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Date Posted: 21:13:21 12/06/02 Fri
Author: darvangi
Subject: Sexual tension and gender roles in War Stories (spoilers)

I've just come from reading the reactions to War Stories on the official Firefly board, and I am sad to know that so many viewers were upset by the same-sex intimacy between Imara and her female client. Especially since it involved nothing more that a back rub and a modest kiss that was mostly obscured from the camera. I had flashbacks to the angry reactions of fans regarding the budding Tara/Willow relationship in S4 BtVS.

Many claim that there was no use to the sex scene in tonight's episode, that it was a cheap ratings ploy, which is ridiculous - there would have been a much more graphic shot of lips locking if this was the case. What was accomplished by the scene was to heighten the sexual and romantic tension between Mal and Imara by showing him that he needed to be jealous not only of her male clients, but of her female clients also. An interesting twist to throw into an already steamy situation.

I really love War Stories - there is so much to enjoy and think about in this ep. One of my favorite aspects is the way we get to see how Zoe and Wash's marriage puts a spin on the traditional husband and wife roles by having him be the nagging partner, needling her with his jealousy and craving her validation of their love. And I can't forget to mention how heroic and strong she is in comparison to him - not that he lacks courage, just the experience and strength to turn it into her style of heroism. It's great to see Joss continuing his trend of exploring and exploding gender conventions, making us confront our own ideas about sexual stereotypes.

The great thing about seeing Zoe as a female warrior is that, similar to the situation on BtVS, the men on Firefly accept her as one without question or jibes. There is no second guessing her ability to fill the role traditionally held by men; no stunned looks on the faces of men witnessing her warrior skills. Women are assumed to be as capable as men in fighting, and men are displayed as being capable of accepting their equal footing without balking.

Here's hoping that this is truly only a hiatus facing the series, and a short one at that. We need to have characters like these on our tv screens.

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