Rewriting Shindig

POSTED BY: DMI
UPDATED: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 12:25
VIEWED: 21001
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AGENTROUKA

Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:

I have no quarrel with listing the vise grip as part of the exchange. However, are we certain that this was the PRIMARY factor, or was this merely an EXCUSE for Mal to pursue this vector?

I grant that Mal IS very good at deception and playing different roles, but this is also the guy who was ready to kill Simon for smuggling a girl and later on gives that impassioned speech to Inara about being a slave. He has issues with victimisation of women.

To consider that his reaction to the gripping hand (which I disagree would have been that visible to anyone not standing right with them and looking at Ath's hands on Inara in the first place) was a deliberate move seems like a rather unlikely and more convoluted scenario than the more obvious one: Mal is indeed irritated and wants to get Inara away. His feelings for her are pretty obvious, his feelings about her job even more so and, head for business or not, Mal has been known to stand up for what he feels strongly about, convenient or not.

Plus, why even show Ath's grip and Mal's reaction to so prominently (and not show anyone reacting to Mal's reaction) if it was supposed to be an act?

I'd say, yes, it was the primary motivator, and there were no pressing reasons not to follow his impulse, possibly even advantages. So he did it. If there had been reasons against the dance, Mal would have addressed the issue in some other way, but right then it was impulse coupled with opportunity.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Friday, January 30, 2009 5:31 AM

Having watched the series last weekend again, these comments about victimization of women remind me of something. In OoG, Inara flashback informs Mal she supported Unification, and in HoG she explains the whores as not being in the Guild (another word for Union, or Alliance). Mal says "So they're Independents" and states that payment won't be required - and Inara starts that purely business arrangement blather.
Mal will help them once he has identified with them as independents.

AGENTROUKA

Friday, January 30, 2009 7:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Having watched the series last weekend again, these comments about victimization of women remind me of something. In OoG, Inara flashback informs Mal she supported Unification, and in HoG she explains the whores as not being in the Guild (another word for Union, or Alliance). Mal says "So they're Independents" and states that payment won't be required - and Inara starts that purely business arrangement blather.
Mal will help them once he has identified with them as independents.

One flaw: Guild does not equal Alliance. They supported the Alliance in the war, and the Alliance extends its legal protection, but they are very much separate entities. Everything else is an assumption.

And the "independent" comment was a word play. Independent as in "not Guild-affiliated", not as in the political position, but Mal alludes to the similarity of attitudes. The not paying thing, though, I would very very much class under Mal wanting to do Inara a favor, which becomes plain when she dismisses his offer. His reaction to that is pretty tell-tale, especially since he repeats her words later in front of Nandi to express his irritation. I think he would have helped Guild-affiliated Companions out for free, as well, if it was because Inara asked him and they somehow couldn't afford to pay.

BYTEMITE

Sunday, February 1, 2009 1:44 AM

I know this thread already fell off the front page, but I was just thinking of something I think I might have liked to have seen in this episode.

What if Inara had slapped Atherton instead of Mal punching him? And then Atherton challenged Mal, ALSO with a slap? Seems to me, if Atherton is as competent as he is supposed to be in a duel, he wouldn't be waiting for other people to challenge him first. Plus it lets Inara have a bit more strength, and maybe then instead of being forced back to Atherton's estate to finish out her contract, maybe she might get put up in that hotel also (different room, of course).

DMI

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 9:23 PM

I understand the desire to get away from Mal saving the damsel in distress and let Inara stand up for herself but I just can't see that there is anyway she would slap a client who wasn't out right violating her rights in some way. Ath's general assholery (which she must have been aware of before taking him on as a client) and tight grip on her arm don't seem to me to be enough for her to act.
-e

A blog on the struggles of an unpublished writer: http://www.blogiversity.org/blogs/dmi/default.aspx

BYTEMITE

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 10:35 PM

You're probably right, she probably was aware of how Atherton acts. Perhaps the only reason she answered his wave at all is because of the invite he extended to the party, which would be a good place to expand her client base. His behaviour must not have been bad enough in the past for her to bother taking action against him, and to feign civility in light of the business prospect side of it.

But. I may be uncertain about just how good or evil or corporate the Guild is. One thing is made very clear, however; they don't tolerate the abuse of any of the sisters by clients (they wouldn't attract many disciples if they did!), and I don't imagine that a companion is expected to fulfill a contract with a client when they're sensing danger from them. Inara would be trained to recognize warning signs, and with how Atherton was acting... Practically klaxons, really.

Maybe she should have just refused to leave with him. She was part of the altercation in a sense, the rules of that society might prohibit her from running off as much as they did Mal. Or maybe the guild has some contingency plan to protect their companions from retaliation, and she got swept off somewhere secret, then emerged to see how the duel turned out.

I'm still wondering about her offer to Atherton, before Mal turns the tables. From one perspective, it is a very selfless, heroic thing for her to do, and I've heard a few people say that Inara would probably have made the same offer even if it wasn't Mal that Atherton was about to eviscerate. That seems in character to me, and from that angle is feminist positive. On the other hand, it IS Mal, and it could be construed as Inara "sacrificing herself for her beloved," which probably is NOT feminist positive.

IMNOTHERE

Thursday, February 5, 2009 10:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
You're probably right, she probably was aware of how Atherton acts.

Why would she be? They've probably had a history of elegant assignations at balls, concerts and restaurants at which Atherton has been the perfect gentleman and zero (0) space cowboys turn up and try to steal his bird.

His possessive attitude only surfaces when he is faced with a threat - i.e. Mal.

Now, if the guy had any long-term relationship then his little "being an asshole" problem would surface sooner or later, but Inara just flies in for a perfect date and flies out again.

BYTEMITE

Thursday, February 5, 2009 2:49 PM

Maybe, but I also get the feeling that this wasn't the first time Atherton asked her to stay as his personal companion.

Granted, she probably gets asked that a lot, like in the pilot episode, but unlike in the pilot episode where she just kind of inwardly sighs and smiles prettily, she seemed genuinely uncomfortable with Atherton's offer. Maybe he's been a little too persistent, maybe she senses something about him that makes her not want to stick around for a long term engagement, maybe it's just me, but that's my impression.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Friday, February 6, 2009 5:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Maybe, but I also get the feeling that this wasn't the first time Atherton asked her to stay as his personal companion.

Granted, she probably gets asked that a lot, like in the pilot episode, but unlike in the pilot episode where she just kind of inwardly sighs and smiles prettily, she seemed genuinely uncomfortable with Atherton's offer. Maybe he's been a little too persistent, maybe she senses something about him that makes her not want to stick around for a long term engagement, maybe it's just me, but that's my impression.

I've often considered those "uncomfortable" moments to be when a client asks her to be his "personal companion" and not "wife" - like a longer hire, but no marriage.
When she now lives with a man who would gladly marry her. Non-marriage offers are quite tedious, yet marriaqge is not part of a Companion's life.
JMO.

BYTEMITE

Friday, February 6, 2009 5:31 AM

Perhaps, but I don't think she was so uncomfortable or even a little unnerved when the young man in the pilot asked her to stay. On the surface she's polite and regretful with her smile that immediately ends her client's further inquiries, and underneath she's a little tired. With Atherton I got the impression she was genuinely wary.

As I remember it, he asks her, and she freezes for a second before trying to pull that same smile. And a few lines later, she says "it's not a no, either." I think there's no way she would ever have considered staying with Atherton even if he wasn't a jerk, she likes her independence too much. So why tell him any different? Politeness? She doesn't bother to soothe any egos in the pilot episode. So it seems to me more like she doesn't want to confront Atherton about it, or even discuss it. She's trying to avoid giving him an answer. Why? I can't think of any other reason except that Atherton worries her somehow.

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