Re: gaggin'

>>She wasn't the focal point of everything as far as the *characters*
> were concerned, only as far as the plot was concerned.
>
> No but she had critical implications for all of them.

Oh, I don't think so. At least, nothing beyond the fact that she was
an outlaw onboard their boat. In terms of *character,* I don't see how
her death would have affected Jayne, or Inara, or Zoe, or... really,
*anyone* except Simon and probably Kaylee. Those were the only two
that ever had personal interactions with her.

> And now that
> those plot mechanics have been more or less resolved, we could move on
> to a new focal point. In fact, having her die at the end of the film
> would have been a nice denouement for the character, and provided
> endless amounts of angst for Simon, going forward.
>
> Why would Simon have to stay if he had no River to protect?  Once she is dead he
> is not on the run, he and Kaylee can retire to a world and he can be trauma
> surgeon again.  River provided his entire motiviation.

I don't get that impression. As someone whose machinations resulted in
a massive blow to the integrity of the Alliance, I doubt he could
simply resume a regular, public life. Doesn't the Operative himself
note that the Alliance does not forgive or forget?

And anyway, that's assuming Simon would even *want* a normal life
after River's death. It would be believable and interesting to see him
evolve into a revenge-driven madman, whose need for vengeance
gradually becomes a concern for the rest of the crew, and serves as a
counterpoint to Zoe's stoicism in the face of her own loss. Damn, I
shoulda been a writer for season two. ;)

>>Nothing at all, but that's a role Book could easily fill.
>
> Except I don’t want to see Book bathing....

ROFL!

> Sure, but book was so damn weak.  Heck half the plot of the pilot episode would
> have been vanished if book wasn’t so bleeding heart.

Ahem. As a "bleeding heart," I'll try not to take that as an insult.  ;)

>>Ohhh, how I disagree. He was certainly one of the most
> *under-exploited* characters on the show, but he had a terrific
> set-up. The mysterious back-story, the tension between his ass-kicking
> capabilities
>
> huh?  He had one scene where he was effective, the war stories episode.  In the
> pilot and in Objects in space he got his butt kicked.

The moment where he got smacked down in "Objects in Space" never rang
true to me, FWIW. Seemed more like a plot convenience than anything
else. (And another early indicator that Joss didn't really know what
to do with the character. See also, "Ariel.")

But I think we were supposed to understand that Book had more power at
his disposal than he was letting on. He seemed to know a lot about
tracking and fighting ("War Stories"), and intrigue ("Serenity"). We
also know from external sources that Book was not his given name, but
a name he stole from a man he killed. Plus there's Jubal Early's
dismissive snort, "That ain't a Shepherd." Something tells me that the
company Early keeps wouldn't lead him to know that Book was actually a
schoolteacher, or an accountant. ;)

> Honestly what made Firefly so special, or at least one big element, was the
> perfect and balance of the characters.  All that was missing was a smart mouthed
> orphan, a mom figure and a much more reoccurring role of Safron.

Concur. More Saffron could only be excellent. Hell, I'd be okay if
*she* joined the crew. Alas, these days, I doubt they could get
Christina Hendricks back.  :P

-- 
-pcg
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