When Simon gets hit . . .

POSTED BY: Starrbaby
UPDATED: Sunday, August 19, 2007 17:05
VIEWED: 9648
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STARRBABY

Monday, April 30, 2007 3:55 PM

I can understand your annoyance. I feel the same way in "real life" when people assume that becasue people are wealthy that they are uppity jerks with everything handed to them on a silver platter. Not that they worked hard and are good people.

Anyway, back to the task at hand - Other than his gripe fest about Serenity in Safe, I don't really think he *said* anything to make me feel he was uppity. However, at the begining of the series it was more facial expressions and non-verbal reaction to the crew. I expected him to whip out hand sanitizer after shaking people's hands.

He seemed to outgrow this as the series progressed - as shown when he'd lounge on the couch w/ Kaylee or unbutton the top button of his shirt and roll up his sleeves to play cards.

As mentioned before, I don't despise Simon. He has many good qualities. I'm also not usually terribly entertained by violence. However, for some reason (that I'm trying to find out on this thread) I find it *funny* when he gets hit. Perhaps it's that it messes up his hair, or maybe it's the way that Sean plays Simon and flails a little bit when he gets decked. (I'm sure "simon" would be mortified if he knew he flailed, which makes it funny when Sean does it)

I find more humor that satisfaction in it.

Perhaps Mistressahara can elaborate more and giveyou a better example of Simon's arrogance. She seems to dislike him more than I. With thought, I've decided that my glee in violence towards him is more humor based than animosity based.

*Wow - sorry that was so long. I sort of rambled while I brainstormed my thoughts and my stream of conciousness*

MAL4PREZ

Monday, April 30, 2007 4:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Starrbaby:
Perhaps it's that it messes up his hair, or maybe it's the way that Sean plays Simon and flails a little bit when he gets decked. (I'm sure "simon" would be mortified if he knew he flailed, which makes it funny when Sean does it)

I'm totally gonna go watch these scenes again - I hadn't noticed the flailing, but I can see your point... and it sounds wicked funny!

You know, I keep thinking of some movie reviewer talking about Julia Roberts, how she always plays these characters who gets their feelings hurt and we, the audience, *love* that. She does this silent, classy suffering that makes us feel for her and keep watching until she gets the happiness she deserves... (remember, the reviewer said this, not me! I'm not much for Julia, but I can see the point.)

Simon has that. He takes the abuse quietly, though he doesn't really deserve it, it's just the circumstances. It makes us want to see him get some comfort.

As for it being funny, part of Joss's genius is taking an overdone characterization (the nobly suffering rich boy with more depth then the other characters realize) and playing with our expectations. Maybe even making a bit of funny in the middle of a tense dramatic situation. I'm not sure how Joss does it, but he does.

Yeah, hard to talk about this without getting all serious and wordy, huh?

-----------------------------------------------
I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

LAWMAN

Monday, April 30, 2007 4:42 PM

what's with all the simon bashing. i think he's a decent fella, top 3 in his class, he ain't weak, and that ain't nothing. shoot, he is the best dressed in firefly series. and not that i have a man crush on the doc, but he looks to be in incredible shape in the bdm. ok, so he's abit of a social ignoramus. but jayne ain't gonna give any etiquette tips in the verse.
consider that his own parents basically abandoned simon and river.

i'm a traditionalist

STARRBABY

Monday, April 30, 2007 5:24 PM

Okay, I need to clarify my point again. This isn't meant to be a "I hate Simon" thread. All off our BDH have good points and bad points.

My reason for starting this thread is to figure out why it's so *FUNNY* when Simon gets hit. Whatever it is also makes it so much fun for the other chracters to play mean pranks on him such as Kaylee tricking him into thinking they'd slept together . . .or Mal telling him that Kaylee was dead. If life were a slumber party, Simon's knickers would be in the freezer in half a second.

Why is that?

LAWMAN

Monday, April 30, 2007 5:32 PM

well ok then. simon does get shot in ois.
he's a good foil. cause he stands for what the alliance is at its best. which is why we love seeing him getting knocked down a few pegs. the one thing i think is never addressed in the series is the concept that when a privileged person is knocked to the ground, very few people have compassion. there's no empathy, cause most folk are regular folk. can't feel empathy for someone you can't relate to. even though, at the end of bdm, when jayne passes his bottle to simon, it appears that there's enough empathy to go around.

had a kind of poetry to it

NBZ

Monday, April 30, 2007 6:38 PM

Jumping in with both feet, I blame it on fanfic.

Before all you writers try to crucify me (probably rightly), I will clarify a little. try to defend my position before you fortify the hill.

In the Series I liked all the characters. Same with the comic and the BDM.

But in fanfic I started to detest his character.

It is hard to do Simon justice.

He is both a certified genius and a little dumb. A bona fide martyr, but also an obstacle to heroism.

He is more than just his interactions with Mal Kaylee and River - this is something which can be sorely lacking.

The aspects focussed on in fan fic can be a bit... whiny.

After saying all that, to placate the writers (call it a bribe) I would reccomend this fic by Tzegha:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1217106/1/

(make sure you have the "/" at the end of the link or it will not work)

Beware it may make you hate Simon even more! Or it may change your opinion of him.

MISSTRESSAHARA

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 4:44 AM

Quote:
Perhaps Mistressahara can elaborate more and give you a better example of Simon's arrogance. She seems to dislike him more than I.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Elaborate, why do I need to elaborate? I just don't like him. No fault on the actor he's just one of the character's that never appealed to me (River as well but I like her a bit more, just. Let's not go there)

I can't explain it and I won't, just as with any show or movie there's always going to be one person you really can't connect to. As I said, if there is a sequel and he dies, I won't mourne him.

As for fanfics, the only one I've read is my own, and it's not very good, but I write Simon in a good way. I can't say it's arrogance or feeling he's better than the crew, I just personally don't like him.

Next question?

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CERES

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 8:21 AM

I think that’s so true LAWMAN. In most movies/shows the audience is given obvious reasons why they’re supposed to empathise with a character, the problems they’ve gone through or the relationships that have failed. Simon never seems to feel sorry for himself, he’s a very strong person and so it’s harder for him to attract the sympathy vote.

........................

You can question the meaning of life on a floaty
island of your own for a while.

SAVANTE76

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 1:09 PM

Well, he doesn't need the sympathy after all. He's a rich, sexy doctor - and in the top 3 percent.

But that doesn't mean I like to see guys whaling into my poor Simon. Really, he's had to deal with a lot of change - and sacrificed a lot along the way. And though he does get beaten up quite often, he does stand up which makes him more of a man than many.

MOBBEX

Sunday, August 19, 2007 12:48 AM

"Storm's getting worse."

I don't see it, realy. Simon gets punched because his talent for alienating folks in near' miraculous That pretty much says it all for me. On a more serious note I guess you could say that he lacks social intelligence, i.e. dealing with people (alive ones) isn't something that comes naturally to him.

Personnaly, I think Simon rocks. Well, as do all our BDH's but thats beside the point... Doc's got his heart at the right place, and he stays true to it. He's... virtuous. Noble. Kind of a throwback to our more usual sci-fi hero Still he is more complex than you are initally led to believe. I like that in a hero

I just don't see it!

"We'll pass through it soon enough."

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