Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free.
But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.
Can I just say? SERENITY. IS. INTENSE. I’m
pretty sure Joss Whedon missed his calling—obviously he was meant to be Master
Torturer or Head Executioner or something like that, because he is just a tiny
bit brutal. I’m torn between sending him fan mail and sending him hate mail—it’s
really a toss-up.
So let’s talk about this.
In my FIREFLY discussion, I introduced
some of the characters, and with them, a bit of the moral ambiguity which forms
the backbone of the show and its companion movie. But I’m not sure I delved
into the many aspects of the story as well as I could have, so let’s go a bit
further, beginning with the two characters who take center stage in SERENITY.
River.
You thought you knew River before? Seriously, no—if you haven’t seen SERENITY,
you haven’t met her yet. Just trust me. The most important thing you need to
realize about River is that she is both extremely old—in that she has suffered
extensive trauma, not to mention the fact that she makes geniuses look like
idiots—and incredibly young—for example, her heavy dependence on Simon. In
FIREFLY, we get a quick glimpse at the dangerous side of River, when she guns
down three men and treats it like a game. Clearly this isn’t an easy case of
cold-blooded killer vs. scared girl acting out of self-defense. What makes this
even less simple is that she exhibits many symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. And
given her unstable nature and her occasional run-ins with the crew, it’s
difficult even to determine whether she’s friend or foe. While she generally feels
bad when she hurts others, it remains uncertain whether she’s able to process
this guilt fully.
Let’s give her a break, though, since she’s
had the government poking and prodding around in her brain, turning her into a
tool for its own use. Yet, after all that, she never intentionally plays the
victim card, which might be why I’m especially fond of her. Considering her
condition, she would be well within her rights to lie down and play dead, so to
speak, to let the others do for her and pick up the slack. Instead, on several occasions,
she risks her life for the lives of her friends and proves how truly strong she
is, despite her brokenness.
Captain
Malcom Reynolds. Mal is a hard nut to crack, in more
ways than one. At first glance, he comes across as cocky and capable, almost
light-hearted, a man who views life as a giant game. But he might possibly be
one of the most broken characters you could ever come across, and he wears his
over-confident exterior as a mask to disguise the part of him that can’t leave
the battle of Serenity Valley behind, no matter how long it’s been since the
end of the war.
In SERENITY, now that Inara is no
longer living aboard the ship, we see a completely different side of Mal, and
it’s more than a little bit unsettling. He is angrier, more unstable, less
predictable. He’s a Firefly with no engine, floating about in the vast
emptiness of space, and I can’t help but wonder if the echo of his pain is loud
enough to drown out almost everything else but his thoughts.
Still, despite his deeply fractured
psyche, he remains one of the best captains out there, because he cares deeply for
his crew and his ship—no matter how poorly he shows it. And he possesses the invaluable
ability to carry on even under the worst of circumstances—goodness knows, he’s
had the practice. Other captains might be softer and kinder, gentler and more
considerate, but few could lead their crews through as many horrific situations
as Mal can without risking mutiny or worse.
Now on to other points of interest.
Simon.
I’ve never been certain what to think about River’s older brother. On the one
hand, he often comes across as weak and defenseless. When it comes to combat,
odds are he’ll lose, and half the time he seems to lack even the will necessary
to fight back. Perhaps, because he is a doctor, he balks at the thought of
inflicting injuries. Or perhaps he is so neat and orderly and calm, right down
to the very core, that he’s forgotten what it’s like to be aggressive. Either
way, he doesn’t seem like a particularly strong character. But if you assumed
that, like I almost did initially, then you would be wrong. Because Simon is
one of the strongest characters in the show.
While he may not be quick to strike
back, and while he may not be able to hold his own in a fist fight—as a general
rule—he isn’t afraid to put himself in harm’s way if it means standing up for
his sister or finding out information he deems important. More often than not,
he thinks of others over himself. Throughout the brief span of the show and the
companion movie, we witness multiple examples of his caring, patient nature as
he deals with his sister’s unsettling mental illness. He never complains, never
belittles River or speaks sharply to her. I’m not sure how many people would be
able to die to self so consistently in order to see to the wellbeing of others.
Jayne might be able to break Simon with his bare hands, and Mal might be able
to outgun him, but they will never sacrifice themselves for others the way
Simon does on a daily basis.
The
Operative and The Reivers. I love this plotline—the man who
fights to keep the truth hidden, and the truth that says we cannot make humans
perfect through our own power. I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil anything
for you. Just know that, in my opinion, Joss Whedon offers a very satisfying conclusion,
both to the mystery surrounding River and to the questions concerning the
Reivers’ origins, while simultaneously introducing a fascinating, terrifying
new character.
The
Alliance. Joss has created my favorite form of
society—the honest kind. On the one hand, we have the stamp of the Alliance—gorgeous
architecture; large, prosperous cities; exceptional healthcare and security. We
have a homogenized cultural landscape, a beautifully balanced blend of Chinese
and American customs with layers of historical reflections. But on the other hand,
we also witness the losses that come with those gains. Beneath the Alliance’s enlightened
front, we get to sample the brutality and the totalitarian undertones—the tension
between the Independents, who only want to be free, and the Alliance, who will
force its ideas of “freedom” on anyone smaller than it. Although the American
and Chinese people of the future have come to terms enough to form a single
cultural alliance, peace is far from complete, and the very efforts to build a
perfectly utopian society are what create worse horrors than international
tensions.
Intensity.
While we never get to see any of our precious darlings hit rock bottom, we do
come pretty close. And I have a theory that, with SERENITY, Joss means to break
his audience rather than his characters. Of course I’m not bitter. But,
suffice it to say, I’m not sure I’ve ever been as invested in a story’s
conclusion as I was in the last, terrifying hour of film. Like I said earlier,
I’m still deciding whether that warrants fan mail and praises or hate mail and
threats.
The
Humor. Fortunately, Joss understands how to balance emotional
roller coasters and dizzying fight/crash scenes with comic relief. So if you
were worried there’d be nothing to laugh at in SERENITY, rest assured, Joss
does not disappoint. Despite the raised stakes and the lowered morale, our
favorite characters are still our favorite characters, and while they fall
quite a few times, they also have the chance to shine.
Time to discuss, my little coffee
beans. If you’ve seen SERENITY (and/or FIREFLY) what are your thoughts? I haven’t
really mentioned Shepherd Book, but I’d love to know your opinion of him. What
is your take on the Alliance and the Chinese/American cultural blend?
