Serenity

[mamadeb]

Although I'm not sure what I can say that others didn't...

We've only seen a few episodes, although we have the DVDs. It might take a bit before we can watch them now.

Also, we were completely unspoiled.

It was brilliant - it had us emotionally from the beginning and just - yeah. Because Mal is a hero, whether he wants to be or not, because being a hero is not more people being dead. Because he first thoughts when the Reavers came was how to protect the people around him.

We cried when Book died. We cried harder when Wash - oh, goodness, Wash... And Zoe was so strong and beautiful and we knew her world had just ended. Except it didn't.

And River - oh, River. Broken into little pieces and made into something she never wanted, but, oh. That's a warrior princess. And all the boundless love Simon has for her.

And Kaylee like sunshine all the way through. (Is it odd that both jonbaker and I adore her? Because she's cute and competent and sweet and totally innocent and...he cried when he thought she was dead.)

So what else is there, besides wondering why we went to one of only three theaters in all of Brooklyn showing Serenity on a Sunday afternoon and finding less than two dozen people in the theater?

Couple of odd bits, maybe. The stones on the grave markers. *Stones*. Maybe appropriate for Mr. Universe, but on Book's and Wash's graves, too.

And the making of the Reavers. Because Midrash says that when the Jews returned to Israel after the first Exile, the prophets prayed that the yetzer ha-ra, the evil inclination, be removed. And it was, and. Everything stopped. The big point was that there was no sex, so no one had children, but it was a general lack of will. Sound familiar? Because part of being human is having free choice and being balanced between the inclinations to do good and do evil. So they had to bring it back.

But this was chemical thing, not a religious thing, so for some it went backwards and the Reavers are all yetzer ha-ra, with nothing tempering it. And it's brilliant.

Comments

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

I cried when Book died, but I'd been spoiled for that, so I knew it was coming. When Wash died, though -- that was like being kicked in the gut. I came out of the theatre with tears pouring down my face, but also feeling absurdly happy, because I thought the movie was wonderful.

The stones on the graves struck me too. You're right that they make more sense for Mr. Universe (who I think was supposed to be Jewish, in one way or another; in the wee clip we see of his wedding to the bot, he stamps on a glass) but they're a little strange for the others. Then again, if I were visiting the grave of a non-Jewish loved one I would put a stone there, too, because it's how I show that I've been there...

I hadn't thought about the reavers as purely yetzer ha-ra, but that's a lovely exegesis. Yes.

[barely-bean.livejournal.com]

I have never ever been as viscerally impacted by the death of a fictional character as I was when Wash died. I literally sobbed, racking, whole body sobs, for three hours. And even now it hurts to watch the old episodes and think there's never going to be any babies.

[the-star-fish.livejournal.com]

I think the stones thing (which I'm sure there's a real name for) was a lovely touch, and I think it's possible that it may have migrated to other faiths, much as the Chinese cursing did. Will. Has. Whatever. *g*

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

It was incredibly shocking, and therefore it was done right.

He also wears a kippah in the "wedding clip." :)

And thank you. Maybe it's the time of year, you know? When we think about the choices we have made and will make.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

There really isn't, you know. It's just the custom - when you visit a grave, you put a stone on the headstone to show you were there. And to symbolically build it.

But we did love it. Very much.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I wasn't effected quite that strongly (but then I was holding my husband's hand at the time.

It hurt more when I saw Zoe's face.

And then saw that Mal had kept Wash's toys.

Wash wasn't like the rest of them, except maybe Kaylee. He was there because he loved flying the ship, but more because he loved Zoe and Zoe loved him.

And they would have made the most beautiful babies.

[zedmeister.livejournal.com]

So what else is there, besides wondering why we went to one of only three theaters in all of Brooklyn showing Serenity on a Sunday afternoon and finding less than two dozen people in the theater?

Oh, no... is it really doing so badly, audience-wise? It only opened two days ago! I was afraid that might happen :(

And Zoe was so strong and beautiful and we knew her world had just ended. Except it didn't.

While I completely agree with you, it's interesting that my sister had the opposite reaction. She thought that Zoe was too cold and detached, that she should have been more upset. See, my sister isn't really an sf fan; the main appeal of the series for her were (was?) the character interactions, and she loved Wash and Zoe's relationship the most. She said she didn't buy Zoe's response; she had always thouhgt that being with Wash had *changed* Zoe, softened her. She said it would have been more powerful to actually see Zoe cry than to have her control herself. I disagree, personally, but your comment made me think about it again :)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Zoe might be "softer", but she's still a soldier, and she was a soldier on duty. Which, to me, made it all the more painful.

I'm sure Zoe cried - maybe alone, or maybe with Inara - but she would not do it then. It would no more be Zoe than it would be Mal.

[texasmeercat.livejournal.com]

Who's to say she isn't pregnant there at the end and just doesn't know it yet???