I would like to share something. Several years ago I worked at a YMCA day camp. The kids would want me to tell the origin stories of superheroes. After a while, i ran out of heroes, so I ended up retelling episodes from Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Without a doubt, Firefly was the most popular. They were so excited to hear about the crew's latest adventure
@maninredhelm That is, sincerely, One of My All-Time Favorite lines of dialogue, ever. It's gotta be at least in my Top 5, lol. I can't remember off the top of my right this second, Lol... Was that line in the Final Episode, or just the Final Season? Cheers!!!🍻, friend.
Oh horse manure! You want to tell me there's equivalence between a life committed to saving the lives of other human beings... or one dedicated to eating your own faeces?
Commander: Do you love him? Zoe: I don't see how that's relevant. Commander: Well he is your husband. Zoe: Yes. Commander: You two met through Capt. Reynolds? Zoe: Captain was looking for a pilot. I found a husband. Seemed to work out. Commander: You fought with Reynolds in the war? Zoe: Fought with a lot of people. Commander: And your husband? Zoe: Fight with him sometimes too. Commander: Is there any particular reason you don't wish to discuss your marriage? Zoe: Don't see that it's any of your business is all. We're very private people. *Scene switches to Wash* Wash: The legs. Oh yeah. Definitely have to say it was her legs. You can put that down. Her legs, and right where her legs meet her back. Actually that whole area. That and above it. *Scene switches to Kaylee* Kaylee: Six gerstlers crammed under every cooling drive so you can strain your primary artery function and you end up having to recycle secondary exhaust through a bypass system just sos you don't end up pumping it through the main atmofeed and asphyxiating the entire crew. Now that's junk. *Scene switches back to Wash* Wash: Have you seen what she wears? Forget about it. Have you ever been with a warrior woman?
I love Kaylee's line. Like the commander called Serenity junk as they were being brought onto the Alliance ship. The ship had to be searched for any stragglers, there was doubtless processing protocols, then there's all the other interviews before her's. It easily could have been an hour or perhaps several till they finally got around to talking to her and she's still steamed about the junk comment. I love Kaylee.
Thank you for giving me the means to relive that scene....God I miss firefly. As absurd as it is that 13 episodes have as big of an impact as hundreds of episodes of other shows.. still
I think the scene in which River looks to the empty black of space with joy can also be read as juxtaposition with how the origins of the reavers are described. whilst they went mad at the shear vastness and emptiness she finds comfort and peace as it serves as a welcome reprieve from the chaos and pain that fill her mind so entirely. It is clear in a way she never can be.
Hilton Hotel, Burbank, CA. My totally unplanned, one and only time, meeting Gina Torres. [Elevator doors open, Gina is standing alone in the elevator.] Gobsmacked Me: “You are wonderful.” Gina Torres, utterly poised and composed: “I know.” [Doors Close and I’ve forgotten to get in.]
@@RobynHarris I just came across her as a lawyer on an ep. of "BOSTON LEGAL" from 2006 arguing AGAINST legalized prostitution. "ZZzooee, you sultry minx!", lol. What would Inara say? 😂
The sequence and construction of the interrogations is some of the best editing of any television show ever. Regarding River Tam outside Serenity: There's perhaps some foreshadowing to Objects in Space. Subtly informing some tension for when she "becomes Serenity." Before the reveal we're left to wonder "could she really do that? become nothing and then inhabit something else?" Some part of our mind remembers how she reacted when looking out at the great vasty nothingness and found unbound joy. I like to thing that it's not just the ethereal beauty of the stars that she was enamoured with. Rather it was the stars weren't making any demands on her fractured attention. She couldn't hear their thoughts. They were strange, strangers to her mind, unlike everyone and everything else around her. She could lose herself looking at them, like when she was young and seeing something for the first time.
Brilliant as always, Ian. Much as I love River's joy of being out in space, I love Simon's look of surprise when he stops focusing on his terror and sees her joy. It's like he didn't realize until then there was something great to enjoy about clinging to the side of a spaceship.
Having watched Firefly countless times, and having watched your Buffy guides, I already knew this to an extent. But never before have the lyrics to Firefly's opening made so much sense to me than now. "Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand, I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me. Take me out into the black, tell 'em all I ain't coming back. Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me."
I've actually been trying to describe absurdism to one of my friends lately and I think you just helped me form an explanation. "How can meaninglessness have a negative meaning? It's meaningless, therefore it is just as easy to call it good as it is to call it bad."
The pain of nihilism is the burden to project a meaning onto a meaningless universe. The joy of nihilism is the freedom to define ones purpose. The pain of absurdism is there is no point in anything, not even in suffering, not even in the foolish, laughable, absurd attempt to find or create meaning. The joy of absurdism is the freedom to just grab your board and surf the chaos...or don't...who cares?
I'll admit, I missed the references to "IT" until having them shoved into my face here, and never really tied in Absurdist Philosophy into the show in general or the episode in particular, but my knowledge of that only came long after. So thanks for that. What this does miss, if only tangentially, is that this is one of the few times Mal is in control of the situation, and pretty much moving everyone around him. He knows Reavers hit the ship, he knows they can't leave straight away, and he knows the survivor is anything but. Even when he is surprised by the Alliance's arrival rather than the Reavers returning, he is still mostly in control of the situation in the interrogation scenes, and manages to keep the Captain on the back foot. But the ultimate philosophy of 'Firefly' is on display at the end. The Alliance Captain doesn't let him keep the cargo. All they've got is that they're still flying. That's enough. I loved this, and while I was going to keep watching anyway, the deep analysis of what I've missed has me excited for more.
"The futility of an act doesn't dictate its value." Excellent insight. I would add that when I see River looking into space I don't see someone looking into the abyss because she isn't. The space she sees if full of stars, around which planets rotate, upon which life possibly exists. She sees a Universe full of life with blazing torches of light to guide her to that life. In contrast to the terror that has destroyed all meaning in her life, rendering her a shell of who she was, stealing form her perhaps her very soul, she find in space a place full of life, light, and yes, freedom. And knowing that this sill exists, that brings her joy. Joy and relief.
12:22 "If the descent is thus sometimes performed in sorrow, it can also take place in joy. This word is not too much. It happens that melancholy arises in man's heart: this is the rock's victory, this is the rock itself. But crushing truths perish from being acknowledged." What a brilliant line from Camus. Acknowledging meaninglessness itself is a defiance against hopelessness and fate, the uncontrollable conditions of the universe. One who chooses to live in joy regardless has enough courage raging against the ever crushing darkness.
I know a lot of people find existentialism bleak, but I find it incredibly reassuring. If there is no external meaning to the universe, then we are left to create our own, and there is no more tangible, accessible, and present meaning than the one we create for ourselves right here and right now. Why the hell would you want a distant god with a series of unknowable rules that have to be pulled together from a million disparate, questionable sources when you could have your own clear dictate to simply behave with compassion on your road to finding your own individualized happiness? Existentialism gives us a gateway to knowing the truth: it’s not about what’s out there. It’s about what’s in here, and to know that all we have to do is look.
This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. The creepy, haunting vibe of the Reaver attacked ship is absolutly terrific. When the show first aired, FOX left out the pilot episode so this one was our first glimpse of the Reavers and they're absolutely terrifying, even though (and maybe even because) we never actually see a real one. Of course, the film's explanation of where the Reavers come from kind of negate the implications of what they really are, I still really enjoy it.
Brilliant Ian, I love it. With the ethics stuff, I think this for me is why existentialism has to be married with humanism. With the importance of valuing humans and human existence for their own sake. I think that's why Book is so important, for though he comes from a religious tradition what he speaks is mostly humanism. Funnily enough, though I studied philosophy and have a beloved uncle who is an ethics professor, it was a humourist who taught me most about morality and humanism, Terry Pratchett. His two themes are never treat people as objects and stories are what makes us human. I know your media list is long, but you really must add Hogfather to it, I read it every Christmas and it makes me a better human.
Yes, that's the quote, although you missed off the first bit which reads "human need stories to be human. to be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape."
Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon, and Inara all have that sort of morality (in different ways) without any noticeable religious background. Book is the one who is good at finding the morality that the others already have and helping them make sense of it. He even picks up shreds of morality in Jayne. (I haven't forgotten River, she's just not in command of herself at the moment--but re-growing up in a loving family might get her there.)
Humanist and humanistic are not synonymous. Humanism is a particular philosophy based in reason and human experience, not dogma or faith in divinity. Religious people and traditions are frequently humanist in addition to their religion but not all. Some religious traditions are definitely not Humanist; they base their entire philosophy in divinity, dogma, or mysticism. Ultimately the question is does one put one’s faith in humanity alone, in both God(s) and humanity, or in God(s) alone.
They may have been very lucky that the cargo was confiscated. I don't think the derelict ship was ever attacked by another Reaver ship. But rather the ship was somehow infected by the same worker drone compound as the planet Miranda (from the movie). Turning the crew into a bunch of vegetables and one lucky Reaver. What caused the transformation may have been a part of what they salvaged. And if they had used it (or sold it) it would have happened again.
I've always been taught that "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" to be "Sisyphus is crazy to think his actions mean anything, so we all are, and should be crazy". I've never considered that Sisyphus considers his burden a genuine meaning in a meaningless world. Him pushing the rock is infinitely better than someone with no purpose, or gives up. As another great philosopher once said, in my favorite line of all time: *"Take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then SHOW ME one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet you humans act as if there is some ideal order in the world, some RIGHTNESS in the universe by which it may be judged."*
Answer to why does Sisyphus continue? Because he hopes that one day he will beat the rock... and so beat Zeus. An almighty ''fuck you''. He hopes. This makes him greater than his suffering... or anything that Zeus can dish out. He is greater than Zeus, because by continuing to push the rock, he defies Zeus. The continuance of the task is his revenge on Zeus: ''You haven't beaten me, Zeus! I am still here!'' Answer to the Philosopher: Abstracts are not to be found in physicality. If you attempt to do so, you're a moron.
It’s probably due more to the short lived nature of the show in an audio visual medium, but the Reavers are treated like Bogey Men in that there’s little we the audience and the characters in the show actually know about them. They’re viewed as a threat that’s out there in space, used as a deterrent for errant children and it suits the Alliance that they’re seen this way. It works as an enemy the Alliance can be protection from. Yes, the Reavers are genuinely terrifying rather than just victims of propaganda, but they function as a common enemy for people and a risk for those operating independently of the Alliance like the crew of Serenity.
I cannot wait for the day that you will start doing this with Dollhouse episodes as I believe that that show also has very great philosophical connections.
The part where you have Mal explaining how the survivor became the reaver and the visual of him witnessing the defeat at Serenity, I got the most out of that. Mal didn’t have a choice, he was created in that moment.
Holy shit these are so well written. I love firefly and have watched it several times, but clearly have missed so much. Watching these is like getting to watch it for the first time again.
4:11 The interrogation scene gets me because most series write those sequences so that an ensemble cast "finishes the other's sentence." The exact opposite happens in "Bushwhacked." The responses of each character is disjointed compared to the others shows. 4:43 There is a bit of Nazi-ish-ness in the design of the Alliance, and the decision to have the soldiers looking in the least likely spaces (underneath coasters) is probably the director's choice of that aesthetic--looking for loose cash in a hidden crevice. In other words, the Alliance soldiers are looking for something they can loot. 10:01 Dear Nerd, I have recently been rereading Umberto Eco and watching some interesting videos about Semiotics and Structuralism. Not that I am hostile to Joss Whedon or Albert Camus. (Hardly.) But I view this schoolas a great counterargument to Existentialism and Absurdism. And it does hearken back to an obscure Japanese movie that is worth a watch if you ever get a chance: Angel Dust (1994, dir Sogo Ishii) A video about the above in media studies is "The Paradox of Evangelion" by Anime Philosopher. ua-cam.com/video/xFXKz5sj1ig/v-deo.html 5:08 I always felt the end was ambiguous. I mean, the civilized Alliance captain has been justifying his actions as "preserving evidence." But in the end, he blows up the ship (destroying the evidence) and takes the cargo (stolen). There are at least two interpretations I can think of. 1, the Alliance captain was morally affected by the attack from the survivor, so he turned his back on the rule of law. Or 2, the Alliance captain was going to blow up the ship and keep the cargo even before--he was unchanged by his experience. But that is contradicted by the decision not to press charges on Mal et al. Perhaps the meaninglessness and contradiction of that last shot is supposed to be an ink blot--devoid of meaning and intended to provoke conversation. Does so is Mal's statement is meant to be wrong? OBI WAN KENOBI: (Answering) "From a certain point of view."
I love the way Jayne pulls that prank on Simon, but the balance is almost immediately rectified when Jayne is attacked and Simon gets to tease him about the size of the guy with 'ahh yes, he's a real beast' comment. It's a very Joss move there.
Wow, amazing video, Ian! This idea of freedom vs. justice and Serenity as occupying that middle space between them is really interesting. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you.
I loved this episode and I love this video. Mal is such a complex character and it reminds me why I always loved him so much. He had a code of right and wrong but it wasn’t tied to what was considered legal and illegal. He followed his own code.
The Alliance officers turning over the dining room demonstrated the attitude the Alliance has regarding their power/control by deliberately messing up an intimate part of the Serenity without need even down to the plates on the table.
I like that comment about Simon. He wasn't supposed to be where he is, and he doesn't like it much. But what we see isn't really standoffishness, it's him trying very hard to not reject a world that has little to offer him and where his talents see only limited use.
If ever there was a time we needed your EP 104 discussion, it's now! Give it to us. (I mean this in the most playful way. Please take whatever time you need and pursue whatever videos you want o produce.) But seriously, us Firefly folks are waiting!
I’m genuinely surprised that there is not an explosion of Warhammer 40k fans in here “correcting” you on Event Horizon! While I am a fan of both, and am familiar with the relationship between, I’ll be the first to defend your parallels. As always, good job.
Michel De Bruyn I don't know about that. The colonist ship was bushwhacked by Reavers; Serenity was bushwhacked by the booby trap, and then by the Alliance. The Alliance was bushwhacked by the Reaverfied guy, who then got bushwhacked by Mal.
@@donsample1002 Yeah, that's the meaning I always took from the title of this episode. I've heard both meanings for 'bushwhacked' but you're right that using it to describe an ambush is way more common. Knowing Joss Wheedon though, it's probably supposed to refer to both. All these parties are bushwhacking each other, as Serenity and her crew are bushwhacking their way through the unknown wilderness of space.
The term bushwhacked can also mean to surprise attack someone. Which happens twice in the episode. First to the colonists by the Reavers and second by the 'survivor' to the crew of the Alliance crew.
If Mal had ever explained anything before doing it, he could have saved a whole lotta drama. I can't wait til you get to The Message. Best episode of television, ever.
I always considered the whole Firefly premise the battle between order and chaos, the Alliance are order and that hugely benefits the vast majority of their population but they are oppressive. Mal and co represent chaos and freedom but this is a wild and dangerous kind with no safety net. As for Sisyphis, if he can ever get the rock to the top he knows he'll be free so at least he has hope and that's what Serenity is to Mal.
King as inspiration always makes me think of his inspiration Wrinkle in Time. I'll admit I philosophically differ from Whedon. I think the instinct being that strong and prevelent in the first place is reasonable proof of more existence than a frail mortality. Though it's hardly my reasoning for belief or knowledge for that matter. Still I greatly respect the need to understand the world around you and how deeply he delved into such; more so that he gave so many comfort and deeper thought in the process. It's what writing should be: to beautifully convey the process of living and doing it in such a way that people reading it (or watching/listening) can gain something from the experience. Joy or a lesson, tears, a balm or a laugh, whatever touches and enlarges. That to me is art. And Whedon is one of the many reasons I can't settle for just a movie or show, I have to feel the effort, the love and the skill, along with slightly clearer eyes. Great analysis as always btw.
As much as I love this show, I always considered this on the lower end of best to worse, but you have made me see more into it than I ever have before.
One of the only shows I've ever watched that's affected me to the degree the Whedon shows have is Person of Interest, I suspect in large part because it draws a great deal from the same existential well. Possibly focusing thematically on how to form a meaningful existence simply requires complex characters, since any character who fully understands and articulates their own motivations is difficult to write as searching for a way to make meaning. In any case, that show has a line that I think perfectly articulates the absurdist ideas that are so prominent throughout out this episode. "Listen, all I'm saying that is if we're just information, just noise in the system... we might as well be a symphony."
I had figured the title "Bushwhacked" referred to the other definition, which is more like a wild-westy term for an ambush. Hadn't thought of it the other way before. Thanks. I love your reviews! I often disagree with your assessments, but that forces me to construct an argument for mine, rather than just assuming I'm right.
I'm reminded of an episode Ian did on Angel (or was it Buffy?), and he uses the myth of Sisyphus to talk about determination and courage, the courage to go back and get the rock again. I'd quote him more accurately, but I can't remember which episode of the guide it was.
I find your analysis of these shows I love so interesting, thing that never occurred to me. Also as a someone from England kind of love hearing use of English slang like numpty
I wonder if there's a line that can be drawn between the image of the Tams clinging to the hull of Serenity and the way the crew will one day be forced to tie bodies to the hull to pass through Reaver space.
3:38 The alliance officer also reflects this tactic back on Mal when interrogating him later. [Silence while the Alliance Officer is flipping through Mal's records.] Mal: "I'm gonna make a leap here and figure this is your first tour out here on the border?" Alliance Officer: [Closes files and tosses it on the table.] "That's a very long career you have there." *AKA, doesn't answer the question.*
Ugh, why would you reference Event Horizon? That was the most terrifying movie I've ever seen in my life and I've worked for years to block it from my memory lmao. So, thanks for that. Now I'm just gonna have to see Dr. Alan Grant clawing his own eyes out whenever I close my eyes for the next week or so.
I very much enjoy this video. Please keep 'em coming!!! I do wonder though, when Joss Whedon Tim Minear (or any other writer of this caliber) begins to weave together a story such as Bushwacked are they thinking of everything detail TPN just outlined? Is it a conscious act or are they simply writing a terrific story? Is it another chicken or the egg scenario where it's good because mythology was included or it's good and we can find mythology... or does it even matter???
even with the movie, I still see Reaver-fication as an actual thing. it's a mix of psychological horror and mental damage, mixed with actual contamination by PAX present in the body of the Reavers - It might have mutated or some such since it's a literal contamination of only the hyper-aggressive variant of the virus.
As a writer I can't help but wonder if Joss Whedon put all of the hidden meanings, the 2 meanings of Mal's name for instance, in when he was writing it or if everything was what you find afterwards.
I'm fine with that it might be a little of both. If we can get something out of a piece of art that the creator might not have intended but ends up being there none the less? All the better.
I’m not sure I know but why is there a Mapleleaf in the beginning of the video? Is it because Nathan Fillion is actually from Canada? Does firefly have a Canadian connection? I absolutely love maple leafs and I wonder if they have any connection to fireflies or the concept of serenity.
Samuel Dixon That explains it. I suppose when I first saw it as a 12-year-old living in Texas I kind of assumed it was a different type of leave but that makes sense.
I would like to share something. Several years ago I worked at a YMCA day camp. The kids would want me to tell the origin stories of superheroes. After a while, i ran out of heroes, so I ended up retelling episodes from Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Without a doubt, Firefly was the most popular. They were so excited to hear about the crew's latest adventure
I wana hear about the Hero of Canton!
That is awesome. You must be a great story teller.
Yes, especially since it's so hard to capture the attention of children today without visual stimulation.
_"If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters... then all that matters is what we do."_
The way I like to put it is: Being alive means I get to decide what being alive means.
@maninredhelm That is, sincerely, One of My All-Time Favorite lines of dialogue, ever. It's gotta be at least in my Top 5, lol.
I can't remember off the top of my right this second, Lol... Was that line in the Final Episode, or just the Final Season?
Cheers!!!🍻, friend.
@@RagnarOdinson It's actually from the season 2 episode of Angel, Epiphany! I'm looking forward to Ian getting there in a few months
Solnai42 Right on 👍 Thank you!!
Oh horse manure! You want to tell me there's equivalence between a life committed to saving the lives of other human beings... or one dedicated to eating your own faeces?
Commander: Do you love him?
Zoe: I don't see how that's relevant.
Commander: Well he is your husband.
Zoe: Yes.
Commander: You two met through Capt. Reynolds?
Zoe: Captain was looking for a pilot. I found a husband. Seemed to work out.
Commander: You fought with Reynolds in the war?
Zoe: Fought with a lot of people.
Commander: And your husband?
Zoe: Fight with him sometimes too.
Commander: Is there any particular reason you don't wish to discuss your marriage?
Zoe: Don't see that it's any of your business is all. We're very private people.
*Scene switches to Wash*
Wash: The legs. Oh yeah. Definitely have to say it was her legs. You can put that down. Her legs, and right where her legs meet her back. Actually that whole area. That and above it.
*Scene switches to Kaylee*
Kaylee: Six gerstlers crammed under every cooling drive so you can strain your primary artery function and you end up having to recycle secondary exhaust through a bypass system just sos you don't end up pumping it through the main atmofeed and asphyxiating the entire crew. Now that's junk.
*Scene switches back to Wash*
Wash: Have you seen what she wears? Forget about it. Have you ever been with a warrior woman?
I love Kaylee's line. Like the commander called Serenity junk as they were being brought onto the Alliance ship. The ship had to be searched for any stragglers, there was doubtless processing protocols, then there's all the other interviews before her's. It easily could have been an hour or perhaps several till they finally got around to talking to her and she's still steamed about the junk comment. I love Kaylee.
@@BadWolf739 From Scotty to Kaylee to whomever's next, *NEVER* insult a chief engineer's ship.
Thank you for giving me the means to relive that scene....God I miss firefly.
As absurd as it is that 13 episodes have as big of an impact as hundreds of episodes of other shows.. still
That commander is now trying to remember why he took this job. 😂
@@JohnZ117 this comment deserves infinite likes!
I think the scene in which River looks to the empty black of space with joy can also be read as juxtaposition with how the origins of the reavers are described. whilst they went mad at the shear vastness and emptiness she finds comfort and peace as it serves as a welcome reprieve from the chaos and pain that fill her mind so entirely. It is clear in a way she never can be.
Except they didn't go mad from the emptiness of space...
@@LnPPersonified and Rivers head isn't just full because of the pain inflicted on her
@@LnPPersonified but at this point in the show that's what the characters and audience believe so I still think it works
Couldn't have asked for a better birthday present
Also: Wash's "Have you ever been with a warrior woman?" question never fails to make me laugh.
Happy BirthDay! 🎂🎊💞
Hilton Hotel, Burbank, CA.
My totally unplanned, one and only time, meeting Gina Torres.
[Elevator doors open, Gina is standing alone in the elevator.]
Gobsmacked Me: “You are wonderful.”
Gina Torres, utterly poised and composed: “I know.”
[Doors Close and I’ve forgotten to get in.]
@@RobynHarris I just came across her as a lawyer on an ep. of "BOSTON LEGAL" from 2006 arguing AGAINST legalized prostitution. "ZZzooee, you sultry minx!", lol. What would Inara say? 😂
Yes he has, Lynette Scavo.
The sequence and construction of the interrogations is some of the best editing of any television show ever.
Regarding River Tam outside Serenity: There's perhaps some foreshadowing to Objects in Space. Subtly informing some tension for when she "becomes Serenity." Before the reveal we're left to wonder "could she really do that? become nothing and then inhabit something else?" Some part of our mind remembers how she reacted when looking out at the great vasty nothingness and found unbound joy.
I like to thing that it's not just the ethereal beauty of the stars that she was enamoured with. Rather it was the stars weren't making any demands on her fractured attention. She couldn't hear their thoughts. They were strange, strangers to her mind, unlike everyone and everything else around her. She could lose herself looking at them, like when she was young and seeing something for the first time.
"You must imagine Sisyphus happy."
That line alone is is totally what this episode was about. The crew is still living their best lives.
Brilliant as always, Ian.
Much as I love River's joy of being out in space, I love Simon's look of surprise when he stops focusing on his terror and sees her joy. It's like he didn't realize until then there was something great to enjoy about clinging to the side of a spaceship.
Wow, this is so deeper than I ever thought. Can't wait for "Dollhouse" series =)
Edit: Can I subscribe 2 times?
Having watched Firefly countless times, and having watched your Buffy guides, I already knew this to an extent. But never before have the lyrics to Firefly's opening made so much sense to me than now.
"Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand,
I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me.
Take me out into the black, tell 'em all I ain't coming back.
Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me."
Your videos remind me why I felt so strongly about these shows over the myriad similar offerings of the time.
And why I still can't go a week without thinking about them
I've actually been trying to describe absurdism to one of my friends lately and I think you just helped me form an explanation. "How can meaninglessness have a negative meaning? It's meaningless, therefore it is just as easy to call it good as it is to call it bad."
The pain of nihilism is the burden to project a meaning onto a meaningless universe. The joy of nihilism is the freedom to define ones purpose.
The pain of absurdism is there is no point in anything, not even in suffering, not even in the foolish, laughable, absurd attempt to find or create meaning. The joy of absurdism is the freedom to just grab your board and surf the chaos...or don't...who cares?
I'll admit, I missed the references to "IT" until having them shoved into my face here, and never really tied in Absurdist Philosophy into the show in general or the episode in particular, but my knowledge of that only came long after.
So thanks for that.
What this does miss, if only tangentially, is that this is one of the few times Mal is in control of the situation, and pretty much moving everyone around him. He knows Reavers hit the ship, he knows they can't leave straight away, and he knows the survivor is anything but.
Even when he is surprised by the Alliance's arrival rather than the Reavers returning, he is still mostly in control of the situation in the interrogation scenes, and manages to keep the Captain on the back foot.
But the ultimate philosophy of 'Firefly' is on display at the end. The Alliance Captain doesn't let him keep the cargo. All they've got is that they're still flying. That's enough.
I loved this, and while I was going to keep watching anyway, the deep analysis of what I've missed has me excited for more.
"The futility of an act doesn't dictate its value." Excellent insight. I would add that when I see River looking into space I don't see someone looking into the abyss because she isn't. The space she sees if full of stars, around which planets rotate, upon which life possibly exists. She sees a Universe full of life with blazing torches of light to guide her to that life. In contrast to the terror that has destroyed all meaning in her life, rendering her a shell of who she was, stealing form her perhaps her very soul, she find in space a place full of life, light, and yes, freedom. And knowing that this sill exists, that brings her joy. Joy and relief.
Best you've ever done, Ian, in my humble opinion. Thank you.
12:22 "If the descent is thus sometimes performed in sorrow, it can also take place in joy. This word is not too much. It happens that melancholy arises in man's heart: this is the rock's victory, this is the rock itself. But crushing truths perish from being acknowledged." What a brilliant line from Camus. Acknowledging meaninglessness itself is a defiance against hopelessness and fate, the uncontrollable conditions of the universe. One who chooses to live in joy regardless has enough courage raging against the ever crushing darkness.
I know a lot of people find existentialism bleak, but I find it incredibly reassuring. If there is no external meaning to the universe, then we are left to create our own, and there is no more tangible, accessible, and present meaning than the one we create for ourselves right here and right now. Why the hell would you want a distant god with a series of unknowable rules that have to be pulled together from a million disparate, questionable sources when you could have your own clear dictate to simply behave with compassion on your road to finding your own individualized happiness? Existentialism gives us a gateway to knowing the truth: it’s not about what’s out there. It’s about what’s in here, and to know that all we have to do is look.
"The futility of an act doesn't dictate its value."
I swear I half expected you to cut to the House of Representatives. :)
(high five)
Hah, that would have been perfect.
This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. The creepy, haunting vibe of the Reaver attacked ship is absolutly terrific. When the show first aired, FOX left out the pilot episode so this one was our first glimpse of the Reavers and they're absolutely terrifying, even though (and maybe even because) we never actually see a real one. Of course, the film's explanation of where the Reavers come from kind of negate the implications of what they really are, I still really enjoy it.
Brilliant Ian, I love it.
With the ethics stuff, I think this for me is why existentialism has to be married with humanism. With the importance of valuing humans and human existence for their own sake. I think that's why Book is so important, for though he comes from a religious tradition what he speaks is mostly humanism. Funnily enough, though I studied philosophy and have a beloved uncle who is an ethics professor, it was a humourist who taught me most about morality and humanism, Terry Pratchett. His two themes are never treat people as objects and stories are what makes us human. I know your media list is long, but you really must add Hogfather to it, I read it every Christmas and it makes me a better human.
Yes, that's the quote, although you missed off the first bit which reads "human need stories to be human. to be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape."
Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Simon, and Inara all have that sort of morality (in different ways) without any noticeable religious background. Book is the one who is good at finding the morality that the others already have and helping them make sense of it. He even picks up shreds of morality in Jayne. (I haven't forgotten River, she's just not in command of herself at the moment--but re-growing up in a loving family might get her there.)
All religions are humanistic, perhaps more so than atheist humanism thinks it is.
Humanist and humanistic are not synonymous. Humanism is a particular philosophy based in reason and human experience, not dogma or faith in divinity. Religious people and traditions are frequently humanist in addition to their religion but not all. Some religious traditions are definitely not Humanist; they base their entire philosophy in divinity, dogma, or mysticism.
Ultimately the question is does one put one’s faith in humanity alone, in both God(s) and humanity, or in God(s) alone.
The division between objects and people and the moral edict that humans must not be treated as objects is Kant's Universal Imperative, right?
This is one of my favorite Firefly episodes. Tim Minear can definitely bring the horror, and the goosebumps start almost right away: "It's a ghost."
They may have been very lucky that the cargo was confiscated. I don't think the derelict ship was ever attacked by another Reaver ship. But rather the ship was somehow infected by the same worker drone compound as the planet Miranda (from the movie). Turning the crew into a bunch of vegetables and one lucky Reaver. What caused the transformation may have been a part of what they salvaged. And if they had used it (or sold it) it would have happened again.
I've always been taught that "One must imagine Sisyphus happy" to be "Sisyphus is crazy to think his actions mean anything, so we all are, and should be crazy". I've never considered that Sisyphus considers his burden a genuine meaning in a meaningless world. Him pushing the rock is infinitely better than someone with no purpose, or gives up.
As another great philosopher once said, in my favorite line of all time: *"Take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then SHOW ME one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet you humans act as if there is some ideal order in the world, some RIGHTNESS in the universe by which it may be judged."*
Answer to why does Sisyphus continue? Because he hopes that one day he will beat the rock... and so beat Zeus. An almighty ''fuck you''. He hopes. This makes him greater than his suffering... or anything that Zeus can dish out. He is greater than Zeus, because by continuing to push the rock, he defies Zeus. The continuance of the task is his revenge on Zeus: ''You haven't beaten me, Zeus! I am still here!''
Answer to the Philosopher: Abstracts are not to be found in physicality. If you attempt to do so, you're a moron.
The placemat!! YES! I am so glad I'm not the only one who thought that!
It’s probably due more to the short lived nature of the show in an audio visual medium, but the Reavers are treated like Bogey Men in that there’s little we the audience and the characters in the show actually know about them. They’re viewed as a threat that’s out there in space, used as a deterrent for errant children and it suits the Alliance that they’re seen this way. It works as an enemy the Alliance can be protection from. Yes, the Reavers are genuinely terrifying rather than just victims of propaganda, but they function as a common enemy for people and a risk for those operating independently of the Alliance like the crew of Serenity.
I cannot wait for the day that you will start doing this with Dollhouse episodes as I believe that that show also has very great philosophical connections.
Ian you need to make a reading list please. I love all these shows and your guide is amazing. Can’t wait for the next one 👍🏻
We have a good reading list on passion of the nerd dot com if you're interested. Thanks for the good word.
So glad you're back! Been missing your wisdom and humor!
The part where you have Mal explaining how the survivor became the reaver and the visual of him witnessing the defeat at Serenity, I got the most out of that. Mal didn’t have a choice, he was created in that moment.
Holy shit these are so well written. I love firefly and have watched it several times, but clearly have missed so much. Watching these is like getting to watch it for the first time again.
4:11 The interrogation scene gets me because most series write those sequences so that an ensemble cast "finishes the other's sentence." The exact opposite happens in "Bushwhacked." The responses of each character is disjointed compared to the others shows.
4:43 There is a bit of Nazi-ish-ness in the design of the Alliance, and the decision to have the soldiers looking in the least likely spaces (underneath coasters) is probably the director's choice of that aesthetic--looking for loose cash in a hidden crevice. In other words, the Alliance soldiers are looking for something they can loot.
10:01 Dear Nerd, I have recently been rereading Umberto Eco and watching some interesting videos about Semiotics and Structuralism. Not that I am hostile to Joss Whedon or Albert Camus. (Hardly.) But I view this schoolas a great counterargument to Existentialism and Absurdism. And it does hearken back to an obscure Japanese movie that is worth a watch if you ever get a chance: Angel Dust (1994, dir Sogo Ishii) A video about the above in media studies is "The Paradox of Evangelion" by Anime Philosopher. ua-cam.com/video/xFXKz5sj1ig/v-deo.html
5:08 I always felt the end was ambiguous. I mean, the civilized Alliance captain has been justifying his actions as "preserving evidence." But in the end, he blows up the ship (destroying the evidence) and takes the cargo (stolen). There are at least two interpretations I can think of. 1, the Alliance captain was morally affected by the attack from the survivor, so he turned his back on the rule of law. Or 2, the Alliance captain was going to blow up the ship and keep the cargo even before--he was unchanged by his experience. But that is contradicted by the decision not to press charges on Mal et al.
Perhaps the meaninglessness and contradiction of that last shot is supposed to be an ink blot--devoid of meaning and intended to provoke conversation. Does so is Mal's statement is meant to be wrong?
OBI WAN KENOBI: (Answering) "From a certain point of view."
I love the way Jayne pulls that prank on Simon, but the balance is almost immediately rectified when Jayne is attacked and Simon gets to tease him about the size of the guy with 'ahh yes, he's a real beast' comment. It's a very Joss move there.
Wow, amazing video, Ian! This idea of freedom vs. justice and Serenity as occupying that middle space between them is really interesting. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you.
Where have you been all my life? Your videos are giving the mighty longer legs and shoulders to stand on. Thank you!
I loved this episode and I love this video. Mal is such a complex character and it reminds me why I always loved him so much. He had a code of right and wrong but it wasn’t tied to what was considered legal and illegal. He followed his own code.
The Alliance officers turning over the dining room demonstrated the attitude the Alliance has regarding their power/control by deliberately messing up an intimate part of the Serenity without need even down to the plates on the table.
When you mentioned existentialism in the whedon verse all I could think of is "if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do"
Another meaning of “bushwhacked,” the one I’m most familiar with, is “to be ambushed in the wild”
wow, just wow. That was way more profound than I thought of this episode before, I love it.
I can't wait till you talk about "Out of Gas" one of the best episodes on TV period.
I didn't thought I would enjoy this episode dissection so much. I might marathon it.
I like that comment about Simon. He wasn't supposed to be where he is, and he doesn't like it much. But what we see isn't really standoffishness, it's him trying very hard to not reject a world that has little to offer him and where his talents see only limited use.
Good GOD I love this series so much.
If ever there was a time we needed your EP 104 discussion, it's now! Give it to us.
(I mean this in the most playful way. Please take whatever time you need and pursue whatever videos you want o produce.)
But seriously, us Firefly folks are waiting!
I’m genuinely surprised that there is not an explosion of Warhammer 40k fans in here “correcting” you on Event Horizon! While I am a fan of both, and am familiar with the relationship between, I’ll be the first to defend your parallels.
As always, good job.
Bushwhack more commonly means to ambush someone.
The older definition fits a lot better though.
Michel De Bruyn
I don't know about that. The colonist ship was bushwhacked by Reavers; Serenity was bushwhacked by the booby trap, and then by the Alliance. The Alliance was bushwhacked by the Reaverfied guy, who then got bushwhacked by Mal.
@@donsample1002 Yeah, that's the meaning I always took from the title of this episode. I've heard both meanings for 'bushwhacked' but you're right that using it to describe an ambush is way more common.
Knowing Joss Wheedon though, it's probably supposed to refer to both. All these parties are bushwhacking each other, as Serenity and her crew are bushwhacking their way through the unknown wilderness of space.
Always makes my day better when you drop a guide, thanks dude
The term bushwhacked can also mean to surprise attack someone. Which happens twice in the episode. First to the colonists by the Reavers and second by the 'survivor' to the crew of the Alliance crew.
I could listen to you discuss absurdism all day.
Also, excellent video. Thanks for your hard work.
Looking forward to the next one. I always enjoy these guides. I just did a Firefly rewatch.
Reavers are terrifying, until you imagine them mopping the ship of blood stains and setting up the dinner table to make it more spooky.
I received the alert for the new video and I did a happy dance.
"Whether it was a special one, I couldn't say". *Dying*
If Mal had ever explained anything before doing it, he could have saved a whole lotta drama.
I can't wait til you get to The Message. Best episode of television, ever.
I always considered the whole Firefly premise the battle between order and chaos, the Alliance are order and that hugely benefits the vast majority of their population but they are oppressive. Mal and co represent chaos and freedom but this is a wild and dangerous kind with no safety net. As for Sisyphis, if he can ever get the rock to the top he knows he'll be free so at least he has hope and that's what Serenity is to Mal.
This is an excellent way to start a Sunday :-) I feel like I need to go read some of the books mentioned.
King as inspiration always makes me think of his inspiration Wrinkle in Time.
I'll admit I philosophically differ from Whedon. I think the instinct being that strong and prevelent in the first place is reasonable proof of more existence than a frail mortality. Though it's hardly my reasoning for belief or knowledge for that matter.
Still I greatly respect the need to understand the world around you and how deeply he delved into such; more so that he gave so many comfort and deeper thought in the process.
It's what writing should be: to beautifully convey the process of living and doing it in such a way that people reading it (or watching/listening) can gain something from the experience. Joy or a lesson, tears, a balm or a laugh, whatever touches and enlarges.
That to me is art. And Whedon is one of the many reasons I can't settle for just a movie or show, I have to feel the effort, the love and the skill, along with slightly clearer eyes.
Great analysis as always btw.
I think this is possibly the best guide you've done so far. Keep up the good work.
Great video essay. Thank you. Look forward to the next one!
As much as I love this show, I always considered this on the lower end of best to worse, but you have made me see more into it than I ever have before.
I think about that quote from Mal often, particularly in light of certain moments of fuckery that occurred in late 2016...
@Robert Hall aged like milk
One of the only shows I've ever watched that's affected me to the degree the Whedon shows have is Person of Interest, I suspect in large part because it draws a great deal from the same existential well. Possibly focusing thematically on how to form a meaningful existence simply requires complex characters, since any character who fully understands and articulates their own motivations is difficult to write as searching for a way to make meaning. In any case, that show has a line that I think perfectly articulates the absurdist ideas that are so prominent throughout out this episode.
"Listen, all I'm saying that is if we're just information, just noise in the system... we might as well be a symphony."
I had figured the title "Bushwhacked" referred to the other definition, which is more like a wild-westy term for an ambush. Hadn't thought of it the other way before. Thanks.
I love your reviews! I often disagree with your assessments, but that forces me to construct an argument for mine, rather than just assuming I'm right.
You are amazing, thank you
Your commentary is beautifully written.
I'm reminded of an episode Ian did on Angel (or was it Buffy?), and he uses the myth of Sisyphus to talk about determination and courage, the courage to go back and get the rock again. I'd quote him more accurately, but I can't remember which episode of the guide it was.
I find your analysis of these shows I love so interesting, thing that never occurred to me. Also as a someone from England kind of love hearing use of English slang like numpty
I wonder if there's a line that can be drawn between the image of the Tams clinging to the hull of Serenity and the way the crew will one day be forced to tie bodies to the hull to pass through Reaver space.
I always enjoy the philosophy parts of your videos
3:38 The alliance officer also reflects this tactic back on Mal when interrogating him later.
[Silence while the Alliance Officer is flipping through Mal's records.]
Mal: "I'm gonna make a leap here and figure this is your first tour out here on the border?"
Alliance Officer: [Closes files and tosses it on the table.] "That's a very long career you have there."
*AKA, doesn't answer the question.*
It's interesting to watch this just after watching the edit stream with TPN
Beautiful.
Loved it! Thanks for bringing these back!
Ugh, why would you reference Event Horizon? That was the most terrifying movie I've ever seen in my life and I've worked for years to block it from my memory lmao.
So, thanks for that. Now I'm just gonna have to see Dr. Alan Grant clawing his own eyes out whenever I close my eyes for the next week or so.
Will there be episode 4 and the rest of the season?
I very much enjoy this video. Please keep 'em coming!!!
I do wonder though, when Joss Whedon Tim Minear (or any other writer of this caliber) begins to weave together a story such as Bushwacked are they thinking of everything detail TPN just outlined? Is it a conscious act or are they simply writing a terrific story? Is it another chicken or the egg scenario where it's good because mythology was included or it's good and we can find mythology... or does it even matter???
Bravo on another great video!
even with the movie, I still see Reaver-fication as an actual thing. it's a mix of psychological horror and mental damage, mixed with actual contamination by PAX present in the body of the Reavers - It might have mutated or some such since it's a literal contamination of only the hyper-aggressive variant of the virus.
was rewatching some of your buffy episodes last night like, huh, its been a little while since Ian uploaded a guide...
Well said, Sir.
Amazing work! Thank you :)
Thank you for these videos! Awesome work!
Heck Yeah i love this episode and watching the editing livestream was very fun
This is such a great in-depth analysis. Thank you
"Wild or uncultivated country" Can't wait till you get to Out of Gas
I just challenged all the self proclaimed Browncoats on Facebook to check you out...
the sysiphus is very overused in analisies ?what does it actually mean?
Great video.
Ian, we missed you! I hope you are well.
Where in the original text by Homer does Odysseus say that he respected the Trojans? Is this in another source such as Virgil?
Been waiting for this!
Bring back Firefly.
Came here for some nostalgia and left with the realization I am an Existentialist.
As a writer I can't help but wonder if Joss Whedon put all of the hidden meanings, the 2 meanings of Mal's name for instance, in when he was writing it or if everything was what you find afterwards.
I'm fine with that it might be a little of both. If we can get something out of a piece of art that the creator might not have intended but ends up being there none the less? All the better.
@@PassionoftheNerd totally agree. I write things and don't even see the hidden meanings until someone else points it out
I’m not sure I know but why is there a Mapleleaf in the beginning of the video? Is it because Nathan Fillion is actually from Canada? Does firefly have a Canadian connection? I absolutely love maple leafs and I wonder if they have any connection to fireflies or the concept of serenity.
Charles Edward Andrew Lincoln IV “I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.”
Samuel Dixon That explains it.
I suppose when I first saw it as a 12-year-old living in Texas I kind of assumed it was a different type of leave but that makes sense.
I saw this video pop up... and I choose to be happy *click*
Keep them coming. 😁
Guess I'm not going to sleep in time for my 8:30 exam...
How did you do?
love this, ty
Ohh I just realized the intro. . . Is a leaf. . . On the wind T_T