The more I think about the scene where Mal grabs Wash and throws him to the wall, the more I think that was exactly what Wash needed. From Flight of the Pheonix: "All a man needs in this life is someone to love. If you can't give him that, give him something to hope for. If you can't give him that... give him something to do." Wash is in a bad place, and he's in the doctor's way. They doctor needs the worrying husband out fo the way so he can work, and the worrying husband needs something to occupy him other than his worry. Mal solved both problems by shaking Wash out of his funk and giving him something else to think about. I think Mal just showed himself to be the caring father again.
That's also what makes Mal a good leader. He understands each crew member and knows what they respond to. Like how gentle and fatherly he was with Kaylee.
You missed one very important point, perhaps the most important/overriding one ... Mal needed to get things moving, and part of that, was to get Wash to figure out what was wrong with the ship, see if he could get her (Serenity) moving again so they ALL could survive !!! Wash was thinking about a local issues, and Mal was thinking about the global one ... the one that effects EVERYONE !!! That's the most important thing because, if Simon determined that he couldn't help Zoe on the ship, they'd also need to try to reach a medical facility, and with the ship not moving, that would be impossible. Time was of the essence, so Wash worrying about Zoe and not trying to get them going could've actually been the reason why she died. He couldn't help her by being at her side, although he would want to be with her for her last breath, if that was going to be the outcome, but him "giving up" was NOT the solution to their immediate problem.
EASILY my favorite episode of the series' tragically short run. Everything just comes together - the characterizations, the performances, the story's structure and scripting, some brilliant transitions between scenes from the different timelines. This is a nearly perfect hour-ish of television.
This is one of my favorite episodes. In several previous episodes, Kaylee told Mal that parts needed replaced. I love the back stories of the crew. Guns had a small role in this episode, because she was getting married to Lawrence Fishburne.
You brought that up wondering if anyone watched Serenity the movie first and then had some spoilers. I did that. It wasn't from name confusion with the first episode though. I just had some friends who were REALLY excited because a movie was coming out of this show that they had really loved, and they said it was amazing, and I should watch it. It sounded kind of interesting, so I went when the movie came to the cheap theater in town. I loved the style of the writing and dialog and characters so much that when I got home, I immediately just ordered the boxed set of the DVDs of Firefly. And when I saw how great it was, I bought a couple more sets so I could share and lend and give them to others. So I have become quite an evangelist for this show.
Legend has it, that when the cast was told of the cancelation of the show, Joss Whedon told everybody that he was going to fight to get the series picked up by another network. Alan Tudyk reportedly took the recall button from this episode, removed it from the console, and gave it to Joss Whedon. Told him that when he got his miracle, to hit the button, and it would call everybody back.
My favorite thing about Kaylee's introduction is that it really efficiently reframes any perception the audience might have of her being naive or childlike. She's a grown woman and her pining for Simon ain't no schoolgirl crush
The part that failed has come up more than once in prior episodes. Kaylee told Mal several times that he needs to replace the port compression coil. You said "I did not expect Kaylee at all" to be the one engaging in sex. If you recall, Jayne has indicated multiple times that Kaylee loves sex.
I remember Kaylee warning Mal about that part in the first two episodes. It is wonderful writing that they were already setting up for this episode very early.
The movie was a theatrical release and since it doesn't mention Firefly in the title thanks to FOX refusing its use tons of people watched the movie before they found out there was a series. Also because some streaming services have the original release order or a mixed-up order and some heard the pilot was a longer-than-normal episode called Serenity some have watched the movie by mistake. Others have watched the 2nd and 3rd episodes before understanding they were watching in the release order and not the intended order. This is one of my 3 favorites.
This episode was written by Tim Minear, king of non-linear, flashback episodes. If you watched Angel he was the main architect of the Angel/Darla arc. Fantastic writer.
I find it interesting that we also learn about the characters in this episode based on how Mal pushes them. He's soft with Kaylee because he knows she'd freak out and cave under pressure if he barks at her or gets her panicked. He's aggressive with Wash because he knows Wash would never leave Zoe's side willingly. It's worth mentioning that in the final episode there's another character who also interacts with each character very intentionally based on what he knows about them. There's a clue about Shepherd's past in that episode.
My favorite episode! I love the Kaylee reveal - everyone thinks she's innocent, but no, she just has no hang-ups around sex, it's natural, what's the big deal? ❤️ It's the mustache, Zoe! You'll like him a lot better when he shaves off that lip ferret!
If someone hasn’t already mentioned it: in addition to the series and the movie, there’s also a (very) short thingy that they produced; I forget why. It’s called “The River Tam Sessions”, and it’s on RUclips. Be aware: there are two versions; the original and a chronological. Not a /huge/ difference between them. For what it’s worth, I personally prefer the original. Links: Original: ruclips.net/video/2V040BT0NkM/видео.html Chronological: ruclips.net/video/pFuwllLKdbE/видео.html
Being one of those who watched the movie without knowing about the series first (found out about the series from the bonus features on the DVD), I can say that the movie didn't really spoil all that much since they really made it to be something that could be watched without having seen the series. So, yes, when I then watched the series, I knew various characters wouldn't get killed ~ but then again, television shows really don't kill off central characters unless the actor is leaving the show..... and half-way through the first season isn't going to have that issue. In other words, I wouldn't have been all that worried about main characters had I been watching the show first. Episodes 8 - 10 are my absolute favorite stretch of the entire series. I love all the other episodes, but these three episodes just had so much raw emotion to them. After watching the series, I then rewatched the movie, and it was that much better really knowing each of the characters in more depth. I honestly do wish there were another 100 episodes or so to watch you react to, but.... well, no sense rehashing all of that over and over again.
Thanks for another fun reaction to one of the best episodes. The time-jumps and flashbacks were very well done and revealed some of the backstory of each of our characters while keeping the tension high in the current timeline. 🤗
Not only a great episode but an excellent example of necessity being the mother of invention. Firstly, Gina Torres was getting married so they needed to write a story that would allow her to be away from the set for a few days. Also, the network had - yet again - told the creators that they needed to reintroduce the characters and spell out the relationships, etc., because they network thought their own viewers were idiots. The scene around the dinner table is one of the most efficient examples of sketching in background info I can think of - Book is a clergyman, Inara is a companion, Wash and Zoe are married, Simon is a doctor, River is his sister and they are fugitives, etc.
I love how much it shows about Jane. He pretends to be all about the money but when it comes down to it he wants to feel respected. His previous crew didn't respect him. They paid him crap, he didn't have his own room. With Mal and the rest of the crew he found his family.
Further represented when he prepared a suit (which would supply heat and air for a time) for Mal to give him more time. Something that no one else thought of.
Please note that Jayne did not just go to a higher bidder. He was shown the current guy was cheating him. (BTW, in the pilot he was trying to figure out 10% of nothing).
It seems to me going to the higher bidder is exactly what Jayne did. Mal and Zoey tricked him into believing he was being underpaid, there was no implication that he was "cheated". Regardless of whether he was or not, he had a deal with his former gang. When Mal offered him more he betrayed them. Which is completely in character, as that is just what we've seen Jayne do repeatedly to Mal.
Chocolate covered protein wouldn't be too bad if the protein had a soft texture and maybe a sweet or bready flavor. Especially with enough chocolate tasting protein frosting 😅
Best line of the series wasn't even filmed: what did Zoe say to Wash, Simon and River to convince them that they had better odds back with Mal on a lifeless ship than flying back towards civilisation? We never get to hear, but THAT is the heart of this wonderful series.
It kind of occurred to me from rewatching this episode how you can see the root of Mal and Inara's conflict even before the real beginning of the show. Consider that in this fictional world overall, the position of Companion is pretty well universally respected and esteemed as very high class and respectable. However, in the flashback, when Inara mentions her presence bringing respectability, Mal immediately sneers and laughs at the idea. He is too old fashioned and I guess you might say "traditional", where he can't perceive it that way. We see that he grows an attraction to her but is always frustrated and angry that her job is an obstruction between them so that he can never have a relationship with her.
I actually watched the feature film first, but that's because I didn't even know that the series existed..! Great marketing by Fox, _really_ solid work! 🤮 As a side-note, it's a bit peculiar how Jayne pronounces Inara's name noticeably differently from the other crew members.
![Who Wrote a Short Story That Seriously Disturbed a Teacher? | Dirty Laundry x Smosh [Full Episode]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bvHAy_rKoEI/mqdefault.jpg)
Happy hump day!!! 🥳🥳
We're FINISHED the entire series (including Serenity!) on Patreon! Watch ahead here: www.patreon.com/shadowcatreacts
The more I think about the scene where Mal grabs Wash and throws him to the wall, the more I think that was exactly what Wash needed. From Flight of the Pheonix: "All a man needs in this life is someone to love. If you can't give him that, give him something to hope for. If you can't give him that... give him something to do." Wash is in a bad place, and he's in the doctor's way. They doctor needs the worrying husband out fo the way so he can work, and the worrying husband needs something to occupy him other than his worry. Mal solved both problems by shaking Wash out of his funk and giving him something else to think about. I think Mal just showed himself to be the caring father again.
That's also what makes Mal a good leader. He understands each crew member and knows what they respond to. Like how gentle and fatherly he was with Kaylee.
You missed one very important point, perhaps the most important/overriding one ... Mal needed to get things moving, and part of that, was to get Wash to figure out what was wrong with the ship, see if he could get her (Serenity) moving again so they ALL could survive !!! Wash was thinking about a local issues, and Mal was thinking about the global one ... the one that effects EVERYONE !!! That's the most important thing because, if Simon determined that he couldn't help Zoe on the ship, they'd also need to try to reach a medical facility, and with the ship not moving, that would be impossible. Time was of the essence, so Wash worrying about Zoe and not trying to get them going could've actually been the reason why she died. He couldn't help her by being at her side, although he would want to be with her for her last breath, if that was going to be the outcome, but him "giving up" was NOT the solution to their immediate problem.
The more I watch the more the line "Y'all are gonna be here when I get up" hits me
EASILY my favorite episode of the series' tragically short run. Everything just comes together - the characterizations, the performances, the story's structure and scripting, some brilliant transitions between scenes from the different timelines. This is a nearly perfect hour-ish of television.
Well said. Absolutely agree.
Probably my favorite episode. Mal shows both his steel will and his vulnerability... Not gonna lie, it brings a tear to my eye.
Same. Going from 'everyone dies alone' to 'you all gonna be here when I wake up' is a touching moment.
The great thing about this episode, is that we learn the story of how Mal found the crew...including the main member, Serenity herself.
When Jayne is the voice of reason, you KNOW you're in deep go-se.
This is one of my favorite episodes. In several previous episodes, Kaylee told Mal that parts needed replaced.
I love the back stories of the crew. Guns had a small role in this episode, because she was getting married to Lawrence Fishburne.
You brought that up wondering if anyone watched Serenity the movie first and then had some spoilers. I did that. It wasn't from name confusion with the first episode though. I just had some friends who were REALLY excited because a movie was coming out of this show that they had really loved, and they said it was amazing, and I should watch it. It sounded kind of interesting, so I went when the movie came to the cheap theater in town. I loved the style of the writing and dialog and characters so much that when I got home, I immediately just ordered the boxed set of the DVDs of Firefly. And when I saw how great it was, I bought a couple more sets so I could share and lend and give them to others. So I have become quite an evangelist for this show.
Legend has it, that when the cast was told of the cancelation of the show, Joss Whedon told everybody that he was going to fight to get the series picked up by another network. Alan Tudyk reportedly took the recall button from this episode, removed it from the console, and gave it to Joss Whedon. Told him that when he got his miracle, to hit the button, and it would call everybody back.
I want to love and be loved by someone as much as Serenity is loved by her crew.
My favorite episode! Love at the end when Mal asks "You gonna be here when I wake up?" Then, "Good. That's good". Brings the feels every time.
My favorite thing about Kaylee's introduction is that it really efficiently reframes any perception the audience might have of her being naive or childlike. She's a grown woman and her pining for Simon ain't no schoolgirl crush
The part that failed has come up more than once in prior episodes. Kaylee told Mal several times that he needs to replace the port compression coil.
You said "I did not expect Kaylee at all" to be the one engaging in sex. If you recall, Jayne has indicated multiple times that Kaylee loves sex.
I remember Kaylee warning Mal about that part in the first two episodes. It is wonderful writing that they were already setting up for this episode very early.
The movie was a theatrical release and since it doesn't mention Firefly in the title thanks to FOX refusing its use tons of people watched the movie before they found out there was a series. Also because some streaming services have the original release order or a mixed-up order and some heard the pilot was a longer-than-normal episode called Serenity some have watched the movie by mistake.
Others have watched the 2nd and 3rd episodes before understanding they were watching in the release order and not the intended order.
This is one of my 3 favorites.
This episode was written by Tim Minear, king of non-linear, flashback episodes. If you watched Angel he was the main architect of the Angel/Darla arc. Fantastic writer.
"Out of Gas": The distant Past, the recent Past and the Present get different colors. 3:32 Yes, do "The Browncoat Rock"!
I find it interesting that we also learn about the characters in this episode based on how Mal pushes them.
He's soft with Kaylee because he knows she'd freak out and cave under pressure if he barks at her or gets her panicked.
He's aggressive with Wash because he knows Wash would never leave Zoe's side willingly.
It's worth mentioning that in the final episode there's another character who also interacts with each character very intentionally based on what he knows about them. There's a clue about Shepherd's past in that episode.
My favorite episode! I love the Kaylee reveal - everyone thinks she's innocent, but no, she just has no hang-ups around sex, it's natural, what's the big deal? ❤️
It's the mustache, Zoe! You'll like him a lot better when he shaves off that lip ferret!
If someone hasn’t already mentioned it: in addition to the series and the movie, there’s also a (very) short thingy that they produced; I forget why. It’s called “The River Tam Sessions”, and it’s on RUclips. Be aware: there are two versions; the original and a chronological. Not a /huge/ difference between them. For what it’s worth, I personally prefer the original. Links:
Original: ruclips.net/video/2V040BT0NkM/видео.html
Chronological: ruclips.net/video/pFuwllLKdbE/видео.html
Also a bunch of graphic novels: “Shepherd’s Tale “ is a must read.
Being one of those who watched the movie without knowing about the series first (found out about the series from the bonus features on the DVD), I can say that the movie didn't really spoil all that much since they really made it to be something that could be watched without having seen the series. So, yes, when I then watched the series, I knew various characters wouldn't get killed ~ but then again, television shows really don't kill off central characters unless the actor is leaving the show..... and half-way through the first season isn't going to have that issue. In other words, I wouldn't have been all that worried about main characters had I been watching the show first.
Episodes 8 - 10 are my absolute favorite stretch of the entire series. I love all the other episodes, but these three episodes just had so much raw emotion to them. After watching the series, I then rewatched the movie, and it was that much better really knowing each of the characters in more depth. I honestly do wish there were another 100 episodes or so to watch you react to, but.... well, no sense rehashing all of that over and over again.
You must not know Joss Whedon very well as he loves to kill off main characters.
Mal was a sergeant in the war. He's used to leading people and making hard decisions.
Thanks for another fun reaction to one of the best episodes. The time-jumps and flashbacks were very well done and revealed some of the backstory of each of our characters while keeping the tension high in the current timeline.
🤗
My favorite ep! #10 (War Stories) is a close second.
Not only a great episode but an excellent example of necessity being the mother of invention. Firstly, Gina Torres was getting married so they needed to write a story that would allow her to be away from the set for a few days. Also, the network had - yet again - told the creators that they needed to reintroduce the characters and spell out the relationships, etc., because they network thought their own viewers were idiots. The scene around the dinner table is one of the most efficient examples of sketching in background info I can think of - Book is a clergyman, Inara is a companion, Wash and Zoe are married, Simon is a doctor, River is his sister and they are fugitives, etc.
Lets gooooo! This is my favourite episode!
It's hard to pick a favorite episode, but I think this is mine. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
I love how much it shows about Jane. He pretends to be all about the money but when it comes down to it he wants to feel respected. His previous crew didn't respect him. They paid him crap, he didn't have his own room. With Mal and the rest of the crew he found his family.
Further represented when he prepared a suit (which would supply heat and air for a time) for Mal to give him more time. Something that no one else thought of.
No one expects to be introduced to sweet adorable Kaylee being plowed under Serenity's engine 🤣🤣🤣
Out of Gas will always be my favourite episode. I love it so much! Can't wait for Ariel! It's my second fave
Please note that Jayne did not just go to a higher bidder. He was shown the current guy was cheating him. (BTW, in the pilot he was trying to figure out 10% of nothing).
It seems to me going to the higher bidder is exactly what Jayne did. Mal and Zoey tricked him into believing he was being underpaid, there was no implication that he was "cheated". Regardless of whether he was or not, he had a deal with his former gang. When Mal offered him more he betrayed them. Which is completely in character, as that is just what we've seen Jayne do repeatedly to Mal.
Great reaction! A top 3 episode for me. Great character set up for stuff that happens later.
And Kaylee never once says "I told you so" despite having told him so several times, starting at least as far back as both pilot episodes.
I had a friend who saw the movie first and didn't even know there was a TV show it followed.
Chocolate covered protein wouldn't be too bad if the protein had a soft texture and maybe a sweet or bready flavor. Especially with enough chocolate tasting protein frosting 😅
Best line of the series wasn't even filmed: what did Zoe say to Wash, Simon and River to convince them that they had better odds back with Mal on a lifeless ship than flying back towards civilisation?
We never get to hear, but THAT is the heart of this wonderful series.
Fair bet she said, Where's the Captain? YOU LEFT HIM? TURN AROUND, we're going back right NOW!" And they did.
This is the episode that surprised everyone about Kaylee!
So here I was looking for Firefly content, and then up pop your channel and not you looking like my twin. So long story short you now have a new sub.
I'm so excited for this one; let's go.
I would suggest that you watch the bloopers and the gag reel for both Firefly and Serenity. You can even do a reaction to them. They are on RUclips.
❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Best episode!!!
Joss Whedon is a GREAT writer.
It kind of occurred to me from rewatching this episode how you can see the root of Mal and Inara's conflict even before the real beginning of the show. Consider that in this fictional world overall, the position of Companion is pretty well universally respected and esteemed as very high class and respectable. However, in the flashback, when Inara mentions her presence bringing respectability, Mal immediately sneers and laughs at the idea. He is too old fashioned and I guess you might say "traditional", where he can't perceive it that way. We see that he grows an attraction to her but is always frustrated and angry that her job is an obstruction between them so that he can never have a relationship with her.
I actually watched the feature film first, but that's because I didn't even know that the series existed..! Great marketing by Fox, _really_ solid work! 🤮
As a side-note, it's a bit peculiar how Jayne pronounces Inara's name noticeably differently from the other crew members.
His mom left him a big ranch so he probably sold it for a big sum and bought the ship
shiny!
I believe the flashback scenes were from the un-aired pilot.
"I wonder if anyone was trying to watch the first episode and watched the movie..." No point dwelling on hypothetical tragedies.
9:44
I wholeheartedly believe this is an editing trick. Mal was not calling him genius, he had to be referring to Kalee and just hadn't fired him yet.
But he clearly fired him in the same scene that he met Kalee...