Just something I picked up on watching the pilot last night.

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Her statement, not "fine" or "good" but "Same as last year."

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I don't see this as evidence at all. It's a very realistic thing someone would say. Physicals are not really a fun thing, but they happen and then they're done. Unless the doctor finds something wrong, I wouldn't say "bad" (I know, you're saying they already found something wrong, but I have a different perspective), and I'd really never say "good". The best I might say would be something like "not nearly as bad as usual."

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It's the only event we know of her past, and it happens to coincide pretty closely with her decision to join Serenity?

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4 months seems like a really long time between finding out something important (like "I'm dying, and only have a few years to live) and making a decision to leave your current life for an entirely different one.

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It takes 2 days for her to get a "physical" when Simon is able to do a bran scan of River in 2 minutes? Seems a little long.

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Sure. All sorts of blood tests take multiple hours to get results on, and that's assuming that the lab gets to them right away. Imaging techniques (CAT, MRI, etc.) tends to go a lot faster. Not quite as fast as the 3D neuroimager, but I think they've continued to get faster over time. In 500 years, they may well be pretty instantaneous.

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Immunization only works if taken beforehand. Why hadn't Inara used them?

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I'm guessing she had them as immunization boosters. For example, I think you're supposed to get a tetanus shot every decade or so, because the immunity you got from the last one has faded over time. For Hepatitis A, to achieve full immunity, you need a series of 3 or 4 injections (of the same stuff) over several months, and the immunity only lasts a few years. Immunizations are supposed to happen on a schedule, and Inara can't be sure that she'll be near well-stocked medical facilities when it's time for her next shot. A booster shot and an initial immunization shot are the same thing (although sometimes in different quantities) so something Inara has for boosters will work for initial immunization, too.

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And if you want to go with the "symbolic" clues, when we first meet Inara in Serenity, what else is shown and then behind her during her lines? An hour glass with the Chinese symbol for "short interval."

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True, except that Joss said in the commentary that the set people came up with that on their own. It's not something he planted as a clue. And I'd be shocked to learn that more than maybe 4-5 writers (and possibly Morena herself, although I doubt it) knew what Joss was planning to do with the character in the long term.

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Originally posted by Fireflythemovie:
I don't see this as evidence at all. It's a very realistic thing someone would say. Physicals are not really a fun thing, but they happen and then they're done. Unless the doctor finds something wrong, I wouldn't say "bad" (I know, you're saying they already found something wrong, but I have a different perspective), and I'd really never say "good". The best I might say would be something like "not nearly as bad as usual."."

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It does sound realistic, but if Joss wrote, "Oh, still dying," it wouldn't be a clue

And I think you hit on the telling part. You said, "as usual." She said, "Same as last year."

And as I said, why even put it in the show unless it serves some purpose?

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4 months seems like a really long time between finding out something important (like "I'm dying, and only have a few years to live) and making a decision to leave your current life for an entirely different one.

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I just knew it was less than four months because in Train Job she says she has been onboard for eight months. Doing more research, in Bushwhacked, she says it will be a year in a few weeks. There are five episodes between that and Ariel. Starting to sound like she joined up with Serenity almost exactly around the time she would have had her last physical.

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Sure. All sorts of blood tests take multiple hours to get results on, and that's assuming that the lab gets to them right away. Imaging techniques (CAT, MRI, etc.) tends to go a lot faster. Not quite as fast as the 3D neuroimager, but I think they've continued to get faster over time. In 500 years, they may well be pretty instantaneous.

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Okay, so this was agreement, right? Why would a simple physical take 2 whole days when most tests can probably be done instantaneously?

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I'm guessing she had them as immunization boosters. For example, I think you're supposed to get a tetanus shot every decade or so, because the immunity you got from the last one has faded over time. For Hepatitis A, to achieve full immunity, you need a series of 3 or 4 injections (of the same stuff) over several months, and the immunity only lasts a few years. Immunizations are supposed to happen on a schedule, and Inara can't be sure that she'll be near well-stocked medical facilities when it's time for her next shot. A booster shot and an initial immunization shot are the same thing (although sometimes in different quantities) so something Inara has for boosters will work for initial immunization, too.

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Seems like if it was a booster, Inara would say so. We'd have to presume that she knew it was the exact same medicine in the exact same dosage because in any other scenario, it would only make sense to mention they were boosters and not initial immunizations.

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True, except that Joss said in the commentary that the set people came up with that on their own. It's not something he planted as a clue. And I'd be shocked to learn that more than maybe 4-5 writers (and possibly Morena herself, although I doubt it) knew what Joss was planning to do with the character in the long term.

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The set designer did do the Chinese symbol, but he didn't say about the hourglass itself. And only Joss can set the scene where it is over her shoulder ticking away. And I think Joss would think the symbol was especially cool (maybe worth mentioning on the DVD) if it had another meaning the set designers weren't aware of.

But, hey, it could all be meaningless. Nobody knows but Joss.

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I think that that "short interval" symbol on the hour glass was more of a joke on the part of the set designer given Inara's job. As in, it'll only be a short interval of time till the clients are done *giggle*

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And as I said, why even put it in the show unless it serves some purpose?

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It does serve a purpose. It answers Kaylee's question. Inara doesn't look evasive when she's answering it--she looks a little distracted by what's going on on the ship. I see her answer as being more or less equivalent to "as good as can be expected."

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I just knew it was less than four months because in Train Job she says she has been onboard for eight months. Doing more research, in Bushwhacked, she says it will be a year in a few weeks. There are five episodes between that and Ariel. Starting to sound like she joined up with Serenity almost exactly around the time she would have had her last physical.

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Ok, you're probably right here about the timeline. But I do a lot of things at approximately the same time as my routine annual physical that really have nothing to do with that physical. I still think the routine physical was mostly a plot device to get them onto a core planet, which serves multiple purposes: we get to see a core planet, it gives them a few days with no other obligations in which Simon's plan becomes more practical, rather than being something they have to go out of their way for, it's not the kind of job they ususally do, and Mal avoids the core at all costs. I think he would've said no if they weren't already there.

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Sure. All sorts of blood tests take multiple hours to get results on, and that's assuming that the lab gets to them right away. Imaging techniques (CAT, MRI, etc.) tends to go a lot faster. Not quite as fast as the 3D neuroimager, but I think they've continued to get faster over time. In 500 years, they may well be pretty instantaneous.

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Okay, so this was agreement, right? Why would a simple physical take 2 whole days when most tests can probably be done instantaneously?

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No, this was disagreement. I said imaging procedures are generally fairly quick, even today, and would presumably just get faster. But blood tests take a minimum of several hours (chemical reactions have always taken a specific amount of time to complete, and always will) assuming the lab jumps on them immediately (which is not how things generally work for a routine physical) and there are plenty of other tests that take longer. For this, Inara wouldn't necessarily have to be in the doctor's office for 2 days straight, but she wouldn't be able to leave the planet until the results came back in case results were inconclusive or they needed a follow-up test.

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Seems like if it was a booster, Inara would say so. We'd have to presume that she knew it was the exact same medicine in the exact same dosage because in any other scenario, it would only make sense to mention they were boosters and not initial immunizations.

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She called it an "immunization kit". Which doesn't imply anything about whether they're for boosters or not, I was just infering. And assuming that they've given her the syringe and the medicine, she presumably has some training with respect to when and how much she should give herself, and what it is. Simon, being a doctor, wouldn't need this explained. And the doses don't have to be exactly the same, since there are markings on syringes to indicate the volume that's been pulled into the syringe. You'd pretty much never use an entire vial in a single dose, anyway.

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The set designer did do the Chinese symbol, but he didn't say about the hourglass itself. And only Joss can set the scene where it is over her shoulder ticking away. And I think Joss would think the symbol was especially cool (maybe worth mentioning on the DVD) if it had another meaning the set designers weren't aware of.

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I think SigmaNunki addressed this pretty well, although I saw it as commentary on the amount of time she allows her clients to have with her, rather than a comment on their sexual prowess. Joss pointed it out as the attention to detail paid by everyone on the crew, specifically the props people. He (and Tim, and Nathan,

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You know, an odd thought just occurred to me. In "Ariel", Inara says she needs to have her annual checkup -- that it's Companion rules. But the weird thing that caught me is this -- who's going to argue with her and say, "Hey, wait a second... that's not true!"

Thus, her purpose in visiting the main worlds could be entirely different.

Additionally, I find myself thinking of things said on the commentary for each episode. In the pilot, Joss (I believe) indicated that the syringe was neither a recreational drug nor a weapon. In "Out of Gas", Inara comments to Simon that she doesn't want to die at all (and the overlaying comment from the director indicates that particular line is important).

I guess I just found myself wondering whether her stop off at Ariel had more to do with the syringe business than with an "official Guild checkup". Thoughts? Opinions?

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It does serve a purpose. It answers Kaylee's question. Inara doesn't look evasive when she's answering it--she looks a little distracted by what's going on on the ship. I see her answer as being more or less equivalent to "as good as can be expected."

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Sorry, I was unclear. I wasn't referring to the statement but to the whole Physical subplot. However, you basically answered that below. Very well, I might add.

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Ok, you're probably right here about the timeline. But I do a lot of things at approximately the same time as my routine annual physical that really have nothing to do with that physical. I still think the routine physical was mostly a plot device to get them onto a core planet, which serves multiple purposes: we get to see a core planet, it gives them a few days with no other obligations in which Simon's plan becomes more practical, rather than being something they have to go out of their way for, it's not the kind of job they ususally do, and Mal avoids the core at all costs. I think he would've said no if they weren't already there.

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Very likely. However it is the only event in Inara's past before joining Serenity that we are aware of. I think it has significance.

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]No, this was disagreement. I said imaging procedures are generally fairly quick, even today, and would presumably just get faster. But blood tests take a minimum of several hours (chemical reactions have always taken a specific amount of time to complete, and always will) assuming the lab jumps on them immediately (which is not how things generally work for a routine physical) and there are plenty of other tests that take longer. For this, Inara wouldn't necessarily have to be in the doctor's office for 2 days straight, but she wouldn't be able to leave the planet until the results came back in case results were inconclusive or they needed a follow-up test.

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Actually, standard blood tests aren't made up of chemical reactions. It's a process of counting the various elements in the blood. Generally this takes a long time because it has to be done visually through a microscope, but even now we have computerized systems that can do the counting. In fact, if Simon can do internal surgery on Serenity, the infirmary systems would have to be able to pull this off almost instantly.

Now, there are blood tests that involve chemical reactions, but there are two important points. Chemical reactions can be sped up through the introduction of a catalyst, and those reactions are generally used to determine the presence of a non-visible substance in the blood, but these substances would be visible given a suffiently advanced microscope (such as a current electron microscope) and so could be run through a computerized scanner as above.

But really I don't the writers put this much thought into this situation.

I just think it is a little inconsistent to do a brain scan in 2 minutes and a physical takes 2 days. That could be a clue, or it could be an inconsistency, or it could be the way things are.

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She called it an "immunization kit". Which doesn't imply anything about whether they're for boosters or not, I was just infering. And assuming that they've given her the syringe and the medicine, she presumably has some training with respect to when and how much she should give herself, and what it is. Simon, being a doctor, wouldn't need this explained. And the doses don't have to be exactly the same, since there are markings on syringes to indicate the volume that's been pulled into the syringe. You'd pretty much never use an entire vial in a single dose, anyway.

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Possible, but it gets back to inferences and assumptions. All we really know is that it is for immunization in some way. In fact, perhaps a better counter-inference (is that a word?) to my theory is that the "immunization package" isn't for her but for her clients. Knowing they are immunized would give them a sense of safety.

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I think SigmaNunki addressed this pre

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