Serenity in marriage
It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while I see something on TV that actually treats marriage with value and respect. The show Firefly aired nine episodes before it was cancelled, mainly because the network (FOX) made its worst decisions since it filmed Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? It aired the second episode first, aired the rest of the episodes out of order, screwed up all of its promotions, and probably did a lot of other things so stupid it appeared that they were actively trying to kill the show. It was, in fact, one of the best science fiction series in the history of television. It lives on in DVD—in a set that contains three episodes that never aired—and in a feature film scheduled to be released this fall.
Anyway, I've been watching Firefly on DVD. I love every character, but there are two relationships that resonate with me. One is the relationship between a brother and sister; the other is between a husband and wife. In one episode, a murderous con artist (Saffron) weasels her way aboard the space ship in order to sabotage it and send it to some people who want to sell it for scrap. In order to do that, however, she must take a couple of people out of commission. Her plan is to seduce them each into kissing her, an action that transfers a powerful narcotic from her lips into their mouths. She convinces the captain that he participated in a primitive marriage ritual and is therefore her husband. (I'm making it sound dumb, but it really does work when you actually see the show.) The captain refuses to consummate the relationship, but she still manages to kiss him. She then attempts to seduce the pilot (Wash), who is married to a beautiful warrior-type woman.
Saffron: I've never been off world before.
Wash: It's beautiful, isn't it?
Saffron: Look at those stars. Do you know the myth of Earth That Was?
Wash: Not so much.
Saffron: That when she was born, she had no sky. And was open, inviting, and the stars would rush into her through the skin of her, making the oceans boil with sensation. And when she could endure no more ecstasy, she puffed up her cheeks and blew out the sky.
Wash: Whoah. Good myth.
Saffron: My whole life, I saw nothing but roofs and steeples and the cellar door. In a few days, I'll be back to that life and gone from yours. Make this night what it should be. Please? Show me the stars.
Wash: (swears a bit in Chinese) Do I wish I was somebody else right now. Somebody not married, not madly in love with a beautiful woman…who can…kill me with her pinky.
Saffron: I've been too forward.
Wash: Noooo…well, yes. But I like that in a woman. That's part of the reason why Zoe and I are, as previously mentioned, married.
Saffron: I thought she didn't seem to respect you.
Wash: Not everybody gets me and Zoe at first glance. Did it get very hot in here? I need some air flow. (turns around to open a door)
Saffron: You love her very much.
Wash: Yeah. I never did meet anyone quite like Zoe. The first time we met, she actually—
Saffron knocks Wash unconscious with a kick to the head.
Wash isn't the kind of guy who has a bunch of women throwing themselves at him, yet he managed somehow to marry a beautiful, powerful woman to whom he is devoted with his whole being. That's something I can relate to.
