Inara: what gives?
POSTED BY: stinkingrose
UPDATED: Wednesday, August 9, 2006 14:46
VIEWED: 6934
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Quote:
If she were truly uncomfortable with the idea of having a relationship with Mal she would be able to keep things on a more distant footing, even living in close quarters for a year.
I suppose it is possible that Inara could have refused any sort of relationship with Mal that went beyond professional distance. But then, I think Inara's feeling for Mal (and the sometimes uncertain way she handles them) is one of the most humanizing things about her character. She is a Companion, true. But she's also a real live human being, subject to all the emotions that we are.
We can't say for certain that Mal is the only man Inara's ever loved, but I think it's been hinted. That in itself is enough to make Inara act in ways that might seem irrational. She knows she can't be with him, but that doesn't stop her from having feelings for him, or for wanting to be around him. To say that, because she is a Companion she should have prevented their relationship from progressing, is unfair. It discounts the part of Inara that is human. I think Inara's confusion in regards to Mal, and her way of dealing with them is something we can all sympathize with - much more than we can sympathize with her Companion status.
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Okay, let me try again.
Has there ever been a definitive answer?
Probably not, I was hoping for a link or old discussion or something.
It has been fun seeing other people's theories though!
My personal thought as to what she's doing on the ship is that she's some form of agent for a political movement (or possibly the Alliance).
She stated to Mal that for the record she supported unification (then came a joke from Mal), past tense. The Companion Guild would be ideally situated to get messages from one well placed person to another. They are modelled after Geishas, who I believe legend has it had a pretty tight spy network going. Pillow talk is a great source of information even today.
She could be an assassin, but we haven't heard of any trail of dead clients.
I guess we'll just have to wait for that sequel!
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Quote:
Originally posted by stinkingrose:
I'm asking why did she allow it to progress to the level it did if it was problematic?
Well, considering that she had already decided to leave half way into the first season of what was expected to be a seven season show... I wouldn't say she allowed it to progress very far. As was mentioned in an earlier post, once she realized what a problem it was, she ended it.
Quote:
Originally posted by stinkingrose:
Okay, let me try again.
Has there ever been a definitive answer?
Probably not, I was hoping for a link or old discussion or something.
It has been fun seeing other people's theories though!
My personal thought as to what she's doing on the ship is that she's some form of agent for a political movement (or possibly the Alliance).
She stated to Mal that for the record she supported unification (then came a joke from Mal), past tense. The Companion Guild would be ideally situated to get messages from one well placed person to another. They are modelled after Geishas, who I believe legend has it had a pretty tight spy network going. Pillow talk is a great source of information even today.
She could be an assassin, but we haven't heard of any trail of dead clients.
I guess we'll just have to wait for that sequel!
So, what you're asking about is what "Inara's Secret" is. Yes, there is a definitive answer, but no, we do not know it. Joss has guarded that very closely, with hopes to address it in the future.
Yes, it has been widely discussed, pondered, and speculated on in discussion threads and fanfics, but again, there is no known definitive answer, so no definitive link. You can search the archives here using google and some key words (like "Inara's secret"), just limit your search to this domain (i.e., fireflyfans.net). But no previous discussion is any more valid than a current one, though old threads may contain forgotten tidbits of 'soft' information sourced from interviews and such.
Personally, I take my cues from the movie, series and commentaries. Inara has admitted to being "lost in the woods"; that doesn't strike me as terribly assassin-y. Whatever the secret is, it appears to be something she wants to avoid, and shipping out with Serenity was a good way of avoiding it (as was teaching at a remote Companion training house). I just don't think she expected such complications cropping up (i.e., Mal and his ability to spin her about).
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.
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Kaylee at one point asks about a Companion dating and Inara (I believe) says it is complicated.
Maybe if Inara wanted to date Mal, she would
have had to fill out a whole ton of complicated
forms. And she just couldn't go through that
again.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Anonymous1:
Maybe if Inara wanted to date Mal, she would
have had to fill out a whole ton of complicated
forms. And she just couldn't go through that
again.
I can understand why. Forms are scary! *runs for cover before the paperwork can find her* "Two by two, confidentiality agreements of blue..."
Now, taking the issue a bit more seriously...
I think everyone has hit on the very important point -- that point, of course, being that Inara never meant to fall for Mal. She never meant to enjoy herself on Serenity. Circumstance either forced her from the core or made her decide to leave, and she didn't expect to like it. But she did. And it complicated things. And when things got complicated, Inara ran. Like Mal, she doesn't much like complications, and yet almost every aspect of her life is complicated.
I don't think Inara was trying to make Mal fall for her, nor trying to make him NOT fall for her. When she is with Mal, she is almost always herself. The facade she wears around her clients... there is no room for it on Serenity. Inara is, in fact, a person. She has needs and wants like everyone else. And she has flaws. And sometimes things take her by surprise despite the fact that she was trained to be perseptive. And sometimes what is best in the long run isn't what feels right in the moment and it beomes easier to allow and flirtatious remark, a stray touch, especially when one is lonely.
And I do think Inara is lonely. Companions live, emotionally at least, an isolated life. They are trained to ease others emotional burdens while at the same time remaining detatched, and in control. It's a powerful position, but not the healthiest. In that way, she and Mal are kindred spirits -- each, for their own reasons, forced to deal with loneliness, and the fact that they live on the fringes of their respective worlds, so of course they attract...
[center]
Arcadia
aka Greyfable and/or Katie
like the avatar? there are more. grab one here: http://snipurl.com/syt0. Happy Summer of Serenity!
www.stillflying.net -- picking up Firefly were Joss left off. We will hold 'til he gets back.
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'Kay, ST, I'm going to jump in. I'm so glad some one else sees the political ramifications of the Guild - I'm playing with that myself, at present. (I started a thread about the Guild and the Bene Gesserit before) Can I ask that you look at my fic 'Zen', and see what you think of that idea?
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Quote:
Originally posted by stinkingrose:
... then why would she want Mal to become enamored of her? (...) Is it for some kind of control over where the ship goes when she wants it to? Is it security so that he'll fight for her if she needs him to? Is it just because she can? (...) So what is her motivation if she did not want to become involved with Mal?
First off, I enjoyed reading the myriad of opinions voiced in this thread. Good FireFly-y stuff; so much better than all the imponderables. :) Ahem.
Okay, now for your post. Inara genuinely likes Mal; she certainly admires him; probably loves him, even (see Shindig and Heart of Gold).
Inara is an expert in social manipulation. She wields her wiles with great verve. Conversely, she also spots and any all game-playing on the other end ("You don't play a player."). I think therein lies the key to understanding her admiration/love for Mal: in a 'Verse filled with ulterior (and not-so-ulterior) motives for being nice to her, Captain ain't playing her for anything. That's 'cause Mal got people with him, people who trust each other, who do for each other and ain't always looking for the advantage. And in Inara's line of work -- and her world altogether -- that's a rare trait. She's fascinated by it (pilot):
Inara: "Why are you so fascinated by him?"
Book: "Because he's a mystery. Why are you?"
Inara: "Because so few men are."
On the surface she's confuzzled by Mal's lack of an apparent "angle". But, instinctively, I think she realizes Mal is the genuine article, and cares for her more than most men in her life ever will. What's not attractive 'bout that?
--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam
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Quote:
Originally posted by stinkingrose:
I'm not saying the friendships are not genuine or that she does not have feelings for Mal. I'm asking why did she allow it to progress to the level it did if it was problematic?
Things are rarely this simple. :) Both Mal and Inara are in a somewhat awkward social position: Inara is too high up society to easily admit to herself that she's got real feelings for Mal; and Mal, in turn, is too "rogue" to admit that he kinda likes this fancy lady. So they flirt around the edges; Mal constantly putting down her profession is his clumsy way of tellin' her she deserves better (which is just an indirect way of saying he has feelings for her).
Also, don't discount the "the-viewer-always-sees-more" factor. It's ostentatiously obvious to the audience that Mal and Inara have feelings for each other; but for our crew themselves, not so much (Hearts of Gold). Like in crime fiction: you already know whodunnit, long before the Inspector exposes the butler. :)
--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam
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In my opinion, I believe that Inara left Cenon because she thought that following the Guild was too strict for her. We can see in Serentiy-The pilot that Inara was tired of Cenon after describing it to her first 'client' that we see. So where could she go? How about on board a ship where her activities can't be monitored. The Guild doesn't allow dating and when Kaylee asks her what's the Guild policy on it, Inara says "It's complicated." referring to her relationship with Mal.
Also, how come Inara constantly mentions Mal's job as petty theft and only once does he get mad? However, Mal calls Inara a w**re once and she gets furious and he stops?
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Sihnon, not Cenon.
Inara is running from something, but she is still a Companion, uses the might of the Guild to back her up. ('Train Job', 'Shindig')
Actually falling for an irritating, rude, common rogue must be extremely weird.
The rogue, who was minidng his own business quite happily, thank you kindly, probably finds himself conflicted. Mla ain't a man to take kindly to sharing.
He's a thief. And she's a whore. And there is no place for them both to stand.
The people are attracted to each other, but they can't get past the other facts of existence, what the other one actually does to get along.
Inara sleeps with people for money, however you dress it up. Core might be fine with it; Mal isn't from the Core.
Mal does whatever he has to, and he doesn't think a deal of the Alliance ( no go se.)
Politically, ideologically, they are at odds. Inara is not going to give up up her career and way of life - what else would she do? And ditto Mal.
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