But She Was Naked: Thoughts

It was pretty interesting to read about different forms of sexuality in Firefly. When you watch the show, sexuality seems to become one of those elements that is dumbed down by our own judgments and pre-conceived opinions. When a female character seduces a male character sexually, the first thought that comes to one's mind often lies along the lines of 'she is a slut'. But when you take the time to break characters' relationships down, as was done in the reading, you often learn a lot about why characters use their sexuality in different situations. For instance, in the most recent episode we watched, Saffron used her sexuality to weaken Mal and further her unknown agenda. Saffron used her innocent image to put Mal in a vulnerable position where he could easily be taken advantage of. After successfully seducing Mal, Saffron moved on to Wash. Her misleading demeanor worked yet again to her advantage, as she successfully flustered Wash before preying on his nervousness. Most interestingly though, Saffron's third and final attempt to use her charisma and sexuality to her advantage came to a screeching halt when she ran into Inara. Inara was able to see through Saffron's fake flattery, and consequently avoided the fate of both Mal and Wash. It is in an instant like this that the element of sexuality and manipulation directly relate to each character's individual personalities. So, while certain elements of a show are often dismissed as being literal (not just sexuality, but also manipulation, flattery, guilt, etc.), they can also be some of the most powerful evidence and insight into the minds of the different characters on the show. Firefly is clearly no exception.