meaning of 'get in line'?

POSTED BY: eliang
UPDATED: Friday, April 14, 2006 11:36
VIEWED: 9654
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ELIANG

Friday, April 14, 2006 3:28 AM

Hi,
In "War Stories", Wash and Wash are tortured, arguing about Zoe. "Screw you," Wash says. Mal then replies "Get in line." Does anyone know what the meaning is?
Thanks.

AMYEL

Friday, April 14, 2006 3:50 AM

It's because a lot of people want to "screw with" Mal; and Niska especially at that moment. When Mal said "Get it line," he means that a lot of people have told him that (screw you) and Wash would have to wait his turn.

SQUID

Friday, April 14, 2006 4:30 AM

Well I read it more like this...

Both of them were arguing about Zoe. And JUST before that line Mal was telling Wash how he was going to sleep with Zoe. So Wash screamed at Mal...

"Screw you!"
"Get in line!

I thought it to be one of Mal's witty remarks, using the "screw you" in the more... literal sense. Mal was going to screw (sleep with) Zoe, and hey, if Wash wanted to screw him, Wash would have to wait in line. Afterall, Zoe was first.

ACRAZYIVAN

Friday, April 14, 2006 4:46 AM

That's definitely how I see it too. Took a repeat viewing or two for it to fully sink in, though.

Keep on flyin'

"We've gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero."

EMBERS

Friday, April 14, 2006 5:02 AM

I understood it the same as Amyel...
that Wash was angry w/Mal, but he was just one more person who was angry with him...Wash would have to wait until all the other angry people took their shot first.
I didn't take it as a line of people waiting to make love to Mal...because we all know he'd been having a lot spot of celebacy before 'Heart of Gold'....
JMPO of course

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SQUID

Friday, April 14, 2006 6:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I didn't take it as a line of people waiting to make love to Mal...because we all know he'd been having a lot spot of celebacy before 'Heart of Gold'....

Well that's where the whole witty, joking part comes in. Of course he hadn't slept with anyone in a long while. And that's why when he was talking about sleeping with Zoe, he wasn't actually seriously contemplating it. Mal was just telling Wash this to make Wash mad, to keep Wash riled up and alive. And so when Mal says "get in line", it can still be read as a witty comeback line, that is so Mal, which was of course not serious because we all know he wouldn't actually sleep with Zoe (or Wash for that matter). It's just Mal's way of taking the insult that Wash is saying to him, and just completly making it meaningless and uneffective.
He's putting this spin on the line's meaning by using the words' literal meaning instead of its angry insult side, Mal is making it funny instead of hurtful. Mal's got too much pride to be insulted. He even gets Niska with this same witty comeback later on, "You starting a bookclub? What are you trying to do, torture me?"

I can definetly see your side of the meaning of the line, because it can very well work that way too. So I'm not dismissing that. I'm just saying, as a comeback/joking line, it works too whether or not Mal is celebate. Its just about the context of the conversation.

EMBERS

Friday, April 14, 2006 11:32 AM

you're right squid, it is one of the signs of Joss' genius joke writing that Mal can say a double entendre while he is being tortured...
because I think both meanings are intended

**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse
have you checked out this thread?:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15816

and listen to 'I'm Going To See Serenity':
http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=a0
c814e1229742ce77ed4497cbf4631c

ASARIAN

Friday, April 14, 2006 11:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by amyel:

It's because a lot of people want to "screw with" Mal; and Niska especially at that moment. When Mal said "Get it line," he means that a lot of people have told him that (screw you) and Wash would have to wait his turn.

I'm with Amyel's interpretation. No real sleeping around was intended. :)

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