Friday, 29 December 2023

We’re So Pretty

"The Force is not Fire,
it is Venom."

-- The Book of The Sith


We've done The Impossible 
and that makes us mighty
Just a little while longer, 
our angels are gonna be 
soaring overhead raining 
fire on those arrogant cod, 
so you hold! (yelling
You hold! Go!


Diane Abbott doesn't like Johnny Rotten...

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) :
(to Andrew Neil, very approvingly)
.....you've been solid for years, 
you've buggered them politicians -- 

Andrew Neill :
....you're speaking metaphorically I hope! 

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) :
Alright we stand on the same platter
don't we, you know -- 

Andrew Neill :
Look at them, we'll let them...
shall we bring them in, 
who are you going to vote 
do you want to hear them 
who are you going to vote for now....?

Andrew Neill :
Have you been motivated by anger 
in your political career....? 

Portillo :
No, no, no, not not an emotion 
I deal with very much --
I also think that broadly speaking, 
anger has disappeared from the discourse 

interview 

Portillo :
We've talked about the anger of the 70s, 
I mean I remember the anger of students,
I remember, you know, 
people out on the streets,
I remember even, you know, 
going into the 80s poll tax riots and so on 
but when it came to Iraq you know, 
it was a million people strolling in the park,
it didn't seem to me that that same anger 
was around and -- and now 
we're into the 21st --  well into 
the 21st century, 
I don't see much of it at all --

Dianne Abbot :
I don't think has disappeared, 
I think for instance a lot of UKIP Voters 
are certainly ex-labor UKIP voters 
are actually quite angry about 
the Westminster Elite and --
and issues like that and 
I've been angry in politics, yeah 

You've been angry -- Angry's model 
You get angry, yeah -- I get angry 
about Injustice, Racism.... whatever, 
and you know I still 
continue language --

Andrew Neill :
....Didn't you get angry in your 
previous Incarnation...? 

....Yes.

Andrew Neill :
As a Thatcherite? 

Dianne Abbot :
I don't think you're angry, no --

Portillo :
I don't think so, no --

Bloody sad sack, across...! 

-- for the future 
I was -- I was so British. 

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) :
Anger is the most important 
thing you have -- this is how 
I recovered my memory

At seven, I had meningitis
that's like a debilitating disease
even in the slightest way possible 
but I lost my memory --
I didn't recognise my mum and dad 
or even myself, right? 

It took a lot of anger -- which, 
the hospital recommended, 
for my parents -- to find 
out who I was -- 

Anger, is An Energy. 

Andrew Neill :
Just before we go -- 
Are Young People angry enough today? 

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) :
No they're not, no. They're not. It's --
everything is mediocre and pleasant....

Portillo :
.....Train Journeys! 

John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) :
A-ha! Now you're speaking!
Ah, yes! People don't know, by the way, 
I've got to tell you, people love 
those pleasant Train Journeys
people don't get angry in these 
Train Journeys, they just fall asleep 
in the middle of them -- in fact, 
he often falls asleep and misses 
the station -- Don't care, as long 
as you talk about them, as long as
 you give the publicity....

Do you really want to change 
this situation we call Britain 

I do I always have -- I've offered... 
I've been away for a while, 
I'll come back, and you can't 
smoke a cigarette anywhere -- 

...but we're going away now because 
we've run out of time.... 

Come back to me, 
I'm proper Britain-- right? 




XT. SERENITY VALLEY - NIGHT

We come into the middle of a battle. Soldiers are yelling and running, gunfire everywhere, stuff blowing up but good.

Camera focuses on a soldier in the silhouette of an explosion, running and dodging fire. He hits the dirt for cover. We PUSH IN and see that it's Mal. His face is dirty and he's breathing hard.

Mal's up again and running to rejoin his company in a makeshift foxhole.

RADIO OPERATOR Sergeant, Command says air support is holding till they can assess our status.

MAL Our status is that we need some gorram air support. Now get back on line and tell 'em to get in here.

ZOE That skiff is shredding us, sir.

RADIO OPERATOR They won't move without a lieutenant's authorization code, sir.

Angry, Mal walks over and rips off the badge from a dead Lieutenant's uniform and gives it to the Radio Operator.

MAL Here, here's your code. You're Lieutenant Baker. Congratulations on your promotion. Now get me some air support! (to Zoe) Pull back, just enough to wedge 'em in here. Get your squad to high ground, start picking 'em off.

ZOE High ground is death with that skiff in the air.

MAL That's our problem. Thanks for volunteering. (to Bendis) Bendis, give us some cover fire. We're going duck hunting.

The foxhole is rocked by a huge explosion. Mal's group of soldiers are looking pretty young and scared. Time for a morale boost:

MAL Just focus! (beat) The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley and we choked 'em with those words. We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. Just a little while longer, our angels are gonna be soaring overhead raining fire on those arrogant cod, so you hold! (yelling) You hold! Go!

His soldiers take up their positions to lay down cover fire while Mal and Zoe prepare to take down the skiff.

ZOE Really think we can bring her down, sir?

MAL Do you even need to ask?

Mal pulls a necklace out from under his shirt and kisses the cross.

MAL Ready?

ZOE Always.

Mal takes off. Zoe prepares to follow, sees that no one's covering Mal.

ZOE Bendis? Bendis!

She sees Bendis huddled across from her, scared stiff.

ZOE (cont'd) (angrily) Rut it.

Zoe grunts and stands up, laying cover fire for Mal as he moves down the hill. After a moment, she follows Mal down the hill, taking cover with him behind some boulders. Mal fires into the bushes, causing the soldier guarding a bigass gun to move out of his cover and return fire. Mal shoots him dead.

Mal activates the bigass gun's targeting system while Zoe covers him. Mal locks a target on the skiff that's been killing them in the battle and fires. He makes a direct hit and stands back from the bigass gun.

MAL Yeah! (manly grunt)

Then Mal realizes that the skiff is outta control... and headed right for him. Oh, shit. Mal starts running.

MAL Zoe!

Mal and Zoe run as the skiff hits the ground and plows past them, exploding. Mal and Zoe hit the ground flat on their backs. Mal starts laughing. Zoe looks long-suffering.

ZOE (entering foxhole, to Bendis) Nice cover fire.

MAL Did you see that? Green, what's our status on...

Mal trails off as he realizes Green is pretty damn wounded, possibly deader than a dead thing.

MAL Zoe.

She looks up. Mal points. Zoe moves to check Green. Mal moves to sit near Bendis.

MAL (cont'd) Hey, listen to me. Bendis, look at me! Listen, we're holding this valley no matter what.

BENDIS We're gonna die.

MAL We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis. You know why? (beat) Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? Look at that chiseled jaw. Huh? C'mon.

There's a roaring sound overhead. Zoe is listening on the radio.

MAL (cont'd) If you won't listen to me, listen to that. Those are our angels coming to blow the Alliance to the hot place. (to Zoe) Zoe, tell the 82nd --

ZOE (stunned) They're not coming. (beat) Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms.

Mal's stunned, in denial. He looks at Bendis.

MAL But what's...

Slowly, Mal stands and peeks over the top of the foxhole. His face is lit from their air support rising and retreating. Bendis stands next to him. Mal's in shock, watching his last hope pull out of the fight.

Beside him, Bendis is hit by enemy fire and falls. Mal doesn't notice.

PUSH IN on Mal's bloody face. On the disbelief.

INT. BLOWN-OUT SHIP - NIGHT

We are in some kind of burnt out wreck - all we see is twisted black metal, a few stars visible through breaches in the hull.

From top of frame, Mal floats upside-down into a close up. He is in a space suit. The title reads

SIX YEARS LATER 


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