Jayne's betrayal? Too soon? Inara's leaving too soon?

POSTED BY: GwenHarker
UPDATED: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 20:16
VIEWED: 4625
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GWENHARKER

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 2:00 AM

I was listening to the Serenity commentary this afternoon and I was watching the end with Jayne and Mal talking about him betraying Mal and it got me wondering:

Did Joss have Jayne betray Simon and River at the point he did because it would've been easier to redeem Jayne than if he had betrayed them in the next season?

Also, what about Inara? Was her character only meant to be around for a season and that's why she was going to leave?

I'm pretty sure the executing of these two events were maybe due to the possibility of cancellation but I'm curious to hear all of your opinions.

MALICIOUS

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 2:45 AM

Joss always has a reason. Jayne was being set up by Mr. Whedon and Co. from the beginning to be seen as "in it for the money." The timing of this ep is definitely so that he could be forgiven more easily. I had a really hard time forgiving him myself, until I had watched the entire set of DVDs a couple of times and just started saying to myself, "Ya gotta love Jayne." Because he never claimed to be anything he wasn't.

I don't Inara would have stayed off the show for long, if at all. They would have run into her unexpectedly and had to rescue her from some situation, probably caused by Mal.

Just my opinion, for all it's worth!

Mal-licious

Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell

GWENHARKER

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 3:07 AM

Quote:
I don't Inara would have stayed off the show for long, if at all. They would have run into her unexpectedly and had to rescue her from some situation, probably caused by Mal.

Now that's what I was thinking that she'd probably be off for a couple of episodes... maybe until the end of the season (because 22 ep season... that would've been about 8 eps. not too many) and then maybe in the Season Two premire, she would've been brought back.

Oooh, plot bunnies. Who wants em?

COZEN

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 3:20 AM

Hello? About half the audience are made up of standard males drooling over Inara and wishing they were hunky as Jayne. I'm part of that almost-half, and I'm telling you, Inara doesn't get dumped without a really good reason. At least not for long.

Look around this site. Do people luv Jayne or what?

I want River's brains and Jayne's bod. Is that too much to ask?

Consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds.

BLINKER

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 1:41 PM

Jayne's betrayal... Inara's leaving... Niska's revenge... Saffron's revenge... the ultimate heist... not a one of them came too soon, 'cause it's the way they packed two or three seasons' worth of content into less than one that makes the box set pack such a wallop.

Some might argue that it was too soon to let Joss Whedon's assistant write his own episode, but let's not go there.

_________
Sliders: Gate Haven - http://slidersweb.net/blinker

GWENHARKER

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 4:01 PM

Quote:
Jayne's betrayal... Inara's leaving... Niska's revenge... Saffron's revenge... the ultimate heist... not a one of them came too soon, 'cause it's the way they packed two or three seasons' worth of content into less than one that makes the box set pack such a wallop.

Again, completely agreeing with you, but to play devil's advocate, do you think the later stuff, such as Niska's revenge and Saffron's were perhaps moved up because of the impending cancellation, so ME and Joss wanted to do them sooner in hopes to get people watching more?

I totalyl udnerstand what you're saying, but I'm just curious is all.

NYTSHAD

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 4:54 PM

Here I am offering up my first productive post on the FFF.net to the gods of ... {insert clever diety-descriptor}

I don't think Inara would have ever actually made it off the ship. And if she did, I doubt it would have lasted more than two eps, and here's why:
In Out of Gas, she was very adamant about her love of the tenth crew member. In Shindig she admonished Atherton (albeit circumspetually) for calling the ship a piece of go se. And in Bushwacked, I'm pretty sure she said something clever along those lines but I can't remember because it's not one of my favorite eps. He choice to leave was based on the increase in sexual tension and they'll probably keep her or bring her back with a dramatic reaffirmation of her friendship with Mal that originally kept the sexual tension in check. As I said, one ep, maybe 2.

As to Jayne's betrayal: I like the timing involved. There's really only three ways to handle a main-character turning on another: early so the audience isn't familiar with the character yet and won't question the motive; later-early so the audience is close enough to the characters to understand the motive but not close enough that he is not redeemable; and later when the audience is comfortable with the characters as a group and may not take too kindly to the betrayal by one. Long story short, in my opinion Jayne's betrayal was well timed because we knew at that point that he was money driven but he also had a softer, more-sensitive side and that became his redeeming factor after that betrayal, and for the most part we were all like "awww, he feels bad about it. let him back in"

Anywho, that's my contribution for the day. Long live Serenity

"Shall my tiny replica now do battle with your tiny replica?"

MANOFSTEEL25

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 9:32 PM

um... whish is the one written by Joss's assistant?

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 11:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by nytshad:
Long story short, in my opinion Jayne's betrayal was well timed because we knew at that point that he was money driven but he also had a softer, more-sensitive side and that became his redeeming factor after that betrayal, and for the most part we were all like "awww, he feels bad about it. let him back in"

I always assumed this was the okey-doke - the little betrayal that made you think Jayne was redeemed now - that the bigger betrayal would come later down the line, and would cost more and take a while to come back from, if at all. We know Joss and the team can do it - look at the Wes/Angel arc. Then again, that might be the very reason they wouldn't want to go there again.

"I threw up on your bed"

BADGERSHAT

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 4:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by GwenHarker:
Quote:
Jayne's betrayal... Inara's leaving... Niska's revenge... Saffron's revenge... the ultimate heist... not a one of them came too soon, 'cause it's the way they packed two or three seasons' worth of content into less than one that makes the box set pack such a wallop.

Again, completely agreeing with you, but to play devil's advocate, do you think the later stuff, such as Niska's revenge and Saffron's were perhaps moved up because of the impending cancellation, so ME and Joss wanted to do them sooner in hopes to get people watching more?

I totalyl udnerstand what you're saying, but I'm just curious is all.

I'm fair certain that, unlike "Angel," no one knew for certain that the series was cancelled until the word came down at the very end, therefore they didn't move anything up or make any plot arc changes to accomodate it. There was definitely a lot more in store, and the untimely demise made it impossible. But he wasn't given a chance to wrap anything up, since it was only a half season.

Plus, there's somewhere I read about a Christmas party that all os a sudden became their wrap party... I think no one knew in advance.

Also, see my Signature if you have any questions about figuring JW out.

--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

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