, she and Book don't get each other, despite their sincere efforts. "Just keep walking, Preacher Man." Hee!


This being a Joss show, with all of the symbolic layers and such, I think that these concepts are a part of the way everyone interacts with each other.

I thought this was shown in Out of Gas, especially.

Zoe is the first person we see Mal introduce to Serenity (before he's even named her, in fact), and Zoe is dubious at best. So Mal is trying to convince himself that the decision to buy Serenity is a good one.

Wash is enthused by Serenity, and is eager to get her up and running. Wash told Saffron, back in OMR, that he went to pilot school just to see what's out there. And he is extremely excited about flying out with her. And with Zoe, for that matter.

Kaylee loves Serenity from the very beginning, and is way more interested in her engine than in the Mechanic-guy. Mal fell in love with Serenity at first sight, too.

Jayne is introduced the first time we see a Mal & Zoe caper gone wrong. And you can see Mal grab a hold of the situation, despite being the one held at gunpoint by three other people. I think it says a lot about his survival instinct. 'Cause given his history, I can't otherwise see him willingly accept a betrayer onto his crew.

Inara joins him after they've been a going concern for a while, possibly after he feels they have reached a certain level above subsistence and can afford the "luxury" of compassion.

For Book, Simon and River, the more recent flashbacks tell me something about what they represent.

Simon feels helpless in the face of the oncoming disaster. But he's kept Zoe alive. And his clinical knowledge and medical supplies help to keep Mal alive as well in the "current" timeline.

Book looks to his Bible for comfort. But he is isolated in this dire situation, and he doesn't seem to be helping anyone. (Not something I'd normally expect of Book, really.)

River just sees the cold, hard facts: We won't suffocate -- we'll freeze to death, first. And she almost taunts Book with the knowledge. Mal is very far from reconciled to his faith.

Of course, your mileage may vary.


Linda, but isn't this FUN?


P.S. Oh and I don't recommend thinking about this when you're running a few errands for work. You know, for example, if, among other things, you are on your way to the bank to pick up a payroll or something. Because you might just get distracted by the shiny thoughts and drive past with the vague idea that you've forgotten something, only to discover in your business' parking lot that what you've forgotten isn't related to Firefly at all.

Just sayin'.

LOL.

These are cool.

[Nickim]

Lola said:

I have to agree with your fears about how compatible Mal and Inara could really be. I love the idea of them as a couple, but I'm not sure if it could really work in the long run. Then again, stranger things have happened.

Only thing I could think of as a hint about Inara's past is the same line you mentioned - about loving Serenity from moment she first saw it. It could be she had seen the ship even before Mal or had some experience with it and then signed on with him partly because he was the new owner. Or maybe she had past experiences with this type of ship, or something like that.

But I'm really reaching.

Lola

I'd say Inara loved the freedom that a Firefly class ship would represent. We hear from the Alliance several episodes back that "I didn't think there were any of those still flying." So Inara has to know that Mal and his crew are on the "fringe." They're not going to care if she follows all the Companion Guild rules, and there certainly seem to be lots of Companion rules.