Wow, great interview! I think Gina's stepdaughter and a lot of other teenage girls can truly be inspired by her for playing strong women, flaws or not. Interesting to read Gina's feelings about Zoe without Wash. I am sure Ms. Torres would still jump at the chance to do a Serenity sequel if one should happen, but I can also understand her tremendous sense of loss on Zoe's behalf -- 'cause, seriously, I think we all share that! Great link, Simon!

billz | September 12, 10:54 CET

Wow, she puts that "there's no sequel" business rather bluntly, doesn't she? :(

lexigeek | September 12, 10:58 CET

Well, I guess it's only as far as she knows lexigeek so don't abandon all hope yet. And I kinda know what she means re: Wash.

She is straightforward though and I really like that (Damn you Fishburne ! ;). I also thought 'Standoff' wasn't too bad and i'll certainly be watching at least another couple (still a daft name though). Gina and Ron Livingston as well as a reasonably original procedural premise warrent a few episodes grace I reckon, hope it gets the chance to really blossom.

Saje | September 12, 15:01 CET

Short and sweet. I dunno, as much as I hate (HATE!) that Wash is dead, I can't see that being the end of Zoe. She's too strong. I think her grief could sideline her for a while, but that ultimately it would make her more layered and complex.

Or I could just be in complete denial about no Serenity sequel. ;)

On board, Saje, with the Livingston love. First noticed him in Swingers, then of course Office Space, then the phenomenal Band of Brothers. I think he's a hugely talented everyman, and one of the most natural acting actors I've ever seen.

Willowy | September 12, 17:41 CET

I can't imagine tea without milk. That's a bigger problem, Gina. Focus!

gossi | September 12, 18:30 CET

Hmm...it all brings up an interesting discussion. Is there life for Zoe after Wash? Now, we're lead to believe she was a hard woman who could just suck up her pain and grief and do the job(be it during wartime or the battles with her Firefly folks); yet Wash brought out the softer side of her. And maybe no one had done that up to that point. Maybe he was truly her soulmate and she just can't imagine functioning without him. Even though we know she could - function, that is. But functioning and existing isn't really living. So maybe that's what Gina meant. Maybe what made Zoe more than just a warrior died with Wash. And if there's just a shell remaining...who wants to go on that way?

And I don't mind her being blunt about no Serenity sequel. It's refreshing, actually. Because she doesn't say it harshly or to be rude, just a statement of the facts as she knows them - as we all know them up to this point. I think I'd rather assume there won't be a sequel and be pleasantly surprised if there is one, than be given little bits of 'maybe' and hope and that turn into nothing.

I can't imagine tea without milk.
Tea...with milk. That's unfathomable. Tea is plain, or with so much sugar it makes an inch thick base at the bottom. On ice. Ya'll English folk may have given us tea, but we fixed it up.

[ edited by Rogue Slayer on 2006-09-12 17:20 ]

Rogue Slayer | September 12, 19:16 CET

No, no, no you crazy colonial, with milk, of course (not seawater as you guys seemed to think ;-). Added first so that the tea warms the milk then drunk with one's little finger extended at right angles whilst humming 'God Save the Queen'.

(OK, I don't actually do the milk first thing or the little finger thing and definitely not the GStQ thing but I do like breakfast tea with milk, no sugar. More delicate teas would probably be swamped by the flavour of milk though, those I have black, maybe with a squeeze of lemon, when I have them at all. Which I don't ;)

I'm gonna have to check out 'Swingers' Willowy. He was good in 'Office Space' (funny, funny film) but fantastic in 'Band of Brothers' (though the entire ensemble was brilliant in that, even David Schwimmer who I had doubts about to begin with) and I think he could do something cool with 'Standoff' too. To me, he has the everyman quality you mention but he also seems very ... American, if that makes sense. He reminds me a bit of Gregory Peck for some reason (without that genuine screen legend's gravitas but maybe that'll come).

I think the only problem with Wash's death as far as Zoe's concerned is that it'd send her on an arc very similar to Mal's. She'd become kind of a shell, surviving on automatic pilot, possibly with a slight death-wish and then either find another reason to live or just die, probably heroically. Now, the similarity could be an asset since the writers could show Zoe dealing with the same problems in a totally different way, maybe throwing herself open to the world, celebrating Wash's life rather than mourning his death, I dunno.

Saje | September 12, 20:16 CET

Ouch. I'll have to cry a little, I hate sentences that sound so final. I think Zoe without Wash makes for an interesting character arc. (TV would undoubtedly do it more justice though, as we can experience the passing of time with the character.) I think Zoe has more opportunity for growth through the loss of Wash. After the greiving (which would have been interesting viewing as well), she would have gone through a discovery process to find out who she really is - define herself independent of others. Her story is one I want to see someday. Sigh.

With you on the tea with milk love gossi, and I'm a Yankee. :)

Saje you type too quickly. I was thinking that perhaps Zoe would have been the opposite of Mal. Maybe she would be so overcome with emotions etc that it would be all squishy-filling, not a shell. She did what she had to for the survival of the Reavers and getting Serenity up and flying - but the realization that someone is gone can come in slow motion, and the affects aren't always immediate. Who knows, either way compelling story IMO.

[ edited by onthedrift on 2006-09-12 18:23 ]

onthedrift | September 12, 20:19 CET

A nice, if unfortunately brief, interview. I can understand where Gina is coming from, although I think she would probably be willing to do a sequel. But she just thinks it would be pretty weird without Alan, considering they did so many of their scenes together.

Personally I do think Wash's death would have made Zoe an even more complex character. Of course there are so many ways she could go, but I think the Zoe we saw chose to try and compress her life into simple views. She obeyed Mal, because he was her captain. I think having though about Wash's death it may have forced her to challenge her opinions. Should she still do what Mal tells her, when she never did the same with Wash? Is all the violence and mayhem worth it, now that she has seen how short and brutal mortal life can be?

As I said, I think it would be fascinating to see how the events of the film would affect her character. Of course we know that Zoe had already experienced a lot of death during her war days, but did she ever allow herself to become truly close to her comrades, or did those relationships only form after the war with the likes of Mal and Tracey? Will such experiences harden her to Wash's death, apart from the inital shock and devastation, or will she be able to put it into some type of perspective?

It's a shame we might not find out for some time, and get to see Gina herself going through these moments as Zoe.

[ edited by Razor on 2006-09-12 18:27 ]

Razor | September 12, 20:26 CET

I rarely drink tea with milk, though its not unheard of. I do like a little bit of sugar with it, however :) Wait, that wasn't the topic, right? I could see Zoe going to dark places minus Wash and I would've loved to see it play out over a good season and a half of Firefly (S3 and half of S4 I would guess). If wishes were horses, or fishes, or whatever.

Further, I don't think her comment was brutal or abrupt or anything of the sort. I think its incredibly sweet that she was so attached to Wash and Zoe that she wouldn't want to see poor Zoe go through that horrible pain.

I really dig Ron Livingston also, from Office Space and Sex and the City, both. I haven't checked out Standoff yet, but I guess that I will at next opportunity :)

zeitgeist | September 12, 20:52 CET

I wanted to check out Standoff for Gina and Ron Livingston, but it's been slammed pretty hard in every review I've read about it. Apparently it's real weak and Ron and the actor who plays his partner/lover have little-to-no chemistry. Unfortunate, since I enjoyed his performances in Band of Brothers and Sex & The City (Berger, despite what he did at the end of his arc, was the best Carrie match-up in that final awkward season, IMO).

Kris | September 12, 22:03 CET

When I interviewed Joss Whedon a year ago and asked him "how could you kill those two characters, and how are you going to bring them back?", he replied: "I would say the answer to the first one is, blithely, and the answer to the second one is, legitimately."

So I'm not sure a sequel would have to be completely without Wash.

SPOILER: He also dropped a hint about the possibility of pregnancies ...

bschnell | September 12, 22:03 CET

bschnell, that's something that I'd considered too! Pregnancy! Of course Zoe would be practicing some sort of birth control, dangerous as her job and life were, but there's always that one percent chance, hmmm?

Plus, her and Wash were portrayed as having a very robust sex life. I get excited just thinking about how great this storyline would be!

Willowy | September 12, 22:12 CET

Didn't Zoe want babies? And Wash was more reticent? 'Heart of Gold', maybe?

Rogue Slayer | September 12, 22:32 CET

You are correct, Rogue Slayer. And while I understand Gina's feelings too, she has to be able to see the story possibilities.

pat32082 | September 12, 22:45 CET

I would hope that any further Serenity stories would fill in some of the missing back story to our characters, which would certainly be a legitimate form of bringback. Especially, since I feel that Book got somewhat shortchanged as a character. He was the one we saw least development on. Also, I want to know what drove Inara to leave her promising career in the central planets, and what was in that syringe?

The thought of a Zoe pregnancy had also occured to me. I also think it's rather sweet that Gina had trouble imagining Zoe without Wash. I don't think she would have developed like Mal after Wash's death. Mal is bitter but inside he's really a lot softer than he thinks he is. He's actually a do-gooder inside a cynical shell. He joined the Browncoats because he believed in the Cause, not because he wanted to be in the military. Zoe is a career soldier. She may have also believed in the Cause, but she was probably in the military before that and intended to make it her life. I see Zoe as maybe being more like Wesley after Fred's death (or transmogrification). It would have been interesting to see how dark she might have gone.

And I hate, hate, hate that we weren't allowed to see this all unfolding and developing slowly, piece by piece as it was meant to. Is there some form of criminal prosecution that can be brought against people who have murdered a work of art?

barboo | September 12, 23:09 CET

Ok, maybe because I'm in a weird mood today, I see Joss bringing Alan back...as Zoe and Wash's baby. Ala 2006's Little Man (ala 1954's Baby Buggy Bunny.)

Just Alan's head on a baby/toddler body.

Creepy? Yes. Would it solve all the 'WashKillah' issues? Not even remotely.

But right now, creepy is sufficient for me.

Rogue Slayer | September 12, 23:11 CET

I think Tim Minear has answered what it was in his mind several times. Speaking of creepy/dark... ;)

zeitgeist | September 13, 00:25 CET

I'm enough of a Firefly newbie not to have encountered it.

barboo | September 13, 00:38 CET

Check it out barboo

And here's a cool fanfic on the theme that i'm always happy to pimp (despite the author not giving me free stuff ;).

Saje | September 13, 00:43 CET

I think Tim Minear has answered what it was in his mind several times. Speaking of creepy/dark... ;)

Incorrect (but a commonly misunderstood thing in the fandom now), according to Tim at least - he has said on Buffista's since he wasn't refering to that arc.

Also, Alan Tudyk is signed for an (optional) sequel or two. For a period. So he'd reappear, in some form or other. Probably as an irish dwarf with torrettes.

[ edited by gossi on 2006-09-12 23:00 ]

gossi | September 13, 00:57 CET

Or, as a happy "Obi-Wan style" ghost (probably without the big stake).

"Use the force, Mal, you must trust yourself... No, not brute force you gorram maniac, the other, spiritually bindy one."

Y'know gossi, you saying that about the syringe reminds me, I think this has been mentioned (and i've been corrected) before. Whoa, deja vu. And whatever's the French for 'really bad memory' too.

Saje | September 13, 01:12 CET

Thanks, Saje. I actually did read that story, when it was linked at Whedonesque before. I just assumed then that it was the author's own invention, and it made me wonder more what the original intention was. And looks like I should still be wondering.

Awesomely well-written story, in any case.

barboo | September 13, 01:23 CET

Morena said quite conclusively that that was in fact the story of the syringe and that it would have been used in a later episode. So Tim may backpaddle all he wants but it is too late!

Lioness | September 13, 02:27 CET

It does seem to fit, although, you know if you really believe you're going to be captured by beings that are going to rape you to death, eat you and flay the skin off your body, NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER, I'd be thinking suicide, not something that's going to have an effect after they're done.

barboo | September 13, 05:38 CET

The syringe contents certainly are not a first strike weapon, barboo, but could be used, as in that fanfic, as a tool of assassination. If this scenario credited to Tim and confirmed by Morena really did exist, then it seems the syringe just got pressed into use as a weapon against the Reavers as a last resort. The crossbow wasn't available at the time, I guess. (Yeah, I'd certainly be searching around for something more proactive in that situation, but, hey, last resort!)

billz | September 13, 10:37 CET

Morena also added that it was intended to kill her as well.. She referred to it as a suicide tool. But it was a while ago, so who knows?

Lioness | September 13, 15:58 CET

Last time I saw Morena talking about it, she said she didn't actually know. Nathan claims to know all, but (wisely) keeps it under his hat.

gossi | September 13, 17:18 CET

Nathan claims alot of things, I wouldnt really trust him on all of those claims. I say this with tongue in cheek, and refer people to his desire to be Wonder Woman.

kurya | September 13, 18:50 CET

Willowy, I'm with you! I miss Wash as much as the next 'coat, but Zoe without him would be fascinating to see. Pregnancy or no.

Fortunately I'm still not spoiled on the syringe rumors.

Of course Gina would do it. ;)

RBB | September 14, 09:38 CET

Well, Morena knew 2 weekends ago. She spoke about it at length when asked. We had assured her that Tim had already spoken about it last year.

Lioness | September 14, 16:02 CET

Lioness, tell us more! What did Morena say about it? Did she say the same stuff Tim did? What did she think of the story?

billz | September 14, 19:37 CET