this is how FIREFLY ENDS??? * first time watching * reaction & commentary

Firefly: Episodes 13 and 14
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[@CandleLight129]

🤣🤣🤣 Ashleigh threatening a company that basically doesn't exist anymore over not getting sufficient answers out of a show they sabotaged 20 years ago! Welcome girl, you're a true Browncoat now!!

[@BigDamnHero74]

“And what does that make us?” “Big Damn Heroes, Sir!” “Ain’t We Just!” ❤

[@oaf-77]

They can’t take the sky from us

[@Otokichi786]

Every time a KZbin viewer falls in love with "Firefly," a Fox TV executive falls off the Nakatomi Plaza building...

[@Melissa-pe2jr]

​@@Otokichi786 falls, pushed. Tomatoe, Tomatoe

[@fjanson2468]

@@Otokichi786 and on fire.

[@m00rc4t]

I love watching the conversion to a Browncoat in real time! "This intro is not the best" to "If this song is not in the movie, I'm going to be pissed!" in thirteen short episodes.

[@gregwodzynski941]

Right. That cracks me up

[@wendybooth4074]

Such a joy to experience over and over since our first time can't be experienced again!! ❤️💕❤️💕

[@Staceysprobablycrying]

It’s a warm fuzzy feeling for sure 🧥❤ 🥲

[@doc0815martens]

Yes, I remembered her comment about the intro too. 👍😂😂🤣🤣

[@charlesballard5251]

Yeah, as I recall she's going to be pissed. I have the movie on DVD and as I recall the song was conspicuously absent. Is anyone else absolutely amazed and I might add unbelievably FLUMOXED that the FIREFLY theme song has never been recorded and become a Billboard 100 hit?!?!!?!? Imagine what it would have sounded like if Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers had recorded it. That man's voice singing those lyrics and drawing them out a bit as only he could with the Heartbreakers playing it a bit slower than we are used to hearing it on the tube... it gives one shivers. But with Tom's passing that is no longer possible. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band would be my current choice. Don't think so? Search for "Bruce Springsteen Outlaw Pete" on KZbin and give it a listen. Then his song, "Western Stars". The man can do western music better than anyone who is known for western music. 'Nuff said. Later.

[@isaackellogg3493]

50 million kids pick up a stick and pretend it’s a gun. Leave it to River Tam to pick up a gun and pretend it’s a stick.

[@MsAriesQueen]

Thank you, 😂I laughed so hard at this 😂

[@beanofglory1051]

Well said! 😅

[@Smokie_666]

Being a child of the 80's, this comment hits home perfectly!

[@Skye_Writer]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Joshkie2]

In the episode Ariel what was young River playing at the beginning.

[@thebkg]

Ashleigh Inara didn't leave because he slept with Nandi, she left because her feelings for him threatened her core Identity, which was being a professional Companion. Mal and Nandi just forced her to confront those feelings which she'd been avoiding and hiding from with the false veil of insults.

[@Razzlion]

Like she said in another episode "The rules for dating/marriage for a companion are.. complicated" same excuse Mal uses when he talks about it.

[@Well...Darn.]

I think a big part is that Ashleigh didn't fully understand the distinction between a Companion and a prosti.

[@russellward4624]

​@Razzlion and Inara "doesn't like complications"

[@Sakyosha]

There's a bit more to it: Inara was supposed to have a terminal illness that she was hiding.

[@Kestrel1971]

There's a little more to it than that; as someone else pointed out, Inara had a terminal illness, but there's the fact that Mal slept with Nandi IS a big factor; Mal had no respect for the work of Companions - he certainly wouldn't have had any respect for independents like Nandi; that means that he slept with Nandi because he felt something for her, not simply because she was available and professional, and that hurt Inara deeply.

[@alexthorpe6583]

Firefly: 14 episodes of bliss, a lifetime of withdrawal.

[@TerryYelmene]

@alexthorpe6583 - WOW! This may be my all-time favorite comment anyone has ever made about our beloved 'Firefly' series. I absolutely second it!

[@alexthorpe6583]

@@TerryYelmene I can't take full credit for it. I was slightly paraphrasing a meme image that I found and shared on my FB way back in 2012.

[@davidbergfors6820]

Ain't that the Truth!

[@Mattiboyoboyboy]

"that aint a Shepard" such an amazing line that leaves so much to the imagination rip firefly

[@claudiadarling9441]

One of the reasons the show still works despite being so short is how good it is at inspiring one's imagination about the larger verse.

[@eolsunder]

yea sadly only 1 season i'm sure they would have expanded a lot on Shepard's background and history before joining up with the gang.

[@mattschliemann9683]

She was talking about the previous thing when he said the line. I was thinking "omg she missed it!" And then she was like "ayyy yo what you mean that ain't a Shepard!" Oh thank god she caught it. It would have seriously been nice if this show got several seasons to tell these stories fully.

[@artao5]

In case you're not aware ... There's a series of graphic novels that followed up the show. One of them is all about Shepard Book.

[@veronika4870]

yessss

[@boomstickman71]

"I don't know how I feel about it being over, because I'm really fallin' in love with all the characters." Now you know how we have felt since 2002.

[@caldodge]

Amen!

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

The novels are good.. can give you a little more of the Verse..

[@WDMurphy]

I was going to say, I still to this day am upset it's over. Lol 😭

[@olaftheblack2012]

I read this comment as she said this. I thought I was having a stroke lol

[@nicholasholloway8743]

I'm just lucky my uncle showed me this show about 6 years ago. Had he not o would of never knew it existed till this reaction.

[@robertlehnert4148]

"Ashleigh; "I've fallen in love with all these characters" Jayne: "Awwwww"

[@lukebarber9511]

Sign we're living in the worst timeline: Firefly was cancelled, while Jersey Shore ran for 6 seasons...

[@John_Locke_108]

It's still on. My wife watches it. It's now a reality show of them being extremely rich and being obnoxious. None of them grew up despite half of them now having children of their own.

[@kingfield99]

I understood that reference!

[@lukebarber9511]

@@John_Locke_108 Forget "worst timeline", we're now officially a dystopia...

[@Fish-bw9yh]

@@kingfield99 I understood THAT reference 😅

[@stephanieellis5399]

​@@kingfield99 😂😂

[@kevenpinder7025]

Mal and River in the space suits is my favorite scene in the show. You can read it on Mal's face. This is when he fell into protective love with her. River just picked up another big brother.

[@Audra1964]

I think that protective instinct was there all along. He knew full well life would be simpler with River off the ship, but he kept her on anyway. Even came close to killing Jayne for putting her in danger. However, the scene you described seems to me to be the point he realized a real affection for her on top of that protective instinct.

[@StarlasAiko]

Also, until that moment, she was on the ship without Captain's permission. She was smuggled on board and technically was a stowaway this entire time.

[@KSilverlode]

It's the first time it's shown in words, but I think it's been growing under the surface for a long time. Mal is protective of his crew. He's protective and affectionate with Kaylee, he protects Inara even when she doesn't want him to, even tries to protect YoSaffBridge before she showed what she was, but with River it goes deeper - she's just a kid, she was destroyed by the Alliance, and we know how he feels about them. He has refused to kick them off the ship through everything. When River and Simon were kidnapped, River says "Daddy will come save us", but she knows her own father wasn't coming, just like he never came when she was in the hands of the Alliance. I think she sees Mal as a surrogate father figure. And River knows how other people feel. I think Mal is the major reason she feels at home on Serenity, she knows that no matter how hard he seems outwardly that while she's on his crew, she's under his protection, and that counts for a lot.

[@davidbergfors6820]

that is about as good an ending to this show we got. and I am actually somewhat ok with that. the first episode we pick her up, the last episode is where she is welcomed in for real as part of the crew, all doubt taken care of.

[@evanflynn4680]

Translation: She called Inara "mei mei" which means "little sister" in Mandarin. They're close friends.

[@agresticumbra]

Which Mal also calls Kaylee.

[@Baiko]

Also what Simon has called River.

[@mikepalmer7620]

Quite true, but I always read it as having just a little bit deeper of a meaning, as I conceive of the Companions as a sisterhood. It could also have a context like a senior relates to a sophomore.

[@gregwodzynski941]

Ashleigh episode 1- I don't like the theme song Ashleigh episode 14- if they don't have the song in the movie I'm gonna be pissed.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

What I love about this episode is that Early operates by freaking his targets out, they fear him so they cooperate... then he meets River and she does the same to him!

[@RedwoodTheElf]

And I've always had it in my headcannon that Early was going to be a recurring villain.

[@davidfairchild8566]

@RedwoodTheElf Joss Whedon said that if he had made another movie he was going to bring back Early and have it focus on him.

[@TheReturnOfSak]

There's hints that River adopts other peoples personalities throughout the entire season. This was most iconic in Shindig when she developed a British accent and belittled Badger. But, there's also when the survivor wakes up in Bushwhacked and she starts screaming (the mind of a reaver is filled with anger and fear), and when she lays on the coffin in The Message and comments "It's very comfortable." to name a couple.

[@darkarpatron]

It's funny how often a person can be vulnerable to their own tactics.

[@yehudahecht1520]

@@TheReturnOfSak That's an absolutely bonkers theory that I've never heard. I like that.

[@JakkFrost1]

In terms of what you're saying about River, you're operating on the basis of being used to TV series with short little 8-12 episode seasons on streaming channels, where they have to bring out the details at a faster pace. Firefly was a network show, meaning 20-24 episodes per season. The story is naturally going to develop at a slower pace, to keep viewers intrigued and guessing, and audiences had a greater attention span to handle it.

[@itzel1735]

Yes. People have forgotten how slow plot moved on episodic television. And initially, the producers and writers would have planned / hoped for five years.

[@JakkFrost1]

@@itzel1735 yeah, I believe Joss had a 3 year plan, and he is generally better at planning things out than most writers.

[@tremorsfan]

Inara says in Mandarin: The House can have a feces throwing contest with a monkey. My favorite insult.

[@dingokidneys]

I've always wondered what the little bits of Mandarin they throw about meant. 😉 I knew that they were generally either insults or terms of affection but apart from the general context I never really knew. It's great when someone can give a translation. I guess they were like easter eggs in the show and an easy way to get around the ratings goblins.

[@gitzogutz]

Daaang girl! The first thing Simon tells you about River is that the government was "playing with her brain." Figured everything after that makes her actions make sense lol

[@johnymey4034]

ya... @awkwardashleigh is.... not super perceptive or incisive.

[@ElliotNesterman]

FOX aired the episodes out of order because the programming exec wanted to sink the show. Whedon had been brought on by his predecessor, and the new guy didn't like Sci-Fi and didn't want to be held to the existing contract. He had to engineer bad ratings so the contract could be cancelled. _Firefly_ was cancelled after eleven episodes aired, and Whedon wasn't given time to write proper finale episodes. "Trash," "The Message," and "Heart of Gold" weren't even broadcast in the US until the Sci-Fi channel aired the show in 2005, just before the premiere of _Serenity._ So really, there isn't even one season of _Firefly;_ there's only a bit more than half what was supposed to be the first season.

[@adaddinsane]

This is how the TV industry works. I know the guy who owns Blake's 7 (yup, the BBC sold it) he almost had a deal for a reboot, then the exec changed. The new guy cancelled everything the previous guy was working on. Why? Because if the previous guy's show was a success then the new guy could be kicked out and the previous one brought back. It's an effing nightmare.

[@Julandran]

Yup. And they put it in a Friday night timeslot in the fall, so it was almost always pre-empted by the baseball playoffs. A lot of episodes were aired at like 2 in the morning instead of 8pm when they were actually scheduled. Plus, 2002 was before VoD streaming or DVRs were common, so a lot of people relied on VHS tapes being passed around or just didn't get to see it until the DVDs were released.

[@johnberg9497]

@@Julandran Yup, that was a real nightmare because we had almost no notice to change our VCRs ... will never forgive any involved in the schedule changes ... still loved the show despite the chaos

[@barbara832001]

My dad managed to watch it as it aired, I didn't find out until I got Serenity for Christmas and he said he wanted to watch it because he liked the show. I don't think he ever saw the unaired episodes though.

[@abeartheycallFozzy]

The show was expensive, with effects and shooting on location and right about the time Firefly was aired reality TV was taking off. That is much cheaper and profitable. So much was working against this show's success.

[@MaggieLarocque]

The glimpses into River's brain were not available to us because they were not available to her until Simon found a concoction of medications that helped her to find some focus and lucidity.

[@emperorkalan]

About flippers in space: No. In water, the flippers push against the water. In the vacuum of space, they have nothing to push against.

[@awkwardashleigh]

Now this makes sense. Thank you

[@Dularr]

​@@awkwardashleighin space you could have cold jets. If you have seen The Martian, they mention another way.

[@BKPrice]

They wouldn't hurt, but they wouldn't help either.

[@HermanVonPetri]

@@DularrIf you happen to have a cricket ball and the side of a ship to bounce it off of that could work, too. (extra points for anyone who gets this reference)

[@ms_scribbles]

@@HermanVonPetri Classic Doctor Who from the 80's. Five and his cricket ball. 🤣(I have to admit, though, that I've forgotten which story that was from. I just remember the scene.) I have found my fellow old nerd.

[@geminiacleo7ewe]

Im dying!!!! She went from hating the song to saying it better be in the movie!

[@rabid_si]

They did, in fact, take the sky from us.

[@TheMsLourdes]

And then there's the halloween episode of castle ;)

[@clarissathompson]

@@TheMsLourdes Space Cowboy!

[@Cimlite]

They took the ground, captain and our ship too! Dangit!

[@walterrutherford8321]

Too soon. 😢

[@davidfairchild8566]

All those Fox execs got canned or left. They cancelled a string of shows that quickly became extremely popular and Cult classics (Futurama, Family Guy, Arrested Development, and Firefly). Everyone of those shows were brought back except Firefly which got a movie instead.

[@LordVolkov]

Richard Brooks (Jubal) is great at being weird, and he's got a great voice. I love his facial work here, and his little asides "I do have a mighty roar..." "Little man loved fire..." 😅

[@jculver1674]

I wish he had done some voice work, he would've been a great voice actor. Not long before he played Jubal Early, he was on another show that I really liked called Good vs. Evil, where he played a federal agent who fought supernatural creatures. Yet another fun show from the era that I wish had lasted longer.

[@LordVolkov]

@@jculver1674 I always think of him from The Crow 2. He's so creepy and deliciously evil. And such a great face too, like a male Grace Jones.

[@LiaaaaaaaaAAAAAHH]

I know right! And he is chilling as a villain. I wonder if he would have come back in a later episode.

[@Otokichi786]

I remember actor Richard Brooks from the early days of "Law & Order," where he played ADA Paul Robinette. When he went into private practice as a defense attorney, he became The Enemy and embraced The Dark Side convincingly. If the likes of Nutflecks ever try to reboot "Firefly," I could see "Shepherd Early" in the new cast lineup.

[@larrystuder6378]

I few years ago I caught a Vietnam war movie called "84 Charlie Mopic.. Brooks played a sergeant leading a patrol on an extended recon mission, essentially a Mal... he did it very well...

[@wynnyx7071]

The way I feel about Sheppard was that he USED to be a high level agent and then became a Sheppard.

[@cmlemmus494]

In one of the authorised comics it was confirmed that he was a Confederate spy embedded in the Alliance who was never caught and rose to high station (or maybe he was already high command and switched, been a while since I read it). This is why he seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge of Alliance procedures as well as everything else. The spy part isn't in the series, but the fact that he was high-level something is pretty obvious from several scenes (especially "Safe").

[@wynnyx7071]

@@cmlemmus494 I'm glad they gave us enough to piece that together in the show, but would have LOVED to see more of his story be explored. What a lost opportunity.

[@quantaca5773]

in one of the comics its revealed that he was a forcefully retired high level alliance officer (well to be more correct, he was a browncoat mole planted into the alliance)

[@doc0815martens]

I had the same impression of him. 😉

[@quantaca5773]

@@cmlemmus494 you were correct the first time, he was a small time criminal named evans who joined the independence movement, he was then assigned to be a long term mole in the alliance (long before the unification war), and assumed the idenity of derrial book by killing a random passerby and stealing his identification card. he was forced to retire because he intentionally lead a risky opp that resulted in a massive loss for the alliance. after that he's homeless and finds god in a bowl of soup, takes refuge at an abbey where he becomes a shepard before leaving on serenity as a missionary

[@iKvetch558]

This is it...the last 2 episodes, and then she has only the movie...I love every reaction, but I feel sorry for Dear Ashleigh joining us all in the "sad there is no more Firefly to watch" club. (weak smile choking back the sadness) LOL

[@RonJDuncan]

The quote of Shan Yu was simply a view of how one could derive the true nature of a person. It's more grounded in philosophy. It's neither a virtue nor evil. The writing used it as a dichotomy to show how a Shepherd would view humanity vs how a gangster like Niska would.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Firefly did not even get a first season and got cut off halfway through this first season! They planned to do back stories on Wash, Inara and Book. We never got to see those. There were some books and comics made covering these topics, then the movie.

[@enicole1203]

I would love to know Wash's backstory

[@rabid_si]

@@enicole1203 He got fired. From a fry cook opportunity.

[@rmhartman]

There are also some audiobooks.

[@blanetalk]

​@@rmhartman - Wait!?! Are those original audio stories that have not been published in any other format?

[@woldds]

"I am going to write a strongly worded tweet" You go Girl! I have enjoyed watching you watch Firefly.

[@ZankuroMinazuki]

I have loved Firefly for over 20 years and, Ashleigh, I have LOVED going on this journey with you! Everyone sees things differently and it's fun to watch someone else experience something like this. There shouldn't be any judgement!

[@yoshienverde]

A lot of the olden fandom seems to keep forgetting two details about Firefly: 1. This show is more than 2 decades old... There's a lot of assumptions we used to make when encountering vague unexplained plot threads in a TV show that younger people won't make (as much as there's some they will that we wouldn't). We were just used to watching a different type of show. 2. For most of us, we were coming straight out from 7 seasons of Buffy and 4 of Angel. We were pretty much wired to get a lot of little details and plot threads out of thin air (even subconsciously) from a Whedon-esque show. We were used to getting all these plot points sprinkled around that would be left to die 75% of the time, while the rest would come back 5 seasons later as a major plot point. This is to say: While it hurt to see Asleigh criticize River like that, it's perfecly clear where she's coming from, and what "teasers" Whedon might have been putting in for later seasons that can be completely missed if you're not used to his directorial style

[@ZankuroMinazuki]

@@yoshienverdeWell, I did mean there shouldn't be any judgement of people seeing things differently. We're all coming from different times and places. Sorry if that wasn't clear ;)

[@yoshienverde]

@@ZankuroMinazuki Oh no, I got your message perfectly clear ;) I was just expanding on that same message XD

[@richardscanlon4210]

Regarding glimpses into River's powers, there are plenty in the show. She is constantly saying something that references something that happens later. One that comes to mind is the episode where her and Simon are kidnapped. At one point she says something like "time to go" and then Mal shows up to save them. She also knew the patron killed his predecessor. If you pay attention to the things she says the writers are pretty good at telling who she is.

[@charlie53echo]

Yeah. I never once doubted that she was psychic. So many obvious clues.

[@Roguefem76]

In the same episode she said "Daddy will take us home" - meaning Mal would come to take them back to Serenity, which of course is exactly what happens. She also quoted Kaylee's "post holer" line because she felt Kaylee nearby.

[@CandleLight129]

So now that we've gotten to this point I feel like you can benefit from some additional information. There were obviously many story threads that were cut due to the show's cancelation and only so many could be followed up on in the movie. The mystery of Inara was one such thread that was dropped so there shouldn't be any harm in telling you at this point. I'll drop it down a few lines just in case you would rather see the movie first anyway. So the original plan for Inara was that she was actually dying. She had contracted a terminal illness that left her with only a few months to a few years to live. This is why she abandoned her goals of becoming high priestess of the companion temple and wanted to see the stars in the little time she had left. It's also why she wouldn't let anyone (Mal) in. She knew she only had a little time left. It also punches up certain dialog in previous episodes upon a rewatch, such as when she was talking to Simon in Out of Gas. Simon said "I don't want to die on this ship." and Inara, after a moment, replied "I don't want to die at all."

[@peterkoester7358]

One thing to keep in mind regarding the slow pace of hints about River's abilities throughout the season; you must keep in mind, Joss Whedon had a five year plan for this series. He knew where he wanted to go with certain storylines and how long they would take to get there, and had the series continued as planned, you would have learned everything you needed to know not only about River, but also why Inara chose to leave the Companion House and join Serenity, the Shepherd's backstory, and why the Reavers existed and were terrorizing the outer planets. Whedon had been a successful creator and producer of two prior television series before Firefly, both of which had easily lasted five seasons, and he believed Firefly was sure to last at least that long as well. Unfortunately, an executive who hated science-fiction was put in charge of Fox programming after the series was ordered and began production. That executive never understood the show's concept or how to market it (commercials in the weeks prior to the premiere made the show look like a wacky comedy in the vein of Blazing Saddles), and took any excuse to shut down the production. The series only got half of what would be considered a normal season before it was shut down, and three episodes were not even broadcast during the original run. Something you may notice when you get to the film Serenity (which I assume you already have before this reaction was even posted to KZbin) is that the film was not produced by 20th Century Fox but by Universal. Whedon had to go to another studio to get the movie made just so fans would get SOME of the answers they deserved! This is also the reason why the film is called Serenity and not "The Firefly Movie," as Fox retained the rights to the name "Firefly."

[@Palitato]

"Who do you think is in there?" is one of my favorite lines... it's so silly and ridiculous and yet so profound at the same time. That baby is going to grow up to be a person... they have no idea who they're going to be or what they'll grow up to do or think.... Who will that baby be? Who's in there?

[@ricksgamemisc10]

YES! It's also one of my favorite lines in the series - and so few seem to "get" it.

[@paulhammond6978]

@@ricksgamemisc10 It's very good as a River line. Seems silly and off-kilter when you first hear it, but if you think about it for a minute it can feel profound.

[@CorwinAlexander]

This. It is my favourite line for the same reasons. Also, with River being telepathic, it means that there was no personality at all yet.

[@Stankonia3k]

Precisely...hilarious yet profoundly existential question.

[@Wulfdon]

It's never over, Ashleigh. It's just an annual re-viewing ahead for you. Can't wait to see your review of Serenity.

[@dalesharp9953]

Good reaction. Remember this show was cancelled midseason. The story was barely told and the first season wasn't completed. Fans were upset and complained. Joss tried to get the show moved to another network without success. He got a studio to make the movie 2 years later. There is a documentary (Done the Impossible). It tells the story how the fans helped get the movie made. There are comic books/graphic novels that tell more back stories and continues the story. There is a book/audio book series that are based between tv show and movie.

[@dalesharp9953]

First season are usually world building. The show was supposed to be 5-6 seasons. The characters and main story arc was just getting started before FOX cancelled the show.

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

River didn't say "What" do you think is in there...she said "who" do you think is in there. She wants to know what kind of person the baby will be. Who is in there? The baby is new, innocent...mentally formless. It's the ONE time River..."doesn't know" something. She's excited and curious. One of the brief moments of true joy the poor girl ever gets in her life...because of the Alliance.

[@MikeMozzaro]

17:20 - 17:54 You know; everyone who's already seen the show saw this coming; but watching Ashleigh being so invested while knowing exactly how the scene ends is one of those things that just can't but put a schadenfreude-filled smile on one's face as they wait for her world to come crashing down ❤

[@CorwinAlexander]

This isn't the only wringer we're going to watch her go through. I remember, with a knowledgeable coworker, introducing a young coworker of ours to Firefly and then Serenity. We watched our young friend rather than the screen then.

[@Finchsterreading]

Fun fact-- the character Jubal Early is named for a real-life fanatical Confederate general, who was an ancestor of some actor named Nathan Fillion.

[@botz77]

It starts and ends with Serenity. As in, the first episode of Firefly is also named Serenity.

[@ragabashmoon1551]

Jubal Early was named after a real life Confederate General. The line “Am I a lion? I don’t think of myself as a lion, but I do have a mighty roar.” Is a famous quote from him. I imagine he would be highly offended by this character being named after him and using his quote, and that makes me happy.

[@patrickdrew4891]

Good info! I always thought it was just clever writing exploring Jubal's warped narcissism. I surmised Jubal 'freudian-heard' LION and immediately started applying lion-like characteristics to himself. Basically, they were surprising and unusual throw-away lines that revealed a lot about his character. Now that I know the origins, I'm actually a bit disappointed. Browncoats forever 👍

[@Stray7]

[citation needed] on the quote being one of OG Early's, because all I can find are references to this episode.

[@patrickdrew4891]

@@Stray7 While I haven't found the exact quote, a quick trip to Wikipedia acknowledges the confederate officer Jubal Early and his familial link to Nathan Fillion.

[@Stray7]

@@patrickdrew4891Familial connections were not what was in doubt.

[@stephenkoehler4051]

You have a beautiful singing voice. Your "Amazing Grace" was wonderful! You are luckier than the people who had to originally watch it. This episode wasn't even shown on American TV because the series was cancelled before it was shown. Fox didn't show the last three episodes except when they released it in the UK. I myself saw only a couple of them over the air before Fox pulled the plug. I didn't get the hype till the DVD set came out and I fell in love with the show. One thing you gotta do is watch the blooper reel which they made for the Christmas party after they cancelled the show. Everybody who was on this show loved each other and they still keep in touch. Nathan Fillion loved to go to the conventions and he kept putting little references to Firefly in his later acting projects like Castle. There are a whole host of scenes where he does things to remind his fans of this love of Firefly.

[@isaackellogg3493]

Speaking as someone from the old timeline, I actually did get to see the last three episodes broadcast on American tv. The cow fetus in the jar, the public bj (not something you’d see on tv in 2003), and Early’s >>question

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

Objects In Space is the one and only episode I saw during the original run, what with one thing or another. The rest, I only picked in syndicated reruns.

[@isaackellogg3493]

@@user-mg5mv2tn8q ah, I see you too are from the original timeline, before it was Mandela’d away.

[@patrickelmasian1079]

If you're missing Jayne, you should check out "Chuck";If you're missing Mal, you should check out "Castle".

[@sixdegreesofcrispybacon]

I used to watch Castle just for the odd Firefly easter eggs. 🤣

[@sixdegreesofcrispybacon]

(Though Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog remains, arguably, peak Fillion.)

[@Audra1964]

Kudos to ABC for including the Firefly easter eggs in Castle as a nod to Fillion fans.

[@lakiagreen5484]

Would love to see Ashleigh do Dr. Horrible and Chuck.

[@larrystuder6378]

Way back, in The Train Job, Mal joked about "tragic space dementia". I think Jubal might be in the early stages of the reality...

[@Desdemona-XI]

Given that he tortured animals at home. Its more likely he's just a plain old psychopath/sociopath

[@larrystuder6378]

@@Desdemona-XI but does that explain his language troubles- hearing " a lion" for "alliance"; asked if he's a bounty hunter, replying, "No, I'm a bounty hunter.."? I don't know. As to psychopath/ sociopath, I won't argue that...

[@johnymey4034]

nah, he had too many weird insights, like that about the true nature of the "Shepard" and the ship... I think they were gonna have him be kinda like River, just a tuned-down version, like a failed earlier trial. I think they left him alive to bring him back before they realized where were no more episodes to make.

[@sirmoonslosthismind]

the show team learned while filming _the message_ that it was the last episode they would ever make. they had no opportunity to wrap anything up. the most they could do was reorder the last few episodes in post-production, even moving scenes between episodes, so as not to go out on the low note _the message_ does. the show team actually created a minor continuity error in the process. in _the message_ jayne calls river a "mind-reading genius" but in _objects in space_ he is genuinely surprised by the idea that river might read minds; this only makes sense in the original order.

[@DamienDrake2940]

That scene towards the end where River tells Simon that she's leaving so everyone can be happy gets me every time. 😭 The movie answers the big question and wraps up most of the story lines for the crew. There are still some unanswered but it's enough.

[@rmhartman]

It answers >a< big question.

[@jacknapier8201]

Certainly wraps up one characters storyline

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

I know it was later explored in other media, but I was always disappointed that we never learned Shepherd Book's secret on TV or in the movie. Then again, the mystery is often preferable to the revelation.

[@WalterWild-uu1td]

@@user-mg5mv2tn8q Closest thing to finding out Book's secrets are in a graphic novel called "A Shephard's Tale" by Dark Horse comics in 2010. It's sort of canon in the overall Firefly universe because Zack Whedon, Josh's brother was part of the development team.

[@ssort69]

​@@user-mg5mv2tn8q Thanks for adding the title! I had been meaning to read that but didn't know which of the comics it was, and so armed with that knowledge now I tracked it down finally. And so I just got done reading it for the first time after reading your comment so thanks again! Mixed feelings though about the comic, but a good read none the less, it just wasn't that close to what had been in my imagination for the last 20 years and the overall character of Book I had imagined, but again, it was well worth the read.

[@vincegamer]

This is my favorite episode of the series. Not only do you have one of the best television villains ever in Jubal early, but the crew gets to highlight almost everyone's unique abilities. And at the end the theme is family. River is weird and scary, but she's one of them

[@darthramious1639]

Inara leaving at the end of ep. 13 was because it was going to be revealed that she was dying from a genetic condition. She was trying to spare Mal the heartache of slowly losing her, but since the show got canceled early, that storyline was dropped.

[@MaggieLarocque]

Simon refers to River wanting to be a kid because that institute has had its hooks into her - and her brain - since she was 14. She was a kid who had the chance to neither be a kid nor grow into a young adult (other than physically).

[@robertmurrhee6016]

What the Institute did to River is also shown in the River Tam Sessions, starring Summer Glau. Ashleigh really needs to do a reaction to that as well to get the full Firefly Serenity experience.

[@Jimdlux]

Ashleigh...the show's main character is the Firefly...that's why the show is called that and why the movie is called Serenity.

[@Xenotric]

it is definitely implied that shepherd was something before he found god. Gives big ex-assassin/super agent vibes for sure!

[@brianstraight9308]

Well... I mean, Fox just provided the money and the time slot they didn't write the stories and character arcs, Joss Whedon and the writers did that and they didn't know they'd get cancelled half-way through the first season (with two episodes never airing) and were building arcs and stories to last the whole season or several. So you can't blame the show writers for not writing all the answers in the 14 episodes we got because they didn't know they'd only get 14 episodes. Now, blame Fox fir mishandling the airing of the series and for canceling it but they didn't write it to have so many unanswered questions, at the end of the day they cancelled it because it wasn't making enough money to pay for itself.

[@MrTickleTrunk]

Love that intro where River picks up on one of Jubel's deepity thoughts, " W e ' r e a l l j u s t . . . Floating."

[@Yama_1291]

It is so fun to watch you singing along to the title song after not liking it in the beginning! You got got :)

[@Skye_Writer]

Did you notice, in the last episode when River is reading everyone's minds, when Zoe and Wash are making out so hard in the cockpit, we hear crashing waves, a metaphor for waves of passion/lust. When she reads Mal and Inara, we get their surface thoughts first, but then again we get the crashing waves, more proof of what they really feel for each other.

[@johnkeith8619]

it only aired 13 of the 14 episodes, heart of Gold wasnt aired at all so the tension between mal and inara was even more confusing in the last episode. Serenity wasnt in the plans, it was one of the first times Fans across the internet came together and helped get it made,

[@synthetic240]

What's good about Joss Whedon as a writer is that he understands tropes and how to use them effectively. He knows when to offer a twist instead of a payoff. Is it a bit like a soap opera, yeah, but some social problems simply are common. Same with being wary of the weird kid who plays with guns; no one can be blamed for being a bit wary of someone they can't predict.

[@TheMsLourdes]

If we got more glimpses re river... This is where a rewatch brings out alllllll the things river has been laying down, all the hints and glimpses... there's a literal ton of foreshadowing with her that's subtle as seeing a single wave on the ocean...until you pullback and see the waves all over the ocean. Alot of people missed or dismissed it in favor of other things going on, but its there. Anyway, am so glad you became a browncoat

[@claudiadarling9441]

It's amazing how much new you can see each time through with this show.

[@ApacheGamer]

Random Fact: The "Body Hunter" Jubel is the main Villain of The Crow: City of Angels. The sequel to the original The Crow. His name in that film was Judah.

[@Laochri]

River is 17 during the goings on of Firefly. Remember the last episode that was aired was the pilot Serenity. Episodes Trash, Hart of Gold, and The Message didn’t even air. After you watch Serenity, watch a video called Firefly: The Whole Story of the Shiniest Show in the Verse!.

[@dlweiss]

Yeah, sadly the whole season was written with the expectation that this episode would be the MID-SEASON finale, the halfway point - and so the show intentionally kept River's perspective at a minimum to keep up the mystery, because they planned to start revealing more in the second half of the season. But because of the cancellation, now it feels like the show is playing coy for far too long when it comes to River's true abilities and experience. So excited to see you go through the movie! :)

[@cobrakari]

Now you should watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer 😊

[@matthewbeale5083]

Say it again! You know..."once more, with feeling."

[@LadyGreensleeves33]

THIS!

[@Asehpe]

The moment you really realize we were following River's perspective and 'hearing' her thoughts and fears is when that stick she was playing with turns out to be a gun -- and that has everybody terrified. You can see it in her eyes in that scene... "everybody is afraid of me, of what I might do if I go crazy, aren't they?..."

[@shauntrek]

Jubal is such an effective and terrifying villain.

[@raybot29]

I only heard of Firefly when Farscape got cancelled on a major cliffhanger in it's 4th season and both fanbases joined together to campaign for both shows return. Took me a few years to actually get around to seeing and falling in love with Firefly. Luckily Farscape got a mini series and Firefly got a movie to sort out the loose ends. Check out Farscape if you fancy a crazy wild Aussie scifi show.

[@auricstorm]

I used to dance around the TV room screaming Farscape's theme when I was a kid. I liked it

[@Wheelchair_Gamer]

Farscape easily one of my favourite sci-fi shows.

[@voodoochild1975az]

'Jayne is not a good man, but he is a great shot'..... Suddenly I heard Jayne's voice in my head.... 'thank you, that's a downright nice thing to say'

[@HowdyDuty4]

It's fun watching Ashleigh's progression from hearing the theme song at the beginning, when she thought it was meh, to now when she is singing along!

[@jakubfabisiak9810]

Now that Serenity is coming up, I'm nervous Ashleigh will miss my favorite line from Kaylee (the one about batteries).

[@LordVolkov]

It's a good use of 'twixt' 🤣🤣🤣

[@lizd2943]

Batteries are so good for running things.

[@gattzflappa6306]

Screw this, I'm gonna live.

[@jakubfabisiak9810]

@@LordVolkov that it is, but the line comes from left field so fast it's easy to miss, and not realize "what the hell did I just hear?"

[@Vyktym76]

I could stand to hear a little more.

[@cobrian45]

The whole point of going on a journey with someone else is enjoying their reaction and take on something you love. Not sure why anyone would hate on your Firefly journey. It's been spot on. Amazing reactions.

[@neils123]

Heavens! A strongly worded tweet! LOL. Thanks for the laughs. Glad you enjoyed the show and looking forward to your reaction to the movie.

[@ShujinTribble]

In Q&A / interview Joss said the only thing he kept from the set was The Button... that Shuttle Recall Button Mal needed to press and passed out. Kept it nearby to always remind / inspire himself to get Firefly finished. It Worked. Now, put a pin in your feelings for all these characters and remember them.

[@Smileybeeblevrox]

Ashley I understand your points. Here is the info. This was not intended as the season finale. This was just the half season finale that ended up being the finale. There was going to be another 12 episodes after this as a first season. That's why development was so slow, that and the fact that Joss Whedon planned for this to be a six season show story arc. Things would have been flushed out a lot more in just the rest of the season, let alone the entire six seasons planned.

[@bdoeden64]

Objects in Space makes me cry every time, for the loyalty, the devotion, the sacrifice, the growth of this family.

[@nathanjacobus3577]

The River Tam Seasons is about an 8 min lil KZbin clip created to drum up enthusiasm for the movie before it's release. If you're interested in River's time at the "academy" it could be a fun lil bit to add onto your Serenity reaction. Or at least to view privately before getting into the movie itself.

[@johnsimonson1207]

Liking this so that hopefully Ashleigh sees it and graces us with her reaction to it. I also recommend watching the sessions before the Movie.

[@nikolairaven7687]

I loved the final episode precisely because it portrays River at her most complex, human self. To me, the scene where she walks around the ship was something that far too many people experience: She fears that she's a third wheel and not really wanted by anyone. But it also shows her being clever, devious, and resourceful in getting under Early's skin, and the scene with her and Mal on Serenity's hull was heartwarming - it always leaves me with the sense that, come what may in the 'verse, she's going to be okay. It was River's episode, and she owned it! I'm looking forward to the Serenity reaction too, because River's role in it is so prominent. She gets a couple of truly awesome moments. No spoilers here - you'll KNOW them when they occur! And Happy early birthday!

[@oldbroadwithbaggage5472]

I'm definitely in the "I have lived this journey for you!" camp!

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Same. Anytime someone loves this show & its characters (well, most of them, lol) I’m all in!

[@Hawkskull]

24:05 flippers work by moving large amounts of water backwards, thus propelling you forwards. In space, there is nothing to push against, so no, they wouldn't work in space. You need something that actually generates propulsion to move through space

[@theplanetruth]

Space is fake, my guy

[@rabidmaddog4130]

Since I've recently watched "Resident Alien", all I can hear is Alan Tudyk's alien voice.

[@JustPlayTheGame76]

Firefly will forever be the story I never know the end of. Its like life, sometimes you dont get the answers but you have to keep moving forward.

[@jakubfabisiak9810]

Hey - if you're not ready to say goodbye to the Firefly universe, there's a board game you can play with hubby.

[@caldodge]

And there a canonical graphic novels, like "Better Times"

[@Kevin_Underhill]

Yep, more than one game actually. There is the dice game, the RPG, a deck builder called Misbehavin' that I haven't played. 'Fistful of Credits' is a good one if you like cooperative games. But probably my favorite and most immersive is just called Firefly by Gale Force Nine. The GF9 Firefly game 10th anniversary big box showed up to my house just a couple weeks ago, so I am itching to play it.

[@cmlemmus494]

@@Kevin_Underhill There's also Firefly: Out to the Black (2013), a co-op game designed for quick play. Plus Firefly-themed versions of Fluxx (2016), Clue (2014), and Monopoly (2015). The Fluxx one has several expansions, including a Saffron pack. A few others that I'm missing, but they were small run. Plus a bunch of fan-created unofficial ones bouncing around the con circuit. A few of those are good enough that they get reviews on the board game sites.

[@Kevin_Underhill]

@@cmlemmus494 Thanks, didn't even know about Out to the Black or Fluxx. It doesn't surprise me there's a lot bouncing around out there. Fan base is huge even 20 years later, all things considered. I had never heard of it until watching the movie, and then I was hooked.

[@LynnLeFey1]

Also... You have 'The Shepard's Tale'! YAY! That answers questions.

[@egk2584]

Your reviews are pretty much why I watch reaction videos in general. It's the only way to come close to getting that same feeling of watching something for the first time. I watched Firefly when it was broadcast and it was extremely frustrating as FOX showed it out of order and some episodes didnt get broadcast at all. A lot of us fans took to downloading the show because of that then later buying the DVD. The movie will tie up some things for you but you'll undoubtedly end up frustrated at what might have been. Just like the rest of us browncoats.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

Jayne - 'I'm in' 😃 Kaylee is gorgeous! ♥ oh snap Inara! 😃 I vote for them looking stupid 😉 Out of Gas is one of my fave episodes! ♥ 'anyone we can't spare' -😃 'out of sci fi' - 'we live in a space ship dear' 😃 'No one likes the idea of hearing what you're thinking' 😃 Bounty hunter is an interesting character 🤔

[@isaackellogg3493]

Pretty sure the “shag carpeting” in the hovercraft was meant to be sheepskin.

[@spirit1600]

to me the funniest thing about your reaction to the series is your eventual reaction to the theme song. It is going to be on your playlist soon

[@larrystuder6378]

You can't remember clear back to the series Moonlighting, with Cybil Shepard and Bruce Willis. I don't think you were born yet, but the whole premise of the series was the sexual tension between the 2 characters. Once they finally got romantic, the chemistry collapsed, and it only lasted another season. Joss learned from that- thectension has to be there, to maintain interest, and the moment it's satisfied, the show's over.

[@Smido83]

The only show that somewhat broke the Moonlighting curse, at least that I know of, was Bones. Pretty much every other show was done 1 or 2 seasons after the main pair got together.

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

Sam and Diane got together on Cheers, and the show still continued ... but only because Diane left the show to chase her dream to be a writer.

[@fn111557]

@@user-mg5mv2tn8q The "SHOW" continued, but the relationship "ENDED".

[@ssj4megaman]

2nd to last Episode is my favorite. It really shows how much Inara loves Mal and holds it in.

[@jamesray9009]

I'm so gonna have another stroke laughing and yelling spoilers at the screen.. I can't wait !!!

[@MrSupurdave]

I always loved that the last line of the series was "well, here I am."

[@Dularr]

If you were watching this on Fox, this was the next to last episode. The final episode was the first episode, the original pilot. The had also skipped a few episodes.

[@masamune2984]

Loved watching this journey with you, Ashley! You DO get it. Your questions, your doubting of certain characters, your love of the characters themselves being the primary reason you don’t want it to end: That’s a real fan right there, and we were all in your place too before the film (and still love it even more after Serenity😊) And I’m sure you have watched it by now, but not only is “Serenity” sheer heart-breaking perfection, it was once voted the greatest sci-fi film of all-time by fans and critics during a poll a few years ago 🙂

[@bpora01]

Jubal knows shepherd's backstory even if no one else does.

[@raymondtaylor3516]

Thanks! Just because it's always fun and yet when it ends someone ends up being like those that have already experienced Firefly ... Also looking forward to a Serenity reaction

[@raymondtaylor3516]

Rofl ... Mods are quick on removing the phising posts 😂

[@raf7550]

There IS one more thing to watch after the movie... The outtakes/blooper reel. Please, PLEASE do a video for that too.

[@pondersong5525]

And if you can, find the full gag reel. The version that made it onto the DVD had a bunch chopped out of it because the producers lacked permissions for stuff borrowed from other shows and movies.

[@carltonbakerii8274]

The thing that always gets me about this episode, is that Early would have mad a LOT of noise when he latched onto Serenity. His weight hitting the hull would have cause quite a "gong!" sound.

[@Dreamfox-df6bg]

A slight correction as far as I know. They cancelled the show in the middle of the first season with little to no warning. The only reason we got a movie was because of the fans. This show was going slow on purpose to give every character time to shine and develop their background and their mysteries. Not only did it go slow, but also subtle. The hints about river were in there, but never obvious. They never went the way as they did in other stories and explain what they are capable off. We were meant to read between the lines. Not easy and I didn't fully understand this myself until I watch the show for the second or third time. A further comment after you have seen the movie, because I don't want to spoil anything.

[@Freejack1971]

It’s great seeing you have all these questions. I watched Firefly in 2005 when I first heard about the Serenity movie. The movie was awesome and I was sad that they never continued it afterwards.

[@d.k.prince5694]

Ashleigh is also a "READER"! Anyone who has watched her pick out plot points for movies and scenes she hasn't witnessed has seen it!

[@meltorme-ntor2933]

Sorry to hear that some people have hated this journey for you. I certainly didn't. We may not agree 100% on some aspects of the show, but that's the beauty of these things and sharing with other people, all the different perspectives. I can't wait to see your reaction tot he movie!

[@DougsShack]

No space flippers. No gas/liquid to flippy flop.

[@JCKillpack]

Firefly was cancelled halfway through it's first season. It was supposed to be 22-24 episodes. So the show never had the time to properly do the character arcs and back stories. They found out they were cancelled the week they were filming episode 14 if I recall.