The bastard

he killed Washy

I know this has already been addressed, but my impression re: The Operative and the gummint and the end of the movie was:

The Operative didn't know or give a rat's ass why the Alliance wanted River. He had no idea what "the secret" was. I also got the impression that the Alliance had no idea what River knew...but they were sure she knew somethin', that's fer gosh-darn sure.

So The Operative hunted and tracked and trapped Serenity and was *real* surprised when Serenity shows up lookin' all uglified and gross and towin' a passle o' Reavers.

(This faux-Western speech just comes nat'ral when talkin' Serenity. Go figger.)

(Also...when Serenity busts outta that cloud and the Operative is all smug and then the Reavers bust outta the cloud...me and Aimee looked at each other and said "And what *you* don't seem to realize is that *my* ship is towing *mines*".

Ahem. GalaxyQuest reference. I'm only slightly embarrassed.)

When Mal shows the Operative the Special Extended Edition of "Miranda and The Secret of Pax", well...big shock to the Big Op, big blow to the Big Belief and Operative turns his coat.

I'm sure the Alliance, despite the Operative's assurance, would not just shrug and go "Damage done, time for the spin doctors" ("Two by two, they'll bullshit you") but smile kindly and, the instant the Operative is out of the room call Operative Part Deux and say "Yeah, whatever. She may *also* know about Councilman Pervo's secret harem of choir boys, so get cracking and get killin'. Plus, duh, we spent a brazillion Uni-Bucks torturing this girl, enhancing her psychic abilities and showing her how to Jackie Chan the shit out of anyone we point at and say 'Sic 'em' so, you know...go gets us our money and our *other* secrets back, wouldja?"

In other words, out of all the craxy crammed in that girl's cranium, the Reavers may be only one li'l ol' thing.

In other news: I do not think Book was an Operative. I do think he was a Fed...the Alliance version of a G-Man. Book was a bad-ass, but he wasn't the level of Bad Assedness that the Operative was. But Book did know a lot about crime. He just smelled like a cop to me. I am muy disappointed we won't get that backstory, but c'est la vie.

I was disappointed that Wash died, but I also thought it was brilliant. Some people may take issue with this, but I thought it was worth it just because it kept me on the edge of my seat for the rest of the movie half-convinced that all or any of them were going to die and that Mal would fail. Joss is just crazy, just mean enough that...I could see it. I could see Mal failing to broadcast the signal and it all ending on a "Mwah hah hah" Twilight Zone "screw you" note.

I'll miss Wash. But I miss lots of people. If I drank less coffee before going shooting I might improve.

The very odd thing is that I was almost completely unmoved by Wash's death in the preview. Sad, and sad for Zoe, but aside from Zoe's reaction it seemed kind of small and incidental until I saw the tombstones (okay, and THAT DRESS).

This time -- from the moment they began dodging and weaving, all I could think was "He has about ninety seconds to live. Oh, God, Zoe's glancing over at him in the pilot's seat, and she looks all queasy from the bumpy ride but utterly certain of him, and she's only got another sixty seconds to look at him, ever. Oh, dear Lord, he's so frightened and so sure and talking himself through this thing he can barely do but knows he's got to, and he has just thirty seconds. OH GOD NO PLEASE LET IT BE DIFFERENT NO NO NO." And with the sobbing.

His death still feels awful and pointless and is still a sheer misery, but I'm almost (almost) glad that if Wash had to die, ever, if he couldn't dodge death for all of eternity, that he died (quickly and likely near painlessly) in a moment of triumph, knowing he'd brought his boat and his wife and the rest of his chosen family down to land, that he'd dodged a thousand flying missiles and a cannibal ship and did it, brought them all in battered but safe. I'm all sorrowful and angry for everyone else, especially Zoe and the child that'll never be, but for Wash himself (if for no one else in his 'verse or ours) it wasn't a bad death.

Ahem. GalaxyQuest reference. I'm only slightly embarrassed.

Dude. No need for even slight embarrassment in this crowd.

Need to see it again this weekend.

I had honestly forgotten (blocked out, perhaps) the sequence that ends up with Wash's death. I mean, I remembered that he died, but had managed to COMPLETELY forget when/where etc. So, HSQ a second time.

So The Operative hunted and tracked and trapped Serenity and was *real* surprised when Serenity shows up lookin' all uglified and gross and towin' a passle o' Reavers.

I loved how the Operative was totally unflappable throughout the film and then he was suddenly OMGWTFREAVERS! As they say, everybody is afraid of something, and it would make sense that someone so focused on order like the Operative would be frightened of the sheer unreasoned chaos of the Reavers.

I loved how the Operative was totally unflappable throughout the film and then he was suddenly OMGWTFREAVERS!

I didn't particularly notice that. However shall I correct this moment of inattention?

But Book did know a lot about crime. He just smelled like a cop to me.

In suspicioulsy sharp clothing on a NYPD Detective's salary?

In suspicioulsy sharp clothing on a NYPD Detective's salary?

Now that you mention it...yeah! YEAH!

He was "on the take" as they say.

He was "on the take" as they say.

Clearly.

And groovy. We KNOW the shepherd was once groovy.