Blue Hand dudes, wandy things, and the Blue Sun Corp.

POSTED BY: chael
UPDATED: Monday, January 12, 2004 14:12
VIEWED: 5197
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CHAEL

Monday, January 12, 2004 12:05 AM

I re-watched Arial today, and I've been thinking about the whole Blue Sun thing, and the relationship between it and River and the Blue Hand Dudes.

I seem to recall some discussion about why the Blue Hands aren't bothered by the wandy things that make with the bloody violence, but I don't remember any specific theories, outside of the typical "brain frequencies" or that the wands were brainwave amplifiers that helped broadcast the malicious killer thoughts of the BHDs.

But each time I've heard those theories, I think .. wow. how totally cliche for a Whedon show. I mean, psychic killers, in sci-fi? *yawn* I'd be so underwhelmed.

Anyway, it occurred to me that it's possible that Blue Sun softdrinks, etc, could be laced with some kind of something that makes people susceptible to the wands effects, and more!

Joss seems the kind of creator who likes to tweak cliche. Add spicey elements to existing genre trappings. Thus, it's obvious River has some brain stuff going on, and some psychic voodoo.. but how much more interesting would it be if the things that allow her "special brain" read people so easily was this stuff in the Blue Sun products? As if it primes people for psychic reading, and leaves a sort of residue that people with these wands can then activate, causing the bloody meltdown we saw in Ariel.

The one area where this theory seems weakest is how River knows the Blue Hands arrive on Ariel. It doesn't seem to fit that she'd be able to read them, as it stands to reason Blue Hand agents wouldn't consume the products. But I've decided that it's quite possible she was reading OTHER peoples' thoughts about the BHDs showing up, and just knew who was there that way.

In any case, imagine the implications of having this gigantic, all encompassing conglomerate dropping a chemical into your consumables that makes you susceptible to mind reading... It's like a million times more violating that subliminal messaging.

It would give it kind of a nifty slant on, say, Soylent Green - only not exactly. And up would go the cry "Don't consume Blue Sun products! They'll OWN you!"

SHINY

Monday, January 12, 2004 12:10 AM

I like your theory...it's also supported by River's tearing the labels of the Blue Sun packaged food products ("we'll have a few mystery meals") in ... Shindig, was it?

RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.

TEELABROWN

Monday, January 12, 2004 1:35 AM

Quote:
It would give it kind of a nifty slant on, say, Soylent Green - only not exactly. And up would go the cry "Don't consume Blue Sun products! They'll OWN you!"

I think that's kind of funny in not-so-funny way. Anyway, I like that new theory on River's brain. And if she knew about the food or something, that would be a reason to recapture River.

............................................................................................
"Freedom is the Freedom to say that 2+2 makes 4. If that is granted, all else follws"-Winston, 1984
Keep flyin', and remember, THEY can't take the sky from US!

HARDWARE

Monday, January 12, 2004 2:26 AM

You know it goes far beyond the succeptibility to mind reading and a reason to recapture River.

I mean, if youhave this giant corporation / government and a bunch of independant planets that the corporation can't ship their chemically laced products to expose the populations of, well, that sounds very unacceptable to the BHD's. The obvious answer? Have a war to unite all the planets.

Putting this spin on it makes it really obvious that Mal and River are playing on the same team.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

SNIPER

Monday, January 12, 2004 2:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by chael:
it's also supported by River's tearing the labels of the Blue Sun packaged food products

Huh, didn't realize that. I think that whatever they did to River, they have done to themselves, and are 'hardened' against it's affects. What's the point of a weapon if it kills you while in use? I wonder if cutting up river's brain has something to do with it.

SAINT JAYNE

Monday, January 12, 2004 3:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by chael:
I mean, psychic killers, in sci-fi? *yawn* I'd be so underwhelmed.

That's just as underwhelming as a yummy carbonated mind-control soda. Or coffee. Whatever. I'd rather see psychic killers.

They seem totally different than River. They don't seem to be able to sense anything or predict the future; they just use those funky blue pens to give you an instantly terminal case of head-ebola.

CHAEL

Monday, January 12, 2004 3:56 AM

Quote:
I'd rather see psychic killers.

Well, I guess that helps explain why a lot of sci-fi is so derivative... There really are still people into played out cliches!

CHAEL

Monday, January 12, 2004 3:59 AM

Quote:
The obvious answer? Have a war to unite all the planets.

Wow, yeah. Absolutely. I hadn't even taken it that far! But that makes so much sense...

CHAEL

Monday, January 12, 2004 4:27 AM

Quote:
And if she knew about the food or something, that would be a reason to recapture River.

That and why waste all that experimentation. Once you understand a little bit more about what the amygdala is (the thing Simon says they "stripped" in Arial) a whole world of nifty ideas start unfolding.

As one medical glossary put it:
The amygdala mediates both inborn and acquired emotional responses. It seems to be involved in mediating both conscious and unconscious emotional feeling.

What better way to perfect control over unconscious emotions through your consumable products than to experiment on supremely gifted individuals who's brain functions work on a higher level?

GAIJIN

Monday, January 12, 2004 4:42 AM

That's an interesting theory...which we may or may not ever find out depending on what direction Joss takes the movie.

Thanksgiving is a sham. But it's a sham with yams...it's a yam sham.

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