Nathan as Mal: A Hero Comes to Life
November 11th, 2007 Posted in Articles and EssaysThis is an essay I wrote for a book compiled by my online friends in the Appreciatin’ Nathan group. The completed book, a tribute to Nathan Fillion, was presented to him at B3, the impromptu event that took place when the Flanvention was cancelled at the last minute.
Nathan came to visit with fans despite the cancellation of the event, cementing him forever in our hearts as a big damn hero of the truest sort. With a very sincere tip of the hat to a wonderful actor and an even better human being, here is a little essay which now seems to have even deeper meaning.
~~~~~
What makes Mal so special to us all? There can only be one explanation; the fact that the actor portraying him brings so much depth and believability to the character that we cease to perceive him as a character and begin to relate to him as a person. Not just any person: one that we love, admire and would follow to the ends of the earth. In a much beloved corner of my otherwise realistic brain, he exists and he’s my hero, my inspiration, and my strength. Is he just a well-written character? No. It’s the subtle touches of depth, humanity, humor and love that Nathan imbues him with that make all the difference.
So often, a character becomes a caricature of a human being, defined only by his role in the script: a “Tough, Wisecracking Action Hero,” or perhaps the “Embittered/Reluctant Hero.” These definitions could easily have been applied to Mal were he not played by someone capable of flirting with these conventions before standing them neatly on their heads - and making our hearts stop in the process.
Think of Mal standing at Kaylee’s bedside when she wakes up after being shot. We’ve been watching a frighteningly hard, scary guy, and to see the genuine affection and gentleness in every fiber of his being as he interacts with her is breathtaking. Suddenly, we’re given the ability to relate to Mal through his capacity for love.
If you want utterly believable, watch Mal getting up and staggering away after being shot in Out of Gas, or look at the hurt expression in his eyes as he lies on that grate. I have never seen pain played so convincingly. Watching him pull himself up in agonized stages through tears of pain, hearing that heartbreaking little whimper, seeing him stagger away then stop and collect himself…. dear God that seemed real. Mal is someone we can feel genuine empathy for. Does he just shrug it off? No: it takes everything he’s got to fight through that, just as it would one of us. In some odd way, by doing that, he makes it feel possible that we could be capable of that kind of strength and courage.
Later, we can feel his quiet joy and contentment as he wakes up to his ship and his family, whole and safe. Nathan’s gentle, understated performance, once again, makes what could have been an ordinary scene beautiful and real as he impulsively reaches out to his crew for reassurance with rare, unmasked vulnerability; “You all gonna be here when I wake up?” The soft expression of peace as he drifts off to sleep makes Mal not just someone we admire, but someone we want to protect and care for.
Any man who can blow away his former war buddy without blinking must be one cold individual, right? Sure, up until we hear Mal’s voice crack as he says, “No son, you murdered yourself. I just carried the bullet awhile.” The pure sadness and compassion in his eyes as Tracey dies ring so true that once again, Mal becomes real, rescued from tough-guy clichés as he reassuringly grips the shoulder of the man he just shot and talks to him as his life fades away. And we love him for it, for his mercy and humanity in the midst of such a harsh world. Nathan is willing to give his character that humanity and that vulnerability; his ego isn’t driving him to make Mal a glossy symbol.
We can relate to Mal; he embodies both who we are and who we want to be. Those of us not endowed with the ability to shoot spider webs from our fingertips have an instinctive sense of separation from these fictional heroes. But what about an ordinary, flawed guy who fights his way through life, meeting the obstacles in his path with grace and acceptance? Someone bitter and hurt, who manages, nonetheless, to maintain his humanity, to love and to display loyalty? Someone who doesn’t always win the day, who suffers defeat and loss, yet keeps his sanity and humor? Now that’s someone we can relate to, and someone we can aspire to be. We identify with him and feel for him, share his joy and his pain, his strength and his vulnerability.
The biggest tribute to Nathan as Malcolm Reynolds is that, like a living person, Mal cannot be described in a line or distilled down to a set of defining characteristics. Simply put, Nathan brought Mal to life and gave us the most precious of things: a hero.