(S01E07) This episode isn't technically out of order, as it really did need to be placed after 'Shindig', where the group obtained the cattle. I have to say, though, that it was after watching this episode that I had to think, "why is it again that this show is so great?" This was one of those episodes that wasn't all that thrilling, perhaps because a bulk of the story happens on the ground.
'Safe' does have its moments, however. The opening scene (pictured above) with a young Simon and River Tam give us more insight to their relationship and how, more than likely, their parents were behind River's problems. The casting of the two kids in this scene is some of the best I've seen. The boy playing Simon is spot on, complete with his looks and mannerisms. Bravo to the casting director there.
Something that I wasn't too keen on was the sound effects for the gun fight. They sound like what we'd think are laser rifles, but they sure seem to be firing normal bullets from regular revolvers. Eh, just chalk it up to another oddity of the future we're not meant to understand.
The biggest reveal so far in the show is Book's mysterious status within the Alliance. This is where everything the viewer knows or has seen of the Shepherd changes. Honestly I can't recall that they ever fully address Book's mysterious past in future episodes, though I have seen several fans comment here that we never really do find out what Book is all about. But maybe that's just another thing that made this show special.
Lastly, we see further evidence that Mal isn't all business and does seemingly care for his crew, whether he wants to admit it or not. He's obviously trying to separate personal feelings from business, but the crew can usually see right through that. But they'll never admit that to him to his face.
Jayne-ism of the episode:
Jayne: (Pretending to read Simon's journal) "Dear Diary. Today I was pompous and my sister was crazy. Today we were kidnapped by hill folk, never to be seen again. It was the best day ever."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-30-2006 @ 5:08PM
Akbar Fazil said...
The guns sounded different in this episode? Or are you just saying overall? I always thought they gave them that "laser" sound to show us that yes, these are just regular slug throwers but at the same point they are from 500 years in our future so they have some new tech to them to make them better.
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6-30-2006 @ 5:11PM
Akbar Fazil said...
And no, we NEVER EVER find out the truth about Book.
IMO Joss gave all the fans the middle finger in Serenity when he wrote this exchange:
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: You seem to know a lot about that world.
Shepherd Book: I wasn't born a shepherd, Mal.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: You'll have to tell me about that someday.
Shepherd Book: [pause] No, I don't.
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6-30-2006 @ 6:04PM
elf said...
Akbar, I disagree completely regarding your "middle finger" conclusion. Book simply had a past that he doesn't want to share with anyone, especially Mal. And just because Book didn't want to tell Mal about it doesn't mean Mal might not have found out some other way, had the show been given the seven-year run it deserved.
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6-30-2006 @ 6:11PM
Ryan said...
See, I loved this episode because it was Simon/River-centric. Their brother-sister relationship is one of the things that made Firefly special to me.
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6-30-2006 @ 6:16PM
Akbar Fazil said...
well, given an complete run of the show, sure.
However, Joss ran the entire story into the ground in Serenity. There is nothing more to tell and by NOT including Books history he has closed off that end of the story. Granted, if the story continued we may have found out another way since others did know his past (like Early or his obvious alliance connections.)
But Book saying he himself will not tell was clear to me that Joss didnt care about that story line anymore OR the fans who wanted to know.
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6-30-2006 @ 7:03PM
Nic said...
Akbar, perhaps it was his way of telling people that, as fans, sometimes we have to just accept things as they are. Joss Whedon certainly did not "give the middle finger" to us. He created a great show that you obviously enjoyed and cared about to the point that you would feel betrayed. I think Whedon's message is for all of us, fanboys or not, to just enjoy these things rather than nitpick over it.
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6-30-2006 @ 7:31PM
Akbar Fazil said...
you say tomato, I say thank you Joss for pissing all over a great story, changing history and destroying any future this story has to tell.
Fox took away your toys and instead of being a good kid when given the chance to play with them again you decided to break them so no one else can ever play (plus not bringing Tim Minear and Ben Edlund onto the film production was quite apparent how much of Firefly was more them than you ever put forth)
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6-30-2006 @ 8:18PM
Ladi said...
I've said this before and I will say it again. It is science fiction - no one is ever so dead that that they have to stay that way.
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6-30-2006 @ 9:37PM
doc said...
I tend to agree with Akbar where that scene from the movie is concerned. I, and a lot of fans of Firefly that I know, took it the same way. But that is neither here nor there. Getting back to the episode...
I do agree with Keith that this isn't the best of the Firefly episodes. However, I do think that the scene at the end cements so many things with regards to Mal and the lengths he'll go to in protecting his crew that it is still a really good episode. And while the Jayne line is great, the best line from the show goes to Zoë in this exchange.
Mal: Well, look at this! Appears we got here just in the nick of time. What does that make us?
Zoë: Big damn heroes, sir.
Mal: Ain't we just?
Big Damn Heroes has taken on a life of its own among the various fan factions. To the point that the majority of the hardcore fans referred to Serenity as the Big Damn Movie.
And one more time...because Keith brought it up...again...enough with the order. Gah, I find that so annoying for some reason.
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7-01-2006 @ 2:35PM
Jay said...
I too disagree with Akbar. I didn't mind that they didn't wrap up the histories of Inara or Book. The movie gave closure to the two main stories of the show. 1) Mal finding true "serenity" after gaining purpose and faith and 2) River being healed after revealing the Alliance's secret.
If they delved into any other subplot the movie would have been way too long and convoluted.
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7-02-2006 @ 8:46AM
Ian said...
It seemed fairly obvious to me that everything mentioned in Firefly about Book's past was completely answered in Serenity. Not overtly, but simply by the presence of the Operative and the fact that he calls Book by his first name (Derrial).
I've heard this theory elsewhere, and sad to say I didn't get it right away, but right after he saw the movie, a friend of mine said "well, now we know the secret of Book's past." "We do?" I said.
"Yes. He's a former Operative."
Okay, it's only obvious after you see it. I didn't at first. But every possible question from Firefly is put to rest by that answer.
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7-04-2006 @ 10:04AM
Horovits said...
Ummm, Ian...
That scene with the operative calling Book by name is only in the novelization; it's not in the movie or in the shooting script. In fact, I think that's one of the places DeCandido did a poor job in an otherwise good book. Anyway, it's not "canon".
The implication that Book was an operative or something similar (or someone that trained or directed them or ...) is overwhelming; we'll just never know what it was exactly. Except that "ballet dancer" was part of it. ;)
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