On Firefly: The Complete Retrospective
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2024
- Uploaded September 20, 2039
The complete Space Feather review/retrospective/analysis of Firefly, with all three parts together, as intended.
I'm almost done with my next project on patreon.com/spacefeather
Follow me on Twitter @cameronbyerly
If you’ll forgive me, I am not interested in learning how the UA-cam works, so I’m gonna start throwing tag words in here and hope for the best. I worked on this for more than a year so I’m gonna try everything.Firefly, Joss Whedon, sci fi, reputation, favorite, best, space Cowboys, recommend, cult classic, hidden gem, canceled, Nathan Fillion, Alan Wash, Cowboy Bebop, Mandalorian, Archer, House of Cards, Avengers, season 1, veterans, space society, pilot, space government, gold standard, group dynamics, character web, the space between characters, good character, character purpose, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Friar, love, Jayne, the Hero of Canton, Adam Baldwin, space pirates, Simon, good doctor, River Tam, Kaylee, empathy, serenity, spaceship, efficiency, Zoë, Sk8er Boi, nine characters, drama, Breaking Bad, Walter White, good writing, fan favorite, exposition, Harry Potter, wizards, Watchmen, mechanic, Yoda, war,
#Firefly #Fireflyreview #review #spacefeather #show #analysis #screenwriting #character #writing
And Mandaloregaming recommended I put this in here: 579 #579
Great analysis but I love the fact that no one is acknowledging the fact that this was done from the prospective of someone from 2039 were everyone is living in bunkers and there was an *attempted reboot in 2032* that was just glossed over lol. Love it
What? Please explain...
@@MrAtncc1701 I think what @celestial_outsider is saying, is that since we are living in 2039, there was no mention of the 2032 reboot of the series. It's a valid observation.
Somebody asked me recently what the best thing about the internet is and I sent them to this video. It's informative, fun, amazingly produced, expertly narrated, and uniquely insightful. It's literally my favorite thing on the internet and I'm not even a big fan of the show. You know that when Josh Whedon is having a bad day, he comes back to watch this video. I'm a playwright and if anybody honored my work with a 50th of the energy you put into this, I would die happy.
I always like to think of this show in terms of the line: "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." How many shows had intriguing, if not great, first seasons, only to become something you watched out of compulsion or habit 2 or 3 seasons later? It's hard to know what would have become of this show if it had more seasons, but I enjoy it for what it is. Its not often that I will watch an entire hour long video essay here, but ya got me here.
"It's better to burn out - than fade away!" *gets head chopped off*
@@dezmo1218 "Thank-you Neil Young for your enduring poetry. Sincerely: Kurt Cobain" *(shoots self in the head)*
I sure wish it had gotten a proper first season, but yeah I agree.
@@dezmo1218
Happy Halloween ladies.
Okay, a little ramble; so, about a month ago Aldi had some mangos 50% off and I went "oooh, mangos!" reflexively in Kaylee's voice, even though I haven't really thought of Firefly in the last couple of years. Then UA-cam threw up your vid about Max Headroom while eating said mangos, and after liking it very much (both the vid and the mangos) I checked out your channel and found the first two parts of the Firefly analysis and started watching, reigniting my love for this little show. Finished re watching it yesterday evening and right after you uploaded the combined analysis. Still agree with all of it, I think it's very well thought out, and very witty. Keep up the good work!
same dude
I reflexively did the same thing (minus the mangos though.)
Alright dude, you got to keep this up. This was the most enjoyable Firefly overview/discussion/etc I've seen yet.
17:53 "My theory that good worldbuilding allows an environment to be a character"
Reminds me of reading an interview with the cast of the original Star Trek, where they said the main character wasn't Kirk or Spock, but the Enterprise herself. Really gave me a new angle on things. I wouldn't say Serenity was the _main_ character, but she was definitely _a_ character.
Strictly speaking, a State. This is a very old question, "Ship of Theseus" old at the very least and international naval law old in the modern sense.
Here's some nuance on Jayne I noticed you might seem to have missed. Sure, he's a (mostly) amoral thug and isn't very bright, but he cares about the crew almost like a surrogate family. His main issue with Simon and River is that they are a threat to his family, even if said family doesn't see it the same way. His betrayal of Simon and River wasn't just a chance to collect the bounty, it was an effort to get them off the ship before either River went nuts and started hurting the more vulnerable members of his surrogate family or the Alliance caught up to them and things went badly for them all. Evidence of this is the fact that he could have jumped ship at any time and turned them in. It's not like he was raking in the loot working for Mal--although I have to admit he appeared to be doing a lot better with Mal than when they first met.
Canceling the show just showed what kind of material the tv networks would avoid in the days to come. No wonder there aren't any great scifi series that actually brought everything to the table and brought it perfectly as Firefly did. Best show ever definitely. Great video
I am a man who does not cry much, but I did indeed cry at the conclusion of your video about Kaylee. Yes - she is the point of the whole world, and is worth defending. She represents the worthiness of the truth and the good. Well done indeed.
This video succeeded in scratching an itch I didn’t even realize had been there. This analysis is fantastic and comprehensive - anything more granular would’ve been excessive. Well, well done and thank you for the hard work that went into this!
Thank you for the hard work that obviously went into this. You really nailed a lot of the nostalgia for me personally.
We say 'Don't watch it' because, like us, you will love it, and it will break your heart! 14 episodes are more than enough to force you to grab your chest with the devastating agony of losing a beloved part of your life. You become so invested in the lives of these 9 people that are suddenly no longer a part of your own life it causes you to mourn the losses as if they had all died.
Thank you. I’ve been mourning my Whedonesque fannishness for a few years. It loved it all so much and so much didn’t age well across his creations. This reminds me why I was in love in the first place
This is the shiniest gorram retrospective on the entirety of Firefly that I've seen. Well done.
Will you be doing something similar for Serenity?
On a practical level, what really boggles my mind is how exquisitely ALL the characters are dialed in (by the writers) from the very "first" show (the real first, Serenity),
and how utterly inhabited those characters are by the cast. I don't think nine actors, of varying experience (including nil), have ever grasped their brief so masterfully so quickly.
(although I suspect the astonishing characterizations of the actors and their dynamic helped the writers immensely in creating compelling real characters)
NEVER noticed the lack of 'steering wheel' in that shot! Bwahahaha. Makes me love the show more!
And...there will never be enough Dr Who!
I always felt that the brown coats were more like the people who would have existed if America lost the Revolutionary War and was not based on the Civil War. You eloquently explained why I felt that way even though I didn’t spend anywhere near the amount of time analyzing this.
Thank-you so much for this.
Relatively unknown joss whedon? That really glosses over how big Buffy was and ignores his other shows as well.
I'm in awe of the accuracy of your analysis. Thanks for that and all the laughs.
A really excellent explanation and love letter to Firefly. An wonderful way to spend an hour. Thank you.
Wash holding nothing like a joystick after a complicated maneuver was immediately noticed by most. We took it as honest depiction of the stress he was under.
35:10 Yes!! I started screaming "Jubal Early" at my computer dude, I was researching the civil war ages ago and knew I recognized the name, and I'd never seen anyone bring it up til now!
You're now part of my regular Firefly rewatch.
Just finished Ff and Serenity and as last time, your analysis.
Great work
We got what we got, which was a window into these characters lives over a year or two in setting. We aren't owed anything.
Yes it'd be great if the show kept going, but I'm thankful for what I got.
Thank you. You hit the nail on the head...and exposed our hearts at the same time.
That was very good, your arguments won me over!
‘He was a punk, she did ballet’🤣 Amazing!!!!
So I spent ten minutes reviewing your chart at 7:55, and I was surprised to learn some things, like how few members of the crew Wash had meaningful interactions with.
I don't pick up on things often, but this was something I actually noticed watching Firefly. Wash rarely interacts with the others, since so many others are better for things like brotherhood, going against authority, and sibling dynamics. To the point where I can't tell with certainty how he'd act with people other than Zoé.
I agree, and I think that chart would have gained some complexity with a second season. I noticed some gaps too, but the potential among the characters is there. If you read about Shepard Book's secret past in the comics, that "practical asset" facet of his personality might have strongly endeared him to Jayne, Zoe, and Malcolm as someone else they could rely on when things got dicey.
I CANNOT believe (!) that I have just watched TWO hour long reviews - back to back - of old TV shows that I loved - and you do it MASTERFULLY!!
This was utterly brilliant, expertly produced, sharp, funny, insightful. Kind of a mini-Firefly. Now I want to go watch the series again.
I love the documentaries styled as if they were made in the future it’s a really cool concept that I personally haven’t seen before and I love it
Excellent, excellent video! So glad it appeared on my feed out of nowhere. Time for a Firefly rewatch!
Thank you for all the very hard work and skill in putting this together. I am happily crying.
Some of your question around 49:00 were addressed in the licensed comics. I particularly liked Book’s story, even though I’m of the opinion that it isn’t as cool as the mystery incubating for a decade in my head (and presumably many other fans’ heads).
That web is the best description of anything, ever.
Thank you! This is one of the best videos that I have ever seen on this platform! It's amazing and is everything I thought about such an miraculous show. Plus a few more things that I hadn't considered. We all would do well to try and live/love as Kaylee does!
Okay. This was fantastic. And, I hadn't thought about Kaylee being quite the kind of pivot point for the show, but you're right. Pair any other characters up, and there's a way they can clash with each other. But, no one fought with Kaylee. Basically, no one dared!
Holy crap. This channel is so good and criminally underrated. Keep up the the good work!
You touch on the importance of "The Message." For me, "The Message" is almost a classic tragedy. Tracy is right up there with Oedipus- a flawed character brought to a bad end to evoke an emotional response in the audience.
So glad "The Message" was highlighted too!
he's a bad mutha-
The more somber, dark movie and its lack of goofiness is precisely why it works so well for me. It’s partially a meta-level thing, commenting on how the comforting thing wasn’t allowed to thrive. The movie itself is about killing the franchise. It’s grim but it feels like exactly what needs to happen. I also love dark Mal. People go through seasons. The whole arc is him finding something to believe in again.
Damn good vid! Particulary the part about the significance of the Southern vs Civil war elements of the show, because for Non-Americans that's an aspect quite hard to get in its whole dimension...
Well, while the video is very good in most parts, he kind of misses the mark on the civil war aspect. While slavery takes a very big overtone in the way people view the war, the real reason the war was fought is the North wanted the Federal government to have more power than the State governments and South thought the State governments should have the ultimate say on the laws of each individual state. With this in mind, Malcom fits quite well into the Confederate box, especially when you consider his aversion to the Aliance (the Federal government) vs his value in his control over his own ship and the people on it (his state).
@@Bushvipergood old historical revisionism. It was about slavery. The confederate government was no more pro states rights than the federal government. They wanted slaves. Thats it, cut and dried, unequivocally, straight from their own mouths.
@@BushviperThe Union/North fought to preserve the country, and only later to end slavery when it seemed like a good strategy to win. The Confederacy/South fought to preserve slavery. Read what states wrote when they seceded.
Well written, well presented. Amazing job.
Great video, thanks for your insights. I've long said that the first episode has the best set of character introductions of any series I've seen, which makes the crime of dumping it at the end of the broadcast run even more baffling and unforgivable.
Kaylee is definitely the best ❤️
Not sure that Mal's willingness to shoot the unarmed Operative is a change from or a contradiction of his speech to the doctor. The Operative is not a member of his crew. We also see him during the series, happily kicking an unarmed thug into a rocket engine. Otherwise great discussion of the series.
Well. That was absolutely wonderful.
Thanks for putting this together.
Beautifully done. Bravo.
These were really great mate, thanks for making this.
This is an excellent retrospective, awesome job.
Hello from the UK, and thanks for an absolutely frigging awesome video. Cheers.
My favorite character Interaction is Jaynes protectiveness of Kaylee. Several times when Kaylee is in distress, Janye can be found wondering who to wreck.
My biggest frustration/regret is that Jayne never confronted Juble over a terrified Kaylee
This show has left a hole in my heart if feel incomplete
So much I liked here, but my fav is the nuanced view of character. 95% of youtube show reviewers hold the opinion that character portrait is the entire point of cinema. This dude smashes that in the face, and I couldn't agree more.
I did have one quibble though:
None of those actors got within a country mile of a southern accent. It's cute that people think they were trying though.
This is some Passion of the Nerd level stuff, but I'll throw out a couple points of personal - alternate takes. :)
Trash is awesome, so is YoSafBridge. I think 'Our Mrs. Reynolds" through "Trash" is one great episode after another, with the bookends of "Serenity" and my persona favorite "Objects in space" also great, but the others between the bookends and the Christina Hendricks episodes, while good, I don't think quite rise to the level of great. I have particular difficulty with "the Message", since there's a bit of idiot-ball miscommunication at play the could have been avoided with "Tracy! I have a plan!", and I'm not cool with Nandi getting "fridged", both because it's removing a potentially recurring character that fit into an intriguing space in the Mal-Inara web as you've drawn it, and because where Whedon is concerned killing characters off has gotten old.
Gender-flippped Jayne: both Patience and Saffron fit. Speaking of Jayne, not all bad. He's entirely sincere when he says (referring to Saffron) "damn it Mal, I'd treat her right", which we can see when he's sitting there brushing his new friend's hair in "Heart of gold". I suspect he has a strong female presence in his family. I would have liked to have met them. And Kaylee's for that matter.
I can see Gina playing Mal and Nathan playing Zoe, though the former more than the latter. Which would give the Mal-Inara relationship a bit of a dynamic. And Wash's bit about the legs and the part just above it works just as well with Captain Tight-Pants. :D
Inara is pretty much the only one I can't see flipped. While I am also frustrated at the lack of a Book episode, which I assume would have come between "Objects in space" and the season finale, I would really like to know more about the role companions play in Alliance high-society that gives them such status. I'm not sure Whedon et al. actually thought that out much beyond "space Geishas are cool", but nevertheless.
Oh, and following up on what Jeff Thomsom wrote previously, the inspiration may have come from southern veterans after the war, but the dynamic is more like revolutionary veterans if the British had won, distant government in London and all. IMO, at least.
But that's the fun thing about these kinds of videos. You don't have to agree with everything to gain insight from them. Well done.
Brilliant insight. Less Civil War than a lost American Revolution.
Just chef's kiss, all of this. Subscribed in case you release any more top tier, must see videos. Even about things I'm unaware of in the year 2039.
Absolutely loved FireFly! I even bought the series along with the movie Serenity too! I still have to watch the shows every so often and I still love to watch them over and over! Just a sad shame it didn’t get to run least a couple more seasons though! Liked Serenity, but hated seeing characters killed off!
Great stuff. This deserves more views.
Also, fun side note is that in ANY SHOW in his early career Badger (Mark Sheppard) played a similar character that just happened to dress similarly, just about all the shows had Joss Whedon ties, they happened to be named Badger BUT NOT A SINGLE ONE WAS A CROSSOVER! HMMMM!
Everything's shiny, Cap'n. Not to fret.
You nailed this. From every angle, especially the landing. How are you not famous? That's the first video of yours I've watched and the first time I was ever moved to donate. I cannot wait to see what else you have created. Thank you for whatever insane sleep or life deprivation it cost you to produce this.
Dinner with Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan would be EPIC!!!!!
Love your long form videos, Space Feather! Subbed! 😎
I love your personality shown In a thorough passionate well thought out perspective.
"Metaphorically, don't actually go outside."
I actually lost it right there. :D
This is a fantastic, amazing, nuanced analysis of this show. It's more a love letter to Firefly, than anything....and I'm totally here for it. Hard to believe I got to see this for free. Thank you kindly.
This is the best commentary I've ever encountered. Considering 'Firefly' is everything and more than is claimed in this review...
well...
I'm a Kaylee-loving browncoat who will long for Serenity for as long as I live!
A masterclass in character development. Truly excellent. Thank you.
What youre talking about around the 00:49 minute mark...
For me it comes back to the character and world building
These characters are so fleshed out they feel like people
And in real life, with real people, you dont often get happy, satisfying conclusions. You dont get to know everything about the people you love, you know what they let you know and sometimes that isnt everything
We always wish we could have more time with the people we love, no amount of firefly would ever really feel like enough, we would always want more time
I actually disowned my twin brother at 23 telling him WHILE HE WAS SHOPPING FOR PRESENTS THAT I ONLY HAD A DVD PLAYER! HE BOUGHT THE BLU-RAY 2-DISC DIGITAL COPY! It was April 2013 when BLU-RAY was BARELY A THING!
Okay. I'm 3/4 through and "Sam Gamgee and his assistant" had me rolling on the floor and shooting coffee out of my nose.
It should be no surprise that Joss Whedon stages Shakespeare plays in his home for fun.
I followed the same path as András. And so glad I did. firstly it caused me to realize that Endgame's Morena Baccarin was also fabulous in Firefly. 2ndly it has been both edifying and entertaining.
I would love to see your analysis of, the also short lived, "Pushing Daisies".
I also love this show ❤
I binge watch it and the movie at least once per year.
And I always knew why I love it so much: It feels warm, cozy and very human.
Sure, you can deep dive into all of it, like yot did. Great job by the way. But I always saw the essence of it. Warmth, heart and character.
It always feels like reuniting with friends and revisiting a place where you feel comfortable. Joss Whedon created something great with wunderful characters and dynamics. Im happy to know Firefly. It will always have a special place in my heart.
Wow, I'd never heard of you before and then just as I finished watching your Max Headroom video, this went up.
I watched "Firefly" all through it's "Redheaded Stepchild" mistreatment by Fox TV. (These Teenage Mutant Fox TV Programmers treated "Futurama" the same way once their short-term memories were exhausted.) I didn't "see" all of it until I bought the DVD set. It makes me wonder how Fox TV, with it's 12-25 target audience was able to start/nurture/support "King of the Hill," "Bob's Burgers" and "The Great North." (Does this make Fox TV a "cartoon network"?;) I have started watching far too many Fox TV "live action" shows that were tossed in the dumpster just when they were starting to get interesting. So, I have "voted with my feet" and left that benighted network for other high-numbered cable TV channels with more varied content. As far as Zombies go, I'll take ONE "Train To Busan" (2016) over "The Walking Dead" any day.;)
We are each here for just a few moments.
Kaylee got that.
This is an incredibly well done tribute to a great show! Thank you for the hard work you put into this!
Ironically, Jewel Staite does not like strawberries at all.
You're very good at these. I hope you keep it up 👍
This is an excellent essay. Very well done.
Six months and only 9,000 views! Criminal.
This video is very well crafted. GOOD JOB! Yes, I've commented here before. About a year ago.
Really good stuff, Cameron. I truly enjoyed watching this!
*lower my cowboy hat*
*wipe a tear*
This guy gets it.
Great points and presentation both! I wasnt even planning on watching the video, just skim through it, yet I ended up devouring the whole thing while nodding profusely. What a mighty fine shindig!
I always thought of Firefly as The Outlaw Josey Wales in Space rather than Texas. This review is definitely a product of our times. “It can’t be about the US Civil War because the confederacy “bad”. Hilarious. It’s not about the US Civil War, it’s a about a conflict that was similar and the spirit of the confederacy lives in Reynolds, like it or not, or more importantly, GROK it or not.
Just discovered this fine channel: the guy's fab!!! More, please. Mikey from Greece.
You made me laugh, get argumentative, laugh, tear up and ultimately agree. Great video!
I have in my mind a story I would want to write, but after reading Peter Watts Blindsight and rewatching again and again Firefly I know I would be not good enough to write something that well crafted... Every time I eat a strawberry I feel like I can catch this feeling Firefly gave me. Maybe after some Proust, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, and buch of freaks from scifi genre :) I will find the language in myself to describe the lens flare that Firelfy is constantly making in my soul :)
The Message episode was my favorite as well. However, I respectfully felt that it would have been more appropriate as the final episode of the series. It could have served as a fitting farewell to the audience.
the relationship between malcom and the doctor felt like they stripped away the character building of the show. the doctor and river went from crew back to square one of randos tagging along on the ship
Yes. This was the worst part of the show. Otherwise really good but that let it down. Also the sexual assault themes were handled with the tact of a gorilla.
Also, look up Green Mansion Girls or basically the Chinese version of the top hierarchy of their Geisha system. To shorten it, I used "Geisha" as a way to describe Inara but no the Green Mansion society girls is more or less literally Inara's description down to all the girls on the outer worlds that left the guild and went "freelance". Fits in with the Chinese theme far more even though I have no evidence to prove how much of a direct basis it was! You can make what you will looking it up!
Excellent series review!
I really like your answer to all the Firefly Questions - Kaylee
I love the series but didn't like the movie nearly as well, until...
I realized why River and Simon's characters were so different from the series.
Because the movie Serenity was a dream, just one of River's nightmares.
That explains why Simon was able to penetrate into the top secret lab and rescue her, and why she is now a super assassin instead of a timid, although genius girl. Her nightmare has her friends die and makes her the hero to save her brother instead of him taking care of her.
If we view the movie Serenity as a dream, the series could begin again with her waking up crying until she realizes it was just another nightmare.
One of the best video analysis ever!
Cameron...you got yourself a sub, mate. Thanks for reppin' us browncoats.
This is so good as a big video, I've been obsessed with your Max Headroom video, and this on top of it is fantastic. Hope what you have next is wonderful as well!
I wish I could remember who said it but I remember hearing once that a sign of a good character is being able to imagine what the character would be doing off camera, not the actor but the actual character. I can do that with each of the main characters here. I understand why they would be doing the things I imagine them doing.
Happy to see you’re posting again!
My linguistic proficiency can't completely address all the layers of awesomeness of this presentation. If there was only content like this on the internet AI would come into being by itself. Probably the good kind, as in morally conscious. Please keep this up!
amazing video. I am glad that I found your channel.
I wouldn't necessarily describe Jayne as "self-interested" anymore after watching the episode "The Message". We find out that he seems to send a majority of the money he makes home to help care for a sick sibling. He is greedy but we never really see him indulge in anything or spend his money. It just seems that he prioritizes his own family over the crew most times.
Edit: in fact, I believe we would have gotten a nice Jayne arc and find the parallels between him and Simon in doing their best to provide for their sibling. And someone once mentioned that it's best to look at what Jayne does as opposed to what he says. From his words he seems to not value women much for example but in the whore house he stays with one women, shows her how to defend herself, talks to her as an equal and seems to respect and be willing to protect her
Interesting analysis. I agree with a lot of it, even if your favorite episode is my least favorite and your example of a not so good episode is one I like a lot more. But I especially agree in not really understanding why someone would tell people not to watch it even though they love it themselves. I may relate to that viewpoint more than you do, though - as someone who experienced the show before the movie existed, or was even likely to ever exist, I was a lot more understanding of it back then. The truth is that while the characters and their relationships were always most of what made this show enjoyable, and it's true that the episodes are largely self-contained, there is a lot more of a continuous story than was normal at the time. Not that it was unheard of - Babylon 5 arguably had more of a continuous story and it came out almost a decade earlier. Firefly had evolving relationships in which the events in previous episodes affected how characters related to each other in subsequent stories and at least three characters outside of the crew who showed up more than once. The beginning (at least) of many episodes contained references to the situation at the end of the previous episode, which often provided the motivation for whatever was happening at the beginning of the episode. If all of this weren't true, the reordering of the episodes by FOX wouldn't have been such a big problem. But even more, there were multiple hints at larger stories which promised to be really cool but were not likely to have been advanced all that far by the end of the first season even if Firefly hadn't been cancelled mid-season. As it was, there was very little movement on any of them. The movie ties together and provides a satisfactory explanation and conclusion for at least two of those. It progresses and hints at the future for a couple of others. It fails to even acknowledge at least one I can think of and acknowledges but then purposely refuses to otherwise address at least one other. But having a coherent end to some of the story makes it easier to accept that some things remain unresolved.