Our Mrs. Reynolds: River insight by Bytemite

That thief comment may have a double meaning. Actually, triple meaning, if you take into account the protein bar Saffron steals.

River's comments on Mal's relationship with Inara in Those left Behind in a similar way. She tells Mal that he "cheated."

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Monday, February 16, 2009 2:38 PM

I think if she's being confused by other people's emotions, and clearly she's receptive enough in that episode to see Saffron as she really is, that it gives her a reason why she might be acting the way she is. Maybe it's another hint that Joss is dropping about her abilities, just in a round-about way.

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Monday, February 16, 2009 4:42 PM

Could River's scene with her brother and Shepard Book have been a foreshadow to Wash and Zoe's conversation in Heart of Gold about having children?

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Monday, February 16, 2009 5:20 PM

Hmm, that's a good one too. Wash and Zoe are fighting about gender roles in this episode, but they've undoubtedly discussed children before Heart of Gold. Foreshadowing, possibly, and that may be something else she's picking up on that's confusing her.

I still like thinking of Inara as being the most affected by Saffron's presence, and the strength of all her conflicting emotions confusing poor River, though. :)

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009 6:30 AM

There was a confrontation between Inara and Saffron which might have been confusing to River because I believe the relationship between Inara and Mal was confusing to them. It is possible that scene between River, Simon and Book may have been a water table moment with multiple significance, but it might have also been redundant in all aspects of its significance so it was capable of being deleted.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009 6:45 AM

It's too bad, because left in, it was a nice bit of foreshadowing.

Her bahaviour could also be as she says, that seeing Wash and Zoe's marriage, and then Mal married, she is wondering whether she will ever have someone herself, whether she would frighten off potential suitors.

Although that still doesn't explain why she's confused, which she would have to be to consider Simon a suitable match.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009 8:28 AM

I think it is odd too because while her brother was blind towards anyone else at that time, but Kaylee had a crush on Simon. Maybe Kaylee's crush was purely physical and she didn't pick up on those types of thoughts and that is why she didn't see Jayne as a possible suitor.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009 11:32 PM

ANOTHERSKY

Simon and River "now you have to marry me"--->YES YES YES!!!

I said this when I first saw the cut scenes--my other Browncoat friends tolerate my theories, but they tried to shoot this one down instantly. They just thought it was a joke gone bad, but...

it's OBVIOUS that River's "random" behavior isn't so random...at least in this case, especially given scene juxtaposition.

Anybody else notice that she's the only one Saffron doesn't manage to chat up because she flees after the discovery scene in the cargo hold? Normally River is all over strangers and new situations (in her watching-from-the-ceiling, wall, or trapdoor way), and that's what gave me the clue the first time through the episode. Well, that and the fact that Mal started mooning over his childhood with a complete stranger...(to his credit, he notices...)

Going for a ride.

another sky

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Thursday, March 5, 2009 11:58 PM

ANOTHERSKY

what I mean to say is that all of River's insistance that they marry (besides any complexes her confused mind might have--I don't think this is an instance, though) is intended to highlight the utter wrongness of the entire situation (ie the OTHER marriage situation that's a huge deal--Mal and YoSaffBridge. Preacher Book is involved in two insane conversations dealing with theoretical and spoofy "special hell" joinings of 'alike' people. There's them 'petty thieves' about, I tell ya!) I think it's by implication.

Here's the language she uses (besides calling Simon back with a very lucid 'that's not important'):

"Two by two"--WISH I could remember if this is chronologically before or after the episode with her huddled in the corner whimpering this. Two by two is not a happy thing for River.

Simon refuses and explains why they can't marry, citing planet customs notably.
Is this sounding familiar yet? River then takes EXACT Saffron tact--pouty "you don't love me."

She then cements this with offers of servile love--echoing our nubile little domestic con-artist.

For some reason "a match,a mate, a dopple" really struck me and got me thinking originally--she's made a grouped mental jump from "partner" to a word that means "friend and/or foe" to "eerie premonitory death-ghost that is also an impostor of the soon-to-die"

Cue Mal. and his "dopple". Later on in Trash they double-cross each other to their hearts' content.

And Saffron is left on a very bad planet. :) Hopefully permanently.

going for a ride

another sky

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Friday, March 6, 2009 12:20 AM

Good to know I'm not completely crazy.

It just seems weird to have that River scene out of nowhere when the entire episode is in so many ways about Mal and Inara's relationship, brought to front and center by Saffron the thief.

River's comments to Saffron too, calling her that... The protein she steals, the attempt to hotwire Serenity, and maybe Mal from Inara?

For a while I'd examined the possibility that maybe she was encouraging Simon to make a move on Kaylee. Her words to Simon are "Tell him (Book), we want you to marry us." My feeling is that there could be quotation marks in there, that she's suggesting something for Simon to say.

But I still think, considering the context of the episode, that Inara's feelings overwhelming poor River and confusing her is more likely, and fit with the multiple interpretations of River's reaction to Saffron.

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Friday, March 6, 2009 12:23 AM

ANOTHERSKY

Okay, can't leave this alone.

But I finished the scene.

River outright calls her a thief, is "refuted" and Saffron thinks quickly--food packet. River says it wasn't that but all the ones in the room without "strange notions" talk over their heads.

Then, for comedy and just to push "silly boob" Simon(ok, poor, confused, horrified Simon) over the edge,(her whole attitude the entire time is 'don't you get what I'm saying?') River pulls the "family way" gag.

That said. I love Simon, and his great facial expressions. I think the crew baffle him almost as much as his sister. the merc names his guns, the pilot plays with toddler toys, and the mech has a K64-class hunk of junk "baby"---though I don't think he has any other problems with the mech, though.
Got sidetracked. hee.

going for a ride

another sky

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Saturday, March 7, 2009 7:44 AM

PHOENIXROSE

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

Quote:
Originally posted by AnotherSky:
"Two by two"--WISH I could remember if this is chronologically before or after the episode with her huddled in the corner whimpering this. Two by two is not a happy thing for River.

Your theory has merit, but River's rocking back and forth saying "Two by two, hands of blue" is not related to coupledom. That scene is from The Train Job, by the way.

River echoing Saffron and the wrongness of the pairing is something I never considered. It's a very interesting thought. I don't think it was cut over the uncomfortableness of incest, at least that's not the claim, but I never was quite sure what Joss was trying to do there. To me, the main focus of the scene was Mal's lecture to Saffron about the meek having not inherited a one of the more than 70 Earths spinning.

[/sig]

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Saturday, March 7, 2009 11:55 AM

I was watching "Our Mrs. Reynolds" on hulu this morning and then went to my parent's house with my sister at lunch time to play cards with my mother and on the way there I was thinking about the show. My questions may have absolutely no significance, but I am going to ask them anyway. Near the end of the episode Mal tells Jayne to shoot one of the nodes, but when asked if Jayne should shoot a window he says no because it could kill folks. We see then that Jayne does successfully shoot a node and afterwards shoots the window killing the two occupants, so here are my questions; why did Mal not want to kill the people in the carrion house when if his crew got trapped they would have certainly died, and do you think Mal was upset at Jayne for disobeying his order?