Woohoo! It’s week one of the offical GWC Firefly re-watch, and we hope you’ll take some time to drag out your DVDs and check out the real Firefly pilot, Serenity, Part 1 & 2.
Feel free to jump in at any point with your comments on this week’s episode as the re-watch is by definition spoiler free. We’ll be in and out, but like Jayne, we’re definitely in.
I’ll be starting my rewatch in a day or so when I can watch the best damn show to be cancelled by fox since wonderfalls.
May I add a enthusiastic Woohoo (exclamation point!) 
Well if there is anything to draw me out of lurkdom, it would definatly be Firefly!
Often when I feel the urge for some of this show, this will be the episode I watch. It does such a good job of introducing the universe and the characters… too bad it didn’t air until the end…grrrr
Thankfully, i was introduced to Firefly by a friend who kindly showed me this episode first. I won’t re-hash my story – since I’ve told it on more than one podcast already – but after this ep I was totally hooked. I ended up buying the DVDs and watched the other (few) eps over the course of a week.
I re-watched it with a friend (new to Firefly) recently, but I can’t wait to bust it out and watch it again this week.
Chuck,
Are you and the crew going to do a podcast for the Firefly rewatch or are we going to just talk about it on the board?
Alex
I sure hope there is a related podcast - I mean, it’s not like the GWC have jobs or anything…
At any rate, I’d listen (hell, I would listen to you guys do your laundry).
I found out about this show on GWC (I hadn’t watched TV in years until I happened to catch a few minutes of the end of Exodus II and had to find out what was going on - and the photography of it all intrigued me - then the towel scene with Lee…) and was both elated and sad by it - elated to find such a great series to fill in the BSG gap (for any of you out there who may remember, Osho talked about “the gap” and this is EXACTLY what that crazy dude was talking about!!!), and yet sad because it was so short lived.
On this particular first/last episode, I had my reservations. SO happy to find a real explanation for the revers, but Mal just seemed not himself, particularly in his attitude towards River and the Doc, and contradictory towards whats going on in the other part of the season. HOWEVER, that’s Mal for you.
I love that we never really find out what was up with the Preacher.
It’s true Mal does have some animosity toward River and Simon in this episode that is not seen in the rest of the series, well mostly, but I think it is only because they have threatened HIS crew, and put them in such a dangerous position. On a side note, I found this same attitude of his toward River and Simon at the beginning of the movie “serenity” disturbing and out of character because he had made it clear that they were part of his crew(even going so far as to threaten Jayne’s death) However I think I have resigned myself to the fact that a lot of stuff happened between the end of the series and the beginning of the movie that cause Mal to change.
OK, I’m totally mixing up Serenity the pilot with Serenity the final movie…ignore mild rant above…Just rewatched the correct episode. Who is that guy who plays the fed? He looks so familiar, like from some 80’s show???
Or, maybe it’s just his uncanny resemblance to Anthony Michael Hall…
Mark Sheppard is amazing, as always, in this episode, but the accent seems just as out of place here as it did on BSG. You’ve got to love the tie with no collar though. Brilliant show!!!
The guy playing the Fed is Carlos Jacott (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0415070/). He had a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, like so many of the other actors in the 'verse. I saw him most recently in the short-lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, where he played one of the writers (one half of “Ricky and Ron”).
I like the pilot, and I agree that it does a pretty good job of introducing the characters and the 'verse. IMHO, the series doesn’t really hit its stride until Our Mrs. Reynolds, and a few of the upcoming episodes are a little dull on the third or fourth rewatch.
We’ll see this time and again as the series unfolds, but I like the way Whedon takes stereotypical scenarios and tweaks them a bit. I really like Mal’s reaction when the box is opened and River is revealed. He just stands there looking perplexed, and his entire vocal reaction is, “huh.” (cut to commercial). Too many other shows would have felt the need to do something right there, whether through expository dialog or action. Whedon just lets it sit there for a bit. I also like the way the conflict with Patience plays out. Again, instead of our big damn heroes simply getting the drop on her, the moment gets stretched out while Patience waits for her sniper to shoot, and Mal waits for her to realize that it isn’t going to happen. I like that they didn’t go in guns blazing, and actually gave Patience the opportunity to simply make the deal.
Completely independently of the GWC rewatch, I had been making my way through Firefly, in the hopes of getting my wife hooked on it like I did with BSG. Although she’s not yet at that level of enthusiasm, she will watch and be engaged when I put it on. Jaynestown is next on our schedule, and between that episode and the aforementioned Our Mrs. Reynolds I think I’ll have added another fan to the legion of Browncoats.
He also played a small role in “Angel.”
Just finished watching this episode last night. I think one of the rare aspects about Firefly is how I cared about what happened to each and every character; they were all cool in my opinion.
Visually, I really dug the sci-fi mixed with western elements as these are my two favorite genres. If anyone is interested in the western genre, I could probably make a few recommendations.
My favorite parts from this episode:
“I’m a bad, bad man.”—Mal
“Huh.”—Mal
Simon getting punched by Mal
Dobson gets shot in the face, no question of who shot first there!
“Damn and I was going to get me an ear too. Well aren’t you a federal agent? Don’t they teach you how to resist interrogation?”—Jayne
I also loved the small details like badger holding up the digital sheet of paper which I actually see in our near future. I was walking through Staples the other day and saw several digital picture frames. They have an usb port to load pictures into and charge up, so I don’t think digital or electronic paper is a huge leap. The person who patents it will pretty wealthy I imagine.
I also liked how the story wasn’t about the decision makers, but rather ordinary folk just trying to make their way.
In the pilot, Mal just meets Simon and River, and he doesn’t see them as part of his crew until the very end of the episode. He doesn’t appear to be a person that would find a role on his ship for a person he doesn’t accept as crew. That being said, as the series progresses, we see Mal continue adjust his feelings when he feels his crew is threatened by River.
I would disagree that Mal sees Simon and River as part of his crew at this point. I always felt the turn was made in “Safe”
Simon: You came for us.
Mal: You’re on my crew.
Simon: Yeah, but you don’t even like me. Why’d you come back?
Mal: You’re on my crew. Why we still talking about this?
As for the episode itself…I have to admit, as I die-hard Firefly fan I still have trouble with the opening sequence. I like it now that I am so familiar with the show, but time and time again when I show this to a newbie for the first time they come out of it confused. You are plunged into what appears to be a War movie without being given any kind of compass. If you had heard about the show you were expecting the “Scifi/Western” (a description I abhor) and basically are left wondering what this show is.
Of course, I love it now…but still think it should have been shifted, perhaps used later in the show as a flashback and opened with Mal floating on screen upside-down.
Just my two cubits.
I have to politely disagree with you Solai. I think Firefly does fit several western archetypes.
Rebellious anti-heros? Check.
A clash between the older “civilized” world and the newer “savage world?” Check.
A harsh frontier land? Check.
Disputes are as often solved by people taking action with guns as the law? Check.
Chase scenes and bandits(human or reavers) terrorizing the locals? Check.
Action and violence? Check.
Bad guys always wears a hat? Will give this one a dash not a check as this is not 100% the case.
There is more, but I will stop there. I can see how labeling Firefly as a science-fiction western might put some people off, but I have always enjoyed both genres, so for me personally I don’t consider it a bad thing.
With the opener for this episode I kind of enjoyed it because I had watched Serenity firtst, then the series. So when the opening battle popped up, I thought, “Cool, Serenity Valley.” The scene would have been confusing though if I had watched the series before the movie.
Lucky,
You are correct. I do agree with you and should have explained myself. I am not stating that Firefly does not have Western influences, what I abhor is when it is refered to as a “Scifi/Western” because nine out of ten people I have talked to about the show immediately tune out from the use of the phrase “Western”…adding “Scifi” only makes it worse.
The show has western elements, sure, but it also has elements from just about every classic genre. It could have been I know the show would have had a larger audience if the promos stopped calling it a “Space Western” and had gone with one of the two ways Joss described it,
“it’s Han Solo’s story – if Greedo still shot first”
or
“its an actionromancescifihorrorwesternthriller”
BTW, I just found a really long old interview with Joss. Good stuff:
Link
Best line in the interview by Joss, “Because when you say “space Western,” a lot of people are gonna go, “RUN!!! JUST RUNNN!!!””
I guess the “Space Western” thing never really fazed me because of Roddenberry’s description of Trek: TOS as “wagon train to the stars,” so the juxtaposition of genres didn’t elicit the kind of WTF? reaction it might otherwise have done.
What surprised me about Firefly was how literal the interpretation was yet how absolutely plausible it seemed to me. The disparity between the core and the outer planets as well as the cultural mosaic reflect our global society effectively. The emergence of Chinese and English as the common languages of a bilingual society also works. And then there’s the appeal of characters who choose a harder life on the fringe rather than have the comforts of a more “civilized” life and submit to the intrusion of a government that treats its citizens at best like children incapable of self-determination.
So in Whedon’s context, the “space western” isn’t so much of a stretch. Beats Kirk & Co. fighting Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral (which screwed up my sense of that event for life, btw–I still think of the Earps as the bad guys).
I had the Firefly DVD at home and I watched it over the Christmas holidays while I was home sick with the chicken pox 
ANYway, after the first two episodes, I got hooked. I had the movie at home too, so I plugged it in and watched right after. I’m glad we had this thread. Will post more thoroughly later! Just wanted you all to know I’m in on the discussion
Interesting article Solai.
I especially loved the “it’s Han Solo’s story – if Greedo still shot first” bit.
I can see how labeling Firefly as a space western might put some people off, but with the people I usually hang out with, calling it a science fiction show would put them off even more. However, when I tell that same group of people, “Hey, there is this futuristic western show y’all need to check out called Firefly,” they become interested. I guess it just depends on the people you are marketing to.
But I do think that you will see what could be considered “western genre” elements just as often as you will see “science fiction” elements in the show. Regardless, whatever it is, it works.
Yes, I am glad I am not the only one who thought that way after seeing that episode! By the way, speaking of Earp, my two kittens are named Johnny Ringo and Bell Star—outlaw cats.
He also played Ramone the pool guy on one episode of Seinfeld (where Jerry offends him some way, and then Ramone starts skimming the pool in Jerry’s pool lane, so Jerry pulls him in and Newman jumps into the pool and knocks him out.)
On the episode: Pretty cool, definitely worth watching further. I’ll be joining in with this rewatch on a regular basis.
Please keep in mind y’all that I’ve only watched the first four episodes, so there’s a lot I still don’t know.
I love the look and feel of the show. Great space ship shots and the western component was really unexpected for me but works well. I like the juxtaposition of all the technology- like the engineering of planets for human life- and the lower-tech aspect of the settled outer rim areas. Really shows you how people are willing to sacrifice to live away from government.
All the characters are interesting. I don’t really care how/why some ended up with Mal because they all fit together so nicely.
I’m going to love this rewatch!
But what hits me about this episode is the connection between Zoë and Mal, it takes one scene, and to me I realized the kind of Leader Mal was in the war and the reason Zoë would follow him into hell and back even when he isn’t the same man he was back than
Kaylee with a parasol
Jane: pain is Scary
Considering both of these facts I’m not sure which one is more Adorable, my little brain says Kahlee but come on Pain in scary when he says it in all earnestness.
Mal shooting the horse, Mal shooting the Fed, Mal going duck hunting with a canon, hell I’d follow him into a war after that
Badgers hat was cool badgers apple peeler was cool hell Mark Sheppard is just plain cool
And pretending Kaylee was Dead, well at least to me its one of the most hilarious moments in TV history.
And although BSG Is almost completely different in storytelling and tone, its owes Firefly an assist on the Special effects style and more than most it will take its moment to acknowledge what came before, the famous (to me anyhow) shot of serenity passing in the background, in the miniseries. It actually means quite a bit to me.