# Serenity (Open spoilers a plenty! You've been warned!)) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011 "2005-09-29T13:49:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/341 "2005-10-05T03:27:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Wasn’t clear? A harpoon flies through the window, transfixing Wash. Zoe goes to him, and Mal throws her to the floor as a half-dozen more harpoons fly through the cockpit. Cut to hovering Reaver ship overhead. How much more clear do you _want_? Well the harpoon could have had “Property of The Reavers” stamped on it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/342 "2005-10-05T03:58:13Z")
Where were you guys when Trip died in _Enterprise_? That was needless and stupid. As much as I wish Wash hadn’t been killed off for purely dramatic purpose, he died like the excellent pilot he was, saving his ship and crew, anvils or not. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/343 "2005-10-05T08:18:07Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Where were you guys when Trip died in _Enterprise_? > That was needless and stupid. > As much as I wish Wash hadn’t been killed off for purely dramatic purpose, he died like the excellent pilot he was, saving his ship and crew, anvils or not. The entirety of Enterprise was needless and stupid. I have lots to say about Serenity, but it’s late and I need to get some semblance of sleep. For now I’ll just say it was very good overall. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/344 "2005-10-05T12:10:42Z")
On another messageboard, I found this quote, supposedly from Alan Tudyk on the Firefly Messageboard. I’m not going to go hunting down the url, so take the quote with the appropriate grain of salt. > [@Possibly Alan Tudyk](#): > > Originally Posted by Alan Tudyk > I really liked [Wash’s fate]. I was a fan of it. Even when we did the show, I felt that Wash was a really good character to kill. In my head, I thought two season and then [Joss] should kill me. No one would expect it. I even mentioned it to Joss once, about Wash being a good sympathetic kill. As it works, where it is in the movie, I really like how it raises the stakes for everybody. We’ve lost two already and people are bleeding and shot and the captain is a mess. Wash’s death helps with the feeling that all bets are off. I kind of also liked that it’s not one of those deaths where I’m going, “Go on without me! I’ll hold 'em off for as long as possible. You save yourselves, I love you sweetheart.” Instead, it’s “Whoopee, I just landed the spaceship!” Dead. Joss has a talent for sticking large wooden things through people’s hearts. I thought it was interesting. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/345 "2005-10-05T12:23:24Z")
Found this review of “Serenity” by Orson Scott Card that I thought you guys might find interesting. [Link](http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/346 "2005-10-05T13:47:46Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > On another messageboard, I found this quote, supposedly from Alan Tudyk on the Firefly Messageboard. I’m not going to go hunting down the url, so take the quote with the appropriate grain of salt. > \ According to Damian DB on [the messae board Utopia](http://boards.swirve.com/board.cgi?boardset=utopia&boardid=talk&thread=78&spec=5755642&startmsg=63), "these are Alan Tudyk’s own words regarding it, from his interview in the Serenity Magazine. " ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/347 "2005-10-05T14:19:48Z")
> [@bizzwire](#): > > One question/nitpick (and forgive me if this has already been addressed)- In the scene when Mal comes to see Inara and is trapped- How many Buddhist monasteries routinely stock flash-bombs disguised as sticks of incense? Well, several days had passed (I assume) between Inara’s conversation with Mal and Mal’s arrival on the planet, during which time she had plenty of opportunity to see just how scary The Operative was and make some preparations. She might not be able to start carrying weapons (including that rather bulky bow) but a flashbomb that looks like incense? She could tuck that away, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![biscuithead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@biscuithead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biscuithead)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/348 "2005-10-05T15:23:03Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Other than plot, any reason they couldn’t transmit the message to Mr. Universe who would forward it on to everyone? > The sgt / captain is probably just a goof, but it IS possible that rank structure has changed in the future? > > Brian Many people have pointed this out but I believe that Mal pointedly said that he didn’t have the technology to download the information. And Mr. Universe was the one who would have the means of downloading the info from the disc thing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/349 "2005-10-05T15:42:47Z")
I checked the shooting script. The Operative specifically refers to Mal as a sergeant, so the error is in editing and post-production. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/350 "2005-10-05T16:25:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, then, so have him get caught by them personally, and the crew is unable to fight them off, followed by the mercy bullet others have recommended. As it was, it wasn’t at all clear that he was killed by the deadly savages, and he sure wasn’t killed savagely. But even Larry the Crash Test Dummy would have been preferable to the falling cartoon anvil that did get him. Umm…it was completely obvious. Someone who has seen it more than once should be able to verify, but isn’t it like this…? 1. Safe landing. 2. Wash harpooned. 3. Moment of stunned silence. 4. A whole bunch of other harpoons firing at the crew through the viewport. Correct? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/351 "2005-10-05T16:34:47Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Umm…it was completely obvious. > > Someone who has seen it more than once should be able to verify, but isn’t it like this…? > … > Correct? Correct. During #4, Mal has to knock Zoe to the ground to save her from a similar fate. I will point out that a spear through the heart from long-range is not in line with the torture-and-eat-alive MO of the Reavers. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/352 "2005-10-05T16:40:08Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > you think he should go out like Larry the Crash Test Dummy? _Once there was this guy who landed his spaceship and got a harpoon through his stomach…_ ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/353 "2005-10-05T16:46:50Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Correct. During #4, Mal has to knock Zoe to the ground to save her from a similar fate. > > I will point out that a spear through the heart from long-range is not in line with the torture-and-eat-alive MO of the Reavers. Gosh, how is anyone supposed to figure out what happened? :rolleyes: Admittedly the harpoons don’t fit with the Reaver MO, but huge flying metal spikes do… -Joe ---
**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/354 "2005-10-05T17:41:08Z")
Okay, I loved it – thought I would. I’m taking my nephew this weekend to see it, and anyone else who I think might like it. Mrs. ddgryphon liked it as well and has tolerated my watching it since the begining – it doesn’t resonate with her, like it does me, but she was indifferent before the movie, but liked the movie. Better than the last three Star Wars films – definitely. Not as pretentious as ongoing BSG series, which I watch faithlfully and enjoy, and at least as good, if not a touch better. Better than Stargate series (x2) and possibly better than that movie, better than Trek (and I’ve been a fan since 1966). Exciting, fun, with engaging characters (whether you like them or not isn’t the point, are they engaging, that’s the question!) – 4 stars and two thumbs up. Life changing – no. Entertaining, yes! ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/355 "2005-10-05T17:55:47Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Correct. During #4, Mal has to knock Zoe to the ground to save her from a similar fate. > > I will point out that a spear through the heart from long-range is not in line with the torture-and-eat-alive MO of the Reavers. I think they were shooting the ship, and not intentionally targeting its occupants. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/356 "2005-10-05T17:58:11Z")
I enjoyed the movie. However, it felt more a two-part TV episode than a true movie, IMNSHO. Sometimes, having a bigger budget doesn’t necessarily make something better. I wasn’t terribly impressed with “The Assassin” character, and felt the actor did the best he could with a poorly written part. While it was nice to learn more about River, she turned into a Sci-Fi cliche I was never happy with. For the record, I preferred Jewel in the series, but Gina is the best looking woman on the cast. Those who do not agree are wrong. Just admit it to yourselves. If you can’t, seek professional help because something is wrong with you. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/357 "2005-10-05T18:03:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, then, so have him get caught by them personally, and the crew is unable to fight them off, followed by the mercy bullet others have recommended. As it was, it wasn’t at all clear that he was killed by the deadly savages, and he sure wasn’t killed savagely. But even Larry the Crash Test Dummy would have been preferable to the falling cartoon anvil that did get him. You’re acting like it came out of nowhere. At that point in the movie, it had been established that the Reavers use giant grapples to board other ships. It had been established that the Reavers were chasing the Serenity. Why is it such an unacceptable surprise that the Reavers would use their grapples on Serenity, and accidentally kill one of the crewmen in the process? ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/358 "2005-10-05T18:06:04Z")
I haven’t watched Firefly, but have heard great things about it since it first began. So Serenity was a new story to me. I’m not a snob, but I have to wonder if the “cheesiness” is intentional. I figured you experts could help me understand. The dialog is stupid/funny in kind of a comic book way. The language sounds clearly articulated until a cowboy-style expression is used - the inconsistency is pretty jarring. Do you know what I mean? Like, all the\* ing\*‘s are pronounced clearly, instead of\* in’\*, like one would expect. Then suddenly some backwater expression is inserted into otherwise normal speech. It just sounds phoney, and I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not. I think I’d enjoy the movie more if I knew it whether it was bad acting/scripting, or a playful nod to the tropes of westerns, or both. I had fun with the movie, laughing and caught up in the suspense. I loved the “my muscular buttocks” and “God’s Balls” remarks. For me, the most shocking moment of all was the revelation of the bland doctor’s wet and muscular torso, and his intense masculinity as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward him. I was so surprised at his unexpected hotness, that I didn’t get nearly enough time to savor his gorgeousness. God’s Balls, I wished I’d had a rewind button. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/359 "2005-10-05T18:16:42Z")
> [@brightpenny](#): > > doctor’s wet and muscular torso, and his intense masculinity as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward him. YOu souns like you’re writing a Harlequin. Take a pill or something. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011/360 "2005-10-05T18:17:32Z")
The comic has the Reavers chasing the crew on the ground. They harpoon Jayne through the leg at one point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serenity-open-spoilers-a-plenty-youve-been-warned/324011.md?page=19)