R. Tam sessions
Encyclopedia
The R. Tam sessions are a series of five short videos released by Joss Whedon
over the internet, which were set within his fictional Firefly
universe. They chronicled several of the early in-universe interviews with the emotionally troubled Firefly character River Tam.
Although released unofficially, the videos were meant as a form of viral marketing
for the 2005 film Serenity
. The sessions were released on the internet between August 16 and September 5 of 2005. They are included on the Collector's Edition DVD for Serenity.
television series and the film Serenity
, the R. Tam sessions depict excerpts of counseling sessions with the character River Tam while she is held at an Alliance
"learning facility" known only as "The Academy." The counselor in these sessions is played by Joss Whedon
himself, while Summer Glau
appears as River. The videos shed some light on the experiments and torture "The Academy" conducted on River. They "document" her change from a shy child prodigy to the mentally unstable character of the television series.
), and makes another non sequitur about a patient who died on the table while the interviewer (apparently a doctor) was performing a surgery which points toward her being a mind-reader as it was something she did not see and was not told but that the interviewer was aware of. She desires very much to see her brother (Simon) in person, but the interviewer obliquely denies this request, suggesting that she write to him instead.
This clip also introduces a Dr. Mathias as the person who is apparently in charge of whatever is being done to River. Mathias plays a role later on in the film Serenity
.
. She claims that she has no "mission," apparently seeking the purpose to why she is at this institution. Suddenly after a video cut, she shrieks and bends over on the table, and claims that something in the mattress is "sticking in [her]" and screams repeatedly at the interviewer that "they cut it out" (a reference to the Firefly episode "Ariel
").
River's reference to The Princess and the Pea
is a typically double-sided remark, referring to the story of a Princess that could not get to sleep because of a pea under her mattress. Likewise, in Serenity, it's implied that River's psychosis is caused by a similar 'pea' – a secret so important that her mind fragmented simply to keep itself safe.
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
over the internet, which were set within his fictional Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
universe. They chronicled several of the early in-universe interviews with the emotionally troubled Firefly character River Tam.
Although released unofficially, the videos were meant as a form of viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
for the 2005 film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
. The sessions were released on the internet between August 16 and September 5 of 2005. They are included on the Collector's Edition DVD for Serenity.
Story
Set before the events of the FireflyFirefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
television series and the film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
, the R. Tam sessions depict excerpts of counseling sessions with the character River Tam while she is held at an Alliance
Alliance (Firefly)
The Alliance is a fictional supra-governmental entity in the Serenity franchise, a powerful authoritarian government and law-enforcement organization that controls the majority of territory within the known universe...
"learning facility" known only as "The Academy." The counselor in these sessions is played by Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
himself, while Summer Glau
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau is an American actress, known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up film Serenity, and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.-Early life:...
appears as River. The videos shed some light on the experiments and torture "The Academy" conducted on River. They "document" her change from a shy child prodigy to the mentally unstable character of the television series.
Sessions
The five clips are listed here in the order in which they were released, but the actual chronological order is indicated by the numbering, session 1 being the first clip and session 416 being the last.R. Tam, Session 416 – Second Excerpt
We see a man sitting in a chair by a table. After a few seconds of silence, he puts his hands to his throat and begins to cough violently. We see him pull out what is apparently a pen, and throw it onto the table. After a few seconds of struggling, he falls out of his chair onto the floor. With blood on her hand, River then appears on screen, looks directly at the camera, and whispers, "I can see you."R. Tam, Session 1 – Excerpt
We are introduced to a young girl named River. She is being interviewed by the same man who was murdered in the first clip. The setting is apparently the same room by the same table. This clip takes place before the previous one, as indicated by the numbering and River's personality. The interviewer begins to question River about her life, such as how school is going, and asks her if she would be interested in joining what is presumably "the Academy." This clip establishes River as being extremely intelligent, and hints at her having extremely intuitive, or possibly psychic, powers.R. Tam, Session 22 – Excerpt
River is having second thoughts about how she may not be "the right subject" for the treatments being done to her. She requests a transfer back to a normal school, despite it being "too slow." The video then cuts to another conversation. River says "it's the Pax" (a reference to the events of SerenitySerenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
), and makes another non sequitur about a patient who died on the table while the interviewer (apparently a doctor) was performing a surgery which points toward her being a mind-reader as it was something she did not see and was not told but that the interviewer was aware of. She desires very much to see her brother (Simon) in person, but the interviewer obliquely denies this request, suggesting that she write to him instead.
This clip also introduces a Dr. Mathias as the person who is apparently in charge of whatever is being done to River. Mathias plays a role later on in the film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
.
R. Tam, Session 165 – Excerpt
In this excerpt, River has experienced a psychotic break and is pacing around instead of sitting down as in the previous excerpts. She is rambling (with the occasional stutter) about how she apparently cut up her mattress for reasons unknown to anyone else but herself, making a reference to the fairy tale The Princess and the PeaThe Princess and the Pea
"The Princess and the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in an inexpensive booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C.A...
. She claims that she has no "mission," apparently seeking the purpose to why she is at this institution. Suddenly after a video cut, she shrieks and bends over on the table, and claims that something in the mattress is "sticking in [her]" and screams repeatedly at the interviewer that "they cut it out" (a reference to the Firefly episode "Ariel
Ariel (Firefly episode)
"Ariel" is the ninth episode of the science fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon.Hard up for cash, Serenity takes on a job from Simon: break into an Alliance hospital on central world Ariel so that he can get a thorough diagnostic of River and the crew can loot the valuable...
").
River's reference to The Princess and the Pea
The Princess and the Pea
"The Princess and the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in an inexpensive booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C.A...
is a typically double-sided remark, referring to the story of a Princess that could not get to sleep because of a pea under her mattress. Likewise, in Serenity, it's implied that River's psychosis is caused by a similar 'pea' – a secret so important that her mind fragmented simply to keep itself safe.
R. Tam, Session 416 – First Excerpt
River says that Dr. Mathias "gave [her] a mission", and is apparently aware that her brother Simon is looking for her. She says she cannot tell the interviewer what this mission is, and that she will have to write it down, extending a hand for the pen the interviewer is holding.External links
- I Can See You: The Session 416 Story
- R. Tam Sessions (Complete) on Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...