It never crossed my mind that Book might have been an Operative, I was thinking he was some kind of handler for them.
And Kaylee, what the hell's goin' on in the engine room? Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?
Mal ,'The Train Job'
Firefly 4: Also, we can kill you with our brains
Discussion of the Mutant Enemy series, Firefly, the ensuing movie Serenity, and other projects in that universe. Like the other show threads, anything broadcast in the US is fine; spoilers are verboten and will be deleted if found.
askye - Oct 01, 2005 9:28:50 am PDT #5471 of 10001
Thrive to spite them
Atropa - Oct 01, 2005 9:38:13 am PDT #5472 of 10001
The artist formerly associated with cupcakes.
It's like -- Wesley's death made sense, but it upset me. *That* was effective enough -- why make it a bitchslap? I just don't get that. It doesn't make the death any more effective.
I think this is why Wash's death bothers me so much. Because while it was necessary to the plot, it *feels to me* like there was a bitchslap, a malicious edge to it. There's a very calculated "how can I make this even more of a a hurtful shock" tone to it in my head.
It knocked me out of my sense of complacency and surface comfort in my ability to protect myself by second-guessing the plot. The bitchslap put more life into my fiction, and for me, not in a bad way.
I totally get that. And yes, it did the same to me, except for me it was in a bad way.
Glamcookie - Oct 01, 2005 9:45:27 am PDT #5473 of 10001
I know my own heart and understand my fellow man. But I am made unlike anyone I have ever met. I dare to say I am like no one in the whole world. - Anne Lister
If they crashed and Wash got killed in the impact, or if he got killed in the big fight afterwards, it would have made sense. Those are situations in which people are in mortal danger. But not after landing and breathing a sigh of relief. Doing it that way is kind of an unfair emotional bitchslap.
But after they landed, the Reavers were still coming after them. Wasn't the thing that killed Wash something that was fired at Serenity by the Reavers? That's what I thought and it made perfect sense. Somebody had to die in that fight. Wash biting it the way that he did was awesome because in most movies, you'd expect the death to be during a great battle scene. This was unexpected but totally believable in the storyline. This is what Joss is fucking fantastic at - doing the unexpected but having it be a believable part of the story he's telling.
Jars - Oct 01, 2005 9:50:13 am PDT #5474 of 10001
I liked Wash's death because it wasn't noble and heroic. There was no sacrifice. It was just a shitty thing that happened, the same way shitty things happen every day. It made it a lot more real to me than Book's hanging-on-to-life-to-give-inspiring-speech type death.
Narrator - Oct 01, 2005 9:56:58 am PDT #5475 of 10001
The evil is this way?
I liked -- but didn't love -- the movie. Maybe love will come on seeing it again. As for Book's and Wash's deaths -- if I didn't love the TV series I wouldn't have cared much if at all. They were too minor in the movie for me to have had any connection to them without the prior connection in the series. Book in particular. I thought that either Simon or River or even Kaylee would die, because there had been some time spent with their characters in the movie. As it was, it felt like Wash's death was just the loss of a pilot. Gina Torres did a great job of conveying Zoe's reaction to Wash's death. I know her character cared. (So did Kaylee.) But the movie didn't tell me why the audience should.
AllAroundPsycho - Oct 01, 2005 10:01:57 am PDT #5476 of 10001
If wishes were horses we'd all be eating steak.
While skimming, I saw that a few folks mentioned that Wash's death was pointless. In the context of BDM1, it is a little pointless. Where we will really see the point of it is in BDM2 and BDM3 (if we are so lucky). This is when we will see a different Zoe. Wash's death was necessary for Zoe to change; and that's something that Joss does. He changes his characters over time. Joss is likely going to tell us the major stories that he wanted to tell with the series through the movies. People were going to die - people were going to change. You don't give Joss 9 characters and expect them all to come out at the end smiling, happy, and ready to go get some ice cream together.
Liese S. - Oct 01, 2005 10:03:06 am PDT #5477 of 10001
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."
AAAAaaaaarrrrghhhh! Arhghgh! Argh.
I can't believe they killed Wash.
I loved the movie. Let's start by saying that. I loved it and although I wouldn't say "enjoyed" precisely, I was entertained.
Then all the way home I nitpicked and complained and whined. But that's just the fandom in me. I wouldn't be a fan if I couldn't complain.
But I can't believe they killed Wash. And Book, too, I suppose, but I kinda saw that coming for narrative and real world reasons.
And also? Tim woulda killed 'em better.
Eddie - Oct 01, 2005 10:04:55 am PDT #5478 of 10001
Your tag here.
One thing I couldn't figure out was that Mal broke The Operative's back during the fight, correct? Am I to assume that medical science is so advanced they were able to fix him so he could have the speech with Mal at the end? Joss didn't really provide any explanation such as a robotic exoskeleton or somesuch as to why he's able to walk again.
Topic!Cindy - Oct 01, 2005 10:08:50 am PDT #5479 of 10001
What is even happening?
In the context of BDM1, it is a little pointless. Where we will really see the point of it is in BDM2 and BDM3 (if we are so lucky).Wash was such an accessible character for me (in the series) that I don't even care about BDMs 2 and 3, with him dead. I know there's meta-spec that AT mightn't have been available for future BDMs, but still...
AllAroundPsycho - Oct 01, 2005 10:12:02 am PDT #5480 of 10001
If wishes were horses we'd all be eating steak.
Wash was such an accessible character for me (in the series) that I don't even care about BDMs 2 and 3, with him dead.We are mourning Wash just like the characters are mourning Wash. Part of the reason of seeing BDM2 and BDM3 is seeing how the characters move on and deal with his loss. Just like we are. Don't you want to see this?