Serenity: It's Never Easy Comic - read it here

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UPDATED: Thursday, January 12, 2017 14:02
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BYTEMITE

Monday, May 7, 2012 8:20 PM

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1. No, at least I do not think so.

The only reason I ask, is that since it's at the end and so understated, is if there's some sort of hidden significance.

Zoe suggests that in the future River will be around to save Mal, maybe meaning that she won't be. She might be indicating that she thinks Mal has lots of people looking after him and while she's pregnant she can step back and let them manage him. Or in Float Out Zoe is on some space station meeting with Wash's friends.

Or could also be something else, in which case clearly Joss really doesn't pull any punches.

I hope it's not the last one.

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2. Poor decision not to try on his part

River's conversation with him suggests this. I might call it writing inconsistency if it weren't already established that Mal's plans sometimes, well, they leave something to be desired.

On the other hand, the guy's a terrible shot, if River hadn't intervened the crew might have shown up after Mal had been grazed several times, but nothing serious. Maybe Mal was able to read him and knew he wasn't really a threat? Maybe the way the guy was holding the gun or not being steady enough.

Mal's the kind of guy who could be shot by someone a few times and still think they're harmless.

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3. Aunt Kaylee and Aunt Inara!

Oh yes. Both of them could be very enthusiastic under the right circumstances, River too. Mal would probably be involved in the planning as well, in an awkwardly well-meaning way.

Actually I could imagine them pressuring Mal into waiting on them. Bringing in the fruits on a platter and the drinks while Zoe has her rare pampering girl talk time. Maybe a spa?

And then something comes up and the remaining male members of the crew have to team up to make sure it doesn't spoil the girl's special outing.

TWO

Monday, May 7, 2012 8:25 PM

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
So okay! Topics of discussion!

2) Why didn't Mal use his quick shot ability? Has he been injured or tired or just not able to draw as fast after Miranda?

Instead of explaining it away, I'll outline a story with more twists. It's Always Easy is the title.

The story begins with Mal and Simon looking for River in the Outback. Serenity is in the far background. They are riding the 4-wheel drive mule from the TV series, when the other mule, the one that floats, passes them going to town.

Zoe, Jayne, Inara, and Kaylee are picking up the cargo. They are running late because River has vanished. Everyone is now out of the ship. Mal and Simon climb a ridge on foot to get a better view of where River is hiding. Imagine sarcastic Mal blaming Simon.

Suddenly the 4-wheel drive mule explodes! Another RPG bursts near Mal and Simon. A thief with a grenade launcher rides her horse up Serenity's ramp. Mal is shooting, but it is too far away for accuracy with a pistol.

We see that the spaceship thief is wearing garish, bright yellow boots. Moments later, the Firefly is going, going, gone. More conversation. Maybe Mal punches Simon.

The floating mule returns with the cargo. Heated words are hurled about homelessness. Jayne punches Simon.

After everybody said what they should not, Serenity comes flying back and lands.

River rides the spaceship thief's horse down Serenity's ramp to where everyone is waiting. What happened? River never left the ship. "Why were you looking for me out here?" She woke when Serenity took off.

Asked about the thief, River says, "Dropped her where she needed to go." With River, nobody expects more explanation. What happened will remain a mystery. Serenity takes off again, on its way.

Final page: a cemetery with a new hole. It looks like a crater. Something fell from a great height and landed here. Getting closer, we see the thief's fancy boots are showing at the bottom. The End.

By the way, River did worse to six men whose only crime was ugliness in Serenity: Downtime www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2010-11-08-serenity08_ST_N.htm

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity," where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

GWEK

Monday, May 7, 2012 8:41 PM

Well, I guess weak tea is better than no tea.

On one hand, it's great to see more Serenity. On the other... Well, more would be better, and better would be nicer. I cna't say I love the pattern that's forming, where the purpose of the stories seems to simply remind is that Firefly/Serenity isn't dead. I also sincerenly hope that Zack Whedon will not be the new shepherd if the tale returns in full force.

I find it interesting to ponder the "why" behind each of the tales we've gotten:

THOSE LEFT BEHIND (2005) was an obvious bridge between the series and the movie, as well as a movie prequel. (It also let Joss wrap up some story stuff that wouldn't make it into the movie--all in all, a fine finale to the first season, I think).

BETTER DAYS (2008) is basically Joss's love letter to fans of the series. Sure, it's called "Serenity," but it's definitely a "lost episode" from the show. Arguably, this is an "apology" of sorts for killing off Wash and Book. (Not that I think Joss should apologize.)

2008 also gave us THE OTHER HALF, the first of (now three) Serenity "shorts." Although it doesn't add to continuity in any meaninful way, it DOES help establish Mal's frame of mind at the beginning of the movie. If those who watched the series and read THOSE LEFT BEHIND might wonder why Mal was willing to trust River's instincts, the answer can be found here. In a certain sense, this is a purified form of some of the takeaways from OBJECTS IN SPACE.

FLOAT OUT and THE SHEPHERD'S TALE (both 2010) are essentially a "wake" for our fallen heroes, one last chance to say goodbye to Wash and Book. Interestingly, FLOAT OUT is the first post-Serenity continuity and answers the big question of whether Zoe is pregnant. TST similarly reveals one of the biggest mysteries from the series, the secret history of Book. Personally, I think the fact that these came out in the same year, at the five year anniversary of the movie, combined with the facts that Joss didn't write either one AND both were done with a little outside prompting (Patton Oswalt's desire to write a Firefly story and Ron Glass's announcement that Joss would tell Book's tale in the foreseeable future, respectively) indicate that by 2010 Joss had had time to revise his plans for the 'Verse. He knew what stories he might someday want to tell, and these were two that would fall to the wayside otherwise.

Then we get to DOWN TIME (2010) and this new one, IT'S NEVER EASY (2012). What do these really tell us? Why were the written? (Other than to remind us that the franchise isn't entirely dead yet.) Honestly, much as I love Firefly/Serenity, I don't see much of a point to either one. Both largely rehash themes, ideas, and even dialogue that we see elsewhere.

One thing I DO find interesting in IT'S NEVER EASY is that Simon thinks River might have shot Mal. This short is the first post-SERENITY appearance of any crew member besides Zoe and, I have to say, River doesn't seem especially sane or "cured." Meaningful, or weak editing?

BYTEMITE

Monday, May 7, 2012 8:42 PM

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By the way, River did worse to six men whose only crime was ugliness in Serenity: Downtime

Technically it's suggested they were either planning to ambush the crew and raid the ship, or possibly that they were specifically looking for River to turn her in for the reward.

And if they were going to turn River in, they kind of deserved what they got.

But, at the same time, yes, River could drop someone out of the airlock. And I don't mind the "River gets lost and Mal and Simon have to go looking for her" idea.

BYTEMITE

Monday, May 7, 2012 8:50 PM

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One thing I DO find interesting in IT'S NEVER EASY is that Simon thinks River might have shot Mal. This short is the first post-SERENITY appearance of any crew member besides Zoe and, I have to say, River doesn't seem especially sane or "cured." Meaningful, or weak editing?

I think the movie never actually intended to suggest that River was ALL better after the crew heard the Miranda message, but rather that by getting it out of her system so that the triggered half-forgotten memory didn't overwhelm her, River had returned to a (for post-Academy River) normal state.

I'm actually glad to see it, because otherwise the movie would have retconned the damage to River's amygdala. Catharsis and revelations don't exactly heal that.

Anyway, we need to see more from the crew! Although I did find the Mal and Zoe interactions entertaining, he's clearly walking on egg shells around her and not sure how to deal with her while she's pregnant. I wonder if she's making a lot of demands, maybe even co-captaining because Mal's giving her a wide allowance out of guilt and obligation? That could be interesting, seeing a bossy, pregnant Zoe playing at being captain herself.

M52NICKERSON

Monday, May 7, 2012 9:08 PM

I don't think the comic points to River not being okay. Simon and the crew had been use to seeing River a certain way, it might take them awhile to get use to her sane, or more sane. That and she was standing over Mal with a gun.

Over all I think the story lets people read into it what they would like. If for know other reason because it is such a simple short story.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

TWO

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 1:00 PM

Dark Horse Digital has Serenity/Star Wars issue on their site and it won't cost you anything to read it. https://digital.darkhorse.com/read/2069/
Zack Whedon's Star Wars story doesn't have any impossibilities. Can't say that about Serenity: It's Never Easy.

River jumped 55 feet onto Frosty the Thief. (I measured. So you know: Serenity is 78'-8" high with landing gear extended.)

Why is Frosty still standing after River lands on him? Is Frosty so super-villain strong that River also needs to kick him in the head to make him drop the gun? Is River the Hulk, who can fall from great heights without injury?

This is another story-making mistake, same as Zack Whedon putting five people (or is it six, when you count River, who should have gone to town) in the mule that carries only four. River's high dive also can be explained away (gravity is a third of normal on this little world) but that is a bad explanation, not given in good faith.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity," where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

BYTEMITE

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 1:38 PM

I like the gravity explanation. Most places are terraformed to be pretty earth normal, but maybe they were on a tiny podunk world where terraforming is still in process.

Sort of like how Joss wrote the Reavers in the pilot sloooooowly drifting past Serenity, in the middle of no and where during the part of the trip that Serenity should be accelerated to about a third of lightspeed.

This is actually a fairly common issue in sci-fi.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScifiWritersHaveNoSenseOfSc
ale

Maybe River has undeveloped telekinetic abilities that protected her on top of everything else. She does tell Jayne that she could kill him with her brain, could be that was a plan the Alliance had for her too.

TWO

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 2:54 PM

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Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
I like the gravity explanation. . . .

Maybe River has undeveloped telekinetic abilities that protected her on top of everything else.

I hate the low gravity explanation for River's jump not hurting her and for the mule being able to carry six. It was a bad joke.

Somebody start a petition. Don't let Zack Whedon cheat on his story-making duties by giving River telekinesis. A teen who can move objects with her brain is pure madness, a disaster waiting to happen, death & destruction -- for an example please see Chronicle (2012) www.imdb.com/title/tt1706593/

No sane person wants River's story to go anywhere close to the path of the boys in Chronicle.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity," where Wash lives, is
Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

BYTEMITE

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 3:58 PM

That's far from the only example of teens with telekinetic abilities...

But anyway I'd more object on the grounds that they can't just keep pulling new powers for River to resolve story problems, or she'll end up like silver age Superman.

Still. She's a psychic, different psychic abilities aren't entirely outside of the realm of possibility.

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