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Originally posted by christhecynic:
Firefly starts with Mal in the battle of Serenity in the Episode Serenity:

"The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley and we choked 'em with those words. We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. Just a little while longer, our angels are gonna be soaring overhead raining fire on those arrogant cod, so you hold!

You hold!"

Firefly ends, thus far, with the Battle on Mr Universe's Moon in the Movie Serenity:
"You hold.
Hold til I get back."

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Originally posted by DonCoat:

That's when Mal says "You hold. Hold till I get back." He's not just talking about the battle to come. He's talking about Zoe herself. "Keep it together a little longer, until I can be here to support you".

Oddly, it's Jayne who picks up on this instantly. He reinforces the point: "Captain's right. Can't be thinkin' on revenge."

I think this shows an amazing growth in Mal. Serenity Valley killed the idealistic, dedicated soldier in him. But in the time since, he's developed an almost desperate love for those he takes into his "crew". So much so that he burns precious seconds to check on Zoe's emotional condition.

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Originally posted by artcat81:
This is one of the few fanbases I have ever been a part of, and the only one that greets new folks soo warmly and genuinely means it.

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Originally posted by DonCoat:
What's even more interesting to me is that the very same lines take on extra meaning in the movie.

In the pilot, Mal's order to hold is a straightforward military command. It simply means that his outfit is to defend their position without compromise.

In the movie, though, the line takes on extra levels of meaning. Yes, he's exhorting his crew to hold the line against the Reavers. But there's something more, and deeper.

The line comes in the middle of a "moment" between Mal and Zoe. Mal's second in command has just lost the love of her life, and that fact has just begun to sink in. Mal asks her, "Are you here?" -- that is, can she function as a rational soldier in a desperate battle, or is she too devastated by her loss?

"Do the job, Sir," Zoe replies. She's telling him she's able to function.

That's when Mal says "You hold. Hold till I get back." He's not just talking about the battle to come. He's talking about Zoe herself. "Keep it together a little longer, until I can be here to support you".

Oddly, it's Jayne who picks up on this instantly. He reinforces the point: "Captain's right. Can't be thinkin' on revenge."

I think this shows an amazing growth in Mal. Serenity Valley killed the idealistic, dedicated soldier in him. But in the time since, he's developed an almost desperate love for those he takes into his "crew". So much so that he burns precious seconds to check on Zoe's emotional condition.

It also shows that the two of them have developed an almost subliminal level of communication. They use it again at the very end of the film -- "Think she'll hold together?" "She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true."

And, on another level altogether, it shows just how subtle and multilayered Joss Whedon's writing can be.

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I don't disagree on any particular point.

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