Mal's family? by Megmac

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Mal's family?

POSTED BY: MEGMAC
UPDATED: Thursday, February 23, 2006 03:41
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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 5:39 AM

I've been thinking recently how strange it is that Mal's family is never mentioned.

Zoe and Wash have each other.
Jayne's mom knitted him his famous hat.
Kaylee's folks are mentioned in Out of Gas.

I might be wrong, but there is no mention of Mal having family somewhere. Do you think something happened to them? In the war? or maybe he just doesn't talk about it.

Sorry if this has been posted before, I'm relatively new.

-----------------------------------------------
Mal: Wheel never stops turning, Badger.
Badger: That only matters to the people on the rim.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 5:49 AM

CAUSAL

The only mention of Mal's family is in "Our Mrs. Reynolds" in which Mal mentions that he was raised by his mother and "about 40 ranch hands" (or somesuch). He even elaborates on what his mother taught him before he catches himself. Common theories: Mal's home hit by Reavers (thus his knowledge of them) or Mal's home destroyed by the Alliance (per the RPG).

________________________________________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 6:57 AM

PINBALLWIZARD

Actually, I found out through the glorious IMDB that in the episode "Trash," Mal's old war buddy Monty is actually a family relation! His full name is Monty Reynolds, and that could mean that he's either a very older brother or just his crazy uncle. It could have been Monty that suggested that Mal get himself a boat in the first place.

No, I am not insane, I am crazy. Thank you for asking.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 7:14 AM

GRIZWALD

Quote:
Originally posted by pinballwizard:
Actually...Mal's old war buddy Monty is actually a family relation! His full name is Monty Reynolds...

They act like cousins. I think distant cousins, because if they were closer relatives, don't you think Mal would have introduced him as "My Uncle Monty" or "My cousin Monty" rather than as a war buddy?

Whaddya think?

My husband thinks Mal was married and had at least one child and lost his family in the war. He certainly does have a soft spot for children, not that one needs to be a father to have such.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 9:38 AM

ISAACSHEPHERD

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I read from the Serenity RPG book that Mal's home planet Shadow was a wasteland after the war. My guess is Mal's family (probably excluding Monty if he is related) could have been killed in the war, possibly the reason Mal volunteered. I don't have the book, another one of my friends owns it, but if anyone out there has it look at the planet description at the end and see what it says on Shadow. I believe there was a clue in there.
IS

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 10:18 AM

DAVESHAYNE

Quote:
Originally posted by IsaacShepherd:
If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I read from the Serenity RPG book that Mal's home planet Shadow was a wasteland after the war. My guess is Mal's family (probably excluding Monty if he is related) could have been killed in the war, possibly the reason Mal volunteered. I don't have the book, another one of my friends owns it, but if anyone out there has it look at the planet description at the end and see what it says on Shadow. I believe there was a clue in there.
IS

From Serenity RPG page 218,

"The agressive bombing of Shadow during the war was meant to teach the Browncoats a lesson about the might of the alliance."

And a bit farther on,

"Shadow today is a ghost planet. No one lives there. No one can."

This is consitent with the Visual Companion as well. Though the OVC does not state who or how regarding Shadow's destruction. As to when Mal enlisted the OVC has this to say, "Malcolm Reynolds was on Shadow, living on a cattle ranch his mother ran, when he joined up." .... "He joined out of belief and nothing more. Five years gone found his homeworld destroyed...." (OVC page 14)

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 11:25 AM

FOLLOWMAL

Can't you just see Mal, growing up in a place, on land that he loved. ( I can really identify with this, I live on the land my Dad raised horses on for years and it's mine now. I'd fight for it, if I was threatened with losing it! Wouldn't want anyone tellin' me how I was to live on it either!) Then it being laid to waste. No wonder he is so driven to oppose the Alliance.
And the thought above that perhaps he had a wife and child!

Awww. Mal. You're so brave to go on and make our beloved crew like your own family again.

There I go again... Joss makes these people ALIVE!

Didn't catch that about Monty.... are you sure?

" You hold. Hold til I get back." Mal

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 12:04 PM

UMSUMAYYAH

I thought he said about 40 aunts? (during Our Mrs. Reynolds)
I'd love to look it up but for some reason I CANNOT find disc two. Which is making me mad.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 12:07 PM

DAVESHAYNE

Quote:
Originally posted by FollowMal:
Didn't catch that about Monty.... are you sure?

Checking the IMDB listing the character's name is given as Monty Reynolds but there is no information on whether they are related or not. Certainly I've never seen any indication of any relation other than "went through the war together" but our Mal is a cagey one when it comes to his past. Who knows?

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 12:14 PM

MEGMAC

Quote:
Originally posted by UmSumayyah:
I thought he said about 40 aunts? (during Our Mrs. Reynolds)

I think he said "40 hands".

I'd forgotten he'd mentioned his mother, until I watched Our Mrs Reynolds again today. It's tragic that Mal not only saw the cause he believed in crushed, but lost everything in the war.

I also watched the Serenity episode today, and IMO this knowledge of Mal's background makes the opening battle more poignant, esp. Mal's horrified expression when the Alliance ships turn up.

This sums up Joss Whedon for me, everything has such depth.

------------------------------------------------
Mal: Wheel never stops turning, Badger.
Badger: That only matters to the people on the rim.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006 1:14 PM

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

Never go by information found on IMDB. It's good for general information, but they often get stuff very, very wrong. Wash was listed as "Jerry Lee 'Wash' Warren" and Zoe as "Zoe Warren" for ages and it was left uncorrected. I wouldn't take anything which wasn't said on the show or in the movie as canon.

Destroying Shadow outright, or bombing it until it's uninhabitable as a show of strength, seems like an incredibly totalitarian move for the Alliace; more like Star Wars' Empire. I'm certain something bad happened on Shadow and the Alliance did it, but I'd prefer to leave it vague until a future story (fingers crossed) fills that detail in.

History repeats the old conceits

www.projectgreatness.com
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Thursday, February 23, 2006 2:54 AM

HAWKMOTH

I was very excited to read about Shadow's fate in the RPG info (and will have to check the VC for that as well,) because I've always felt from the show's beginning that the planet had been devastated during the war. I believe Joss said something to that effect way back when, and there's a quote somewhere from Nathan, about how Mal lost everything (i.e., home and family) during the war--and it's all there in the lyrics of the show's theme: "burn the land and boil the sea..."

The idea made such an impact on me that it plays a key part in several of my fanfics.

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Thursday, February 23, 2006 3:41 AM

MRBEN

The other evidence that is often overlooked is the lyrics to the title song:

Take my love (family, or perhaps wife?),
Take my land (the ranch on Shadow?),
Take me where I cannot stand (Serenity Valley?)
...
Take me out into the black, (into space during the war?)
Tell them I ain't coming back, (presumably telling his family this?)
Burn the land, and boil the sea (an attack on his home planet?)

mrben

"Carpe Aptenodytes"
http://www.jedimoose.org

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