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(S01E01) Not many people seemed to disagree with my starting with the 'Serenity' episodes last week rather than this one, the episode that those of us who watched Firefly from the start saw first. I still think FOX shouldn't have messed with the episode order, as I think it's important to see how some of these people came to be on Serenity before doing things like robbing trains.
I hadn't watched this show in quite a while (with the exception of last week), and I'd forgotten that the "hands of blue" actually did appear in the TV show. To those who have read the comic books and other supporting work for this show, has it ever been explained how/why these mysterious guys have blue hands?
One thing I think you miss from this episode if you watch it first, before the movie or any other episode, is that preacher Book isn't all that he seems. From everything we learn in the 'Serenity' episodes, we suddenly find that Book has had his share of dealings with shady characters, though I don't believe we ever get the full tale of what these dealings were. In some ways I feel like Book is to Firefly what Giles is to Buffy -- a rather meek exterior at the times we see him, though with a badass past we only get a glimpse of here and there.
We get another look at the way "society" views a registered companion, a profession that is regularly illegal in many parts of the world today (I use quotes around society because it's difficult to imagine calling the galaxy a society). Inara is looked upon with an almost princess-like quality by the citizens of the town. I remember when I first saw this episode, I was confused as to what these people thought a "companion" was, nor was it clear if Inara was indeed a companion. We learn a little bit of what she does in the scenes with Kaylee, but it's still not exactly clear what she does. I mean, I assumed it's what she did, but I wasn't really sure if it was just my dirty mind wishing someone as incredibly hot as Inara would do such a thing for a living. This was another thing we learn from the 'Serenity' episodes that might have cleared things up a little.
We start to really see how messed up River is, while at the same time being a living databank of information (what she knows of the Firefly-class ship she's in, just from standing in the medical bay).
Jayne-ism of the episode:
"You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go and beat you with 'til you understand who's in ruttin' command here."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-09-2006 @ 11:46AM
Akbar Fazil said...
I've read the comic that bridged the gap between the series and the movie (terrible terrible comic. destroys any fear that the hands of blue created and brings back a character from the series that is totally unbelivable) but they didnt explain why they had blue hands there. Are there other books/comics? If so, they might but I doubt it. It is so very very sad that Joss claimed that he made Serenity "for the fans" yet it was quite clear that he didn't give two shits about Firefly anymore and effectivley killed off any continuation.
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6-09-2006 @ 11:52AM
mamaloo said...
I've seen The Train Job close to seven thousand times. OK, not really, but it feels that way. This is the episode my 3 yo son asks for every time the idea of watching Firefly comes up.
Love the Jayne-isms! What an awesome character he is, eh?
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6-09-2006 @ 11:59AM
MODU said...
I was just watching this the other night. I miss the show, and I think FOX made a major mistake with the way the treated it. Though this one was shown out of order (being shown first), it was interesting trying to piece together everyone's role and history aboard Serenity. After all, it is how we meet and learn about people in real life . . . starting with the present and working our way backwards to find out where they came from. Even starting with "Serenity," you do not find out about Mal's life before the war until the "Mrs. Reynolds" episode.
And with that, I think I know what I am doing this weekend. :) Time to finish watching the full season for the millionth time.
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6-09-2006 @ 12:12PM
Douglin said...
The hands of blue guys are revealed to be "Independent Contractors" in the comic series, it's also revealed that the blue gloves are part of a whole suit they wear under their clothes. In the comic they fail their misson to capture Simon and River and the Operative(from the movie) is hired to attempt it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity:_Those_Left_Behind
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6-09-2006 @ 12:26PM
Shannon said...
I discovered Firefly the series after watching Serenity and falling in love with the characters. This show is just another example of how short sighted FOX can be (Dark Angel, Wonderfalls, Fastlane).
I'm going to have to watch the DVD's yet again this weekend.
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6-09-2006 @ 12:57PM
Nonchalant Savant said...
This show was completely off my radar for years. I don't remember it when it came out, and didn't hear anyone talk about it.
Last summer when they released the movie "Serenity", I discovered it was based on this series. My interest was particularly piqued when I saw how favorable the reviews for the film were.
So I started renting the DVD series - mostly because I wanted to see the film, but didn't want to see it not having a clue about any of the characters.
I LOVE this show. It's a shame it didn't continue, because it's clever, smug, slightly self-depracating, and well-written. It's also hard to pigeonhole, because it's unlike anything else. I usually describe it as a Sci-Fi Western, but it's much more than that. And I typically hate westerns.
As a brief aside - I'd like to publicly thank the producers for NOT making that big "whooshy" sound when Serenty flies by in space. No oxygen - no sound. That was my first clue that the creators/producers were a cut above.
I'll be finishing the series this weekend. Onward to the film!
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6-09-2006 @ 1:24PM
Dorv said...
Keith's (And I think most people, upon the show's premier) confusion about Inara's profession really point out how stupid Fox can be... Wait, never mind the 'can be part,' they're just plain dumb. Shannon mentions Dark Angel, Wonderfalls, and Fastlane (ok, the first two I'd agree with) and I'll throw in the Inside, Reunion, and Arrested Development.
My biggest disapointment in the movie was that Book was killed before we could learn any of his mysterous background. Over the course of the shortend series, we see more and more examples of what we saw here, that the man obviously was not always a Sheppard. Considering all of that, I think that his death in the movie was almost completely purposeless (its sole purpose was getting Mal riled up enough to seek revenge... Seems that Joss could have come up with something other than killing Book.. Hell, Book's near death would have worked).
If I hadn't already been a fan of the show by the end of the episode, one of the final scenes would have cemented it for me. Mal plops down Niska's main thug, and gives him the terms. When the guy's not so agreeable, he gets sucked into the engine. Then Mal plops down another guy, the exact same way, and delivers the exact same terms, but doesn't get very far into before this guy is so happy to agree.
Niska, like Badger, could have been a neat recurring character. We see him again (and a longer, deeper portrayal) in War Stories, which is one of my favorite episodes (Hell, there's only 13 hours... They're ALL my favorite episodes).
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6-09-2006 @ 1:30PM
Kevin Bachelder said...
For those folks who can't get enough Firefly you'll probably enjoy the Firefly podcasts...
The Signal
http://www.serenityfirefly.com
Firefly Talk
http://www.fireflytalk.com
Enjoy,
Kevin
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6-09-2006 @ 1:32PM
Dorv said...
Douglin: Thanks for providing that link. I'd planned on picking up those books, but I had heard the not so positive reviews.
Its also nice to know, depsite what other people commented here, exactly who and what the 'Hands of Blue' were.
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6-09-2006 @ 2:51PM
Scott H said...
I love Joss Whedon's other work on Buffy and Angel. But I remember watching this as the first episode of his new series, and being stunned at how time ACTUALLY STOPPED. It was the longest 6 hours I've ever spent watching a 1-hour show. Torturous, tedious, can't-believe-it's-not-over-YET time.
I don't know if the blame belongs to the network, or the editing, or to the writing, or the characters. But that one incredibly miserable experience kept me from ever watching another episode, and had me avoid the "Serenity" movie like the plague.
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6-09-2006 @ 5:06PM
bored said...
A truly great show!
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