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Date Posted: 11:33:41 11/20/02 Wed
Author: Robert
Subject: A Few Thoughts of My Own (SPOILERS for Ariel)

I really enjoyed this episode. I believe that this may be the first time we have seen a real payoff from any of the Serenity crew's (mis-)adventures. The fact that Simon conceived and planned the whole caper made it extra special.

There has been some previous discussion here about the security at the hospital. Why would the hospital have such security? I imagine that if Ariel has a sufficiently dissident population, such as might be the case after a brutal revolutionary war, then security would be required. However, I think that Mutant Enemy was making a comment about security. Namely that it is much looser than the doctors and staff (including Simon) were aware.

There is a tendency to equate a show of security with security in reality. Every high tech company I've worked for provides a show of security. All employees and visitors must wear a security badge, guards at each entrance, etc. The reality is that no one really checks the pictures on the badges, or the badges themselves. No one questions people on what they are doing. This is even a problem on high security military bases.

Simon tells the Serenity crew that the hospital on Ariel has tough, but penetrable, security. The reality is that it has visible, but largely ineffective, security. Thus, though Simon had provided Mal, Zoe, and Jayne with cover scripts, such was not required. It wasn't until Mal and Zoe were clearly where they weren't supposed to be, that a doctor questioned their actions, and he did it mostly because of his attitude toward EMT's. Simon even provided emergency medical treatment without any serious inquiry. He just looked like he belonged there.

On another topic, what did you think about that 3-D neural imager? ME did an impressive job with the special effects, especially with the virtual interactive interface. I imagine that such an imager would be a reasonable technical advancement from our present-day nuclear magnetic resonance imagers (but without the huge magnets enclosing the patient).

A game of horseshoes! It was so nice to see how the crew passes their time. Though, I would think that a hard metal deck sole would not be an ideal surface for horseshoes.

The non-lethal stunner weapons used by the hospital garrison! It would make sense. If shooting is required, one would not want bullets flying about in a crowded hospital. I guessing that the TbTHoB guys are immune to the stunners. They didn't seem worried about the six guards in the room.

Wash had the best line in the whole episode. You know, it's all very sweet, stealing from the rich, selling to the poor, but .... I also enjoyed River's line.

They took Christmas away. Came down-stairs looking for the shiny presents. Took the tree and the stockings. Nothing left but the coal. Don't look in the closet either. It's greedy! Not in the spirit of the holiday. Such a stinging endictment of Jayne.

On top of this, I enjoyed the obvious tactic of the security guards, allowing the prisoners privacy to speak among themselves and presumably to implicate themselves. The irony, that this led the TbTHoB crew to murder all the guards, was extra delicious.

It was exciting to see that Simon is capable of violence to defend his sister and himself. I firmly believe that Simon knew that his actions would not kill the guard, merely render him unconscious. It was beyond Simon's ability to reasonably predict that the TbTHoB crew would subsequently murder the guard. Though I expect we'll hear some remorse from Simon about it anyway.

How about that ship the TbTHoB crew arrived in? Painted black and angular in shape, very manacing! It was kind of reminiscent of the Lockheed stealth fighter. I imagine ME was inspired by all the manacing black space ships and aircraft that came before.

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