Film Student FALLS IN LOVE with *FIREFLY* | Episode 1 Reaction | Serenity

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Hey Browncoats! Episode 2 will be posted on Friday, July 19th! Episodes 1 - 11 (full length) are already available on Patreon, and early access to the KZbin edits will be posted as they are uploaded. I'm also currently watching THE EXPANSE on Patreon, and ALIEN will be coming to KZbin soon. Thank you! ❤

[@206pappy]

Glad to see you watching firefly. It's a fun and kinda strange ride. But you won't regret it at all!

[@PetProjects2011]

I can't wait to see you finish off Firefly! And don't forget the movie! 😃

[@sean---the-other-one]

Extremely happy you’re watching something that I can watch as well. There’s so many things you’ve been watching for a long time that I’ve had no grounding in. Firefly is so excellent, but I’m sure you’ve found that out by now. It’s such a pity that you’re so far ahead (finished?) That’s the one problem with KZbin uploads that lag well behind the Patreon uploads - there’s no meaningful dialogue between the subscribers and the Channel. Still, I’m stoked that you’re doing this little journey.

[@tim2024-df5fu]

Firefly was one of the first shows, if not the first to use "shakey cam" in their CGI to make it more realistic looking. Battlestar Galactica took the idea and ran with it.

[@sean---the-other-one]

@@tim2024-df5fu And running with it makes for really shaky visuals.

[@asmrhead1560]

Seeing someone become a fan of Firefly is like getting a puppy: it's exciting and fun but you know it's going to end in heartbreak. Stupid Fox execs.

[@AbrielMcPierce]

spoilers sweetie.

[@asmrhead1560]

@@AbrielMcPierce The fact we only got one season isn't a spoiler, snookems.

[@dipperjc]

:)

[@gawainethefirst]

Heartbreak, yeah, but also the fond memories.

[@AbrielMcPierce]

@@asmrhead1560 fair point, dear. It has been a while lol

[@MrHws5mp]

The Chinese is a way of having swaering on the show without it getting an adult rating. It's basically an alternative to BSG's "Frak" or Farscape's "Frell". Funny story: they wrote the swearing by having the writers come up with something ridiculous and OTT in English and then having a young Chinese lady, on her first job in Hollywood, translate it into Mandarin. However, she'd grown up speaking mostly English so she sometimes had to ask her dad about the more obscure words they wanted. Her parents had been very dubious of her getting a job in Hollywood, so she would end up having phone conversations that went something like: "Dad, how do you call somebody the spawn of a syphillitic camel and a dung beetle so dirty it disgusts other dung beetles in Mandarin?" "Errrrm, tell me again what exactly this job of your's involves...." 🤣

[@wiredjerk]

Yup. And this is exactly why it couldn’t have subtitles lol

[@ragabashmoon1551]

That's hilarious, I had no idea!

[@CaptainFrost32]

I saw a channel where a Chinese translator tried to make sense of the Chinese phrases WITHOUT actually watching the entirety for context. (It did not go well.)

[@deplorabledave1048]

OMG!!! The most Fun Fact ever!!!

[@shaunm2691]

They also chose Chinese(generalizing) as it would make sense that one of the most populous groups of people would inject their language into the survivors of humanity.

[@DavidWilliams-nm5jv]

This is a fertile show, and this reaction will thrive. Yes, we will rule over this platform, and we will call it... this platform. Raar!

[@movienightwithjacqui]

I understood that reference! 😄

[@Lorrdd]

@@movienightwithjacqui I understood THAT reference!

[@Ladco77]

Shiny.

[@alefnull]

curse your sudden but inevitable comment!

[@babette5918]

I say we call it your grave!

[@joeslater2390]

NEW BROWN COAT PEOPLE!!!!

[@thomashiggins9320]

Once the reactor finishes the TV show and then the film, and realizes what could have been, the rage is real.

[@joeslater2390]

@@thomashiggins9320 rage? Sadness? Or something only brown coats feel?

[@ernesthakey3396]

Browncoats forever! Once you've found Serenity, you can never leave...

[@Muck006]

a) it was written by Joss "I sleep with all the girls on the series" Whedon b) the universe and the Firefly is TERRIBLY DESIGNED c) the characters are great ... but it is the whole "girl that is the key to everything" PLUS "80 pound girl beating up 200 pound men easily" TROPES

[@joeslater2390]

@@Muck006 what are you talking about

[@Erulin68]

Saying this series was beloved is a huge understatement. On his first visit to the International Space Station astronaut Steve Swanson took the boxed set of Firefly and Serenity with him. Knowing that people only get to take a very limited amount of items with them shows what a huge fan he is. He left them in the ISS library for future astronauts to watch and most of them come back fans of the show. Steve Swanson will forever be known as having posted the very firt Instagram post from space, in which he was of course wearing a Firefly T-shirt.

[@michaellemick4193]

About 12 years ago a company produced a Firefly board game. It sold well enough that they made a number of expansions for it. Then a couple of years ago they did a Kickstarter that would put everything done for the game plus some new material in one (very large) box. Now keep in mind that this was still mostly a reprint of a 10 year old game based on a 20 year old TV series. Their goal was to raise $100,000. They actually raised just over $3.5 million.

[@natashaborland1037]

Take me out to the black, tell ‘em I ain’t coming back…

[@lthunter905]

who would believe more than an astronaut " that you can't take the sky from me"

[@officersquidman]

I've seen a few reactors watch Firefly now, and you're the first one to not break my heart by cutting around "and if we're very, very lucky they'll do it in that order." Which may be my favorite line in the series just because of how incredibly dark it is

[@adp806]

Having seen a fair few myself, there are always lines that they miss that are meaningful/noteworthy to some of us. It's kind of a part of the fun; seeing what they show and don't show.

[@iambicpentakill971]

Yeah, that is a powerfully scary line

[@heretic-668]

@@iambicpentakill971 And her delivery of that line is at least half the impact of it. She is a seriously underrated actor.

[@ladyethyme]

Agreed

[@Brickerbrack]

@@heretic-668 Have you ever seen Transformers Prime? Gina Torres and Adam Baldwin both voice Decepticons in the cast, and Gina's character is particularly... _disturbing._ 👀

[@oldinion]

Take my love. Take my land. Take me where I cannot stand. I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me.

[@SilentBob731]

Take me out, to the black. Tell 'em I ain't coming back. Burn the land, boil the sea. You can't take the sky from me.

[@PromptCriticalJello]

@@SilentBob731 There's no place i can be, since i found Serenity, You can't take the sky from me.

[@kenglasson2920]

Nice

[@askme2469]

Not a lot of people notice Malcom lost his faith this early

[@pbsixgun6]

I knew it was a thing from his face when he watched Serenity Valley obliterated in front of him. "That's gonna leave a faith scar for a long time"

[@lorek33perandfriends47]

9:56 This moment is so unbelievably perfect from a writing standpoint. Masterclass in “show don’t tell” characterization. Inara goes to comfort Kaylee, Simon goes to help as a doctor, disregarding his own peril until Wash tells them about the Alliance. Mal goes for the gun, Zoe gets her shotgun and gets to high ground. The shepherd goes and disarms him non-lethally, fully pacifist, and Jayne gets there the slowest but with the most bloodlust. Also as soon as Mal sees the fed is down he rushes to Kaylee too, but Zoe doesn’t, knowing she has to keep an eye on Jayne while the captain is distracted. Just. All that in a matter of seconds and you learn exactly who each character really is and where their priorities lie. I absolutely love this show

[@Skye_Writer]

Excellent break down!

[@evatesche]

Yes, very well put. But it goes even further. When Mal and Simon are arguing about wether to give up or to run, Inara urges Mal and he responds snarkly with a "don't ever tell me what to do". But in this moment we hear Kaylee groaning in pain and that little sound is enough for Mal to immediately take the solution to run, which also means that Simon will tend to Kaylees wound immediately. We can see exactly how dear Kaylee is to the Captain. Next shot we see the Doctor operating on Kaylee and in the wideshot Jayne is sitting anxiously by the window watching. The whole episode he has been the one to tease Kaylee, make fun of her, complain about her and there he is watching her like a big brother, afraid to loose her. We can see exactly how dear Kaylee is to him. Something this series does best: Show don't tell!

[@rogerw5299]

And it is also the first time that we start to get an inkling that there might be more to Shepherd Book, but there is so much else going on that we do not really notice it. But it sets it up here in the first episode

[@TheBaldrickk]

This episode in it's entirety is a masterclass in introducing characters. Almost every moment sets up the key aspects of their character

[@davidshorb7453]

I came here to say the same thing. throughout the season what Jayne is doing in the background is usually far more important to his character than what he does in the foreground ​@evatesche

[@Biomirth]

"He thrives on the chaos because it doesn't allow him to slow down enough to think". I think you're the first person to point this out, but it is absolutely his character. He's 'troubled', but in a way that makes him seem like a perfectly capable and heroic person. The death of his faith, as you rightly point out, must be a part of it, but it's more than that. I think Joss Whedon was exploring something we all go through, mostly silently, in our quest to make our lives worth living; Sometimes we get broken and ain't nothing going to fix it, least not anything we can conjure. For me, that kind of insight is definitely a subscribe. I hope you surprise me for the rest of the series, but ain't no trouble if you don't. Once was plenny.

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

Reminds me of something from another great show: _"You're a problem solver. You're one of these people who will pick up a rope that's gotten all tangled up and spend an entire day untangling it because it's a challenge, because it defies your sense of order in the universe and because you can. Sometimes I try to picture you sitting on a beach with absolutely nothing to do."_ _"And?"_ _"And the picture always ends with your head imploding."_ 🤣

[@erikbjelke4411]

@@Wolf-ln1ml Always a pleasure to bump into another Lurker.

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

@@erikbjelke4411 Indeed it is 😊

[@thomasriddle7005]

The take away from the beginning of the episode is that Mal was fighting on the losing side of a civil war against the alliance. The independents were the ones that surrendered at the beginning as the alliance (big glowing ships) bombarded the area. Mal obviously is a little sore about the issue.

[@Wrzlprnft]

But just a liiiiiiiiiitle bit sore.

[@hopeyouguess9850]

It's a common theme: the Independents/Browncoats fought well and won a lot of battles, but they lost the war against the Alliance. We see it in GoT with the Starks, and we see it with romanticized versions of the Confederacy (please don't mistake this as an endorsement of the Conderacy... though I do endorse the Starks). Soldiers in a lost conflict will often (right or wrong) blame politicians for losing the war. Of course, in real life, more often the victors of a war will "lose the peace" at the negotiating table (see Sino-Japanese War). Anyway, so happy you're enjoying Firefly! This should have been at least four seasons, but... the Browncoats lost against Fox executives, sadly.

[@MartijnVos]

And he lost his faith there.

[@veronicanolastname2467]

@@MartijnVos Read the books. That's not where he lost his faith.

[@CountryMusicMann]

It was also that none of the wounded in Serenity Valley received medical attention for weeks while the negotiations went on, leading to thousands more men dying that could've been saved. I can't remember if it was the Alliance stopping the Independents' battlefield retrieval as a condition of engaging in surrender talks or not, but regardless, that's where Mal gets a lot of his resentment for people in positions of power.

[@steventagawa6959]

4:04 Kudos for noticing that right away-the lack of sound in space is just one of the many little touches that makes Firefly special.

[@adp806]

And it was deliberately decided upon.

[@Muck006]

They dont care about physics at all though ... neither with the design of the SOLAR SYSTEM, nor the design of the ships ... and "travel time in space"????

[@adp806]

@@Muck006 That's true. None of that seemed much of a consideration outside of anything to service the story.

[@kenle2]

​@@Muck006 It is supposedly a "trinity system" with a couple of dozen worlds in the "goldilocks zone" of one r the other of three stars. Many "terraformed". So they wouldn't be crossing typical "interstellar" distances. And, yes, that's all wildly improbable. So is everything in any sci-fi, except the very rare "hard science" shows that are scrupulously, anally attentive to physics and biology. Except in those, realistically, we never go to the stars (the power consumption alone is prohibitive, plus relativity - centuries to travel, likely nothing really to support human life at the end).

[@CaptoftheHaggister]

Firefly was hands down the best show ever created. 21 years later and it still makes me sad and uncontrollably angry when Kaylee gets shot.

[@AndrewCout]

I still think about how Joss Whedon says in (I think) the commentary track for Serenity that because Kaylee is so pure, whenever he needed something to be known to be truth, he would have Kaylee say it, because no viewer would ever hear her speak a fact and doubt it.

[@user-ih5jr8rt5q]

no, it's fuhking terrible and you don't know what makes anything good seriously one of the worst shows ever

[@dahlinthefiend]

@@AndrewCout and when you use her character that way, and only have her speaking truths, she becomes a good verifiable source in universe.

[@robertanderson6929]

Gina Torres is one of the standouts in a cast full of exceptional performances. In a very real sense, this is the story of Mal and Zoe. It is the story of the war buddies. They lost the war but they survived when most of their fellows didn't. Theirs is a friendship forged in the crucible of combat. Mal never need check to see if Zoe has his back. And Zoe, despite having her doubts about some of Mal's decisions, never criticizes him or disagrees with him in front of the crew. And you might notice that she almost always calls him, Captain, in front of the crew. Wash even makes a joke about it in this episode. But the significance is that right or wrong, Mal got her though the war alive. And she understands that even on a crew of petty thieves and smugglers that without discipline and the chain of command then things will go south in a hurry. Gina Torres is a master of unspoken dialogue. Watch her in any scene. She often doesn't say a word. But she telegraphs the level of tension with her actions and body language. You will see her put her hand to her gun or move to get a clearer shot when Mal is dealing with someone, even when Mal is arguing with Jayne. One can always tell the mood of the situation by looking at Gina's face. If she is jovial then there is little danger but if she is stern then tensions are high. Finally, a couple of things that could have been clearer in earlier episodes. Because they were on the losing side of the civil war, they really cannot work reputable jobs on the more advanced central planets of this solar system. So, they are relegated to the backwater moons and planets where they don't need an Alliance ID to even walk down the street. But the Alliance is pushing out every year and making the crew go further out as well. Also, despite the ship they are desperately poor. They buy fuel to keep flying before they buy food. And for the most part they are eating flavored Tofu. This is likely due to the Chinese influence on their society. Mal calls it "protein in all the colors of the rainbow." And the idea that food is so valuable and actual meat is a luxury is a recurring theme. You see it in this episode with both the Shepard's contribution to their dinner as well as the "treasure" they are trying to sell. Even Wash and Zoe dream of a little vacation with a "meal with some kind of food." You'll see it in future episodes as well. And Mal will make references like, "I have a crew needing to eat sometime this month." Their abject poverty and constant risk of starvation is meant to be a big motivation for their taking jobs which they would otherwise reject.

[@RMBittner]

“Cry, baby, cry… Make your mother sigh” is a line from the Beatles song “Cry Baby Cry.”

[@movienightwithjacqui]

Ah gotcha! It definitely seemed like a reference to something, but alas it went over my head 😅

[@RMBittner]

@@movienightwithjacqui Thanks for even reading this! I just joined your Patreon and realized you’d actually watched this series months ago! Can’t wait to catch up!

[@Bekka_Noyb]

♥ The Beatles so always loved this!

[@Blandy0487]

You're old enough to know better!

[@Dylan_Platt]

The first time I watched this series was the DVDs with closed captioning on, and at that point the captions for Mal and Wash just say "reciting lyrics" or something like that. Always thought that was odd... like, what is a deaf person supposed to take from the moment without the actual context of what the lyrics are? That said, it did get me to look up what those lyrics were from and thus find a new favorite Beatles track I'd previously missed.

[@osanneart9318]

This Pilot is so incredibly good, it genuinely is one of the best pilots I've ever seen, because it tells you everything you need about the show: There's cowboys, sci fi governments, Terrifying Space pirates, and there's so many set up expectations that immediately are proven to be misdirections that you already know from the beginning that you need to be open for the unexpected, because not everything or everyone is what it all seems. Welcome to the 'Verse.

[@andrecanis4894]

The pilot that was so good that Fox said „I know we’ve had a pilot, but what about a second pilot?“

[@MartijnVos]

Yeah, lots of shows have a pilot where they were still trying to figure out what kind of show it's going to be. Star Trek TNG was switching clothes around, The Big Bang Theory had Sheldon donating sperm for money; not exactly something the later Sheldon would do. Firefly knew exactly what kind of show it was going to be, and the pilot establishes everything about it and is one of the best episodes. Fox somehow didn't like it and ordered a new pilot, which became the episode Train Job, which is also a good episode, but not nearly as strong as this one.

[@rriggs6547]

The Fox Execs had a different vision for the show so they made them make a different pilot that had more action in it. And it is a good episode, but it doesn't really work as a pilot as you don't get to know the characters and the setting nearly as well. And then Fox aired the real pilot eleventh or something. And the show kept getting preempted so it never really had a constant time slot. No wonder it couldn't get people to watch.

[@Bill_the_curious]

in an episode of The Big Bang Theory, two pf the buddies are in a car and one says, "Hitler, Mussolini, and Rupert Murdoch." The other says, "Rupert Murdoch?" The first responds, "He owns 20th Century Fox and they cancelled Firefly." The second thinks for a second and says, "Oh. Right."

[@GarthKlaus]

This is a play on a poll taken in New York in the early 1960s. Who are the three most evil people of the Twentieth Century? Stalin, Hitler, and Walter O'Malley. Walter O'Malley? He moved the Dodgers out of Brooklyn.

[@MikeWillisUK]

Can you believe that Fox aired this out of order as the ELEVENTH episode?! Criminal. 😭

[@antonfowler6582]

Fox did this show so dirty

[@davidstorrs]

I've never heard a good reason for why they did all this. "Because they didn't want it competing with the Simpsons" is the best I've heard and it seems ludicrous. Were they just stupid? The marketing represented it as a comedy, they put it in bad slots and moved it around, they aired it out of order...how in the world did they think it could survive?

[@Rocketsong]

@@davidstorrs Made no sense. Fox bought Firefly to replace X-files. The complained that the pilot didn't have enough action, which is why the 2nd episode (which they aired first) literally starts in the middle of a bar brawl.

[@pbsixgun6]

@@Rocketsong They didn't even WATCH the pilot I bet. Cause it was 'too long' and had Horses. Which they just couldn't fathom and didn't even like, and wouldn't accept.

[@ardemus]

I know that some people blame the air date order for tanking ratings and ultimately killing the show. The theory is that audiences got confused and didn't give it a fair chance. That may be true, spoon feeding the audience *is* an trope in American TV. I'd happily change history to show the pilot first if it meant that Firefly lived a good, long, life. That said, original air date order was one of things I loved about watching the show live. I had a living room full of friends every week, and we were thrilled. None of us had any problems jumping into the story. It felt like a living world, with a sense of depth that you don't get when shows explain everything up front. As a flashback, I count the pilot as one of the best episodes of the series. However, it feels hollow as an introduction (without the early part of the season behind it), like the early sketches of a universe that only exists to start telling the story.

[@s4usea]

"Crazy Ivan" is a real maneuver from the Cold War submarine days. Russian subs rarely used a towed array to see what was behind them which meant they had a 15deg or so cone that was a blind spot. To cover it they'd randomly stop engines and do a 360 in place while they coasted forward to check their six. If a NATO sub was behind them the crew would verbally pass, "crazy Ivan" so everyone would stop what they were doing and be still and quiet until the Russians re-started their engines.

[@brdlysct]

"Crazy Ivan" is a reference to the movie, "The Hunt for Red October"...

[@donsample1002]

@@brdlysctThe “Crazy Ivan” in the movie was a reference to what US submariners called the actual thing Russian subs actually did.

[@dirus3142]

@@brdlysct Were do you think Tom Clancy, the author of the novel film's adapted from, got the phrase?

[@s4usea]

@@brdlysct the maneuver referred to in the movie Hunt for Red October is a Crazy Ivan. It was written about in the book Hunt for Red October because it was a real thing the Russians did when they ran the GIUK gap for open water. It's still talked about, as is the war 2nd Fleet played at back then but never had to fight

[@nathancamp6883]

Although the function in this case is more like a hammerhead aerobatic maneuver, or, if you've got a fancy 5th-gen fighter, something like the falling leaf.

[@parapotato]

What Mal says at the end there "We're still flying" became a bit of a rallying cry for the fans of this show after it was cancelled. Before the movie was announced, fans at conventions and in chatrooms/forums kept the love for this show going.

[@JeffCave]

The priest confessing to the prostitute. One of the most beautiful moments and very much sets the stage about those two.

[@speedythree]

"So, would you like to lecture me on the wickedness of my ways?" "I brought you some supper. But if you'd prefer a lecture, I've a few very catchy ones prepped. Sin and hellfire. One has lepers."

[@daethalion1725]

I always loved the irony of that moment. Also doubles as a nice allusion to the story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

[@patrickkenyon2326]

We love, love LOVE Kaylee. She is like a fluffy Golden Retriever puppy. She wants to be everyone's friend, and can't imagine anyone not wanting to be hers.

[@RoGueNavy]

Twenty years later, I still sing along with the theme song. And I'm still desperately in love with Kaylee.

[@SilentBob731]

In a cast of lovely ladies, Kaylee is The Queen.😻

[@vinnydaq13]

And I’m still in love with Inara ! ❤❤❤

[@RoGueNavy]

@@vinnydaq13 can't get mad atcha for that! I'm still ticked she never got an action figure.

[@davidlacoste]

You can't take the sky from me.

[@joshgreiner2599]

One of the greatest miscarriages of justice is that there's not a full length version of this song somewhere.

[@ArcaneThane]

Welcome browncoat. The chinese is very deliberate, basic explanation is that it's an easy way to slip a swear or two into the dialogue without the censors throwing a fit. The in universe explanation is the the US and China were the two biggest superpowers that remained of earth when we went to the stars so English and Chinese culture and language kinda blended together. Also Mal has very much lost his faith after the war, though he does have a code which you will see in the coming episodes is both complex and often contradictory.

[@Tyrconnell]

One of my only problems with Firefly is despite this blending of Chinese into the language and background details there is a distinct lack of Asian actors in the show. I assume the US won and went a little genocidal....

[@Dilligff]

@@Tyrconnell Not true. The opening of Serenity gives a brief history lesson that explains The Alliance was the merging of the two superpowers of China and the US. While never explicitly explained, but visually represented, it is implied that the Chinese decided to remain primarily towards the inner core focusing on science, industry, and the economic side of things whilst the Americans re-embraced their frontiersmen heritage (both literally and figuratively) and expanded outwards terraforming new planets for resources and a growing population. Since neither side was willing to give up their native tongue it became common practice for tradesmen and travellers to become bilingual in both English and Mandarin. The reason we never got to see any Asian actors is because the series never lasted long enough to show us much of the inner ring and we spend most of our time in the 'Wild West' side of this 'verse.

[@Tyrconnell]

@@Dilligff Thanks for the info. Never picked up any of that from multiple viewings, so I assume its in other media.

[@AngeloBarovierSD]

Friendly reminder to all Browncoats: Sometimes a new viewer’s questions don’t need answers to be given. Best to let ‘em find ‘em on their own way. Cuz discovery is half the fun of treasure. Ain’t much fun when someone hands it to ya.

[@harrybuedel2112]

Oh this is going to be a shiny voyage! You're going to love this series Jacqui!

[@tehcoolemu]

Firefly, nice! I hope you enjoy the ride. There was no "betrayal" (per se) in the opening scene, although Mal might have felt a bit betrayed. The Alliance were who the war was against, no sudden but inevitable betrayal from that corner. The soul-deadening thing at the end of the scene was that Mal was expecting friendly air support to come save them, but enemy air support wound up arriving, instead. The friendly ships didn't betray Mal, they just kinda left him hanging, because the higher-ups decided the battle was hopeless and cut their losses. It might have even been the right call; no sense sending your ships in if they'll just be destroyed by superior enemy forces. It was just a heck of a punch to the gut for Mal.

[@croaker260]

The book (or the comics, I cant remember) imply that this was considered a betrayal because after the battle was log over....they were still stranded. the Browncoats command could have rescued them sooner, but drug out the negotiations for advantage while the ground pounders were literally left to rot.

[@GnarledStaff]

Later episode goes into detail. I believe they were left without resupply for 2 weeks during the negotiations… Mal describes it somewhere in the show.

[@tehcoolemu]

@@GnarledStaff I mean... weren't their orders to surrender?

[@rriggs6547]

@@tehcoolemu No. They were just left there. Communications were cut and they pulled out and then negotiated. The ground troops really didn't know much until after.

[@tehcoolemu]

@@rriggs6547 Zoe: "They're not coming. Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms."

[@Blazingstoke]

This really is one of the best pilot episodes of anything I've ever seen. The teaser made me want to watch the rest of the episode, and the rest of the episode made me want to binge the series. All the main characters were perfectly set up, giving us a strong sense of their personalities and motivations, and all the important world-building was covered. Perfection.

[@aaron18811]

It is a wonderful pilot and introduces a vibrant cinematic universe with many wonderful characters, too bad FOX aired it last. Yes, all these years later I am still angry about that.

[@thomasvikingpoetcolvin4990]

14 episodes and 1 feature film of perfection.

[@Connor_Arbuthnot]

Don't know if anyone has explained this or not, but the in universe reason for the language choices is that the 2 superpowers from earth that was were English speaking and Mandarin speaking. They then spread out into space and that is why there is a fusion between western and eastern designs. Outside of the universe, Joss decided that the best way to get around the censors, most of the swearing would be done in Mandarin. It's never fully explained in the show, so not a spoiler. I'm excited to see the rest of your reactions to Firefly.😊

[@drulipabs]

I’m so happy your reaction to firefly is on KZbin.

[@AdamMPick]

Wow, someone getting the "Murder on the Orient Express" vibe so early, first one I see it. I am a simple man, I see Firefly, I click.

[@NekoOniichan]

This is how I found the channel.

[@rriggs6547]

She hasn't even seen the next episode yet.

[@Chatharina]

LOL, me too, never saw this channel before, saw Firefly and clicked 🙂

[@questionablehumor2800]

That last dialogue with Book and Inara hits so perfectly!

[@fiddiehacked]

A Shepherd out of the Abbey confesses to a Companion out of her Temple Community. RIP Ron Glass❤

[@larrystuder6378]

​@@fiddiehackedwas just gettin' ready to comment about that scene. The final fade out of that scene has Inara and Book in the exact image of a Catholic priest giving Absolution to a parishoner who has just confessed a great sin, only with the roles reversed. A nice bit of irony, the Saint and the Sinner, reversed...

[@DudeLongcouch]

MY FAVORITE REACTOR IS WATCHING MY FAVORITE SHOW YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@milesgreen6110]

Imagine being able to go back and watch Firefly again for the first time

[@Andrew.Hartsell]

Josh Wheden(sp) once stated that one of the inspirations for this show was a book about Confederate soldiers returning home after the war and having to live under union rule. This is Mal.

[@harrybuedel2112]

The Killer Angels

[@Seafroggys]

No, the Killer Angels was about the Battle of Gettysburg (source, me, as I read and own the book)

[@harrybuedel2112]

It's Killer Angels. "He first conceived of the series when he wasn’t supposed to be thinking about television at all, during a nonworking trip to London with Kai. Joss had brought along Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel The Killer Angels, which told the story of the soldiers in the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. What drew him in was how Shaara recounted the minutiae of the soldiers’ lives; it made him think about how everyday people got by in an age when their needs weren’t prepackaged and instantly available."

[@grantschiff7544]

Browncoats aren't slavers

[@CaptainFrost32]

​@@harrybuedel2112Joss also took inspiration from the movie Stagecoach.

[@Konrad-z9w]

I want to watch Firefly once again for a couple years now but I know It'll only end in tears....

[@flatcat6676]

One of my very favorite shows. Lot of parallels to the War Between the States, and it's aftermath. It is a story about the losers of history. The guys who lost their fight against the forces of progress and survived to try to make their way in a new world that rubs against much of what they hold dear. Also, it really kind of turned a lot of conventions around on their heads because at the time it was originally filmed was very unusual to see a sci-fi show that was all about the trials & tribulations of regular folk, not military/government starship captains & high stakes intergalactic politics. Also, this show has some of the best one liners and snappiest dialog of any television show or movie to this very day. So glad you're watching😁

[@DavidGarcia-kw4sf]

Yep, I've read that and one can see the parallels. Having the old West/Frontier background tells us about the people in this story. Many people went west after the end of that war.

[@ernesthakey3396]

This is my very favorite show. It has great sentimental value!

[@tooluser]

Sure, with just a bit less chattel slavery

[@flatcat6676]

@@tooluser So far as we know. I haven't delved much into the lore of the show outside of what we're shown in the actual episodes, so it could be that legal chattel slavery existed in the 'Verse before or after Unification - though I'd be surprised if it did. Be interesting to find out how closely the parallels run, but regardless of that I'd say that the themes that arise from people on the losing side of a war trying to pick up and make new lives for themselves within a system that they violently opposed in the past.

[@grantschiff7544]

So, in this story, the south wins and the Alliance are the slavers?

[@feudist]

The setting is analogous to the post Civil War reconstruction era frontier. Companion =Courtesan/Geisha. The Chinese is mostly cusswords and colorful insults. There are glossaries on the internet.

[@Zorros2ndCousinTwiceRemoved]

Truly, the gods are listening - Jacqui's delving into Firefly. You may have been hooked at the time of this recording, but I'm sure you found yourself utterly in love two days later - and as dumbfounded as everyone else as to how ludicrously ineptly Fox handled this IP. Welcome to the browncoats!

[@ToobaTime06]

So glad you’re reacting to Firefly Jacqui! Discovered this show back in college when they re-aired the series on the SyFy network. Shiny!

[@ObeyWannTK6960]

And Jacqui is instantly a Browncoat. Pretty soon, she will be calling things "shiny", saying "gorram it" and other Whedonisms. All while wishing nasty things upon the FOX executives who intentionally aired the show out of order and cancelled it too early.

[@Staticjumper]

You're doing Firefly? Shiny!! This is going to get a HUGE number of views.

[@xepherys]

Firefly is truly one of the best things I've ever seen; an absolute masterpiece. The acting, the writing, the cinematography, the set design - everything is perfect in it's own right, and it all comes together to provide just the best possible show anyone could imagine.

[@angelohernandez6060]

It's great how seeing Alan Tudyek always brings joy to watchers faces!

[@sean_mccadden]

This show is so well written, and the characters are all so dynamic and great! (Minor spoiler: Even Jane will have his moments). Just a little context. Mal (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe (Gina Torres) were originally a part of the Browncoat Army, which was a band of rebels fighting the Alliance (the central government) for independence. Also, the "unknown" language that they speak sometimes is, in fact, supposed to be Mandarin Chinese. The universe is set in our own, and the culture is influenced by mostly American and Chinese (as well as other eastern Asia) culture. Though the Chinese moments were generally used to substitute swears to get around censors without watering down the language (hence why theres not subtitles). Welcome to this journey!

[@robnsusan2000]

Excellent writing, fantastic cast, real characters, feels like a world we are living in, and if you pay close attention, the characters surrounding Mal are his missing parts and he needs them all.

[@rustopholis1667]

my absolute favorite piece of media since its debut. nothing has dethroned it in my eyes.

[@Lue_Jonin]

You're going to become SO ADDICTED to this series ,as all of us "Browncoat" fans are 🏆 💘

[@cirrustate8674]

Welcome to the Browncoats. One of the best things about this first episode is just how much worldbuilding it manages to do in 90 or so minutes. Another great thing is how quickly we become attached to these characters. Joss knew exactly what he was doing when he decided Kaylee was the one to get shot. Mal telling Simon that Kaylee was dead is a layered thing... in universe it was Mal using black comedy to handle a hard situation AND as a test of Simon's character, and out of universe it was Joss cinching his character hooks into us AND an homage to something he wanted to do in the first episode of Buffy. The deadpan look Zoe was wearing when she delivered the explanation of Reavers... that made the already chilling description of them even more so. Reavers are Terrifying. While it's clear you picked up on it, I'm a little surprised you didn't mention that Mal is kinda carrying a torch for Inara.

[@dawnfallon6812]

...Oh MY! A New Browncoat is born. This is going to be a lot of fun for you. It is such an amazing show. Highly quotable, to say the least. Fun Fact: In the movie _Ready Player One,_ the _Serenity_ makes an appearance in the final battle.

[@metoo7557]

Oooo.. firefly..? You're going to absolutely adore this tv series. Enjoy every single episode.

[@RoGueNavy]

Welcome to life as a Browncoat!!

[@zatornagirroc7175]

First time viewer, here. Firefly = you got my attention. Good reaction = sub. Well done, I enjoyed your comments, you are quick and bright and I loved everything about this reaction. Now I am going to have to check out your other stuff. Seriously, well done, and I can't wait for more.

[@lawrencejones1517]

This was what Joss Whedon intended as the pilot, but that was not the first episode aired. I missed the series when it was originally aired, but heard some of my friends that were fellow SciFi buff raving about it at the time. I first saw it after one of those friends bought the DVD set, and the first episode I saw was also the first on aired, titled The Train Job. It totally sold me on the rest of the series! A few years later, after I'd gotten a DVD set of my own and had gone through many viewings, I was over another friend's place at a New Years party, when our host announced that he had found an Easter egg on the added features disc. It was a song sung by Adam Baldwin, and as he sang the song, which appears in the episode Jaynestown, those that knew the song, including myself, sang along. About half the guests there had never watched the series, and they looked at those of us that sang along like we had collectively lost our minds! Yeah, it's good to be a Browncoat! Anywho, our host then proceeded to play a few episodes for the unenlightened, and someone then grabbed her coat to see if there was a Walmart open on New Year's Day to pick up her own DVD set! Yet another Browncoat made! Now, the motivation for this series was Whedon having read a book on the US Civil War. The back story is that there were worlds that thought that all colonies should be united under one government, and they formed what came to be known as the Alliance. Colonies that didn't feel that this was necessary, refused to join the Alliance. Alliance worlds tried to force colonies to join up so those that didn't banded together to form the Independents. The Alliance beat them. Soldiers from the Independents call themselves Browncoats, and when out an about, you'll usually see Mal wearing a brown duster. Browncoats refer to Alliance military as Purplebellies, FYI. This kind of rambles a bit. Looks like you're in for quite a trip!

[@armcie5080]

The Hero of Canton kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHasdamdltWHrZo

[@velocitymg]

One of, if not the best sci fi shows ever written. Dialogue is excellent, characters are superbly played and it all meshes together so smoothly. It’s an absolute travesty there was only one season

[@alancrofoot]

fox literally murdered this magnificent show in broad daylight. On a lighter note Joss Whedon wrote the theme song before a single episode was penned. The Crazy Ivan - I once heard a helicopter cameraman while filming a car chase in LA say, after the perp made a quick u-turn, 'He just pulled a Crazy Ivan'. I nearly fell out of my chair.

[@TheAdventuresOfBlink]

Crazy Ivan is a nautical term as well, a submarine maneuver with a hard turn: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffles_(submarine)

[@neiladams3042]

This is going to be one hell of a ride! So much to enjoy, from the character and 'verse building to the amazing dialogue and recurring themes. Can't wait for you to react to Out Of Gas and War Stories in particular.

[@nazimelmardi]

Firefly just got a new fan in 1 episode. As usual. 🤟

[@salishseamermaid]

This show is a combination of outstanding writing and casting that has never been matched.

[@SlyPearTree]

Have you seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer? If not I recommend it, it's also by Joss Whedon and has been a huge influence on tv shows.

[@rachelbatterson1664]

Firefly is one of the best, maybe the best, scifi in two decades. One of its best features is that it *doesn't* fill in the blanks: it drops you in the middle of a fully-realized world that you have to figure out. Same with the characters. We learn some things but not everything. For example, we never learn what Shepherd Book's background is or why he's so important to the Alliance or why he is such a good fighter. I loved this show from the opening scene in Serenity, and I fell in love with it when Simon ran up to comfort his sister. Great writing; great acting; some camera work that was copied so much people don't realize it started here.

[@Lady_Vengeance]

Clicked on this so fast

[@reevecole223]

You're going to love this series. Quickly becoming addicted to the characters and stories. Enjoy every moment because it's to damn short. -- We get to enjoy watching a new Firefly fan ride the emotional ups and downs and join you in this beloved experience once again. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. 😊

[@dcplunkett]

"Don't do that to me!" It's Joss Whedon and Tim Minear -- of course they did that to us.

[@whoarocket]

Right, Whedon was already known for killing or fake killing main characters. The death fake out of Cordelia in Buffy the Vampire Slayer got me to jump out of my chair and yell at the TV.

[@kevinjohnson613]

When you realize that Mal telling the Dr that Kailey was dead, wasn't a joke on him. It was a joke on the audience.

[@ernesthakey3396]

​@@kevinjohnson613 it was both!

[@KimsWorkingTitle]

Whedon is not above putting an actor in the opening credits just to kill them off right away...

[@kevinjohnson613]

@@KimsWorkingTitle are familiar with Joss Whedon?

[@keithachterhof2746]

Just came across your reaction video. LOVED IT! Thanks you so much for adding "Firefly" to your mix. It's a joy to add another browncoat to the base. Looking forward to your reactions in the future. And yes ... the series ended waaaaaaaaaaaay to soon.

[@Nealiosaurus]

If you like the special effects from Battlestar Galactica, you have Firefly to thank for it. The same special effects company did both shows, and a lot of the airshow-style, documentary-esque shot composition was applied to Battlestar Galactica! In the BSG mini-series you can even spot Serenity taking off in the background of a shot.

[@JaredSneed23]

This episode is the legitimate Pilot episode. Unfortunately, the NETWORK, in its infinite wisdom, determined that they needed an "action-packed" pilot episode to air on television.. So they aired "The Train Job" first. The Box set DVD has the episodes in order! And Bob's your uncle.

[@Lineman72T]

FIREFLY! LETS GOOOOOOOOO! Just a tiny bit of background lore that you mentioned but doesn't really get explained in the show. The Alliance is a sort of supergovernment led by two planets: Sihnon (terraformed by China) and Londinium (terraformed by USA). Hence the mish-mash of English & Mandarin languages and cultures being so commonplace throughout the 'verse.

[@dbcooper69]

On the series Castle, Nathan Fillion was always inserting Firefly references and the former cast did guest appearances. 🤣

[@antonfowler6582]

His Halloween costume was his Malcolm Reynolds outfit . Just one touch to love about him .

[@Sammy11611]

YESSSSSSSSSS I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I was so sad they only did the one season but the movie is good too! So excited to go on this journey with you!

[@stonecoldku4161]

Joss Whedon said in an interview that he was partially inspired to create this show when he read the historical novel "The Killer Angels" which is about the American Civil War. He wanted to make a show about what life would be like for the soldiers that fought on the losing side of a war after it was over. "The Killer Angels" also inspired the movie "Gettysburg" which I think is one of the more underrated war movies. It was originally intended to be a made for TV miniseries, but it did get released in theaters and home video as well. Highly recommend.

[@IRONVIK1NG]

Oh I'm so happy you're watching Firefly!

[@ronin8471]

Awesome! Another reaction channel reacting to one of my all time favorite TV shows and thus earning a subscription.

[@robnsusan2000]

The “Joss-Speak” as the cast called the lines they got to say is top notch writing.

[@faye13l]

This is still my favourite TV show of all time. I rewatch it every year. I'm so glad to see so many people loving it! This is the first reaction video of yours I've seen and I can't wait to catch up on so many more! Your reaction to Kaylee's 'death' was great - you cared so much about a character you'd only just met. I loved how much you picked up on things, like knowing Inara's job within three seconds of her being on screen, the Western music showing them being outlaws.... I truly hope you enjoy the rest of the show 💜

[@AbrielMcPierce]

This girl coming off Band of Brothers and is confronted with the possibility of main characters dying as a joke. You can see memory of Bastogne in her eyes.

[@movienightwithjacqui]

😂

[@Sp33gan]

So happy you're diving into this incredible series, Jacqui! One of the best shows TV has ever produced, full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. I've always thought Morena Baccarin would have made a perfect Wonder Woman.

[@mathewwadsworth3015]

It's official. I need every reactor to put the Chipmunks filter over the theme song

[@HelloThere.GeneralKenobi]

Band of Brothers .... The Mandalorian .... Chernobyl .... Firefly .... I did not have a single steaming system until the initial covid lockdown. Then I was sitting around with nothing to do. I subscribed and there were a few series I had to start. I then came across reaction channels on YT and had to (re)watch my favorite four. I cannot wait for this journey to continue!! Take care of yourself, Jacqui!!

[@MaskHysteria]

Taking this series off of the air was criminal.

[@deplorabledave1048]

My most fave moment was when Mal kicks that very bad guy into a running turbine. One of the ALL TIME great scenes on film. Ever.

[@gnpj1909]

My only advice is to be patient with character and plot development. Joss Whedon doesn't dump everything at once, he metes it out slowly and really shows it instead of telling. Shiny!

[@Otokichi786]

Welcome, young viewer, to "Firefly." The (relatively) few of us who saw it just after the turn of the century, thank you for keeping the flame lit. Note: Whenever a new/young KZbin viewer falls in love with "Firefly," a Fox TV official falls off the Nakatomi Plaza building. Companions are Guild workers with the social standing of Japanese Geisha. Another note: I saw "Firefly" back in the day, but I didn't see all of it until I bought the DVD set.

[@magister343]

Most of the time when they are speaking Chinese you are only supposed to know that they are cursing but in ways that could get by American censors. If they provided subtitles to let the audience know what was being said then the censors would know too and would ban it from broadcast TV.

[@magister343]

I've heard that this causes issues when the show is shared in China, because some of the profanity they utter is considered quite extreme. Of course, most characters mispronounce the Chinese curses badly enough that it isn't clear how profane the words are.

[@dunringill1747]

I'm a Firefly fan who just found your channel. There is no such thing as a bad Firefly episode. You are an astute reactor and I hope you can avoid spoilers. I'm here for your Firefly journey. Liked and subscribed. Everything in this series has a well written, nuanced reason behind it that allows for speculation. Even the minor characters & scenes have depth. Some Examples: -- You already called out how Mal was religious during the war, but something inside has changed for him since the Battle of Serenity Valley. -- When Mal told Simon "Kaylee is dead" it was more than just a cruel joke. Mal was also testing him. Mal made it a point to look at Simon's reaction. He even mentioned it to the crew "You should have seen his face!". Simon's concerned response for Kaylee (and not for himself & sister) is why Mal offered him a position on his crew at the end. -- People are used to eating synthesized food (or dog) so it's a big deal when a real strawberry and fresh produce shows up. -- Drinking water would be limited on a ship. Using very little to rinse your hands and face would be necessary. Chances are that isn't drinking water but more of a sanitizer/cleaner that Mal used sparingly on his hands and face during his bathroom break. Inara as well with her bath.

[@RoGueNavy]

I'm a massive fan of the show! I have all the action figures they made, along with a construction brick kit of the ship. I even have patches from the show on my rifle bag! And a wide variety of other merch I can't describe, without spoiling lots of stuff, for you.

[@whoarocket]

I do have the action figure of Wash with his toy dinosaurs.

[@RoGueNavy]

@@whoarocket I have all 5 of the produced figures. I nearly got the Eaglemoss Serenity ship, but they went out of business before the item shipped.

[@karlmosher6291]

You made me almost cry reviewing this! I love the show so much

[@kuyag68]

Thank you for reacting to Firefly. One of my favourite shows. Joss Whedon directed this show.

[@SilentBob731]

Whedon may be an a-hole (at times), but he created some of the greatest entertainment in history.

[@Bookconsumer]

​@@SilentBob731I'd upgrade it to an a-hole all the time, but I do agree

[@Se7enDuece]

Just found your channel. Love your reaction, especially your facial expressions. I love Firefly so much that I named my two dogs after Firefly characters (Zoey and Inara). And now, I'm about to dive into your reaction to episode two. Please keep them coming!

[@christophercurtis4131]

This is my favorite TV series ever. I watched it when it originally came out in 2002. I was instantly in love with this show. The only actors from the main cast I had ever seen act prior to Firefly were Nathan Fillion in a couple of small film roles; Adam Baldwin(Jayne) in movies going back to the early 80's(My Bodyguard with Matt Dillon and Reckless with Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah were the first movies I can remember seeing him in); and the late Ron Glass(Shepherd Book) who I grew up watching in the role of Detective Ron Harris in the 1970's television comedy series Barney Miller. I cannot wait to see the rest of your reactions to the series and the movie. I will also be anticipating who your favorite characters are and what your favorite episode is. My favorite characters are Mal and Kaylee. I will reveal my favorite episode once you have watched the entire series. There are more than just the series and the movie, though. There is an ongoing series of novels based on Firefly, as well as an ever-growing collection of graphic novels also based on Firefly. I also have two books, Finding Serenity and Serenity Found, which are comprised of a series of essays that explore even deeper some of the themes and characters of Firefly/Serenity. Looking forward to the rest of your Firefly journey and your joining of the loyal Browncoat fans of this series. One last thing: the character of Malcolm Reynolds is my dream Halloween costume. And I can't wait until you see Jayne's hat. You will know it when you see it.

[@exile220ify]

Shepherd Book was played by the late, great Ron Glass. He's best known for portraying Detective Harris on the groundbreaking 70s cop comedy "Barney Miller"

[@hawkthorn33]

one of us! one of us! We wont spoil, but all the Browncoat's will answer all your questions.

[@morbidangel2424]

Brown coats won't spoil this but others might sad to say

[@ernesthakey3396]

​@@morbidangel2424 People get so excited they start to gush about things that haven't happened yet. Apparently she's up through episode 9 on Patreon at least so she hopefully won't be spoiled by any YT comments. 🤞

[@morbidangel2424]

@ernesthakey3396 the movie is gonna be like her reaction to the band of brother's we stand alone

[@CaptainFrost32]

Another aspect was Whedon wanted longer gaps of black screen for contemplstion of the dramatic scene. However, he found that once the scenes were interrupted by a second of blackout, automated machines at the stations cut to commercials. He worked with his crew to make color hues as close to black without tripping the sensors, giving him his period of dark separation.

[@AbrielMcPierce]

You're watching my GORRAM SHOW!

[@AbrielMcPierce]

yay! :3

[@Elementarian]

Yes!! Firefly!! So happy you're going on this journey now. Looking forward to hearing what episodes will be your favorites, and what you'll think of Serenity when you get to it. Cast is fantastic, and their characters are as well. Wash a personal favorite.

[@MrHws5mp]

Only ever knew one person who didn't fall in love with Firefly, and she was the sort who if she found a gold bar, she'd complain it was too heavy, if you catch my drift...

[@kendrawolf]

Watching someone watch Firefly for the first time is so amazing. I got hooked on this show in high school after it had already been canceled and I have been sad about it ever since. Top Tier world building

[@dardell2001]

He fought against the Alliance. The rebels were called Brown Coats