SerenityMovie.net

Companion Kate · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 2014 Location: UK

The Signal have produced a bonus show, full of spoilers. It's not on our XML feed. You can download it by hand from our website, or directly from here
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White Knight · Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:22 am Post subject:

Already listened to the trial on Winging It - I've already said it, but they got off too lightly; you should have made them watch a Keanu marathon - but enjoyed it so I'll listen to it again.
Thanks for the ep, BTW. Its shiny!
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unchartedoutlaw · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 124 Location: Silicon Gulch, CA

Downloading it now, but will have to listen later as the wife and I are about to head out.
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http://norcalriviera.blogspot.com - blog
http://www.fireflytalk.com - the new damn podcast

"It's just an object. It doesn't
mean what you think." -River Tam

"How did your brain even learn human
speech? I'm just so curious." -Wash

Aser · Joined: 01 Oct 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Sacramento CA

Agreed on Mr. Universe plot device. Mr. Universe's "high-tech outpost" reminds me of that "relay station" in Antarctica/Alaska/Greenland they threaten to send people to in so many military stories... Smile

Agree with most everyone's thoughts especially J.D. The observation on the music was spot on. It serves its purpose but doesn't reflect love on the composter's part.

I also agree with J.D. on the issue of Simon's tactical decisions in what information he shares with the crew and what exactly he knows/believes.

Great show, very funny; love the chance to hear everyone (missed Kari...) on the line at once. Looking forward to #15!

chelehel74 · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 5

It's nice to hear one by fans about the movie finally - I totally agree to the spoiler free Signal but it was pretty fun to hear Browncoats talking.

And the Winging it segment was GREAT! And I think that crew just found themselves a new listener...

chele

Shadowslance · Joined: 12 Oct 2005 Posts: 33 Location: Englewood, CO

/agree with Les about the whole Simon might have not been River's brother. That was my initial thought until the breakout happened.

Lushy · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 136

greensky · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 7

Thanks guys. I've been waiting for the spoil show ever since opening weekend. I'm guessing other people have been waiting longer. Thanks for the podcast. I love every minute it of it.

SerenelyWyrd · Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 27 Location: KC, MO

Mr. Universe:

Yeah, it's possible that Mr. U was just plot device, but I don't think so. I hold with the idea that what we saw in the movie Serenity was something like one and a half seasons of Firefly condensed to a single movie.

It's possible that Joss had always intended to introduce the character Mr. Universe, or something similar into the series as a recurring character later on, but never had the chance to do it because the series got all blowed up.

Lack of western feel:

I think they intentionally went for much less western feel in the movie, but then I've also had some time to think about why they did go for western feel in the TV show: it was simpler, and it probably saved money.

Companion Inara:

I think they left out Inara's job because they lacked time. If you are going to introduce her as companion, then you have to give a decent chunk of time over to explaining what she does and why she's well respected rather than reviled.

Simon char changes:

I don't have a problem with the changes to Simon's behavior. This can be explained by noting that when he first boarded the ship, he was new to this life on the lamb--he hadn't found his feet yet.

However, I *definitely* have a problem with the retcon that has Simon going in to personally rescue River. I realize that, prior to that, Simon had only explained how he got his sister out in the vaguest possible way, so that, strictly speaking, it's probably not the case that what we saw in the movie really contradicted what happend previously.

However, back in the series, Simon repeatedly said things like, "I don't know what they did to her." We were given the strong impression that Simon was not personally involved in rescuing his sister--that he had contributed the money, and some other people had done the rescuing. But the movie has Simon right there in the middle of things. While Simon is impersonating a member of parilment, he uses the word "psychic" in referring to River. So this doesn't really fit with the series where Simon says, more than once, that River's not really psychic, she's just good at figuring out what people are thinking about.
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I wrote that a while ago, and am now posting it without editing it, so it might have errors, or be totally wrong. In case that's the case, I just want to make it clear that I really liked the movie a whole lot, and I liked the special podcast (and the trial! Smile

) too. Thanks, guys. Wink

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Furry cows moo and decompress.

hmnshld · Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Posts: 53 Location: Denton

I still need to finish the ep. I couldnt finish it in one sitting due to the heavy breathing someone was doing. highly annoying.

Haunt · Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 4:45 pm Post subject:

It's not really the world's biggest retcon. Simon said that for two years he couldn't get near River, but then was contacted by some men and told if he funded them that they could get her out.

Well granted that seems to imply that THEY got her out. But there's nothing to say that they didn't just take his funding and use it to create the cover and technology necessary to get HIM in to rescue her. Or maybe they were going to do it themselves but he INSISTED that he be the one to do it.

Thinking about it I imagine that last scenario is the most likely. Simon would not have wanted to just hand over his entire savings to "some men" on the claim that they would then go get his sister. Most probably he would have funded them on the condition that he go along with them.

And Simon didn't ever tell what exactly happened... how exactly she was gotten out. All he said was that he was approached by some men. He never said how it all played out.

So... a very minor retcon, only if you take every single word spoken by the characters on screen as absolute gospel.

The biggest problem I've had is the notion that Simon seemed surprised by the notion of River being psychic when Mal brought it up in Objects in Space, and yet in the film Dr. Mathias clearly brings it up right before Simon breaks her out of the "Academy".

The best I've been able to fanwank it in my head is that Simon wasn't really listening to Dr. Mathias in that scene. He was making small talk basically. And even if he did consciously recognize the word "psychic" I'm sure he didn't actually believe it.

Still, having grown up with River and knowing how "intuitive" she always was, and then spending so much time with her on Serenity post-Academy tinkering and seeing the things she was capable of... seems odd in retrospect.

I mean c'mon, he was almost burned at the stake with her for being a witch that reads minds. Rolling Eyes

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"Pain or damage don’t end the world, or despair or f*cking beatin’s. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man — and give some back."

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce ~ The ORIGINAL Browncoat

SerenelyWyrd · Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 27 Location: KC, MO

unchartedoutlaw · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 124 Location: Silicon Gulch, CA

Heavy breathing? Should I go listen to it right this second? The podcast, that is? Smile

_________________
http://norcalriviera.blogspot.com - blog
http://www.fireflytalk.com - the new damn podcast

"It's just an object. It doesn't
mean what you think." -River Tam

"How did your brain even learn human
speech? I'm just so curious." -Wash

Companion Kate · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 2014 Location: UK

The heavy breather was Rich, aka Cynewulf the Saxon. Shocked

There's always one! Wink

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Aser · Joined: 01 Oct 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Sacramento CA

There's also the simple fact that "psycics" aren't real... Simon knows this to be scientific fact and can just write of the ramblings of a sadistic doctor while he sees his sister for the first time in several years. Then, the doctor says something that sets of Simon "creature of extraordinary grace" that brings him back to the mission at hand and... Smile

Simon also does seem to get very assertive when it comes to River's protection as seen in the pilot, so I wouldn't put him past him to insist on doing the infiltration part. It's likely that those who he came in contact with are exactly what he claimed them to be, members of an underground movement he felt incapable of pulling of the deception.

Back to the card playing, it could be a mix of missinformation and denial.

Tangent...

In regard to the space battle, where were the Alliance's cruisers?

scottlet · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1

Joss went on record about the "fanwank" that Simon was lying about having rescued River (for whatever reason) - it made the film escape story easier to tell...plus Simon's not exactly truthful and good at hiding stuff.

Plus - if you found out your sister was telepathic and moonlighted as an apeshit killing machine and she was wanted by a bunch of people, would you tell anyone she was telepathic and very dangerous or hide it as best you could?

Cynewulf the Saxon · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 1388 Location: Vallejo, CA

Companion Kate · Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 2014 Location: UK

Okay, it wasn't Rich then. It that case, we have an unknown heavy breather in our midst. I'm not sure which is worse?
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Niteowl · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 20

Hrm, I didn't know there were Browncoats who thought that River ISN'T psychic. Here are some things she says and does, that don't seem easily explainable by the "intuitive" take on it.

-"time to go" in "Safe", right before the rescue happens
-"fire" in "Out of Gas", right before that fireball tears through the ship.
-gleaning the history of the mute girl in "Safe"
-gleaning the history of [sic?] Earle in "Objects in Space"

And I'm sure a host of others that aren't coming to me atm. This seems to me that she most definitely is psychich, unless someone can show me different. Smile

_________________
Wash: I've been in a firefight. Well, I was in a fire. Actually, I was fired from a fry-cook opportunity.

Mal: You know, they say mercy is the mark of a great man.
[stabs]
Mal: Guess I'm just a good man.
[stabs]
Mal: Well, I'm all right.

SerenelyWyrd · Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 27 Location: KC, MO

Razzia · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 2 Location: UK

For spaceships with seatbelts see Spaceballs! Also, when did Inara learn to take a punch in the stomach and get up again!!!

unchartedoutlaw · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 124 Location: Silicon Gulch, CA

Loved it! Great job guys! Felt like I was right there in the room with you. Smile

Agreed with you on many things, disagreed on others. Will probably have better comments on a second listening.
_________________
http://norcalriviera.blogspot.com - blog
http://www.fireflytalk.com - the new damn podcast

"It's just an object. It doesn't
mean what you think." -River Tam

"How did your brain even learn human
speech? I'm just so curious." -Wash

Eric · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 38

(re River's Rescue RetCon) - perhaps my Subject should have been RRRgghhhh! Smile

Anyway, this is the kind of thing that makes me crazy about many genre fans.

TV series - lots of time to let the story unfold slowly, in fact it's a virtue. Therefore, have others rescue River, and Simon et al discover what's up with her piece by piece.

To tell the story in a movie (especially those parts already told in the series), it had to be tightened up, and unecessary tangents removed (e.g., Hands of Blue). Therefore, rewrite it so Simon rescues River and knows about her abilities.

Why is that so difficult? Why struggle to make both versions into one coherent timeline. It's the same story in the end; and your grasp on reality will be better. Smile

FWIW, I'd suggest considering the TV series "canon." They had 6 more months for her to get a little more control prior to her use in the theft at the beginning of the movie. That's the "Browncoat," director's cut extended DVD version. The movie version was for non-Browncoats. Does that make it more palatable?

Keep flyin,

P.S. I'd rather expend my meager brain cells as follows: IMO, the TV series would have been VERY interesting when the Parliament tried to reactivate a retired Operative (probably their most effective - he'd quit because he couldn't abide their morals, maybe even something to do with the Battle of Serenity Valley), and Book discovered that River was the reason they were reactivating him.

Eric · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 38

Loved the conversation, heavy breathing aside. You-all at the Signal are the bee's knees.

Aser · Joined: 01 Oct 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Sacramento CA

Aser · Joined: 01 Oct 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Sacramento CA

Being able to take a story apart and see every which way you can put things together is half the fun of the whole thing... It's interesting, must be how literature majors feel, except my brain likes this more... Smile

Cynewulf the Saxon · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 1388 Location: Vallejo, CA

It's exactly how Lit majors feel. They pull things apart, look for themes running throughout, look for connections, look for references to other works of literature, and myths, and scripture, to find deeper shades of meaning. The fun you have with Serenity Lit majors have with anything they pick up to read.

Wink

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Official forum Purplebelly Shocked

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Wyrd oft nereth unfaegne eorl, thonne his ellen deah.

Lushy · Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Posts: 136

browncoatbabe · Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 1

I have been listening to The Signal for little bit now, and this feeling has been growing on me...to be polite, the guy who teaches us Chinese, is kind of creepy.

I really really, really love this bit, but I feel like I'm on the end of a dirty yet educational phonecall. Or maybe the guy has terrible constipation.

I cannot stress enough how much I absolutely adore both the Signal and the Chinese section of the 'cast, but...really...is it just me?

I think he's going for a zen-master/soft kind of vioce...but it's just creeping me out. If I'm the only one...well it's just me. But if I'm not the only one, please let me know.

SerenelyWyrd · Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Posts: 27 Location: KC, MO