THE MESSAGE: A "METAPHOR" OF SORTS?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:15:23 PM

As most of us loving Browncoats know, our favorite Big Damn Heroes in the ‘verse had their pretty, little show cut before it could really go anywhere. But it did go somewhere. To our hearts. To our lives, and everywhere in-between. The episode that was in the early stages when our fearless leader, Mr. Whedon, found out that Serenity ’s flight was over was during “ The Message “. Hence the emotional ending. Even the composer for the show, Greg Edmonson said to Joss that the music at the end, titled “The Funeral”, was not made for the character, or the story, but the show itself. He said it was his way of mourning and saying good-bye to the project that had touched everyone who worked on it. From assistant to lead cast member. It’s the idea of mourning that planted this idea in my head. What is my idea? That “ The Message ” is a kind of metaphor for the show itself.

Now, this is going to sound kind of dorky, and cheesy, but stick with me on it. In this metaphor, the show is represented by the character of Tracey and the crew, mainly Mal and Zoe, represents all the great folk who worked hard to make the show. In the episode, Mal and co., take their friend, Tracey, on a journey. Meanwhile, Joss and his co. make the show. And it’s all dandy. Great things happen, and hijinks ensue. But, then, Tracey begins to lose it when he believes that Mal is going to turn him over to the feds, and such begins his downfall. The show, is expensive to make, and not bringing in enough viewers, such begins it’s downfall. Well, one thing leads to another, and Tracey falls. Due to the money, and the low number of viewers, Firefly falls.

But, the crew of Serenity has to keep going. They have to get Tracey’s body to home. And they do that. They land in St. Albans and when they open up the air-lock, there stands a group of people. In the metaphor, us, the fans. And, sadly, they deliver the rest of Tracey to the ones who love him. It’s all they had left to give. In the real world, the crew of the show gives us their piece of art, Firefly. They hand it over, and say, "Here. This is yours. We were just bringing it to you." And were forced to walk away from something they love an incredible amount.

But, as we know through comics, books, and a movie, Serenity never stopped flying. The cast and crew were ready to fight for the show and any chance of a continuation. And we, the fans, also carried on.

I’m probably just looking too deep into it, and being silly, but it was just an idea that occurred to me. Even if I’m wrong or not, I’m going to stick to this way of thinking about the episode, makes it run even more deep, and me love it more(if possible). I don’t really know if I voiced my ideas in the way I wanted, I guess I’ll figure that out through your guys’ comments. That’s if anyone finds this worthwhile. Let me know what you think. Opinions, everything. Oh, and thanks for reading it all… it was a lot.