Firefly first-time/rewatch (NO SPOILERS, please)

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Jespah once the first lurok review is posted (which it is) for an episode you can say whatever you like about that episode. If someone hasn't watched it yet they should avoid the thread until they do. It's all the other episodes which shouldn't be referenced.

There's actually a lot of backstory but it's subtle. When you've watched the whole thing the pilot is quite a different episode!

As to the underaged, gah everyone seems like that to me these days. I guess it's a tv reality. She looks older than Simon who is a doctor.

 

[jespah]

Ah, okies, was confused (shocker, I know).

I suspect it's age - gaah you kids get off my lawn!

 

[6079SmithW]

I used a word I learned in Firefly to communicate with a chinese waiter recently. The word was bao. It was very exciting, LOL

The only Chinese I learned from watching was "Shi" (affirmative) and "Ta ma de" (dammit or fuck).

As far as the cultural mixing it really was a shame that it wasn't really explored. They got a little better in Serenity by having actual East Asians on screen.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Well they only got 13 episodes.

That really is the perfect answer to everything

 

[Shawnster]

There's actually a lot of backstory but it's subtle. When you've watched the whole thing the pilot is quite a different episode!
.

This. Which is why I no longer can tell how the Pilot plays for first-time viewers.

In Serenity we get established backstory elements of the Unification War (is the valley named in this episode or ep. 3?), Mal's loss of religious faith, Reavers, something more with Book than "just a Shepherd" (according to the Lawman), legalized Companions/prostitution, Badger, and the River/Simon overall arch. There is more to come and just about every episode offers some backstory or connects to a later episode.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

You also see the origin of the Mal and Zoe relationship, which if you didn't see it in the valley would make you wonder what was going on sometimes.

 

[lurok]

EP 2 - THE TRAIN JOB

Yee-ha! This was more what I was expecting Firefly to be. Faster-paced, funnier, sassier.

Inara: What did I say to you about barging in to my shuttle?
Mal: That it was manly and impulsive?
Inara: Yes, precisely. Only the exact phrase I used was "don't."

Can't comment much on plot because there really isn't much of one, though the maglev train heist was a nice riff on that old Western trope. And I'm still getting hints Book and Inara are more than they seem. Savant sister hasn't really begun to do anything yet, but from my distant memories of Serenity:The Movie she's clearly also due for some major character development. My only downsides so far: it's prob just me but I find the ship itself and a lot of the costumes aesthetically unpleasing (bar the Starship Troopers Fed uniforms ) And the drunk and crime boss were frakkin' awful. Baldwin was better this week but would still prefer Perlman

 

[Skywalker]

EP 2 - THE TRAIN JOB
Yee-ha! This was more what I was expecting Firefly to be. Faster-paced, funnier, sassier.

I think lurok is a Fox executive.

"The Train Job" was pretty good considering it was literally written over a weekend.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The Train Job: First of all I'm going to say during this, my fourth Firefly rewatch, I'm suddenly thinking Wash is quite nice to look at. I had no real opinion of him during my other viewings but he is catching my eye.




And now.. this is something I've noticed a few times and if anyone suspects the answer and it's a spoiler you can spoiler space me here.

On the train we see someone in a burqa who is clearly a man. The camera zooms in on this person but then passes over them to the action but you can clearly see the man hands.



Later you see man hands burqa and a companion disembarking, wearing some distinctive shoes:



Companion burqa's legs also look masculine under the burqa lines.

One of my favorite things on Serenity is the ship's kitchen! I would love to have a kitchen like this, it's so rough and efficient.



And finally..

"This.. is an asspicious day."

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

it's prob just me but I find the ship itself and a lot of the costumes aesthetically unpleasing

The outside of the ship is a big lumpy crap to look at IMO. But I love the inside. I love the worn out Blade Runner aesthetic where you have some super advanced tech but most of it is just making do stuff because the good stuff broke.

"The Train Job" was pretty good considering it was literally written over a weekend.

That's interesting. Why was it written so quickly?

 

[Skywalker]

"The Train Job" was pretty good considering it was literally written over a weekend.

That's interesting. Why was it written so quickly?

When Whedon presented "Serenity" to Fox, they were less than impressed. They'd been expecting something lighter and snappier. So they commissioned a new script to air as a replacement for the real pilot, but Whedon and Tim Minear only had two days to deliver the script.

 

[lurok]

The outside of the ship is a big lumpy crap to look at IMO. But I love the inside.

yeah, it's the cg exterior I'm underwhelmed by. I love the steampunky interior decor.

When Whedon presented "Serenity" to Fox, they were less than impressed. They'd been expecting something lighter and snappier. So they commissioned a new script to air as a replacement for the real pilot, but Whedon and Tim Minear only had two days to deliver the script

Now I get the Fox joke. As I said earlier, I thought ep 1/pilot was a mess so I'd have carpeted Whedon too if I was a Fox exec. Which I'm not. But two days might explain why it's funnier but still little substance.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Here's a little spoiler free video.. cracks me up to see Prime Spock at the end with the words "you can't take the sky from me" when Spock is watching Vulcan blow up.

Clearly they could, and they did.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyZIiE8WCE[/yt]

 

[Shawnster]

"The Train Job" was pretty good considering it was literally written over a weekend.

That's interesting. Why was it written so quickly?

When Whedon presented "Serenity" to Fox, they were less than impressed. They'd been expecting something lighter and snappier. So they commissioned a new script to air as a replacement for the real pilot, but Whedon and Tim Minear only had two days to deliver the script.

I don't know if it's reflected in "The Train Job" or not, but the suits at FOX also wanted Mal to be a bit more kinder and gentler than he was in the Pilot "Serenity." He had too much a dark streak for their tastes. At least, that's what I've read over the years on DBs.

Train Job was the first episode that aired. I watched it. I initially couldn't get over the mix of sci-fi and Old West. I'm glad I rewatched the show later in proper production order.

 

[Shawnster]

Here's a little spoiler free video.. cracks me up to see Prime Spock at the end with the words "you can't take the sky from me" when Spock is watching Vulcan blow up.

Clearly they could, and they did.

I really, really, really dislike Star Trek XI strongly, yet, I gotta say, that was awesome!

 

[Spock/Uhura Fan]

I don't know if it's reflected in "The Train Job" or not, but the suits at FOX also wanted Mal to be a bit more kinder and gentler than he was in the Pilot "Serenity." He had too much a dark streak for their tastes. At least, that's what I've read over the years on DBs.

Train Job was the first episode that aired. I watched it. I initially couldn't get over the mix of sci-fi and Old West. I'm glad I rewatched the show later in proper production order.

I'm glad that they did this because he was kind of mean. He had some good moments, but he was a little too pushy to people that didn't require that, like Simon.

 

[sojourner]

Baldwin was better this week but would still prefer Perlman

You need to go watch Alien:Resurrection then. Whedon worked on the script for that at one point and you can see a lot of proto-ideas for Firefly in the crew of The Betty, of which Perlman is a crew member.

It makes the movie almost palatable looking for the Whedon influences.

 

[lurok]

Without googling I was unsure whether The Betty crew were pre- or post-Firefly, but yeah, the similarities definitely there. It does feel like Baldwin's character written for someone badass like Perlman.

^^S/UF: I'm glad they seem to have lightened him. Nothing worse than a charmless lead. I could even accept a serial killer as series lead as long as not charmless. Oh wait...

ETA: Doesn't Baldwin use the 'I was aiming for his head' gag. I'm sure I've heard that before, but did Whedon originate it?

 

[Miss Lemon]

So I just finished watching the pilot. I'm a bit behind schedule. Also, the Internet ate my review.

But these two make me very happy.

I'm afraid we disagree, lurok. I don't think neither of these actors are convincing. I do hope you're right about them having an interesting backstory and developing beyond the stereotypes they represent until now.

I know people are going to hate me for this, but I don't think the actor that plays the captain is very convincing either. For example, there were no sparks at all between him Inara when he told her to get of the ship. He looked like he was constipated or something.
Apart from that I don't think Mal is a very likeable character. Treating a woman like a whore - such a nice way to romance a lady.

On the bright side, I kinda like the Western theme, which kept me from watching this series before. It's... original.

And I do think Zoe is a very likeable and believeable character. Did I already mention I think the doctor is cute?

All in all, I quite enjoyed this ep. I agree with lurok though, it could have been funnier.

 

[6079SmithW]

Apart from that I don't think Mal is a very likeable character. Treating a woman like a whore - such a nice way to romance a lady.

Well, she is. Mal's constant jabs at her being a prostitute are explained more in "Shindig".