Serenity: A Question

[butterfly]

Okay, how is the Operative like Jubal Early? I do not get it. To me, they seemed like completely, utterly different characters.

Jubal was a bounty hunter who was clearly nuts and who liked causing pain and threatening people, the Operative was an assassin who was very rational and straight-forward. And Jubal didn't Believe in much of anything (is it still River's room if River isn't in it?), much less a better world. And the Operative was exceedingly polite and open-minded, even while killing people (Young miss?). I can't picture the Operative threatening to rape Kaylee. And Jubal tried to deny to himself that he was a monster, tried to claim that it was just his job, whereas the Operative was just doing his job and was aware that that choice did make him a monster.

Seriously, I just really want someone to explain to me how they're alike.

Comments

[herself_nyc]

They had a slight physical resemblance, a little bit of a similarity in how they carried themselves, and I think The Operative's habit of telling people what their sin was reminded people of some of Jubal's verbal tics. I know it did me.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

But the Operative is really hot! And Jubal really wasn't! I mean. Really, really hot.

Was I the only person who thought that?

Which is only part of why they felt so different to me, but, honestly, I didn't think that they looked alike at all, apart from being black. Because did no one else notice how hot the Operative was? Seriously, he was really hot. I'd make an icon of him, but I'd be unable to resist making it spoilery, so I'm going to wait on that.

It's a case of me completely boggling upon seeing a comparison and going, "Dude, I don't see it at all." And then I tried to see it, the second time around, and, again, really didn't. And thus this post.

Jubal just seemed really... crazy to me. He was a complete River parallel, and she's the one who had to figure out how to beat him, whereas the Operative seemed to be cast to play against Mal and Book, with the belief angle. And Mal was the one who had to face off against him, because of that.