Major Movie Spoilers: All About Book by LadyDisdain

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Major Movie Spoilers: All About Book

POSTED BY: LADYDISDAIN
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 5, 2005 19:14
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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 3:21 PM

I'm taking all of this pretty hard, I have to say. What I'd really like to do here is open up a little support for Book. At -that- point in the film, a little part of me withdrew -- Wash's fate came as something "in addition to". I don't want to be exclusive, here, but I get a little distressed by a lot of talk where either people have forgotten Book altogether, or write it off with "Well, we figured it was going to happen" or "That's understandable, but WASH..." Wash will be survived, at the very least, by Zoe, and remembered by all the crew. Will our Book fall by the wayside, and rendered important only by the secrets that have not been revealed? Whatever he is secretly, does that negate his role as part of the crew?

I'm upset by the loss of that multi-generational, and multi-spiritual quality that he brought to the ensemble. I know it's a literary (and theatrical - how 'bout them Greeks?) convention, that in order for your main set to become heroic, they can't have anyone around in a mentor position. It's a convention I've never liked much, truth be told, and I like to think that there's more in the world to motivate a person than the death of someone else. But that's something I've always looked at in stories, and I certainly don't hold that against Joss (except to, you know, simultaneously revere and despise, like just about everybody else!). [Sidebar: And yes, I know, it's supposed to be about the love and not the death as a motivation... what I'm referring to is the convention that a child will not become an adult for as long as adults are present. The child cannot become a hero or solve problems if there's someone who can provide advice or perspective, or even solve some of the problems for the child.]

Besides, I worry about Ron Glass! Maybe it's all the conventions, but the lines between the actors and the characters have blurred for many fans, in spite of more sensible intentions. I keep thinking about those DVD interviews, and that this is the man who couldn't talk about Firefly without weeping.

I'm still not in a big analytical mindset, but I wanted to mark off a little tribute thread, here.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 4:33 PM

MALICIOUS

I loved Book in the series. He was the voice of reason, he was kind and patient, extremely funny and honorable.

But--and I know full well how irrational this sounds!--I kind of resent him for not remaining on the ship. I was non-plussed when I realized he was living at Haven and was no longer part of the crew and perhaps that is why I am not grieving for him as much.

Don't bother explaining that he's a fictional character! I know how I sound. My friends all think I'm weird. I guess they're right!

Mal-licious

I'm going to add cursing and the hurling about of things to my repertoire.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 4:44 PM

SMITH

The thing that hurts me is that now we'll never know Book's background, the answers to his mysterious past! I know he said to Mal that he never planned on revealing anything (by the way, what a giant hint that was), but his mystery was a big part of what I loved about the character and what made me wanna see more.

Say no more. Evil's still afoot and I'm almost out of that Nancy-bot hair-gel that I like so much. Quickly to the Angelmobile, away!

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 4:48 PM

ENGINEANGEL

i care that Book died as well, but for me, I can see that there was a reason for him to die -- without his death and last words, Mal would never have gone to Miranda and risked so much (desacrating his ship) to get there. Wash's death however didn't have a reason like that. It was shocking and need not have happened, which is why so many more people are talking about it and are more saddenned by it.

River: There's too much snow on top. It's going to cave in. His brain is in grave danger.
Zoe: River, honey, he's putting the hair away now.
River: It doesn't matter. It'll still be there. Waiting...

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 5:44 PM

LADYDISDAIN

Hmm. I guess my tone was a little off.

Let me clarify my approach: I am in no way NOT traumatised by Wash's death. It completely hurt. My trauma is a collective trauma. Also, I fully understand the writing mechanism of Book's death to motivate Mal. (That's what all my 'convention' blather was about.)

My point was that Wash is getting a lot of airtime, here -- and while I understand WHY that is, I'm troubled by the great amount of justification about "Why we shouldn't feel so bad about Book". I don't know that it's a helpful rationalisation. "Oh, you shouldn't be bothered because..." I am bothered. I like the guy. I certainly hope I'm not the only one. I've only done some cursory skimming of the fanbase since I saw the film, and I keep running into "Wash (several paragraphs later)... oh yeah, and Book."

We're such a young culture, aren't we? We seem to quick to say "Oh, he's older, he's lived his life, so it's not as big a deal that the life is over". (I mean this in general, now, not just in reference to Book.)

Anyway, I was just hoping for a thread somewhere that would function in the opposite way. Judging by your replies... Guess I missed my mark, huh?

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 6:17 PM

KIZYR

Hey you're not alone there... Book always was and still is my favorite character in the series. He was also the one I felt I could relate to the most.

I mean, he was conflicted on so many levels. He came looking to atone himself, it seemed, and rightly saw that Serenity's crew had a lot of good about them. But, for one, he started feeling "so very useless" on a lot of the missions. For two, when he did start intervening, he felt conflicted between helping out criminals--good-hearted they may have been--and staying true to his own beliefs.

He was an essential part of the crew, so I don't feel he was expendable as others have figured. But, at the same time, he "fit in" even less than Simon. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 6:57 PM

THRAWN

Book's background is revealed in the novelization.

But I bet you $1,000 that if you guess, right now, off the top of your head, you'll get it right. Think very hard about the thematic nature of the movie.

EDIT: Or just read the Backstory By Analogy thread I just made. I felt this was a topic that deserved a wider discussion.

Quote:
Originally posted by Smith:
The thing that hurts me is that now we'll never know Book's background, the answers to his mysterious past! I know he said to Mal that he never planned on revealing anything (by the way, what a giant hint that was), but his mystery was a big part of what I loved about the character and what made me wanna see more.

Say no more. Evil's still afoot and I'm almost out of that Nancy-bot hair-gel that I like so much. Quickly to the Angelmobile, away!

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Wednesday, October 5, 2005 7:14 PM

GIANTEVILHEAD

Book definitely ranked higher than an Operative when he worked for the Alliance. The Alliance would never let an Operative leave alive. Maybe Book trained Operatives or maybe he created the entire Operative program in the first place, that would make more sense because then it would mean that he was powerful enough and has enough influence to make sure that the Alliance doesn't assassinate him.

"I swallowed a bug." -River Tam

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