"None of it means a damn thing"

POSTED BY: Fireflew
UPDATED: Thursday, June 17, 2004 15:52
VIEWED: 13576
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FIREFLEW

Saturday, June 5, 2004 7:04 PM

Hey everyone. I was (still am - Objects In Space) and Objects in Space was the episode. I watched Objects In Space and got to the part where River "sees" Mal saying, "None of it means a damn thing" - what exactly does this mean?

Is this (to River, at least) him saying that NOTHING means a damn thing, or that since Inara's leaving, nothing to him means anything. I'm a wee bit perplexed, but that's what is so good about Firefly....

But yes, does anyone else have any theories regarding this line?

Jayne: "Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

EST120

Saturday, June 5, 2004 7:27 PM

there is a previous thread about this:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=5023

FIREFLEW

Saturday, June 5, 2004 7:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by est120:
there is a previous thread about this:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=5023

Oh OK. Sorry about that. Is there a search function on these forums? I've yet to see it though...

Jayne: "Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

EST120

Saturday, June 5, 2004 7:36 PM

no need to apologize. the forums are not searchable (as far as i know).

FIREFLEW

Saturday, June 5, 2004 7:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by est120:
no need to apologize. the forums are not searchable (as far as i know).

Ah no, but I know how many pages there are here, and so duplicate posts don't make it any easier to sift through the veritable trove of info in the forums.

Jayne: "Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

PIERSNICA

Saturday, June 5, 2004 9:14 PM

I think he means nothing in general, means anything. His life lost meaning after the battle of serenity

Someone should collect the good threads about frequently asked questions.... I'd certainly be interested in reading.

MISGUIDED BY VOICES

Saturday, June 5, 2004 9:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Piersnica:
Someone should collect the good threads about frequently asked questions.... I'd certainly be interested in reading.

True, but I kind of like "old" threads cropping up as new folks join the party - might be some new thoughts on a subject.

"I threw up on your bed"

MANWITHPEZ

Saturday, June 5, 2004 10:15 PM

To get back to the thread, here's my humble thoughts. I know everyone has a theory (and its not bunnies) about what these things meant. And, that's beauty of how ambiguous they were. Was Mal talking about Inara, or life in general? Does Simon really dislike his sister as much as he comes off? What is book's problem? Why does River seem to be repulsed by Zoe and Wash's lovemaking?

I think the answer may be a little simpler than taking these things at face value. Which, obviously they're not meant to be. But, I think the question that's not being asked is: What do these things mean to River, herself? Of course everything the crew says is open to broad interpretation. Yes, they may the thought they are hiding, but what does it mean to River. And, why dos Kaylee not get to weigh in. I completely support the theory that Kaylee doen't have much in the way of hidden thoughts. I think that's why Jayne's was so simple and obvious. Yes, what he does bothers him, but its right on the surface. Almost everyone else's hidden thought that's revealed in this scene is something torturous that may be eating at them all the time. Some may apply to River (Simon's). Some may not (Book's, Mal's and Inara's). I think the complete scene, especially when Zoe and Wash are added in, was meant to convey how uncomfortable River is with this particular power. Remember that while she can "read" thoughts and emotions, due to the tinkering that was done to her brain, she may not know how to react to it. She feels it at one hundred percent. The crew may not be, but River has to. So, while she may be getting at the thoughts that are at the back of their brains, their thoughts fill hers. And, that, more than anything else, I think is what has been driving her insane.

Sorry for the length, but no one really worries about the girth.

Bye bye

Kaylee: "What's so damn important about being proper? It don't mean nothing out here in the black."
Simon: "It means more out here. It's all I have..."

PURPLEBELLY

Saturday, June 5, 2004 10:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Fireflew:
Mal saying, "None of it means a damn thing" - what exactly does this mean?

But yes, does anyone else have any theories regarding this line?

Accepting the idea that this is a forward quote, my take is that Mal's quote is from the very end of the series. That is when Mal is in the terminal stages of opium addiction, commenting on the role of the crew of Serenity in the removal of the threat to the future of the Alliance by enabling Book and Inara to return River safely to Sinon to testify against Blue Sun.

CALHOUN

Saturday, June 5, 2004 11:23 PM

Quote:
manwithpez wrote:
Saturday, June 05, 2004 12:15 Sorry for the length, but no one really worries about the girth.

Length or Girth are not the issue.

SIZE matters! You cant make butter with a toothpick.

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