Iron Skin, Iron Heart; A Character Study of Jayne Cobb in 'Serenity' by manwithpez

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Iron Skin, Iron Heart; A Character Study of Jayne Cobb in 'Serenity'

POSTED BY: MANWITHPEZ
UPDATED: Monday, November 21, 2005 05:12
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Saturday, March 12, 2005 2:43 AM

Important people don't do field work.

"Money wasn't good enough."
Jayne Cobb
"Serenity"
So...upon his introduction to our views, Jayne Cobb is probably the most straightforward character Firefly has to offer...with one exception, and that is Kaylee Frye. We'll get back to her later. This is a study of Jayne Cobb as seen in the original pilot to Firefly.
This may annoy others who might like a shorter, more compact road to a character study as seen through the entire run of the show. That was my original undertaking. Then, I began to realize just how enjoyable, and serialized an enterprise this could be. Should no one like this, and public outcry become too loud, I will move this to the blog, and such can be discussed there.
In this offering, we are covering Jayne Cobb as he was presented in the lamented "lost" pilot to our beloved show. We first see him outside of the flashback in which we see Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe (nee ?) for the first time. I think this may be important, as we are not given any insight into the character we are presented with later.
When first we see our favorite tracker/ muscle for hire, he is assisting with a salvage operation with the Captain and Zoe. Here, he accomplishes nothing more than a "muscle" role. The only thing that I really took away from his appearance here was that he had a much different space suit than did his compatriots. What this means, or harbors later, I can't say.
Also, it is shown that he has no love for the Alliance, as he says "we're humped" in response to the possibility of being discovered. There is a distrust of authority and a disobedient streak shown here. This will impact later stories as he bumps heads with not only mass authority, but leadership as it presented closer to home.
I would like to point out here that in "Serenity" we are already provided with a clear cut "leader" in Malcolm Reynolds. How Jayne fits into this has yet to be seen, but the leavings of someone who thinks he is the "hero" are shown very early in his character development.
The "let's moon em'" line was just plain funny. But, just a bit later, there is a line drawn between the captain and Jayne that may show that Jayne is just a bit more carefree than his chosen leader is. "Any one you can walk away from, right. As long as we got the goods, I call this a win."
This illustrates a vast difference between Mal and Jayne. Though Jayne may see himself as the hero of the piece, he is blind to how having to hide and run has left his captain feeling. Does this speak to some kind of lack of humanization? The easy answer is, of course, but, you never can tell this early.
You also can grasp what Jayne's definition of labor is early on, as he shows some disdain for Wash Warren's role in their capers is. Jayne does not see piloting as work. He sees it as sitting around while Zoe, The Captain, and him did all the real work. This also points to his self involvedness and his belief that he is the center of things that makes this ship work.
How can I say this, you might ask? Clearly there is more to making a space ship work than the salvage jobs that pay for its upkeep. This escapes Mr. Cobb. He can not seem to see beyond himself, and from the brashness of the character shown so far, you get the idea that this will always be true of him.
Jayne doesn't like company, either. He balks at the idea of passengers coming aboard Serenity. Money isn't grown on trees, and doesn't come from passengers either, and thus, they are a "pain in the ass". Passengers do not benefit Jayne, and so, he sees no need in them. Another arrow that points to this character's self involvement.
During the "muscle" crew's encounter with Badger over payment, Jayne is content to keep his mouth shut until he finds that he will not get paid for his efforts. Jayne makes the comment that gets everyone in the room, minus our Big Damn Heroes, drawing. This also shows that Jayne always (more often than not) believes he is right in whatever endeavour he is undertaking. Even though he was outgunned, and outdrawn, he was more than willing to draw his gun and try to shoot his way out of his own comments.
He was stopped by a warning look from his captain, which, for the first time, shows real loyalty to Mal. As presented, Jayne wanted nothing more than to shoot it out with these people, but, he did stop. However reluctantly, and it was reluctant. He did as his captain bid nonverbally. Which suggests that Mal and Jayne have been down this road before.
Even after they leave Badger's, Jayne is still having a hard time wrapping his head around why they didn't get paid. In his mind, politics, it seems, don't enter into it. He did the job, where's the money? Jayne also did not like coming out of the situation looking like a coward. In his mind, all they had to do was force Badger to hand over the money. This is a sore spot with him, and will come up later. It also shows just how wrapped up in money Jayne Cobb is.
And finally, in this scene, we are shown a bit of something that Jayne Cobb, this gruff, ape man gone wrong thing might be afraid of. He is terrified of Reavers. And, given the gravity the situation is given by the others, he is right to be so.
The next time we see Cobb, he is sitting at the table, being most impolite. The easy answer to this could be jealousy. Why would Jayne be jealous of Simon? Over Kaylee, no less...a crewmember over which he shows no more concern, barring another scene we'll get into later. Is he mad that Kaylee is attracted to the doctor. Is he showing a "big brother's" concern for the ship's mechanic, or is he just untrusting of SImon right off the bat? All of these things are interesting, but not nearly so much as the next exchange between Mal and Jayne.
Jayne's first real signs of insolence come in this scene as he has to be told not once, but twice to keep a civil tongue in his head. He is ordered away from the dinner table because he can't keep his mouth shut, and his anger over said situation shows that, once again, in any given situation, Jayne thinks he is right, no matter what.
When Dobson shows his true colors later in the episode by shooting Kaylee, a crewmember over which Jayne has already shown some kind of concern, Jayne's response is simple, and very human. You hurt one of mine, I'm going to kill you. Never again will you see Jayne Cobb show this much concern over someone else around him. It takes both Book (who has shown his formidable hand to hand skills in front of Jayne already), and Zoe's carbine to stop him. I might point out that rather than convince anyone of his point, he pulled a gun on a preacher (the preacher was armed, though).
One of the most touching scenes in the entire run of Firefly occurs when Jayne is seen lurking outside Kaylee's operating room window. It is an image that is both haunting and beautiful. But, why so much concern over someone who's feelings he cared so little about earlier. I think this shows that beneath his rock candy hard shell, Jayne has a pure milk chocolate center. Have you ever empathized with a character more than you did with Jayne Cobb in that moment. We've all watched a loved one get sick, or be hurt, or die. Our own reactions are not far removed from Jayne's in this instant. For all his faults, he becomes such a human character, that you can not help but indentify with him.
Jayne's restraint of Simon also shows again his loyalty to his captain. Again, this is mostly nonverbal. So, this would imply that Jayne is good at "reading" people. Or, and rather most telling, he just felt like choking Simon.
I'm going to break off here and cover the second part of Serenity later. And, if this post is too long, I'll probably be covering it somewhere else. Bye bye.

Kaylee: "What's so damn important about being proper? It don't mean nothing out here in the black."
Simon: "It means more out here. It's all I have..."

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Saturday, March 12, 2005 7:44 AM

EMBERS

manwithpez: I enjoyed your post about Jayne, and I don't think it is long at all...
we have had people post far longer things which weren't even their own original thoughts (ie they could have just posted a link to the original writer's blog...)
Your thoughts are interesting, and I agree with you... I think Jayne is an egocentric opportunist, but I think underneith his rudeness and greed there is also a desire to be liked.
Of course that comes out more in later episodes.

I'm guessing Jayne has suppressed the more congenial sides to his nature because he has made his living being a thug (but his Mother loves him!)...
Now on Serenity I think he is capable of growth, and he is trying to connect with those around him... Of course if his friendship is betrayed (like, what if he ever has to fight Book, now that they have bonded over weight lifting) then THAT might be another 'interesting day'

at any rate, I enjoyed your character study and I'll definitely read your future posts.

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Saturday, March 12, 2005 8:20 AM

TETHYS

Good post, but then again, I would expect no different from someone that's living in my "old homestead" o:O

"Your mouth is talking. Might wanna look to that"
I am: http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/warriorshtm/bigcat.htm

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Sunday, March 13, 2005 7:14 AM

THEREALME

Bravo! Continue, please.

From the meal scene where he insults Kaylee and the lurking ourside the infirmary, I have believed that Jayne is in love with Kaylee, though perhaps he doesn't realize it. At least, Jayne recognizes that she is the special soul of the ship.

The Real Me, First Officer of the Sereni-Tree

(The Real Me cannot currently receive messages from this site; he is not ignoring you. But he CAN receive e-mail at realme@pcibroadband.net.)

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Friday, November 18, 2005 10:03 PM

ITSAWASH

Dude, you broke that down admirably, reminded me of an excellent high school teacher would do. Thanks for this. Will hang onto it for reference material for Jayne-centric fanfic I'm working on. You Rock!

Pic courtesy of KellyofLuthien

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Friday, November 18, 2005 11:53 PM

BELACGOD

Quote:
Originally posted by TheRealMe:

From the meal scene where he insults Kaylee and the lurking ourside the infirmary, I have believed that Jayne is in love with Kaylee, though perhaps he doesn't realize it. At least, Jayne recognizes that she is the special soul of the ship.

That's my interpretation too. He resents Simon for having taken Kaylee's attention so fully (also, he notices she's into him earlier than the others do).

I think he's a predator/protector type--mainly concerned with himself and getting what he wants, but has a psychological line beyond which he will protect "him and his" as much as Mal would. The original poster is right that his view of the world is very unsophisticated, to say the least--he sees things very black and white, which is why the events of Jaynestown unsettle him so. There, he's presented with total selflessness on his behalf, unasked and unwanted, as well as with an episode from his past in which his only defense for his actions is a retreat to cynicism: "Anyone would have done the same."

Another window into his character is "Ariel." At the end of that episode, we see that he has come to recognize that the community on Serenity is something he values, even if he's not really a part of it--he recognizes that not everyone would turn on their comrades when profit demands it, wants in, and isn't sure how to ask. But when he asks Mal not to tell the others why he died, he means just that, and isn't trying to get Mal to let him back into the ship.

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Sunday, November 20, 2005 5:24 AM

DONCOAT

FYI: Zoe's maiden name is Warren. Wash's name is Hoban Washburne, not Wash Warren.

I couldn't say whether Zoe adopted the name of Washburne, kept her own, or blended the two; but Wash never adopted Zoe's name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need.

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Sunday, November 20, 2005 7:00 AM

BELACGOD

Fireflywiki.org claims her name is Alleyne.

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Sunday, November 20, 2005 7:35 AM

R1Z

Quote:
The only thing that I really took away from his appearance here was that he had a much different space suit than did his compatriots. What this means, or harbors later, I can't say.

I have always assumed that the suits were personal property. Mal's and Zoe's match, and I assume them to be either military surplus or military equipment issued to them and never turned back in. Jayne brought his with him, just like he brought Vera.

Kaylee never had the need for a suit until she arrived on Serenity, as she's "never even been up in one." (Ship, that is.)

Book, Enara, Simon, Wash, and River have no need to be outside the ship in space, and therefore don't own suits. We see Simon's inexperience with donning a suit in Bushwhacked when Kaylee tells him, "you've got this on wrong." (Jayne told him he had to suit up, and he may not have known that he was putting on someone else's property.) We assume Kaylee shows him the right way before Mal hides Simon and River from the Alliance, when he puts them in his suit and Zoe's.

At least that's how I've sussed it out. Any comments?

To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks. --Robt. Heinlein

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Monday, November 21, 2005 5:12 AM

PURPLEPIRATE

R1Z, nice post, but I think you've missed one of Jayne's more significant traits.

In Serenity, part 1, we see a glimpse of Jayne's reverence. When Shepherd Book says his silent prayer at the dinner table (Captain, mind if I say grace?) Jayne also bows his head--very earnestly and humbly as well.

So, under his ape-man facade, Jayne has faith. In later episodes we hear Jayne speak more specifically about his faith. Enjoy!

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