Favourite Episode

[HoopyFrood]

I realise that there is a section for episode discussion, but threads round 'ere don't seem to be in much use.

So I thought I'd start this thread for general episode conversation.

I've recently been exposed to the brilliance that is Firefly, so if I suddenly start posting around here, that's why. I expect replies! I know you're out there, secret Firefly lovers.

I haven't quite finished watching them all, as I'm watching them intermittently with a friend (drawing out the pitiful handful of episodes available). All the episodes are great, but one has really stood out because it's damn' hilarious.

So yeah, I'd have to say Mrs Reynolds has been my favourite episode so far. Just so funny! From the moment Mal finds out he's married (and before, the face he pulls when he gets his flowery head wear) to Vera, to Mal and Inara collapsing at the end. Tee hee. Brilliant episode.

So...over to you.

 

[Mouse]

I'm also a recent Firefly convert! I watched the last ep a couple of weeks ago now. My favourite episode was War Stories cos I just love the whole Mal/Wash/Zoe stuff.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Mine is Out of Gas - the writer in me is awed by the non-sequential but never confusing narrative structure, and the fan in me loves the snippets of everyone's backstories!

 

[HoopyFrood]

There are a few things that make me absolutely love Firefly.

Firstly, no aliens.

The second, no sound in space.

And the third is things like in Out of Gas...that the thing that drives the plot of that episode is a mechanical fault. Not an enemy or anything like that, just something going kaput. And it does show the dangers of travelling in space. Isn't an AA out there...

 

[No One]

It's been a long while since I saw Firefly, but I'm inclined to agree with the Mrs Reynolds episode.

Oh, and another thing that I liked about the concept was it's approach to colonisation of other worlds. The early, frontier civilisations that most worlds are populated with are not only a neat idea, but practical for the scripting of a tv show.

Probably Joss Whedon's best concept and by far the worst treated by it's network.

 

[Mouse]

Firstly, no aliens.

Agree, love that about Firefly. Also love that there's horses and guns and dusty towns... and spaceships and lasers! Awesome.

 

[Rodders]

There were so many good quality episodes, but if i had to choose it'd have to be Ariel. We see Simon getting in on the action a little.

Closely followed by Wars Stories then out of gas. A superb series and a real shame it wasn't appreicated at the time.

 

[BookStop]

The show was brilliant, each and every episode. I do somewhat agree though that Out of Gas might be the best We get wonderful backstories on the crew (who doesn't love Wash's mustche), the story telling itself is concise yet backwards, and there seemed to be real peril to Mal, my favorite character.

And if you're not ready for the show to be over, here are some pretty good virtual eps to read.

http://firefly.populli.org/firefly-tvs/guide.htm

 

[Snowdog]

Well I agree completely with Out Of Gas and Our Mrs Reynolds. The other great one was the last, Objects In Space, since River finally gets to do something and you see the potential with her character for the first time.

The rest are all good too, with War Stories being my favourite out of the rest.

Don't forget to watch Serenity after the series.

 

[Star Girl]

Jaynestown! It is so funny. I loved Jayne's character and that episode just always gets me laughing.
I also love Heart of Gold, great western style story!

 

[The Spurring Platty]

Just started watching, really like the first episode so far.

 

[J-Sun]

I think "Safe" and "Heart of Gold" are the only ones I don't really like, or at least have significant parts I don't like (though they have parts I do like, too). The rest are all excellent and it's hard to choose. I really like the two-part pilot, "Serenity". For a last-minute "studio says", "The Train Job" is pretty remarkable (and has two of my favorite Jayne lines with "gettin' all bendy" and "aiming for his head"). "Shindig" is probably not the best overall as it's a bit of an odd one-off but it's the Espenson-iest ep and I think I love Jane Espenson. "Our Mrs. Reynolds" is great, especially with Inara "falling" and all. "Ariel"s fun. "War Stories" is intense. "Trash" is clever and funny. "Bushwhacked" is good.

I'd make a special pitch for "The Message", which doesn't seem to have been mentioned. It has problems, but I thought it did a great job of deepening the backstory of Mal and Zoe and the foreground story was also pretty intense.

But I agree with most folks that "Jaynestown", "Out of Gas", and "Objects in Space" are the very best of the best. Which of them, I don't know. "Jaynestown" is probably the funniest, yet is deeply serious at the same time. "Objects in Space" has a brilliant performance from Early (more lines: the "little man loved fire" interplay) and everything else about it was great. I agree with Anne Lyle on the writer/fan aspects of "Out of Gas".

Plotwise, maybe, it's "Gas" and thematically, it's "Objects". One of those two.

Don't forget to watch Serenity after the series.

As in "the movie", definitely. The movie's not entirely consistent with the show (adjustments as a standalone movie) but is excellent, too.

What happened to this show is one of the greatest TV crimes ever - probably the greatest. The idea that, e.g., Morena Baccarin has already played Anna for 21 episodes while playing Inara for only 14 is just... words fail me. Painful. Appalling. Unjust. Wrong.

What happened to the movie wasn't all that hot, either. I'm not saying it should have been Star Wars, but it should have been much bigger than it was.

-- Huh. Actually, re-reading this thread, "Jaynestown" and "Objects in Space" only got one vote each. "Our Mrs. Reynolds" got three and "War Stories" got two. So I should have said, "I'd agree with some folks", I guess.

This should be a poll. Can you do 14 options?

 

[Interference]

Last episode was wonderfully weird, dare I say "quirky", and kept me guessing to the end.

 

[Daezarkian]

Mine is Out of Gas - the writer in me is awed by the non-sequential but never confusing narrative structure, and the fan in me loves the snippets of everyone's backstories!

Agree completely. As short as the flashback snippets are, they give you a great glimpse into part of why each of the characters is so important to Mal.

(And the flashbacks of Haley and Jayne both made me bust a gut.)

 

[Daezarkian]

I was actually pretty satisfied with the movie, but I was in the strange situation of having viewed it *before* I saw the series. That being said, the film and the series are indeed a bit inconsistent compared with one another, but then I thought the tone wavered between episodes, as well.





***PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT***
(Knowing the ultimate fate of...ahem..."you know who" certainly casts some of the conversations in the series in a much more tragic light. Most people say they cry at the death scene in "Serenity" -- I cry during a number of scenes with "you know who" in the regular episodes, knowing what's ultimately going to happen.)

 

[deathknellx]

"Out of Gas", for me. Far and away one of the best moments in television. "Mal you don't have to die alone!"
"Everybody dies alone."

The music is spectacularly haunting.

 

[Bugg]

'Out of Gas' for me, too. Best flashback episode I've seen from any show I've watched.

 

[J-Sun]

"Out of Gas", for me. Far and away one of the best moments in television. "Mal you don't have to die alone!"
"Everybody dies alone."

The music is spectacularly haunting.

Great quote. And great point about the music. There's great music throughout, including in "The Message" which something on the DVDs makes a point of, too.

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Hard to single out any one episode as they are all excellent, just some moreso!

That said, Objects in Space was my favourite. The amount of tension, character conflict and excellent guest character performance makes it the one I enjoy re-watching the most. Added bittersweet flavour to it as it was the last one shown.

Even seeded a few future plot lines; Mal & Inara's discussion in the cargo bay about her leaving the ship imminently, the recognition of River's powers and their implication and a dark segment where she peered into Shepherd Book's mind and we were faced with a sneering, snarling version of his persona as opposed to the one the rest of the crew were familiar with.