Hindsight Shepherd Book and Inara
POSTED BY: Ty
UPDATED: Thursday, January 22, 2004 22:17
VIEWED: 11704
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When Book first appears, it's in his meeting with Kaylee, and she notices that he's not looking at destinations, he's looking at ships.
I think Book meant to find Mal. I think he's looking for a disreputable Firefly class ship owned by Malcolm Reynolds. I do think the Alliance higher-up or ex-Alliance scenario is on target. I'm not sure whether I believe he is truly a retired agent-turned man-of-faith, or whether I think he's totally faking it.
But after the scene in "Our Mrs. Reynolds" where Inara tells Mal that "You can't play a player," I am more convinced than ever that Book is playing her most easily of all. She's had training, and he would know about that, given that he seems to know everything else; thus, she is the first person he must win over, since she's most likely to suspect him, based on that training. But I'm thinking they've had different kinds of training, and his is probably a lot more below-board, less obvious to her.
The thing that makes me suspect him more than anything else is River's perception of him thinking "I don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not!" which he absolutely snarls at Jayne in "Objects in Space"... But I have wondered if perhaps, since Jayne seems to address River in that scene, if the preacher too was addressing her, directly, rather than thinking about Jayne.
My husband thinks that whole sequence with River is an out-of-body experience, that she's not physically in the room with people, but rather is extending her consciousness throughout the ship, reading what people are thinking about. She does make interesting hand motions like somebody holding a weapon as she is traveling through the various scenes (later she suddenly "awakens" with a gun in hand). It makes sense that Jayne, who is portrayed as being very preoccupied and having a very guilty conscience after Ariel, along with being literal-minded enough to believe that River can deliver on her promise about her brain-- all of that means it makes sense that Jayne might be thinking about River. But Book?
Maybe Book is on the ship because of Simon and River. I've heard a theory that he's in some kind of underground resistance movement to keep River and others like her free. I'm not sure about that one... I think I still think Mal is his main purpose, but I'm mystified as to why.
There is no such thing as a weed.
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Well, hello to yet another board! :)
I do agree with those who think that Early didn't actually know Book, but could simply tell that Book wasn't always a preacher. However, I don't know if I think he's any sort of (current) agent. I'm more in the "had a life-changing experience" camp. I like what someone said about Book having climbed out a moral sinkhole only to find himself being pulled back in again. I'm a bit of a "patterns of Westerns" freak, and Book seems to me to be a fairly traditional Western character -- a guy with a not-so-good past trying to redeem himself by becoming a good man. And redemption isn't at all a theme in Whedon shows, is it? Heh.
Actually -- and I'm about to go all seriously Western on you, so ya been warned --Book strikes me as a bit of a Shane character,if you know what I mean. Shane tried to fit in as a farmer, but it was obvious even to a little boy that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't a farmer. He could walk the walk, and talk the talk, but in the end, Shane had to go back to being a gunman to help the people he cared about because he was the only one who could do it.
Book's doing a very good job trying to be a Shepherd (just got a Pulp Fiction flash), but I suspect that some day, he would have to choose between shooting more than kneecaps or letting everyone on the ship die. Shane rode off gutshot into the sunset, but I further suspect that Book would have to live with his decision.
Of course, it is the veriest folly to try and predict anything Sir Joss of Whedon might do,and it's even more ridiculous to expect the man to stick with anything "traditional". This is all just the impression I get of Shepherd Book, and I really, really want more pieces to the puzzle.
Ankhagogo
"She was naked---and all....articulate!"
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Quote:
Originally posted by paustark:
I just watched Objects in Space for the first time. When Simon criticized the Bounty Hunter for knocking out Book the Bounty Hunter looked at Book and Said "He's no Shepherd", what did he mean by that? Ok, before you answer, I have not seen the rest of the EPs so Book could be exactly who he is. Did anynone else pick up on that?
Listen to Joss's comment about Early and his mindset. When you think back on how he reacted when Simon asks if he's Alliance ("a lion"?)he may have been commenting on the literal meaning of the word "shepherd".
"That ain't no shepherd."
Could he have meant German Shepherd? Or Sheep herder?
And Book certainly wasn't dressed as a "shepherd", and there were no "sheep" about.
The tangled mind of Jubal Early.
("That's between me and my mind..." - J.Early)
By the way, I'm thinkin that Book was probably a mucky muck with the Alliance and just before the war ended left and joined a monestary. (Yes, he kept that IDent Card.)
Kaylee is the one who snagged him to come aboard Serenity. "You're coming with us!"
And he "paid" his way with a bit of money...and some foodstuffs. Especially a very valuable commodity: fresh fruit. Strawberries.
When he said he may have been on the wrong ship, I believe it. He seems to have found some sort of peace at the abbey, and then decided to do some wandering. Then he found himself pretty much on a pirate vessel and he was in situations he thought he'd left behind.
Yes, he does spring to action when called for. But that action is very likely 2nd nature.
Mal and Zoe were once soldiers, too.
And that's my take on some things.
"Take me, sir. Take me hard."
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Quote:
I agree with you, but not completely. I think Early could have seen something in Book that led him to believe Book was more than he appeared, but what did he see? I mean Early saw Book walk around with a cup for about 5 or 10 seconds. I didn't see anything in there that made Book seem more than a shepherd. Of course, I'm not Early either.
I think what Early saw wasn't about datafiles or outwarad appearance, but rather the presence of Book. Early's quotes about the purpose of things, and what River's room is when she isn't there suggests this.
If you asked Early to pick the Captain of Serenity out of the crew, not knowing who it was, he'd pick Mal every time - the two are obviously linked to each other (see Out of Gas) - Mal without Serenity has no purpose (thinking about it, this refers back to the battle as well), and Serenity without Mal is empty. Early could sense this.
As for Book, his presence is obvious - more and more in the episodes, he was edging into areas that shouldn't be his remit, and his suggestions were accepted. If the crew ever split into two groups, you can bet that one would centre around Book (Zoe, the other natural leader, would go with Mal). I guess to Early it was like observing a pride of lions, and he could tell by the way each carried themselves what their role was.
"I threw up on your bed"
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Whilst replying to your own post may be the first sign of madness, I took a fresh look at the kitchen scene in OiS last night (and much of the episode around it just because) -
In the scene, half the characters are sitting, half standing (excluding River). Mal stands, controlling the discussion. Kayley stands nervously as she hold the floor. Inara is standing, but obviously to stay away from the centre and distance herself. All the rest of the cast are sitting, except Book, who seems to deliberately have taken a standing position to command attention - he doesn't say much, while all the other characters are weighing in their own fashion. Apart from protecting River's corner, he affirms Mal's idea that River is a reader. We know he has Jayne onside, and if you buy the conspiracy theory (I'm not sure I do) you could say his actions are calculated to keep Simon and Kaylee apart.
That's what Early sees and hears, and that's what tells him Book is the second biggest threat to him.
"I threw up on your bed"
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