![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_nightI just realized I never shared this bit of Firefly meta with anyone. What did the Tams know?
When we meet Gabriel Tam in a flashback (with Zac Efron playing young Simon), he seems like a strict, but not unloving father. We don't see Regan Tam with her kids when they're young, although we do see her in a flashback that's closer to when the events of Firefly take place.
If you recall, Simon tries to tell them that something is wrong with River. He uses her letters as an example, saying how she talked about parties they went to that, in reality, never happened. Her parents deny it, and when Simon gets into trouble for snooping, he gets a stern warning.
This begs the question: What did the Tams know?
First and foremost, we can establish that the Tams were staunch followers of the Alliance. Going back to the flashback, you notice that River and Simon are playing a game where they're fighting Browncoats. (It's a good thing River never mentions this game to Zoe or Mal.) These are upper class people who are probably linked to those in power, whether through working in the government themselves, family, and/or simply because of their social status. It's the only reason River ended up at the "Academy" in the first place. They are believers, something the Serenity movie (love it or hate it) later touches on when we meet the Operative.
And belief, as we see from the Operative, can be scary.
The blanket explanation initially given to audiences - and perhaps Joss Whedon intended it to be true - is that the Tams were simply in denial. They love their government, so they're not going to take any suggestion that it might be intentionally hurting River lightly. They really thought that Simon was just sad without his sister, and that River was being childish when writing those goofy letters. Or else, they needed to believe it.
But some fans posit that it could have been darker: what if the Tams - either one of them, or both - knew everything? On one hand, the idea of River's parents knowing she was being tortured seems rather shocking. However, it wouldn't be the first time "Whedon parents", as well as mentors, allowed unspeakable things to happen to them. And if they really are such believers, it could be that the end justifies the means. The Alliance clearly had plans for River; maybe in their minds, that made everything else worth it.
Moreover, if only one of them was in the know about what was really happening, it would've been easy to convince the other that nothing was wrong.
I think it's also possible that the answer was in-between. It seems to me River was always gifted, and perhaps always had at least some level of precognition. Maybe the apparent head of the Academy told them that it wasn't a traditional school, and River would be put to unusual tests. There could be possible side effects as her gifts were tested, she might seem odd if they visited her or say odd things, but don't worry about it, they had it all under control. The Tams might have accepted this, but knowing Simon was already getting jittery, declined to tell him. It would just worry him more, which was unnecessary, because the Academy wouldn't hurt River. They had her best interests in mind.
Of course, if it's true that they were oblivious, or didn't know how extreme the tests and experiments would be, one has to wonder what the Academy planned on doing in the long term. The Tams would still want to see their daughter at some point. Would they have chalked odd behavior to stress? Had the Academy planned on telling them that there was a horrible accident, and that River was dead, or brain damaged and would need special care at an Alliance hospital? Or is this a sign that the Tams were in the know after all?
I also wonder about the Academy itself. Who else was there? Is the dream at the beginning of Serenity a hint, or is the dream about a pre-Academy occurrence? Alternatively, is it about someone else altogether? After all, River remembered Miranda, and she had absolutely no ties to it. It was simply information she accessed, triggered by a Fruity Oaty Bar commercial.
What are your thoughts, Firefly fans?
When we meet Gabriel Tam in a flashback (with Zac Efron playing young Simon), he seems like a strict, but not unloving father. We don't see Regan Tam with her kids when they're young, although we do see her in a flashback that's closer to when the events of Firefly take place.
If you recall, Simon tries to tell them that something is wrong with River. He uses her letters as an example, saying how she talked about parties they went to that, in reality, never happened. Her parents deny it, and when Simon gets into trouble for snooping, he gets a stern warning.
This begs the question: What did the Tams know?
First and foremost, we can establish that the Tams were staunch followers of the Alliance. Going back to the flashback, you notice that River and Simon are playing a game where they're fighting Browncoats. (It's a good thing River never mentions this game to Zoe or Mal.) These are upper class people who are probably linked to those in power, whether through working in the government themselves, family, and/or simply because of their social status. It's the only reason River ended up at the "Academy" in the first place. They are believers, something the Serenity movie (love it or hate it) later touches on when we meet the Operative.
And belief, as we see from the Operative, can be scary.
The blanket explanation initially given to audiences - and perhaps Joss Whedon intended it to be true - is that the Tams were simply in denial. They love their government, so they're not going to take any suggestion that it might be intentionally hurting River lightly. They really thought that Simon was just sad without his sister, and that River was being childish when writing those goofy letters. Or else, they needed to believe it.
But some fans posit that it could have been darker: what if the Tams - either one of them, or both - knew everything? On one hand, the idea of River's parents knowing she was being tortured seems rather shocking. However, it wouldn't be the first time "Whedon parents", as well as mentors, allowed unspeakable things to happen to them. And if they really are such believers, it could be that the end justifies the means. The Alliance clearly had plans for River; maybe in their minds, that made everything else worth it.
Moreover, if only one of them was in the know about what was really happening, it would've been easy to convince the other that nothing was wrong.
I think it's also possible that the answer was in-between. It seems to me River was always gifted, and perhaps always had at least some level of precognition. Maybe the apparent head of the Academy told them that it wasn't a traditional school, and River would be put to unusual tests. There could be possible side effects as her gifts were tested, she might seem odd if they visited her or say odd things, but don't worry about it, they had it all under control. The Tams might have accepted this, but knowing Simon was already getting jittery, declined to tell him. It would just worry him more, which was unnecessary, because the Academy wouldn't hurt River. They had her best interests in mind.
Of course, if it's true that they were oblivious, or didn't know how extreme the tests and experiments would be, one has to wonder what the Academy planned on doing in the long term. The Tams would still want to see their daughter at some point. Would they have chalked odd behavior to stress? Had the Academy planned on telling them that there was a horrible accident, and that River was dead, or brain damaged and would need special care at an Alliance hospital? Or is this a sign that the Tams were in the know after all?
I also wonder about the Academy itself. Who else was there? Is the dream at the beginning of Serenity a hint, or is the dream about a pre-Academy occurrence? Alternatively, is it about someone else altogether? After all, River remembered Miranda, and she had absolutely no ties to it. It was simply information she accessed, triggered by a Fruity Oaty Bar commercial.
What are your thoughts, Firefly fans?
