"When you can't run, you crawl. And when you can't do that, you fibd someone to carry you." As a veteran, I feel that. I've had to be carried a few times. Now, I'm doing all the carrying I can.
Fox Network: "Seems strange you're still clinging to show you lost" Browncoats Everywhere: "We may have been on the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong side" And all these years later it's still the best show put on the air and the fact it was screwed over still hurts
Jayne is a mercenary. The letter that he received from his mother was supposed to be another Jayne story. Jayne send most of his money to his mother. I wish we could of gotten that story.
0:05 Yeah, we just re-watch it and look for reaction videos. That's why I'm here. 17:13 Also love the running gag of Wash being the last to know anything.
We're all mad as hell that it was cancelled. Fourteen episodes (and a movie) of bliss. A lifetime of withdrawal. And yet you manage to bring something new to it. Thanks.
Tracy pointing the gun at Wash and shooting at Wash sealed his fate with Zoe. Pointing it at Book, sealed it with Jayne. But pointing it at Kaylee...that put the final nail in his coffin with Mal.
When you realize that Tracy was willing to do just about anything to help his family out of a tough situation... and then you are forced to stop and realize that Jayne is in the exact same boat. Jayne isn't in this for the money... he's sending most of what he makes straight to his parents to help his family (and a sick sibling Mattie that suffers from "damp lung"). That was when I stopped thinking of Jayne as somehow being traitorous. He's VERY loyal... to his family first, and the crew second.
In "Ariel" Jayne said "hell, if I'd wanted schoolin' I'd have gone to school." That pretty much explains why Jaynd reads at an elementary school level. Simon, flirting - insert foot in mouth, chew vigorously... Womack, threatening to light the postal service guy on fire, pretty intimidating. Shepherd Book, staring Womack down and spitting facts. Now THAT is how you intimidate someone... Yeah, still mad about only getting 14 episodes... 😢
This episode explains why Jane is the way he is. He sends almost all of his money to his mother and sick sister. So nearly nothing else matters to him except the crew of Serenity.
FYI, Fox cancelled the series before this episode ever aired. Only 11 episodes out of the 14 got on air in the US. The remaining three did air in the UK.
4:08 that kid tried to pickpocket Mal as he ran past him, but Mal knew what the kid was doing, so he grabbed him and took his money back, then let him go lol
Or coins were placed over the eyes to keep them closed. I read an old story once in it a man called a man a no good scoundrel that would steal the coins off a dead mans eyes!
Yep, great episode. As others have pointed out the cast found out about the series cancellation before the last scene and it undoubtedly added to the emotion of that scene since they were genuinely sad and feeling loss.
10:30 - "Make sure my eyes are closed." I always took that to mean simply......you know, it's creepifying to see someone who's (supposed to be) dead with their eyes open. So, you know, close 'em nice and proper so it looks more he's just sleeping. Which, as it turns out...... lol
I hoped you would pay attention to Jayne reading his letter from home. I tried to nudge you towards paying attention to his dialogue in the last episode or two since you seemed to be unable to get past his betrayal. I know it’s hard when you’re reacting, you’re trying to comment thoughts or make jokes, but in this case you missed a bit of backstory for him. Just in case you missed it in editing: Jayne is mercenary not for himself, but for his family. They’re well respected welders, but his brother is very sick like the people from the Train Job episode. So, because he’s strong and tough to beat in a fight, he’s gone out looking for shady work because it pays better than honest work. He has always looked for opportunities that make money, and avoided risk where there was no benefit. In his mind, especially in the early days, he assumed Mal was going to use the right opportunity to hand Simon and River off to the Alliance for a nice fat reward. When this didn’t seem likely, he started to get grumpy about harbouring them because it increased their risk (Jayne was even caught by the Alliance in Bushwacked and interrogated because they suspected the crew of hiding the Tams). In spite of them getting away they lost money and as time went on Mal couldn’t take certain jobs because of the risk of getting caught with the Tams. Jayne is also aware that his time is limited. He tells Book “My type of life don’t last long, Preacher. I expect I should make good sport of it while I can.” So, he’s trying to send as much money as he can home before he eventually gets killed, maimed, or incarcerated. He has changed, though, and once he accepted that the crew were like his second family, he bought them fresh fruit (we know that even a small punnet of strawberries is worth significant money. This is really the end of Jayne’s arc. He was needed as an antagonist whilst they built up a good group of enemies and adversaries. Now that they’ve got Reavers, Allusnce, Badger, Patience, Nisska, YoSafBridg, Atherton, Blue Man Grouo and others, Jayne can settle back into being crass muscle.
Modern undertakers glue the eyelids shut- people find it creepifying and unsettling if they pop open. Used to date a used funeral salesman, learned more than I wanted to know.
As others have said, the end of this episode was filmed right after they learned it was cancelled. Which means this was actually the last episode they filmed, but after the cancellation, they decided to move this episode down in the viewing order so the series didn't "end" on such a downer. But the funny thing is, that decision actually introduced a small continuity error. Most people don't catch it. It's not a huge spoiler, but I won't say what it was until we reach episode 14.
I have this series on Blu-ray DVD, as well as the movie Serenity. I pull them out and watch them once or twice a year. It's the only way I can cope with the loss.
Honestly, you'll likely watch this series every couple of years. Perhaps. And you will watch certain episodes whenever a mood hits you. I watch Mrs. Reynolds or Jaynestown when I need a laugh, I watch "Out of Gas" or this "The Message" when I need a cry. The writing is damn near perfect for most episodes. You have 2 more adventures. Enjoy. All the best. Cheers.
My favorite comment- this episode is practically a classic tragedy, right up there with Oedipus, Hamlet, and Willy Loman. Tracy is brought down by his own internal flaw, moving the audience to sorrow and emotional relief. Powerful stuff for television.
Yeah, this one usually gets to me too. I have friends in the armed forces, and it definitely changed them. I don't think they'd end up like Tracey though, because they've got family, but I could imagine returning to normal life would be difficult if they didn't have that support. Anyway, on another note, I just love seeing people's reactions when Tracey wakes up! They're always as shocked as you were!
well...after you finish all 14 episodes AND the movie... you can then watch a short internet show called "Con Man" that stars Alan Tudyk who plays Wash here on Firefly and also co-stars Nathan Filion who plays Malcom here on Firefly. It's a short 2 season (25 episodes) show with episodes that are between about 5 and 10 minutes long. It is a fun little show that can relieve some of that "missing Firefly" thing!
Hello Inna!😊 Only two episodes left!😭 Yeah, Fox aired in the wrong order, plus there were 3 episodes they never even aired. You can always do a rewatch down the road after you have seen the film. Looking forward to your reactions to the final two episodes and the film!😉 Great reactions to another well made and acted episode, Inna!!!!🎬👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
When a body decomposes, one of the first visible signs is the skin begins to contract (shrink). So nails on the digits appear to grow, as do the teeth, when actually its just skin receding. This also causes the eyelids to open, which is why a mortician generally glues them shut before an open-casket viewing.
One of the Best Shows Ever! But the Executive(s) in charge of its fate were new on the scene, and the standard thing in that office was to dump the previous person's shows ASAP, then put "your" shows on. So the advertisements made no sense, or simply didn't fit the show, the time slots were the worst (Friday evenings, or Saturday afternoons, etc.), the episodes were aired deliberately out of order or preempted if any excuse came along to do so, or simply never got aired. Early on some executives objected to Zoe and Wash being a married couple, being of different races. Another reason may have been that Firefly was too expensive to make, even though Season 1 ratings were quite decent: 7th on the Fox Network, and a 4.4 Nielsen Rating (98th overall; Buffy (Season 7) 10th, 3.8; Angel (Season 4) 11th, 3.7. I think Joss Whedon assumed he'd have more money to craft his new show -- the previous executive probably told him as much -- but that may have ended up being its greatest vulnerability. You can't count on network executives actually loving it as much as you do, but they always watch the money, the "bottom line." Even then, with better advertising and time slot this one likely would've surprised them. But no such luck. Half of the struggle for success might just be sheer Luck -- the bad luck of changing executives in this case, unfortunately.
I turned the channel to Fox on the day and time indicated in TV Guide. With no indication that this would be the case, instead of Firefly a show with Tiffani Amber Thiessen involving car racing or some such was on.
Mal can try to justify it however he wants, but the truth is that he murdered Tracey. He had the option not to pull the trigger, but he disregarded that option.
I wonder where these people that had the wrong order on their got their order, considering episodes 11, 12 and 13 weren't aired on FOX after they cancelled the series.
You posted this 16 minutes ago. Sorry I was late! lol I am loving your reactions to this series. You help me appreciate new things about the characters & show by your observations and thoughts. Stay awesome! #firstcomment
you are fine... you flipped the order of two episodes and it didn't really effect he viewing order too much. don't stress out and try to enjoy the rest of the series and movie.
what to do after this? Easy - Star Trek TNG or Stargate SG-1 - a bunch of seasons either way and lots to keep us around. Just watch something cool and don't half-ass it....whatever you do next do from season 1 episode 1 and watch them all until the end. We'll give you the views.
I would go with Farscape. It's what Firefly could have been, but that show was on the Sci-Fi Channel (I won't call it Syfy), having four seasons and a two-part wrap up mini series.
17:12 Yes, I’ve never liked this episode because it had an even more brazen betrayal than Jayne’s one. Tracey, when put under pressure, told Mal the reason he chose them was because they were ‘saps’. He used their ethics and moral compasses as a lever to get what he wanted, but when it didn’t work out, in his shame and embarrassment he threw those qualities into Mal’s face. He essentially said the reason I used you was because you’re naively good. That is the same sort of foundation shaking that Jayne realised he shouldn’t inflict on the crew, but Tracey used it as a weapon. He’s a coward and a joke of a human being.
You're right. Fox were morons in how they handled this. They could have had a bigger hit than the Star Trek franchise, but their handling of it was absolutely amateurish. Showed it in the wrong order at the worst possible time and did nothing to promote it. Most of the people who would have loved it didn't even know it was on TV! Not the first time Fox have done this sort of thing. They were and are completely incompetent.
In 2002 on Network TV, the show had a tiny audience, was expensive to make and lost a lot of money. And the movie also lost a lot of money. A Browncoat can be mad the series got cancelled, but the good fight was doomed. True fans get to see the magic by watching the shows at their own pace. Most of the rest of the world has no interest in this type of sci-fi tho.
"When you can't run, you crawl. And when you can't do that, you fibd someone to carry you."
As a veteran, I feel that. I've had to be carried a few times. Now, I'm doing all the carrying I can.
Fox Network: "Seems strange you're still clinging to show you lost"
Browncoats Everywhere:
"We may have been on the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong side"
And all these years later it's still the best show put on the air and the fact it was screwed over still hurts
Jayne is a mercenary. The letter that he received from his mother was supposed to be another Jayne story. Jayne send most of his money to his mother. I wish we could of gotten that story.
0:05 Yeah, we just re-watch it and look for reaction videos. That's why I'm here.
17:13 Also love the running gag of Wash being the last to know anything.
We're all mad as hell that it was cancelled. Fourteen episodes (and a movie) of bliss. A lifetime of withdrawal. And yet you manage to bring something new to it. Thanks.
Tracy pointing the gun at Wash and shooting at Wash sealed his fate with Zoe. Pointing it at Book, sealed it with Jayne. But pointing it at Kaylee...that put the final nail in his coffin with Mal.
When you realize that Tracy was willing to do just about anything to help his family out of a tough situation... and then you are forced to stop and realize that Jayne is in the exact same boat. Jayne isn't in this for the money... he's sending most of what he makes straight to his parents to help his family (and a sick sibling Mattie that suffers from "damp lung"). That was when I stopped thinking of Jayne as somehow being traitorous. He's VERY loyal... to his family first, and the crew second.
They shot the funeral scene, just after the cast found out the show was canceled. Their grief-stricken expressions were genuine.
I have a Jayne hat. And yes, I've walked down the street in that hat, and people knew I wasn't afraid of anything.
In "Ariel" Jayne said "hell, if I'd wanted schoolin' I'd have gone to school." That pretty much explains why Jaynd reads at an elementary school level.
Simon, flirting - insert foot in mouth, chew vigorously...
Womack, threatening to light the postal service guy on fire, pretty intimidating. Shepherd Book, staring Womack down and spitting facts. Now THAT is how you intimidate someone...
Yeah, still mad about only getting 14 episodes... 😢
This episode explains why Jane is the way he is. He sends almost all of his money to his mother and sick sister. So nearly nothing else matters to him except the crew of Serenity.
FYI, Fox cancelled the series before this episode ever aired. Only 11 episodes out of the 14 got on air in the US. The remaining three did air in the UK.
I like this episode. It's my 14th favorite of Firefly.
4:08 that kid tried to pickpocket Mal as he ran past him, but Mal knew what the kid was doing, so he grabbed him and took his money back, then let him go lol
People's eyes like to pop open when they're dead. That's one of the reasons they used to put rocks over eyes at wakes.
Or coins were placed over the eyes to keep them closed. I read an old story once in it a man called a man a no good scoundrel that would steal the coins off a dead mans eyes!
The soundtrack in this episode still gets to me.
Yep, great episode. As others have pointed out the cast found out about the series cancellation before the last scene and it undoubtedly added to the emotion of that scene since they were genuinely sad and feeling loss.
10:30 - "Make sure my eyes are closed." I always took that to mean simply......you know, it's creepifying to see someone who's (supposed to be) dead with their eyes open. So, you know, close 'em nice and proper so it looks more he's just sleeping. Which, as it turns out...... lol
I hoped you would pay attention to Jayne reading his letter from home. I tried to nudge you towards paying attention to his dialogue in the last episode or two since you seemed to be unable to get past his betrayal.
I know it’s hard when you’re reacting, you’re trying to comment thoughts or make jokes, but in this case you missed a bit of backstory for him. Just in case you missed it in editing:
Jayne is mercenary not for himself, but for his family. They’re well respected welders, but his brother is very sick like the people from the Train Job episode.
So, because he’s strong and tough to beat in a fight, he’s gone out looking for shady work because it pays better than honest work.
He has always looked for opportunities that make money, and avoided risk where there was no benefit.
In his mind, especially in the early days, he assumed Mal was going to use the right opportunity to hand Simon and River off to the Alliance for a nice fat reward.
When this didn’t seem likely, he started to get grumpy about harbouring them because it increased their risk (Jayne was even caught by the Alliance in Bushwacked and interrogated because they suspected the crew of hiding the Tams). In spite of them getting away they lost money and as time went on Mal couldn’t take certain jobs because of the risk of getting caught with the Tams.
Jayne is also aware that his time is limited. He tells Book “My type of life don’t last long, Preacher. I expect I should make good sport of it while I can.”
So, he’s trying to send as much money as he can home before he eventually gets killed, maimed, or incarcerated.
He has changed, though, and once he accepted that the crew were like his second family, he bought them fresh fruit (we know that even a small punnet of strawberries is worth significant money.
This is really the end of Jayne’s arc.
He was needed as an antagonist whilst they built up a good group of enemies and adversaries.
Now that they’ve got Reavers, Allusnce, Badger, Patience, Nisska, YoSafBridg, Atherton, Blue Man Grouo and others, Jayne can settle back into being crass muscle.
Watch it, then watch it again, rinse and repeat.
Modern undertakers glue the eyelids shut- people find it creepifying and unsettling if they pop open. Used to date a used funeral salesman, learned more than I wanted to know.
As others have said, the end of this episode was filmed right after they learned it was cancelled. Which means this was actually the last episode they filmed, but after the cancellation, they decided to move this episode down in the viewing order so the series didn't "end" on such a downer. But the funny thing is, that decision actually introduced a small continuity error. Most people don't catch it. It's not a huge spoiler, but I won't say what it was until we reach episode 14.
I have this series on Blu-ray DVD, as well as the movie Serenity. I pull them out and watch them once or twice a year. It's the only way I can cope with the loss.
Each episode you watch becomes your new favorite episode. That sounds like every episode is very, very good in your opinion. That's how I feel also.
Honestly, you'll likely watch this series every couple of years. Perhaps. And you will watch certain episodes whenever a mood hits you.
I watch Mrs. Reynolds or Jaynestown when I need a laugh, I watch "Out of Gas" or this "The Message" when I need a cry.
The writing is damn near perfect for most episodes. You have 2 more adventures.
Enjoy.
All the best.
Cheers.
closing the eyes of the dead is a basic sign of respect in the US, very common in movies and shows
Not only in the US, actually worldwide.
My favorite comment- this episode is practically a classic tragedy, right up there with Oedipus, Hamlet, and Willy Loman. Tracy is brought down by his own internal flaw, moving the audience to sorrow and emotional relief. Powerful stuff for television.
Yeah, this one usually gets to me too. I have friends in the armed forces, and it definitely changed them. I don't think they'd end up like Tracey though, because they've got family, but I could imagine returning to normal life would be difficult if they didn't have that support.
Anyway, on another note, I just love seeing people's reactions when Tracey wakes up! They're always as shocked as you were!
I love my Jayne hat!
well...after you finish all 14 episodes AND the movie... you can then watch a short internet show called "Con Man" that stars Alan Tudyk who plays Wash here on Firefly and also co-stars Nathan Filion who plays Malcom here on Firefly. It's a short 2 season (25 episodes) show with episodes that are between about 5 and 10 minutes long.
It is a fun little show that can relieve some of that "missing Firefly" thing!
Hello Inna!😊 Only two episodes left!😭 Yeah, Fox aired in the wrong order, plus there were 3 episodes they never even aired. You can always do a rewatch down the road after you have seen the film. Looking forward to your reactions to the final two episodes and the film!😉 Great reactions to another well made and acted episode, Inna!!!!🎬👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Great reaction Inna
enjoyed your reaction 👍☺
I hate to say this but you are going to think the next episode is going to be your favorite. 😁🤣😂🤔
When a body decomposes, one of the first visible signs is the skin begins to contract (shrink). So nails on the digits appear to grow, as do the teeth, when actually its just skin receding. This also causes the eyelids to open, which is why a mortician generally glues them shut before an open-casket viewing.
Don't forget the movie Serenity
Closing the eyes of the dead is a normal thing to do. He was just asking to make sure they were closed. That isn't a hidden message.
One of the Best Shows Ever! But the Executive(s) in charge of its fate were new on the scene, and the standard thing in that office was to dump the previous person's shows ASAP, then put "your" shows on. So the advertisements made no sense, or simply didn't fit the show, the time slots were the worst (Friday evenings, or Saturday afternoons, etc.), the episodes were aired deliberately out of order or preempted if any excuse came along to do so, or simply never got aired. Early on some executives objected to Zoe and Wash being a married couple, being of different races. Another reason may have been that Firefly was too expensive to make, even though Season 1 ratings were quite decent: 7th on the Fox Network, and a 4.4 Nielsen Rating (98th overall; Buffy (Season 7) 10th, 3.8; Angel (Season 4) 11th, 3.7. I think Joss Whedon assumed he'd have more money to craft his new show -- the previous executive probably told him as much -- but that may have ended up being its greatest vulnerability. You can't count on network executives actually loving it as much as you do, but they always watch the money, the "bottom line." Even then, with better advertising and time slot this one likely would've surprised them. But no such luck. Half of the struggle for success might just be sheer Luck -- the bad luck of changing executives in this case, unfortunately.
...they never did find someone to carry them.
25:40 - Well, they had a much more important reality show to put in its place.
I turned the channel to Fox on the day and time indicated in TV Guide. With no indication that this would be the case, instead of Firefly a show with Tiffani Amber Thiessen involving car racing or some such was on.
Check out Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo.
I believe Fox was ready to cancel this even before it aired. Some reason they just didn't like it. And it's a great show and deserved way better.
Mal can try to justify it however he wants, but the truth is that he murdered Tracey. He had the option not to pull the trigger, but he disregarded that option.
You have the right slant on Tracy. He's a con man, thinks he's smarter than everybody, thinks he can out-hustle everybody he deals with.
I wonder where these people that had the wrong order on their got their order, considering episodes 11, 12 and 13 weren't aired on FOX after they cancelled the series.
The Movie "Serenity" will make you angry Don't watch it! LOL You will Love it! Bring Tissues.
You posted this 16 minutes ago. Sorry I was late! lol I am loving your reactions to this series. You help me appreciate new things about the characters & show by your observations and thoughts. Stay awesome! #firstcomment
you are fine... you flipped the order of two episodes and it didn't really effect he viewing order too much. don't stress out and try to enjoy the rest of the series and movie.
Eyes closed may be a cultural thing. Dead can look like they are peacefully sleeping.
great dialog, great actors, great characters, great premise. Many reasons to hate Fox and this is just another reason.
what to do after this? Easy - Star Trek TNG or Stargate SG-1 - a bunch of seasons either way and lots to keep us around. Just watch something cool and don't half-ass it....whatever you do next do from season 1 episode 1 and watch them all until the end. We'll give you the views.
I would go with Farscape. It's what Firefly could have been, but that show was on the Sci-Fi Channel (I won't call it Syfy), having four seasons and a two-part wrap up mini series.
17:12
Yes, I’ve never liked this episode because it had an even more brazen betrayal than Jayne’s one.
Tracey, when put under pressure, told Mal the reason he chose them was because they were ‘saps’. He used their ethics and moral compasses as a lever to get what he wanted, but when it didn’t work out, in his shame and embarrassment he threw those qualities into Mal’s face. He essentially said the reason I used you was because you’re naively good.
That is the same sort of foundation shaking that Jayne realised he shouldn’t inflict on the crew, but Tracey used it as a weapon.
He’s a coward and a joke of a human being.
You're right. Fox were morons in how they handled this. They could have had a bigger hit than the Star Trek franchise, but their handling of it was absolutely amateurish. Showed it in the wrong order at the worst possible time and did nothing to promote it. Most of the people who would have loved it didn't even know it was on TV!
Not the first time Fox have done this sort of thing. They were and are completely incompetent.
❤🧡💛💚💙💜
He didn't die for real, it was just acting 😊
1:15
No, you don't.
You have two episodes left.
Then *_the River Tam Sessions._*
*THEN* the movie.
In 2002 on Network TV, the show had a tiny audience, was expensive to make and lost a lot of money. And the movie also lost a lot of money. A Browncoat can be mad the series got cancelled, but the good fight was doomed. True fans get to see the magic by watching the shows at their own pace. Most of the rest of the world has no interest in this type of sci-fi tho.
I like the episode, but the ending is contrived. Mal and Shepherd Book both had time to tell Tracy the plan.
One bit of bad writing: they had plenty of time to explain the plan.