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Episode Studies by Clayton Barr

enik1138
-at-popapostle-dot-com
Firefly: Coup de Grace Firefly
Coup de Grâce
Novel
Written by Una McCormack

(The page numbers come from the first printing, trade paperback edition, September 2024)

 

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, ." "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!"

 

 

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