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In "Serenity", remember the comment Inara's client made about her "Clock being sped up"? It is possible that it may have been a drug to do just that, if suicide was not an option for whatever the reason. Then again it may have been a way to commit suicide. We never did get much of an explanation of Companion "training".

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Originally posted by Channain:
On the needle business, I think they're just trying to rile folks about something that isn't even there. That whole thing was probably just a poorly executed attempt at humor. And Nathan's "She's a druggie" comment was total and complete sarcasm.

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Originally posted by KernelM:
Pure speculation: What if the needle was actually a weapon of some kind? Maybe something developed by the Companion Guild? Probably reaching a bit here... though the recent thread where Dune was mentioned does have Bene Gesserit on my mind. :-P

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Originally posted by shambleau:
It's possible that the needle box is for medication, but can be used for suicide if you OD. We know that Inara left Sihnon unexpectedly, when she was in line to run her Companion House. We know she's on a rundown vessel and that's highly unusual. We know she went for a medical checkup, which she said was routine. We know in OOG that, when Simon said he didn't want to die on Serenity, she said she didn't want to die at all, while looking away from Simon. Tim Minear said there was a clue to Inara's secret in that scene and I'm betting it was in that glance away. She's medicating herself for something fatal. It's why she won't let anyone close.

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Originally posted by shambleau:
We know in OOG that, when Simon said he didn't want to die on Serenity, she said she didn't want to die at all, while looking away from Simon. Tim Minear said there was a clue to Inara's secret in that scene and I'm betting it was in that glance away. She's medicating herself for something fatal. It's why she won't let anyone close.

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Originally posted by shambleau:
I'm pretty sure that what Book says is also something he actually said in the past and has nothing to do with his conversation with Jayne. That's why it seems likely to me that what Inara says could be something unrelated to her conversation with Mal, just as his "None of it means a damn thing" is about his view of life and not necessarily about Inara, although it could be. I love double meanings like that, by the way.

So my take on "I'm a big girl, just tell me" is that she said that to a doctor who was trying to be gentle with her about her prognosis and not tell her that she was going to die. Of course, it also works as a comment to Mal, but as I said, the comment can have more than one meaning, which is what makes it so cool for me.

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Originally posted by LindyCat:
Needle could be used for:

Drugs for pleasure
Drugs for sedation of enemy
Drugs for suicide
Drugs for enhanced abilities
Drugs for suppression of something (illness, some companion programming, ability,...)
Drugs for medication
Weapon (mixing higly reactive compounds to make a sleep agent, neurotoxin)

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Originally posted by Static:
Okay. . .a couple of thoughts. . .Not particulary on the actual SUBJECT of this thread but more in reference to what OTHER people have speculated on in this thread. . .
WILL YOU GET OVER THE WHOLE SIMON/RIVER INCEST THING???? I'M TELLING YOU, THEY'RE ACTING PERFECTLY NORMAL!!!!!

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Originally posted by zikzak:
I like the weapon angle. I think it's a special drug that will turn her into a disease-carrier to kill the reavers. Inara was sent out to destroy the reavers, so she picked the rattiest outlaw ship she could find. When they came near, she was preparing to take the drug, knowing it would kill her, the reavers, and the rest of the crew.

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Originally posted by Misguided By Voices:
Maybe that's why the show got cancelled, we got it all wrong.. Fox was protecting morality, because Joss was using his show to corrupt the brothers and sisters of America.... Thank God Fox stopped this evil act.

And might I point out that the thought never even entered my head that there was any suggestion of incest - I can't even see where it comes from (the deleted scene is so clearly an in-joke among siblings)

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This morality brought to you by the broadcasters of Joe Millionaire.

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I get the feeling there's a lot of subtlety in these episodes that was foreshadowing stuff that we don't know. It's enormously fun to look for the hints.

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Originally posted by Static:

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This morality brought to you by the broadcasters of Joe Millionaire.

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Does ANYONE remember how a diplomatic-type person from Iraq called out an American interviewer, saying "How dare you ask me about morality? Don't you work for a network who's top television show features a man who is lying to several different women, seducing them, and tricking them into thinking they're marrying a millionaire when they're not?"

No, but that is extremely funny!!!

"Till human voices wake us, and we drown."
--T.S. Elliot