Firefly: Shindig

[dangermousie]

I was rewatching Shindig today. I love love love that episode. It's Jane Austen in space only with 10 times as much sexiness.

Plus, Mal telling Inara almost incoherently that he doesn't want her to take Atherton's "protection" is just...the shipper in me goes incoherent.

I think what bothers Mal most about Inara's profession is the fact that being a Companion is pretense. Everyone pretends it's what it's not: some kind of high art. He'd have much less trouble if she was a woman who was whoring because she needed to live and never claimed it was anything else. In a Western trope, he and Zoe and Kaylee would be from some small towns and people like Inara and Simon would be from Boston or Charleston.

I also love love LOVE the final scene where she tells him she would have never taken Atherton's offer and as an excuse she says it's because someone needs to keep an eye on Kaylee which makes Joss scarily consistent as that's Mal's excuse when he talks to Inara in the movie.. And then of course she says she'd never want to leave Serenity, looking straight at him, and you so know it's not the ship she is talking about.

Plus, Mal like a small boy trying to show off his wound. Heh. And leaning on her as they walk away from the dueling field (and I love his poking Atherton with a sword.) It's these quiet times they have that really do show that they are rather compatible. Sigh. I want more Firefly. Please. Please please please please.

Also? Zoe and Wash in bed is just...awwww. And Kaylee in her dress? Also, awwwwww....

One of my favoritest eps.

Comments

[ayn-rand-fan-13.livejournal.com]

I love Mal showing off his wound. I think I was actually giggling in that scene.
It's so funny how Kaylee is always the excuse. I think one of my favorite parts of the movie was when someone threw that piece of candy at the screen when Mal said that Kaylee wanted to see Inara.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's Jane Austen, but Shindig is pretty awesome.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

was when someone threw that piece of candy at the screen when Mal said that Kaylee wanted to see Inara.


Because their pain is the crew's entertainment :P

[ayn-rand-fan-13.livejournal.com]

I always wanted to see what the crew thought of the Mal/Inara UST.
Oh, and off-topic, but you know that chant "USA! USA!" that they always do in sports movies and such? My friend and I were watching Firefly, and started going "UST! UST!" with the fist pumping action and everything.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

"UST! UST!" with the fist pumping action and everything

ROTFL!

[hobviously.livejournal.com]

I also love love LOVE the final scene where she tells him she would have never taken Atherton's offer and as an excuse she says it's because someone needs to keep an eye on Kaylee which makes Joss scarily consistent as that's Mal's excuse when he talks to Inara in the movie.

Because Kaylee is their daughter. :]

My favourite line, the one that always kills me, is Mal's, "The lie of it, that man parading you on his arm as if he actually won you, as if he loves you..." WHILE INARA IS ON HIS ARM. It's such a clever tacit admission/non-admission, and I squeal a little bit every time.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The lie of it, that man parading you on his arm as if he actually won you, as if he loves you..." WHILE INARA IS ON HIS ARM. It's such a clever tacit admission/non-admission

You know, I must have seen that scene a million times and I never caught that connection.

You so win at life!

*incoherent high-pitched noise at the new shippy*

I love how when they dance you can feel how close they are and all the chemistry and that they have fun together. *swoon*

[hobviously.livejournal.com]

You so win at life!

Or just at interrogating every text ever from an "OMG MAL/INARA OTP-EST!!11!" perspective. ;] Hey, it keeps me busy.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Icon! *dies*

OMG MAL/INARA OTP-EST!!11!"

It's the right perspective always :P

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

*shippy sigh*

Gods, I love Shindig, too.

I'm too braindead right now to offer more than: it's so shiny and it gets me all sentimental and mushy.

Every time. Now why don't I have a Mal & Inara icon?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

If you are looking for a whole bunch, I have a ton saved in Memories under "Firefly."

Because...ohhh, the pretty, clever angst!

Gods, I love Shindig, too.

Yup. It's got angst but it's not as angsty as their later stuff so when I want fluffy M/I (or as fluffy as it ever gets), Shindig is what I watch.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

As I've said before, Mal is very old fashioned. While he'd say otherwise, he's a complete gentleman, perhaps not in the formal way Simon is, but in the genuinely old fashioned mannerly way. He defends Inara's honor because that's just his natural reaction (I'm sure he would have done the same for Kaylee if Simon didn't get there first) added to the fact that he's insanely jealous (Fillion does jealousy incredibly cutely). It's painfully obvious he's jealous (to everyone but Inara) and I think that explains the "I'm not a good man" bit at the end.

And I do think Mal's major issue is with Inara's inability to acknowledge that she's just a highly paid hooker. He sees it as degrading and his reaction is to try to make her mad. As their relationship develops, you see that her job hurts him and I think the snarky comments are his slightly wounded way to hurt her back. What needs to happen is for Inara to see that she's being used. There's nothing fancy or special about her job, she's just involved in the oldest profession in the world. When she does realize that I think it's going to be the rudest awakening of her life, but until then, Mal won't have her because he won't share her (and who would want go elsewhere when they have Mal?), that's the crux of their relationship.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

he's insanely jealous (Fillion does jealousy incredibly cutely). It's painfully obvious he's jealous (to everyone but Inara)

Exactly. You can see how he is trying to take a look at who "the other man" is and his barbs are just the oulet for his jealousy.

What needs to happen is for Inara to see that she's being used. There's nothing fancy or special about her job, she's just involved in the oldest profession in the world.

Exactly. No matter how you dress it up (and I can see why she needs to), there is nothing "noble" about her job.

Mal won't have her because he won't share her (and who would want go elsewhere when they have Mal?), that's the crux of their relationship

I think it's significant that when she left Serenity (prior to the movie) she didn't go "working" but went to teach at the training house. I think by the end when she wants to stay, she's realized that life isn't infinite and she knows Mal would never share, so they can certainly have hope for the future. I love the M/I bits in the movie!

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

It's hilarious the lengths Mal goes to pretending he doesn't care when everyone but Inara knows that he does and not only that, he'd do anything for her. All Mal wants is a little peace, but he unfortunately picks the one person who will give him grief simply because of what she is. And the painful irony is that she's completely within his reach, but he won't compromise and neither will she. Hopefully the deaths she's recently witnessed among friends will cause her to speed up the process of realizing she doesn't have forever.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

when everyone but Inara knows that he does and not only that, he'd do anything for her.

Mal just isn't gooad at stealthy. He is too straightforward a person for that. I love the scene in the movie where he and Inara are talking on the videophone and the crew is watching it as if it's entertainment.

Hopefully the deaths she's recently witnessed among friends will cause her to speed up the process of realizing she doesn't have forever.

I think the ending is very hopeful that this is what's going to happen (I love the scene where he is going to go off to try to "get through" and they exchange this look and then Zoe says she doesn't think anyone will survive this and Inara is looking where Mal had gone and has tears in her eyes). She is pretty much agreeing to stay (and making the first move) and she knows that if she stays it will be on quite different terms than before. I really do think they are close to straightening out their act.