Out of Gas 'Everybody dies alone.' (SPOILERS)

POSTED BY: AgentRouka
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 22:41
VIEWED: 10766
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AGENTROUKA

Monday, July 12, 2010 10:07 AM

It just occured to me how much, much, much more poignant this line of Mal's is made by the spoilerly information that Inara is dying.

It always, very gently bothered me that Inara let that line slide, that they faded away after he said it and that she left him there so calmly after that.

But in the light of her dying of some illness and having obviously chosen to leave her home for strange and dangerou pastures, this line must have really, really resonated with her. What a wonderful, layered moment!

I wonder how Mal would feel about this moment if he did have that information on Inara...

What do you all think?

ZEEK

Monday, July 12, 2010 1:24 PM

I think I get too distracted watching that scene. Everyone is acting all cold even mal. Yet he doesn't put on his big brown coat. Drives me nuts.

I don't know if I fully believe Inara is dying yet. I know that's the spoilery answer, but until I see it in a comic or on screen I'm just not sure I buy it.

Working on the assumption that she is dying then I'd expect Inara to start crying at that line. I mean it should already be an emotional time. Then he'd say a line like that which should hit her right to the core. Still she keeps her calm. I don't know if she's that good at keeping her emotions in check.

AGENTROUKA

Monday, July 12, 2010 1:28 PM

I think you may underestimate her. She is remarkably calm during the entire death threat of dying on Serenity, and urging Mal not to die alone would be pretty emotional, too. Inara's pretty good at keeping calm, and I think dying alone would actually be something she has considered for herself and accepted as dignified, which might be why she accepts it from Mal.

Totally agree about the coat, though. Makes NO sense. Unless Mal wants to be cold.

KATESFRIEND

Monday, July 12, 2010 2:36 PM

I always saw his coat as a shield whenever he is off Serenity. He only wears it when he is off the ship. Not putting it on while even freezing to death makes perfect sense from a symbolic point of view because his ship is his second skin.

AGENTROUKA

Monday, July 12, 2010 3:01 PM

Good point... that actually makes a lot of sense.

I'm going to insert my Bold Opinion here and say that Mal would severely disagree with his own statement if he knew Inara was dying. Somehow, I don't see him calmly espousing the inevitability of a lonely death in the face of someone he cares greatly about and feels protective of. Same with, say, Kaylee.

KATESFRIEND

Monday, July 12, 2010 3:06 PM

I think the whole point of Serenity Valley is that response would have been burned out of Mal watching everything he loved die in the war. Yes, if he were normal and non-traumatized, he would act that way. And during the healing he was doing during Firefly maybe that response would come back to him. But as soon as it was a life and death situation, his guard slips back in place and the soldier returns.

BYTEMITE

Monday, July 12, 2010 3:12 PM

Quote:
I think I get too distracted watching that scene. Everyone is acting all cold even mal. Yet he doesn't put on his big brown coat. Drives me nuts.

I think that's supposed to be symbolic. Mal puts on his coat when he's going off to war (leaving the ship to go out into the harsh 'verse). I don't ever recall him just wearing it around the ship, which represents safety and home. Plus it could be some "tough soldier guy" thing, or Mal being stubborn.

EDIT: I see Katesfriend got to this idea already. But yeah, that's always been my take too.

Quote:
Working on the assumption that she is dying then I'd expect Inara to start crying at that line. I mean it should already be an emotional time. Then he'd say a line like that which should hit her right to the core. Still she keeps her calm. I don't know if she's that good at keeping her emotions in check.

She doesn't cry when they're facing down the Reavers, so I think despite the Heart of Gold scene people always hold against her, she's made of stronger stuff than people give her credit for. She doesn't want to die, but she doesn't strike me as particularly afraid to. If she's accepted she's going to die anyway, she might be sad about it sometimes, but she may not have any tears left for it.

BYTEMITE

Monday, July 12, 2010 3:35 PM

Quote:
I'm going to insert my Bold Opinion here and say that Mal would severely disagree with his own statement if he knew Inara was dying. Somehow, I don't see him calmly espousing the inevitability of a lonely death in the face of someone he cares greatly about and feels protective of. Same with, say, Kaylee.

Yet he does, and he certainly cares for Inara and is protective of her by that point.

Inara's the only character in the entire episode to whom he acknowledges the likelyhood of their dying. I may not be sure why, wouldn't be a trust thing, maybe it's him selfishly wanting to speak plainly to someone about reality as he sees it, in a situation where they both know comfort would be a lie, and unwanted.

I see it as just a truthful moment in general. Even if he knew she was dying, I don't imagine him making some false reassurance to spare Inara about it here. Some situations warrant being truthful.

Inara clearly expresses to him that she knows the situation is hopeless without blaming him or being upset, which I think allows him to make his own honest assessment.

TWO

Monday, July 12, 2010 4:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
She doesn't cry when they're facing down the Reavers, so I think despite the Heart of Gold scene people always hold against her, she's made of stronger stuff than people give her credit for. She doesn't want to die, but she doesn't strike me as particularly afraid to. If she's accepted she's going to die anyway, she might be sad about it sometimes, but she may not have any tears left for it.

If Firefly takes Inara's Buddhism seriously and she really is a strong believer, not some religious poseur, Inara should be feeling pretty calm about death, her own or others. Well, at least more so than if Inara was a Christian or an agnostic.

Belief in multiple, unending reincarnations is a very powerful emotional defense against the cold fear of death, more powerful than a (only-for-good-people) resurrection to heaven. It's too bad that agnostics have only got the weak tea of philosophy to keep them feeling warm & cozy about mortality.
And speaking for atheists like Mal, I say we are fearless Knights of Badassdom. We eat death for breakfast and shit it out!

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

LAUREN779

Monday, July 12, 2010 8:00 PM

I must admit that I hadn't really given this much thought, but now after I read all your theories/insights, I'll have to re watch the episode again.

But to answer the question, I had always thought Mal meant exactly what he said-because in a way, it is true. Dying is a singular process. Even if they were all together on the ship-or in the shuttle, each one of them would have died alone.

I think even if Mal knew Inara was dying, and, hypothetically, had been with her in her "final" stages, I still think he would have held onto the belief that in a way, she died alone.

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