Board 8 > Finishing Firefly, watching Serenity, possible more TV shows [spoilers]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Bad bumping on my part, unfortunately. Past episode writeups can be found below, for the interested:

http://foxibexandstag.blogspot.com/

Episode 12 - 'The Message'

Recap: A package has arrived for Mal - the erstwhile dead body of his former squadron mate, Tracy. After a touching recorded message, it turns out Tracy isn't quite dead, and that he's trying to use Mal to smuggle his juiced up organs. Tracy is hunted down by Alliance marshals, so he turns on Mal and Book when they attempt to open the doors to the cops. This of course winds up in his death.

So Tracy coming back to life is both hilariously obvious and a cool narrative device. One of the best parts about Tracy's presence is the way that others react to his message both the first time and the last. It seems like everyone's head is bowed and eyes are moist when they first hear Tracy's titular message, but the sympathy quickly turns to incredulity and disgust when they see Tracy's true colors. Yet by the end of episode, as Tracy's voiceover montage returns - and we are fully aware of its insincerity - Simon and Kaylee nonetheless link hands again, Jayne takes off his badass mother's knit hat, and Mal looks off into the distance with impatient fire.

Recently, an article was posted that mentioned how the American military personnel guarding the cell of Saddam Hussein bonded with their dictator captive. Hussein would throw a fit in court and then immediately turn up the charm when isolated. The soldiers developed real affection for Hussein to the point of disillusionment with their military careers and hanging Iraqi flags in Hussein's cell. They know intellectually what this man is and what he's done, but stripped of power and reduced to a walking memory, they find the humanity in him - or maybe in themselves. And that's what makes it so great when in spite of the betrayal and Tracy being a real piece of shit, the crew of Serenity nonetheless hang their heads and remember that they've killed an actual person that they got to know. Not because Tracy deserves it, but because they're human.

Messrs 'Hands of Blue' show up this episode, and the leader of the bunch gets significantly more fun. Villains who kill can be scary and intimidating, but I almost always prefer charisma - which he demonstrates with his No Country For Old Men-esque interrogation of the postman. 'Boys, let's go find us a corpse!' Unfortunately and unexpectedly, though, he has nothing to do with the River storyline this episode. (Also a little disappointing - Book coming up with the plan to handle him - but not finding out about why he's so important to the Alliance.)

The flashback scene is a really good one. First off, the timing of it - and the fact there's only one - practically confirms that Tracy is coming to life. (Episodes about prominent and newly introduced actually dead people have flashbacks that span the whole episode.) But also, there's Zoe and Mal's attitude toward war. Zoe tries to tell the green-recruit Tracy, 'First rule of battle, little one - never let them know where you are.' Mal immediately comes zooming into the frame, guns ablaze - 'RIGHT HERE! RIGHT HERE! WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!' It's a hilarious, classic Whedon exchange. And Mal is so alive there - feels like he was a different person before the war ended.
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Looks like our entire section here is going to be devoted to the parts before the opening credits...

* Kaylee and Simon's relationship has never been exciting and this episode it's barely even sweet. It's mostly a waste of time. The only upside here is that Simon gets to wear some different clothes.

* Actually, that's not entirely true. It's fun to see the pair interact with others when Kaylee inevitably gets mad at something Simon does: 'This may come as a shock, but I'm not very good at talking to girls,' Simon mumbles. Zoe is too surprised to appear symapthetic: 'Why, is there someone you are good at talking to?'

* That post office space station thing is really cool-looking. Reminds me a bit of Times Square.

* Jayne is an absolute delight receiving the winter hat he receives from his mother. And he proudly reads the letter in front of everyone - struggling a little, but never actually failing to read any words. But his blunt wit is better displayed as everyone peers into the box containing Tracy's 'corpse' and there's a dramatic silence: 'What'd y'all order a dead guy for?'
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Ah, Firefly. It's pretty good, not great. Despite its early cancellation, it's become a bastion for early entry into the space opera genre. I know tons of people who watched it (well, and Star Wars) first and then gradually got convinced that other space fare is worth checking out as well. It's just very approachable through and through.
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So it's worth noting that this was actually the final episode filmed, and that from what I heard they had just gotten word of the cancellation when it came time to shoot the funeral scene.
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JonThePenguin posted...

So it's worth noting that this was actually the final episode filmed, and that from what I heard they had just gotten word of the cancellation when it came time to shoot the funeral scene.

That makes Nathan's antics in the outtake not make much sense if true.
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kevwaffles posted...

JonThePenguin posted...

So it's worth noting that this was actually the final episode filmed, and that from what I heard they had just gotten word of the cancellation when it came time to shoot the funeral scene.

That makes Nathan's antics in the outtake not make much sense if true.

I'd have to rewatch with the commentary, but that's what I remember anyway.
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Maybe he was doing it to cheer people up, I guess.
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Jeff Zero posted...

Ah, Firefly. It's pretty good, not great. Despite its early cancellation, it's become a bastion for early entry into the space opera genre. I know tons of people who watched it (well, and Star Wars) first and then gradually got convinced that other space fare is worth checking out as well. It's just very approachable through and through.

Nice try, but it's not gonna work. Still not in favor of the Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation.

JonThePenguin posted...

So it's worth noting that this was actually the final episode filmed, and that from what I heard they had just gotten word of the cancellation when it came time to shoot the funeral scene.

*blank, fiery gaze off to the side*
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Nice try, but it's not gonna work. Still not in favor of the Cowboy Bebop live action adaptation.

Ha! Nah, I wasn't trying anything. You're missing out on lots of quality TV if you don't hop further into the genre, is all. But different strokes for different folks -- there are plenty of genres I don't think I'd like whereby I'm sure the same can be said for me.
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I still prefer Firefly over most Space Operas. Farscape is the only ones that I enjoy as much, maybe DS9 but probably not.

Jayne and his hat are the best part of that episode. That and seeing once again how different Mal was before the war ended. So much happier and more positive.

Just as a heads up, there is a comic that bridges the gap between the show and movie in case you are interested in reading that before watching Serenity.
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I'd probably love Firefly more if it lasted longer. Maybe that sounds unfair, but it's true. I love seeing narrative climaxes. I love watching shows with clear five-act structures written into their overarching framework. I love long-running fare that is given the chance to explore its universe, build upon it, change it.

If and when Firefly ever gets a continuation or a remake (the latter being more likely with each passing year, I guess) I'll be stoked because I think it'd be a bit more bulletproof its first few seasons. After all, who wants to say they cancelled Firefly again?
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Firefly would definitely be better if it was at least like 3 seasons long.

But at this point I hope it never gets continued/remade. It would just never be able to live up to what it could have been if things had been able to continue right away or even a few years after.

Now if they wanted to continue Farscape and finally do the Nebari plot like originally planned I would be all for that.
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I'm not sure why Farscape would be fine for a continuation and Firefly wouldn't? I admit, though, nine times out of ten I'm in favor of continuations/reboots for the stuff I love.

I guess I just don't see the distinction. Farscape has been off the air even longer, if we compare the miniseries finale from 2004 to the 2005 Serenity.
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The thing of it is most of the charm of Firefly was the rapport the cast managed to have after only a few episodes. It's really incredible and I don't think it would work with new actors
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A continuation wouldn't mean new actors.
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A reboot would
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Farscape still has major plot stuff I am interested in seeing. Firefly was more episodic when it got cancelled and the movie wrapped up some of the biggest plots so I don't have that there. I always felt continuing Firefly would be better if you just pretended the movie didn't happen and continued on from Objects in Space, which you can't do this many years later.

In addition (Firefly and Farscape ending spoilers) The dead crew members of Firefly would be a bigger detractor to me than the dead crew members of Farscape. As much as I love D'argo.

And yeah no reboot for me because the chemistry of the cast is unlikely to be duplicated.
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The guy who plays Book is unfortunately dead, so he'd have to be written out of that scenario
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DeathChicken posted...

A reboot would

Yeah, but mudder brought up both to start with.

And yeah, while you could continue from Serenity it obviously does wrap things up as best it can, so continuing from it is weird, but I was sort of ignoring that in this hypothetical, I guess. It's not gonna happen, anyway.

Didn't know Ron Glass was dead though. That sucks.
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finished 1x13. writeup tomorrow or monday!
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sweet.
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live
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dammit, i have been made a liar
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Monday isn't over yet!
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yeah, but i did half my writeup on a different PC and i won't be at it until tomorrow. <_<
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It's ok, I never believed you anyway!
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what am i, saffron here?
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Episode 13 - 'Heart of Gold'

Recap: An ex-companion is now a brothel madam, and one of her girls has been knocked up by the local sheriff. She gains Serenity's help via Inara and hooks up with Mal. The crew helps to deliver the baby and hold off the siege, but the madam dies.

The show very clearly loves Nandi, the woman around whom the episode revolves. The episode uses extremely soft lighting and tons of loving closeups on her face, and the script focuses on her husky voice to deliver super-cheesy one-liners to Mal. She's given lots of lines that indicate how great of a person she is. Most notably: 'You think the kid is his?' / 'I think it's Petaline's.'

As a result, Nandi is the show's most obviously 'marked for death' character - morally ironclad, protector/parent figure, blatantly temporary sexual interest, sentimental framing. There's perhaps no more blatant tipoff than the fact that she catches on to Inara's feelings toward Mal and is about to mention them, but is cut off for suspense. Disliked basically every single one of those tropes, not to mention Whedon's favorite melodramatic way to no-sell a relationship at the end of the episode. (That contrived perfect timing as Mal exits Nandi's room getting dressed... 'lol')

Which isn't to say I thought the A-plot - the relationship, not the battle - was entirely trash. There's some entertainment to be had in the Mal/Inara flirtacious animosity. Early on, as Inara finishes up her private call with Nandi: 'I suppose you heard most of that.' / 'Only cause I was eavesdropping.' Mal's introduction to Nandi: 'Any friend of Inara's is a strictly business relationship of mine.' And then there's Inara's acting before collapsing in tears. Good stuff.

You're gonna be real shocked here, but maybe my favorite part of the episode was Jayne explaining the siege defense strategy to the whore he's shacked up with: 'I shoot. I run out. You hand me the next biggest one 'til there's no more to be had.'

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* The villain is forgettable. Pure evil, but riding a moral high horse. But I will remember him because he was the most recognizable form of the Yellow-Eyed Demon on Supernatural. The fight didn't really excite me - the good guys' success is almost absurd - but the hose as a weapon is pretty dope.

* Related to this - it's pretty fucking stupid the way we're REALLY shown the sheriff's villainy: one of Nandi's whores betrays the brothel and tips off the sheriff. He then proceeds to go off on a massive rallying speech about how men have to be superior to women, and forces the mole to give him a blowjob. She has a horrified expression on her face, but given the way the sheriff acts all the time, it seems inconceivable that she didn't realize how bad he was. It feels like her expression is supposed to mirror how we're supposed to react instead of how she would react.

* I did like the way Nandi describes how the sheriff treats the town - like his playpen, a place that isn't real. Reminded me of Westworld, especially with the Wild West setting!

* Becoming clear that we're not getting closure on River - or even significant development. This is probably an area that would have been benefited most by a longer series; River and Simon are a gigantic waste of time thus far, but I'm sure that they're supposed to be much more interesting. Featuring in this episode: River's wide-eyed fascination as she peers into Petaline's vagina.

* Mal pauses after kissing Nandi. 'Just waiting to see if I pass out... long story.'
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River was definitely meant to be a long term plot. Which leads to it not getting much development in the short show we got.
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guys, i delivered! i promise!
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Episode 14 - 'Objects in Space'

Recap: The hallucinatory River gets hold of a gun, which makes the crew of Serenity very unhappy. A bounty hunter infiltrates Serenity while the crew sleeps and neutralizes everyone he encounters in pursuit of River. River's disembodied voice floats through the PA system, claiming to be Serenity and guiding everyone... until the bounty hunter finally realizes that she has infiltrated his ship. This advantage allows the crew to overcome the bounty hunter.

Another episode, another guest star that the show just loves. He talks an absolute ton, and he never comes close to losing a fight. He's efficient and he'll threaten rape (but not want to commit it!) He sucks the oxygen out of the episode and it's satisfying to watch River get the drop on him.

She's the real star of the episode, after all. This is the type of payoff episode that you need for River, and probably more often given that whenever she's prominent, she's causing issues. The skinny on River is that she's good at acting scared and shrill and loopy in mostly annoying ways; she's good at being discombobulated and saying weird stuff that can be funny but is mostly just spacy; and she's got some hidden experimental powers and super intelligence that don't really make me more fun to watch. Not sure what this says about me or the showrunners, but there's no question that the best River scenes are the ones where she is at her most child-like. The perceptiveness that she's unwanted doesn't always stem from specifics, but she's fully capable of reading others' feelings toward her.

Which is why this episode is such a triumph. Never has River's vacant voice been as effectively used as here. We know that River is schizophrenic, but we also know she has (at least mental) superpowers. So, when she says she's 'become' Serenity and goes all philosophical and existential on our ass... it's hard to know which one it is. Turns out that she's both fucking with us and saving the day, and it pays off one of my absolute favorite River scenes: the one where she hides on the exterior of the ship with Simon, joy on every square inch of her face at her closeness to the void.

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'Objects in Space's' sheer feel-good ending makes it a really tough one to end the series on. I'm going to miss Firefly, even though I doubt it would crack my Top X list.

The show sets up so many delicious threads and shows such promise in moving to deliver - what's up with River, Book's identity ('That ain't no shepherd!'), what really happened in the War, and the general evilness of the Alliance prime among them. It has a solid cast, an incredible set in Serenity, an awesome Western atmosphere, and the critical ability to make you feel like you're part of a family. It excels at depicting a worthy life the ship, even if the 'verse is cold and unforgiving. Combat is basically a running joke; Simon gets a bullet wound almost as a means of initiation onto the ship, and a dozen untrained girls hold off the entire peacekeeping force of a city.

Perhaps one of the most endearing techniques the series uses is the space western atmosphere. The old-time-y technology, the warm-colored lighting, and the wistful theme song all give the show a nostalgic feel. As a result, the moment the characters start jelling and coming to life, it feels like we've been friends for a long time. You can't take the sky from me...
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Yeah, the most irritating thing I found about the cancellation was that we never got any resolution on the weird stuff River was hearing in everyone's thoughts, like Book ominously voicing he didn't give a damn if Jayne lives or dies. Or maybe it was River he was thinking that about
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If you are really curious about Book then after you finish the movie there is a graphic novel called "Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale" that essentially gives his full backstory.

There is also the "Those Left Behind" comic which is the bridge between show and movie. If you can find it easily its worth a read before you watch the movie. You can also find the Viral Marketing videos Joss and Summer did called The River Tam Sessions which were done before the movie.
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It seems like my library system only has volumes 1 and 4 of Those Left Behind. :(

It's a four-volume series, right?

(edit) - put the Shepherd's Tale on hold.

I'm reminded that we never actually got to see Reavers. :(
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SeabassDebeste posted...

It seems like my library system only has volumes 1 and 4 of Those Left Behind. :(

It's a four-volume series, right?

(edit) - put the Shepherd's Tale on hold.

I'm reminded that we never actually got to see Reavers. :(

Those Left Behind was three issues. They might be listing the whole series under that name, but officially it's only the first volume.

Vol. 1) Those Left Behind (bridges show with movie)
Vol. 2) Better Days (takes place sometime within the show timeline, before Heart of Gold. Later printings include several online short comics and I think a one-shot set after the movie)
Vol. 3) The Shepherd's Tale (exactly what it says on the tin)
Vol. 4) Leaves on the Wind (set after the movie)
Vol. 5) No Power in the 'Verse (set after vol. 4)

Those Left Behind is the only one published prior to the movie and thus the only one you should read before watching.
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perfect, thanks!
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The River Tam Sessions are highly recommended too!
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well hit me up with a youtube link fam
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V040BT0NkM
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JonThePenguin posted...

SeabassDebeste posted...

It seems like my library system only has volumes 1 and 4 of Those Left Behind. :(

It's a four-volume series, right?

(edit) - put the Shepherd's Tale on hold.

I'm reminded that we never actually got to see Reavers. :(

Those Left Behind was three issues. They might be listing the whole series under that name, but officially it's only the first volume.

Vol. 1) Those Left Behind (bridges show with movie)
Vol. 2) Better Days (takes place sometime within the show timeline, before Heart of Gold. Later printings include several online short comics and I think a one-shot set after the movie)
Vol. 3) The Shepherd's Tale (exactly what it says on the tin)
Vol. 4) Leaves on the Wind (set after the movie)
Vol. 5) No Power in the 'Verse (set after vol. 4)

Those Left Behind is the only one published prior to the movie and thus the only one you should read before watching.

Better Days is so great. Really feels like an actual episode of the show. The Other Half is a great short story too, if you're able to track down the edition that includes it.
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You'll enjoy the movie, I think.
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It might take me a few weeks to get a hold of the comic. Does it make sense to wait that long? Would y'all be interested in following my NEXT SHOW in this topic until I receive it (and then read it and watch the movie)?

I'm watching through Rick and Morty, but not really giving it the full-on treatment that Firefly (and Buffy) got. Any thoughs?
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It'll depend on what you watch, really. I enjoy your writing style but I don't think I would follow anything I wasn't familiar with. Especially not if it were something I have zero interest in, so thankfully you're not doing Rick and Morty. <_<;

lol

But I'm giving a weird amount of weight to my reply here. I think you should totally write posts on whatever you like, and I'll just skim past stuff until you get to the movie if it ain't something I'm into!
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Twin Peaks
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any other suggestions? i got like 10m into twin peaks and got bored once
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Isn't that basically what you said about Firefly?
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muddersmilk posted...

Firefly would definitely be better if it was at least like 3 seasons long.

But at this point I hope it never gets continued/remade. It would just never be able to live up to what it could have been if things had been able to continue right away or even a few years after.

Now if they wanted to continue Farscape and finally do the Nebari plot like originally planned I would be all for that.

I am also with you but perhaps for different reasons.

I just think that with all the role-playing games and board games and fan made content that exists out there for it that firefly as an idea at some point played itself out in the intervening decade. So then youre left with the cast chemistry which youll never be able to get back even if you did somehow bring ron glass back from the dead. Its just been too long.

Granted that I have thought similar thinks about Star Wars since the mid 90s also (and the PT did everything to reinforcr that opinion) there was at least a lot more to play with in the first place.
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don't watch Twin Peaks if you thought it was boring. I do enjoy the show but it is also boring. it's directed and shot in a way where every scene is very slow and not much happens without taking a long time. if that doesn't appeal to you there's no reason to force yourself to watch it.

uhh... I have no suggestions as to what you should watch next, though. I assume something popular would be best since if you watch something that no one cares about the topic will die.
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I dunno. Most of my favorite shows are either space opera or Game of Thrones. You've expressed no interest in checking out further space opera and you're already quite familiar with Thrones. I suppose I can throw in recommendations for Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Americans, and The Man in the High Castle.
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Daredevil let's go
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