Did the 'Companion' thing ever bug you in Firefly?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Saturday, February 7, 2026 14:42
VIEWED: 45553
PAGE 19 of 21
...And my last post came off way snarkier then I intended AnotherSky, but I'm too lazy to go back and reword it...
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Yeah, and apparently mine came off strong too.
Perhaps peachy was not the best word. I meant that Book has big internal struggles yes, (and maybe that talk led to others, we never saw them)but that this one seemed odd given the others.
Please don't think I mean Simon is a weasel. He's about the farthest of those on the ship from weasel.
BUT if she has this confessor-priestess-counselor like function though, why would he NOT go to her for succor and aid against the Mean Old Man of Space with ye old Airlock at his disposal?
__
Going for a ride.
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Quote:
Originally posted by AnotherSky:
Yeah, and apparently mine came off strong too.
Perhaps peachy was not the best word. I meant that Book has big internal struggles yes, (and maybe that talk led to others, we never saw them)but that this one seemed odd given the others.
Please don't think I mean Simon is a weasel. He's about the farthest of those on the ship from weasel.
BUT if she has this confessor-priestess-counselor like function though, why would he NOT go to her for succor and aid against the Mean Old Man of Space with ye old Airlock at his disposal?
__
Going for a ride.
Problem with teh internets is tonal fluctuations get lost in the bytes ;)
I'll go ahead and concede with your Book argument for now, as it's been awhile since I've watched the DVD's, and shame on me I never spent as much time analyzing his character as I have some of the others. So your take may well be more accurate than mine.
And NOW I see where you are coming from with your last sentence...but I can counter that by pointing out that Simon witnessed the exchange between Mal, Inara, and Book at the beginning of the pilot, when Mal basically disrespected her in front of the new passengers for her "whoring". So Simon probably reasonably formed the impression at the time that Inara's opinion may not carry that much weight with the Captain. Mal also got pissed off at her trying to "tell him what to do" while Kaylee lay bleeding on the floor. So I don't know that Simon would have seen her as someone who would be a powerful advocate on his behalf, influence-on-the-ship-and-over-the-Captain-wise, at that time.
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Originally posted by Stegasaurus:
I'm suprised no one as of yet has mentioned the geisha. When I watched the show for the first time, I immediately thought of Inara as a geisha with more spice (after having watched Memoirs of a Geisha).
In Wikipedia it states the following about the origins of a geisha:Quote:
In early seventeenth-century Japan (long before the word geisha was ever used), the predecessor of the geisha, a combination of actress and prostitute, worked on the stages set in the driver[vague] river bed of the River Kamo in Kyoto. The line between actress and prostitute was then blurred. The women would preform erotic dances and skits for their audiences. This new type of performance was dubbed kabuku, meaning "to be wild and outrageous". They[who?] called her dances kabuki, which was the beginning of kabuki theater.[1]
Traditional Japanese views of sex were very relaxed. It was a society that embraced sexual delights and where men were not constrained to be faithful to their wives. In fact it was socially acceptable to be in love with one's wife, but only what was considered a "professional" woman.[vague] For sexual enjoyment and romantic attachment, men did not go to their wives, but to courtesans. In order to maintain this profession, the Japanese government created "pleasure quarters" where the courtesans could reside and work and men could go to relax and enjoy the entertainment.[1]
These pleasure quarters quickly became glamorous entertainment centers that offered far more that just sex. The highly accomplished courtesans of these districts entertained their clients by dancing, singing, and playing music. Some were even renowned poets and calligraphers. Gradually, they all became specialized and the new profession, purely of entertainment, arose. It was near the turn of the eighteenth century that the first entertainers of the pleasure quarters, called geisha, appeared. The very first geishas were men, entertaining customers waiting to see the most popular and gifted courtesans.[1]
Around 1760, women began to join men in the art of the geisha and very quickly outnumbered the men. The first woman to use the term "geisha" was an Edo prostitute named Kikuya and[vague] became a full-time entertainer. Soon, many women, whether they sold sex or not, began using the term geisha. Doing so was a way of acquiring respectability and proving that they were professionals.[dubious – discuss] The geisha who worked within the pleasure quarters were essentially imprisoned and strictly forbidden to sell sex in order to protect the business of the courtesans. Geisha who worked outside the pleasure quarters, however, could do as they pleased. Eventually, the gaudy courtesans began to fall out of fashion and the geisha were seen as the chic and desirable entertainers they are in modern Japan.
While I realize the geisha is Japanese and not Chinese, what in the world would have stopped Joss from utilizing some Japanese cultural tidbits to further the excitement of his (our) show? Absolutely nothing.
As for it bothering or not bothering me? Not in the least. Our society is going to change 360 degrees 10 times over before we reach the timeframe Firefly/Serentiy is in, and I like to think myself a progressive thinker.
My wife, on the other hand, does not and would not approve.
I've said my bit about geisha and heitara/haetara already(BTW, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is embellished to say the very least...and Hokusai help you if all you ever see is the movie, it guts the book even more).
But what all these concepts hinge on one concept which is the thing that Stegasaurus' wife might be objecting to:
that there is a separation between the women required to carry on your name and property (your wife) and the woman you want to have sexy fun with (your "INSERT personal entertainer of type and degree, from chatting to sex--heitara, courtesan, geisha, hostess, call girl, stripper, street hooker, whatever, HERE").
There are entire discourses going back to the
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Quote:
Originally posted by fearthebunnyman:Quote:
Originally posted by AnotherSky:
Yeah, and apparently mine came off strong too.
Perhaps peachy was not the best word. I meant that Book has big internal struggles yes, (and maybe that talk led to others, we never saw them)but that this one seemed odd given the others.
Please don't think I mean Simon is a weasel. He's about the farthest of those on the ship from weasel.
BUT if she has this confessor-priestess-counselor like function though, why would he NOT go to her for succor and aid against the Mean Old Man of Space with ye old Airlock at his disposal?
__
Going for a ride.
Problem with teh internets is tonal fluctuations get lost in the bytes ;)
I'll go ahead and concede with your Book argument for now, as it's been awhile since I've watched the DVD's, and shame on me I never spent as much time analyzing his character as I have some of the others. So your take may well be more accurate than mine.
And NOW I see where you are coming from with your last sentence...but I can counter that by pointing out that Simon witnessed the exchange between Mal, Inara, and Book at the beginning of the pilot, when Mal basically disrespected her in front of the new passengers for her "whoring". So Simon probably reasonably formed the impression at the time that Inara's opinion may not carry that much weight with the Captain. Mal also got pissed off at her trying to "tell him what to do" while Kaylee lay bleeding on the floor. So I don't know that Simon would have seen her as someone who would be a powerful advocate on his behalf, influence-on-the-ship-and-over-the-Captain-wise, at that time.
If you're out of time and options, you take the strongest, right? It could be that Simon didn't even have that in his head at all, it could be that he figured it was it for him and he wanted to at least feel ok about it. Or he could have wanted to see what a Companion's room looked like, supposing he hasn't seen one already.
And, supposing there is this facet to Inara's persona a protective quality, it's better than nothing.
Kinda like the fact that Book stands around (or at the end of a muzzle) in many terse gun situations and is never deliberately shot. How Inara can waltz in and take two suspects out of lockdown with no questions asked, with her person being used as the reason they should believe her story--her file is clean, but they even ask themselves "why the heck is she out here?". The reaction is like minor nobility.
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So Simon probably reasonably formed the impression at the time that Inara's opinion may not carry that much weight with the Captain.
Except the Simon in the shuttle thing happens shortly after the pow-wow in the galley, when Inara goes up to Mal and tells him that even if he just puts Simon and River off on Whitefall, they don't have the necessary experience to survive out on the Rim and it would be as good as killing them. She gives him an ultimatum, that if they go, she's leaving too.
Mal seems to have listened to her, up until finding Simon in the shuttle and threatening him (partially out of jealousy) and telling him to get ready for the airlock, because Kaylee's dead.
Of course, that was a big joke, and it turns out Mal does listen to Inara and he keeps Simon and River on. So, actually, I'm with Anothersky here, I think Simon can figure out subtext, and he knows Inara is a strong ally.
It's the same conclusion Book reaches after the "she's a whore" incident. It's pretty obvious there's more going on there than what's on the surface, which is why Book later goes to talk to Inara ("Why do you find him so fascinating?") and later, again, for that benediction. Mal and Inara bicker like an old married couple, it takes less than three seconds to figure out what's really going on there. It's even more obvious when talking to one of them person to person about the other.
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Mal tells Inara at that point "Might be best" she DOES get off his ship, and then reiterates that she has not part of "this business" - i.e., the running of his ship. Again, nothing much pointing to Inara's supposed influence with Mal at that point. The situation btwn Mal and Inara at the beginning of the series could just as easily be read to a newcomer as an affair gone bad, which means their bickering could be leading up to a huge explosion btwn the two of them - I'm just arguing here from the context of it being the first ep, and therefore the first time the passengers are meeting these people who live on the ship. Hindsight's 20/20, but do we know for sure what it would have looked like to them right at that time?
I feel like this is starting to get away from Inara's companion thing here, though...we need to find a way to discuss her without bringing in Mal all the time
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Mal tells Inara at that point "Might be best" she DOES get off his ship, and then reiterates that she has not part of "this business"
The pilot episode was great...
Heads should roll
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Quote:
Originally posted by fearthebunnyman:
Mal tells Inara at that point "Might be best" she DOES get off his ship, and then reiterates that she has not part of "this business" - i.e., the running of his ship. Again, nothing much pointing to Inara's supposed influence with Mal at that point. The situation btwn Mal and Inara at the beginning of the series could just as easily be read to a newcomer as an affair gone bad, which means their bickering could be leading up to a huge explosion btwn the two of them - I'm just arguing here from the context of it being the first ep, and therefore the first time the passengers are meeting these people who live on the ship. Hindsight's 20/20, but do we know for sure what it would have looked like to them right at that time?
My whole point was about SIMON'S possible psychology in going to Inara, if it had indeed had anything to do with hanging on to her highfalutin apron strings against the captain.
WHETHER or not it would have kept him and River from being kicked off the ship is not my point.
As for Simon's intuition, he IS River's sibling. There isn't an extreme amount of (realistic) weight in that, but there's definitely some, particularly since he does play it like that, the similarities.
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I feel like this is starting to get away from Inara's companion thing here, though...we need to find a way to discuss her without bringing in Mal all the time
Good idea. But Inara the character, show-wise, is REALLY bound up in Mal and his own personal issues. I'd venture to say that's WHY she's a Companion specifically, other than getting attention with the s-word.
But yes, back to Companion-ing. I didn't mean to sound so uncompromising earlier. More tea as we continue our discussion? Lol...
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Going for a ride.
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@KPO seriously, it's just chock full of EVERYTHING
Quote:
Originally posted by AnotherSky:
My whole point was about SIMON'S possible psychology in going to Inara, if it had indeed had anything to do with hanging on to her highfalutin apron strings against the captain.
WHETHER or not it would have kept him and River from being kicked off the ship is not my point.
As for Simon's intuition, he IS River's sibling. There isn't an extreme amount of (realistic) weight in that, but there's definitely some, particularly since he does play it like that, the similarities.
Yeah, the more I think about this, the more I think you are making a good point about his thought process...and at the same time though, I think there is still an argument to be made that Simon's approach towards Inara is also at least somewhat influenced by his own experience with companions, and a reflection of Core attitudes towards them, which is in turn a subtle way of showing us that there's more to a Companion than a particularly high-rent call girl/courtesan. That's all I'm saying.
But your analysis added a new layer for me, so thank you for that
Quote:
Good idea. But Inara the character, show-wise, is REALLY bound up in Mal and his own personal issues. I'd venture to say that's WHY she's a Companion specifically, other than getting attention with the s-word.
yeah, she def. provides a contrast. the other problem with that though is I feel like we as the viewer are often directed to see things from Mal's POV, as the lead character...but his point of view is his alone, colored with all his other personal shiat going on, so I feel like for a more objective look at Inara and her vocation, Mal really needs to be taken out of the equation...which is easier said than done.
Quote:
But yes, back to Companion-ing. I didn't mean to sound so uncompromising earlier. More tea as we continue our discussion? Lol...
oh you didn't at all! I'm knocking back coffee at the mo, though. believe it or not, it puts me to sleep pretty fast when I drink it before bedtime.
/but then I run in all my dreams
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