FireflySerenity - Part 1
Original Air Date: December 20, 2002
Rachel – TwoCents Staff Writer
rachel@thetwocentscorp.com
This two-parter (shot as the pilot of the show but deemed “too slow” by network execs and therefore shown as the series’ last aired episode) begins at the Battle of Serenity Valley, the final conflict of the Unification War. Malcolm Reynolds and his first officer Zoë are on the losing side of a clash between the core planets (the Alliance) who want one universal government and a group of free planets (the Independents), who want to remain, well, free.
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Firefly
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Original Air Date: December 20, 2002
Rachel – TwoCents Staff Writer
rachel@thetwocentscorp.com
This two-parter (shot as the pilot of the show but deemed “too slow” by network execs and therefore shown as the series’ last aired episode) begins at the Battle of Serenity Valley, the final conflict of the Unification War. Malcolm Reynolds and his first officer Zoë are on the losing side of a clash between the core planets (the Alliance) who want one universal government and a group of free planets (the Independents), who want to remain, well, free.
Flash forward six years and we meet the crew of Serenity, a 03-K64 Firefly-class transport ship: Mal, the captain, Zoë, still first mate, Wash, the pilot, Kaylee, the engineer, Jayne, the heavy, and Inara, a Companion which is Whedon-speak for geisha or high-society courtesan. The livelihood of the crew is pulling not-so-legal jobs under the nose of the Alliance. Money is still tight, however, and the Captain decides to take on civilians “tourists” for some extra cash. Enter Book, a shepherd of the religious kind, Mr. Dobson, a twitchy guy, and Simon Tam, a doctor with a lot of strange luggage.
With passengers and a job, Serenity heads to the planet Whitefall to trade some “salvaged” goods with a woman named Patience. The problem? Patience shot Mal last time she saw him. But, if they don’t unload the goods and get paid, they will have no money for fuel. The other problem? One of the new passengers went on line and hailed the nearest Alliance cruiser. It was Dobson. Come to find out, he is an undercover Alliance agent chasing Simon. The third problem? Dobson is a bit twitchy and when he tries to arrest Simon, he shoots Kaylee. Simon, seeing his chance, says that he will only help Kaylee if they run from the cruiser. So they run.
With Dobson tied up and locked in a storage room (the crew didn’t take kindly to him almost killing Kaylee), Simon operates on the engineer. After the surgery (which is successful), Mal goes straight to the cargo bay and the strange crate Simon brought on board the ship. He opens the box to reveal, to his surprise, a teenage girl in cryogenic sleep. She wakes up, in shock, and Simon rushes to her. She is his sister, River. They are both on the run from the Alliance.
Why this episode is important:
Firefly was Joss’ Opus and this episode was what he presented to the Powers That Be as the pilot. In the end, they liked the idea but wanted something faster so he hastily wrote and produced the episode “The Train Job.”
But whatever order things were aired, this was the beginning and it laid the foundation for not only the rest of the season, but future Sci-Fi greats. The filming of this “space western” employed some very unique camera work, embraced now by the likes of Battlestar Galactica. Things normally seen as mistakes (lens flares, rack focus, un-steady steady cams, etc) are used to make the viewer feel a part of the action.
Also, staying true to actual science, scenes that take place in the blackness of space are done in completely silence. Apparently, the movie poster for Alien taught us some scientific truth: “In space, no one can hear you scream.” And speaking of aliens, there are none in the universe of Firefly.
Fun Trivia:
1. When Inara’s shuttle flies off to meet up with Serenity on Persephone, look for a Star Wars Imperial Shuttle in the background.
2. During the Battle of Serenity Valley, the gun Mal commandeers has logo on the top center of the screen for Weyland-Yutani, the corporation in the Alien movies.
3. The Firefly theme song, “Ballad of Serenity,” was written by Joss Whedon
Your TwoCents:
Did you watch the show when it was on the air? What was your favorite episode? How do you feel about the whole Old West merging with the Far East thing? What are some of your other favorite shows that were canceled way too soon? Could Nathan Fillion BE hotter? What do you think? Give us your Two Cents… We’ll use it to join the Nathan Fillion fan club.
In Two Weeks: Serenity - Part 2
I watched this episode the day i bought the dvd. I also bought it for my brother in law, and then when it was on sale, and then on itunes. I have watched this episode more then ten times. It was such a stronger opening then the train job. Which goes over the same information. I love that we see Mal's face as his support leaves him in Serenity Valley. It's a beautiful insight into his character. I love the whole series, it makes me mad to think we have no more to enjoy. I do enjoy watching it whenever I can. My favorite episode is Out of Gas, but all of the episodes are so good. It's unapologetic and it's full of humor and drama better balanced then anything I've ever seen. I look forward to the next review.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I so fully agree. I think "Out of Gas" was greatest! But the entire series was phenomenal. I was so angry that they started its run with The Train Job, which turned out (in my opinion) to be the weakest episode. The series had gotten talked up in Entertainment Weekly, and my husband started watching it with me, but didn't stay to the end of that first episode. Serenity- Part 1 was also great. Love, love, love this show!
ReplyDeleteGood new for you two - "Out of Gas" is in my Top Five and I will be reviewing it this summer! Yay!
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