Wash and War Stories by Jongsstraw

FIREFLY EPISODE DISCUSSIONS

Wash and War Stories

POSTED BY: JONGSSTRAW
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 02:34
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Friday, October 15, 2010 3:23 AM

Watched War Stories last night for the umpteenth time, and some questions came up from some first-timers with me.....

1) Why did Wash get so mad at Zoe for not telling him that she actually had asked Mal about his idea to make more money selling the stolen drugs? Why didn't HE tell Mal about his idea himself?

2) When Wash & Mal were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs, they had some time alone before Niska and his henchman came into the room. Why didn't Mal and Wash try to help each other untie their hands and remove their blindfolds? Seems they could have done that by having one lower this head while the other used his tied-up hands to pull down the blindfold. Then by standing back to back they may have been able to free their hands.

3) When Mal's blindfold is removed he sees Niska standing right in front of him, very close. Why didn't Mal give him a gigantic head butt or knee to the groin? That would have knocked Niska to the ground, Mal could have put his knee to Niska's throat, and Niska, being the coward that he was, would have shouted to the henchman to untie them. Then Mal and Wash could have walked out with Niska as their hostage.

4) How did Niska's "team" know where the meet was going to take place to unload the last of the Ariel drugs? The sharpshooters got to the rendezvous spot first, took cover, and waited. How'd they do that?

5) Finally...Wash. In this episode he really does a lot of growing up. He was certainly a "man" before, but he went through a life-changing experience that made him even more manly. His fearless courage and loyalty to Mal made Zoe love him even more, so why did Joss pick Wash to die in Serenity? The one character that REALLY changed and grew during the series had to die off? Man, that was just too harsh and unfair.

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Friday, October 15, 2010 3:57 AM

INVADERCHAT

I haven't watched War Stories in a while so I'm just going off memory to attempt to answer/discuss.

1) ...That is one very good point, I've always seen that entire argument from both Wash and Zoe's position, both seem to have been wrong on points and right on points. I think that Wash let Zoe do it because she's the one closest to Mal, she's second in command and clearly his most trusted friend so maybe he thought Mal would listen to Zoe more than he'd listen to him? Still, it's kinda ironic when he says 'Don't hide behind the Captain, tell me' or something.

2) Another fair point, it's reasonable to assume that Wash was just simply not thinking clearly enough to do something like that but Mal ought to be used to stuff like that by now and should have done something. Like you said, would've been pretty easy to atleast remove the blindfolds, the knots not so much. I guess he was trying to make sure they weren't in immediate danger first, coulda been anything in that room with them and Mal seemed to be doing a good job of feeling out the room instead.

3)I don't agree with this one, Mal was shocked to see Niska, I do not think he was standing THAT close considering he was tied to that frame thing at the time and there's no WAY that Mal would have been able to get Niska in any sort of submissive hold using just his knee, even if he could kick Niska or something, his guards would shoot him, stab him or generally stop Mal from getting away.

4) This coulda happened any manner of ways, intercepted the conversation between Mal and the buyers, one of Niska's men could have overheard the other guys talking about Mal and caught on. Could've just been tracking the ship itself and moved into position. It's also possible that the people Mal was dealing with betrayed them and then got betrayed by Niska's goonies in turn (Not what I think happened, but possible)

5) I don't think it's fair to say that Wash is the only one who goes through real changes throughout Firefly, they all do. Joss has said that Wash was always going to die, it probably seemed like he was just picked off because Joss had to jam the whole story into one movie, I'm sure there would have been a lot more development surrounding the lead up to his death had the series been allowed to run its course.
You describe his death as 'harsh and unfair' that's a pretty fair reaction to death, I suppose that is maybe what we were meant to feel when he died?

So there you go, that's what I think.

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Friday, October 15, 2010 5:08 AM

JONGSSTRAW

Thanks Invader, good stuff! Only point of contention is that I believe Mal was not yet strapped to the frame thing when his blindfold came off and he saw Niska, because he just came into the room, and Wash can be seen in the background still walking freely. Thanks

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Saturday, October 16, 2010 6:34 PM

INVADERCHAT

Ah okay fair enough, now that you mention it I think I do remember Wash wandering around in he background, I found that amusing. Still Mal was at the disadvantage, he wouldn't have been able to stage a breakout with his hands tied behind his back.

EDIT** How about this from the pilot Serenity, when the Reavers pass the ship and leave them alone only to have 'followed' them later.
Mal mentioned a bunch of reasonable possibilities for them to simply not bother with them but then AFTER they dropped off their other prisoners or whatever they decided the come back after that specific ship? What, are there no others out there?

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010 2:34 AM

TOADSMOOTHY

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

1) Why did Wash get so mad at Zoe for not telling him that she actually had asked Mal about his idea to make more money selling the stolen drugs? Why didn't HE tell Mal about his idea himself?

2) When Wash & Mal were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs, they had some time alone before Niska and his henchman came into the room. Why didn't Mal and Wash try to help each other untie their hands and remove their blindfolds?

3) When Mal's blindfold is removed he sees Niska standing right in front of him, very close. Why didn't Mal give him a gigantic head butt or knee to the groin? then Mal and Wash could have walked out with Niska as their hostage.

4) How did Niska's "team" know where the meet was going to take place to unload the last of the Ariel drugs?

5)The one character that REALLY changed and grew during the series had to die off? Man, that was just too harsh and unfair.

1. Wash is the least assertive person on the ship. He sent Zoe to float the idea to the captain because he didn't have the balls to try it himself. Or he figured she would succeed where he might fail. He got mad because he is jealous of Mal's relationship with his wife and figures his wife is a specie of disloyal to him. I see male chauvanism rearing it's head oddly enough from a rather wimpy male. He is obviously insecure in himself and the relationship.

2. I agree. In the time they spent wandering the hold they could have loosed each others' bonds and at least see what was coming.

3. I assume, although I don't recall, there were armed guards in the room protecting Niska. And what was Niska? That accent...some sort of future Nazi?

4. I assume Niska's people, once they learned that Serenity was nearby, discovered the plan. I figure they had the resources.

5. Killing Wash really sucks. Book I wouldn't miss but Wash was the only mild mannered guy on the boat. He was the only guy like me. And I didn't buy his conversion to Rambo at all. I think Mr. Tudyk should have played it with more subtlety.

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