Mal: You\u2019re on my crew. Why are we still talking about this?<\/strong><\/p>\nAs a long-time (and unapologetic) fan of Joss Whedon\u2019s \u201cFirefly,\u201d I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the end of \u201cAriel.\u201d In fact, it\u2019s pretty near my favorite moment in any TV show I\u2019ve ever seen. Why so? Because it is the most perfect distillation of why I love Malcolm Reynolds so much (and why the show works): This ragtag group of folks he works with aren\u2019t just his crew. They\u2019re his family. And when Jayne reveals that he feels the same way about them (despite his momentary \u2014 or should that be congenital \u2014 weakness for money), that shared affection and loyalty enables Mal to bring him back on board. Quite literally.<\/p>\n
In other words, the end of \u201cAriel\u201d underscores the one ethical constant in the Whedon Verse: Mal\u2019s stubborn \u2013 almost impossibly stubborn \u2013 loyalty to the members of his crew. With his dogged fidelity as our anchor point, we can endure any amount of downright unsettlin\u2019 behavior without losing our central confidence in the show and its semi-anti-hero; without it, we are but leaves on the wind.<\/p>\n
All of which doubtless helps to explain why \u201cHeart of Gold\u201d is my least favorite episode in the entire show; an episode, in fact, that I might actually dislike. Because it\u2019s an episode that drastically undercuts the very Mal I\u2019ve grown to know and respect. The Mal who\u2019s a great leader and a good man and (above all else) a loyal and faithful friend.<\/p>\n
It contains some of the series\u2019 most obvious Western tropes \u2013 defending a small and dilapidated fortress against almost impossible odds; gunfights and scenery-chewing, over the top villains on horseback; the hooker(s) with the titular heart(s) of gold \u2013 and Whedon is clearly playing with the genre in a number of interesting ways. So there\u2019s much here that I could enjoy in a different context. But when Mal decides to spend the night with Inara\u2019s former companion, Nandi, it feels like a real betrayal. A betrayal of the weird and complicated relationship he has Inara, surely; but even more devastatingly, a betrayal of his own character.<\/p>\n
Unlike the hilarious (and ultimately, unconsummated) dalliance with Saffron in \u201cOur Mrs. Reynolds,\u201d where Mal seems genuinely conflicted and not entirely willing, his decision to embrace Nandi is a far more intentional one, which makes it all the more out of character. And I\u2019m not the only one who thinks that; Inara herself, despite her best attempts to present a bold and progressive face when she learns of the previous night\u2019s \u201cfestivities,\u201d is devastated when she learns of Mal\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n
In fairness to Mr. Whedon, having one\u2019s show cut off in the bloom of its youth can wreak a good bit of havoc with future story lines. It is entirely possible that this conflict between Mal and Inara would have served some larger purpose \u2013 a larger story arc that would once again confirm Mal\u2019s loyalty to Inara and to his own principles of Faithfulness At Any Cost. But without that larger context, I feel that it does a real disservice to my favorite part of the show. It\u2019s not that I object to Mal being revealed as a less-than- perfect man \u2013 the show gives ample evidence of his failings \u2013 it\u2019s that I object to losing the one thing I\u2019ve been able to hold onto all along; the one thing I could rely on. Having the rug pulled out from under one\u2019s feet at the opening is fine, and often a very effective bit of storytelling. But to have it pulled out now, so close to the end? That, I do not care for. Not at all.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d just stop at \u201cThe Message,\u201d if it\u2019s all the same to you.
\n\u201cWhen you can\u2019t run, you crawl, and when you can\u2019t crawl \u2013 when you can\u2019t do that\u2026You find someone to carry you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nAuthor addendum: Thankfully there is one amazing episode that follows after that. In my honest opinion, skip this episode after watching \u201cThe Message\u201d and follow me to \u201cObjects in Space.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAttribution: All screenshots are copyright to 20th Century Fox and Mutant Enemy and are used for editorial purposes only. P.S. Joss Whedon, you\u2019re a bastard.<\/h6>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monique\u2019s intro: There are some episodes from the Whedonverse that I don\u2019t think I want to watch again for a long time like\u00a0\u201cSeeing Red\u201d from Buffy or \u201cBelonging\u201d from Dollhouse or any episode from Angel Season 4. \u201cHeart of Gold\u201d is my least favorite episode of Firefly. I\u00a0hate it. So much so that I don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2156,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[416],"tags":[533,637,608],"class_list":["post-2353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television-2","tag-firefly","tag-heart-of-gold","tag-morena-baccarin"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n