Did the 'Companion' thing ever bug you in Firefly?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Saturday, February 7, 2026 14:42
VIEWED: 45553
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Mal sleeps with Nandi for one reason only : To highlight to Inara how painful it is when someone you love engages in a sexual act with a complete stranger.
Um, well, I'm pretty sure Mal's intention wasn't making Inara jealous. I'm pretty sure he was hoping she wouldn't find out, because considering his constant insults, it seems pretty hypocritical of him.
Now if you mean that was the reason for that particular plot point... Maybe and maybe not. We don't KNOW what Joss intended.
But considering how Joss recently outed what Inara's secret is, Inara's secret suggests her grief over that instance, and her subsequent leave taking, are far deeper and more complicated than just Inara having the tables turned on her. Inara leaving because Mal slept with Nandi, compared to the hundreds of times she slept with other men doesn't make sense if you think about it. Why wouldn't she just stay and quit companioning if the whole thing was just Inara feeling guilty? Why SHOULD Inara feel guilty? They're not together, not really. And what's with Inara apparently wanting Mal to go after her in Those Left Behind? Not exactly a guilty conscience wanting to disappear, rather, it appears she's hoping for Mal to prove something to her, which it appears he's done so by the end of the movie. My take is Inara wanted to see if she could rely on him to not just abandon her... Which she NEEDS to know, because a lot of people probably wouldn't bother, in light of her secret.
And, BTW, Inara calls Mal a petty thief to his face, but when he's not around, she calls him "noble" and "a Robin Hood." Very similar to Mal being more charitable about Inara's profession when SHE'S not around. They're both reflections of each other, and they both think the other has more honour than might be expected at surface glance.
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Quote:VERRRRY astute, Byte!!!!
Originally posted by Bytemite:
And, BTW, Inara calls Mal a petty thief to his face, but when he's not around, she calls him "noble" and "a Robin Hood." Very similar to Mal being more charitable about Inara's profession when SHE'S not around. They're both reflections of each other, and they both think the other has more honour than might be expected at surface glance.
The laughing Chrisisall
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Well, yeah. She's not exactly on strike, though, because the guild is still her employer and still paying her and she is still a companion.
I'm not sure how well she could teach from Serenity if she took that up again. Teaching new companions seems to be sort of hands on required, if the movie is anything to go by. Obviously this was an alternative job she found she could do within the guild, while no longer on Serenity. It happened to be a stationary job. What if she got tired of waiting for Mal, and jumped on another ship, and resumed her other job, which probably pays better?
What's she going to do once she gets back on Serenity and is traveling again? Assuming they aren't all fugitives at the end of the movie still, because otherwise they're flat out screwed because none of them can get any work (or at least work Mal would likely be okay accepting). So assuming they aren't fugitives, except for Simon and River, because the Operative says people will still be looking for them. What does Inara do? The crew can't afford dead weight, so she has to contribute somehow. How do you respect her spirit and desire for independence with a job she can take after all this?
The problem is, if she retires from Companioning then confines herself to just one field, even something relatively empowering, like say politics, then she's going to be giving up something else she enjoys (in the example of politics, comforting and nurturing people). Ultimately, being a companion allows Inara to do EVERYTHING that she likes doing, there really isn't any other job out there that fits her better and makes her as useful to have around on Serenity (what with the apparent companion near-diplomatic immunity power).
Though I've been thinking recently there might be some potential for Inara free-lancing for ALL the aspects of her profession (diplomacy, arm-candy, parties, massage, therapy, entertainment/art/music), except the sex, which is what guild membership seems to make legal. And when she's not working, I imagine she'd make an excellent quartermaster, and be pretty good at working her own contacts to run higher end, safer cargo.
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Chris: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the reason Joss changed the dialogue exchange with Wash in the pilot, right before Inara is introduced to him saying "someone on this boat has to make an honest living." Originally what Joss had planned for Mal to say wasn't too flattering, but I think it was changed entirely to set up this "what's beyond the surface, what's the difference between what they feel and the masks they show each other" dynamic.
The more pleasant exchange in The Message could have a few interpretations. If you take the Message in it's original order, with this being after Heart of Gold, then it potentially becomes Mal trying to be nice to convince her to stay or him thinking "screw it, I've lost her anyway." But if you take it in the new order, there's no apparent reason for Mal to say something nice there, and it seems more like he slipped up and said something honest.
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Originally posted by Bytemite:
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Um, well, I'm pretty sure Mal's intention wasn't making Inara jealous. I'm pretty sure he was hoping she wouldn't find out, because considering his constant insults, it seems pretty hypocritical of him.
Here's Mal and Inara at an impass in thier relationship. Mal is suddenly faced with the opportunity of a beautiful woman (Nandi) showing interest in him that involves more than just put downs and hurtful remarks, and so he seizes the opportunity. Not because he's interested in Nandi but because it will cause Inara to react. What kind of a reaction doesn't matter.... And of course she's going to find out, they are in the whore house! Hypocrisy is irrelevant. (It was hypocritical of him to allow her on the ship in the first place if he is so principled). That's why the plot focusses on Inara breaking down and crying. That's the reaction we HAVE to see. There is no other reason why that shot is in the show but to illustrate what MAL has intentionally done to INARA. It's the money shot as far as thier relationship goes because now WE know that Inara absolutely loves Mal.
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But considering how Joss recently outed what Inara's secret is, Inara's secret suggests her grief over that instance, and her subsequent leave taking, are far deeper and more complicated than just Inara having the tables turned on her. Inara leaving because Mal slept with Nandi, compared to the hundreds of times she slept with other men doesn't make sense if you think about it.
It makes perfect sense.
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Why wouldn't she just stay and quit companioning if the whole thing was just Inara feeling guilty?
It's not about making Inara feel guilty it's about Inara understanding what MAl feels. She now knows what it is like to be in love with someone who has sex for a reason other than love.
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Why SHOULD Inara feel guilty?
I'm not saying she should feel guilty - but it's about pain. She put Mal through pain, and that's Mal's way of deflecting it back at her, without having to say to her "I love you Inara - and this is what you do to me every time you go off with your clients".
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And, BTW, Inara calls Mal a petty thief to his face, but when he's not around, she calls him "noble" and "a Robin Hood." Very similar to Mal being more charitable about Inara's profession when SHE'S not around. They're both reflections of each other, and they both think the other has more honour than might be expected at surface glance.
Indeed they are but they are bound by an inner conflict/pride if you like, that won't allow them to reveal to each other how they feel.
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In my opinion, the thing with Nandi wasn't ABOUT Inara. Look at his reaction when he sees her the next morning. He wasn't thinking ahead at all. It wasn't jealousy, and really don't think it was I love you, so I'm going to hurt you. It was Mal, needing comfort, and thinking Inara would never be willing to fulfill that need for him.
The attempted conversation at the end of that episode is much closer to I love you, but Inara cuts him off, because she can't stay.
She DOES leave because she can't stand what she's doing to Mal, but I don't think it's the way you think it is. Inara thinks if she stays it's going to destroy him, and it's not because of her profession. At the end of the movie, she realizes that he might be able to withstand what's coming and be there for her, so she maybe kinda sorta discusses staying with him.
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Bytemite wrote:
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In my opinion, the thing with Nandi wasn't ABOUT Inara.
It's all about Inara. They are down there because of Inara. Mal is doing Inara a favour.
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Look at his reaction when he sees her the next morning. He wasn't thinking ahead at all. It wasn't jealousy, and really don't think it was I love you, so I'm going to hurt you. It was Mal, needing comfort, and thinking Inara would never be willing to fulfill that need for him.
Mal is always thinking ahead. It's his character. It is NOT about jealousy, it is about Mal illustrating to Inara what he has to feel when she goes off with her clients. And it's right in her face this time.
Where/how do you surmise it's about Inara feeling she would never fulfill him?
Quote:... and why can't she stay?....
The attempted conversation at the end of that episode is much closer to I love you, but Inara cuts him off, because she can't stay.
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She DOES leave because she can't stand what she's doing to Mal, but I don't think it's the way you think it is. Inara thinks if she stays it's going to destroy him, and it's not because of her profession. At the end of the movie, she realizes that he might be able to withstand what's coming and be there for her, so she maybe kinda sorta discusses staying with him.
Well I don't think I stated why I think Inara leaves Mal? But to clear that up I would guess (because there really aren't many clues with this one) but I would guess it's because Inara has that option left to her. It's the one thing remaining that she is able to utilise to control thier relationship and it's less degrading than Mal telling her to leave - always a possibility. (But this is a big guess) It could simply be she can't stand the sight of him now he's bedded one of her friends. - (I've been there with this one!)
and..... Destroy him how? I'm not sure I follow you on this one....
But Bytemite - I wanted to say how much fun this is. I love the fact there are so many interpretations to this show and it's always interesing to read things from others and reconsider Firefly from alternative viewpoints. Gives me more reasons to re-watch Firefly and now in particular Hearts of Gold
Just to say I don't regard my point of view as definative ( I hope it's not coming across that way)
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I know this thread is about the whole companion issue, but I think Mal and Inara are an important subpoint of this. Mal is the designated, genre savvy hero of Firefly, the story starts with him (and him opening up a box with an omniscient MacGuffin Girl in it), so a lot of people take their cues on how to feel about companions from Mal.
So I think how Mal feels about companions, and particularly what Inara does, is very important to this conversation. I hope you'll all indulge me a little longer, because this conversation I think has it's place in the bigger picture here.
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Mal is always thinking ahead. It's his character. It is NOT about jealousy, it is about Mal illustrating to Inara what he has to feel when she goes off with her clients. And it's right in her face this time.
Ehm... I have to disagree with you on the first part, about Mal thinking ahead. Mal has always struck me as a pretty impulsive, "flying by the seat of his pants and change course on the turn of a dime" kind of guy. He says and does PLENTY of things that it seems to me he's kicking himself about later, even if they seem necessary at the time (and sometimes they aren't). Look at his terse comments to Kaylee in Shindig, or in the movie, after they leave Haven, and he goes to the shuttle and kind of just pauses there to absorb what he's done. He probably did have to do this, but turning Serenity into a Reaver ship and defiling their friends is a very "shoot the poor diseased dog" kind of thing. The thing is, a lot of his ideas are good ideas, so even though he has absolutely TERRIBLE luck, he's able to adjust on the fly and save as many people as possible, which makes him a good captain. Mal isn't the chessmaster, thinking several moves ahead. That's River.
If it's not about jealousy, why does it upset Mal so much? And why should it hurt Inara?
And also, is this really something Mal does? Hurt people he cares about in a pre-calculated way? He hurts them, no question about, and insults them, but it always seems to me like he was just being insensitive, speaking off the cuff, or that he was mad and not really in control of what he was saying. If it's pre-calculated to rub in Inara's face and hurt her, isn't that a little sadistic? This is quite a bit different from telling Simon that Kaylee's dead and terrifying the poor boy into thinking he and his sister are a few minutes from airlock city. That was a mean joke. I don't really think either he or Inara thought his night with Nandi was funny.
And it's almost like you're suggesting Inara needs to be hurt to be shown the error of her ways... Almost like she deserves it?
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... and why can't she stay?....
Now, it could very well be that she can't stand the sight of Mal, though that seems inconsistent with her wanting him to stop her/go after her in Those Left Behind, and her seemingly happily coming back to Serenity after the events of Miranda two months later.
But me, I think she can't stay because
Select to view spoiler:
She's dying. Mal loves her, and she knows it, and watching how Nandi's death affected him gave her a glimpse of the future. And he barely KNEW Nandi, yet he was still blaming himself for her death. Imagine how Mal will feel if Inara dies? I think it will destroy him, because here he is, trying to move on to Serenity Valley, trying to build himself and his crew a future, and he's struggling at it as it is.
My impression is that Inara wanted to spare him from that, but part of her wants him to be strong enough that he can stay with her and help her face this, because she's scared and lonely. And dying.
Inara maybe represents something normal for him, a luxury, maybe an actual future, a home with kids running around. He does express that he wants kids. What's so painful about this is his talk about "a passel of youngin's" reminds Inara that she can't have any with him, that she can't be with him. Similarly, his being with Nandi reminds Inara of what she can't have.
Oh, and I have links to prove it, but watch out, major spoilers.
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Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
Mal sleeps with Nandi for one reason only : To highlight to Inara how painful it is when someone you love engages in a sexual act with a complete stranger.
Very interesting Som. When I first read your post I thought, "hmmmm.... that's pretty good!" But the more I think about it the more I think Mal just wanted to f*ck. In fact, he's just that much of a clod that he DOESN'T think those kinds of things through, which only ads to Inara's pain. "He didn't even have the decency to think about how it would affect me!"
I also think it underscores what a hypocrite she is, and her realization of it, which leads to her decision to leave. She thought she could separate "sex" from "love" (she's a trained professional after all) but she's finding she can't - which ultimately takes us to the movie and her decision to stay. Her comment in HoG to Mal about it not mattering seemed flat and by rote, no sincerity at all, like "I know what I'm suppose to feel even if I don't."
There are other conflicts between them, like class distinctions. Mal's a commoner or lower, while Inara is High Society. It's more than who she sleeps with, it's who she is. She hangs out with the Dr. since he's people, where her growing feelings for Mal probably surprise her and shake her sense of control - "he's not even one of my people." Her tone with him can be very snippy and condescending (which he ignores). I think that's an unresolved conflict that also pushes her to leave.
And then forward again to the movie when she's deciding to stay and we see her without any of her Companion trappings of dress or makeup, like she's ready to go "slumming" with Mal.
I like what TWO was suggesting about Companions versus Whores - Companions wanting friendship, whores money. What if it goes further, what if part of their training was in the art of making their clients fall in love with them? Not just the art of physical pleasure, but really get inside their hearts, where it seemed completely mutual and real? That would be a powerful "service."
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