rewatching War Stories...

POSTED BY: embers
UPDATED: Thursday, October 5, 2006 17:23
VIEWED: 7191
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EMBERS

Friday, August 18, 2006 2:29 PM

Last night my friend and I watched 'War Stories'...(she has never seen Firefly before and we are watching one per week)

I had warned her that it was rough, and hard to watch...but it was necessary because there is a lot of character development that is needed for future episodes.
At the end she said she really did appreciate the theme:
because we really did learn a lot about the 'true self' of all of the characters (it was what Niska wanted to learn according to the teachings of Schamue, but he ended up being held over the volcano of his own space station's generator/engine before the show ended - and we learned he runs away).

We learned a lot more about Zoe’s strength and stoicism
About Book’s knowledge of tracking and his willingness to fight
About Kaylee’s fearful behavior in face of danger (later played out more in OiS)

And of course, most important of all: the information about River's training (the show starts off by Simon saying there was a specific purpose to what they did to River...and the end we see her shooting those men with pin point accuracy...).

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Friday, August 18, 2006 4:09 PM

I'd never thought of the episode that way before, but you're right. We do learn new things about a lot of the characters, and we get to see how they react under pressure - the doc staying calm and keeping his true feelings down, Book being quite scary, Kaylee unable to handle violence...

Dammit! Now I want to watch it again, and I'm stuck at work!

More animations available at http://desktophippie.googlepages.com

SHROUDED

Friday, August 18, 2006 4:37 PM

I agree; you also get to see a little more into Wash and how he isn't his normal cool, calm self all the time - especially ater being tortured.

When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't do that you sit still and watch episodes of Firefly.

FUTUREMRSFILLION

Friday, August 18, 2006 4:45 PM

What we learn about Mal is more important. You learn about his generousity to others even in the most trying circumstances. Mal doesn't really care about his own safety - he cares about others. This is also shown in OOG - Mal is not afraid to die - but he refuses to let his crew.

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

one of the Forsaken TM

SHINYTRINKET

Friday, August 18, 2006 7:58 PM

My friend and I call it the "Wash grows a pair" episode. Now if they'd only given him a bigger gun...

*************************************************
If you eat a live toad in the morning, nothing worse will happen to you all day.

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Friday, August 18, 2006 11:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by FutureMrsFIllion:
What we learn about Mal is more important. You learn about his generousity to others even in the most trying circumstances. Mal doesn't really care about his own safety - he cares about others. This is also shown in OOG - Mal is not afraid to die - but he refuses to let his crew.

----
I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

one of the Forsaken TM

Interesting point on Mal... it's almost as though he's stopped living since the battle of Serenity and chooses to live through others instead. Like he's given up on himself but can't quite give up on those he's close to.

More animations available at http://desktophippie.googlepages.com

KURYA

Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:13 AM

heyyyy
thanx so much for posting these comments embers & desktophippie and FMF and others! I totally did not see that episode in that way..... its amazing after like 1 year of being a fan I still learn new things!!! I will just have to re-watch the episode again.
Prakash

DROCCULARI

Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:28 AM

Good Thread. I especially like the bit about Niska getting held over a volcano.
One of the things we learn about Zoe is how inscrutable she can be. Did she pick Wash because he was her husband, or because she was already planning a return rescue mission and needed his skill to pull it off? I figure it was some of both, but she doesn't let on.

EMBERS

Saturday, August 19, 2006 3:06 PM

I was wondering, Niska cared so much about reputation...what do you think his would be if and when he showed up again?
He ran away saving his own skin, and left all his men to die for nothing (because I'm pretty sure they all ended up dead or dying by the time our BDHs got Mal home).
So who would work for Niska again, with his new 'reputation'?
I'm sure he has plenty of money (probably put in his wive's name for tax purposes).....

just wondering.

SHROUDED

Saturday, August 19, 2006 3:15 PM

You're got a good point there, Embers, but I assume Mal simply reused Niska's own tatics against him, with the Shan Yu "discovering the true self." Niska's always had this reputation of being a coldhearted, inhumane torturer, but when put up against some form of danger (which, I assume, he hasn't had the chance to experience before, or no one got it in their minds to have him experience it) he crawls away like, as Jayne would say, an itty bitty bug.

When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't do that you sit still and watch episodes of Firefly.

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