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1.14 Objects in Space River: "I'm not on the ship. I'm in the ship. I am the ship." The opening scenes showed us Serenity from River's point of view. Her feet were bare, symbolic of her extreme vulnerability. Was River really hearing their thoughts, or was it more negative? The dislike of her that she imagined they felt? Simon, care of River's brain, said, "I would be there right now." Simon actually did say this later to Kaylee, so it probably was what he was thinking. Jayne said, "I got stupid. The money was too good." He actually said that to Mal at one point, so yes. But Shepherd, Inara, and Mal were harder to understand. Shepherd said, in a mean tone of voice, "I don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not. So where does that put you?" Inara said, "I'm a big girl. Just tell me." Could be her wishing Mal would tell her how he felt. Hard to tell. Mal said, "None of it means a damn thing." None of what? I always enjoy the group scenes in the galley, and this one -- with the eight of them discussing River, their psychic assassin -- was excellent. During this scene, River was perched on railings in the cargo bay. This was again illustrative of the way she relates to her world, which is Serenity -- sort of off kilter, different from the others, observing but not included in discussions or decisions, even decisions concerning herself. She was also doing something physical that the rest of the crew couldn't possibly do. River and Early did have a lot in common: both unpredictable, both unwanted, both killers. Like River, Early said strange things that only he understood. He aimed his gun at Simon without looking in almost exactly the same way that River did to those three men in "War Stories." But unlike River, Early was a pretentious, psychotic philosopher, pitiless and cold. A jovial sadist, he threatened members of the crew in the most intimate of ways -- rape, amputation -- with a smile on his face. He deceived himself into thinking that he was forced to hurt others because he was lying to himself about how much he enjoyed it. Gleeful and condescending at the same time, he had a superiority complex; he thought of himself as the center of his own universe as well as everyone else's. He treated human beings like toys. Interesting that he referred to himself as Santa Claus coming down the chimney, when in fact he was more like Black Peter. (Nothing racial intended there; just look him up.) Early wondered if he'd always been on Serenity. Was he also mildly psychic? Did he know subconsciously that this would be his end? This was an excellent, thought-provoking episode, but not a satisfactory end to the series. Certainly not Joss Whedon's fault. But it was satisfying in one major sense. In "becoming the ship" and saving them from Early, River finally connected with the rest of the crew. They all accept her now. Bits and pieces: -- The shot of the planet at the beginning of the episode resembled the ball River used to play jacks in the end. The symbolism was pretty obvious. World without, world within, macrocosm, microcosm. River said they were all dreaming, which was partially true; this episode was a nightmare that the entire crew shared. (Except Jayne.) -- They never explained how a loaded gun got onto the floor of the cargo bay. -- Inara hadn't left yet. She wasn't sure where she was going. Mal almost kissed her at one point. I wish he had. -- Speaking of which, Simon and Kaylee were very couple-like, with her feet in his lap and him confiding what was probably his only drunken adventure. But she said she didn't know what he looked like naked, so they weren't a couple yet. -- I'd like to personally thank Joss Whedon for writing a script in which Sean Maher's shirt had to come off. -- I've never articulated this before, but it's obvious that Wash's position as the beloved husband of the formidable amazon Zoe gave his character weight that he might not otherwise have had. -- We learned that Shepherd Book was celibate by choice. -- Enjoyed watching Simon directing Zoe on how to operate on himself. -- Early's first name was Jubal. That name made me think of the powerful old man in "Stranger in a Strange Land," the only other character named Jubal that I can think of. -- We didn't actually see Early die. Perhaps Whedon intended to have him rescued and bring him back. But I prefer to think of him as dead. Did Mal keep Early's ship and sell it? -- This week's planet, or planet reference: New Melbourne, which is famous for fish. Quotable quotes: Mal: "You know, the only thing you're gonna find in New Melbourne is fish and fish-related activities. So unless you got the overwhelming urge to gut sturgeon, and who hasn't on occasion... River: "She understands. She doesn't comprehend." Mal: "We're deep in space. The corner of No and Where." Wash: "Little River just gets more colorful by the moment. What'll she do next?" Zoe: "Either blow us all up or rub soup in our hair. It's a tossup." Wash: "I hope she does the soup thing. It's always a hoot, and we don't all die from it." Jayne: "Are you saying she's a witch?" Wash: "Yes, Jayne. She's a witch. She has had congress with the Beast." Jayne: "She's in congress?" Wash: "How did your brain ever learn human speech?" Wash: "Psychic, though? That sounds like something out of science fiction." Zoe: "We live in a spaceship, dear." (I think this one is my favorite.) Jayne: "I don't like the idea of someone hearing what I'm thinking." Inara: "No one likes the idea of hearing what you're thinking." Simon: "You're out of your mind." Early: "That's between me and my mind." Early: "Where'd she go?" Simon: "I can't keep track of her when she's not incorporeally possessing a spaceship." (This is my second favorite.) Mal: "There was a guy. He's very blurry." Wash: "Can I mop your brow? I am at the ready with the fearsome brow mop." Early: "You know, with the exception of one deadly and unpredictable midget, this girl is the smallest cargo I've ever had to transport. Yet by far the most troublesome. Does that seem right to you?" Four out of four stars, Billie |
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