I think it’s very probable. To draw on a Discworld reference, it strikes me as a lot like the Assassin’s Guild, where instead of training wealthy young students culture and how to kill people, the Companions are trained culture and how to pleasure people. The students have access to incredible amounts of knowledge and are not merely instructed in their primary profession.
I imagine, too, that self-defense would’ve been an essential study for Companions in case one of their clients got rather…over-zealous. I doubt she would’ve needed Mal to stand up for her had Atherton Wing truly pissed her off in Shindig.
That said, I don’t think Saffron’s knowledge of Fireflies is so much from Companion training as it is from ship-stealing training. She’s probably specifically learned how to disable all kinds of ships during her time with the chop shop. Companion training to insinuate herself into the ship, then thief’s training to steal it out from under the rightful owners.
Maybe the woodenness is what bugs me about this exchange. There’s something about it I can’t quite believe (while I’m completely willing to suspend disbelief in lots of other places). But, yeah, despite this scene, it’s one of the best eps.
This one seems mostly about what complete idiots men can be when faced with a woman determined to flatter them into submission. To paraphrase a line Bacall said to Bogey once, I wonder who she was, the girl that gave Joss such a high opinion of some women. I’ve gotta say, however, that while Saffron’s pretty extreme, I’ve certainly known my share of ladies (or otherwise) who share her attitude.
I never got to see this episode, or ‘Jaynestown’ during the original broadcast run. This is the most laugh-out-loud funny ep of the series, IMO. I like the classically Whedonesque bit of misdirection concerning where the plot is going, even if I think, like some others here, that Saffron’s technique for commandeering ships doesn’t withstand a whole lot of scrutiny. Nathan Fillion is absolutely great here; his never-ending variety of perplexed looks and double-takes are a wonder to behold. Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk and the woman that plays Saffron are first-rate as well. Some of the best dialogue in the whole series; just about every line sparkles with wit. Nevertheless, on my personal cool-o-meter I must rate this one fifth, after “Objects in Space”, “War Stories”, “Out of Gas” and “Ariel”.
Lastly, I’ll highlight a couple of things that stuck out at me and, I think, haven’t been mentioned yet: that both Inara AND Zoe recognize there’s something flat wrong about Saffron, even though the men (hey, well, me too) are all too willing to buy her ‘naive virgin flower’ act, and that Book is the character designated to explain the tactics of the Netters to everyone (Jayne, IIRC, immediately mentions how odd that is).
OK, I’ve had it on in the background and caught a few more witty lines (let’s just re-print the script…):
When Mal is completely uncomfortable after she’s made him dinner, first he says he already ate and then…“I have to go do captain-y things.”
Shortly after that, when he’s escaped to Inara’s shuttle, after Inara decides that Saffron and Mal are perfect for each other because of their contempt for her profession, she says: “I wish you hundreds of fat children.”
And, after Jayne tries to trade Vera for Saffron, Mal’s closing line is: “Jayne, go play with your rainstick.”
Mal defending himself after Saffron has escaped and he’s awake again: “But she was naked, and all…articulate.”
El_Kabong, are Zoe and Inara really onto Saffron? I know that early on, Zoe berates Wash for not having turned around and taken Saffron back to where they picked her up, but I don’t remember anything specific other than that. And until Inara and Saffron have their dialogue toward the end, I didn’t get the sense that Inara really questioned her presence on the ship. What am I forgetting?
Er, well, not on to her, exactly, more like “Is she for real?” Zoe, at one point, does say that she’s gonna be trouble, although admittedly she’s probably thinking more of trouble of the men’s head-turnin’ kind.
Zoe is jealous because, even though she is strong and liberated and an equal (!) partner in her relationship with Wash (and we see how happy their marriage is) she misses out on a few things, including the pleasure of serving, cooking, and so forth. The demure spouse – Wash’s usual role – is not something Zoe does easily or often, and Wash’s appreciation of Saffron’s skills puts her off-balance and lights up every green light on her instrument panel. Saffron’s pampering of Mal also makes Zoe feel a little guilty about how little she spoils Wash (and perhaps even how she is, emotionally, not one who can pamper anyone).
Inara is jealous for much simpler reasons – get a load of her face when Mal shoots off his parting line about being the “only one who’s not happy” that Mal got married. Actually, reference almost any Mal/Inara dialogue in this episode. It’s obvious that Inara doesn’t like Saffron pretty much solely because Saffron is with Mal.
The two women do take a dislike to Saffron – but until Inara says “you’re amazing,” the jig is not up.
Zoe doesn’t have any desire to be that type of wife. She likes her strength, it’s natural for her, and it works in her relationship and in her career. We know that Wash likes it, too (“Have you ever BEEN with a warrior woman?”) Cooing over Wash, washing his feet, giggling- these things would be utterly unnatural for Zoe.
She’s pissed because Saffron’s servitude is degrading and pathetic- she’s obviously been taught to think that she is worth less than a man- and even more pissed that Mal and Wash, both people she likes and respects, are encouraging it.
She isn’t jealous because she wants to be like Saffron. She’s angry because she doesn’t think anyone should have to be like Saffron.
Well now, I think you’re about right, but not quite. Zoe is rightfully pissed that this girl has been raised to be subservient to men, but I think she’s overreacting to Mal & Wash’s reaction. Neither of them ever encouraged it, they were just greatly consternated by it, ever so slighty amused by it. That was enough to fire up Zoe & Inara on behalf of all women everywhere who’ve spend the last 600 years civilizing their men folk.
Saffron indicated it herself, rolling her eyes and kicking Wash in the head when he was blabbering on about loving his wife, and when she told Mal, “you know most men, they’re on me inside a ten minutes, not tryin’ to teach me to be strong and the like.”
I think the men folk in this show deserve some credit, and the women folk need to admit they overreacted a might bit.
Wash: Okay everybody not talking about sex, in here. Everybody else, outside!!!
Those people who are going round & round on whether or not the gun needed air to fire are missing the bigger question: How the hell did Jayne fire the gun?
Something else that just occurred to me… It might just be bad writing, but Inara’s line “You don’t play a player” might indicate that she feels that at some level, she’s a con artist, which is not in keeping with the way Companions are portrayed elsewhere in the series.
This reminded me of Wash under the controls console in general. Wash and Kaylee’s admiration for Saffron’s sabotage is just great. “Yeah, yeah! We are so humped!”
That’s actually puzzled me too. My best guess is the suits can link up with an airtight seal or something. Maybe they connected the air hoses between the suits and he stuck his arm through.
Now I’m wishing that arms expert had told Whedon the correct information. The scene would’ve been less awkward all around.
I don’t think the rest of the crew was present when Mal was trying to teach Saffron independence, so from their POV, he goes after her after the initial discovery in the cargo hold, and the next thing they know, he’s going along with Saffron’s antics and being served fresh Bao. (Although I didn’t get around to rewatching this ep, so I’m relying on my memory for that).
Much as I’d like to think Zoe’s grumpiness is touched off by feminist concern for Saffron’s personhood, I don’t think that argument will hold water either. When Zoe and Wash argue about Saffron, Zoe says Wash should have turned right around and put her back on Triumph… the planet that, as far as Zoe knows, just sold a woman into sexual slavery. She’s not angry out of concern for Saffron. I agree that it’s about Mal’s reaction - she’s PO’d that Mal appears to like Saffron’s simpering submissive routine. And, as Mal’s the only man on the ship that Zoe takes orders from, seeing Saffron’s bowing and scraping to Mal is kinda reminicent of the ongoing arguement between her and Wash, over the amount of control she lets Mal have over her, even if he’s not asking for it.
Wash, in turn, is overreacting as he always does when he senses Zoe’s relationship to Mal intruding on his marriage…
Spoiler for future episode:…Exactly like he does in War Stories, with even worse consequences.
Each crew member has reasons for their reaction to Saffron that are not based purely on a philosophical stance, but on their own experiences and character – that’s what makes this show so great.
I think you’re reading too much into it. I think Inara is just saying (which she says more explicitly later in the scene) that using Companion techniques on a Companion was a bad idea.