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Marathon: Firefly
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How do you light a Firefly? This is a pivotal question for all those who have spent the past seven years involving themselves in the mythology of Joss Whedon's short-lived series, Firefly. The rag tag crew that inhabited the ship, Serenity, and travelled to planets never before imagined in this post-apocalyptic space-cowboy drama-comedy were all endearing in their own ways. For those who wish to have a brief revisiting or introduction to what this series has to offer, here are quick synopsises and ruminations.
"Serenity:" This is the two-part original pilot for the series that did not air until after the series was officially cancelled. This is unfortunate because it well-established who the main players were and the primary roadblocks in their way as a crew. The series revolves around Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a captain from a war that broke out between the government (The Alliance) and Mal's beloved Browncoats (those that believed that The Alliance was destroying the planets), he's a smarmy but charming man that seemingly has few boundaries. His second in command on the ship Serenity and from the war is Zoe (Gina Torres), a no-nonsense woman, who is sharply contrasted by her sweet husband and the ship's pilot, Wash (Alan Tudyk). Serenity's other main crew members include Jayne (Adam Baldwin), a former mercenary who still mostly cares about the payday over anything else, and Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the ship's mechanic and eternal optimist. In order to make a bit of extra money, Mal rents out a portion of the ship to Inara (Morena Baccarin), a companion (in this verse, a companion is a trained escort that is regarded highly for their skills). Throughout the events of this episode, they are joined by a shepherd (or priest) named Book (Ron Glass), who wishes to better spread the word of the Gospel across the galaxy. The crew also takes on board fugitive siblings, Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau respectively). River and Simon are on the run because Simon has just broken River out from an Alliance-run research facility, that was holding her for River's mysterious gifts.
"The Train Job:" This was the re-tooled pilot that was originally aired. The episode follows a routine mission that goes awry for the team. Yet, the action takes a backseat as the episode primarily sets up who the characters are, and the layout of Serenity. This should in no way infer that watching the train heist that occurs is anything but exciting.
"Bushwhacked:" The episode is probably one of the most straight forward adventure plots of the series. The crew is endangered, when searching a supposedly barren ship, by an Alliance ship that stumbles upon the mission. Mostly this episode sets up why having the fugitive Tam siblings on board is a risk for the crew, and how Mal is willing to take the less savory jobs so his crew can survive. It's clear that this episode is less about the characters, but more about setting up the action part of the series.
"Our Mrs. Reynolds:" This is reportedly Joss Whedon's favorite episode of any that he has ever written amongst his varied shows. It's clear from the outset why this episode is held in such high esteem. The basic premise is that Mal gets married to a young woman name Saffron (Christina Hendricks) without knowing how he technically got hitched. Yet, Saffron has a few more surprises up her sleeve as her true intentions for Mal are made clear. The episode has a solid adventure story and plent of comedy courtesy of the crew as they each react to Mal's betrothal (there is also the matter of whether or not he will go to "the special hell" for consummating the marriage).
"Jaynestown:" This episode is fairly comedic throughout with a sharp turn to the dramatic and poignant. It all begins when on a supposedly routine mission, the crew ends up on a planet where the townspeople hold Jayne in high esteem because he once stole from the rich and gave the money to the poor of the town (in reality, Jayne threw money out of a ship because it was weighing his escape down). There's a highly amusing song and dance number that will delight and frighten you, as it does the bewildered crew. It's simply fascinating to see how Jayne uses and manipulates those around him, and then is shown what that actually implies.
"Out of Gas:" It took five episodes to explain how the crew was assembled by Mal, and it's worth the wait. As Serenity is sent into critical disrepair and Mal works to fix the ship before death takes them all, there are flashbacks to how Mal found the ship and each member of his crew. How each member of the crew is unique and fit well with the personalities of each character. The drama and comedy of each situation, also with the present day material, is equally matched throughout to make for some of the starker contrasts of light and drark throughout the series.
"Shindig:" This fun night out leads to a sword fight for one's honor. Oddly, it's Mal's honor that is at stake when he duels with a client of Inara's named Atherton Wing (Edward Atterton). A lot of the love-hate relationship between Mal and his boarder is raised here, with a fun side story following Kaylee's desire to be like all the other girls (leading to the purchase of a big pink frilly dress). The final minutes of the episode perfectly wrapup these stories without discontinuing their resonance throughout the remainder of the series.
"Safe:" This is really the first episode that begins to question why River is so gifted and connected to her brother, Simon. River is kidnapped by angry villagers who think she is a witch because of her prophetic visions. It's interesting to see how Simon's mind works to try and save her. His devotion is unequivocal, but they still manage to never quite see eye to eye. This episode also develops exactly how Mal manages to maintain his crew, as he is pressed to decide if he should keep the good doctor and his sister.
"Ariel:" This episode has the strong premise that Simon has arranged for a heist in a highly secure area, where the entire crew must participate. The tensions that have been growing between certain characters hits fever pitches, but there is little immediate impact to the events of this episode. The episode also floats along between the stories with little explanation of where we were and where to go. It's the only time in the series where the large cast seems to hinder the storytelling, but not enough to make watching this episode unwatchable.
"War Stories:" This tragi-comedy episode follows a mission between Wash and Mal. The odd couple team is prompted by Wash's jealousy over Mal and Zoe's war stories, and how he never gets to be involved directly with the action. Yet, they both regret going together for this pickup because they are kidnapped and totured by a vengeful warlord that the team has previously crossed pathes with. Throughout the episode their banter and bonding is rather gruesome, but still hysterical to watch. It's also nice to see how the crew functions when Mal is away.
"Objects in Space:" This was the final episode to air, and does have an air to it that screams "season finale." Here a bounty hunter goes after the crew in a bid to restrain and kill River. Yet, it is River who offers the bounty hunter a surprise of her own. The episode answers as many questions as it raises, and a number of the ideas that would go into the feature film follow-up to the series, Serenity, seem to rooted in what is developed here. It's one of the slower episodes, but it does serve a point in the end.
"Trash:" This episode begins the run of bonus episodes to the DVDs (they would not be aired on television till they were syndicated on SciFi SyFy). Some may be off put by this episode because it opens and closes with a naked Captain Mal. How he came to found on the rock in this lack of undress is explained throughout this tightly scripted adventure. The episode sees the return of an exciting guest star from earlier in the run, and has one thing happening after the next. The question of who to trust is never more prevalent than this story.
"Heart of Gold:" The team lands down to help Inara's companion friends in this rollicking unaired episode. As the crew gets close to a number of the locals, Inara and Mal are working to save the life of a young woman who was impregnanted by a brutish citizen (Frederic Lehne) that only has eyes for his child. Unfortunately they are sidetracked by Mal's burgeoning relationship with Inara's friend and leader of the companions, Nandi (Melinda Clarke). This is an episode chock full of solid one-liners and a fairly quickly paced revenge plot that offers a few intriguing turns.
"The Message:" This was the final episode ever filmed of the series. The story surrounds Mal and Zoe as they are delivered a young dead man in a box, a soldier that fought with them in the war, and are tasked with bringing him to his mother. The story becomes further complicated and heart wrenching when the real details surrounding how he came to be with them surface. This is one of the darker overall episodes of the series, but the question of "why we fight" that runs throughout is rather poignant considering its place in the lineup.
Photo Courtesy of Google Images
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