Simon?

POSTED BY: grummzaire
UPDATED: Monday, January 30, 2006 02:57
VIEWED: 3428
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ASARIAN

Monday, January 30, 2006 1:54 AM

Hi Grummzaire,

I am surprisingly green to the whole FireFly/Serenity scene; a fact, however, which does not deter me from commenting on this topic, after all. :)

In Serenity, I would say Simon is perhaps a bit more self-confident; but his assertiveness is skin-deep, though ("This isn't fear, it's anger"). And I would not say he is awkward, per se, in FireFly; rather, he is awkward around 'rough' gents like Jayne. But when it comes to falling in with his own crowd, the intelligentsia and well-mannered, high-society people, I believe he is quite in his element.

In the military facility, Simon is downright brilliant. He asks questions. But, I believe, it is a first for him too to hear some of the details of River's treatment divulged. He is both clueless and fishing at the same time:

"What use do we have for a psychic, if she's insane?"

He is assessing the extent of the damage. Also:

"How is she physically?"

Same deal. In fact, at some point, as he's apparently asking too many questions, Dr. Mathias starts to become suspicious and inquires whether there is perhaps a reason for his inspection. He resolves that situation masterfully, by asking:

"Am I making you nervous?"

(successfully banking on the hope that Dr. Mathias' fear of being accused of not cooperating with an ongoing investigation outweighs any sense of suspicion he might have.)

Yes, Simon is very smooth in that scene, and strong and convincing. But, remember, this guy spent months preparing this operation, so as to pass off as a convincing inspector. And he is, after all, a brilliant man; and talking from Doctor to Doctor, to boot, so he should be well familiar with the part.

How much did Simon really know about River's condition? Not all that much, I reckon:

"The people who helped me break River out had intel that River and the other subjects were being embedded with behavioral conditioning."

When Mal asks for what occasions the safe word was supposed to be used, they exchange these words:

Simon: "They never said what."
Mal: "And you never did ask."

Simon knew more than the let on to the Serenity crew; but only marginally so. And when asked why he did not share this extra info with the crew, he responds from a genuine belief that there was no real danger:

"I thought she was getting better."

Simon, a man after my heart.

"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam.

REGINAROADIE

Monday, January 30, 2006 2:57 AM

I was never that put off or startled in how Simon had changed between the series and the movie. If annything, it was one detail that I actually enjoyed about the flick.

My reasoning behind all that's been mentioned is that on the Core, in his natural habitat, he would be a smooth operator. But in the Outer Rim, around roughnecks like Mal and Jayne, he would have a hard time adapting, because it's uncharted territory in his mind. And that during the between time of OiS and the BDM where Mal became a darker character, Simon in turn has become a bit more resilient, in that if someone pushes him, he pushes back.

Also, I liked it for a personal reason. Of all the characters on the show, Simon was the character I identified with the most, which is why most of my fanfics are centered on him. If Mal is Han Solo, then Simon is clearly Luke Skywalker. He's the young man whose lived a somewhat sheltered life who now had to deal with the real world around him. That the metaphor, IMHO, that's attached to Simon. And aspects of the journey that he's made in the canon are apects that any young person would go through in like their early 20's. Simon's journey is, in some ways, our journey, despite the fact that very few of us look like a refugee from some WB teen show.

So to see him go from being essentially a punching bag to a confident man who can stand his own ground (and get it on with Kaylee finally) is satisfying to me on so many levels.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"YES!!!I'm a man posessed by many demons....Polite demons that would open the door for a lady carrying too many parcels...BUT DEMONS NONETHELESS!!!! Yes. I have walked along the path of evil many times, it's a twisting, curving path that..actually leads to a charming plot garden, BUT BEYOND THAT EVIL!!!"

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