I just wanted to start a new thread - the last one was getting a little long, IMHO.
A few points -
I appreciate the discussion of whether guns needed oxygen to fire - either way, I appreciated the attempt
I also appreciated the lack of sound in the vacuum
Mal’s relationship with the Companion (who by the way, is a Hottie[sup]TM[/sup]). Mal is supposed to have Lived a Life - been through the war, seen a lot of stuff, be more than a little battle-hardened, etc., right? That means that either:
He is a guy who knows people well enough to survive and be respected as a leader, while being the jokey, sarcastic guy he is - in which case, both he and Inara (is that her name?) are going to know they have the hots for each other and act on it.
OR -
he got “damaged” emotionally at some point, in which case he would NOT be as jokey or ironic, would not be as in touch with his emotions - would’ve been indifferent to his new "bride"s situation, for instance, and would be clueless to his feelings for Inara and hers for him.
So the ending of the episode was cute (“see - I knew you kissed her”) but off. IMHO.
Everybody responds differently to psychological trauma. I wouldn’t want to try to predict Mal’s approach to romance based on his previous history.
And for the record - I don’t like the idea of establishing this little romantic sup-plot. Yeah, yeah, I know, sexual tension’s cool. And the dialogue’s pretty cute… This pairing just doesn’t do much for me. But hey, it’s early yet. Maybe it’ll turn incredibly exciting.
Okay, PP, point taken - emotionally damaged folk regularly hide behind humor to re-direct their anger.
Hmmmm, but I still think there is some essence to what I am trying to say - how to say it better? The character of Mal does not seem emotionally damaged - just jokey. We may get to see in later episodes that he has “stared into the void” and come away a changed person, but we don’t get a lot of that now. His joking with Inara at the end of the episode comes across as more of a Big Clueless-With-Women Lug type of behavior - not what I would expect from someone with a little more mileage on them from a war and such…
Okay, PP, point taken - emotionally damaged folk regularly hide behind humor to re-direct their anger.
Hmmmm, but I still think there is some essence to what I am trying to say - how to say it better? The character of Mal does not seem emotionally damaged - just jokey. We may get to see in later episodes that he has “stared into the void” and come away a changed person, but we don’t get a lot of that now. His joking with Inara at the end of the episode comes across as more of a “Big Lug, Clueless-With-Women” type of behavior - not what I would expect from someone with a little more mileage on them from a war and such…
Everybody responds differently to psychological trauma. I wouldn’t want to try to predict Mal’s approach to romance based on his previous history.
And for the record - I don’t like the idea of establishing this little romantic sup-plot. Yeah, yeah, I know, sexual tension’s cool. And the dialogue’s pretty cute… This pairing just doesn’t do much for me. But hey, it’s early yet. Maybe it’ll turn incredibly exciting.
Kn*ckers, I am sort of ambivalent here… a “would/should-be relationship” that is obvious to the viewers but not to the characters was best pulled off in the X Files, I think. It can easily stretch too far, and I’d hate for it to become a central plot point… but, I do like it as a sort of backdrop as to the Companion’s motivations for being there in the first place.
If they touch on it here and there as little asides, I’m cool with that. If it becomes a central story… eh, I’ll be as unimpressed or excited as you.
FTR, I don’t feel sexual tension there, though her character does just ooze sexuality. Just the Scully-Mulder tension, though I wanted Scully and Mulder together. The Cap’n and the Companion… well, it could go either way and I wouldn’t care. Yet?
“Miss Kitty was extremely softhearted, beneath what could be a business-like exterior and would have willingly become romantically involved with Marshal Dillon. In the radio version, it was implied that she was actually a prostitute but on TV, Matt and Kitty were strictly plutonic!”
I like the romantic subplot. I feel the tension, and I care. The problem is that I can’t see where it could possibly go. First of all, if they make these two getting together a subplot, what will they do when they are together? They could still be fun, like Zoe and Wash, but the tension won’t be the same. Further, could it even happen, given that Mal is not liable to like sharing Inara with her clients, and I just don’t feature Inara as the kind of dame who gives up a career for her man.
As for the Kaylie/Doctor romance, I have not seen any sign that herr doktor has the hots for Kaylie (aside from, you know, the pulse and the consumption of oxygen). What’s a girl got to do?
Maybe the fun of the relationship is the tension. They both know they’re hot for the other and they both also know that neither of them has any real interest in pursuing a “relationship” or even having sex but the flirting is fun. Why does flirting always (on TV) have to lead to a big shipper/non-shipper debate?
And the doctor is my boyfriend so obviously there’s no need for anyone to worry about whether he likes some girl.
I thought Mal’s last line to Inara was the punchline to a joke for him; he knows she’s hot for him, but he has issues with her being a Companion. She knows he’s hot for her. He knows she knows he’s hot for her. And they’re both enjoying the flirtation. After all, she’s a trained seductress, as this episode showed (Best line: “You’re good.” “You’re amazing. Who are you?”). She could have him anytime.
So he pulled her leg, getting her to think he was pulling a seduction on her, and then pulled the rug out from under her. I can’t help but believe it was deliberate; he knew that getting kissed resulted in him passing out instantly. How did she make it down to his quarters after being slipped the Mickey? So to speak.
I’m reading it as an ongoing flirtation between people who enjoy flirtation as a hobby, much like a long-running chess tournament between well-matched friends.
Keep in mind that although this is only the third episode we’ve seen, continuity-wise it is (I believe) seventh. So we’re missing at least four episodes worth of backstory between these two, making interpretation of this particular scene kinda tricky.
Oooh, I like ** Mr Visible ** 's theory. That’s cute. I just thought Mal was kinduva moron.
Hmm… Doing the math. Mal and Inara, Kaylie and Dr. Whathisname, Zoe and Wash. That leaves Jayne, Preacher and River unattached. We can make one more pairing, here. Who wants to work that one out? Any way you scratch it, I think it ends up a little creepy.
… Course, Jayne does already have Vera, the Love of His Life.
There is no romance plotline for River. They’ve already got enough cast members. Besides, she’s got some issues she needs to work through before she’s ready to love. A relationship at this point would be too much like she needed it to rescue her.