Blog #9

Joss Whedon’s undermines our expectations of females in his hit tv series Firefly.  When the plot began, the viewer assumed that the characters were straight-forward and would not fool you.  However, this is not the case when it comes to River, Zoe and Kaylee.  All three women are not “average” by society’s standards; in fact, most are extraordinary in their abilities and accomplishments.  But each woman has a talent that society would consider improper for a woman to hold, which is what makes Joss Whedon’s series quite interesting.

            River Tam was introduced in the first episode by being the human cargo of her older brother, Simon Tam.  For almost half of the series, River is thought to be small, weak, scared and helpless.  But as the series progresses, her true self comes out and she is revealed to be intelligent, telepathic, and a real danger to anyone who crosses her.

            Zoe is a tall, incredibly gorgeous, no nonsense kind of woman who, upon first glance, you wouldn’t expect to be the fiercest fighter in the series (apart from the human weapon, River).  Zoe is a veteran of the Alliance/Independence war who fought right along side of Mal.  In some respects, she is a better fighter than Mal because she has some of the common sense that Mal seems to lack. 

            And finally, there’s Kaylee who is the sweetest person you could ever have the chance to meet.  She’s quick to light a smile on her face and always has a comforting word to say to any of the characters in the series.  She might not look lie it, but Kaylee is the best mechanic in the universe.  She managed to keep the ship moving at all costs and her crew depended on her for it.

            Joss Whedon’s interpretation of the female is a good indication that society’s constraints placed on women are fictitious and are only based on men’s unfair bias.  I believe that Joss Whedon is trying to prove a point: women are equal to men.