Why Inara hasn't left yet? (Spoilers up to Trashed)

POSTED BY: Tymen
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 19:07
VIEWED: 5630
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TYMEN

Thursday, June 5, 2003 2:55 PM

Like I said Spoilers...

Some people were asking about why Inara hadn't left by the episode Trash. I believe it is explained in the conversation between Inara and Mal, early on in the episode. Inara and Mal discuss why she hasn't been to a decent planet in order to ply her trade in three weeks.
What if Mal isn't only trying to keep her from plying her trade, but is genuinely worried she will leave Serenity?
Any planet she could get decent work on, she could also get transport into the Corps from. That is harder to come by on the rim.

Does this make sense to anyone?

Tymen

KAYTHRYN

Thursday, June 5, 2003 3:49 PM

Select to view spoiler:

Is he afraid she’s going to run off with the shuttle while she’s with a client? No, I think I get what you’re saying Tymen. He wants to keep her from the core worlds so she wont be tempted to leave, is that right? If so I think he’s going about it wrong. If she threatens to leave, and is always complaining about not getting work, then he should be getting more jobs where she can work so she’ll stay. Of course you have to factor in that whole “he really like likes her” thing, and then you’re back to he doesn’t want her on any planets where she’ll do any ‘whoring’.

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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

CHRISTHECYNIC

Thursday, June 5, 2003 11:20 PM

Also there is the conversation in the beginning of Objects in Space, which starts off with her threatening to leave. Could be that she just does this repeatedly.

Objects in Space is right after Heart of Gold so it could also be that this is a continuation of the same thing and it just got drawn out.

TALONPEST

Friday, June 6, 2003 12:22 AM

Inara and Mal are always trying to "save" eachother, because they each see something they like in the other. That's why Inara hasn't left- Mal is her "project." She's been clearly shown to have feelings for him, with her comments in "The Train Job" and kissing him when he was unconsious in "Our Mrs. Reynolds." She wants to civilize Mal, and get him to give up his criminal life. Her constant threatening to leave seems to be mostly a way for her to prove to herself that he really does want her around.

Obviously Mal is intentionally trying to keep her from working as a companion, whether he's doing it consiously or not. Mal hasn't as overtly stated that he cares for Inara (the closest he came was in "Shindig") but the very fact that he keeps her around and tries to convince her to stop being a companion rather than simply kicking her off his ship is evidence enough. The bobbly head geisha dolls mentioned in "Trash" are just another of his not-so-sublte was of pointing out his disaproval of her line of work, not to mention his reffering to her as a whore. Despite his critisizm of her, Mal cares a great deal about what Inara thinks of him, as evidenced by the way he let Inara's comment about his not doing anything big recently goad him into working with Saphron even though he knew she couldn't be trusted.

It's a very complex relationship, and I really wanted to see more of it- curse Fox for cutting it prematurely short

CHRISTHECYNIC

Friday, June 6, 2003 12:34 AM

I think it's good continuity how Inara not being able to get work is first mentioned in Objects in Space, 3 planets in a row where she cant get decent clients, whatever that means. Then carries over into Trash where it becomes a big plot point.

Mal makes it very clear that he has nothing against Inara, it’s just her job, which is the big difference between him and the guy he stuck a sword in. I agree he makes a big deal about her line of work because of his feelings for Inara.

FIRESPY

Friday, June 6, 2003 5:40 AM

The problem is/was me (once again).

I transcribed the scripts and posted them in the order based on their story number. But apparently Mutant Enemy changed the order that the stories were to be aired at some point in time before the scripts were finalized.

By story number the order was:

Heart of Gold
Trash
The Message

However, some time before they finalized the shooting scripts, they changed the viewing order to be:

Trash
The Message
Heart of Gold

Select to view spoiler:

Inara makes no mention of leaving in any of the other scripts, because it hasn't happened yet. Heart of Gold was supposed to come last, not first.

Makes for a nice series cliff-hanger, dontcha think?

Whoops -- my bad.

-FS

DRAKON

Friday, June 6, 2003 2:15 PM

"I agree he makes a big deal about her line of work because of his feelings for Inara."

That ain't it.

The problem with Inara's line of work ain't got nothing to do with the physical aspects of it. It hast to do with the mental aspects. She gets men to fall in love with her, by the use of her female whiles. Her subtle capabilities at neuro-lingusitic programing and body language and such. Nothing about her can he be sure of.

For Mal to love her, without feeling the fool, she has to be able to prove she loves him in a way that does not leave the question of whether or not its real, or memorex.

Ultimately the companion is an illusionist. And a damn effective one that one has to constantly guard against or end up whipped, (or stranded naked in the desert.)

CHRISTHECYNIC

Friday, June 6, 2003 4:07 PM

I only know the numbers as they announced them to some places (and posted ones on their site), and as someone told me they were playing in the UK, for this order see the thread http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=4&t=2066

Just skip to the end, that way you don't have to see me being wrong a few times before I simply look up the numbers.

That order puts Heart of Gold before Objects in Space, and Inara does talk about leaving in the beginning of Objects in Space.

SHINY

Friday, June 6, 2003 4:27 PM

I would trust FireSpy on this one, since he (she?) is the source of all the unaired episodes/scripts.

CHRISTHECYNIC

Friday, June 6, 2003 4:32 PM

Because it is the order that it is being aired in the UK, I just checked, and there was the whole big deal about that being the right order, I have to say that I think FireSpy is wrong. Otherwise I would believe him, but I don’t see why they would air every single one except that one in the right order.

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