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Date Posted: 10:18:29 11/17/02 Sun
Author: Vickie
Subject: What Mal knew, Simon and the ethics of murder (spoilers for Ariel)
In reply to: Cactus Watcher 's message, "CW's Writer's Journal for "Ariel"" on 10:46:30 11/16/02 Sat

Ok, chiming in here from the stupidest person to actually watch and enjoy this show. I just can't figure out how Mal knew what Jayne had done.

I've watched twice. Mal knows: 1. The plan was for them to go out the front, 2. they went out the back, 3. Jayne says he had to improvise. If he has other facts, I missed them completely. Help?

Of course, there's a lot Mal could have figured out. He knows Jayne's history (at least how he came aboard Serenity), and that our favorite thug is not large in the trustworthy department. In fact, I spent part of the episode wondering why Jayne was with Simon and River, rather than Zoe or Mal.

Did Jayne look uncomfortable while Simon was praising him? I thought he looked puffed up and pseudo-aw-shucks, but not awkward about the praise. Did Jayne give Mal a hint here of what he'd really been up to?

Or did Mal do what he did, simply to check his suspicions and force the truth out of Jayne? I think maybe so. Ew, and go Mal! When you have such tough types working for you, you have to keep them in line for any of the crew to be at all safe.

On a completely unrelated note, was that the first time Simon has killed anyone? He kneeled on that security officer's neck until he was dead--well, almost dead. Didn't the blue-hands guy say "this one's alive" before bringing out his expandable pencil of doom?

In either case, Simon probably thinks he killed that guy. I doubt he had time to check for a pulse. How will that affect him? Will he feel deep guilt, or did he long ago decide that he'd even murder in defense of his little sister.

And, to ring another unrelated chime, why do people think that Simon's relationship with River is "borderline incest"? I have yet to see any eroticism in their relationship. Deep affection and devotion, but no eros at all. The actors are doing a great job keeping that relationship right where it should be. River's childlike nature (due to her illness or simply her nature?) helps in that regard.

I find it ironic that we appreciate ME shows, in part, because of their portrayal of friends close as family, chosen family who would do anything for one another. Now that we see actual family behaving in this way towards one another (a first in Whedon's shows aside from Buffy/Dawn?), we try to find something wrong in the relationship.

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