My favorite part of this episode is probably River staring gleefully out into space.
I do have a problem with Reaver psychology. Seeing bad things happen can certainly ruin your day, or your life, but unfortunately torture, rape, cannibalism and murder are not unknowns here in the real world, and the survivors are not doomed to ape their attackers, even though the larger patterns of violence may be self-perpetuating. Or, in other words, while I don't doubt that a person could go nuts and become a Reaver under these circumstances, I don't buy Mal's claim that it's inevitable.
Anyway. This episode suggests that Book has some fake ID of his own, since he wasn't accorded any special treatment. There is some small curiosity in the fact that, later, in "Safe," it looks like Book had his Alliance-friendly ID on him while he was just strolling around, since he doesn't exactly have time to go and get it after being shot.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
While I generally agree with you about the whole 'inevitability' thing, I think the Reavers are a little nastier than the average murderer/torturer. I mean, bearing in mind what they do to themselves, I can't think their victims would get off that lightly. Also, Mal's conviction that it is inevitable fits in with his character; just the general pessimism.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Perhaps Mal was speaking from experiance, that is he's encountered Reaver "survivors" before, maybe even several times.
As for Book, there's obviously more to him than meets the eye. How many preachers do you think have his apparant knowledge of weapons tactics and is such an acurate marksman, even when shooting from the hip. Indeed, in the "Mal & Wash get tortured" episode I don't remember him either missing a shot or using the sight. As for the ID, the Alliance officer's reaction indicates that there's something quite unusual about Book's identity. Having said that, his behaviour in Bushwacked indicates that whatever he might be (Alliance agent, spec ops, whatever) he's still deathly afraid of Reavers. Oddly enough, (other than River of course) Inara seams to be the only one who knew how to deal with the situation.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
All I'm saying is that he apparently didn't show his Get Quick Service card to the Alliance this time.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well he wasn't bleeding to death this time, but I get your point, one of those IDs has to be fake.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Well, it'd make sense that Book wouldn't want to flash his real ID to every Alliance officer... after all, even undercover investigators use fake IDs when they need to, right? Assuming Book really is undercover somehow, it makes sense he'd have a full ID for his fake identity.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I'm not convinced that he is an undercover agent, at least not an active one. His behaviour and his apparantly genuine faith in religion makes him seam to me like a reformed or retired...whatever he was. Case in point, very few undercover agents are quite so careless when it comes to sharing their clandestine skills or flashing around Alliance friendly ID.
One thing I did notice recently that I missed before, is that he might have some connection to Nisca (sp?) in Train Job he knew Nisca's given name (much to Jayne's surprise) and later on, it seams as if the two men have similar reading habbits. This may or may not have some bearing on his pastbut it dose seam a coincidence that they both were living on/above Persephone at the same time. Perhaps Book was part of the criminal underworld? Or had infiltrated it for the Alliance.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
The thing I was getting at was that apparently Book had his Alliance-friendly ID on him when he was just strolling around in "Safe," since after that he doesn't really have an opportunity to go fetch it. And if he carried it with him all the time you'd think it would show up when he was (presumably) searched in this episode.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Sol: Well, Book could've had time to hide it in that case, since he knew the Alliance was about to board. But that still leaves the possibility of him being caught by surprise in some circumstance.
Rev: I know, I'm not suggesting Book was an actual undercover agent. I was just using an analogy.
Also, I don't know where Niska's skyplex was supposed to be located (perhaps in the Georgia system, same as the train heist. But I doubt that it'd be on Persephone -- after all, why wouldn't they notice Serenity when it visited for "Shindig"?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I go the impression that Book was a retired/reformed somethingorother too, as opposed to an active undercover agent of some kind.
One key to his past noone has mentioned here is when River starts hearing people's thoughts (I think in Objects in Space) and she hears Book thinking "I don't care whether you're innocent or not... so where does that leave you?" It seems that he was some sort of police official or someone who, in some capacity, sentanced people or persecuted innocent people, probably for the Alliance, since the Alliance was all friendly to him after they found out who he was.
The bounty hunter in OiS also took one look at him and said, "That's no sheperd." Either he's known to that crowd, to Early personally, or has something about him physically that would give him away.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Well, the DVD commentary for OiS seemed to imply that it was Early's assessment of Book that made him say that (and take him out that quickly, with no opportunity to fight back) rather than any prior knowledge.
Posted by Not Invented Here (Member # 1606) on :
I haven't got through the DVD to the episodes you're talking about yet but I have watched 'Bushwacked'. Is it possible that actually Book is using the same ID in both episodes? The situations are different, so he would be treated differently in both. Although he is hauled up for questioning by the nasty Alliance captain, he is not questioned particularly harshly.
Look at it this way, if a normal police officer is accused of a crime, he will still be hauled before other police and questioned. But if he's injured and sent to hospital, he's likely to get preferential treatment. Or should I shut up until I've watched these later episodes?
On another note, the shot of the Alliance cruiser destroying the ship at the end is very cool!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Well, one might get the impression that Book is or was a bit more than a "normal police officer," but you'll have to tell us what you think.
Anyway, the Alliance captain never even hints at Book's VIP status. It's all "odd for a shephard to be with this group," instead of "odd for some police officer/spy/official to be A.) a shephard B.) with this group."
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
I don't think he can have used the same ID; the Alliance officer did seem to be proceding on the assumption that he was a just a normal preacher. I don't remember anything that might have indicated otherwise.
The change on the part of the officer in Safe when he saw the ID was so complete that I don't think the officer in Bushwhacked could have seen it.
Posted by Not Invented Here (Member # 1606) on :
As I suspected, I'm missing quite a bit by having not watched 'Safe'. I shall now shut up on this topic until I have watched it.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
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