I wanted to have a discussion of the movie Serenity. There will be major spoilers, so don’t click “More” unless you’ve seen the movie already. BTW, the first week’s box office draw was a little disappointing, but Firefly awareness must be up considering that the DVD set of the series is ranked number 2 in DVD sales right now.
Anyhoo, onto the discussion…
They killed Wash!
Yeah, Book is a big loss too, but his addition to the series (and the movie) was more subtle. He leaves a big hole, but the death of Wash is more devastating because he was comic relief. You don’t kill comic relief. Plus, it happened at a time when there was too much going on to reflect about it.
It certainly had a huge effect to the drama, though; I really thought they were all going to be killed off when each of the crew started to become injured during the Reaver fight. I probably would not have thought that if they hadn’t already so devastatingly killed off Wash.
Still, it’s hard to imagine more Firefly without him… and where will Mal get more moral guidance without Book (or for that matter, Jayne – “As the Shepherd once told me: If you can’t do something smart, do something right.”)? Also, what do you think was Book’s past?
Apparently, both Ron Glass and Alan Tudyk are signed on for two more pictures (if they get made, that is) along with the other seven actors who play the crew members, though.
And what does happen now? Who thinks the Operative fell on his sword? He looked more dressed for traveling. Personally, I thought that was a satisfying ending with him, but I think some will disagree. It actually forms an interesting arc if you go back to the beginning of the series. Mal lost his faith at the Battle of Serenity Valley, and the he regains it as he destroys the beliefs of another.
Anyway, what are everyone else’s thoughts and ideas on the movie and perhaps sequels? Is there anything that is still a question in your mind?
Also, what is your favorite line from the movie? A lot of people seem to like two different ones from Kaylee, but for me, (aside from the “I aim to misbehave,” line that I already have been using), my favorite is this exchange:
The Operative: Are you willing to die for your beliefs?
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Yes…
[he fires]Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: ‘Course, that ain’t plan A.
‘Course, that ain’t plan A.
Classic.
And first.
I think the beauty of the series was that, while Wash was obviously the most “comic” of the characters, he was by no means the only one capable of delivering comic relief.
Think: “Do you want to run this ship?” “Yes!” “Well… you can’t!”. Mal, Kaylee, and Jayne are more than able to deliver comedic relief, albeit at strange times. The doctor – well, not so much. River’s comedy seems to come more through expressions and body language than outright dialog and delivery.
I think that’s one of the best things about Whedon’s work – he breaks all the stereotypes quite effectively. No one character is pigeonholed into the “comic relief” role, nor the “hero” role, nor the “nerd” role. His characters are complex and, as in the real world, are breakable and killable. All that being said, I really want a pony, a plastic rocket and a Serenity
“If you can’t do something smart, do something right.”
A great line to live by.
Uhh, what happened to my last line? Shoulda read: “All that being said, I really want a pony, a plastic rocket and a Serenity sequel.”
Yeah, I still hate the fact that they killed Wash, but I acknowledge the necessity of the impact that it had on the movie. But as you said, all 9 of the actors are signed on to do more movies, so … flashbacks, I guess?
Maybe one of River’s abilities will be a la Whoopi Goldberg’s in Ghost, and the spirit of Wash will inhabit her and there will be a Zoe-River kissing scene.
Uh, which I am totally not looking forward to.
I don’t think The Operative fell on the sword… if I had to pick a possible career path for him, I would say… RONIN? Come on, I can’t believe you didn’t say it first.
As far as quotes go, I’ve got to go with
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: While I’m gone, Zoe is in command. Now, if I’m not back in an hour, I want you to take this ship, take off… and you come and you rescue me!
ZoÃŽ Warren: What? And risk my new ship?
OR
Jayne Cobb: Hell, I’ll kill a man in a fair fight or if I think he’s gonna start a fair fight or if he bothers me or if there’s a woman or if I’m gettin paid, mostly only when I’m gettin paid.
I loved the movie, and really hope word of mouth gets people in the theaters to see it. I made my cousin, who had never seen the series, go see it with me, and he loved it. I am still very curious about Book’s past, even though he’s dead. Hopefully more of his past will come out in sequel that I’m praying is made.
Favorite line: “plan A” runs right up there, but I’m also fond of “While I’m gone, Zoe is in command. Now, if I’m not back in an hour, I want you to take this ship, take off… and you come and you rescue me!” Now that sounds like a real person!
(Oh, and in memory of Wash: “Can we start with the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a 90 pound girl? Because that’s never getting old.”)
The killing of Wash was very effective movie-wise; not only did it raise the tension when everyone else kept getting severely wounded, its sheer randomness added a level of realism to the whole thing. Sometimes people die, suddenly, for no discernible reason, and we mere mortals must struggle to figure out what it’s all about. The movie makes us face that, just like in real life. (I also liked how Zoe’s reaction to Wash’s loss is underplayed but can be seen in her recklessness in the Reaver fight for those who were paying attention.)
I especially liked the way Mal set up The Operative. Maybe that really is what a world without sin looks like: either no volition at all or pure insanity in which the concept of sin can’t even be processed. Sure, the world is messy, but did we really like that look of a clean one?
What happens now? Well, revenge, obviously. Mal’s ticked off quite a few Parliament types, plus there’s good ol’ Niska and Patience and any relatives of the safe haven massacres that might hold a grudge. Mal then decides whether he wants to run or attack; a third movie might see him as a leader of a resurgent Browncoat movement (in which we could see The Operative, now with a name and a wife.) Crew must be added, possibly with someone who will cause sexual tension with either Mal/Inara or Zoe. Book and Wash show up either in dreams or in flashbacks (especially if Zoe has a new love interest), and Mal may trade on Book’s contacts in furthering his mission (in which I think we’ll find that Book was a powerful but corrupt cop who went too far but finally repented, although the struggle was still there–see “Objects In Space” for River’s mind-reading of him.)
Well, I think that hit all the major points.
I thought that the movie made apparant, especially when viewed in light of some moments in the series, that Book was very much like the Operative, and propably had a similar epiphany. This would put the Operative onto a path toward redemption. Being familiar with Joss’s work, I’m sure we’ll see him again if enough sequals get made.
I watched Firefly as it originally aired on Fox, which began with the Train Job. I came as a science-fiction fan, not a Joss Whedon fan. I didn’t particularly care about Buffy, although the few times I watched it I could tell its quality. I didn’t watch Angel at all. In short, I loved the set up, the banter in the bar, the barfight itself, and the arrival of Serenity. Great. The Train Job itself was a disappointment, althought the Mishka character had promise. The “Starship Troopers” uniforms on the Alliance feds amused me. The subplot with the sick miners and the special drugs was a huge groaner for me. I almost kissed the series goodbye right there (more ‘Next Generation’ social work). Then Mal kicked the goon into the air intake and I thought that I might stick around after all.
Glad I did. Firefly was the best written science fiction show (IMAO) since the original Star Trek, which is dated but a product of its post-World War II, mid Cold-War era. Firefly was fresh and new. And damn good. I hunted for it, was disappointed by baseball pre-emptions, and heartbroken when the Firefly was replaced by The Bachelor. Then the DVDs came out, and I could love the show all over again, in its proper context.
So, although the whole Brownshits cult thing is annoying, I was a real advocate for the show among my friends and eagerly awaited the movie.
Serenity was a very good movie. It had elements of Firefly, but lacked the contemplative moments that the series provided. The interludes in space dwelling on the ship with a few guitar chords. Some banter around the dinner table. A smile here and there. But it had Jayne and Mal in fine form, and Whedon’s dialogue was in tune, if revving a little high. The story jumped around a bit, but that was fine, I guess.
Here’s what I didn’t like:
* Mr. Universe. Big mistake. Lousy character. What’s with the fembot? Stupid. Dopey. Unnecessary. They couldn’t find another way to get “The Signal” out on the Cortex without inventing this guy? “What about Mr. Universe?” I almost laughed in Wash’s face.
* The space battle. I won’t even go into it.
* The Reavers. It was one of the elements of the series that I hoped would disappear or be shoved into the background in the movie. Just annoying and implausible. “28 Days Later” neo-zombies operating and maintaining spacecraft? I’m trying to imagine the dialogue on the bridge. Or maybe they are semi-normal until bloodlust overcomes them? Like in the Firefly pilot when Mal doesn’t want to set them off by bolting: “They’ll have to chase us, it’s their way.” Perhaps. But I’m making excuses.
* Alliance destroying population centers and outposts. Didn’t buy it. What’s the point of having an Operative hunt for River clandestinely if the Fleet is going to go around blasting stuff out in the open? The Alliance is at least a nominal democracy. There’s clearly news coverage. People are going to start asking questions. Too messy. And it doesn’t seem like The Operative’s style.
* Miranda. I had mixed feelings about this world as a plot device. Good concept: an additive that makes you a docile and/or a good citizen but backfires or has nasty side effects. Reminded me of the Fiendish Floridators from Illuminati. General Ripper’s paranoia about precious bodily fluids. Soma. The Ludovice Technique. It’s a tried and true sci-fi premise. But if pax made you stop going to work, and you simply stopped caring and died from personal neglect, how come people were shown dead at their workstations? Didn’t make sense. And no messages were sent out from Miranda during the weeks/months/years the pax additive was having its effect? Nobody came and went from the planet? It was problematic.
* Hand-to-hand combat. Too much of it. Mal takes Kirk-like abuse and keeps fighting. Come on now.
Okay, here’s what I liked:
* It was Firefly enough.
* It’s a solar system. Finally that question is settled. I’m fine with it. All of those planets (and moons) in the habitable zone of a single star? You can terraform that many worlds in so shor a period of time? Why not. It’s cool.
* The ‘verse. I love the outposts and stations and interesting enclaves all over the place. This is a living, breathing universe and Joss Whedon should be proud of it. I like being in it.
* The politics. There’s enough gray for people to find their own meaning. Some reviewers (Salon) say the Alliance is the Bush Administration. Some (most everybody else) say Serenity represents is the freedom of the human spirit in the face of the nanny state. What I like is the fact that the Alliance is not a monolithic moustache-twirling evil empire. There are clearly many factions and many differences between those in power.
So, as for the sequal. If there is one, which appears doubtful, at least for the present given the wan revenues Serenity is pulling in, I think a second Civil War might be in order. Perhaps a putsch staged by the anti-pluralistic factions in the Alliance, for the good of the people, of cource. I would like to see pro-democracy Alliance factions teaming up with former Independents to fight the rise of the People’s Republic.
Great show. A worthy movie. Here’s hoping they keep flying.
Book was a former operative – I am convinced of that. It would explain a lot. I also dont think the current operative killed himself.
Sucks that they killed Wash off, and I felt sorta sick to my stomach when it happened, because they really didnt have much time to sit around and say, “Dangit! That was my husband! He was funny!” But before that, it seemed like all the characters were invincible, after that, you expected them all to die. (Especially when Simon got shot.) So, in terms of an actual meaningful plot – that blows Star Wars away – it was important.
More good lines (paraphrased):
Jayne – “That girl is starting to damage my calm.”
The Operative – “Target the Reavers! Shoot them! exasperated SOMEBODY START SHOOTING!”
Zoe – “Great, we can finally retire from this life of crime.”
2 guys in the bar: “It amuses us how you keep all those people on that flying piece of crap.”
“Oh, we go on and on.”
MP, youve spent some time pondering this, havent you? lol – I have an answer that will soothe your nerves: it’s a movie. take a deep breath. the science is not going to be perfect. some things are going to seem suspiciously convenient. that’s because they are telling a story…
take a deep breath 🙂
You’re right of course, Citizen. But this is a discussion, and disagreeing is more interesting than agreeing.
If I was picky about the science, I’d talk about the gravity on the space ships, maneuvering like fighters in space, instant communications across a solar system, or any number of things. I’m willing to let a lot go on background for the sake of the story (rapid terraforming, solar system mechanics, etc,). Otherwise you enjoy most popular science fiction at all. But when you put science front and center as your main plot device (pax = deadly enui + Reavers), I start asking questions.
It’s my nature. All things considered, love the show.
Favorite movie line:
“Spend an hour with him.”
Favorite line:
Operative: “I’m not armed.”
Mal: “Good.” Bang.
Note to self: in similar situation, shoot him in the head.
“Note to self: in similar situation, shoot him in the head.”
Two to the chest, one to the head. Chest shots hurt, even with armor. Head shots are hard.
Loved the movie, even never having watched the series. (I was taken to an advance screening by a friend, and since then have watched the series on DVD & the Sci-Fi channel.) Obviously, there’s lots of picky things I could point out, although I think MP hit just about everything that needs to be complained about. But frankly, I enjoyed it immensely anyway, and will probably go see it again next week. I’m really hoping that either more movies will be made or that the TV series will be resurrected. It is, IMHO, the best sci-fi original concept to come along in…ever?
Here’s the deal: I think any movie sequels will be prequels. There’s lots of story between the end of the series and the beginning of the movie. Even the 3-issue comic did not come close to filling all that in. I could be very wrong, but without Book & Wash, it wouldn’t have the same balance as before, and the chemistry of the whole thing would be off. Out of the whole scope of the cast, if you take away its conscience (Book) and its solid sense of humor (Wash), it loses its balance. And that’s not even going with the loss of the one-step-forward, two-steps-back relationship between Simon & Kaylee, or Mal & Inara finally starting to get with the program. There’s still lots of story to explore, though, even if I’m wrong and they pick up where they left off.
Over all, good movie, good series, want more.
I especially liked the way Mal set up The Operative. Maybe that really is what a world without sin looks like: either no volition at all or pure insanity in which the concept of sin can’t even be processed. Sure, the world is messy, but did we really like that look of a clean one?
slarrow,
I took it to mean that a world without sin is a world without life. Not a matter of lack of volition or insanity, but the view of Miranda after all was over: a dead world.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the series.
Part of this is unavoidable. A 2 hour movie simply doesn’t have the time to develop the long, interweaving story lines of a TV series. However, as I watch my DVDs, it occurs to me that the most enjoyable parts of the series are the parts where the characters are interacting with each other: Around the dining table, BSing on the bridge, horsing around in the loading bay, etc. Not only were these fun exchanges, but they had a ring of authenticity to them that is lacking from so much of popular entertainment today. So, more of that would have been good.
The ending: Big disaapointment. Leaving the Operative alive after all that? Thinking that this committed, stone-cold killer will simply switch sides after seeing a video? A guy who has no qualms about masscring innocents is going to give up his ’cause’ that easily? I don’t buy it, and the ending seems very TV-like and hokey. Mal should have killed him. Hell, he’s killed other men for a lot less.
The “resolution” of the sexual tension between Kaylee and Simon also seemed forced and almost “tacked on” at the end. And it removes one of the best dramatic plots of the series. So what now? With Wash dead, does that mean that Simon and Kaylee become the lovable bickering couple on the ship? I’m not sure I like that – both Alan Tudyk and Gina Torres seemed to have a nice chemistry, I don’t know if Jewell Staite and Sean Maher can match it and I think it will suffer by comparison.
I do hope we see more of Shepherd Book, even if it’s in flashbacks. A great character who, like all the other Serenity characters, manages to be strongly drawn without being a hackneyed cliche.
And finally, while we’re on the subject of cliches, I’m getting so tired of the “90-pound-girl-is-a-martial-arts-genius” bit. It seems so forced, so phony, so cliched, and so obviously an element of wish fulfillment that it seriously detracts from my enjoyment of the movie. Whether it’s “Kim Possible” or Jessica Alba in “Dark Angel”, it just robs the whole piece of any shred of believability. The only one who could really pull it off was Linda Hamilton in T2, and even there we at least saw her working out and saw some muscle on her (and she wasn’t a teenybopper, either, which helped.) She also wasn’t afraid to use weapons, whereas this current crop of ass-kicking waifs always seem to shun firearms (“No touching guns!”)
As I said, all in all, an enjoyable movie, but not as fulfilling or satisfying as the series.
Favorite line (man I’m surprised nobody else has said this one):
Paraphrasing Kaylee: “I ain’t had nothin’ between my nethers that didn’t run on batteries for near two years!”
Martin
PS: I forgot one last gripe: Not enough Morena Baccarin!
What does Joss Whedon have against normal healthy relationships? We’ve seen it in Buffy, and now we see it here. You have the happy married couple, so naturally one of them has to bite it. (In a way it’s good that it was Wash, Zoe’s much more fun to look at).
As for Shepard Book, will we find out what his deal was? Was he some sort of reformed criminal or what?
If they do make two more films (which is doubtful) all that will be left at the end of the third will be Simon and Jayne. (Simon’s kind of irritating, so he’ll pull through, and Jayne is too funny to kill).
I forgot the other thing that bothered me: In the series, whenever ships were flying or maneuvering through space, there were no “whooshing” sounds like every other TV show or movie about space has. That was a nice touch and added to the authenticity of the show. But in “Serenity” they decided to add back all the “swooshy” space sounds for the final battle, which was a big disappointment.
Ooh, I just remember my favorite line:
Jayne – “Hell, I’ll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if I think he’s gonna start a fair fight. Or if he bothers me. Or if there’s a woman. Or if I’m gettin’ paid. Mostly only when I’m gettin’ paid.”
That movie was almost TOO shiny!
The other day I read: “It’s what Star Wars would have been, IF it had focused on Han Solo….and Han had shot first.” Yah.
“Piece of shrapnel tore up that nerve group in my first battle during the war – had have it moved….sorry about the throat.”
– MuscleDaddy
P.S. – Love the explanation for the Reavers…and they DON’T maintain ships, which is why they tend to cook off their crews – my guess is they pull a smash-n-grab when they need another ship. I invent that they don’t kill each other because something about their condition makes ’em taste yucky.
That movie was almost TOO shiny!
The other day I read: “It’s what Star Wars would have been, IF it had focused on Han Solo….and Han had shot first.” Yah.
“Piece of shrapnel tore up that nerve group in my first battle during the war – had have it moved….sorry about the throat.”
– MuscleDaddy
P.S. – Love the explanation for the Reavers…and they DON’T maintain ships, which is why they tend to cook off their crews – my guess is they pull a smash-n-grab when they need another ship. I invent that they don’t kill each other because something about their condition makes ’em taste yucky.
Whedon’s said in interviews that the events in Serenity would have occurred around the third year if he had gotten the five year run he was hoping for so… he should have plenty of story left for sequels. I’ve also heard that the next two will be prequels so we’ll get to see Book & Wash again.
Craig observed: “Head shots are hard” …
That’s why we practice, practice, practice!
MuscleDaddy sez – “I invent that they don’t kill each other because something about their condition makes ’em taste yucky.”
So, there’s no mayo in the future? Everything tastes good w/mayo on it.
Losing Wash was pretty devestating (so was losing Book, but I had sort of braced myself for that one from the moment I heard it implied that a main character was going to die). That had me pissed off at Whedon all weekend.
Overall it was a great movie, but I think it missed the spirit of the show in a lot of small ways, though that was probably innevitable with the move to the big sceen and the hope of finding a bigger audience.
I wish they didn’t burn so many bridges that I had wanted to see crossed on the series some day. Either way, hopefully this movie won’t be the last of Firefly.
I’m still partial to “Did you see us fighting?” “No.” “Trap.”
I won’t say it’s exactly my favorite line, but the line I’ve been quoting the most is “Sure would be nice if we HAD SOME GRENADES!”
Martin:
“Thinking that this committed, stone-cold killer will simply switch sides after seeing a video?”
I never got the impression that the Operative “switched sides”. He never seemed the sort to be out for revenge. By the time he was helping Malcolm and the crew, the events he was trying to prevent (the revelation of the secret) had already come to pass — there wasn’t any reason for him to keep trying to kill them (or, indeed, to refuse to help them). Of course, I’m pretty solidly on the side of his falling on his sword just after his conversation with Mal, so maybe I’m just insane.
The Reavers are Miranda survivors that had the wrong reaction to the PAX additive in the air. Instead of going docile, they went aggressive. Very aggressive. But they didn’t “lose their minds,” nor did they lose any intelligence. All that knowledge would have still been there, along with a lot of misplaced aggression.
In my mind, here’s how things went down:
There were probably evacuations ordered by those on Miranda when the effects of PAX became clear. Alliance forces may have blockaded the planet, firing at any escaping ships. Those affected by PAX in the docile way wouldn’t have reacted properly. Indecision, inability to act, all these things would have led to many ships being destroyed. But there were bound to have been the aggressive people on board. They took over, ensuring survival of those on the ships, hence the existence of a Reaver fleet. Those that were agressive fought back, maybe even driving off the Alliance ship(s). SO now there’s a whole collection of, basically, criminally insane people with spaceships. Remember, just because you’re crazy, doesn’t mean you can’t function. You think the BTK killer in Kansas was sane? How about all those cannibalistic/headhunting tribes in various jungles around the world? Those folks in Rwanda and the Sudan running around chopping up women and children with machetes remind me a LOT of the Reavers. Fortunately for the ‘verse, the Reavers are probably too mean to organize, which is why they just sit there in space, apart from the random raiding party.
Politically, I think the Alliance are Democrats. They want to run everything and tell us how to think. Sounds like Democrats and all thier welfare, ACLU, Social Security talk. The Reavers are the chaos that results in no moral judgement, while those on the frontier, the religious, the neighborly, the MORAL, are those that are in the right.
Right wing that is.
I was also quite angry after seeing the movie, about Wash’s death. It didn’t seem necessary, just something to do for shock value. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but aside from that I really liked the movie. I of course love the whole concept of sticking it to the all-powerful “We are your friends” government.
On the romantic side, I figured from the last few episodes of the series the Mal and Inara were getting really close to either acknowledging their feelings or driving themselves apart. As for Simon and Kaylee on the other hand, I sort of hoped that Simon would continue to put his foot in his mouth and let his snobbyness shine through, thus repulsing Kaylee, like he did in the series.
I would definitely have preferred that they keep the in-space sequences relatively silent. I think they tried to pass it off by having the battle occur close enough to the planet so one could think they could be on the fringes of the upper atmosphere.
However, for the shots from inside Serenity through that sequence, the sound was masterfully done. Lots of rattling and clanging, really gave the impression that this ship is under some serious structural stress.
Favorite line? That’s tough. But here’s a good one no one’s mentioned:
Jayne:”You shoot me if they [Reavers]take me!”
Mal: (takes aim)
Jayne: “Well don’t shoot me first!”
Regarding the Operative: I don’t think he fell on his sword. Dramatically, you would want to show us that. The only reason to leave the issue in doubt is to use the character in the future.
I don’t think it’s a matter os switching sides. I think it was an epiphany, as Stack pointed out earlier in this thread. Recall the look in the Operative’s eyes as he digested the contents of the video. Without an epiphany, there would be no reason not to have his men cut down the Serenity crew. In fact, that would make sense in a gotterdamerung sort of way, concluding with his falling on his sword.
One thing makes it clear to me that the Operative had a change of heart. Until reading this thread, it had not even ocurred to me that Book had once been an Operative who had his own epiphany in the past. Now it seems clear that this was the case. Obvious, even.
Redemption of the wicked is a strong theme. I think it would be very fitting that the Operative would have an opportunity to follow the path of Book, who he killed. Come to think of it, imagine what terrible things Book had done in his days as an Operative before his own epiphany.
Bravo, Joss Whedon!
Everybody say it with me:
RONIN. Masterless Samurai.
The Operative realizes that his boss has no clothes, and at the same time has probably been disavowed for failure to succeed in his mission.
So now you have an extremely well-trained, resourceful, eloquent, ex-Operative with no ties, little/no conscience, guns AND swords, and a penchant for butt-kicking,
I smell mini-series.
The Operative I believe stated at one point that he did not want to know what secrets he was protecting. I think when he saw it for himself that it made him feel like he may be protecting something that wasn’t worth protecting, he couldn’t justify protecting it. Especially since he presumably saw the footage of the Reavers attacking that woman, which even Jayne couldn’t bare to watch.
whereas this current crop of ass-kicking waifs always seem to shun firearms (“No touching guns!”)
River only says that in response to Mal giving her the same order earlier in that episode. We know from the episode War Crimes that River is actually pretty bad ass with a firearm.
I loved Serenity. I had never seen Firefly but the movie made me want to buy the DVD series.(unfortunately I can’t because im too poor.)
YOU GIT!
Cuts don’t show up on RSS, and I ain’t seen the picture yet! 🙁
Oh well, you guys is funny, I forgive you.
I went with a guy who worked with some of the CGI crew, and he stuck around just to see his friends names in the credits. He had never seen the show, but after hearing how cool it was from his pals he ran out and bought the box set. We both thought it was really cool, and even his wife thought it was good.
As a side note: Star Southfield in Michigan had bad screen artifacts during the movie. When we complained to the staff, the manager walked away from the service desk into a different room rather then talk to us. Don’t see the movie there, the staff attitude was very poor and they were very unhelpful.
River: I swallowed a bug!
Mal regained his faith? What did I miss, Frank?
Wish I could remember the exact lines, but one of my favorite exchanges was between the vault guard and Mal right before the Reavers hit. Heavily paraphrased due to poor memory:
Mal: “Should be a clean shot through the shoulder, won’t hit nothing vital.”
Guard: “Er, I was thinking more along the lines of a grazing shot.”
Mal: “But you want them to think you put up a fight, you don’t want them thinking you gave in from a scratch on the arm!”
It took me a second to realize they were discussing where Mal should shoot the guard as calmly as other people discuss the weather.
Frank, the whole point of the end of the show with the Operative was to tell you what Books’ past was.
He was an Operative of course.
Notice how the Operative says sadly at the end of the movie “There is nothing left to see.” He’s totally disillusioned and wishes redemption. Which is clearly what happened to Book.
The rest is just details.
-ron
Book was parliment, he was also instrumental in getting Simon access to River during the escape. That’s why he was on the same planet at the same time in the original meeting episode. He was there to guide the weapon to the target. Simon wasn’t aware of his involvment. Book knew about Miranda, he fought back, River was his weapon. Remember his words to Mal, “Believe in River”.