I watched the first two episodes available on Netflix. The pilot was an hour and a half long, which almost discouraged me when I started watching it, but I guess I'm glad I let it keep going. The first half hour was a little slow, as sci-fi isn't a series I normally dabble in, so the environment wasn't immediately appealing to me and it took some adjustment. After that, though, it was enjoyable. Some intense scenes, but enough lightheartedness to keep me interested (heavy drama doesn't appeal to me too much).
The second episode improved upon the first. I liked the guy they were doing the job for (Adlai was his name?)--I hope he makes a return (don't tell me if he does please). The situation was a good one, and I enjoyed the exchanges while they were being held by the Sheriff. The confrontation at the end was fun; I like all the fight scenes they've done so far. I'm excited to continue on with the series, though it'll probably be a slow burn since I don't watch 42 minutes shows often.
The characters are all pretty nice so far, the exception being River. She hasn't gotten much development, though, so that's understandable and I haven't ruled out liking her yet. If I had to do a brief ranking:
Mal Inara Wash Zoe Kaylee Simon Shepherd Jayne River
I think that's everyone. I like all of them above River, and there isn't much separating them from Wash to Jayne. It's pretty easy to tell that Mal is going to be at the top for the duration of the series. I'm not disappointed by this, as Nathan Fillion is 2/2 in being awesome in what I've seen him in.
I'll probably keep this as a short watchthrough topic. Feel free to tag along, though I ask that people not hint too heavily on what is to come. This kind of show and genre is new territory for me, so I'm interested to see how everything unfolds.
I'm pretty sure Netflix did correct the episode order. The episode titled "Serenity" was first, and it introduced all the characters. I noticed on IMDb that Serenity is the 11th episode of the series, which is puzzling. Why did that happen?
Fox executives, in their infinite wisdom, determined no one would want to watch a show that started out with boring crap like introducing the characters and fleshing out the world, and instead wanted ACTION like TRAIN ROBBERIES.
Cause FOX is run by a bunch of horrible people who hate quality television. Yeah, I'm bitter.
Actual reason? They decided at the last minute that they didn't want a long 2-part pilot and made Joss write and creat a new pilot (Train Job) at the last minute. They decided to air the original pilot as the last episode. Probably because they felt they should actually air the episode they had been advertising for weeks.
Yeah that's right, they still used the promos for Serenity even after they decided not to air it. The final line of the promos and commercials was "and there's a girl in a box". Suffice to say that those who tuned in were very confused.
-- (Maniac64 at work) [Browncoat] ~Board 570901~ All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.
That is quite blundering and makes very little sense, and the incompetence there is impressive(ly bad). FOX has quite the track record. Firefly, Arrested Development, and, well, do they even need anything else on their record?
lol FOX.
Anyways, I'll probably get another episode in later tonight. Should be fun.
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snowpork Guru winner BlAcK_TuRtLe: http://i51.tinypic.com/2r7txtx.jpg THAAAAANKS!
Oh there is more FOX meddling to come, but that is the worst of it yes. There is a reason Firefly fans tend to be eternally pissed at FOX.
They really did seem to be trying very hard to make this show fail.
The next episode is one of my least favorite of the entire series, but many people love it and being the worst of Firefly still makes you above average for most shows.
-- (Maniac64 at work) [Browncoat] ~Board 570901~ All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.
So, this episode was called Bushwhacked. It was, for the most part, a very enjoyable episode. I enjoyed the beginning and watching them partaking in some leisure time. It's nice that things aren't so serious all the time. My main gripe is that the end seemed very anticlimactic. The threat is found and then pretty much snuffed without much of a struggle. Disappointing, considering the build up. Reavers seem to be an interesting foe, and I think it's safe to assume they'll be around again, which is good. Still no development of River, which is also disappointing, but I'm staying patient. Really, not much character development at all here, besides further proving that the Alliance is a bunch of dicks.
Character ranking: Mal - woo badass leader guy Inara - interesting role, plus she's hot and I recognize her from a HIMYM guest spot Wash - provides decent comedic relief, plus I respect the pilots of ships Kaylee - quirky and intriguing Jayne - also provides some good comic relief, though his brashness can be off-putting, which is intentional I assume Zoe - she's kind of just there for now, but I respect her role and hope she becomes more of a presence besides tagging along with Mal Simon - he's slightly annoying and I hope he develops a little more of a backbone Shepherd - never been a big fan of the religious archetypes, and he's not doing much to distinguish himself River - still have no clue what the hell is up with her, but apparently she senses stuff
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snowpork http://i56.tinypic.com/qy721s.jpg BlAcK_TuRtLe slapped all other Guru brackets.
Well, at least you have River at the bottom. It's been a while since I've seen anyone who agreed with me on that.
There are people who don't have River near the bottom after the first few episodes?
Well I guess if you really liked crazy characters.
And yeah, the character rankings can change a lot as time goes on and characters get more fleshed out (amazingly so considering the length of the series).
-- (Maniac64 at work) [Browncoat] ~Board 570901~ All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.
Shindig was a fun episode. Mal and Inara's relationship is interesting and I'm not too sure how it's going to play out. The party was a fun atmosphere, and the duel was an exciting concept, though I don't like the way Mal won. It was nice to see most of the crew just being normal people for an episode. Still have no idea what's up with River, but at least she was acting semi-normal, kind of? I don't know. I hope she gets fleshed out here soon.The bits with Kaylee were nice. It seemed to be an episode focused on developing a couple of characters, and it did it well.
Character rankings: Mal - tough guy with a sense of honor. always fun. Inara - still pretty good Kaylee - it was nice to see the girly girl in her a bit Wash - still the same, which is good Jayne - seemed to be scaled back a bit in his "rawr i'm tough" bit, which helped my opinion of him Simon - i liked seeing him play cards, for whatever reason Zoe - still the same. i'm wondering how much they are going to play with her and Wash's relationship Shepherd - still has done little to distinguish himself, but there's nothing to dislike about him River - still waiting for further development.
I did much enjoy Mal's line, yes. I just thought it weird nobody made a remark regarding honor and letting somebody else be the reason you won a duel that you challenged for. I do never tire of watching him sucker punch people, though.
From: muddersmilk | #027 Zoe, Simon, and Inara are my bottom three. Still great characters though.
That sounds about right.
From: ZaziGuado | #025 I just thought it weird nobody made a remark regarding honor and letting somebody else be the reason you won a duel that you challenged for.
I guess it's just how much they really hated that one guy. That's how I choose to interpret it, anyways.
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"One toot on this whistle will take you to a far away land." -Toad, SMB3
Safe was probably the best episode yet, though some things were off to me. I should note that I like the "here's the deal" openings, and then the "previously on" part. It's provided good clarity for me so far. This episode was also good in that it provided some development to some characters who needed it, most notably Simon. It's a nice bond between he and his sister. River got a tad bit of development, but her mysteriousness still annoys me as does watching he act like a little kid, though it's nice to see her becoming a little more normal. A little was led on about Shepherd, which I'm excited to find out more about. Mal's dynamic kind of confuses me a bit, though. He's the rebellious yet noble do-right, yet he still had no problems leaving, without question, two people who were in need of protection? I understand if it was a matter of being hurried to save Shepherd, but it still seemed really out of character with what I've come to know thus far. I liked Jayne a lot in this episode too, if not just for the stealing and then returning of Simon's things.
The great things about this show have been the little things in their conversations. The small jokes, the side comments, and the daily goings on. It's witty with some heart, which is always enjoyable.
Character Rankings: Mal - same old, though my perception of inconsistency in his actions threw me off a bit in this episode Jayne - he's really improved by not doing too much. I like it. Kaylee - I liked when she told Simon off, and she continues to be one of the more intriguing characters Inara - practically nonexistent this episode, so she gets passed by stronger performances Wash - practically nonexistent this episode, so he gets passed by stronger performances Zoe - her exchange with Shepherd in the infirmary was sweet. I liked seeing that. Simon - still a bit of a douche, but still likable. his "do anything for his sister" deal might provide some interesting storylines going forward Shepherd - the door has been cracked open for him, but still not yet distinguished enough for me River - still not getting much from her, but she's on her way I guess
"Never goes smooth. How come it never goes smooth? "
A quote I actually use from time to time.
The great things about this show have been the little things in their conversations. The small jokes, the side comments, and the daily goings on. It's witty with some heart, which is always enjoyable.
Glad to hear you say this as it really is the highlight of the show.
-- (Maniac64 at work) [Browncoat] ~Board 570901~ All the proteins, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma's best turkey dinner, plus 15% alcohol.
This has been far and away the best episode. Amazing, really.
I know that the opening "here's the thing" (is the term monologue? I don't know if I want to use monologue) bit was different than it had been the past couple of episodes, but I know they've used it before. Shepherd has the voice for voice over. Good stuff.
This entire episode is what makes Firefly so great. The dialogue was A+ material. The opening scene with Mal and Jayne, the proceeding scene with Mal and Inara, all the side comments regarding Mal's new bride, and etc etc. Pretty much every scene was a pleasing one. Everything was top notch wit and humor.
The twist was amazing, too. I didn't see it coming at all, so I had that "oh snap!" moment, which I love it when something can give me that. Christina Hendricks did an amazing job as Saffron. She nailed every line, every mannerism, and was completely believable on both sides of the character. If I remember correctly from browsing IMDb before watching the show, she'll be appearing at least once more, so that's something to look forward to.
Mal was A+ in this episode. Opening scene, discovering he has a wife, his exchange with Shepherd, his exchanges and confrontations with Saffron, and especially his exchange with Inara at the end. He's such a troll, and I haven't decided if it was intentional or not.
This episode made me a believer, and it might get me to start marathoning from this point on (though I've been trying to avoid doing this). If this quality keeps up from here out, I'm going to be thoroughly impressed.
Character Ranking: Mal - I was beginning to have some slight doubts on him maintaining the top, but yeah, foolish me as this episode sealed it Jayne - he gets better every episode Inara - her relationship with Mal is interesting, and I'm excited to see them continue it out, whether it be for better or for worse Kaylee - still fun, and her dialogue with Wash when examining the hardwiring of the ship after Saffron got to it was entertaining Wash - I'm still waiting for him to have his big moment. he's fun, but hasn't been doing enough to vault him higher than this at this point Shepherd - was actually funny, and I like how Jayne hinted at his backstory a bit Simon - him and Zoe flip flop depending on my mood. didn't do much this episode, but I still like him. His storyline has a lot of potential Zoe - I was expecting to be an episode where she breaks out and takes on Saffron, but that didn't happen. Oh well. River - was virtually MIA this episode. I remember one scene she was in, and she had no lines. How was she able to not read Saffron like she could those people in that nutty town just an episode before, or why would she choose to not go all Alpha: Danger! Danger! for the Firefly Rangers? I'm just confused by her at this point. Still waiting.
I just realized I'm running late for a class. Since I don't feel like getting up and rushing, I'm going to skip it. lol last class of the semester. This is the part where marathoning becomes a concern for me. I'm quite tempted to watch another episode, but I'm doing my best to not do that. Need to make something like this last, I imagine.
Aside from the show and movie there's also been a handful of comic books, most of them done by either Joss Whedon or his brother Zak (though one was written by Patton Oswalt). After you finish up the series and movie, I suggest taking a look at them, as they're all pretty good.
The next three episodes are the best in the series. Proceed with caution.
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"Principally I hate and detest the animal called man, although I heartily love John, Peter, Thomas and so forth" - Jonathan Swift BT with the victory!
A good episode for sure, but not as great as Our Mrs. Reynolds. It provided some good character development for characters who really needed it, and I appreciate it for that. Jayne, Simon, River, and to an extent Shepherd and Kaylee all got some advancement of their characters and relationships, and all had some good dialogue among each other. The strengths of the show keep staying strengths. How wonderful.
Jayne's storyline was pretty nifty. Watching him go from fearful to elated to remorseful over the course of his time in Canton was a good ride, and it shows he's like Mal in having this odd sense of nobility while working as a thief. Inara probably compared them best with her confusion of Mal and Jayne when it was reported they were in Canton. His ended dialogue with Mal was a pretty good summary of what had happened. His encounter with Stitch was probably the highlight of the episode, especially the townsman jumping in front of the shotgun blast. I hadn't expected it, and Jayne's reaction was well done. The encounter was short, but it did its job.
Jayne was great, but I really appreciated Simon's development throughout the episode. His fumbling at the beginning acting as the boss was comedic, and his relationship with Kaylee is still being pushed, which was nice to see. I wasn't sure how fully they were going to commit to it after Shindig. They're a cute couple, though, and I'm interested in seeing how it plays out. Being proper as a form of Simon's identity was a good dialogue, too. It was just really nice to see Simon acting around with River.
Speaking of which, I really enjoyed the exchanges between River and Shepherd. The two have an interesting dynamic of faith vs. science, and I hope they play around with it a little more. River got some slight development, as did Shepherd, but most importantly we got to see Shepherd's "dat hair." It was some serious Hey Arnold swag.
Subplot with Inara and the Magistrate's son was okay. Nothing really notable besides it allowing the crew to get off the planet. I guess that's pretty notable after all, but it wasn't as interesting as everything else going on. Inara's good at her job, though. Kudos.
Character Rankings: Mal - stays the course Jayne - development was good to see, and I'm so glad they took him in this direction. I was very worried after the first couple of episodes that he'd just be the douche tough guy. Inara - still going strong, though I can feel my favor for her slipping a tad bit when other characters have good episodes. Still, she's one of the more unique characters and her relationship with Mal still has plenty of potential, Kaylee - I still like her, but she showed herself to just be another dumb girl with dumb girl reactions to the dumb things dumb guys say. Her cuteness is undeniable, though. Simon - he really improved upon me a lot this episode. His awkwardness was humorous and endearing, and I like seeing and actual motive for being a proper, straight man. Wash - becoming desperately in need of an episode dedicated to his development, but he's still good when he's on screen. just not doing much. Shepherd - dat hair, though he's still the religious archetype and that doesn't do much for me. he pulls it off well, though, and is able to be comedic to balance it out. Zoe - she, like Wash, is really in need of some development. At the very least, give her more chances to be badass. She was good in Train Job, but after that, she's just only been there for the most part in terms of doing work. River - she's making progress, and her dynamic with Shepherd shows promise. Overall, it was just nice watching her interact with someone that wasn't Simon.
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snowpork Guru winner BlAcK_TuRtLe: http://i51.tinypic.com/2r7txtx.jpg THAAAAANKS!