FIRST TIME WATCHING: Serenity (2005) - A Very Fond Farewell 💖💖💖

[@robtrinreact2825]

Mal: "Doctor, I'm taking your sister under my protection here. If anything happens to her, anything at all, I swear to you I will get very choked up. Honestly, there could be tears." We loved this movie. It was clever, fast moving, visually stunning, and hit us emotionally. We're probably never going to get more of this wonderful universe. And that's sad.

[@jameshitt3263]

I recently saw the episode of Castle (starring Nathan Fillion as the title character) where he dons a "space cowboy" outfit as a Halloween costume---either the very same outfit as Mal in Firefly, or an exact replica, brown coat and all. It was simultaneously delightful to see, but a serious punch in the guts realizing this is about all we can ever expect for more Firefly. Deeply upsetting.

[@davidsapp7554]

I didn't think this was as good as Original Firefly

[@davidsapp7554]

OK here me out Star Wars the Clone Wars movie then seasons 1to 7 Star Wars Rebels Star Wars Bad Batch Mandalorian 1 and 2 Boba Fett Kenobi

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

Great reactions. Glad you loved it (it’s hard not to). Looking forward to another show/movie that I can connect with. Sorry, there’s nothing in your current stuff that I am familiar with, but I’ve got my notifications, so I’ll see if something comes up from you both that I can check out. Cheers!

[@Houston727Gal]

@@jameshitt3263 that was so fun!!!! In another episode of Castle, Allen Tudyk does a funny cameo.

[@trulybtd5396]

"I'm worried about everybody now", is exactly why wash was killed when he was. Brilliant storytelling

[@ki11atj49]

I felt like the wash killing didn't have any impact because of how abrupt it was

[@justinlee8784]

I agree with the OP, that by letting Wash die makes the viewer believe that all the others can go just like that too. Brings you right into that final sequence with huge (life and death) stakes.

[@jameshitt3263]

@@ki11atj49 They had to kill the character for contractual reasons, so they sucker-punched us with that scene. So it was necessary, and even effective for the film's grim mood, but all this nonsense about "brilliant storytelling", give me a break.

[@WasabiBomb]

I saw this in the theatre about a year before it officially came out, at a sneak peak on Whedon's birthday. A lot of people in the audience were cosplaying, and we ended up sitting next to a girl who had dressed up to look exactly like a miniature Zoe. When That Scene happened, the entire audience gasped and fell silent- except for the Zoe next to us, who just said a plaintive "... no...." that echoed in the room. It was an amazingly impactful scene.

[@ki11atj49]

@@jameshitt3263 if his death wasn't so abrupt I would actually agree that it was a necessary death but the ship was at a stop and then he gets impaled it just feels forced instead of necessary like Shepherd books death

[@athena450]

Does anyone else grit their teeth every time someone doing a reaction gets to the bit where the ship crashes before "I'm a leaf on the wind"?

[@arnieadam]

I recall in an interview with Joss Whedon some years ago, he said the reason he killed off the Book and Wash characters was because he realized there was a small chance this movie might revive interest in the series and those two actors were under contract elsewhere and would not have been able to come back. Rather than try to recast, he took this route. Without a doubt, the loss of these characters was a painful gut punch to all brown coats. Also, that gut-punch of having no time to grieve Wash as the action moved on...war is like that, I think. You just don't have time to process until later.

[@shodan1451]

I heard that Wash actually had the idea to get killed off.

[@CaptainFrost32]

Since Alan and Ron were already committed to other projects and could not sign exclusivity clauses, the studio wanted the characters written off. Instead of replacing the actors, Whedon killed off the characters.

[@Skye_Writer]

Ok, idk where any of these theories came because I've watched every interview and convention panel and the 10 year reunion special, and in ALL of them Joss has stated that killing Wash and Book was 100% a way of showing the stakes the crew was up against. Wash's death was held until the climactic final fight because Joss wanted the entire audience to think that anyone could go at any moment, so when Zoe gets hurt, and Kaylee gets hurt, and then Simon, all very quickly and close together, the audience is WORRIED and not sure they will make it out alive. And with Mal facing the Operative and getting his ass kicked so hard, you wonder if even HE can be killed off. Joss said in every interview, as well, that he had a way to bring back Wash if Alan wanted to come back to the role if they got revived (which always made me go back to Jayne's line in War Stories when Zoe hands them Mal's ear: "What are we gonna do, clone 'im?") but since he knew the possibility of reviving the series was slim to none, the movie was meant to be the way to tie up the story and give it an ending of sorts. Neither Book nor Wash was killed off due to studio demands (they never asked for that, and Joss would not have agreed to it) or because they would not have been able to come back to the series. Since the movie was made by a different studio than the one that had put on the series, and since Fox was never going to release the series rights to another studio to revive it (if they were going to do that, the movie would not have been a necessity), the idea that Ron and Alan could not sign exclusivity agreements as the reason for their deaths just does not hold up. There *was* some wrangling over whether or not the entire crew was necessary for the film, and Universal did not want to pay out all that money to all those actors. Since Joss's script had stated that Wash and Inara were no longer on the ship, Universal did want to simply write them out completely to save the money, and in fact they didn't think the film needed more than Mal, Simon, and River since this was River's story. Nathan Fillion took the risk and said he would not sign on unless and until the entire crew was brought back. The studio would not pay them all equal rates, unfortunately, but Nathan waited until all the other cast members' negotiations were done and the contracts signed before he committed to the movie, because he made sure everyone who *wanted* to come back got the chance to do so. Long before Game of Thrones episodes taught people not to get too close to characters they loved, Whedon had long had a history of killing off beloved characters as long as their deaths brought an impact to the story. He did it in Buffy and Angel, and if Firefly had been allowed to continue, it's likely we would have seen more of the same spread out over a couple of seasons.

[@CaptainFrost32]

@@Skye_Writer read my comment again : Universal Studios wanted them written off, Joss killed them. Go back and listen to the commentary tracks.

[@arnieadam]

@@Skye_Writer Gosh...that was so long-winded I couldn't get through the whole thing. I go with what I originally said...it was in an interview that I watched. Period. End of argument.

[@stillhuntre55]

I know this is a year old, but as a diehard Firefly fan who saw the original series on first broadcast (continually pre-empted and broadcast out of order), and drove 4 hours to find the nearest theatre that was showing the movie when it was released, I LOVE your reactions to our beloved crew. You actually pay attention, you catch all the nuances.... subscribed!

[@lawrencewestby9229]

A kid in the movie theater after the reavers pull River away from the closing door, "Poor reavers."

[@RoGueNavy]

I saw this movie on opening night, in a packed theater, in Austin, Texas. You could feel the electricity in the air! When Shepherd Book died, the crowd went almost totally silent, aside from a few muffled sobs. When Wash died, the crowd howled in fury, anguish and outrage. Several people got up, and walked out. In the comics, it is revealed that at the time of the movie, Zoe is carrying Wash's baby.

[@Houston727Gal]

In an interview between Nathan Fillion and Allen Tudyk, they discussed Wash’s death. They both agreed that it was important to show “stakes“. Of course, the audience knows it’s a dangerous mission. But in TV, no one hardly ever dies. That results in not truly being worried for the team. By having Wash die, it ramped up your concern for the rest of the crew believing it’s entirely possible they may all die. Which is exactly what happened when you watched it! And they both agreed that it was an exceptional death by not having one of these long gasping/death speech scenes. And the fact that they couldn’t stop to really take a breath heightened its impact. After listening to them discuss it, his death did not seem contrived. Instead it felt very strategic and impactful filmmaking. PS: love you guys!

[@jameshitt3263]

I've always found Wash's death to be a sucker punch. An effective one, sure, but still a sucker punch. I'm not saying they shouldn't have raised the stakes and spared Wash for our feelings, but rather make the story "earn" the death more. What they gave us was effective and necessary, but it wasn't executed in a way that I would ever call brilliant.

[@OpenMawProductions]

@@jameshitt3263 there is no way for the story to "earn" his death, or any death. His death is sudden, violent, and gut wrenching because it is fast, vicious, and without mercy. That's what makes it effective. If they built up to it, or hinted at it in any way, it would have worked as intended, which was to make the entire audience think the whole crew was going down.

[@jeremykothe2847]

I'm a leaf on the wind.

[@richardlangley3162]

But it did give birth to the joke "How does a Reaver clean its spear? They run it through the Wash"

[@jeremykothe2847]

@@richardlangley3162TOO SOON! :P

[@RaistliniltsiaR]

Man… some reactors scream, some weep openly. Dude, Rob, the intensity on your face and the subtlety with which you choked out “no…!”, I was right there with you, man. Every step of the way. And Trin - don’t worry. We were ALL crying.

[@EhrineAshbark]

There's an exchange right at the of the movie between Zoe and Mal that has multiple levels. He asks her "You think she'll hold together?" getting the response of "She's torn up plenty, but she'll fly true". On the surface he appears to be asking about Serenity, but if he really wanted to know that, he'd probably have gone straight in Kaylee. The reality is he's more interested in know how Zoe is doing and knowing that, she responds the way she does.

[@bill.godwin-austen]

Such a great ensemble cast... every character has multi-level complexity. River a blend of naive sweetness and total badassery, with a tinge of wry, sarcastic humor. Mal the anti-establishment rebel with a deep streak of honor and nobility. Inara who has mastered the ability to compartmentalize her true emotions, but who still sometimes can't control how she feels. Kaylee (my personal favorite) with her intuitive grasp of all things mechanical, and a blend of innocence and desire. Jane, the ruthless mercenary who does what he does to make sure his mother is taken care of and can turn on a dime between stabbing you in the back and giving up everything he has for those he cares about despite himself. Shepherd Book, who lives by the code of a monk, but clearly has a past that is far, far darker, but is only hinted at. Wash, the master pilot who can find the humor, sarcasm, and irony in anything taking only the craft he's been given control of, and the love of his life (Zoe) seriously. Zoe, the total badass who is 100% loyal to the two men who have been key factors in her life, and protector in chief of the crew she loves. Simon, who gave up everything he had and worked for to rescue and protect his little sister. You get to know and care about each and every one of them through all the crazy twists and turns. What an amazing show.

[@julie_eva]

At 9:41, when River flip-kicks the woman in the red dress, Summer Glau performed the stunt herself, without the use of a harness or ropes. She performed the whole fight sequence, actually. With her ballet training, she was able to do it all herself. I always love watching her dance or in fight choreographies.

[@danieladler3210]

I watched the movie before the series and I was instantly hooked. Then I went back and watched the show and I loved it too. They could've made 2 hours of the crew just sitting and talking and I would've enjoyed it. That kind of chemistry is so rare to come by. They have the same friendship in real life which is even more rare. Watching the panels with the cast is the next best thing. Helps when you miss them. The one where Nathan calls them in the middle of Dragon Con 2010 was so much fun.

[@agresticumbra]

That was my husband. He saw the film in the theatre, then immediately started watching the series due to the impact of the movie.

[@underAtack]

Same here...my friend took me to see the movie back in 2005(?), and then revealed afterward that it was based on a show. I've been in love ever since

[@jameskarakitsos4412]

The reason both Wash and Book were killed off was the two actors who played them could not commit to doing another movie due to other commitments. It was anticipated that a second movie would be made if Serenity was successful enough. Unfortunately it was not a box office success so there were no other movies made.

[@corybishop3084]

Ron Glass' committment was having cancer. It's why his part was so limited. They got what they could out of him. He will be missed.

[@larryyeadeke2953]

Alan Tudyk has his own series on Peacock called Resident Alien. It's pretty good, you should check it out. They finished 2 seasons already.

[@Skye_Writer]

That is not true. Neither character was killed for that reason.

[@gr8fulted49]

Half way through the only season of Firefly Alan Tudyk, who plays Wash, went to Josh Whedon and wanted to talk to him about killing Wash off in Season 2 or 3. Since there wasn't additional season, they did it in this movie.

[@coreylemoine4920]

I love the movie. I’ve also come to peace with the fact that the show never got a chance to get bad. There is not a single bad episode, and how long could that have gone on?

[@Spthomas47]

Given that some shows sucked the first season? Yeah, I'll take a brilliant season with a film, yet...

[@Torthrodhel]

It is the consolation to have in the absence of the possibility of the alternative, yeah. Realistically, much more brilliant show with a few duds in the mix would be significantly preferable. But toward what we will only ever have, it's a softening justification.

[@fightscrimewhilesleeping4024]

Firefly is definitely one of those rare shows where "my favorite character" tends to be "whichever one I'm talking about at the moment" lol. And to be totally shamelessly shmaltzy, the best thing I can say about the short run of the show is the old cliché: Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened ❤️

[@SighKronmiller]

Summer 'River' was a ballerina until she broke her foot. And, thank you for the empathy. I can't even imagine writing something with that much emotion. Take care.

[@stevenbanks1548]

This movie was crowdfunded. At least partially. What a testament to the impact of the show.

[@tumbling6940]

Summer Glau was a ballet dancer. On the commentary track of the dvd Whedon talks about finding out she could kick a guy behind her around a pole and immediately getting a pole. She's awesome.

[@eschiedler]

The villian, Chiwetel Ejiofor, is also excellent in "Children of Men"

[@kirkdarling4120]

Also excellent in the current "Man Who Fell To Earth."

[@wymenlucia7870]

You should also watch "Done the Impossible". Its a documentary on how the show and the movie came to be made with interviews from the cast, crew and the fans. Its a great insight behind how this was all possible. A very good watch!

[@RoGueNavy]

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." Zoe and Mal are both talking about Zoe, more than Serenity.

[@mutlupb]

Firefly and Serenity have some of the best writing ever and an incredible cast. Now you need to watch the blooper reel for the series and movie. Honestly some of the funniest material I’ve ever seen.

[@MassOverkill]

My introduction to this Verse was the movie. Didn't even know the series existed. I loved it from the first viewing.

[@RoGueNavy]

Laughing at Kaylee's declaration of intent to live, so soon after Wash died, felt SO wrong. But Whedon knew we'd need a tension-breaker.

[@singingwolf3929]

" Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse... but you take a boat in the air that you don't love... she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down... tells you she's hurting before she keens. Makes her a home." Also, the Operative at the beginning, "It's love, in point of fact. Something a good deal more dangerous." Between both of these, truer words have never been spoken...or proven each other correct.

[@Mortismors]

I'm one of those people that saw the movie first and didn't even know there was a show. I used to call it Zombies in Space. Now I rewatch the show more than the movie. Also the board game is a lot of fun and you get to immerse yourself in the Verse of Firefly even more.

[@randalthor741]

I watched Serenity before I ever watched Firefly (because I didn't really hear about Firefly while it was on the air), and I'll grant that it would have more of an impact for people who watched the show before, but I can tell you that my reaction to Wash getting killed was almost identical to yours. It was an absolute gut punch. The movie did a good enough job of showing you who the characters were and making you care about them that it had a much bigger impact than I would have expected. Hell, I watched this movie expecting it to be a terrible B-movie that might have some cool looking spaceships in it, I didn't think it would make me care about any of the characters, but it absolutely did. On the flip side of that, though, Book's death had very little impact on me, because I hadn't seen nearly as much of him as Wash. If I had watched the show first, that definitely would have meant a lot more to me.

[@StevesFunhouse]

Yeah, you DID missed a cue. Inara was smiling at first when she first sees "the bad guy", as would be customary for a new "client". However, if you look at that whole scene again, you'll see her expression change radically to fear when she senses his intent. Remember, she was very good at that, like in Heart Of Gold when Nandi was killed. She first looked at Mel with such sadness, but then, she and Mal stared at each other a moment, and you could see them both converse without saying a word. Her eyes changed to "get that MF" and Mal left immediately to take him down. Morena Baccarin seems to be awesome at saying things with just her expressions. Now, I really loved sharing this series and movie with both of you !!! You were great and I could tell that you really felt this the same way about this series and movie as I did, and that just made it feel special. It was a hoot🦉!!! I hope to share more vids with you down the road. I'm not into the other ones you are currently doing, but will keep checking back in to find one that I AM ... but I really wanted to thank you for THIS experience now. Every time I'd see you had another episode out (I am subscribed because of this series), I would drop whatever I was watching or doing to see "where it'd take US today".

[@pleutron]

your reaction was everything I hoped for and expected. Thank you guys. I've seen this myself at least 10 times and have watched some reactors as well. You 2 seemed to react just how I remember myself reacting the first time seeing this. LOVED it! I was already angry that they killed off Book, when they killed Wash, I was sooo angry. I had to rewind at least 10-15min of what took place immediately after Wash's death, cause I couldn't pay attention to anything that was going on.

[@cmcgccjsl]

Glad you found this show and this movie. It's truly brilliant. This show was just a decade too early. If it had been on cable or streaming it would have gotten multiple seasons to tell an entirely original story.

[@peterkoester7358]

I first found your channel when you started with Battlestar Galactica (miniseries part 1). I really enjoy your reactions to the episodes and sometimes wish I could hurry you along more than one episode a week! So one evening I started going through your playlists to see if there was anything else I might like watching you react to. And there was Firefly - already complete. I started with - obviously - the first episode, and as hoped, your reactions were everything I could hope for. With most You Tube channels I generally only watch one, maybe two episodes per sitting. But with your Firefly reactions I kept telling myself, "Just one more. Maybe two." I made it through your entire Firefly playlist including the movie in three evenings! Looking forward to seeing what else you have that I can watch. You have quickly become one of my favorite You Tube reaction channels!

[@gryphonlsb]

First time I saw the movie was at a screening in the Bay Area and Wash & Zoe were in the front row. He stood up and sheepishly turned around, everyone was crying and gave them a standing ovation.

[@brandonj7458]

Omg the speed in which I got comfortable to watch this is uncanny....I LOVE this movie and SO GLAD you guys watched it here ..thank you

[@DHARMN00]

Those fight scenes are so graceful, her experience as a prima ballerina really shows

[@rromano158]

Summer Glau is a trained ballet dancer, so all of the moves in the fight scenes were choreographed for her. My understanding, after watching a couple of "What happened to..." documentary type segments here on KZbin is that the movie was written to give "some" conclusions, but also to introduce the characters to audiences who may have not seen the short-lived series. Also, the reason that the movie didn't do as well as expected when it was "officially released" was because the studio had way too many "preview" showings around different theaters/cinemas, that all the die-hard fans had seen it in the preview showings.

[@jamestate5059]

The Castle episode where Castle dresses as a "space cowboy" for Halloween was awesome

[@mark-be9mq]

Love, love keeps her in the air.

[@UncleMilo]

There's so much I love about this movie, but one tiny detail I simply adore is when Mal is listening to Mr. Universe's message and the way he holds his shoulder to acknowledge how much respect he had that the man heroicly recorded that message for Mal while his life is slipping away from his sword wound.

[@LukeMaynard]

There's a graphic novel out there, "The Shepherd's Tale," that purports to tell the story of where Shepherd Book comes from and who he really was. But in my mind and headcanon I've always, always considered Book to be a former Operative, exactly like the one in this movie, who had his own crisis of faith and walked away to join the Abbey and become the Shepherd we know. It would explain so much about both the depth of his knowledge and the calm strength of his conviction. I still like it better than the comic book's explanation, and so that's still the version of the story I tell myself.

[@incompetenthands]

Near perfect send off for the crew. I love the bookend concept of River. Technically the first time anyone ever saw her was the early scene in the train job. She looks at Mal and says "Mal bad... in Latin." When the secret is revealed we're told "it was the Pax" Pax is Latin for peace. We root for the "bad" people against the "peace" Brilliant!

[@davidcarbee8720]

Great reaction. Glad you got to experience this gem like the rest of us. You are now part of our crew. I liked the dynamic between the two of you but I’m only here for the Firefly reactions. Good luck with the channel and if I’m ever in the neighborhood for some other reaction, I’ll definitely stop by.

[@richardb6260]

Alan Tyduk had a streaming series called Con Man where he basically played himself after the end of Firefly. There's a lot of stuff about him going to Sci Fi conventions and some of the Firefly cast shows up. There's a hilarious KZbin video where some of the cast is answering questions at a convention and Fillion makes a prank phone call. Fillion's series Castle has a Firefly reference where he goes to a Halloween party dressed as Mal.

[@CaptainFrost32]

Also, the sci-fi convention where he mentioned Whedon, and episodes where he admitted learning Mandarin for his favorite show. Several of the crew had cameos. Gina, Adam, Summer...

[@Otokichi786]

Alan Tudyk returbs to his "Summer job," on the syfy channel's, "Resident Alien.";)

[@JohnLeePettimoreIII]

i am glad you're finishing up the Firefly saga with this.

[@piercedviking8058]

Love. You can learn all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

[@dondumitru7093]

"Are they going to kill the whole crew, because there is no more?" Blake's 7 has entered the chat.

[@PoeticDragon111]

I love this crew! The tv show and movie are both great and I could re-watch them 100s of times! I'm sure someone else has already mentioned there's a comic that continues the story after the events from the movie and a comic with Books story called The Shepherd's Tale :)

[@SimonWakefieldUK]

Killing Book and Wash happened for two reasons. First universal planned for sequels and didn’t want to have to renegotiate with the whole cast for any future movies so any actor who had other commitments so could only commit to one movie was requested to be written out. The second is that from a story telling pov it adds real risk, if those two especially Wash could die it made everyone fair game so you get the reaction you had where you really believe they could all die and were about to die. It just ups the stakes rather than you knowing they are protected by plot armour which removes any true tensions

[@reverance_pavane]

The main reason everyone is so opposed to Disney's recently mooted ressurection of the show (or at least the universe that contains the show to be more accurate) is that they realise how incredibly lucky they were in getting the ensemble of actors that they did. You just can't manufacture that on screen (and off screen) chemistry.

[@GeorgeEugeneBarrett]

Plus, everything Disney touches lately has been completely ruined with Wokeism.

[@beyo5]

I know it isn't a video, but Shepherd Book's backstory is told in a comic book series. He was a double agent for the Independents during the war, gaining high rank with the Alliance as an operative, but was involved in a bad situation before he quit and joined his religious order.

[@nonymoose7170]

Wash's sudden death, ripped the heart out of every browncoat. Unfortunately, this movie wasn't a huge success in theatres. To think of the possibilities they could have had for River and the crew, is a gut punch. Disney is rumoured to be working on a reboot soon... somehow, I don't think it will have the same impact. Truly enjoyed your reactions to the Firefly masterpiece.

[@jeffthompson9622]

Not that many people had discovered the show at that point, and the movie was poorly promoted where I lived. I was lucky to have known of it in order to see it in the cinema. I had known of the show because a friend mailed a copy to me.

[@SimonWakefieldUK]

The reboot will be awful based on what has leaked out, rather than being gritty adult sci-fi they seem to be going for glossy teen sci-fi which included taken anything more risqué, such as Companions out completely

[@jeffthompson9622]

@@SimonWakefieldUK It wouldn't be the first time Disney ruined something good.

[@Skye_Writer]

There is no reboot. That rumor has been around forever. And the reason the film was not successful is that, unfortunately, there were too many special screenings with Q&A sessions held after too many months before the film was released. A rough cut of the film was previewed in a total of thirty-five North American cities where the Firefly television series received the highest Nielsen ratings. The screenings did not bear the name of the film and relied on word-of-mouth within the fanbase for promotion. All screenings sold out in less than twenty-four hours, sometimes in as quickly as five minutes. The first screening was held May 5, 2005, in ten cities. The second screening on May 26 increased the number of cities to twenty. In the twenty-four hours following the announcement of the second screening, the Firefly fanbase launched trial and error efforts to uncover the theaters holding the screenings, leading the event to be sold out before the official listing was released. The third screening on June 23 was held in thirty-five cities. A final screening was held at Comic-Con International, followed by a panel with Whedon and the cast. So by the time the September release rolled out, all the fans who would have seen it multiple times and introduced non-Firefly friends to it had already done so. Most pundits seem to believe that if they had held the film for the initial premiere date, it would have created more buzz at that the time and it would have made more impact.

[@mrlol2238]

Was so tough waiting for you both to react to this. Nicely done. To this day…a best line from movie…”let’s go be bad guys!” Funny moment…..Jane thinking he could be brainwashed by Simon’s words. Lolol. I think this is the highest quality fan based films to happen in a long time.

[@alisonscott1469]

The reason firefly wasn’t cancelled was because the network didn’t get it. A western set in space and as a thankyou to the fans that tried to save the show they made the film Serenity to tie up loose ends and complete rivers story. I love firefly and continue to watch the series and the film still. My fave characters were River, Simon and Mal. Firefly will be missed. 😭 take care and I’m glad you loved this show as much as i did when I first saw it. 😘

[@karlbecker8775]

The dialogue in this film is epic! I'm glad you finally got to watch it. Also, if you haven't watched the outtakes, you need to. They are hilarious.

[@sherrysink3177]

Unfortunately, before I saw this film in the theatre, I happened across an article that spoiled what happens with Wash. I can definitely say it affected how I saw the movie the first time, because I only knew he was going to die; I didn't know HOW... so I spent most of the film anxiously waiting and wondering if this was going to be the scene where they gut me. Every moment felt stressful. Though, honestly, I'm not sure I would have taken it any better, not knowing. I was devastated either way. I love Wash. And like you, at a certain point, I wondered, "Jesus! Is ANYONE going to survive to the end of the movie?!" It was very stressful, lol! Thank you so much for all your reactions to the series and the film. It's been a huge delight to hear both of you explore the show and discuss and love these characters like we all do. I look forward to watching more of your reactions! ❤ All the best to you both.

[@KevinLockamy]

Summer Glau is an amazing actress. From her range of emotion, that can be seen in the River Tamm sessions, to her physicality, as seen when she was hiding on the ceiling and the fight scenes here.

[@garyhaberfield]

In tears again.

[@amyfrench8678]

I shocked myself when I saw this video in my recommendations. My initial reaction was "oh no!". I've come to look forward to many of your reactions so it surprised me that I was hesitant to watch this one. Of course, I realized it was from the sadness I feel for this journey ending with you. I am grateful to both of you that I still have many hours of Lost and TWD to watch. Thank you for giving this old lady some company while watching some of my favorite shows.

[@LeahB31]

I saw this movie in the theater and that made me want to watch the show because I loved the movie. Now I also love the show.

[@Kevin_Fiol]

It's such a bittersweet ending watching a reviewer arrive at Firefly :) :( There's a really great documentary about the Firefly fandom, and the grass roots campaign to get this movie made 5 years after the show was cancelled! It's called 'Done The Impossible' and ya'll should definitely check it out!

[@nomis]

Thank you for going on this journey and sharing it with all of us. As far as I'm concerned we're all family now.

[@xedover]

I heard a story... "Wash"/Alan Tudyk was at a convention signing autographs, and wrote "I'm a leaf on the wind..." and the fan just burst into tears.

[@mhlevy]

It's been a great trip watching the two of you become Browncoats!

[@kevinjohnson613]

Nathan and Alan also starred together in a bunch of shorts called Con man. If you get to missing your Firefly fix. Not to mention the tons of interviews and comicons .

[@RoGueNavy]

The Reaver that you see River punch in slow motion, is Neil Patrick Harris!

[@Br0nto5aurus]

Wash's death hit me harder than the deaths of some relatives of mine. Every time I watch the movie, I want to get a tattoo that says "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."

[@xedover]

this movie is always so emotional, but even more so watching you guy's reactions... I couldn't hold back the tears. love it!

[@daniellemariexfvixen]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, while first time seeing reactions are super great and impactful, second time viewings reactions and reflections are also great!

[@blackeyeole]

I don't know if anyone mentioned that ,but you can learn more about Shepard and more stories about the crew between the series and the movie ,by reading the firefly comic . Fans love firefly and that made it to become a story on any media possible.

[@thegwolf]

Thank you for the Firefly journey you guys shared with your viewers. It've been fun to see an old favorite through your eyes as new again ;)

[@MsMelyjean]

I always wanted to hear more about the "hands of blue"

[@paintedjaguar]

I get some of the same "adventure with old friends" feels from the "Sharpe" series of 1990s TV movies, starring Sean Bean along with a lot of other talented faces you may recognize. Very good writing and acting. Recommended.

[@sorabove]

I had tried to watch this on TV but couldn't get into it because of Fox's "genius" show order which was not the order the episodes should've been aired in. Then my father got the DVD and when watched from the Pilot on I instantly fell in love. I saw the movie in theaters and it was fantastic. Full theater. The audible gasp and sobs (myself included) from Book's and Wash's deaths were brilliant. Long live the Browncoats. Long live Firefly.

[@nomis]

I feel speechless, but at the same time i have so much to say. Here at the end, again, its hard say how i feel because my heart is literally in my throat...

[@AaronBeaumont]

I saw the movie first. that's what got me into Firefly.

[@Mr.Ekshin]

Whedon didn't reveal this until almost ten years after the show's cancellation (get ready to have your hearts broken): Inara has loved Mal for quite some time... but she has an incurable disease. She is well aware that she doesn't have much longer to live. And when she realized that Mal was starting to fall for her too, she chose to leave... out of love for him. She knew it would hurt him deeply if he were to fall for her, and then lose her. That was her original character arc. Whedon chose to give the viewers some hope in this film that maybe they might end up together.

[@maddwitch]

There is a book series and Inara's condition is the subject of one of the books.

[@sandwiched]

Yeah, and this is hinted at in the series pilot episode. When they're being pursued by the Reavers, Inara takes out a little box and opens it up to reveal a syringe & needle. The implication is that it's a "painless death" thing, which given the stakes at that moment is reasonable to have at hand. The deeper implication only comes when you start to ask why... why did Inara have a suicide syringe at-hand? And the answer only came when Whedon revealed that she had an incurable disease.

[@Mr.Ekshin]

@@sandwiched - Most of the clues came in the 'Heart of Gold' episode.

[@Gort-Marvin0Martian]

I hope you saw the Easter egg on the planet Miranda. There is a shuttle there with "C 57 D" on the side. That is an homage to the sci-fi film, Forbidden Planet (1956). All the sci-fi space movies owe their effects to that film. If you ever decide to watch it you will see some of it in every film since.

[@rayhutchinson640]

Thanks for taking us on this wild wonderful ride! Great reactions to a stellar show!

[@sueshoemaker2924]

I know you think Wash's death didn't have a big impact if you hadn't seen Firefly first, but from my experience you are wrong. Hadn't seen the series but went to see the movie in theaters. I cried my eyes out when Wash died because he was already my favorite character. We left the theater and immediately went to a store and bought the box set of the series because I needed to see more of Wash. Been a brown coat ever since...

[@Tampahop]

Thanks for this journey. It was so much fun seeing you experience everything I felt watching these shows.

[@robtrinreact2825]

Thank you for following, it means so so much 💖

[@CanadianAmerican]

Hey Rob, if you decide to rewatch "Castle" episodes, you will not only see a number of 'easter eggs' from "Firefly,' but also guest appearances by some of the "Firefly" cast (Adam, Jewel, Gina and Summer). Alan was supposed to be in the episode where there's a murder on the set of a sci-fi series (he was set to play the captain), but his schedule unexpectedly conflicted. Glad you caught him in "The Rookie" though. Oh, and now that you're done with everything, there are lots of videos posted on KZbin that will surely be of interest, including various Comic Con, Dragon Con and other convention appearances posted, where cast members are part of "Firefly" and "Serenity" panels. SHINY !!!

[@armntic]

Want more Alan Tudyk (Wash)? -- Resident Alien series - killing it!

[@_toph_]

thank you both for sharing your firefly journey with us! ❤

[@frozenpiper2]

If you want to know more about Shepherd Book, there is a graphic novel that tells his story. I just finished watching all of your Firefly reactions. I think out of all of the ones that I have watched, your reactions are one of the best that I've seen. I saw a trailer for serenity when I went to the movies. The trailer totally blew me away and I knew that I was going to have to watch Firefly before Serenity came out.

[@Dylan_Platt]

Definitely watch the bloopers, I'd for sure watch a reaction to them. Joss said in the commentary that Wash survived to the end in his original draft, but that he realized that the finale fight didn't have the intensity or stakes it needed to really land. Just as you said here, once Wash dies, you really start to think "oh man, this is a suicide mission, nobody's making it out", and then they all start taking really serious hits -- Zoe gets slashed, Kaylee catches the glowing darts in her neck, Simon gets gutshot. Joss said (jokingly) that fans always get mad about the characters he kills off, but never give him credit for the ones that pull through.

[@nomis]

omg omg omg.... not gonna cry.... not gonna cry... cant watch right now, gotta wait till lunch time... omg gonna be so great.... not gonna cry....

[@kcallamajaji]

"I'm a leaf in the wind" *brokenheart*

[@Gort-Marvin0Martian]

Summer Glau is classically trained in ballet. The motions for her attacking people were easy for her.

[@kevinjohnson613]

It has been said that one of the reasons the show was titled after the ship instead of any character or such was to make each character both equally important but also removable. I believe that this approach is why I can't name a favorite or even a least favorite character.

[@Rees2005]

As to your point of Serenity being a stand alone movie...I agree because I saw it first BEFORE the Firefly series. I loved the movie and then of course loved the series and felt like most that we we all robbed of not having more seasons!

[@mojoriot2293]

I watched the series when it aired, & I was pissed when it got canceled. When the movie came out, I saw it in the theater, & I loved it! I would've liked more of the series, but at least the movie had a great story. Btw, there's a badass collectible statue of River standing on a pile of bodies, while holding 2 weapons, just like it looked in the movie! I'd love to buy it, but I just don't have the space, or the cash. Great reaction as usual! Catch ya next vid...🤘😎 Btw...WHEN AEE YOU GONNA GET INTO "THE BOYS" ??? It is the absolute BEST show for reactions, because it is INSANE! Plus it has a great story, incredible acting, and some of the best HOLY-SHIT moments EVER!!! A MUST EXPERIENCE!! 🤘🤪😁👍

[@JesterRed]

Amazing show! Thank you for letting me go through it all as if it were new again through your eyes. You are both Brown Coats in my book. There are book and Graphic Novels that carry on the story for the crew after. They are well worth the time.

[@steverogers-realtor8763]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but the guy who gets dragged off after the bank robbery is Dennis from always Sunny

[@nullunit]

I love this movie and dug watching it with y'all. They did an admirable job wrapping up what they could. It is almost a certainty that Disney will try to revive it as a Disney+ show but with the loss of Book (both Ron Glass RIP, and the character) and Wash I really don't know how you bring it back with the original cast. All of the actors have moved on to other things since and it would be a hard chemistry to recapture. It was such a crazy balancing act they had going. I should probably read the books and comics as they fill in a bunch of the gaps and are sanctioned by Joss himself as "canon".

[@Mr.Ekshin]

Original cast? Disney??? Ummm... no. If Disney remakes this, expect a full 'woke' treatment. You can expect them to ignore all established canon, and the plot, characters and dialogue will turn into utter garbage.

[@incompetenthands]

@@Mr.Ekshin YES we know this because when Darkhorse lost the rights and it went to a woke company it went down hill. The books are OK but the original series and the movie said everything it wanted to say.

[@JKTritt]

When I saw the film in the theater, the whole room was sad when Shepherd Book died, but there was nearly a riot when Wash was killed. Seats were ripped up and thrown at the screen. They stopped the film and threw everyone out. I had to go to another theater and watch it again to see the end of the movie.

[@agresticumbra]

Whoopsie goes another heat shield! 😆

[@evsonelus4340]

Just finished the Firefly reaction of yours, great reaction... hey, on Castle, you can see all(most) the actors of firefly too: theres an episode with Kaylee, one with Zoe... I think two or three with River and 2 or 3 with Jayne... though, no Shepard and I dont recall if we have Simon on it too, but yeah, all(most) everybody there. Theres even an episode on Castle, a Haloween one, where Nathan dress himself as Malcom, and his daugther (I dont recall her name on series) ask him what costume is this, and he says "an space cowboy", for what she answers "first, theres no cows on space..." and goes on.. Its funny. Also, Simon made an episode on Ghost Whisperer I saw.. old stuff, but after Firefly. But he was alone there (no more Firefly guys on it). I like more when they all come together, but this episode was fun. See ya guys. Have a good time there. All good wishes for you. Light and bright ;-) See ya later.

[@TerryYelmene]

Of the more than a dozen and a half Serenity reactions I've seen, this was second only to the great PiB Cassie's. I'm so pleased neither of you got any spoilers ahead of viewing Serenity. It makes all the difference. FYI, the series' last episode aired in 2003 and the brownouts had to wait over two (2) long years; until 2005 for the movie. As is being discussed in these comments, there has been a cornucopia of FF connections and references throughout the intervening years of US television productions. However, IMHO the best has been ADAM BALDWIN (JAYNE) as Major John Casey NSA Spy-Assassin and Special Forces Officer in an extraordinary sci-fi tinged spy action parody, wrapped in a pop-culture spoof (with FF references) within the greatest soulmate love story in TV history. Adam starred as 'Casey' in 'Chuck.' (2007-2011 -- NBC). If you liked, tolerated, or even just acknowledged 'Jayne,' you'll love 'CASEY.' More importantly, if you thought the characters, their development and the character relationships were good on FF, you can't imagine the pure joy and richness of characters and relationships found through the pairings of: ● Ellie and Awesome ● Casey and Morgan ● and of course, Chuck and Sarah ● hell, throw in Jeff and Lester!!! I know it may be perceived as a real commitment-(91 episodes), and it's important to know that the first (writer's strike impacted) season is just lessened a bit... BUT, But, but... the payoff is... more than shiny!!! Please consider reacting to 'Chuck.' It's a legendary Fan-Fought-For Classic (Subway), just like this wonderful Firefly series you've appreciated so much!

[@ernesthakey3396]

Ah, Serenity... The Operative was very well played. And he finally lost his cool facing the Reaver Fleet. "Somebody Fire!" :) At the end of the movie, we're glad Mal let him live - he gave the order that kept River from getting gunned down, he arranged for Serenity to be repaired, etc. Like Mal in the Battle of Serenity Valley, the Operative lost his faith - and now has to live with what he's done. I expect that the Operative might become a Shepherd...