Controversial Mal characterization
POSTED BY: SpaceAnJL
UPDATED: Saturday, January 3, 2009 06:12
VIEWED: 42749
PAGE 5 of 12
NC, you're right on with Office Space....can you imagine some plump, cheerful little person asking Mal if he's having problems with his TPS reports? And like Peter, Mal doesn't give a darn....but throw in a wicked sense of humor, a major case of PTSD, and the outsider's ability to see how blindingly stupid the corporate world is.......oh, yes. Fun.
"What's this?" asked Mal.
Betty grinned, giving a cheerful bounce. "RSVP for the company picnic, silly. There's going to be a barbecue, and balloons, and a dunk tank. It's all going to raise money for Allied war orphans."
"Sounds like – all my worst nightmares come to life," said Mal.
She giggled. "Oh, you're so silly." She grabbed his head and smooched him on the cheek. "Always joking around. I'll put you down for two tickets, I just know Ashley's dying for you to ask her to come with you."
Mal shuddered and scrubbed his cheek. "Forget it. I ain't comin.'"
"Such a tease," she said with a smile, moving to slap him playfully on the arm.
Mal blocked the blow with a sharp move and stood, his face grim. "I ain't teasing. And I ain't fond of being slapped around, play or no. Take it elsewhere."
Tears started streaming almost instantly down her face, and she cast an accusing look at Mal before turning and hurrying away with a sob. Mal stood, blinking.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but – what did you do this time?" asked Peter, poking his head up from the adjoining cube.
"I told her not to hit me!"
"Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you when she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home." .......We love you, captain.
"This is the captain. We may experience some slight turbulence and then.....explode"
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This better lead to a Big Damn Fic.
I still can't get the image of Zoe out of my head. A little explanation for why she doesn't like to cook...The one employee nobody ever asks to wear the perky mascot suit.
Is 'Office Space' the US version of 'The Office'? Because if I attempt to put David Brent and Mal in the same headspace, something will break.
SpaceAnJL. The one employee who COULD fit in the bloody suit.
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Office Space is a little movie from 1999 written and directed by Mike Judge. It's about a worker that just doesn't give a gorram about work. To make matters worse he finds out that his girl friend is sleeping around and 2 of his friends are fired.
He and the 2 friends decided to get back by using a planned software upgrade for the year 2000 to transfer money to their own account.
The ironic thing is that the 2 HR people that are deciding who to fire decide that the main character is the perfect worker.
It's hilarious and well worth watching.
We do have our own version of The Office and Nathan has expressed more than a desire to appear on it. And he has an in.
Joss has directed an episode and Nathan's good friends with James Gunn (he also directed Nathan in Slither and is very warped), whose wife, Jeanna Fisher, plays Pam the receptionist on The Office.
I love the whole cast of The Office and can't wait for the new season to start.
http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/
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ok, a question about Mal's speech pattern. Is it poetic?
I know it is a made up style, but to me it occasionally sound poetic. Especially in the longer monologues.
But is it only me that sees (hears) something that potentially is not there?
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The poetry comes from the rhythms of the speech. Joss used a number of extant sources, including Shakespeare, and real Western documents, plus of course, excellent writers. And some really good chinese cussing.
Think of...a wide open plain. A big sky. Nothin' but freedom far as you can see. Room for a man to breathe and think and mebbe just sit on his porch and wonder at the way of it all. I conjure that's the root of it.
'Course, you got to kinda take your own brain off the hook, and just let the words come. And it's a deal more than just leavin' the ends off words and abusing the apostrophe.
It's not only Mal who has a particular rhythm. If you read a page of dialogue, you should be able to tell who is speaking without names. Particularly if it's crazy talk. (BTW, song lyrics and lines of poetry are good. So is stealing from Hunter S Thompson.) Appalling grammar and worse language usually indicate something big and mean (though not without a certain insight and some smartass remarks.) Clear diction and sarcasm indicate a top three percent, unless talking to a woman, when articulation takes a swan dive. 
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Quote:I definitely think it's poetic, to varying degrees for the different characters. Book is the most poetic, I think - the preacher thing. The monologue he does in the BDM (was that a cut scene? I forget...) is pretty much poetry.
Originally posted by nbz:
ok, a question about Mal's speech pattern. Is it poetic?
I know it is a made up style, but to me it occasionally sound poetic. Especially in the longer monologues.
But any dialogue between Mal and Zoe I absolutely love because they get this rhythm going. On the train in the Train Job is one of favorite exchanges... and the shootout in the pilot ("You were right about his bein' a bad idea/Thanks for sayin', sir" Pure love LOL!!)
Some comment was made by one of the show writers about the language... that it's based on a period of time that's so interesting because the slang is rough and sloppy, but, oddly, people had much more extensive vocabularies than we do. ie Zoe and her "sanguine" comment. Kaylee and "addlepated."
Yeah... definitely poetic!
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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left
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Quote:
Originally posted by mal4prez:
The monologue he does in the BDM (was that a cut scene? I forget...) is pretty much poetry.
I am pretty sure that is the Bible.
(there is a longer version in 2x17 of Virtual Firefly over at stillflying.net if you want a gander)
By Dialogue in TTJ, do you mean "It don;t concern us" "It concerns me..." exchange or the "Whatever happens, remember I love you" "Sir?" "Because you're my wife" "Right. Sir. Honey"
I can't decide which exchange is better. Actually scratch that, I prefer the second. less words.
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My cartridge fell out of my gun...
It has a strong rhythmic quality to it, yes. And he use images aplenty. Definitely poetic in my view.
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I don't to sound too up myself here but i'm trying to write a Fanfic novel (Like the umpteen dozens of star wars type ones floating around). It's set pretty well right after Objects in Space. I see Mal as being a realist, ideals are good for those that have the coin to back them up. He has no problem shooting people. I hope i get it right.
As for the whole character of Mal being the happy go lucky laugh a minute OR Eating a gun barrel i don't know. I'd say he's niether he wont eat a bullet but he wont pretend life is grand either.
Also the comic had it pretty good as far as the character i saw him as.
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Quote:Really? OK, obviously I'm Bible ignorant, but I somehow had the idea that was Bible-like without being actual Bible. I think I just make these things up out of thin air.
Originally posted by nbz:Quote:I am pretty sure that is the Bible.
Originally posted by mal4prez:
The monologue he does in the BDM (was that a cut scene? I forget...) is pretty much poetry.
Um.. but it's still poetic though. Right?
Quote:The first. Definitely. But it's this part:
By Dialogue in TTJ, do you mean "It don;t concern us" "It concerns me..." exchange or the "Whatever happens, remember I love you" "Sir?" "Because you're my wife" "Right. Sir. Honey"
MAL - Hell, this job I would pull for free.
ZOE - Then can I have your share?
MAL - No.
ZOE - If you die can I have your share?
MAL - Yes.
lovelovelovelovelove! I want to know how much work it took Gina and Nathan to get the timing down, or if it just happened. It's flawless! Exchanges like this are why I can watch the damn series 100 times and not get tired of it.
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