Question about River scene in Serenity (spoiler.) by JustShiny

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Question about River scene in Serenity (spoiler.)

POSTED BY: JUSTSHINY
UPDATED: Saturday, March 4, 2006 15:05
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Tuesday, February 28, 2006 8:59 PM

There is a scene in Serenity that still confuses me a tad. I don't know if it is supposed to, or if it is suppost to mean something and I'm just completely missing it...which I really hope ain't the case.

Anyway:

When River is shackled in the locker room, having another dream, she wakes up quickly. Then there is a voice that says "Cut them down." And she wakes up again.

I am unclear what exactly this is.

Is it part of her dream?
Is it foreshadowing her "cutting" the Reavers down in the end?
I assume it's a Reaver talking...but you know what they say about assuming...

Any ideas, or explanations, would be helpful. Especially if I'm just completely missing something obvious.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006 9:19 PM

BCOAT7

In the commentary Joss says that the first time she "wakes up" she is still asleep. To add to the fact that she is mentally unstable. Not sure or don't remember if he said who says "cut them down" and exactly who it is referring to.

You can't take the sky from me

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Wednesday, March 1, 2006 12:34 AM

ASARIAN

Quote:
Originally posted by JustShiny:

There is a scene in Serenity that still confuses me a tad. I don't know if it is supposed to, or if it is suppost to mean something and I'm just completely missing it...which I really hope ain't the case.

Anyway:

When River is shackled in the locker room, having another dream, she wakes up quickly. Then there is a voice that says "Cut them down." And she wakes up again.

I am unclear what exactly this is.

Is it part of her dream?
Is it foreshadowing her "cutting" the Reavers down in the end?
I assume it's a Reaver talking...but you know what they say about assuming...

Any ideas, or explanations, would be helpful. Especially if I'm just completely missing something obvious.

Ooo! River question! :)

You're right, River hears a voice saying: "Cut them down" when waking up in the pantry (actually, she's still dreaming when waking up the first time). I believe it refers, indeed, to Reavers; but from the FireFly episode Bushwhacked, where they cut down the crew hanging from the ceiling of that derelict ship. Mal says to Jayne:

"Jayne, you'll help the doctor and Shepherd Book cut down those people."

I hope this help.

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

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Wednesday, March 1, 2006 5:41 AM

DAVESHAYNE

It is part of the dream (per the Joss commentary.)

Forshadowing possibly but also consider misdirection. Joss is trying to play up the River is a danger idea here. Staying within the narrative this episode could be an artifact of River's behavioral conditioning.

The voice sounds a bit like what you'd expect a reaver to sound like when they aren't just growling but it could just be an evil dream voice.

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, March 1, 2006 1:19 PM

KAYNA

I love my captain

I know she's still sleeping but I always just assumed that the words were someone's thoughts intruding on her sleeping and presumably vulnerable mind. She is a psycic after all.
I have a few suggestions as to where the erant thought is coming form.

1. Haven. They are on their way there and we know that they will find everyone dead. It could have been one of the Alliance men on the ship that destroyed the place. I know it sounded evil and creepy but that could have been how her mind interpreted it. Or someone on that ship could have enjoyed killing others far to much.

2. Following the thought that the thinker isn't as nasty as it sounded, it could have been the Operative giving the order to destroy Serenity's safe havens. We don't know where he was in relation to the ship at that point or what River's effective range is. She knew that things were going to get worse and she might have unconsiously tapped into the mind of the person most immediatly responsable for thier troubles.

3. The Reavers. Reaver space isn't very far from Haven and I would think that Reavers think like that a lot. It certainly sounded vicios enough.

Wow....I think I broke something

That all seemed much shorter in my head.

Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Wednesday, March 1, 2006 3:16 PM

ASARIAN

Quote:
Originally posted by Kayna:

I know she's still sleeping but I always just assumed that the words were someone's thoughts intruding on her sleeping and presumably vulnerable mind. She is a psycic after all.
I have a few suggestions as to where the erant thought is coming form.

1. Haven. They are on their way there and we know that they will find everyone dead. It could have been one of the Alliance men on the ship that destroyed the place. I know it sounded evil and creepy but that could have been how her mind interpreted it. Or someone on that ship could have enjoyed killing others far to much.

2. Following the thought that the thinker isn't as nasty as it sounded, it could have been the Operative giving the order to destroy Serenity's safe havens. We don't know where he was in relation to the ship at that point or what River's effective range is. She knew that things were going to get worse and she might have unconsiously tapped into the mind of the person most immediatly responsable for thier troubles.

3. The Reavers. Reaver space isn't very far from Haven and I would think that Reavers think like that a lot. It certainly sounded vicios enough.

Wow....I think I broke something
That all seemed much shorter in my head.

Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

Hey kayna,

Yeah, you broke something alright: that bubble of illusion I was living in, thinking I knew what I was talking about! lol. See, I always thought it was a wave of Reavers who wracked Haven. Oops! If it was Alliance, well, that changes a lot. :)

Thanks for the thought-provoking thoughts, though.

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

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Saturday, March 4, 2006 9:13 AM

KAYNA

I love my captain

Ignore my previous post. I just watched the BDM again and realized that my timing is way off. The double wake up comes before they pick up Inara, not after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Saturday, March 4, 2006 3:05 PM

SHADOWCHILD

Asa, somehow I knew youd be all over this thread LOL! Cmon how did you not know it was Alliance? They only clarify it like three times!!! And dont think you dont know what youre talking about. When it comes to River, you know more than anyone!
Anyhoo, other than that, I have nothing of consequence to say regarding this thread. Nothing that hasnt been said anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You are such a boob."

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