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Post by TechnoSlut on Jun 14, 2004 12:36:43 GMT -5
Written by: Jose Molina
Directed by: Alan Kroaker
Air date: 11/15/02
The crew infiltrates a hospital with the intention of stealing valuable supplies; meanwhile, Simon uses a high-tech imaging device to study River's brain in hopes of curing her.
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Post by raenstorm on Aug 23, 2004 18:18:16 GMT -5
This is one of my favorite episodes just because of the ending. I watched it sometime late last week but I forgot to take notes so I'll have to rewatch to really talk about anything.
The men with the blue hands scare me. Willing to kill those guys for even talking to River? Just what would they do to the crew of Serenity if they got a hold of them? Scary.
Luckily, Mal is almost just as scary. He's a man who is very serious about his crew and loyalty. The man not have the same moral standards as the rest of society does but he does not put up with someone who threatens ANYONE on his crew, even if it's someone who has been with him a long time. Or, perhaps, especially in that case?
I've said before that Jayne shows that he fears Mal, backing off when Mal appears and asks what is going on... Guess I get why now.
River and Simon. I continue to be touched by Simon's love for River. He's willing to give up everything that means something to him for someone who means the world to him. The man definitely has a presence in a hospital.
And, River... just what is in that head of hers that her captors will kill anyone she talks to? What does she know about the blue hands and can we shoot Fox for never giving us the chance to find out?
Ok, that's about it without notes.
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Post by Lola m on Aug 23, 2004 19:13:50 GMT -5
Thoughts about Ariel. * Another great great great episode. The episode where Joss shows us he’s gonna do one hell of a good job making a full length movie. ‘Cuz this is one fabulous thriller – better than a lot of movies and its all done in 40 some minutes! A classic series of three main action events. First, The series of shots while they’re planning the gig. Intercuts of getting materials, the gang listening to Simon’s idea around the table, then Wash and Kaylee creating the ambulance while Mal and Zoe and Jayne practice their lines. Then, the heist itself. All arriving together and the funny bit where no one cares about the lines they all tried so hard to learn. ;D (LOL! Jayne and his perfect delivery of words no one cares about.) Then of course a two way split so we can alternately follow Zoe and Mal as they struggle to get the stuff while we have the drama of Simon and River and Jayne. And of course with that extra zing because we the audience know that Jayne has set them up. Finally, of course, the plan that’s gone awry and the escape and rescue. Classic, classic thriller execution – done all fresh and exciting. Man! And all in a one hour TV show. My God! Why did they cancel this show?! I mean, I know I’ve said it before, but WTF?!!?  * Talk about some group dynamics finally really clicking with me on this umpteenth viewing. Everyone else has probably already figured this out, but I really hadn’t noticed the interplay between Jayne and Mal that is the real reason behind Jayne’s later action in turning Simon and River into the Feds. I mean, yes, he doesn’t like them. Yes, he wanted the money. Yes, he was pissed about River attacking him. (And rightly so. Just ‘cuz he’s wrong about how he handles it and totally wrong to try and turn them in doesn’t make it right that she cut him. And doesn’t make him wrong when he told Mal she was a potential danger to the whole crew. She is.) But the real reason why Jayne betrays River and Simon – why he does it now instead of earlier or later? Look at the scene in the infirmary. Jayne keeps looking and talking to Mal. He’s trying to do the right thing at first. He’s complaining to his captain about a danger. A real danger. One that just cut his chest open with a knife. But this is Mal and Jayne we’re talking about here and they both come to the conversation with their own issues and preconceived notions. Mal knows that he has to keep Jayne in line – has to be tough with him and make sure he doesn’t try to take over. So, the minute Jayne says something that sounds like an ultimatum – “You don't pitch her off this boat right now, I swear to you...” he cuts him off. “What? What are you swearing, Jayne?” But all Jayne is hearing is his captain apparently taking the side of these new folks over him, calling them “crew”. Jayne doesn’t hear that Mal would say this about anyone, including him – he can’t hear this, he’s got his own previous experiences which don’t seem to indicate a lot of loyalty or concern about your shipmates. Not from his side, but we gotta assume not towards him either. We should be forewarned when Jayne is too uncharacteristically “ok” with it all when they are riding down in the ambulance. Talking about how the doc came up with a good plan (and it was good) and that “nothin’ buys bygones better than cash” and “long as I get paid I’m happy”. Jayne doesn’t talk about “being happy”. So why now? ‘Cuz he’s most decidedly not happy. So we have all the emotional underpinnings for the later actions. And this is why Mal is so angry (“you did it to me”) and this is why it takes a while for Jayne to understand why Mal is so angry (“wasn’t personal”) – ‘cuz Jayne doesn’t want Simon and River to be crew – he’s jealous – and Mal has already decided they are. * Inara and Book are the two characters missing from this episode (Book entirely and Inara mostly). How would the dynamic of the heist and the episode have been altered by their presence? * Scary scary blue hand guys. And WTF is that thing they use to make folks bleed to death and why doesn’t it make them die, too? **shudder, shudder** But just as creepy is when we’re in the scanning room thing and we find out what they did to River.  Lola |
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Post by Rachael on Aug 23, 2004 19:21:02 GMT -5
I'm with Rae - one of the best episodes, if just for the ending. Watching Mal go all scary and willing to let Jayne get shredded through an airlock for betraying him was worth the entire 45 minutes, even if the rest sucked. Speaking of betrayal - that's what this episode was (obviously) about - trust and betrayal. In fact, I kept flashing on Wash's dinosaur play: "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!" 'Cause, Jayne's betrayal was sudden, at least to my mind - I'd forgotten I couldn't trust him, that he'd do almost anything for money. So I was honestly shocked when he turned on them. And then I did a mental head-smack: Duh, dummy, of course he did that. He's got very little in the way of loyalty, and none where Simon and River are concerned. And[/i] she just sliced him open. And he even reminded me, early on: "Nothin' buys bygones faster 'n cash." So, then, my questions about Jayne's betrayal: Did he feel at all bad about what he was doing after hearing that they'd sliced into River's brain over and over again? If he did, he sure didn't feel badly enough, 'cause he still went through with his plan to hand her back over to those as did it to her. What about when Simon never, not once, showed loss of trust in Jayne. He never suspected the betrayal, and even handed him the only gun when they all got loose of the guards. But. . .in the end, when he thought he was gonna die, he asked Mal not to tell the others what he'd done. Why? He was gonna be dead and gone; what did he care what they thought? Because he was ashamed. He betrayed people who consider him, if not a friend, then at least a crewmate. And he realized it was shameful. And that's all that saved his life. Other trust stuff: Simon trusted Jayne. I already said that. And Mal did nothing to change that. But, also, Simon came to trust River's abilities - and the change may have happened during this episode. He was ignoring her warnings about the patient whose doctor was about to kill him, but by the end, he was following her lead out of the hospital, even saying, "There must be another exit this way," or something to that effect. Huh. She knows, then, even though she shouldn't. And finally, River's slashing of Jayne is actually the first betrayal of the episode. Other fun/interesting stuff: "What's the Companion policy on dating?" "It's complicated." I'll bet. Probably there'd be a lot of trust issues, there, too. "You know, it's all very sweet, stealing from the rich, selling to the poor. . . ." Hee. Nice, typical science in a science fiction show - someone found an article somewhere saying, "the amygdala is the fear center of the brain" (it is), and then just made the other stuff up. ;D Anyone else find it fascinating (in between being horrified) that the Men in Black, uh, Blue Hand folks' nifty murder device kills horribly everyone in the room EXCEPT themselves? Really, very interesting. "You turn on ANY of my crew, you turn on ME!" There will be no betraying of anyone, by anyone else, on Mal's ship. Period. Punishable by de-airlocking. Finally, at the end, River's drawing Kachina dolls - those Russian dolls where you open one, and there's another inside of it, slightly different, and then another, and another, until finally you get to the center, a tiny little girl? It's interesting, and I'm almost certain it means something, but my brain won't tell me what. |
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Post by Rachael on Aug 23, 2004 19:25:59 GMT -5
<snipped except for a hearty EETAH!> More brain shareage.  Agreed about Mal and Jayne's interaction - even I had a brief moment of "Well, but, hey - he's right - maybe you shouldn't be quite so mean to the guy with the eight-inch gash in his chest." 'Cause Jayne deserved a little more respect than he was getting there. It's interesting, though - we, the audience, came to trust Jayne a whole lot more and sooner than Mal did. His interactions with Jayne still display a lack of complete trust; and it's something of a vicious circle. |
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Post by Lola m on Aug 23, 2004 19:39:35 GMT -5
<snipped except for a hearty EETAH!> More brain shareage. Agreed about Mal and Jayne's interaction - even I had a brief moment of "Well, but, hey - he's right - maybe you shouldn't be quite so mean to the guy with the eight-inch gash in his chest." 'Cause Jayne deserved a little more respect than he was getting there. It's interesting, though - we, the audience, came to trust Jayne a whole lot more and sooner than Mal did. His interactions with Jayne still display a lack of complete trust; and it's something of a vicious circle. Pretty much eetah back at ya for your earlier comments. Yep. Mal and Jayne. They're both just so locked into their own conceptions of the other person, they're not seeing all that's really there. Lola |
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Post by Nickim on Aug 24, 2004 12:57:54 GMT -5
I didn't read any of the other posts, so I'm sorry if I repeat someone else's ideas.
When I was watching this episode I kept hearing Stitch in my head saying, "This is my family. It's small and broken." And Lilo repeating, "No one gets left behind."
I think River's rambling talk is about Jayne. She has to know what he's thinking. She reads other people's minds. She says, "Your toes are in the sand." Jayne is probably thinking about escaping to a nice beach. Later, after they're captured, River says, "They took Christmas away....don't look in the closet....greedy." Again, I think she's reading Jayne's mind. He's just lost his reward money, his "Christmas present." I think River knows Jayne has betrayed them, but she wants to get better so much that she's willing to risk being captured. Watch her face when Simon is praising Jayne at the end. She has this little tiny Mona Lisa "I know something you don't" kind of smile.
Loved the end when Mal tells him, "You turn on any of my crew, you turn on me....You did it to me and that's a fact. Jayne is ashamed of himself when he realizes that he turned on Mal's "family", his family too. A "sinner", "evil creature"--whatever term you choose, can't be redeemed without feeling some shame for his crimes. So now we see that Jayne could start to travel that path to redemption. We saw glimmers of Jayne developing a conscience in Jaynestown. He was able to really care about the mudders--they were like him. Now, to continue on that road to redemption, he needs to learn to care about people who are totally different than him, people like Simon and River.
Random thoughts:
River's comment that Simon should be working in one of the finest hospitals in the Core breaks my heart. I absolutely loved the totally proud smile on River's face when Simon saved the bypass patient. Hey, why haven't they developed a microsurgery technique so the chest cavity doesn't need to be opened?
Also, loved Kaylee's comments about "first time on the Core...diggin' through trash...couldn't send me shopping...OOOh, synchronizers." Kaylee's probably just as happy building an engine as shopping for "pretties". I do wish she'd wear a cute little dress like the one she had on in Out Of Gas occasionally on the ship.
Again, if I'm repeating what everyone has already pointed out, I'm sorry. I was just too wiped out last night to post then.
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Post by Nickim on Aug 24, 2004 13:05:22 GMT -5
Thoughts about Ariel. ‘cuz Jayne doesn’t want Simon and River to be crew – he’s jealous – and Mal has already decided they are. * Scary scary blue hand guys. And WTF is that thing they use to make folks bleed to death and why doesn’t it make them die, too? **shudder, shudder** But just as creepy is when we’re in the scanning room thing and we find out what they did to River. Lola Snipped just to save space. Great thoughts, Lola. My take on Jayne's jealousy is that it's just like a kid when a new baby, maybe a niece or nephew, comes into the family. Suddenly the older child isn't getting all the attention. Scary blue hand guys--we need a screaming in terror smiley. Maybe the blue gloves are why they don't die. Also, no one worries about fingerprints anymore--except the blue hand guys. |
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Post by Nickim on Aug 24, 2004 13:09:01 GMT -5
I'm with Rae - one of the best episodes, if just for the ending. Watching Mal go all scary and willing to let Jayne get shredded through an airlock for betraying him was worth the entire 45 minutes, even if the rest sucked. Anyone else find it fascinating (in between being horrified) that the Men in Black, uh, Blue Hand folks' nifty murder device kills horribly everyone in the room EXCEPT themselves? Really, very interesting. "You turn on ANY of my crew, you turn on ME!" There will be no betraying of anyone, by anyone else, on Mal's ship. Period. Punishable by de-airlocking. Finally, at the end, River's drawing Kachina dolls - those Russian dolls where you open one, and there's another inside of it, slightly different, and then another, and another, until finally you get to the center, a tiny little girl? It's interesting, and I'm almost certain it means something, but my brain won't tell me what. Snipped just to save space. I was thinking Men in Black, also. Any contact with the aliens and you get zapped. Kachina dolls--finally find the real person hidden deep inside? |
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Post by Queen E on Aug 24, 2004 14:34:17 GMT -5
<snipped except for a hearty EETAH!> More brain shareage. Agreed about Mal and Jayne's interaction - even I had a brief moment of "Well, but, hey - he's right - maybe you shouldn't be quite so mean to the guy with the eight-inch gash in his chest." 'Cause Jayne deserved a little more respect than he was getting there. It's interesting, though - we, the audience, came to trust Jayne a whole lot more and sooner than Mal did. His interactions with Jayne still display a lack of complete trust; and it's something of a vicious circle. Of course, the first time they met, Jayne had a gun pointed at them, and all it took to turn him was more money and his own bunk...I can see where the trust issues would come in between them. Plus, in Serenity: Jayne basically tells Mal he's untrustworthy when money is involved. One more thing that intrigued me: One wonders if the whole reason River slashed Jayne was simply because he was wearing a Blue Sun t-shirt. Seeing as they are the ones looking for her, and are responsible for slicing into her, this would be her way to retaliate. Especially if she could sense Jayne's alliance with them at that point. |
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Post by Nickim on Aug 24, 2004 14:46:20 GMT -5
Of course, the first time they met, Jayne had a gun pointed at them, and all it took to turn him was more money and his own bunk...I can see where the trust issues would come in between them. Plus, in Serenity: Jayne basically tells Mal he's untrustworthy when money is involved. One more thing that intrigued me: One wonders if the whole reason River slashed Jayne was simply because he was wearing a Blue Sun t-shirt. Seeing as they are the ones looking for her, and are responsible for slicing into her, this would be her way to retaliate. Especially if she could sense Jayne's alliance with them at that point. Yes. Plus, remember how quick Jayne was to go through Simon's things and steal anything that looked valuable(can't remember the ep, but I think it was Safe). |
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Post by Queen E on Aug 24, 2004 14:52:42 GMT -5
Yes. Plus, remember how quick Jayne was to go through Simon's things and steal anything that looked valuable(can't remember the ep, but I think it was Safe). It was, with the: ""Dear Diary, Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today, we were kidnapped by hill folk never to be seen again. It was the best day ever." |
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Post by Rachael on Aug 24, 2004 15:17:20 GMT -5
Of course, the first time they met, Jayne had a gun pointed at them, and all it took to turn him was more money and his own bunk...I can see where the trust issues would come in between them. Plus, in Serenity: Jayne basically tells Mal he's untrustworthy when money is involved. True; it's interesting that the audience was surprised (or some of us will), while for Mal it was just exactly what he would have expected from Jayne. I guess, if I had to live with Jayne every day, I'd'a been more suspicious, too. ;D |
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Post by Karen on Aug 25, 2004 23:07:10 GMT -5
Rachael mentioned those Russian nesting dolls that River was drawing.. When I was watching tonight, they caught my eye, too.
They're called matroyshka dolls. "In provincial Russia before 1917 the name Matryona or Matryoshka was among the most common female names derived from the Latin root "matter" which means "mother". To this day matryoshka remains a symbol of motherhood and fertility. A doll with numerous off spring of dolls is a fine metaphor for the oldest symbol of human culture." I think this ties in nicely with Nicki's comments about "family". All the dolls nest nicely together, from the biggest to the smallest - a family. And the crew of Serenity nests nicely in her hull.
I agree with everyone who said that the scene between Mal and Jayne at the end was worth the price of admission. Mal allowing Jayne to live, only after hearing the shame in Jayne's words about not wanting the rest to know why he's dead. Most of us want to be well-thought of after we're gone, don't we? It didn't matter to Jayne before, but after living and interacting with the Serenity crew and because of his hero worship of Mal, he's beginning to become more human - to crave acceptance from his fellow man.
*God, it's late.*
I loved the Mission Impossible feel of this whole episode. The plan, the gathering of their tools, the use of the "caskets". The last minute rescue.
Do you think the blue gloves are what protect those guys from the brain melting rod? Or maybe they aren't human. I don't know. They remind me of the Gentlemen on Buffy. Except instead of melting people's brains, their heads burst from the scream of a "princess".
Loved all your great S'cubie insights on this one.
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Post by William the Bloody on Aug 26, 2004 3:53:54 GMT -5
I think River's rambling talk is about Jayne. She has to know what he's thinking. She reads other people's minds. She says, "Your toes are in the sand." Jayne is probably thinking about escaping to a nice beach. Later, after they're captured, River says, "They took Christmas away....don't look in the closet....greedy." Again, I think she's reading Jayne's mind. He's just lost his reward money, his "Christmas present." I think River knows Jayne has betrayed them, but she wants to get better so much that she's willing to risk being captured. Watch her face when Simon is praising Jayne at the end. She has this little tiny Mona Lisa "I know something you don't" kind of smile. I totally agree. River was definitely picking up on what Jayne was thinking. I have been torn as to whether she can actually read minds or if it's more like an empathic thing. The use of metaphores (Christmas, don't look in the closet, etc.) makes me think it's at least empathic. Uh huh. When the series was originally airing, and I was a lowly ScoopMe poster, I mentioned that that Jayne was sorta reminding me of a particular blonde vampire. The overwhelming audience like for and identification with the "baddie"...who we are slowly seeing get a soul (or a conscience, anyway.) Jayne's path was yet another arc that was being explored. Nobody does this stuff like Joss Whedon and Co. ! ! ! And I loved the fact that the part that Wash is lugging around is the same part that broke in Out of Gas...and when he chucks it, it lands in a huge pile of the same. The only thing..I hope Kaylee picked up a few of them along with the parts for the abulance. I had a problem with the clutch cable on my motorcycle breaking repeatedly...unrepairably. Now, if you look in my saddle bag you will see a spare coiled up. Not a complex part, no, but you break one and you get stuck in the middle of nowhere. It's not easy to ride a bike when you can't shift...which I know from experience. And a final question: They built this nice ambulance from junked parts... what did they do with it later? I don't recall ever seeing it in a hold on the ship later on. I guess perhaps they sold it on some other moon soon after for a profit. Vlad |
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