Firefly-Serenity Continuity

POSTED BY: Ristol
UPDATED: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 20:57
VIEWED: 6517
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STARPILOTGRAINGER

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 1:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
actual 'neural stripping' is a pretty general statement, and didn't tell Simon exactly what part of the brain was tampered with...he learned the specifics when they went to Ariel.

'neural' could mean any part of the brain, or even any nerve cluster...
but at Ariel he learns very specifically what part of the brain was stripped, and then he is able to start trying to find a way to counter act the effects.

I don't know, I still think that he acted way too surprised (and in front of Jayne, no less, who couldn't care less) at what they did to her when he was examining her in Ariel to have heard what he did in Serenity, that he didn't have a clue why they might have been cutting into her brain. If he knew what he was looking for, even generally, I think it should have shown more.

Star Pilot Grainger
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This week: My spoiler-free Serenity review

VERASNEWOWNER

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 10:08 AM

Hmmmm.

Ya wanna know what i first thought in the theatre...

That that wasnt Rivers rescue, it only dawned on me a few hours later that must be what it was meant to be.

Now, being an anti-spoiler type of guy, i didnt know how the movie would open and didnt know what would happen, so naturally, my unspoiled brain took over and it assumed that the Alliance had got River in the months between movie and series, and that this was a type of re-rescue thingy majigg.
However there was one flaw in my brains way of working, The Alliance know what simon looks like.

Now, it was only walking home that i figured out what Whedon must have done for the non-fans in the theatre, but its a small acceptable plot hole and discontinuity, i can just look past that and use the original explanation from Serenity (Pilot), afterall, its my choice what i accept and what i dont, but as said above, both explanations are exceptable.

Chris

SAGRILARUS

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 4:42 PM

Are you people all insane? This is fiction! Whedon needed a dramatic introduction to three main characters for the film, and the escape scene provided him an avenue for all three. You can speculate about timelines, characters lying, and could-be situations all you like. It boils down to this -- the writing is not consistent.

That's ok! Good stories don't necessarily always add up the way the audience (or the writer) would like. If they do, it's super cool. But sometimes they don't, and that's ok. Joss painted himself into a bit of a corner in the original series, and you're looking at the footprints of him getting out.

Let us not become too heads-down on this thing.

Sag.

P.S. I think that was one of the best parts of the film. If you're going to rewrite, make it something really cool.

CYBERSNARK

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 8:21 PM

Something else to keep in mind is that what a person does and feels can be very different.

People have noted how different "secret agent Simon Tam" is from the socially inept geek we see in the show. I think that's a big part of it, and that Joss is far too skilled and subtle a writer to just shoehorn a character-retcon into his continuity.

Simon obviously planned and prepared for River's escape (which he didn't for his Mud-buyer act on Higgin's Moon, so that's a factor), but planning and preparation only go so far.

What we saw was Simon cool, competent, and stone-faced. We don't know what he was thinking. It's likely that inside he was stuttering and sweating like a grade school kid called in front of the Principal. He was probably so concerned with posturing and looking grim and not breathing wrong or saying or doing anything that would give him away (and being petrified that he already had and that guards were gonna smash the door down any second) that he was completely zoning on most of what Matthias was saying.

The epiphany on Ariel could easily have been a "Why didn't I realize that!" moment.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

SAGRILARUS

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 8:45 PM

Quote:
Joss is far too skilled and subtle a writer to just shoehorn a character-retcon into his continuity.

Joss shoehorned a character-retcon into his continuity.

Let's please keep a proper perspective on this thing.

Sag.

CHRISISALL

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 8:57 PM

StakeTheLurk, you and Cybersnark explained things sufficently enough for me. Thanks guys, for making complete sense of the only question I had about the BDM's continuity.

(I wonder if Simon had to take a tranquilizer before going in to get River?)

Chrisisall, loving Serenity all the more

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