Is Inara Gay?

POSTED BY: zoid
UPDATED: Saturday, December 11, 2004 17:11
VIEWED: 13543
PAGE 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

ZOID

Monday, December 6, 2004 6:43 PM

Hey, folks...

I was writing something on another thread and had this thought: Is Inara a lesbian? I think it's supportable by evidence. Wouldn't be the first time JW used the theme. It's not that she's in the closet, just that everyone always assumed she was straight, and so never asked her. This might be why she's leaving Mal: he's falling in love with her in a way she cannot reciprocate.

Unfortunately, I'm 'short-turning' for the next couple of days and don't have time to go into detail at this time.

So for now, just try analyzing Inara's actions through that filter, and see what you come up with. When she cries in HoG: What if she were crying because she loves Nandi? The only time she seems genuinely happy after sex is when she's been with the female Counselor in "Jaynestown"; the rest of her encounters leave her looking ambivalent, at best.

Y'all discuss. I gotta go work the next 16 out of 24, not including the 4 hours of drive time. Ugh. I'll try to post a more extensive take in a couple of days.

Sapphically,

zoid
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

GRRARRG

Monday, December 6, 2004 6:51 PM

hmmm... only real counter evidence I can think of is her line to the female counselor in War Stories about "Most of my clients are men . . . so if I take a female client, she has to be special."

Seems pretty clear from that line (or maybe that she just doesn't want the counselor to know, but why would she want that?)

It's very understandable that female clients would be rare, but the key to that line is the need for them to be special.

I mock you with my monkey pants

GROUNDED

Monday, December 6, 2004 7:06 PM

She kisses Mal in Our Mrs. Reynolds when she thinks he's been badly hurt.

ZOID

Monday, December 6, 2004 7:12 PM

grrarrg:

Here's the three minute response (since that's all I've got before hitting the showers):

She sells her sexual favors. This desensitizes her. She normally doesn't take female clients, because she's attracted to females, and doesn't want to desensitize herself to her heart's true desire.

That's why she'll only sell herself to a special woman, with whom she can relax her professional attitude and just be herself, enjoying the act instead of just selling a believable illusion as she does with men. That's a fair paraphrase of what she actually says to the Counselor...

v/r,
-zed

BADGERSHAT

Monday, December 6, 2004 7:51 PM

Zoid, it's rare that I disagree with you outright, but on this one, I gotta.

I think the various and sundry glances between Mal and Inara are too telling, on a real level, for her to be strictly lesbian.

I have no doubt about her being bi, of course (that's pretty evident, given that she takes female clients, and that Companions choose their clients carefully). But outright lesbian, i can't agree with you.

As for HoG, I think it's fairly certain that it's Mal she's crying over, base on what we've seen in the the series thus far, plus Nandi's reaction to her the next morning (and her near-confrontation with Mal about it). And there's that secret of the synringe and all kinds of things for her reason to leave.

Plus, a woman whose career depends on sleeping with large quantities of people can't really have an exclusive relationship, especially not with a man who frowns heavily upon her career vocational choice... she loves him back, but can't give up her life of being a Companion for him. Staying around him would be torture for them both, so she has to leave.

I wonder where she'll be in the opening scenes of te BDM... ? With the crew, elsewhere?

...hhmmm

--Jefé The Hat

***************************
--Don't bother trying to predict, figure out, second guess, criticize, or suggest anything that comes from the mind of Joss Whedon, for you shall usually be wrong, and shall find out the Truth and Purpose in due time.
(This is the Truth of Whedoning)

"I like smackin 'em"--Jayne

SAFFRONFAN

Monday, December 6, 2004 8:54 PM

When she's with the Counselor in War Stories, I think it's more telling of the other woman's preference than her own. Inara is at least a little bi because she chose a woman, but it's the Counselor that is a lesbian.

ZEEK

Monday, December 6, 2004 9:16 PM

You think Inara and Kaylee....you know...I mean the whole "hey you" thing in Serenity the pilot just seems odd. Every time I see that scene it just strikes me as odd. Besides Inara does brush Kaylee's hair in Train Job. Eh? Eh?

But no I don't think Inara is a lesbian. You could almost make a case for it, but I think he kissing passed out Mal and Nandi's near confrontation of Mal put that out of question.

PURPLEBELLY

Monday, December 6, 2004 9:27 PM

You're incorrigible, zoid. I am sure, however, that Inara would just as annoyed at a narrow definition of her sexuality as she would be at being used as bait on a troll

And you know that Inara is leaving Serenity because she received direction to do so in the mail she secreted at the space-port in The Message; my troll for an episode-order flame from TV viewers outside the US That does give us the reason for her tears, though - Reynolds' gauchness enforces the realisation that he lacks the subtlety to survive a confrontation with the Blue Sun faction and Inara will not be there to protect him.

You all know the caveat about Purplebelly's beliefs

AURAPTOR

Monday, December 6, 2004 9:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by zoid:

grrarrg:

Here's the three minute response (since that's all I've got before hitting the showers):

She sells her sexual favors. This desensitizes her. She normally doesn't take female clients, because she's attracted to females, and doesn't want to desensitize herself to her heart's true desire.

That's why she'll only sell herself to a special woman, with whom she can relax her professional attitude and just be herself, enjoying the act instead of just selling a believable illusion as she does with men. That's a fair paraphrase of what she actually says to the Counselor...

v/r,
-zed

By this reasoning, most female companions would be lesbian/bi, eh? I just don't by that. Not now, not in the future, not ever. When Kaylee asks Inara if companions are allowed to date,Inara replies,.... " yes, but it's complicated. "

It's been my experience that women, on the whole, are far more apt to 'play' in a sexual manner w/members of the same sex than men. No, I'm not talking about just seeing this in 'adult movies' either. I've known married women w/ kids and single gals who have made playful, suggestive moves on other women or commented about having entertained such ideas. But clearly, that ain't ALL women. But I digress.

As for Inara, it's clear she isn't as 'puritanical' about sex as Mal is ( * note scene from HoG where he's leaving Nandi's room ), mainly because she's a Companion! (duh) I'd gotta think that one of the things taught at the Academy would be how to make the customer feel as good as possible, but still maintain enough composure and not confuse "business" with love.

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

CHANNAIN

Monday, December 6, 2004 10:51 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by zoid:
She sells her sexual favors. This desensitizes her. She normally doesn't take female clients, because she's attracted to females, and doesn't want to desensitize herself to her heart's true desire.

That's why she'll only sell herself to a special woman, with whom she can relax her professional attitude and just be herself, enjoying the act instead of just selling a believable illusion as she does with men. That's a fair paraphrase of what she actually says to the Counselor...

Okay, it's fair, I'll grant you that. I'd say she normally doesn't take female clients because there may not be that many out there looking for a Companion. She is attracted to females, but she's also attracted to males - wouldn't she need to be attracted to both, in order to do her work?

I'd say her sense of attraction is based more on what she says in "Train Job."

"A Companion chooses her own clients, that's Guild law. But physical appearance doesn't matter so terribly. You look for a compatibility of spirit."

You'll note there's no mention of gender in that statement. I believe Inara responds to beauty, either physically or spiritually. Gender is just a sidebar.

Fans come and fans go...but zealots are with you until the bitter black end.
I draw...therefore I am. http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
Minnesota Meetup - join us! http://firefly.meetup.com/45/

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE