This is a very good point that you bring up. Perhaps Whedon is deliberately through Penny's arc showing how men, including himself, view women and how wrong they are. Horrible is so self-absorbed, that he does not hear or see Penny's desires. Hammar doesn't either, except as a means to an end. When Hammar does his speech, neither notices Penny's retreat. How she desires to hide.
This is a common theme in Whedon's works - that the male perception of women is often wrong. We see it in Serenity, Firefly, Angel, and in the series Buffy. Fred is not quite the victim Gunn, Wes, Angel, et all perceive. Nor is Cordelia. I wonder if perhaps the motif may be deliberate - if so, it's clumsy and could be done a bit better.
At any rate of the three characters, Penny is the only one not wearing a custom and not feeling the need to promote herself. She can make a difference without the grand-standing.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-07-20 09:34 pm (UTC)Horrible is so self-absorbed, that he does not hear or see Penny's desires. Hammar doesn't either, except as a means to an end. When Hammar does his speech, neither notices Penny's retreat. How she desires to hide.
This is a common theme in Whedon's works - that the male perception of women is often wrong. We see it in Serenity, Firefly, Angel, and in the series Buffy. Fred is not quite the victim Gunn, Wes, Angel, et all perceive. Nor is Cordelia. I wonder if perhaps the motif may be deliberate - if so, it's clumsy and could be done a bit better.
At any rate of the three characters, Penny is the only one not wearing a custom and not feeling the need to promote herself. She can make a difference without the grand-standing.