Tim Minear reveals another unfilmed FF episode
POSTED BY: Blinker
UPDATED: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 07:31
VIEWED: 54391
PAGE 4 of 13
Obviously they can put that episode in the first season, it probably won't really fit within the first few seasons. Although the legacy of the Academy would probably be far more shocking and twisted than Inara getting captured by Reavers.
"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam
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I think one has to keep in mind that this was in keeping with the original plan of a very dark show. What eventually aired was ligher in tone than what was planned. For all we know, in the original crafting of the story this was a part earlier in the plot and not as completely shocking as it seems it would be given the way the series did turn out (not that it wouldn't still be shocking, of course).
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inch towards daylight
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Quote:
Originally posted by LightMeDark:
I think one has to keep in mind that this was in keeping with the original plan of a very dark show. What eventually aired was ligher in tone than what was planned. For all we know, in the original crafting of the story this was a part earlier in the plot and not as completely shocking as it seems it would be given the way the series did turn out (not that it wouldn't still be shocking, of course).
Well, I'm glad they changed that. I like Firefly just how it is, and if it was dark enough that a main character being gang-raped could reasonably fit into the first season, I would not have become a Browncoat.
For those of us who are also Buffy fans:
Select to view spoiler:
What if Angel's torments in hell had happened onscreen? What if, through CGI, season 1 episode 6 had shown the hyena-children eating the principal to the bone onscreen? What if a bunch of vampires had gang-raped Cordelia mid-second season? Would you have watched the next 5 years and gone on to watch Firefly, or would you have decided Joss was one sick f*ck and changed the channel?
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I doubt that they would have put that episode in season 1 even if the show had been as dark as they wanted to. They would have had to develop the Reavers more before using them in such a manner. Plus it’s not like they were planning to show the rape.
"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam
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Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker:
[Inara] has yet another fight with Mal, in which he says something especially cruel like "I'm not going to get on my knees and kiss your hand like your a lady. You're a whore."
...
Mal gets past Zoe (yeah, right) and walks over to Inara's bed where she's curled up and post-traumatic. Gets on his knees, and kisses her hand.
Wow. Those two have the most amazing not-quite relationship I've ever seen on screen. Okay, the whole idea of this plot is rather revolting, and from the brief outline we've been given it seems ridden with holes (Zoe makes it very clear in the pilot you'd be damn lucky if rape came before flaying and murdering). But just the thought of that interaction between them, the way it would be played out ...
Powerful.
Agree about the syringe. For her to have a secret weapon against rape AND a completely separate syringe-type thing that she just happens to turn to in the pilot when reavers are near seems a little unlikely.
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"She was naked, and all ... articulate."
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If this was truly a legitimate episode suggestion, then I imagine it was going to be polished up a LOT more.
There's some holes in that story that have me cringing.
Not so much the idea of rape, although the scenario does have some rather badfic connotations. (I agree with Jacqui there.)
Nor the Zoe thing, because of everyone aboard Serenity she is probably most equipped to deal with a traumatized, sane, adult female. Kaylee's too emotional, River too unstable. Not to mention, who knows what she has seen in the war?
But the rape-kit of death... uh... Not seriously, right?
What creeps me out is the whole handkiss idea.
A healthy happy Inara is a whore but a traumatized, abused Inara is suddenly worth more than that? I'd expect Inara waking up at that moment and slapping Mal square in the face for the implication.
I could imagine that being filmed more subtly than it is described here, making it more obvious that it's a throwaway line he doesn't mean, or something..
But that's still a really clumsy way to highlight the whole sex vs. power vs. morals vs. hypocrisy thing. At least when it comes to Mal's perspective.
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I didn't think the handkiss thing was so hypocritical. I mean, the way I've been reading it -not just this, everything in the series- is that Mal doesn't really mean half of what he says to Inara. Or even if he does, he exaggerates it. I figure he just says stuff like that to keep her at a distance and keep from getting attatched. He has intimacy issues- Wash pointed it out to him durring the torture in "War Stories". But the handkiss- I don't think that's hypocrasy so much as Mal breaking down to something more honest for her because he feels badly, or maybe even guilty, about what's happened to her. I've said to my boyfriend, while analyzing the show a bit, that Mal sees Inara's job as below him, but Inara herself as above him. The handkiss part, that's Mal catering to the part of Inara he sees as being above him.
This is all purely speculative, of course. We're only given such a rough concept to work with here- you're right about that, for sure.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Jacqui:
I have a hard time picturing Joss taking the "sex = death" metaphor to such a cheesy level.
Or using the "female sexuality and empowerment = death" cliche *at all*. Vagina dentata indeed.
Seriously, Joss has stressed in Inara that sensuality and sexuality is not a bad thing, I honestly can't see him abusing her to such an extent.
Joss, for all his faults, is more subtle than that. Early's threat to Kaylee is so powerful, because it isn't overdone, he's not twirling a big black moustache and sneering and posturing. It's a scary fuckin' scene for us and for Kaylee, because it's so subtle.
A bunch of reavers gang raping Inara sounds like a really bad fanfic, much in the vein of a bunch of reavers gang raping Jayne. It's a cheap plot device to break a character so that they can rebuild them in the way they want.
I'd agree. I'd want to see Inara come out more sane than anyone's ever come out of a Reaver attack. Why? Because sex isn't some deep psychological thing for her but a practical skill for her profession, because she is, in many ways, one of the strongest people on the ship, and because I wouldn't want to see another "rape is worse than death" sentiment out there. It's tiring and dangerous (honor killings, anyone?). Inara is prepared for rape as an occupational hazard--for all we know, she has been raped before. And I say she's too good to be broken by it. I think fear of the Reavers would be far more traumatic than the rape angle. How would you feel if you were captured by Reavers?
The explanation for the syringe fits perfectly--I never could imagine what it was for if not suicide. It's a very good explanation--it gives us more than a woman ready to commit suicide should the Reavers board in Serenity--it gives us a woman who will take as many as she can with her.
And lastly? I think Joss has learned his lesson from Seeing Red. No one was convinced by it, even the writers, and so we have Buffy and Spike snuggly again the next season. Joss now knows he can't take down the strong woman with rape. Sweet little Kaylee? Yes. But Inara, or Zoe? No. As someone said before, they didn't play up the rape angle with the man in Bushwhacked--why should it be so much more desirable (i.e., more untaboo, or more emotionally relevant) to show with a woman?
"it has some sweet character deaths -- I mean moments!" - Joss Whedon
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Quote:
Originally posted by AgentRouka:
A healthy happy Inara is a whore but a traumatized, abused Inara is suddenly worth more than that?
Wow, this site really does make me think more deeply about things - something I'm really not accustomed to.
But I have to agree with psychoticbride here - to me, Mal's verbal abusiveness toward Inara is and has always been pure defensive strategy. He's never struck me as the puritanical type - witness Heart of Gold and his behaviour toward Nandy.
Mal's objection to Inara's occupation is simply an objection to her having sex with other men, not to the idea of a companion in general. From the moment he set eyes on her he saw her as a threat to his fragile equilibrium, and chose this angle (among others) to keep her at a distance. His comment about not kissing her hand is probably pure denial - it's actually something he secretly longs to do, among other worshipful things.
Thus, the thought of him actually doing it at the end the hypothetical episode gives me shivers. He's putting his feelings about her above any thought of self-preservation.
That said, there are the aforementioned major plot-holes, Inara with most of her skin still on being a biggie. I guess the best way to view this episode is as one that effectively became extinct from day one of shooting, for various reasons. I'm glad that Mal's admission of vulnerability toward Inara took another form. That scene in Serenity when he acknowledged her effect on him took my breath away.
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Mal: "Hey, little one. Understand your part in all this?"
River: "Do you?"
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I'd just like to point out that this is precisely the reason it's dangerous for fans to have any say over the object of their fandom. I'm a longtime Firefly fan and an ardent supporter of all things Serenity. But reading through all these comments about how revolting this episode may have been, or how incompatible it may seem with the surviving shows... that's the point, people!! That's the point of art, especially dramatic art: to challenge us, to take us to the point of no return and beyond. Precisely because it's uncomfortable.
The main way the BDHs change and grow is through adversity (this isn't unique to Firefly characters, it's basically true of all drama). I for one think that the Inara rape episode could have done wonders for the relationship between Mal and Inara, both in pure plot advancement and character development, to say nothing for the crossover development of the other characters (especially River; I agree with the person who brought up how River and a post-rape Inara might develop a bond).
Think about it: If you'd never seen an episode like War Stories, many of you would dismiss the concept as ludicrous, out of touch with the existing series, etc., etc. I realize and respect that a reaver gang rape is something a great deal more terrible than torture (and murder!), but you see the similarity?
At any rate, my main point is this: I think it's fun that we get together and praise this show we love so much. I think it's great that we keep the fires burning, and hope against reason that we'll ever see Serenity fly again. And I think it's great that we critique the episodes, the movie, and all things Firefly. But as we enter an age where fans may very well have the power to resurrect shows financially, do we really want the artists to pay attention to us? I for one would rather be challenged.
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