Geeking out a la Firefly

While driving to TO, sarahcarotte and I were talking about the Serenity charity screening and about our fav characters. I was frustrated that, because the series was over, we would never find out exactly what Shepherd Book was all about (the series hinted he wasn't really a shepherd at all and he did have some kind of Alliance clearance, so he was more than he seemed).

Like many people, Jayne was my favourite character, but for character development reasons. Jayne could've been written as a simple thug, with no other reason to be on the ship except when heavy things needed to be lifted or if someone needed to be shot. Self-centered and money-hungry, it would be easy to weite him off.

But in the Serenity movie, Jayne shows an unexpected amount of loyalty and caring for his fellow shipmates. When the ship is crashing through an atmosphere, it's Jayne that makes sure everyone is strapped in before he straps himself in. When the crew is struggling to decide if they should try to sneak past the Reavers, it's Jayne that quotes Book in saying "If you can't do the smart thing, you can at least do the right thing."

But what is truly masterful about all those moments is that there's no attention drawn to them. They simply pass as quiet little moments that have no bearing on the storyline at all, except to those who take the time to notice them.

Now THAT'S the fine art of storytelling at its best.