Wash Warren: The Most Overlooked Character? by zoid

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Wash Warren: The Most Overlooked Character?

POSTED BY: ZOID
UPDATED: Saturday, May 22, 2004 12:58
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Friday, May 21, 2004 7:20 PM

Hello, fella Innapenants!

Tuh-day is an ass-spicious day... I got words... (is it wrong that I think it's cool Joss put that character in an episode? I liked him a lot better than the ex-partner that tried to kill the Cobber in "Jaynestown")

Wash Warren -- nobody's really sure if that's his last name, but let's take it as read -- played by Alan Tudyk, was the character that originally drew me to the show. To be more precise, Mr. Tudyk was the 'star' that drew me to the show. My first recollection of Alan was from "Thirty Days", starring Sandy Bullock, in which he played a gay German recovering from substance abuse. He stole the show, in my opinion. Next I saw him in the Heath Ledger vehicle, "A Knight's Tale" in which he played one of Ledger's entourage. Again, very quirky and funny, and I thought, "This guy's going places."

Well, he wasn't off the radar long before I spotted him (very briefly) on one of the promos for Firefly. So I tuned in the show, and found him every bit as effective a comedic actor as I had in those two movies. Of course, I was amazed by the lead actor, Nathan Fillion, who looked familiar but whose face I couldn't quite place; but this is about our little pilot, not our heroic (or piratic, according to some) captain.

Alan maintains he's as tall as Gina, but that he 'hunches', in his DVD commentary. Mmm-hmm. Whatever his comparative height in relation to the female cast members, there's little doubt in my mind of his stature in the role of Wash. So why is he so overlooked by Firefly fans?

We've all read and participated in multiple threads about Simon, Kaylee, Jayne, Mal, River, Zoë, Book and Inara. But in the couple of months I've been active on this board, I've never seen one devoted to Wash; I think it's about time, don't you?

Wash is a devoted husband. This was one of the first things about the character that I identified with. When he backs away from Saffron's advances in OMR, I thought, "Dude, that is so totally me!" Then when he starts in with how he never met a woman quite like Zoë, how much he totally loves her, and Saffron rolls her eyes prior to knocking him unconscious, I thought, "Um, has somebody got one of those little micro-spycams trained on me?". Same thing with the whole, "This Land" toy dino scene: if that isn't an ATC'er working a dead swing shift, then God don't make little green apples (which should be eaten with a knife, to avoid becoming a war story with rib cages in it).

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but Wash and Zoë's relationship has more than a little role-reversal going on. Quite a bit is overt, like Zoë being the one who's warlike and decisive, she's the one who wants kids and he's holding out (what kind of contraceptives do they have in the future, that a woman can't have a child anytime she's ready as long as she's got a 'donor' as willing as Wash?), among others. But for me, the most telling bit of role-reversal is after they finished a lovemaking session strenuous enough to put a sheen of sweat on Zoë (I forget the ep). Wash warns her that falling asleep is a sign of weakness of character, then recites his eulogy of her, "Here lies my beautiful Zoë, (SLAPS HER POSTERIOR) somewhat less attractive now that she's all corpsified and gross." C'mon! Everyone knows the guy is the one that falls deeply asleep afterward, while the wife wants to continue talking/playing.

The last thing I'll say on Wash (for now), is that I feel he really would like to somehow talk Zoë into leaving the ship and settling into a situation where it was just the two of them. Then perhaps he would give in to her wishes and grant her the heir she so desperately wants...

The problem is that she is bound to Mal by her samurai code and the life-debt she owes him. Without Mal, she is ronin; honor -- her face -- would require her to commit harakiri. (kids, remember not to eat snacks with your tongue in your cheek, I just bit the crap outta myself)

Respectfully,

zoid
P.S.
I think either Wash or Zoë (not both) would be the characters most likely to die before the end of the series' run, FWIW.
_________________________________________________

"History may say I saved River; but it's not like that. No, that's not it at all. I saved my sister."

- Simon Tam, M.D., husband and father of 4, Jiangyin; from A Child Shall Lead Them: A History of the Second War of Independence Wilkins, Richard

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Friday, May 21, 2004 7:36 PM

SERGEANTX

Quote:
...the whole, "This Land" toy dino scene: if that isn't an ATC'er working a dead swing shift, then God don't make little green apples "

Great post, Zoid. The above line particularly caught my attention. I knew something about that scene seemed awfully familiar and you've just nailed it!
I work at Kansas City Center for four years (washed out in fifth year of training - long story) and I still remember the mid shifts. One night I remember, the controller I was working with, on a dare addressed every pilot passing through in a distinct 'Elmer Fudd' voice.
So, yeah, it gets kind of weird late at night.

Anyway, I'm in total agreement on Wash, at times my favorite character, if somewhat neglected.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Friday, May 21, 2004 7:53 PM

CAGEYBEE

i very much agree that wash is the most overlooked character. but he is definitely one of my (if not most) favorite. could be my tendency to think of funny as sexy or his hair, but i agree with joss when i say that alan sells the emotion. he always confirms the feelings i have just under the surface. one of the times that this happened for me was in "war stories" when he and mal are just thrust into niska's room blindfolded. he says something to the effect of "she's my wife, mal!" knowing that it would be zoe with mal instead him had he not insisted on going. just the tone and passion in his voice told me he loved her more than he could even get out.

in conclusion, i want more wash threads.

me

~Mal- "how drunk was i last night?"
~Jayne- "i don't know. i passed out."

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Friday, May 21, 2004 7:59 PM

JEBBYPAL

Another great shiny post on another enigma of a post.

Yeah, the role reversal is definitely there --- I think you either have to be in a relationship identical to it or asleep to miss it;)

Quote:
Zoid asked: So why is he so overlooked by Firefly fans?

I think the problem is that Wash is just too much of an enigma. He cracks jokes and loves Zoe, the rest just feels unclear. He definitely feels a tad bit insecure compared the the rest of the men (w/ the exception of Simon) --- hence War Stories.

Other than that, it's hard to determine what he's feeling due to the roles he plays in the episodes (large casts have some drawbacks) and the type of character: he's the ultimate comedian which if RL comedians are antything to go by, tells me that he probably feels and is affected by events more than is shown.

I think in OMR he sympathizes for Saffron's situation much more than most of the crew. I mean if mal and zoe can fly the ship at least short distances, he probably feels like he's the one crew member they could do w/out. Course, he could just be a typical man in most of his rxns too...

Anyway, as a writer, he's definitely difficult w/ what little we've been shown. Humorous wise cracks aside, it's hard to interpret his character at times although it would be a close tie as to whether he or Zoe were more mysterious me thinks.

---ON an aside, are you slipping Zoid? There were no conspiracy theories in this tangent!!??

The Strawberry Monkey
http://p221.ezboard.com/bfireflyfanficawards

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Friday, May 21, 2004 7:59 PM

SERGEANTX

I remember an old interview with Joss where he basically admitted that Wash was a stand in for him. Seems to fit.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 10:58 AM

MENELUIN

I agree that he's the most overlooked character. He's the normal guy that can come in for comic relief... or the guy that you kind of smile and nod along with because yeah, if I was flying Serenity and there was that much turbulence, I'd be mildly alarmed, too...

I think part of it is that Wash and Zoe are married. Yes, there's a lot of room for development, sex, fights, and trouble there, of course, but we get that feeling that for the moment, they're safe. Everyone else is either involved in some sort of yet to be fully revealed circumstance (River or Book), has sex on the brain (erm, Jayne, in his bunk, Inara's view of sex as part of her career), or has some sort of sexual tension (Mal and Inara, Mal and Zoe, Simon and Kaylee).

I can't help but feel a bit less strongly in any way for Zoe or Wash, because they take care of each other. I find the role reversals to be amusing, but comfortable for the couple.

This also leaves a lot to be worked with. Unfortunately, a potentially rocky marriage would be much more interesting in a series, but I'm not going to complain about the movies, either.

If you've ever seen Star Trek: The Next Generation (don't throw tomatoes, I'm actually a huge fan of it), Geordi LaForge is a lot like Wash. (Geordi is the character played by Lavar Burton.) While Geordi's actual function is more like Kaylee's since he's in charge of engineering, he's referred to as the ship's navigator. Because he's the navigator, Geordi has to have some sort of center to his being. Even though Wash isn't outwardly calm by any means, he has enough humor, sense, and experience to work through or at least go along with a difficult situation. I think that Zoe is a big part of that--he's an absolute wreck when troubles with Zoe happen, and Mal knows that it affects Wash's performance as a very important member of the crew (I'm thinking War Stories, mainly). The majority of the time, Wash is humorously centered enough to have normal reactions, while still being able to, well, keep flyin'.

Another nice similarity between Geordi and Wash, which I'll throw in there while I'm on the topic, is blindness. One of the most poetic things to ever occur in Trek is of course Geordi's blindness... he is a blind ship's navigator. I know, how Homeric, eh? But I'm going somewhere with this point-- Wash is, in a way, blind to a lot. I mean, he's really only "in on it," it being the social happenings of the ship, because he's with Zoe. Similarly, Kaylee always kind of keeps Simon in the loop just by being interested in him, or by inviting him along or taking him seriously when everyone else laughs. Zoe and Wash, at least on a one on one basis, function the same way. At any rate, when things don't go well between Zoe and Wash, it's almost as if he is flying blind.

Lastly, just to say it... something that would never happen, and that I'd never WANT to happen... but that would be so damn interesting to see happen... would be Wash and Inara. We've seen Inara's work with Fess Higgins...what would she do for Wash?

~~~~~~~~
http://www.thepaperbackwriter.com
AIM: KingArthursPiano
E-mail/MSN: sgtpprsgrl@hotmail.com

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 11:29 AM

TALLGRRL

Wash is overlooked because the show didn't last long enough for us to know more about him.
Same with Zoe. Same with Inara. Same with Kaylee and Simon and River. And Jayne and Book. And Mal.
I was looking forward to some backstory on all of these people.
That is probably the most galling thing about how this show was killed so quickly.
All of these characters are compelling. All of them are deeper than the few episodes we got to spend with them.

"Take me, sir. Take me hard."

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 11:34 AM

TALLGRRL

Quote:
Originally posted by Meneluin:

Lastly, just to say it... something that would never happen, and that I'd never WANT to happen... but that would be so damn interesting to see happen... would be Wash and Inara. We've seen Inara's work with Fess Higgins...what would she do for Wash?

~~~~~~~~

Uh, as if Wash needs some help from Inara?
Did you see that post-coital scene in Shindig?
Wash "knows all the steps" and it seemed that Zoe was more than just a little bit satisfied. KnowwhatImean? I know that you do.

"Take me, sir. Take me hard."

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 11:44 AM

MENELUIN

True, true..... and it's not like I could forget THAT scene... what I mean to say is I wonder how it might change his demeanor.

But, yes..... I do remember that scene.

~~~~~~~~

"Take me, sir. Take me hard."

~~~~~~~~
http://www.thepaperbackwriter.com
AIM: KingArthursPiano
E-mail/MSN: sgtpprsgrl@hotmail.com

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 12:49 PM

SARAHETC

Quote:
Originally posted by Meneluin:

Lastly, just to say it... something that would never happen, and that I'd never WANT to happen... but that would be so damn interesting to see happen... would be Wash and Inara. We've seen Inara's work with Fess Higgins...what would she do for Wash?

All due apologies to Tallgrl and you Meneluin, who I know love and love and love Wash as much as I do, but woo! I could write that story. Somebody should write that story. I have a lot of fanfic to look up.

Also, Wash and Kaylee. It's very, *sigh*.

I really liked your remarks about Wash being a navigator in the vein of Geordi LaForge. It made me think you could even extend the metaphor. Like Geordi readily seems to be the least damaged or unsatisfied crew member on the Enterprise, Wash doesn't seem to be carrying around a lot of nasty baggage the way anybody else is. He has problems, no doubt, but they are all fairly normal problems-- wife, family, avionics. Just like Geordi didn't have a huge growth arc like any of the other characters, Wash's growth/story arc migth have been pretty pedestrian compared to anybody else aboard Serenity. It would still be significant, but it might not lend itself to hair-pulling, garment-rending drama.

And they both have woman angst. It's fairly low-level and sweet, but it's still angst. It's sort of contrary to the Joss-stand-in joint (or he would have us believe), but Wash seems to be the most stable, most sturdy, most well-adjusted character.

And it is unfortunate, but he would be the first one killed off for drama's sake. Curse the sudden and inevitable betrayal, anyway.

Also < long standing screed > Warren is not canon! It's not! I have not, nor will I, back down from my promise to eat my shoes if it turns out his real name is Jerry Lee Warren. But Warren is not cannon! Gawd! < /long standing screed >

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

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Saturday, May 22, 2004 12:58 PM

EST120

Quote:
I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

not to get off subject, but GREAT singer, by the way. i LOVE her voice. do you know if she is coming out with another album anytime soon?

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