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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr
enik1138-at-popapostle-dot-com |
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Firefly
Coup de Grâce
Novel
Written by Una McCormack
(The page numbers come from the
first printing,
trade paperback edition, September 2024)
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The Serenity crew takes on a
bounty hunting job from a vengeance-driven teenage girl.
Notes from the Firefly/Serenity
chronology
The events of this novel take place
sometime after the events of
"Objects in Space" (when
Inara announces her intention to leave the ship) and
Those Left Behind
(when she actually does leave). I have chosen to place it more
specifically in between
The Magnificent Nine and
"Better Days" Part 1.
Didja Know?
The title of this novel,
Coup de Grâce, is
French for "stroke of grace" or "blow of mercy," originally
meaning a final death blow. It has since taken on the meaning of
a final end to something.
The novel is dedicated to Amy H. Sturgis, a
scholar of science-fiction and fantasy, as well as Native
American studies.
Characters
appearing or mentioned in this novel
Anne Imelda Roberts
Anne's great grandfather
(mentioned only)
Isaac Roberts (mentioned only, deceased)
Alicia Roberts
(mentioned only, deceased)
Monseigneur Edward de Cecille
Jackson L. Carson (aka Jacky Colson,
mentioned only)
Maisie
Yell City sheriff's deputies
Yell City citizens
Bill Fincher
Sadie Ryan
Mayor Mary McQuinn
Sheriff Ned Peters
Frankie Collier
Moody Jones
(mentioned only)
Cain O'Leary
(mentioned only)
Cain O'Leary's brother
(mentioned only)
Tad Rourke
(mentioned only)
Mal
River
Simon
Jubal Early
(mentioned only)
Jayne
Zoe
Kaylee
Inara
Wash
Shepherd Book
Nell Peters
Nance
Ryan Hunter
Lucy Colson
baby
kid
Companions' Guild guards
Meya Vitale
Companions
Great-aunt Brenna
(mentioned only, deceased)
Old Ted
Doughty
(mentioned only, deceased)
Young Ted Doughty (mentioned only)
Bryce
(mentioned only)
Mick
Mrs. Greyson
Madame Annette de Cecille
Lucas Amery (alias used by Simon)
Gabriel Tam
(mentioned only)
Regan Tam
(mentioned only)
Emory Scarlett
Amy Lin
protestors
Seth Robinson (dies in this novel)
Townsend
Larsen
companion-in-training
Madame Cecille's driver
Mayor McQuinn's driver
Mayor McQuinn's aide
police
de Cecille house staff
Ma Reynolds
(mentioned only)
Reynolds ranch hands
(mentioned only)
Casey
Didja Notice?
Anne Roberts was from one of the old families on the world of
Abel. This appears to be the first mention of this world in the
'Verse, as well as Yell City, a city on that world.
On page 15, Annie remarks on Old Man Sun being out and tipping
his hat like he does in the children's rhyme. I've been unable
to determine if there is an actual children's rhyme about the
sun tipping his hat.
Annie remarks on page 18 that, after the death of her father, if
she had a grain of salt for each time someone
said how sorry they were, she'd have been mistaken for Lot's
wife. In the Bible,
Lot's wife is said to have been turned to a pillar of salt when
she turned and looked upon God's destruction of the city of
Sodom while fleeing the doomed city with her family.
On page 25, Mal reflects on River becoming a bit sassy after she
saw off one bounty hunter. This refers to events in
"Objects in Space", featuring
the bounty hunter
Jubal Early.
On page 27, Zoe informs Mal there is a message for him on the
Cortex. The Cortex is the 'Verse's version of the worldwide web.
On page 28, Mal thinks the money for this new job may pay for a
new catalyzer for the starboard compression coil which Kaylee had
been fretting about ever since the port one blew. The catalyzer
for the port compression coil blew out in
"Out of Gas".
Mal reveals he was once on Abel scouting for recruits during the
war.
River reveals how she's able to sneak up behind any member of
the crew and observe them without their knowing. Jayne doubts
this, but she simply says, "Big Bertha," and Jayne shuts up. Who
or what "Big Bertha" signifies is left unexplained.
When Mal tells Inara that the crew is investigating a job on
Abel, she asks, "And what is it this time? Cattle? Beagles?"
This is a reference to "Safe", wherein
the Serenity transported cattle from one world to another, and
Zoe suggests that next time they smuggle stock, they should make
it something smaller, and Wash suggests black market beagles.
On page 35, Mal reflects that Kaylee had been shot once already
on his watch and he didn't want it to happen again. Kaylee was
shot in the stomach by Lawrence Dobson in
"Serenity".
On page 37, Mal reflects that he'd tried to save the 'Verse once
and it hadn't paid off. This presumably refers to his part in
the Unification War.
Page 49 reveals two other cities on Abel are Westerly and
Keyside.
On page 49, Sheriff Peters points out that the mayor has brought
in some help from Blue Sun. Blue Sun is the wealthiest and most
well-connected corporation in the 'Verse, and often seems to
have its fingers in political and possibly illicit activities as
well.
On page 52, Mal wonders how mean the Collier gang is, as mean as
Badger or Niska? These two are crime bosses the crew have dealt
with in the past.
On page 54, Mal makes a reference to the benevolent Buddha (in
Chinese). Buddha was the Indian spiritual teacher Siddhārtha
Gautama whose teachings began the Buddhist religion popular in
the East.
Chapter 4 is the first mention of the 'Verse businesses First
Commercial Bank of Yell City, Inc. and Rising Sun Enterprises.
On page 62, pro bono is Latin for "for the public
good", and has come to represent work done voluntarily without
payment.
It's interesting to note that Annie thinks of River, when she
first sees her, as "not much older'n me" (page 59), while Simon
thinks of Annie as "not much older than River" (page 66).
When Annie first sees Inara on page 79, she's put in mind of one
of the poems her mother used to tell her, thinking, She
walks in beauty, like the night. This is the opening line
of the 1814 poem "She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Byron.
Stacey's Bar is a saloon in Yell City.
Shepherd Book tells Madame de Cecille that he is from Southdown
Abbey. This is an abbey on the planet Persephone in the Core
worlds. Book had just started his walk around the world in
"Serenity" after leaving the abbey.
On page 118, a union sticker on the wall of the bar reads "No
Pasaran", which seems to be Spanish for "They will not
pass." The union in question is the Associated General Workers
of Yell City, according to Ryan.
The incident with Jayne in an airlock and Mal threatening to let
him fly, as mentioned on page 156, refers to events at the end
of "Ariel", when Mal is angry that Jayne
tried to sell out Simon and River.
On page 178, Lin mentions the Battle of Sturges in the
Unification War. This is said to have been the second-bloodiest
battle of the war in "Those
Left Behind" Part 2.
On page 185, Annie remarks on Bill Fincher looking "pleased as
Mr. Punch himself." Mr. Punch
and his wife Judy are the characters appearing in "Punch and
Judy" puppet shows popular in Britain. The English term "pleased
as Punch" is derived from the gleeful satisfaction of Punch in
these shows.
Mayor McQuinn tells Kaylee she would
be willing to make a deal with Old Nick himself if he could stop
the city from burning this night. "Old Nick" is an English
colloquialism for the Devil.
On page 224, Sheriff Peters makes an exasperated exclamation
invoking Jesus, Mary, and "the gorram donkey." This refers, of
course, to Jesus Christ, his mother, the Virgin Mary, and
the donkey Jesus is said to have ridden into Jerusalem in the
Christian Bible.
On page 233, Annie is blearily awakening to the sight and sound
of Mal's face and voice and she thinks, "O captain my captain."
This is from the 1865 extended metaphor poem "O Captain! My
Captain!" by Walt Whitman about the death of President Abraham
Lincoln. Kaylee has been known to use the phrase in reference to
Mal as well.
Chapter 14 opens with "Longest hour comes right before the dawn,
or so the sayin' goes..." This would seem to be a slight
modification of the popular saying "it's always darkest just
before dawn", inspired by Psalm 67 of the Bible.
On pages 245-246, Mal reflects on the time he had to fix the
ship alone when Serenity's compression coil blew and
then he'd been shot by people he'd thought had come to save him. This
refers to events in "Out of Gas".
On page 246, Mal reflects on the time Shepherd Book had been
shot and Book had used some kind of identification to get
medical help on an Alliance ship. This occurred in
"Safe".
On page 248, River describes to Annie the act of horseback
riding and tells her, "And when you get up on the back of 'em,
it's almost the freest you can ever be. You ride off into that
horizon, and you let yourself go, and like lookin' out across
the black of space, seein' all the stars and knowin' that you
can't ever be stopped, that no power in the 'verse can stop
you..." River used the phrase "No power in the 'verse can stop
me," twice in "War Stories".
Chinese translations |
Page # |
Chinese |
English |
25 |
Mal thinks, Wo de ma, when did this girl get
so sassy? |
wŏ de ma = "holy mother" |
28 |
Simon says, "Gou shi!" |
"Shit!" |
39 |
Mal says, "Tian xiao de" and also
thinks, gou shi and ye su, ta ma de. |
Tian xiao de="name of all that's sacred"
gou shi=shit
ye su, ta ma de="Jesus, fucking..." |
51 |
Mal says, "Dong ma?" and "Wo de ma,
will you both say your peace and have done?" |
"Dong ma?"="Understand?"
wŏ de ma = "holy mother" |
52 |
Mal thinks, To ma de. |
Fuck. |
53 |
Mal says, "Aiya." |
An exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
53 |
Mal says, "Zen me le?" |
"What's wrong?" |
54 |
Kaylee says, "Gou shi!" |
"Shit!" |
54 |
Mal says, "Ren ci de fo zu, them
wang ba dan have taken my gorram boat?" |
Ren ci de fo zu=benevolent Buddha
wang ba dan=sons of bitches |
64 |
Mal says, "Gou shi, girl, are you
always this gorram difficult?" |
Gou shi=shit |
65 |
Zoe says, "Dong ma?" |
"Understand?" |
88 |
Wash thinks, Lao tian ye |
God |
100 |
Mal says, "Lao tian ye, this is a sad
old place." |
Lao tian ye=God |
103 |
Mal says, "Qing wā cao de liú máng." |
"Frog-humping son of a bitch." |
105 |
Mick says gou shi and Kaylee says
dong ma. |
Gou shi=shit
Dong ma=Understand |
109 |
Wash thinks Wo de ma. |
"Holy mother." |
117 |
Wash thinks aiya when he accuses Ryan
of being a gangster. |
An exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
117 |
Ryan says, "Oh, wā." |
"Oh, wow." |
123 |
Jayne says zao gao |
a milder form of gou shi: crap |
126 |
Mal says, "Ta ma de hun dan!" and
"Zen me la?" |
"Mother-humping son of a bitch!" and "What's
happening?" |
126 |
Annie says "Fèi wù!" to Jayne. |
"Useless person!" |
126 |
Mal says, "Bi zui!" |
"Shut up!" |
131 |
Emory says, "Dong ma?" |
"Understand?" |
133 |
Inara says to Simon, "Bi zui!" |
"Shut up!" |
135 |
Inara says, "Gou shi." |
"Shit." |
139 |
Mal says, "Gou shi, girl, what do you
think you're gorram doin'?" |
Gou shi=shit |
148 |
Jayne says "Zao gao!" |
"Crap!" |
149 |
Mal says, "Aiya, Miss Annie!" |
Aiya is an exclamation of surprise,
shock, fear, etc. |
152 |
Mal says, hu che and dong ma |
"stop blathering" and "understand" |
153 |
Jayne says "Zao gao." |
"Crap!" |
158 |
Mal says, "Do people fall for this niú shi?" |
niú shi=bull |
161 |
Jayne says jiàn huo and Wo de ma |
"bitch" and "Holy mother." |
163 |
Jayne says, "Wo de ma..." |
"Holy mother..." |
167 |
Scarlett says, "Dong ma?" |
"Understand?" |
174 |
Wash says "Gou shi!" and "Aiya!" |
"Shit!" and Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
176 |
Mal says, "Ta ma de," "qing wao cao de liú
máng," and "dong ma?" |
"Fucking," "frog-humping son of a bitch," and
"Understand?" |
177 |
A dying protestor says, "Qu nĭ de." |
This means "fuck you", just as the English words
he speaks following it. |
178 |
Mal says, "Wo de ma..." and "Aiya." |
"Holy mother..." and Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
185 |
Annie refers to Fincher as "nothing but a heap
of fèi wù..." |
fèi wù=waste |
195 |
Zoe says, "Lao tian ye." |
"God." |
196 |
Mal says, "Gao shi" and "rén ci de
fo zu". |
Gao shi=shit and rén ci de fo zu=benevolent
Buddha |
197 |
Lin says, "Dong ma?" |
"Understand?" |
198 |
Wash says, "Aiya." |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
201 |
Kaylee says, "...I am done with all this niú
shi..." |
niú shi=bull |
203 |
Mayor McQuinn says, "Gou shi..." |
"Shit..." |
207 |
Mal mutters "Zao gao." |
"Crap." |
209 |
Zoe mutters, "Aiya." |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
210 |
Collier calls Mal a "xi niú fool". |
xi niú=rhino |
214 |
Inara thinks, "Aiya," as she wonders
what Simon is up to in his confrontation with
the
Monseigneur. |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
218 |
Inara says, "Aiya." |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
220 |
Kaylee says, "But, aiya! You gotta draw
a line somewhere!" |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc. |
223 |
Wash thinks, "Lao tian ye." |
"God." |
224 |
Wash thinks, "Aiya," and mutters,
"Zao gao." |
Aiya=an exclamation of surprise, shock, fear, etc.
Zao gao=crap |
226-227 |
Mayor McQuinn says, "Wo de ma," and
"Dong ma?" |
"Holy mother," and "Understand?" |
231 |
Collier refers to Annie as jiàn huo and
mei mei. |
jiàn huo=bitch, mei mei=little
sister |
232 |
Mal says, "Zao gao, Annie!" |
Zao gao=crap |
233 |
Mal refers to Annie as mei mei and
says, "Gou shi, Annie, are you gorram
listenin'?" |
mei mei=little sister, Gou shi=shit |
233 |
Jayne says, "Had me running halfway round this
niú shi piece of crap world." |
niú shi=bullshit |
234 |
Jayne says, "Ta ma de," and "Dong
ma?" |
"Jesus fucking..." and "Understand?" |
247 |
Book says, "Wo de ma!" |
"Holy mother!" |
248 |
Mal calls Annie mei mei and then thinks
"Gou shi," when River starts defining
and classifying horses. |
mei mei=little sister, Gou shi=shit |
251 |
Monseigneur de Cecille says, "Ren ci de fo
zu, Annette! How could you?" and "Oh,
lao tian ye..." |
Ren ci de fo zu=benevolent Buddha
lao tian ye=God |
252 |
Simon says,
"Ren ci de fo zu," and "Gou shi,
will someone call for an ambulance?" |
Ren ci de fo zu=benevolent Buddha
Gao shi=shit |
253 |
Simon says, "Zao gao!" |
"Crap!" |
Back to Firefly/Serenity
Episode Studies
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