I love how Mal's total shift in attitude was foreshadowed by what he said to Inara prior. "If I start fighting a war, I guarantee you'll see something new."
I mentioned during the show that they don't point out Jaynes character development, but they show it subtly. Jayne is a man of actions not words. He shows things rather than says them. When they're discussing doing the right thing, He takes a drink then slides it to Simon. With all their previous animosity, he doesn't tell Simon that he respects him or accepts him now, doesn't SAY that he's one of the crew, but he shows it by sharing a drink with him. Later when they are crashing, Jayne is thrown about because he's not strapped in, because he was making sure Everyoe Else was strapped in first.
I've come to the conclusion that Jayne is the least understood crewmember, probably because he's not got much use for words or deep thinking, and because his own self-image is at odds with his real feelings. (No, Dawn, I don't mean romantic feelings for River!) Those are two great examples from the movie, but his unspoken care for the crew goes right back to the very first episode, when he's secretly checking on Kaylee in the sickbay. Accepting Simon is character development, caring for the crew is a constant. It has to be _crew,_ though, not just anybody he works with - I'll wager this is the first time he's felt like that, and that's down to Mal's people-picking talent.
The way I interpret Jayne is that he actually is a good guy at his core but he grew up extremely poor having to fight, often literally, for every scrap (supposition). That carried over into his adult life, internalising a mentality of "might makes right". That is, until he met Mal. At first it was just greed that made him turn to Mal's side, but Mal showed him a new way to live. Yeah, they might just barely get by most of the time, but they rarely feel poor because they have each other. Jayne was already starting to learn that new way of thinking when we first meet him, but he relapses on Ariel after being attacked by River. After that relapse, though, he improves significantly. At least, until this movie which does send some of the characters and relationships back several steps at the beginning (after "Objects in Space", Mal would never even consider throwing Simon and River off, and, after "Ariel", Jayne wouldn't ask him to).
@@StarkRG - "internalising a mentality of "might makes right". That is, until he met Mal. At first it was just greed that made him turn to Mal's side, but Mal showed him a new way to live." Not entirely.. remember, the reason he turned to a life of crime in the first place was that he was sending money to his mother and sick sibling. In his own way, he was being selfless even then. He knew that crime was the only option he had, and that he likely wouldn't live long.. but he did it anyway.
@@StarkRG Well put. I disagree about _Ariel,_ though - I don't think it was a relapse, I think he was trying to protect himself and his crew, he just doesn't realise it because he's so used to it being all about the money. After Mal point-blank refused to do anything about a potential murderer on board (from Jayne's persepective Mal just shut him down, he didn't see the warning to Simon), Jayne came up with a plan to get rid of her. Which is actually reasonable - nobody should be forced to live with someone who might try to kill them at any time. Of course his plan was dumb and he tried to get some money on the way, but I think his motivation was good. However, "caring for the crew" and "needing to protect myself from a girl" are not ideas that fit well with his self-image, so in his head it became all about the money. But if it was, how come it only happened after River attacked him? That's my fanon.
@@Garryck-1 Don't remember anything about a sick sibling, which episode was that? In any case, I don't see that it changes anything I said. Regardless of his immediate reasons, the reason he turned to a life of crime is because that was the best option he saw for himself.
I've LOVED flight all my life - atmospheric flight AND space flight. The two most beautiful pieces of verse that I've ever read/heard about it are "High Flight", by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., and Mal's soliloquy at the end of this movie. God willing, I'll be able to recite both from memory until my dying breath.
When you let out that huge gasp during your quick reaction montage in your intro, we all knew what you had just seen. We had the same reaction. I'm so happy to have re-experienced this with you. So much fun. 😘😘😘
@@daneng3641 Peart tapped some fantastic wells of ideas. A mad, immortal man. If you happened to enjoy the first Dirk Gently book (and who doesn’t enjoy a ghost-hunting, detective, mystery, thriller?), check out The Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul, which i nowadays like to imagine features Chris Hemsworth as one of the main characters.
@@sean---the-other-one As much as I'd love to be on board with you here, I thought Tea Time was pretty mediocre. I really wanted to like it, but it fails to come close to its predecessor.
Serenity has one of my favorite easter eggs in it. The designation of the scout ship on Miranda was C-57D. The original C-57D was the ship that was in the movie 'Forbidden Planet' (honestly, a must watch movie, but I digress). and in Serenity, Miranda was a 'forbidden planet'.. such a wonderful touch.
“Forbidden Planet” was a retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in which the magician’s daughter (the character analogous to Altaira, played by Anne Francis) was named … Miranda!
I saw this movie before I saw the series, and I know the precise moment when I fell in love with the movie and had to find the series. "This isn't the war, Mal." "You're telling me this because you think I don't know." "I just want to know who I'm dealing with. I've seen too many versions of you to be sure." "If I start fighting a war, I guarantee you're going to see something new." That bit of dialog (which I probably got wrong) was what made me know that I had to find the show and now I'm a proud Browncoat.
For me it happened even sooner. "This is the captain, we have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence, and then… explode." The PERFECT line to set the tone for the entire movie.
In the theaters, the whole crowd went from silently weeping at Wash's death, to an instant of stunned silence, to laughter, when Kaylee announced her intention to live. It felt so wrong, to laugh right after Wash died. But it needed to be done!
to be fair the whole 'nothing twix my nethers bit also felt a bit off too, like they were trying to sex things up for the movie crowd when Kaylee was always the quiet innocent one, not that i didnt enjoy it, but it just felt .......OFF
@@stevenr6397 Kaylee the innocent one? 🤣 She's a sweetie, sure, but don't go jumping into a false dichotomy now. Incredibly nice people can also have good libido.
@@stevenr6397 I don't thing so, yeah we see Kaylee as the inocent one but don't forget how she got recruited, or her talk with River in the last episode (i think) her comment in the whore house, to me her comment felt very on character
Heard it said " That kind explains how all brown coats feel about the series after all these years "I know what you're going to say but I like to hear you say it"
One of my favorite story's of Alan's is when he talks about signing autographs. He wrote "I am a leaf on the wind" for a fan, he kinda regretted it because she broke down and cried.
It is clearly obvious that this was a full season squeezed into one movie... but the introduction of "The Operative" and the way that he was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor was LEGENDARY. It was possibly one of the BEST villains on screen ever presented, and at the same time also somewhat charming in his own way. Not to mention the way that the origins of the Reavers was handled. They just didn't "whatever" their story, they actually THOUGHT about it, and that added an additional element of just how horrifying the concept of "controlling humanity" really can be when done out of a sense of "improving the race".
The scene where he and Inara meet is an absolute MASTERCLASS in non-verbal acting. He walks up, doesn't say a single word, has practically no emotion on his face, yet Inara, who, as a Companion, is well schooled in reading people's faces and emotional cues upon meeting them, goes from her professional 'greeting face' to utterly and abjectly terrified in the space of about 3 seconds. SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN!!!
Joss is a master at writing villains, and The Operative is one of the most tragic villains ever written. Yes, he was a monster, but not because he was a psychopath doing it for fun. He truly believed he was doing something to serve the greater good, and he willingly sacrificed his own soul to make a better "world" for everyone else, but his belief was betrayed by those he served.
@@arklytte "abjectly" is far too strong an adjective to use. By it's very definition, it means a loss of dignity, and in the context of fear, is used to describe someone becoming so scared that they piss themselves. I'm sure you didn't mean to imply that Inara was that lacking in mental fortitude, did you?
@@JakkFrost1 Given what we know about The Operative, and also given what we know about Inara (her being a skilled Companion, and someone who could have been a House Priestess (per Nandi in Heart of Gold), and who, by the time of the movie, is probably once again working towards that goal, it's not hard to assume that she would have at least heard about Operatives. She would almost certainly have a very good idea of just what, exactly, they are, and what they're capable of. So while, no, I dont believe she would so lose control that she would *physically* pee herself (obviously), I would imagine that **mentally**, you bet your ass she is.
'Put a plaster on it'. Loved that. The attention to detail here was amazing - right down to the scar on Mal's chest from when he got knifed in The Train Job. This was film-making genius, and a great way to end the series. Browncoat for life.
Dawn Marie, in case others haven't told you why Wash died: Joss Whedon expected this to be the first of a series of movies. Alan Tudyk had another commitment so Joss saw used death as an explanation for Wash's absence in the next movies. It also made the crew's jeopardy more real for us.
Universal had a requirement for the crew to sign multi-film contracts or be written out (to avoid recasting drama). Alan had existing contracts for projects and Ron had offers on his agent's desk.
Well, that makes me feel better about it...sort of. I mean, he could have just had Wash quit, too. Talk about how he and Zoe were settling down somewhere. If another movie was made, Wash could have just stayed home looking after their kids. Also, didn't have to kill Shepherd.
@@MSmith-b33tingU - *"Well, that makes me feel better about it...sort of. I mean, he could have just had Wash quit, too. Talk about how he and Zoe were settling down somewhere."* Wash's death accomplished something there was no other way to really do. When Wash died, so did the plot-armour of every other crewmember. If Wash could die, anyone could. It made the rest of those scenes that much more heart-in-mouth for the audience.
@@malcolmrowe9003 He was definitely getting older and likely started having health issues that come with aging, but this is not his final acting credit. He's been in a few other things between this and his death.
I've gotten it explained that they intended to do more movies, but Ron Glass (Book) and Alan Tudyk (Wash) was not able to commit to multiple movies so rather than disappearing between movies, they opted to send the characters off with style.
Nathan Fillion's bruises on his face and bloodshot eye in the final battle with the "Operative" were real, he had done so many takes to get the scene just right he ended up with his face all black & blue. Universal originally scheduled Serenity for release on April 22, 2005, but it was pushed back to September 30. Along with a traditional marketing campaign, the studio launched a grassroots promotion that targeted areas where the TV ratings for Firefly were the strongest. Interest from Firefly‘s fan community was palpable, but the buzz was low from those that were uninitiated. After Serenity tanked in theaters, the movie had a more prosperous life on home video. Happy ending, kind of.
Some of us used to have a Pay-it-Forward rule. You gift someone a brand new copy of the show on DVD, someone who has never seen it. The only requirement is that they have to do the same with someone else. 😃
The real problem was, they did so many waves of pre-release fan showings hoping for word of mouth publicity that by the time the thing actually premiered, a huge chunk of the fandom had already seen it. The opening weekend numbers were shit. And word of mouth advertising is hard to do for a movie that mostly requires people to see a 13 episode niche sci-fi series to fully get the movie. I'm just happy we got closure. RIP Wash and Book.
@@hernerweisenberg7052 To be fair, it's a cool concept in theory, but yeah, should actually verify the science is solid before promoting a scam. (If only more people took that attitude with Musk too).
Hey Dawn ... you know what's better then watching "Firefly" for the first time? Watching it again. I guarantee you will notice things that you didn't while watching the first time. While it's so sad that this brilliant show was cancelled by a FOX nitwit, that doesn't mean that it's over and done with. There is so much "Firefly / Serenity" material on UA-cam: cast appearances at various Comic Cons, Dragon Cons and other conventions (worldwide); documentaries; interviews, promos, outtakes, deleted scenes, bloopers, guest appearances on other shows, etc., etc. - So, now that you've joined the worldwide ranks of Browncoats, you might want to surf UA-cam and check out all there is to offer. Glad you enjoyed the series and movie. SHINY !!!!
I see that last dialogue and look between Mal and Inara as both of them coming to an unspoken agreement to cautiously see where things go, with her back on the ship.
"I'm feeling everything all-at-the-same-time." ~ a great reaction from our little browncoat Scot FYI: Jayne and River, (Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau), DID appear together again in an episode of a great show called 'Chuck.'
Fun Fact: in order to avoid leaks, not many people knew about the ending. Yet Alan Tudyk, reportedly joked with each of the cast about how their scripts looked longer than his. “Mine just stops at page ___.” 😂
Been waiting and dreading this... It's funny how Mal misunderstood River's question of "do you?" She was literally asking him if HE understood her part in "all this." Clearly he did not, at least not at the start of this roller-coaster ride. Still get angry sad when Wash gets taken out even after seeing this a billion times. And having watched Blake's Seven I got a real bad feeling after Booke and Wash went down. I highly recommend you watch the bloopers for this movie, it will help you adapt to the loss of the show.
"Do you want to run this ship?!" YES!! "Well... you can't." That is my first memory of Firefly/Serenity. I remember seeing the movie preview and thinking that line was hilarious!! Made me want to watch it... been a Browncoat ever since 😊
1. it is officially-official, welcome to the brown coats club. the joy and sorrow of Firefly/Serenity is pretty heavy. its been at least a decade for me and it still feels like its day 1. 2. what is this obsession for River & Jayne to hook up 🤣🤣🤣
The comics answer a lot of your questions and one thing in the comics that I'm going to spoil that either makes the ending of this movie either happier or sadder depending on your perspective. Spoiler: Zoe is pregnant with Wash's baby at the end of this movie.
Yep. It's a great callback to Heart of Gold, where they talked about having a baby. Obviously, in the interim between the shows end and the movie, they started trying, but it took them awhile to make it happen, since, IIRC, it was at least a year between Objects in Space and Serenity.. It definitely makes things happier in my mind.
If you liked the actress who played river in this you should watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles. (An alternate universe take of what happens after Terminator 2) The actress plays a Terminator in that TV show named Cameron.
Was just watching a reaction to 'Once more with feeling' and something suddenly hit me. The axe River used to fight the reavers is Buffys axe from the final Buffy episodes.
River received an invitation to go to a special "school" for geniuses. She wanted to go, and her parents (and Simon, not that anyone asked him) approved. It was only when River began sending letters home that made no sense that Simon realized something was wrong and set about rescuing her.
In the script... Walsh had an obsession w/ dinosaur toys as it was the only thing his parents left him as he was abandoned and his childhood in an orphanage until he was so crafty in his abilities he sold himself as a pilot. He did some odd jobs here and there, proved himself... thats how he met Mal (wanting some cheap honest talent).
Firefly was a 20th Century Fox production so at the moment it is owned by Disney. There is talk of a Disney+ series, but Disney is currently in dire straits...
@@AngeloBarovierSD The are in a financial crisis of their own making. They need to pay Comcast a very large sum of money, that they don't have, and they have had a long string of flops with more on the way. The have had a round of layoffs recently, and are likely to sack more people soon. They have just closed the loss making $2billion Star Wars hotel. Their stock value is on a steady decline all year
@@portland-182 Who told you about Disney stock being in a steady decline? It has had wildish peaks and valleys in the past 12 mos. A rough check on my stock trackers has it at 99.40/sh a year ago and 92.53/sh as of this post. That’s just an instanced comparison but I don’t see a “steady decline” in share price. AUG/22 it peaked at 121.57, its lowest in the period was DEC/22 when it closed at 86.88. The charting of the period shows utterly normal fluctuations and the mean has the slightest decline of ~$5. (Anyone else can check these prices on a standard web search. No app needed.) The 5Y trend is flawed because of a spike roughly in OCT/20 at 181/sh. It has notably fallen off from that lifetime high but the entire market trended down in the grips of a certain global event (setting aside some pharma and pharma-adjacent industries). Disney first went above $80/sh in January of 2014 and has remained above that for almost ten years. So, I’m really not sure what we’re saying here when we suggest the company is in “dire straits”.
The reason Inara was so stand offish about her relationship with Mal, was because she was dying. Her character had an incurable illness. This was something Joss told Moriena but never got revealed. She spoke about it during the 10th anniversary special. During the episode Bushwhacked you saw her needle. That was for when the pain got too bad she could end it quickly. And in Out of Gas when she said "I don't want to die at all." She was referring to her illness.
Alan Tudyk and Ron Glass both were booked up heavily and said they were not free to do a reboot or more Serenity movies so their characters got killed off fairly dramatically. The "I'm a leaf on the wind" is constantly quoted back to him everywhere he goes according to an interview with Tudyk. Ron Glass would not be available to do a reprise of Book since he died for real in 2016.
Alan Tudyk told a story in an interview.... it was a decade after Serenity... and a fan was getting his autograph (he likes the fans)... and he told her a joke; "Hey, you know how Reavers keep their spears clean? They run them through the Wash"... the girl burst into tears and walked off. He said he'd never felt so bad... Just sayin'.... Wash's death cut DEEP for us Browncoats. Even after all this time, that scene HURTS.
Joss Whedon the creator of Firefly/Serenity planned on the movie being the first of a trilogy just like Star Wars. He had everybody signed to a 3 movie contract except for Wash and Book. Those 2 actors could be in the first movie but had other commintments and couldn't sign up for the other movies so they to be killed off to explain why they weren't in movies 2 and 3. I loved your reactions thru all of the Firefly/Serenity videos and I'll have to find some other things you react to that I enjoy. Thanks a lot, you were great and you make a beautiful browncoat.
Did you not notice, when River screamed and collapsed after her vision of the rievers at the bank, it was Jayne who rushed to her side and asked after her.
Many, many moons ago, I got a copy of Serenity for Christmas. I had almost zero interest in it, but I was grateful. Set on my shelf for months and months, until, late one night, I was looking for something to watch while having a late dinner. And it blew my mind. For, you see, brother-in-law Seeing Serenity for the first time was like watching that universe come to life! I knew and bonded with every member of that crew instantly! 'OMG!', I remember thinking, this is basically our Traveler crew from back in the day, and damned if they're not doing almost as bad as we did in the circumstance! This film is a science fiction treasure trove! Please keep the memory of this film and this series alive! It changed everything!
I don't know if it's just rumor, but I've read that Whedon got a lot of the ideas, that he built "Firefly" with, from his time playing Traveller - my favorite RPG. And, keeping that in mind while I rewatched the show, the Traveller influence becomes glaringly obvious. (I really should have realized it from the abundance of bullet-launchers, but they fit into a science-fiction Western so well that it got right by me.)
You said during the planning stage of the heist on Ariel, that Simon seemed like he had done something like that before. As you can see from the beginning of the film, he totally had. It may be a slight retcon from the show, but it’s one that actually fits really well.
If you really wanna know about the sheppard, they made an official comic called "Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale". There are other comics tying up a few of the loose ends.
My favorite quote is actually at the end of the movie, from Mal himself: "Love. You can know all the math in the ‘Verse, but take a boat in the air you don’t love, she'll throw you off of her just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her up when she ought to fall down, tells ya she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens, makes her a home.” That, right there, when you know the reason why Mal started flying originally, being all about having freedom, tells you everything about what it means to be free, what it means to be human, and why a man or woman will throw everything they have, and everything they are, into any fight where the outcome is liberty or death. And it is a spirit that still endures to this day among us Browncoats, though the Alliance's attitudes seems to be winning the fight to bring us all under their rules of living, seems like.
yeah its my favorite as well. especially after living on a sailboat for months at a time. special mention to 'Storms getting worse' 'we'll pass through it soon enough'
Hey, for a short break for something hilarious, you might try "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." It's kind of a noir detective story set in 1930s Los Angeles where cartoons are real and live in the world with human people. That concept has been done a few times before, but not as perfectly crafted and as hilarious as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." The movie is a classic that will never be done as well again.
I have a t-shirt that says "I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar..." but in the middle of it is a big black circle with blood splattering out of it. When I saw it at a convention, I thought I just HAD to have that t-shirt! Nathan Fillion likes to tell this joke: "How do Reavers clean their spears? They run them through the Wash."
The reason for the deaths was economics. In order to get the movie green-lit, the studio demanded everyone sign for any potential sequels in case the movie was a big hit. They didnt want the cast holding out for big raises and cutting in to potential profits. Ron Glass who played Book was near the end of his career and simply didnt want to do more. Alan Tudyk, Wash, had other projects he was doing so didnt sign. Whedon is famous for killing off characters anyway and that added a lot of drama to the movie script but that's the real reason he killed both of them.
My theory for Shepherd Book is that before he found God and became a man of the cloth, he was some kind of Alliance Operator like Chiwetel Ejiofor's character. He had some kind of special clearance that allowed him immediate priority medical attention in the 3rd ep of the show, and he has all kinds of knowledge of weaponry, tactics etc. that leaves an open question to his backstory but in my opinion implies some shady doings, leading to my idea that he was an Operative (or some kind of similar role that existed before the war and unification). He even carries himself in a similar way to Chiwetel Ejiofor, often standing with his arms crossed behind his back.
Enjoy the Serenity Comics/Graphic Novels. Optimal read order: 1. Those Left Behind, 2. Better Days, 3. Shepherd’s Tale, 4. Float Out, and 5) No Power in the Verse. I believe the finale one in the series (So far) is called Earth that Was, but I haven’t read it yet.
The director and writer/creator of the movie and show asked all the characters if they would be able to sign back on if the show got picked back up after the movie. The two crew members deaths were due to the actors not agreeing that they would return due to previous agreed projects or other reasons.
To paraphrase Shepherd Book from Our Mrs. Reynolds - '... a very special level of Hell. A level they reserve for Fox executives who cancel good shows and people who talk at the theater.'
Back when this movie was being made, I believe I recall them saying that they had an agreement with Universal that if the movie did well, they already had two sequels planned out. However the movie was a box office disappointment and Universal wouldn't fund the sequels. At the time, Joss and some others involved with the movie were posting to a message board and I suggested the idea of asking the fans for money. This idea was shot down as unworkable. The reason being something about if the fans contributed money, they would own a stake in the movie, and it could only be done by selling some kind of merchandise, so there wouldn't be any legal obligations, etc. Fast forward 18 years and now all sorts of projects are crowd funded through sites like Kickstarter and GoFundMe. :(
In the context of our current social problems, I think the classroom scene is incredibly important. We have people telling us what to believe. We have people telling us what to think. We have people telling us how to think. And sadly, we have no one teaching us how to think for ourselves...
A perfect conclusion to your Firefly journey, even if you didn't get everything you wanted by the end! It's been an honour to ride with you on the good ship Serenity 🤎🧥
in real, Miranda is the smallest of Uranus's five round satellites with highest cliff in solar system, also on Miranda geografic points names comes from the works of Shakespeare, and many places names in Firefly they have names from the Lunar Uranus system
Damn you woman for making me cry to this all over again! And as many of said during your journey to this point ... here's your coat ... and, yes, it's brown
There are 2 things I could see different: before leaving Miranda, loot the place to a) upgrade Serenity and crew for combat, b) stash money off world for everyone that gets through, c) give the operative time to think that they found a way around him (the way they were traveling in "Out of Gas"), and if I had been the operative, instead of having the soldiers stand down, order to capture all alive, then attempt to perform damage control by getting sweet under the table deals to the captured crew. Serenity and crew would still be released, and the Alliance would be able to claim "We ended the Reaver threat. We didn't release the information until we had killed them in battle. Miranda is now going to be reclaimed." Then, plan for my "retirement": Shepherd Book junior.
I personally like to think Shepherd Book is a retired Operative who was as good as or even better at his job than the one in the movie. Would also explain why the Alliance took care of him no questions asked in "Safe".
damn good ending to the series, but also a movie that can be watched on its own without having seen the show. we definitely saw one of the best space battles ever filmed!
The Reavers / Miranda storyline was intended to be the first of 3 major story arcs for Firefly. Had we gotten 2 more movies, they would have shown us the 2nd and 3rd Firefly story arcs. Both Wash & Shepherd Book died because both actors had other commitments and would not have been able to film any further Serenity movies. Joss Whedon said he had no plans to kill either character had we gotten our 5 seasons of Firefly. Firefly continues in comic books & novels. There is additional lore in a firefly Role Playing Game. Shephard Book's backstory can be found in "Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale". There are many other comics dealing with 2 by 2, hands of blue, also Zoe's backstory, and many more stories. The events & backstory surrounding Inara between "Objects in Space" & the movie "Serenity" are found in Firefly Novel 5 of 8 (currently) - "Life Signs". This will even answer why Inara held romance at bay with Mal, and why she is willing to pursue that romance at the end of Serenity.
The deaths of Shepard and Wash added so much emotional weight to the movie while putting legitimate fear in you when its looking like everyone is going to die. We all assumed everyone would make it to the end before then and it was just enough to make you seriously wonder if we were going to lose everyone to this cause. Did they have to die? In that sense, yes, they did. I still hate it, but I have to respect the decision, because that fear had me on the edge of my seat. Amazing movie, one of my all time favorites.
They didn't tell the story of Shepherd Book by flashback, but we did see the beginning of the assassin's transformation into the next Shepherd. And I think that whenever something triggers River, Jayne will be in his bunk.
My two faves of series and film are Jayne and River. Summer Glau was fantastic in this role. She had this ethereal, airy quality throughout, and then transformed brilliantly to killing machine. She is the most believable Super Chick in all cinema. The vast majority of trendy, PC, upper body strength, movie super chicks are nothing burgers. They aren't believable.
Fun fact:The blood in Mal's eye at the end was real. For the fight scene at the end Nathan Fillion did repeated takes of falling on the metal grate walkway and eventually ruptured blood vessels in his eye.
I love that you were already missing the crew when the movie started, even though you just watched the show. Imagine having to wait for Serenity! You didn't get your Jayne-River ship, but there was "private parts" contact between them 😉
Great reaction. The Miranda story line was supposed to be at the end of Season 2. Books death helped Mal belief in a cause. Wash death was to show how dangerous it is and anyone could die. There was also talk that Alan and Ron couldn't commit to further movies. There is a comic book called "A Shepard's Tale.". It is Books back story. Some people liked it and others didn't.
It got cancelled at the right time, I guess -- not getting to see where they were going made it a decent series; trying to explain it just made it typical TV-scifi silliness. I /hated/ Serenity when it first came out.
The bounty hunter in the "last" episode was a prosecutor in the DA's office in the original Law & Order. The guy with the sword was Baron Mordo from Dr. Strange and the translator in Amistad.
"I am a leaf on the wind." We still cry.
I know, I do.
What makes it worse for me is the foreshadowing for that line, as a leaf in the wind has already died
@@E-Lykos agreed. just waiting for Dawn Marie to react seemed wrong somehow
Every.single. time
He ain't comin..😢
I love how Mal's total shift in attitude was foreshadowed by what he said to Inara prior. "If I start fighting a war, I guarantee you'll see something new."
My favorite line in the franchise. The moment Sheppard dies he goes full military mode.
Even in War Stories "do you want to see the real me now" was a little potential foreshadowing.
Omg can't believe I never made that connection before! Exactly right.
I mentioned during the show that they don't point out Jaynes character development, but they show it subtly. Jayne is a man of actions not words. He shows things rather than says them. When they're discussing doing the right thing, He takes a drink then slides it to Simon. With all their previous animosity, he doesn't tell Simon that he respects him or accepts him now, doesn't SAY that he's one of the crew, but he shows it by sharing a drink with him. Later when they are crashing, Jayne is thrown about because he's not strapped in, because he was making sure Everyoe Else was strapped in first.
I've come to the conclusion that Jayne is the least understood crewmember, probably because he's not got much use for words or deep thinking, and because his own self-image is at odds with his real feelings. (No, Dawn, I don't mean romantic feelings for River!) Those are two great examples from the movie, but his unspoken care for the crew goes right back to the very first episode, when he's secretly checking on Kaylee in the sickbay. Accepting Simon is character development, caring for the crew is a constant. It has to be _crew,_ though, not just anybody he works with - I'll wager this is the first time he's felt like that, and that's down to Mal's people-picking talent.
The way I interpret Jayne is that he actually is a good guy at his core but he grew up extremely poor having to fight, often literally, for every scrap (supposition). That carried over into his adult life, internalising a mentality of "might makes right". That is, until he met Mal. At first it was just greed that made him turn to Mal's side, but Mal showed him a new way to live. Yeah, they might just barely get by most of the time, but they rarely feel poor because they have each other. Jayne was already starting to learn that new way of thinking when we first meet him, but he relapses on Ariel after being attacked by River. After that relapse, though, he improves significantly. At least, until this movie which does send some of the characters and relationships back several steps at the beginning (after "Objects in Space", Mal would never even consider throwing Simon and River off, and, after "Ariel", Jayne wouldn't ask him to).
@@StarkRG - "internalising a mentality of "might makes right". That is, until he met Mal. At first it was just greed that made him turn to Mal's side, but Mal showed him a new way to live."
Not entirely.. remember, the reason he turned to a life of crime in the first place was that he was sending money to his mother and sick sibling. In his own way, he was being selfless even then. He knew that crime was the only option he had, and that he likely wouldn't live long.. but he did it anyway.
@@StarkRG Well put. I disagree about _Ariel,_ though - I don't think it was a relapse, I think he was trying to protect himself and his crew, he just doesn't realise it because he's so used to it being all about the money. After Mal point-blank refused to do anything about a potential murderer on board (from Jayne's persepective Mal just shut him down, he didn't see the warning to Simon), Jayne came up with a plan to get rid of her. Which is actually reasonable - nobody should be forced to live with someone who might try to kill them at any time. Of course his plan was dumb and he tried to get some money on the way, but I think his motivation was good. However, "caring for the crew" and "needing to protect myself from a girl" are not ideas that fit well with his self-image, so in his head it became all about the money. But if it was, how come it only happened after River attacked him? That's my fanon.
@@Garryck-1 Don't remember anything about a sick sibling, which episode was that? In any case, I don't see that it changes anything I said. Regardless of his immediate reasons, the reason he turned to a life of crime is because that was the best option he saw for himself.
I swear, River's "I do. But I like to hear you say it" right there at the end of the movie hits me right in the feels every time.
Me too. That & Mal’s speech about loving the ship always gets me..
Might be my favorite line in all of Firefly.
PERFECT way to end it
@@susanmaggiora4800 I recommended that to a Browncoat couple for their wedding vows.
I've LOVED flight all my life - atmospheric flight AND space flight. The two most beautiful pieces of verse that I've ever read/heard about it are "High Flight", by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., and Mal's soliloquy at the end of this movie. God willing, I'll be able to recite both from memory until my dying breath.
I'm 100% certain that you're the only person I have ever known to go on about the River and Jayne thing.
Well done...you weirdo. ❤
Sure, at the time he was about twice her age, but still. 19 year age differences are ok, right?
Jayne/ River is a thing in fan- fiction circles- a merging of total opposites.
@@hawke5311 As long as he never kisses em on the mouth, amiright? 😮
@@hawke5311 I say consenting adults' personal interactions are none of my concern whether it seems odd to me or not.
@@No1Knows I agree with you. When she becomes an adult this pairing will be less creepy.
When you let out that huge gasp during your quick reaction montage in your intro, we all knew what you had just seen. We had the same reaction. I'm so happy to have re-experienced this with you. So much fun. 😘😘😘
The albatross poem is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It's nearly 80 pages long and is also an awesome Iron Maiden song.
It’s also a big part of the awesome Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency novel by Douglas Adams.
I brought in a cassette of the Iron Maiden song and played it for my English Lit class in high school.
@@sean---the-other-one I read this with my son. But first the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and then Kubla Khan. And some Rush. Those caves of ice!
@@daneng3641
Peart tapped some fantastic wells of ideas. A mad, immortal man.
If you happened to enjoy the first Dirk Gently book (and who doesn’t enjoy a ghost-hunting, detective, mystery, thriller?), check out The Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul, which i nowadays like to imagine features Chris Hemsworth as one of the main characters.
@@sean---the-other-one As much as I'd love to be on board with you here, I thought Tea Time was pretty mediocre. I really wanted to like it, but it fails to come close to its predecessor.
I love that little twirl through the clouds at the end.
She always did love to dance...
Serenity has one of my favorite easter eggs in it. The designation of the scout ship on Miranda was C-57D. The original C-57D was the ship that was in the movie 'Forbidden Planet' (honestly, a must watch movie, but I digress). and in Serenity, Miranda was a 'forbidden planet'.. such a wonderful touch.
Did not know, thank you!
“Forbidden Planet” was a retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in which the magician’s daughter (the character analogous to Altaira, played by Anne Francis) was named … Miranda!
Also whenever you feel bad about Firefly being gone, remember “You Can’t stop the signal, You can never stop the Signal!”
I saw this movie before I saw the series, and I know the precise moment when I fell in love with the movie and had to find the series.
"This isn't the war, Mal."
"You're telling me this because you think I don't know."
"I just want to know who I'm dealing with. I've seen too many versions of you to be sure."
"If I start fighting a war, I guarantee you're going to see something new."
That bit of dialog (which I probably got wrong) was what made me know that I had to find the show and now I'm a proud Browncoat.
For me it happened even sooner. "This is the captain, we have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence, and then… explode." The PERFECT line to set the tone for the entire movie.
@@monsterlair Perfect light hearted tone
In the theaters, the whole crowd went from silently weeping at Wash's death, to an instant of stunned silence, to laughter, when Kaylee announced her intention to live. It felt so wrong, to laugh right after Wash died. But it needed to be done!
to be fair the whole 'nothing twix my nethers bit also felt a bit off too, like they were trying to sex things up for the movie crowd when Kaylee was always the quiet innocent one, not that i didnt enjoy it, but it just felt .......OFF
@@stevenr6397 But remember, the very first time she came on board it was to twix nethers with Fester, their first mechanic.
When I saw it in the theater, Wash's death was followed by a few seconds of silence then one voice yelling "You dick!" Presumably, at Joss Whedon.
@@stevenr6397 Kaylee the innocent one? 🤣 She's a sweetie, sure, but don't go jumping into a false dichotomy now. Incredibly nice people can also have good libido.
@@stevenr6397 I don't thing so, yeah we see Kaylee as the inocent one but don't forget how she got recruited, or her talk with River in the last episode (i think) her comment in the whore house, to me her comment felt very on character
"I do. But I like to hear you say it." 😭😭😭
For almost 20 years now, that line gets me every time.
Heard it said " That kind explains how all brown coats feel about the series after all these years "I know what you're going to say but I like to hear you say it"
One of my favorite story's of Alan's is when he talks about signing autographs. He wrote "I am a leaf on the wind" for a fan, he kinda regretted it because she broke down and cried.
"Sooner or later they'll come back to the belief that they can make people better!' Love that line...
And yet politicians keep trying to do it...
@@gunnargundersen3787 Low-key one of the most conservative movies ever made...
It is clearly obvious that this was a full season squeezed into one movie... but the introduction of "The Operative" and the way that he was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor was LEGENDARY. It was possibly one of the BEST villains on screen ever presented, and at the same time also somewhat charming in his own way.
Not to mention the way that the origins of the Reavers was handled. They just didn't "whatever" their story, they actually THOUGHT about it, and that added an additional element of just how horrifying the concept of "controlling humanity" really can be when done out of a sense of "improving the race".
The scene where he and Inara meet is an absolute MASTERCLASS in non-verbal acting. He walks up, doesn't say a single word, has practically no emotion on his face, yet Inara, who, as a Companion, is well schooled in reading people's faces and emotional cues upon meeting them, goes from her professional 'greeting face' to utterly and abjectly terrified in the space of about 3 seconds.
SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN!!!
Joss is a master at writing villains, and The Operative is one of the most tragic villains ever written. Yes, he was a monster, but not because he was a psychopath doing it for fun. He truly believed he was doing something to serve the greater good, and he willingly sacrificed his own soul to make a better "world" for everyone else, but his belief was betrayed by those he served.
@@arklytte "abjectly" is far too strong an adjective to use. By it's very definition, it means a loss of dignity, and in the context of fear, is used to describe someone becoming so scared that they piss themselves.
I'm sure you didn't mean to imply that Inara was that lacking in mental fortitude, did you?
@@JakkFrost1 Given what we know about The Operative, and also given what we know about Inara (her being a skilled Companion, and someone who could have been a House Priestess (per Nandi in Heart of Gold), and who, by the time of the movie, is probably once again working towards that goal, it's not hard to assume that she would have at least heard about Operatives. She would almost certainly have a very good idea of just what, exactly, they are, and what they're capable of.
So while, no, I dont believe she would so lose control that she would *physically* pee herself (obviously), I would imagine that **mentally**, you bet your ass she is.
@@arklytte indeed, which is why I had no objection to the word "utterly", which is another strong adjective, but not in the same league as abjectly.
'Put a plaster on it'. Loved that. The attention to detail here was amazing - right down to the scar on Mal's chest from when he got knifed in The Train Job. This was film-making genius, and a great way to end the series. Browncoat for life.
Dawn Marie, in case others haven't told you why Wash died: Joss Whedon expected this to be the first of a series of movies. Alan Tudyk had another commitment so Joss saw used death as an explanation for Wash's absence in the next movies. It also made the crew's jeopardy more real for us.
Universal had a requirement for the crew to sign multi-film contracts or be written out (to avoid recasting drama). Alan had existing contracts for projects and Ron had offers on his agent's desk.
@@CaptainFrost32 didn't Ron have health issues that meant it was unlikely that he's see out the proposed series?
Edited because of autocorrect.
Well, that makes me feel better about it...sort of. I mean, he could have just had Wash quit, too. Talk about how he and Zoe were settling down somewhere. If another movie was made, Wash could have just stayed home looking after their kids. Also, didn't have to kill Shepherd.
@@MSmith-b33tingU - *"Well, that makes me feel better about it...sort of. I mean, he could have just had Wash quit, too. Talk about how he and Zoe were settling down somewhere."*
Wash's death accomplished something there was no other way to really do. When Wash died, so did the plot-armour of every other crewmember. If Wash could die, anyone could. It made the rest of those scenes that much more heart-in-mouth for the audience.
@@malcolmrowe9003 He was definitely getting older and likely started having health issues that come with aging, but this is not his final acting credit. He's been in a few other things between this and his death.
I've gotten it explained that they intended to do more movies, but Ron Glass (Book) and Alan Tudyk (Wash) was not able to commit to multiple movies so rather than disappearing between movies, they opted to send the characters off with style.
Nathan Fillion's favorite joke, " How do the Reavers clean their spears? They run them through the Wash!
Alright we're fighting
Nathan Fillion's bruises on his face and bloodshot eye in the final battle with the "Operative" were real, he had done so many takes to get the scene just right he ended up with his face all black & blue. Universal originally scheduled Serenity for release on April 22, 2005, but it was pushed back to September 30. Along with a traditional marketing campaign, the studio launched a grassroots promotion that targeted areas where the TV ratings for Firefly were the strongest. Interest from Firefly‘s fan community was palpable, but the buzz was low from those that were uninitiated. After Serenity tanked in theaters, the movie had a more prosperous life on home video. Happy ending, kind of.
Some of us used to have a Pay-it-Forward rule. You gift someone a brand new copy of the show on DVD, someone who has never seen it. The only requirement is that they have to do the same with someone else. 😃
The real problem was, they did so many waves of pre-release fan showings hoping for word of mouth publicity that by the time the thing actually premiered, a huge chunk of the fandom had already seen it. The opening weekend numbers were shit. And word of mouth advertising is hard to do for a movie that mostly requires people to see a 13 episode niche sci-fi series to fully get the movie.
I'm just happy we got closure.
RIP Wash and Book.
He probably lost quite a bit of braincells too in the process, at least that would explain him promoting crap like solar frekin roadways xD
@@iczorro Agree
@@hernerweisenberg7052 To be fair, it's a cool concept in theory, but yeah, should actually verify the science is solid before promoting a scam.
(If only more people took that attitude with Musk too).
Hey Dawn ... you know what's better then watching "Firefly" for the first time? Watching it again. I guarantee you will notice things that you didn't while watching the first time. While it's so sad that this brilliant show was cancelled by a FOX nitwit, that doesn't mean that it's over and done with. There is so much "Firefly / Serenity" material on UA-cam: cast appearances at various Comic Cons, Dragon Cons and other conventions (worldwide); documentaries; interviews, promos, outtakes, deleted scenes, bloopers, guest appearances on other shows, etc., etc. - So, now that you've joined the worldwide ranks of Browncoats, you might want to surf UA-cam and check out all there is to offer. Glad you enjoyed the series and movie. SHINY !!!!
Watching with the Director commentary turned on is pretty good too
The Agent is attacking nerve clusters, basically for the opposite effect one would get acupuncture for.
I see that last dialogue and look between Mal and Inara as both of them coming to an unspoken agreement to cautiously see where things go, with her back on the ship.
If she doesn't rent the shuttle, the contract does not apply... just saying.
Best River line ever, " I swallowed a bug" :)
That was too damn funny. "Tell her you love her, or you're not ending this movie".
I love Dawns little giggles.
Thank you Dawn, for taking all of us on your journey.
"I'm feeling everything all-at-the-same-time."
~ a great reaction from our little browncoat Scot
FYI: Jayne and River, (Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau), DID appear together again in an episode of a great show called 'Chuck.'
“River needs to Miranda them all.”
So totally using this from now on. 😂
Fun Fact: in order to avoid leaks, not many people knew about the ending. Yet Alan Tudyk, reportedly joked with each of the cast about how their scripts looked longer than his.
“Mine just stops at page ___.” 😂
Been waiting and dreading this...
It's funny how Mal misunderstood River's question of "do you?" She was literally asking him if HE understood her part in "all this." Clearly he did not, at least not at the start of this roller-coaster ride.
Still get angry sad when Wash gets taken out even after seeing this a billion times. And having watched Blake's Seven I got a real bad feeling after Booke and Wash went down.
I highly recommend you watch the bloopers for this movie, it will help you adapt to the loss of the show.
The bloopers are a gem
The bloopers are gold
Yep. Some of my favorite bloopers.
Nice to hear another soul who remembers Blake's Seven!
@@UTU49 SUMMER!!!
"Do you want to run this ship?!" YES!! "Well... you can't." That is my first memory of Firefly/Serenity. I remember seeing the movie preview and thinking that line was hilarious!! Made me want to watch it... been a Browncoat ever since 😊
The scene where River fights the reavers was choreographed so that the camera operator could move in and out of the action when needed.
They interviewed the creator and he said that if he knew that would have been the last one, he said he would of never killed wash
never say never. All Browncoats know the proper way to watch Firefly is on a loop. :) We feel your pain.
Just like "Futurama" after the "Meanwhile" episode.
1. it is officially-official, welcome to the brown coats club. the joy and sorrow of Firefly/Serenity is pretty heavy. its been at least a decade for me and it still feels like its day 1.
2. what is this obsession for River & Jayne to hook up 🤣🤣🤣
The comics answer a lot of your questions and one thing in the comics that I'm going to spoil that either makes the ending of this movie either happier or sadder depending on your perspective. Spoiler:
Zoe is pregnant with Wash's baby at the end of this movie.
Yep. It's a great callback to Heart of Gold, where they talked about having a baby. Obviously, in the interim between the shows end and the movie, they started trying, but it took them awhile to make it happen, since, IIRC, it was at least a year between Objects in Space and Serenity..
It definitely makes things happier in my mind.
I drove an hour to find a theater which wasn’t closed by Katrina, to see this movie. Worth it, even as hard as it was to get gas then.
If you liked the actress who played river in this you should watch the Sarah Connor Chronicles. (An alternate universe take of what happens after Terminator 2) The actress plays a Terminator in that TV show named Cameron.
Love that series
Summer said that the hardest part about playing a Terminator was learning to do fight scenes without changing facial expression.
Was just watching a reaction to 'Once more with feeling' and something suddenly hit me. The axe River used to fight the reavers is Buffys axe from the final Buffy episodes.
Wow, watched this countless times since it aired. Never noticed till now, but Jayne wears a St. Christopher medal.
"No more Firefly. Ever."
Until you watch it again, like all Browncoats should.
River received an invitation to go to a special "school" for geniuses. She wanted to go, and her parents (and Simon, not that anyone asked him) approved. It was only when River began sending letters home that made no sense that Simon realized something was wrong and set about rescuing her.
In the script... Walsh had an obsession w/ dinosaur toys as it was the only thing his parents left him as he was abandoned and his childhood in an orphanage until he was so crafty in his abilities he sold himself as a pilot. He did some odd jobs here and there, proved himself... thats how he met Mal (wanting some cheap honest talent).
Firefly was a 20th Century Fox production so at the moment it is owned by Disney. There is talk of a Disney+ series, but Disney is currently in dire straits...
“Dire straits”? How so?
@@AngeloBarovierSD The are in a financial crisis of their own making. They need to pay Comcast a very large sum of money, that they don't have, and they have had a long string of flops with more on the way. The have had a round of layoffs recently, and are likely to sack more people soon. They have just closed the loss making $2billion Star Wars hotel. Their stock value is on a steady decline all year
@@portland-182 Who told you about Disney stock being in a steady decline? It has had wildish peaks and valleys in the past 12 mos. A rough check on my stock trackers has it at 99.40/sh a year ago and 92.53/sh as of this post. That’s just an instanced comparison but I don’t see a “steady decline” in share price.
AUG/22 it peaked at 121.57, its lowest in the period was DEC/22 when it closed at 86.88. The charting of the period shows utterly normal fluctuations and the mean has the slightest decline of ~$5.
(Anyone else can check these prices on a standard web search. No app needed.)
The 5Y trend is flawed because of a spike roughly in OCT/20 at 181/sh. It has notably fallen off from that lifetime high but the entire market trended down in the grips of a certain global event (setting aside some pharma and pharma-adjacent industries).
Disney first went above $80/sh in January of 2014 and has remained above that for almost ten years. So, I’m really not sure what we’re saying here when we suggest the company is in “dire straits”.
The reason Inara was so stand offish about her relationship with Mal, was because she was dying. Her character had an incurable illness. This was something Joss told Moriena but never got revealed. She spoke about it during the 10th anniversary special. During the episode Bushwhacked you saw her needle. That was for when the pain got too bad she could end it quickly. And in Out of Gas when she said "I don't want to die at all." She was referring to her illness.
Alan Tudyk and Ron Glass both were booked up heavily and said they were not free to do a reboot or more Serenity movies so their characters got killed off fairly dramatically. The "I'm a leaf on the wind" is constantly quoted back to him everywhere he goes according to an interview with Tudyk. Ron Glass would not be available to do a reprise of Book since he died for real in 2016.
I at least got to see him in Agents of SHIELD.
Tahiti is a magical place.
[7 seasons/136 episodes, Whedon series]
Alan Tudyk told a story in an interview.... it was a decade after Serenity... and a fan was getting his autograph (he likes the fans)... and he told her a joke; "Hey, you know how Reavers keep their spears clean? They run them through the Wash"... the girl burst into tears and walked off. He said he'd never felt so bad...
Just sayin'.... Wash's death cut DEEP for us Browncoats. Even after all this time, that scene HURTS.
I was looking for this comment and was gonna post if I didn't find it.
Still too soon
Joss Whedon the creator of Firefly/Serenity planned on the movie being the first of a trilogy just like Star Wars. He had everybody signed to a 3 movie contract except for Wash and Book. Those 2 actors could be in the first movie but had other commintments and couldn't sign up for the other movies so they to be killed off to explain why they weren't in movies 2 and 3. I loved your reactions thru all of the Firefly/Serenity videos and I'll have to find some other things you react to that I enjoy. Thanks a lot, you were great and you make a beautiful browncoat.
Did you not notice, when River screamed and collapsed after her vision of the rievers at the bank, it was Jayne who rushed to her side and asked after her.
Well done Dawn Marie! Consider it friends found and not friends lost. I guarantee you will watch it all again in the future.
I don't know how many people were like me, but I watched the movie before I even knew about the tv show.
Yes! Been waiting for this one!
Many, many moons ago, I got a copy of Serenity for Christmas. I had almost zero interest in it, but I was grateful. Set on my shelf for months and months, until, late one night, I was looking for something to watch while having a late dinner. And it blew my mind. For, you see, brother-in-law
Seeing Serenity for the first time was like watching that universe come to life! I knew and bonded with every member of that crew instantly! 'OMG!', I remember thinking, this is basically our Traveler crew from back in the day, and damned if they're not doing almost as bad as we did in the circumstance!
This film is a science fiction treasure trove! Please keep the memory of this film and this series alive! It changed everything!
I don't know if it's just rumor, but I've read that Whedon got a lot of the ideas, that he built "Firefly" with, from his time playing Traveller - my favorite RPG. And, keeping that in mind while I rewatched the show, the Traveller influence becomes glaringly obvious. (I really should have realized it from the abundance of bullet-launchers, but they fit into a science-fiction Western so well that it got right by me.)
You said during the planning stage of the heist on Ariel, that Simon seemed like he had done something like that before. As you can see from the beginning of the film, he totally had.
It may be a slight retcon from the show, but it’s one that actually fits really well.
9:40 That was a fantastic punch for someone who is not a fighter. Simon can clearly channel his anger when he wants to.
If you really wanna know about the sheppard, they made an official comic called "Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale". There are other comics tying up a few of the loose ends.
The assassin's actor has possibly the most awesome name ever conceived: "Chiwetel Ejiofor."
My favorite quote is actually at the end of the movie, from Mal himself:
"Love. You can know all the math in the ‘Verse, but take a boat in the air you don’t love, she'll throw you off of her just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her up when she ought to fall down, tells ya she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens, makes her a home.”
That, right there, when you know the reason why Mal started flying originally, being all about having freedom, tells you everything about what it means to be free, what it means to be human, and why a man or woman will throw everything they have, and everything they are, into any fight where the outcome is liberty or death.
And it is a spirit that still endures to this day among us Browncoats, though the Alliance's attitudes seems to be winning the fight to bring us all under their rules of living, seems like.
yeah its my favorite as well. especially after living on a sailboat for months at a time.
special mention to 'Storms getting worse' 'we'll pass through it soon enough'
Hey, for a short break for something hilarious, you might try "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." It's kind of a noir detective story set in 1930s Los Angeles where cartoons are real and live in the world with human people. That concept has been done a few times before, but not as perfectly crafted and as hilarious as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." The movie is a classic that will never be done as well again.
Thank you Dawn. You are always welcome in the Firefly Family from now on and forever.
I have a t-shirt that says "I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar..." but in the middle of it is a big black circle with blood splattering out of it. When I saw it at a convention, I thought I just HAD to have that t-shirt!
Nathan Fillion likes to tell this joke: "How do Reavers clean their spears? They run them through the Wash."
I love your reactions. Literally you describe my same emotions when I 1st watched many of these movies.
The reason for the deaths was economics. In order to get the movie green-lit, the studio demanded everyone sign for any potential sequels in case the movie was a big hit. They didnt want the cast holding out for big raises and cutting in to potential profits. Ron Glass who played Book was near the end of his career and simply didnt want to do more. Alan Tudyk, Wash, had other projects he was doing so didnt sign.
Whedon is famous for killing off characters anyway and that added a lot of drama to the movie script but that's the real reason he killed both of them.
My theory for Shepherd Book is that before he found God and became a man of the cloth, he was some kind of Alliance Operator like Chiwetel Ejiofor's character. He had some kind of special clearance that allowed him immediate priority medical attention in the 3rd ep of the show, and he has all kinds of knowledge of weaponry, tactics etc. that leaves an open question to his backstory but in my opinion implies some shady doings, leading to my idea that he was an Operative (or some kind of similar role that existed before the war and unification). He even carries himself in a similar way to Chiwetel Ejiofor, often standing with his arms crossed behind his back.
Enjoy the Serenity Comics/Graphic Novels. Optimal read order: 1. Those Left Behind, 2. Better Days, 3. Shepherd’s Tale, 4. Float Out, and 5) No Power in the Verse. I believe the finale one in the series
(So far) is called Earth that Was, but I haven’t read it yet.
"I aim to misbehave."
Zoe wore the slinky dress Wash always wanted to see her in.
The director and writer/creator of the movie and show asked all the characters if they would be able to sign back on if the show got picked back up after the movie. The two crew members deaths were due to the actors not agreeing that they would return due to previous agreed projects or other reasons.
To paraphrase Shepherd Book from Our Mrs. Reynolds -
'... a very special level of Hell. A level they reserve for Fox executives who cancel good shows and people who talk at the theater.'
Now comes the best part, watching it all over again!
LOL
"Oh, I would love to not exist."
Dawn, you're the best!
Back when this movie was being made, I believe I recall them saying that they had an agreement with Universal that if the movie did well, they already had two sequels planned out. However the movie was a box office disappointment and Universal wouldn't fund the sequels.
At the time, Joss and some others involved with the movie were posting to a message board and I suggested the idea of asking the fans for money. This idea was shot down as unworkable. The reason being something about if the fans contributed money, they would own a stake in the movie, and it could only be done by selling some kind of merchandise, so there wouldn't be any legal obligations, etc. Fast forward 18 years and now all sorts of projects are crowd funded through sites like Kickstarter and GoFundMe. :(
My favorite line in the movie: -My turn.
The Operative was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. If you haven’t seen “Kinky Boots” it’s a fun little British Film.
In the context of our current social problems, I think the classroom scene is incredibly important.
We have people telling us what to believe.
We have people telling us what to think.
We have people telling us how to think.
And sadly, we have no one teaching us how to think for ourselves...
I love how she's become one of us. Welcome to the browncoats Dawn!
I would highly recommend watching the outtakes from both the show and the movie. Best damn blooper reels in the 'verse.
I love the one from the end of this movie, with River and Mal on Serenity's bridge. The only thing better than Summer is playful Summer!
It really is a bittersweet kind of thing, becoming a Browncoat...
A perfect conclusion to your Firefly journey, even if you didn't get everything you wanted by the end! It's been an honour to ride with you on the good ship Serenity 🤎🧥
thank you for letting us see your reaction to this journey....
in real, Miranda is the smallest of Uranus's five round satellites with highest cliff in solar system, also on Miranda geografic points names comes from the works of Shakespeare, and many places names in Firefly they have names from the Lunar Uranus system
You are highly accurate guessing plot changes. Plus you're insanely ADORABLE
Damn you woman for making me cry to this all over again!
And as many of said during your journey to this point ... here's your coat ... and, yes, it's brown
It was on sale...
Summer Glau actually did that ceiling cling without any camera tricks or hidden harness.
There are 2 things I could see different: before leaving Miranda, loot the place to a) upgrade Serenity and crew for combat, b) stash money off world for everyone that gets through, c) give the operative time to think that they found a way around him (the way they were traveling in "Out of Gas"), and if I had been the operative, instead of having the soldiers stand down, order to capture all alive, then attempt to perform damage control by getting sweet under the table deals to the captured crew. Serenity and crew would still be released, and the Alliance would be able to claim "We ended the Reaver threat. We didn't release the information until we had killed them in battle. Miranda is now going to be reclaimed." Then, plan for my "retirement": Shepherd Book junior.
I have seen dozens of these reviews. I have NEVER seen one who at the end said: "Ahh, it was okay."
I personally like to think Shepherd Book is a retired Operative who was as good as or even better at his job than the one in the movie. Would also explain why the Alliance took care of him no questions asked in "Safe".
This is a popular fan theory.
"River needs to stay out there and Miranda them all".😂😂😂😂😂😂
Did you see the look on Mal's face when he said, "This is what I do, darlin'... this is what I do"?
The look said, "I cannot believe this is my life".
damn good ending to the series, but also a movie that can be watched on its own without having seen the show. we definitely saw one of the best space battles ever filmed!
The Reavers / Miranda storyline was intended to be the first of 3 major story arcs for Firefly. Had we gotten 2 more movies, they would have shown us the 2nd and 3rd Firefly story arcs.
Both Wash & Shepherd Book died because both actors had other commitments and would not have been able to film any further Serenity movies. Joss Whedon said he had no plans to kill either character had we gotten our 5 seasons of Firefly.
Firefly continues in comic books & novels. There is additional lore in a firefly Role Playing Game. Shephard Book's backstory can be found in "Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale". There are many other comics dealing with 2 by 2, hands of blue, also Zoe's backstory, and many more stories.
The events & backstory surrounding Inara between "Objects in Space" & the movie "Serenity" are found in Firefly Novel 5 of 8 (currently) - "Life Signs". This will even answer why Inara held romance at bay with Mal, and why she is willing to pursue that romance at the end of Serenity.
The deaths of Shepard and Wash added so much emotional weight to the movie while putting legitimate fear in you when its looking like everyone is going to die. We all assumed everyone would make it to the end before then and it was just enough to make you seriously wonder if we were going to lose everyone to this cause.
Did they have to die? In that sense, yes, they did. I still hate it, but I have to respect the decision, because that fear had me on the edge of my seat.
Amazing movie, one of my all time favorites.
They didn't tell the story of Shepherd Book by flashback, but we did see the beginning of the assassin's transformation into the next Shepherd.
And I think that whenever something triggers River, Jayne will be in his bunk.
My two faves of series and film are Jayne and River. Summer Glau was fantastic in this role. She had this ethereal, airy quality throughout, and then transformed brilliantly to killing machine. She is the most believable Super Chick in all cinema. The vast majority of trendy, PC, upper body strength, movie super chicks are nothing burgers. They aren't believable.
And the Super Chick who least needs protecting makes me most want to protect her.
Fun fact:The blood in Mal's eye at the end was real. For the fight scene at the end Nathan Fillion did repeated takes of falling on the metal grate walkway and eventually ruptured blood vessels in his eye.
Best show EVER! So glad you reacted to this series.. cheers from California!
I love that you were already missing the crew when the movie started, even though you just watched the show. Imagine having to wait for Serenity!
You didn't get your Jayne-River ship, but there was "private parts" contact between them 😉
Great reaction. The Miranda story line was supposed to be at the end of Season 2.
Books death helped Mal belief in a cause. Wash death was to show how dangerous it is and anyone could die. There was also talk that Alan and Ron couldn't commit to further movies.
There is a comic book called "A Shepard's Tale.". It is Books back story. Some people liked it and others didn't.
Thanks, I didn't know they had a Book story.
It got cancelled at the right time, I guess -- not getting to see where they were going made it a decent series; trying to explain it just made it typical TV-scifi silliness. I /hated/ Serenity when it first came out.
The bounty hunter in the "last" episode was a prosecutor in the DA's office in the original Law & Order. The guy with the sword was Baron Mordo from Dr. Strange and the translator in Amistad.
BEST REACTION EVER!!!!
Now....... I aim to MISBEHAVE!