Lawrence Dobson
From The Firefly and Serenity Database
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| Lawrence Dobson | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Gender |
Male |
| Statistics | |
Lawrence Dobson is an undercover Alliance agent in pursuit of Simon and River Tam. When he suspects to have found Simon on the planet Persephone, he joins him and the Shepherd Derrial Book as a passenger on board Serenity.
Soon after leaving the planet he attempts to contact the Alliance to report his discovery. When the crew discovers the transmission, they find Dobson in the cargo bay with his gun aimed at Simon. After a moment of panic, he shoots Kaylee and is knocked out by Book. He is locked up for a while, and when interrogated by Jayne, he attempts to bribe him for his freedom.
By the time the ship arrives at the moon Whitefall, Dobson escapes his quarters, beats up Shepherd Book and attempts again, unsuccessfully, to contact the Alliance. He reveals a more sadistic side of himself as he beats Book unnecessarily in a fit of anger. Up to this point Book had been protecting him from harm, mainly by Jayne. He then finds River and tries to leave the ship while holding her at gunpoint. Malcolm Reynolds, returning from his mission, sizes up the situation and without hesitation shoots Dobson in the head. Mal and Jayne then toss him from the ship, leaving him for dead.
Lawrence Dobson later returns, sporting an ocular implant where Mal had shot him in the eye. Obsessed with seeking revenge on Reynolds, Dobson joins the "Hands of Blue" in finding Serenity, its captain, and the Tam siblings. When the two finally meet again, Mal shoots the former agent first (in his good eye), and kills him for good.[1]
[edit] Behind the scenes
Lawrence Dobson was portrayed by Carlos Jacott. In the "Serenity" episode, Dobson's initial clumsiness and common appearance contrasts him to the viewer (and the other characters) with the more suspicious-looking Simon Tam, to conceal Dobson's role as villain on the ship. This is an effect shared by other Joss Whedon characters portrayed by actor Carlos Jacott, where he also switches from seeming innocent, clumsy and unimportant to being someone with more malicious intentions.
In the commentary for the pilot episode, Joss Whedon mentions that Dobson would have become a recurring villain had the show gone on. However, he was able to bring him back in the comic book series that bridged the series and the movie.
[edit] Appearances
Firefly – "Serenity" (First appearance)
- Those Left Behind
