Adam Explains Script Comment

POSTED BY: DonCoat
UPDATED: Thursday, December 14, 2006 02:41
VIEWED: 6993
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DONCOAT

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 4:34 PM

As some of you may remember, I won the auction for Adam Baldwin's script for "Serenity", the pilot episode of the series.

At the time, I posted a thread here describing the script and some of Adam's handwritten comments. One comment in particular intrigued me. It was near the end of the episode, where Mal and Jayne are discussing why Jayne hadn't betrayed Mal -- "Money wasn't good enough."

The comment was unusual because it was doubly underlined and very emphatic. It read, "I like him!!"

My original interpretation was that this might have been Adam making a general remark about Jayne after having read through the very first script for the very first time. It seemed reasonable, and the comment didn't really make sense to me any other way. That is, until I talked to Adam at Flan-That-Wasn't and discovered the real story.

As you know by now, Adam showed up on Thursday night at a time when we were all feeling pretty low (though not unhopeful, since we knew that the California Browncoats were working on a backup plan). It was great to see the Hero of Canton walk into the hotel. A bit later, with Adam parked in the bar and surrounded by a sea of fellow Browncoats, I pulled off a minor miracle, managing to get in close to grab Adam's attention for a few minutes.

I explained that I'd won the script (he actually thanked me, which seemed strange since I felt like the one who should be doing the thanking) and listened as I asked about his comment. It took a moment for the scene to click, but when I repeated the exact line -- "That'll be an interesting day!" -- the light bulb went on.

The comment was, in fact, a note to himself as to how the scene should be played, or rather, how that line should be delivered. To illustrate the point, he came out with a couple alternate "readings" that the line might have been given, one sarcastic, the other very aggressive.

The note told him that those weren't the right attitude for that scene. Instead, he gave the half-joking delivery we all know so well. I think it works so much better that way, too -- Jayne shrugs off his possible betrayal but leaves an undertone of threat in the air as well. "I like him!!" was a reminder that Mal and Jayne weren't really enemies, but that there would always be tension between them.

Whether that reading was a direction from Joss, or something that Adam and Nathan worked out themselves, remains unknown. (Hey, I couldn't monopolize ALL Adam's time!) But it's a shiny little detail about the workings of the cast at an early stage of the series, and one I hope you enjoy contemplating as much as I do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm pointin' right at it!

GED

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 4:39 PM

Shiny!

__________________________________________________
This above all, — to thine ownself be true.
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MARINA

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 4:53 PM

I wouldn't want to make you type it all out again, but do you have a link to the thread where you shared his handwritten comments? I would LOVE to read them.

And I am so glad you got to chat with him, even though you had to leave so early! That's definitely 'super shiny.'

Don't make faces.

TRISTAN

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 4:58 PM

Thank you, DonCoat!
I have been waiting to read this since hearing you had talked to him about it. Very shiny insight!

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ENGINEANGEL

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:02 PM

thanks doncoat!

DIETCOKE

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:14 PM

Thanks for sharing.

NY/NJ/CT Browncoats: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly_nyc

VERSEEXPLORER

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:30 PM

DonCoat,
Thanks so much for sharing that moment. It really does make sense.

Marina,
Here's the link to DonCoat's original post about the Serenity script. It's a great read.

http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=23124

Help Spread the Word to Non Sci-Fi Fans
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=20&t=25063&m=412141#412141

MARINA

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:59 PM

Thanks!

Don't make faces.

SHINYED

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:10 PM

Don,

Thanks for that story. Was this your first time meeting any of the cast? Did Adam Baldwin talk about Firefly/Serenity as if it's a living, breathing thing, or is it more like honoring the past? Thanks.

Firefly is all I watch......all other TV is rutting crap.

DONCOAT

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 1:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ShinyEd:
Don,

Thanks for that story. Was this your first time meeting any of the cast? Did Adam Baldwin talk about Firefly/Serenity as if it's a living, breathing thing, or is it more like honoring the past? Thanks.

I was at last year's (successful) Flanvention and met most of the cast. I even got to spend a fair amount of "quality time" with Morena, Alan, and Summer, and somewhat less with Ron. I only spoke briefly with Adam and Jewel last year, and even less with the others.

It's not easy to answer your other question. The few minutes I spent with Adam this year were entirely focused on the issue of my original post in this thread, and that (obviously) was about the past.

Still, it would be pretty hard to characterize the actors' attitudes as just "honoring the past" when they were mobbed by a horde of beyond-enthusiastic fans! Really, on Thursday and Friday they spent all their time getting their pic snapped with everybody they could. Maybe somebody who was able to stay for the Backup Bash got a better impression of their attitudes about the future of the franchise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm pointin' right at it!

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