The Man Is Psychotic---does the Joke stick out? by AnotherSky

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The Man Is Psychotic---does the Joke stick out?

POSTED BY: ANOTHERSKY
UPDATED: Friday, March 20, 2009 14:16
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Sunday, March 15, 2009 11:16 PM

Read an outside review of firefly's original pilot (read here: http://www.entil2001.com/series/firefly/season1dvd/ff1-1.html). Focused on how pilot set up the characters (duh).

However, the reviewer made the point that Mal's "Kaylee's dead" joke seemed to be way out of place.

I don't think so at all: it showed Simon's utter sincerity of profession (and tendency to trust people), and just how deep, dark and twisted Mal's inner world can be at times, since that is his humor. He also doesn't really give a rat's pi gu about Simon at that point, given the whole "do we threaten to kill them or just set 'em down somewhere convenient" conversation.

Seems to me also to be a very clear "don't mess with me" type of joke, which fits with the Mal-Simon interaction throughout the series and Movie.

Mal had to get back at Simon. ("Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!" ;)--It was not a nice joke.) But since the crew laughs,(and they seem so nice) we have to laugh. Until we start wondering about the joke, and who we should be worried about exactly. It fits with the entire "everything is not what it looks like on this boat" nature of the entire pilot.

Although, after he sees a slice of who Simon really is at the river-in-a-box scene, it could be a misstep for Mal's character to do this. After all, Simon's not just the rich alliance-tinged boy any more. Not to mention having patched up (in effect) Serenity's operating systems(ie their mechanic, who gets to repair with essentially string and chewing gum as tools).

But Mal forgets things. And his system is hardwired for humor. Bleak humor if that's the situation--who jokes at an Operative?

Any opinions on this? Any other thoughts on the pilot?

"I think we lost our fuzzy dice back there."
"Going for a ride."
Another Sky

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Sunday, March 15, 2009 11:33 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

You make some interesting points, but I think too that Mal sees strength in Simon and, quite possibly, a threat to his authority as Captain. He immediately establishes his place as Captain and the joke is a part of it.

That is until he sees that the Doc is good at his craft. And, as Mal puts it, "he ain't weak and that's something". But the joke fits Mal's personality perfectly, which I believe he uses as a release valve to ease tension. When Kaylee got shot everyone was ready to shoot Dobbs (Jayne) and Simon (Zoe). So breaking up the tension with humor was Mal's way of getting control of the situation on board and relieving tension.

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Monday, March 16, 2009 9:28 PM

SHINYSEVEN2

I think it does a great job of showing that most of the crew is not, as Bushwhacked says, "playing by civilized rules." (And in Bushwhacked, Jayne deliberately misleads Simon about how to put on a space suit--potentially *fatal* practical jokes are pretty extreme.)

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Friday, March 20, 2009 2:16 PM

ANOTHERSKY

Yeah, the only difference between fatal practical jokes seems to be technique, not intent. Consider the style difference...

Mal: reports someone being dead to scare the living daylights out of the Doc.

Jayne: knows that he can't use a suit right and forces him to do it on his own to scare the living daylights out of the Doc.

Interesting how even in their jokes their MOs show up: Mal takes out his authority as Doctor (which rivals Captain in importance on a ship shot up so often), and Jayne plays on personal harm, which is indicative of the level on which he has a problem with him. Jayne doesn't want him there on account of bringing danger and just being rich and irksome; Mal doesn't want him there either(Fed fears overlap), but it's Simon's potential (and willingness) to challenge what he says that gets his goat.

"I think we lost our fuzzy dice back there."
"Going for a ride."

Another Sky

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