Diagnosis: retcon (Inara discussion) by Bytemite

BLUE SUN ROOM

Diagnosis: retcon (Inara discussion)

POSTED BY: BYTEMITE
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:27
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 16589
PAGE 1 of 2

Monday, February 9, 2009 1:15 PM

So, Better Days comic book. Simon visiting Inara for some reason. I don't know if I believe the rumours, and folks do like to yank on the ol' fan chain, but what do you all think of the "she's (possibly terminally) ill" theory?

Obviously there's been some retcon for the comic books, but how well do you think this fits with her portrayal in FF/S? How well would it explain the motivation for some of her choices?

And I know this is Joss we're talking about, but is there anyway this rhetorical possibility could end without tragedy? Pretty and angsty though this storyline would be, the tragic angle is just so OBVIOUS.

I'm hunting plot-bunnies, so I do have an ulterior motive here... Feel free to be as inspirational as possible, all right?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 7:52 AM

Good idea.
When I read this comic I didn´t know why Simon visit Inara.
But yes, he is a doctor, and Inara perhaps is ill

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 8:10 AM

Ooh, a response!

Yeah, so I've been looking at how that angle meshes with her possible motivations for her choices.

Her pushing away Mal from any potential relationship no longer is a matter of just fear or self-preservation. It's actually somewhat noble. Sad as hell, but noble, requiring a lot of strength, to face her disease alone so she doesn't hurt anyone if she dies.

And her leaving Serenity, between the series and the movie, that's an extension of it. Mal's indiscretion with Nandi still probably plays some role, but I'm thinking their having to bury Nandi more made Inara feel like she had to leave. She had a glimpse of what the future might hold for the people she cared about if she stayed. But she WANTED to stay, that's for sure, and have these people know and accept her secret, and support her through it.

Why was she even on Serenity, before she left? Well, I'll never be able to guess why she left Sihnon, because there's a lot of suggestion that she can't go back. The internal look of regret that the fancy camera work in the pilot episode reveals when her client asks her about Sihnon, the fact that she takes a job teaching at a training house in the movie... But there's grief there, too, and I think she might have lost a family member to the same illness she has. Then she was diagnosed and decided to try to see the rest of the verse.

But Serenity isn't exactly a peaceful little pleasure cruise for her before she goes, and she knows it, so why did she stay onboard almost a year? Going on my version, I think her loss of immediate family has made her want to seek out a family. And maybe there's more, she acts kind of like a mother for a lot of the crew. Maybe she feels like that's something she'll never be able to be, at least biologically.

I think I might bring in another topic to this conversation, while I'm at it.

In general, whether you like the illness theory or not: Mal and Inara.

Doomed relationship? Why or why not?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 8:23 AM

Very very good theory.
The only thing that I know is that Simon and Inara haven´t any relationship (please, not, I don´t want a soap opera. Inara with Mal, only).

Morena confirmed her character die in the future if the show had continued. Your theory could be true.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 9:02 AM

Aw, she said that? Darn.

I've only heard of this from other people, I wouldn't know what was said or not.

Well, thank goodness for this community, we can write all sorts of different endings. :)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 9:36 AM

Look

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 10:25 AM

Hmm.

I'm... not actually convinced that is Joss' plan from this. All we know is that the questioner's "cousin" supposedly heard this from Joss.

And that when Morena heard that Joss might have said this, she says that if he said so, it must be true. That doesn't imply that she knows for sure.

But I still like this theory, and it fits with some of the ways Inara acts and with the reveal in the comic books.

Just don't want her to die, she's a great character.

Thanks for posting it, that's actually a bit of a relief. :)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 10:31 AM

Inara is one of my favourite characters too ;)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 3:14 PM

I have re-read that comic book and.........you are right.
Simon comes to Inara like Doctor. Inara is ill now.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 3:29 PM

Tragic as it could be, I really think that would be a great direction for Inara's character development. She is so damn strong. Wow.

But I still hope Joss doesn't kill her. He gets a little too kill-happy sometimes, goes for the tragedy when in the long run the characters and plot development would be more interesting if he did something else.

Does anyone really want to see Mal get even MORE miserable? Good holy gravy.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 3:34 PM

Quote:

Does anyone really want to see Mal get even MORE miserable? Good holy gravy.

Romantic and angsty Mal......interesnting

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Friday, February 13, 2009 3:36 PM

Poor, poor guy. *pities Mal*

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 1:43 AM

I think it's important to note that there is a difference between 'Inara is dying' and 'Inara dies'

Inara dying could have been played out for a long time in the series, without having her actually die. But yes, of course, we are talking about Joss.

Anyway, the person asking the question in the YouTube video is actually on my friend's list on Live Journal, and I tend to believe her when she says that her cousin did get this information from Joss... sadly :o/

It puts an entirely different spin on everything Inara - difficult to process. :o) I haven't yet gone back and watched the series from this POV yet, to see if I can glean any new ideas about Inara, but I'd like to.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 4:30 AM

I think this is the little slieght of hand Joss is pulling with his confirmation of the Morena leak, too, the "dying" versus the "GOING to die." And he doesn't specify WHAT he's confirming, only that Morena leaked something.

It is Joss, but considering that Zoe is going to go through a grief and mourning arc, I really wonder if Joss is going to rehash that for Mal and Inara. And ending the franchise on her death wouldn't be a good move, because where Mal is now, there'd be no message, resolution, or closure.

So here's hoping we get a curveball.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 4:50 AM

It's all so cruel and maddening! The will they or won't they (and I'm not talking about M/I per se but rather about Mutant Enemy actually creating more canonical content) seems particularly cruel with no new announcements about graphic novels, sequel, web-vids or anything else. Why tease us if nothing's happening? Or is it that Morena's/Joss' confirmation in a sneaky way means that stuff IS still happening?

I want Dollhouse to succeed for Joss' sake (and because I actually like the show...!), but dang it, the show is taking most of his creative energy! :) I can take tragedy in moderation, but I hope he gives Mal a little bit of a break... at least temporarily? Doesn't it seem possible there's a point at which "strong female character" transitions to "foolishly bull-headed character with a noble streak"?

With Joss, isn't the difference between "dying" and "going to die" merely semanics? I doubt he'd differentiate, but then again many of you have been familiar with his work and modus operandi for much longer than I have, and there might yet be hope.

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 5:03 AM

Considering it was never revealed in canon that Inara was dying (only hinted at in commentary) it's entirely plausible that, in light of hte series's cancellation and the way the BDM turned out, (considering originally no one died) those changes may indeed change the course of what Joss has planned for Inara.

As for new canon... I don't think it's likely they'll be much while Joss is preoccupied with Dollhouse, sadly. There's the Book comics coming, supposedly, though it seems like it's been forever since we first heard about those, but yeah. I want some Mal and Inara canon, something to make up for everything that was cut out of the BDM.

A nice 14 hour mini-series would suit me just fine

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 5:29 AM

Hehe, in essence, a second season? :) No, let's just call it a miniseries. That sounds like less long-term commitment is necessary. Is there any Browncoat who *wouldn't* wish for such a thing? :)

I guess I mostly missed out on the Book comic buzz. Probably it was slightly before my time, and with no news I've only heard the slightest rumors in reading up on fan sites.

I guess we'll have to turn to fanfic in the mean time. Sorry for the thread derailment off of an Inara discussion!

@2x2, is there a possibility of "The Slower Path" continuing? Please? :D

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 5:52 AM

The question about what Joss is going to do depends on two major factors, as I see it.

The first is how final any sequel might feel to him. I suspect he killed off Wash and Book last time because he thought the last movie might be it, and he wanted to send it off with a bang.

The second factor is whether he's in a killing mood, or a sneaky sneaky mood. I've seen both, limited though my exposure is (having not seen any of Buffy or Angel). I think everyone REMEMBERS Joss for the killing, and forgets the times when he's tricky and doesn't kill. I haven't been as exposed to the major kills, so I see his killing off characters as less common than other people might.

To be honest I don't really see any evidence in the series, the movie, or even TLB of Inara being ill. All we really had there was the one line in Out of Gas where she admits that she doesn't want to die. So I do think that's a more recent development in Inara's storyline. But it's one that fits well enough that it seems like it was planned all along.

Mal's already lost a war, a home, a family, his faith, his past, his future, innocence, joy... Good GRAVY, people. Throw the dog a bone!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 5:58 AM

Re: thread-derailment...

Well, we were talking about Mal/Inara canon, weren't we? (I was *G*) and in particular a 14-hour Mal/Inara themed miniseries :D

As to the Slower Path, there will be, yes. I'm not 100% sure when yet, as we're hung up on a bit of a snag right now, but there will be.

I'm also really trying to finish up my old fics that are lying around, so if I can do that, TSP will have to wait a bit.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:15 AM

The only reason anyone made any notice of that 'I dont' want to die at all' line was cuz it was pointed out in the commentary as having to do with Inara's secret. Otherwise, no one would have paid it any more mind than any other line... And though some think that her checkup on Ariel is connected to her 'illness' it could also just as easily be written off as just what she said it was - her regular annual Guild required checkup. So yeah, I think it would be pretty easy to drop that storyline if he chose to.

I also haven't seen much of Buffy or any of Angel, so I only know his reputation for killing, no first hand knowledge outside of Serenity, so I can't really say...

As to going out with a bang... well, I think at that point they had hope that if Serenity did really well, there would be a chance at sequels. But I honestly think that ship has sailed, sadly. The comics, perhpas a mini-series on Sci-Fi or HBO kinda deal could be possible, or, who knows, Joss wnats to do more internet shows... maybe that's the venue Firefly will soar in again?? Let's hope! Because I want more about Inara!!!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:25 AM

Fox and Universal own the rights, unfortunately, so anything in film would still have to go through them somehow.

I have hopes that with Dollhouse, Joss and Fox may have made some sort of backdoor deal about Firefly.

For the movie, I think Joss' expectations were fairly modest. In the original script, everyone lives, and I think he changed it because he suspected it wouldn't be a smash blockbuster hit.

And remember, like I said, people tend to focus on the killing, it skews the perspective a bit.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:26 AM

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

Quote:
Originally posted by 2x2:
I also haven't seen much of Buffy or any of Angel, so I only know his reputation for killing

It's not even just killing characters, it's killing happiness. Everything being all fuzzy-wuzzy gets boring, I'll admit, but I do sometimes wish that more of his couples could just be happy, dealing with outside drama but somewhat less with the heartbreak. I'm not sure how much romance there will be on Dollhouse, so it might not even be a concern for that show. But in all things Joss, I'm inclined to utterly doubt 'happily ever after.'

[/sig]

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:28 AM

I was crushed when it was confirmed that Inara was dying. She's always been one of my favorite characters on the show even though she is disliked by a large number of fans and gets beat up in fanfic purely for being Mal's mysterious love interest; I still think her character is unique.

Rewatching the series and movie with the knowledge that she is dying gives me more reason to love this character. Her behavior makes sense, especially towards Mal. We know Joss writes strong women, but dang, can anyone imagine what it is to live with the knowledge that your days are numbered and there had to be moments that she physically wasn't feeling well. Talk about a strong woman character. No wonder why Mal is so smitten and can't stop thinking about her.

As much as I hate this scenario, I do think there is a lot of storytelling on Joss's part that he would like to reveal to us in his own way. And maybe that's why he had to make Mal get some of his faith back at the end of Serenity to get ready for what is coming in her death or a long term illness with possibly a cure. Mal’s faith and strength will be tested again. I just don’t know what else could be taken from this poor man, though and no wonder why she left. She knew Mal wasn’t ready.

And, yeah, best would be a return of the series, but a miniseries or at the very least a sequel would suffice. A comic book for this kind of story would fall short.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:44 AM

This is in the fanfiction board (I think?), fanfiction discussion more than welcome...

As is Mal/Inara discussion. I don't think we can talk about the repercussions of Inara being ill WITHOUT discussing Mal/Inara.

I add: Yay for The Slower Path updates!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:55 AM

I also loved Inara right away. Here was Mal, who had already really intrigued me as an admirable character, but one with an absolutely shocking kind of darkness. Angry, bitter, a really hard person to live with...

And then we meet Inara, descending from the shuttle in the pilot belying the whore insult Mal throws at her... And she takes it, stands up to him. She's the one who has to live with him.

I was already impressed by her strength before. Even if it was just her being strong enough to deal with Mal at his worst and turn him around at times.

Everyone looks at HOG as some sort of breaking point in Inara's character, points at that episode as justification to write Inara as a shrewish, clingy, weepy, jealous witch...

Oh fanfic writer skewering Inara's character, we know Mal is wonderful and you want his babies, but even before we had this alternative interpretation of why Inara left, can you REALLY blame her? Just because the subject of your favourite character's unresolved romantic tension JUST ONCE acts in their own interest instead of for love true love (when Mal went and committed some infidelity his own self), you write them off and hate them forever?

Inara mischaracterizations annoy me. VERY VERY annoy me.

I suppose, in defense of some of the people I may have just insulted, I liked Heart of Gold. It is possible that my tastes are questionable.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 8:01 AM

Inara is hands down my favourite character :)
I don't get to read a whole lot of fanfic, so I really only stick to the Mal/Inara stuff, as that's what interests me most, so I think I've been fortunate in that I've avoided the vast majority of the Inara bashing that is out there. I hear about it, but I've experienced very little of it.

That being said, yeah, Inara mischaracterisations are no fun

Weak plot as it may be aside, I also liked Heart of Gold, because there is so much character stuff in it!!! So much!!! And the scene where Inara cries just kills me... everytime. But I still love it because there is SO MUCH going on with her in that moment! That scene is SO complex and so much more than her just being upset about Mal sleeping with Nandi... but I'm sure there are other threads where that has been discussed to death, so I won't hijack this thread for that :)

But to look at that through the lens of her having a terminal illness as well... it adds even more complexity to everything else she's feeling.

And yeah, the strength of her character, to carry on in the face of such an illness, and to sacrifice so much... to quote Nandi, she's a hell of a woman...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 8:33 AM

Before for favourite character, I would have done the obvious, said Mal. He's the one who hooked me. His ironic, heart-jerking, spot on "Right. We win," in the teaser of Serenity, and then in the Train Job when tells the crew they're returning the medicine, that's what made me a Firefly fan.

But even back then, when I first started watching(and listen to me. Back then, for me, was like SIX MONTHS ago. Oh well)... Just with that short little scene where Inara and the crew are first seen together, I found the dynamic between her and Mal fascinating. I really liked the two of them together, even if I knew much less about Inara. I loved watching their banter and their fights, and the both of them together is why I kept watching.

Now that I think there's this illness thing going on, it's really hard for me to choose between the two of them for a favourite. They both have lots going on, and both are amazingly strong characters considering their respective circumstances.

Right now I'm most interested in Inara's subplots, so right now she's probably my favourite, but it goes back and forth. Anyone who's ever read my fanfics has probably noticed the trend. Inara fic, Mal fic, Inara fic, Mal fic...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 8:41 AM

Mal is a close second for me, for sure. I think I find Inara a bit more interesting though because we know less about her than we do Mal... because Mal is the focal point of so much of the story, we are able to piece together some bits and pieces of his past, or at least make educated guesses, but with Inara, a lot of it is just a blank slate that we can only speculate about.

And... there's just something about her that draws me in. I became just as smitten as Mal ;o) and I still am.

In a way, I envy you your new discovery, because there is so much out there to find and explore! And I appreciate your newness in that it brings back that energy and excitement for those of us who've been around for years. :oD

And Inara discussion is always a pleasure!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:29 PM

Inara fascinates me too because we really know so little about her (and she's so hard to write really well). Just hints here and there (mainly through Moreana-remember the one where she says that Companioning is a family business?) that Joss has dropped like crumbs. We devour them all and look for more.

As to the dying, there are more hints, the infamous and mysterious syringe, the annual checkup and her reaction in OMR when Mal mentions having lots of children.

What I hope for (in the miniseries or Serenity 2, please Joss?)is lots of bickering, a healthy dose of angst and a semi happy ending.

http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:41 PM

Signed!

We should start a petition for Joss. I think Platonist was joking at one point about changing her name to saveinara.org...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:47 PM

Agree with you there. ncbrowncoat, the mystery is fascinating.

Didn't Morena say something about her thinking Inara had a child, or wanting a child and didn't Early say something about making a child?

more crumbs, time for a sequel.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:54 PM

Oh, I agree there, I think Inara definitely wishes she could have children. Her behaviour on Serenity towards Kaylee and River and her care in decorating her shuttle could be described as "nesting." She's subconsciously trying to practice her parenting skills.

I'm not certain whether her reaction to Our Mrs. Reynolds and Mal talking about "a whole passel" of 'em is because she CAN'T have them, or if she was just upset by the thought of those children being Saffron's.

But my take on it is that because of her illness, she doesn't think she'll be around long enough.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:58 PM

Or maybe that she wouldn't want to bring a child into the world only to leave it alone...

An interesting take on the whole children thing.

Morena told us at a Q&A panel in Toronto that the syringe was indeed something that would kill anyone Inara had sex with, and her as well, so I don't know that that is connected to her illness or not...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 12:59 PM

You know, what we really need is a thread with links to all these 'crumbs' so that we can compile them all in one place and share that knowledge with everyone, cuz there's a few been mentioned in this thread that I hadn't heard before - like the 'family business' one. I feel so out of touch!! ;)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 2:15 PM

Another positive for compiling some of those gems is the entertainment factor.

I hear Nathan's expression in response to Morena's comment on that panel is priceless.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 5:23 PM

What? Where can one hear or read this response?

Um, so, I just finished watching the second episode of Castle. Oh my GOSH what a beautiful father/daughter moment!

Anyway, it made me think I could totally buy Mal/Inara finally getting together (still wondering how that could possibly take place given their attitudes)--for a little while--she leaves him a child (if she's able to of course, which I'm not sure we know--is it that she can't have children or she just thinks she won't, knowing her time would be so short?), dies tragically shortly thereafter, and though that's tragic, there's a child to give him a reason to live and believe. My apologies for the grammatically ridiculous sentence. Probably just the stuff of fanfic, but who knows? Someone shut me up if I'm being ridiculous. :P

...Though, if there's anything to the speculation/fannish hope that Zoe may be pregnant at the end of the BDM (can't recall where I heard that speculation/wish), I doubt a second child on Serenity would happen. Joss doesn't seem like the type to create a Full House scenario. *snicker*

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Monday, March 16, 2009 6:03 PM

I'd try searching youtube.

The Zoe pregnancy thing I don't think has ever been confirmed... Though the fandom would definitely like to see it, because then at least Zoe wouldn't have lost quite so much. Of course, I think everyone would be even happier if Joss somehow pulled a perfectly fine, albeit slightly chest-scarred Wash out of nowhere... And to be honest, considering how all the comics have been prequels to the movie with all 9 characters, I think Joss has been regretting killing Wash and Book off.

And that's another good call. Zoe carrying on as a single parent and Mal carrying on as a single parent... Two probably too similar plotlines. One or the other might be possible though. Poor Zoe, imagine Mal having a kid and she just... Poor, poor Zoe.

I'll be watching Castle tomorrow night off either hulu or ABC's internet channel (is that what they're called?) so I better watch out for spoilers. :)

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 2:01 AM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
But my take on it is that because of her [Inara's] illness, she doesn't think she'll be around long enough.

Joss would not go directly to “Inara is dying.” He'd give that cliché a great big twist with the help of science. Everybody's ancestors on Firefly got an enormous dose of cosmic ray radiation on the trip from Earth. There were numerous mutations. (Is that too much science fiction?) In the bad old days, for several centuries after the starships arrived in the 'Verse, the Alliance handled the health problems with euthanasia. Probably explains why the Alliance leadership is still using massive killings -- the Leadership has a traditional habit of not respecting lives that fall below certain standards. Inara is one of those who would have died in the bad old days. Saving her would have been too expensive to justify.

But medical science has advanced over the centuries -- the Alliance now has a cure that is better than a bullet to back of the neck. But not much better...

The cure is to put Inara into suspended animation and repair her genes, cell by cell. Can you spell Nano-technology? (Is THAT too much science fiction?) The process takes decades because those tiny machines work slowly in the cold. Everyone she knows will be 50 to 70 years older or dead before she returns to life. How's that for tragic? Inara is out on the frontier, the Rim, because she wants to see the frontier before it is all gone and civilized. Inara will be like the vampire who outlives everyone she loves, which is a very Joss Whedon kind of plot twist. Joss could get many more stories with this complication than he could with the simpler “Inara is dying” cliché. Inara IS dying, but she will outlive all of us.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:21 AM

If Inara were the focus of the series, Joss could go for the "she'll outlive us all" story line...

I guess there are those comments Nandi made to Inara, although I always just assumed Nandi was around ten years older than Inara when they were training. Nandi looks forty something to me, and Inara looks very late twenties to thirties.

The mutations carried over from Earth-that-was and Alliance euthanasia programs I could see no matter where the plot ends up going. Neat idea.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 1:38 AM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
If Inara were the focus of the series, Joss could go for the "she'll outlive us all" story line...

I'll invent a background story for “dying” Inara.... A major reason that Inara wanted to become a Companion was because she will eventually be very ill. She did not become a Companion because she loves to dress in ballroom gowns, sip champagne, and have sometimes witty, sometimes frivolous conversations with self-important men. She knew since childhood about her bad health and that's why she studied at the Academy. She needed to get into the Companion's Guild to qualify for treatment of her mystery disease, whatever it is. (I'd make it lupus-like with flareups that can kill in minutes without her special syringe of drugs. She's had a flareup while on Serenity in the comic 'Better Days'. Or maybe a rare genetic disorder called Usher syndrome, type III, which slowly causes blindness and deafness. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/19/1844254.aspx )

By becoming a Companion, Inara was thinking and planning decades ahead, the totally opposite of how Mal does things. She would have a pension plan; Mal will never have one. He'd quit a job if it offered a pension. Correction: nobody would offer him such a job.

I get the impression that the Alliance is stingy with the lower classes. With the upper class, it's very over-generous. The Alliance has a two-tier hospital system. That is significant for Inara. There is a public system for the lower classes, where inadequate care is rationed and limited. And there is a separate system with unlimited, excellent care in the private hospital system for the aristocracy, the wealthy, and Companions.

For an example of the two-tiers: the Ariel hospital that Mal and Zoe robbed was staffed by grumpy, rude, and incompetent doctors. The building was ultramodern but the hospital staff were horrible. Remember when Simon saved the life of a heart patient from an ignoramus doctor who was administering the wrong drug after surgery? The lower classes receive poor service. The best paid and best doctors serve the upper class -- doctors like Simon, who was working at a private hospital, making what he called “obscene amounts of money.”

For those in the private hospital system, care is unlimited, the best of everything. That is what Inara will need, someday. Her only way into the private system was through the Companions Guild. So that's why she's a Companion. She would have a different career if only she didn't need the Guild's medical insurance. What career, I don't know. Actress? Writer? Shuttle pilot? Mal's wife? Now that's a crappy job.

That's the background story for “dying” Inara: the inequalities in the Alliance are a version of the inequalities of medical treatment in the USA and China. The problems on Earth got carried to the stars, changing Inara's life for the worse. But being on Serenity has changed her values. Maybe living beyond 50 is no longer her goal. Maybe a heroic death at 25 is starting to look appealing...

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:24 AM

I could see Inara planning ahead. But I think she does enjoy being a Companion. All of her interaction with Kaylee and River suggests that at her most basic, Inara is a nurturing person. She doesn't have to act that way, Kaylee and River aren't paying her. And she says during Jaynestown that she prefers the healing, therapeutic aspect of her work.

I don't know about the luxury, but the prestige at least is important to her. She certainly doesn't like to be called a whore, and the distinction seems to be the respectability factor. Part of that respectability is looking, dressing, and acting the part.

However, I will say that she does seem to fit in remarkably well in a lower class world, even seems comfortable. And when Mal identifies her world as upper class, she clearly doesn't seem to think it's really where she belongs.

Hospitals in the Core. Never really heard that take on them. I didn't think the Doctors on Ariel were that bad. Sure, the one guy made a mistake, but he's not top three percent. The rude doctor, I'll grant, had a chip on his shoulder and clearly thinks himself superior to a lowly paramedic team. But between those two I don't see evidence that the entire Alliance hospital is uncaring or negligent.

However, I myself like to exponentially grow the operational problems we have nowadays with our government and social programs to project what they might be like in the future, so your reasoning for a two-tiered medical system does appeal to me. I have to say we don't have evidence for it, and aside from the blackout zones it's hard to imagine any Core worlds having shady underbellies, but I do like the idea. It's just like the Alliance bureaucrats to whitewash the bad and unsavory parts, and sheeple living under the Alliance might live within a mile of nastiness and never know it/fully realize it.

There IS canon writing that Parliament doesn't give a good gorramn about the Rim worlds, and that there's even some sentiment that the Rim worlds need to be punished for the Independent War. So if you're looking for examples of lower class versus upper class in the Alliance... It's not exactly anything about the dynamic of a Core world, but in at least some cases class struggle exists.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 5:33 AM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:

Hospitals in the Core. Never really heard that take on them. I didn't think the Doctors on Ariel were that bad. Sure, the one guy made a mistake, but he's not top three percent. The rude doctor, I'll grant, had a chip on his shoulder and clearly thinks himself superior to a lowly paramedic team. But between those two I don't see evidence that the entire Alliance hospital is uncaring or negligent.

However, I myself like to exponentially grow the operational problems we have nowadays with our government and social programs to project what they might be like in the future, so your reasoning for a two-tiered medical system does appeal to me. I have to say we don't have evidence for it, and aside from the blackout zones it's hard to imagine any Core worlds having shady underbellies, but I do like the idea. It's just like the Alliance bureaucrats to whitewash the bad and unsavory parts, and sheeple living under the Alliance might live within a mile of nastiness and never know it/fully realize it.

The two-tiers of hospitals in the Alliance are like the National Health Service in the UK for everyone and anyone and an Alliance private hospital system, running in parallel, for those who pay for the extra privileges. I don't think there is anything shady or secretive going on -- if you're rich and pay in the Alliance you get respect, attention, and service at the private hospital that others can't have at the public hospital, no matter how sick they are. And the private hospital is not in the bad part of town, the black zone. It's in River Oaks, the classiest part of the city.

It's too bad that mistakes are made at every hospital, everyday, but sometimes there is just silly bungling, on a daily basis. http://drop.io/strangecase "Between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected in a three-year period at the National Health Service Stafford Hospital in central England." http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.09affc88c9815310300a92378a
ed0564.2f1&show_article=1

The Alliance knows that an apology after you're dead is more economical than paying the cost of a well-run hospital. I remember the Alliance turning away Book when he was shot in the chest. The hospital would have let him die if he hadn't revealed to the hospital who he really was. I was not impressed with the Alliance hospital for the public in Ariel. They weren't actively harming their patients, but the staff that directed River's and Simon's bodies to the morgue were just plain uncaring. Hostile, even. That's not the kind of hospital for Inara. She deserves better.

If hospital staff is rude to pretend emergency medical technicians (Mal, Zoe, Jayne) and callous about the dead (River, Simon) and gives the obviously wrong drug to the living, it is a mediocre hospital, no matter how modern its diagnostic equipment is and how clean its floors and windows are. If Inara has a complex disease requiring many specialists, she had best stay away from the public hospital system and get into a private hospital, a place like Simon worked at.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by PhoenixRose:
Quote:
I'm not sure how much romance there will be on Dollhouse, so it might not even be a concern for that show.

Yeah - a lot depends on how fast that whole "man reaction" thing catches on with the rest of the male Actives. And if the females ever start having "woman reactions"...? Damn - just hang onto your imprints, people!

It was like Dominic is a walking "man reaction" when we got here!

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6:35 AM

That's true enough, I can see how the conditions of the hospital might be interpretted that way.

Maybe I should watch Ariel again with this in mind.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:35 AM

Interesting back-story for Inara, two, and why she became a Companion. It would allow her access to the very best of care and benefits and she is a naturally a nurturing person, so it’s a good fit, just like her teaching, a good color for her, again, and she still maintains the benefits.

And, I agree, Dr. Tam has two patients on Serenity in need of long term care, because in Better Days when Inara becomes distraught over thinking that Sanda has found himself a Dust Devil in Mal, she has an episode (Simon has his sleeves rolled up when Mal sees him leaving her shuttle, like he’s been working). And, we all know stress can aggravate any medical condition.

My question at this point is why did she leave to fly on Serenity in the first place? I mean I get why she leaves to go and teach… to spare others her pain, but why leave the very best care. Is she rejecting it at this point? And once she meets Mal is it that she decides there is no way she’s going in a cryo box.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:58 AM

I think either she's just waiting to die at this point and decided to get off Sihnon for a while, or she left Sihnon for more reasons than just that she was sick.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:23 AM

Or maybe she got more bad news from her doctors, "just tell me I'm a big girl" news.

And doesn't she she say "I don't have time to wait around" on that vid that Mal watches in the BDM?

More bad news from Simon, confirming it doesn't look at all hopeful, before she left.

OK... this story is getting too sad, again. How is Mal going to cope with all of this?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 8:36 AM

Frantically.

I suspect mountains and moving might be involved.

But seriously. If she ever tells him, he'd cope, if only to be strong for her. He'd distract himself from his own worries and feelings by doing everything he can think of to save her.

Although... In that thread about PTSD, Rallem mentioned that might have some effect on how he acts. Haven't really thought through how that possibility could effect things.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 11:53 AM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
My question at this point is why did she leave to fly on Serenity in the first place? I mean I get why she leaves to go and teach… to spare others her pain, but why leave the very best care. Is she rejecting it at this point? And once she meets Mal is it that she decides there is no way she’s going in a cryo box.

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
I think either she's just waiting to die at this point and decided to get off Sihnon for a while, or she left Sihnon for more reasons than just that she was sick.

I'm liking the idea of Inara having two choices about treating her nearly fatal illness, where both have tremendous disadvantages. Joss Whedon would want it to be a dilemma because there is more drama where there are more problems.

Inara can continue the way she has been, taking drugs to keep the symptoms under control and getting weaker year by year and dying young. Or the really nasty choice...

...Inara chooses the expensive treatment, the reason she became a Companion in the first place -- she gets a complete cure but she has to go into suspended animation for 70 years while her cells are being repaired, one by one. Everybody she loves will be dead, dead, dead when she awakes.

Inara was seriously thinking about the 70 year cure. That's why she left Sihnon for a while; she wanted to get some distance from all those people that she loved and see what it was like living without them. And she wanted to see the frontier, the Rim before it was gone and made all civilized and air-conditioned and dust-free. Where there are no more outhouses on the Rim and every home has flush toilets. And all the saloons are now restaurants with waiters and menus. There can be a lot of changes in 70 years. Now for the tragic part that you have been waiting for....

....Unfortunately for Inara, she found ANOTHER group of people that she is in love with -- the crew of Serenity. The only way out of this heartbreaking mess for Inara is to get the whole crew of Serenity to all go into suspended animation together with her. She can't think of a way because she is not selfish. I can think of a way. So can Joss Whedon.

Joss will send the entire crew of Serenity to Earth for the very last episode of Firefly. Everybody goes into suspended animation for 70 years. Or 80. Even Jayne. Inara wakes and she is cured. Mal wakes and he has left those bastards in the Alliance far behind. Hurray! It would be a four part story arc -- how the Crew got on one of the ships going to Earth. Joss Whedon named the episode “The Last Train to Mars” for obscure reasons related to lyrics from a song by Hum called “Stars.” If Firefly had not been canceled in 2002, those final episodes would be on FOX right now. It would be like the final episode of Battlestar Galactica, which is showing very soon.

After filming 140 episodes of Firefly over a seven year run, it goes into syndication. All the actors become rich from the money that Firefly makes on blu-ray. That's my daydream this afternoon.

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:09 PM

It took a couple generations leaving Earth on the Arcs to reach the new system, according to the RP manual.

But hey, more time between them and the Alliance.

I can really imagine all of them and their elaborate plan to sneak into cyro. But one question: why would they want to go back to earth?

NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | TOP | HOME

YOUR OPTIONS

SHARE THREAD

NEW POSTS TODAY

USER

POST DATE

OTHER TOPICS

DISCUSSIONS

The Guild, Serenity, Mal, and Inara
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:21 - 74 posts

Ballad of Serenity (re-expanded)
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:17 - 6 posts

The Expanding Verse
Sun, January 14, 2024 14:10 - 79 posts

Mon, February 17, 2020 15:36 - 30 posts

Appreciating the Feedback All-Stars
Sun, February 3, 2019 10:27 - 4 posts

The Writer's Resource Package
Sat, May 26, 2018 00:24 - 32 posts

Bookmarks
Sun, April 29, 2018 13:19 - 2 posts

The crow?
Sun, March 12, 2017 13:03 - 1 posts

Eager student looking for patient fanvid teacher!
Wed, November 30, 2016 19:11 - 14 posts

Tall Card Deck
Wed, September 21, 2016 21:30 - 6 posts

Any good fics on this site?
Tue, February 16, 2016 19:42 - 4 posts

My Fanfic Plans
Thu, August 6, 2015 11:38 - 1 posts

VIEW MORE TOPICS

FFF.NET SOCIAL