Hello, Hathor readers! Ready to watch a show together? We’re starting our first watch-along today, with the pilot episode of Firefly, Joss Whedon’s 2002 sci-fi series about a ragtag group of characters living on the “raggedy edge” of our future, space-faring civilization. We’ll be posting some discussion starters for an episode of the series each week on Sundays from here on out – watch the episode at some point during the week, then stop in at the post on Sunday to share your thoughts.
So here we go, with “Serenity,” Firefly‘s pilot. A quick summary of the episode to remind you what’s what:
The episode starts with a flashback to the Battle of Serenity Valley, featuring Malcom Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe Washburne (Gina Torres) as things go from bad to defeated for their side. Then we cut to the show’s present-day, as Mal and Zoe, joined by Jayne (Adam Baldwin), Wash (Alan Tudyk), and Kaylee (Jewel Staite), pull off an illegal scavenging operation on a derelict ship, narrowly escaping from an Alliance cruiser (aka, the law). Even with the ill-gotten goods, the crew of Serenity, the macabrely-named ship, is going to be short on cash. They decide to take on passengers at their next stop, bringing Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), Dobson (Carlos Jacott), and Simon Tam (Sean Maher) on board, along with Tam’s mysterious cargo. Inara (Morena Baccarin), a Companion (read: sex-worker), rejoins Serenity after an appointment with a client.
In short order, Book is introduced to Inara in a way calculated by Mal to embarrass and annoy as many people as possible, Simon is revealed to be a fugitive, and Dobson shoots Kaylee. There is some tense negotiating, Serenity runs from the law once again, and Simon’s luggage turns out to be carrying his sister, River (Summer Glau).
There’s some expositing all around, and then the ship narrowly avoids the attention of some Reavers before landing on Whitefall, where Mal wants to move their stolen goods. Things don’t work out perfectly during the transaction, but Our Heroes make it through okay. MEANWHILE, Dobson escapes and attacks Book, and then tries to kidnap River. Mal, who is so totally over this nonsense, shoots him in the face and throws him off the ship just in time for a daring escape from the returned Reavers. After all the excitement, Simon and River are offered a place on the ship and accept, and we’re all ready to go for episode two.
Phew!
Okay, let’s chat. FIRST, some things I totally love about this episode:
- Kaylee. D’awwww. SO CUTE.
- The bond between Simon and River. One of the things I think Firefly does really well is show the strength of connections between characters who love each other, whether the love is familial or romantic or what. Simon’s devotion to his sister is awesome, and the first scene between them always makes me tear up, no lie.
- I’m a sucker for action scenes, and “Serenity” has quite a few excellent ones. w00t.
- Simon’s little red glasses. Shallow and a little strange, I know, but I just think they’re hawt.
Annnnd things I do not love:
- Our first intro to Inara’s work as a theoretically well-respected professional woman is via a client who totally disrespects her? Uncool.
- Cultural appropriation and related ickiness. The “good dogs” thing, man! Why? Have y’all seen Shati’s “Secret Asian Man” vid? It is an excellently succinct critique. Check it: link.
- The overwrought imagery of Inara resting her hand on Book’s bent head in silhouette after tending his wounds. Yes, yes, whore, man of God, we get it. Blech. I just think it’d work better if our cultural expectations had actually been in any way subverted, y’know?
Okay, enough outta me – what do you think about this episode?
And don’t forget to come back next Sunday, to discuss “The Train Job”!
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
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Elee,
Re: Wash/Zoe strengths and weaknesses…I wasn’t claiming that Zoe was any kind of “holy prodigy” (I’m not even sure what that’s supposed to mean, exactly). Yes, she has trust issues…but honestly, so does Wash (note his insecurity re: Mal & Zoe’s relationship). As far as her not being outgoing, or the way he lightens her…these are not (IMO) matters of strength/weakness, but simply personality differences. I’m not an outgoing person, but I don’t see that as a weakness in myself…it’s just a way I’m different from other people.
I’m not trying to bag on Wash; I think he’s a great character. But as far as strength, which I define as the ability to overcome obstacles, hardship, or diversity (be it physical or mental), I tend to see Zoe as the stronger of the two.
Jay(Quote) (Reply)
Revena,
If I recall, he also knocked and waited for Inara’s answer before entering, though.
Raeka(Quote) (Reply)
Raeka,
Er, I meant Book waited for Inara’s reply. I might’ve pressed quote instead of reply by accident..
Raeka(Quote) (Reply)
I agree. Huff did the same with the Blood Books in which no-one cared about Henry being bisexual.
So, what other SciFi books do you read? Anything similar to the awesomeness of the Confederation novels?
M.C.(Quote) (Reply)
I haven’t read the Blood books yet, still working my way through the Confederation, but that’s good to know. When I started reading Huff’s Twitter/Livejournal I learned she is living with (married to?) another woman which I think really helps with the casualness of sexuality in her work. It feels normal and not a big deal to the characters because it’s normal and routine to the author. (Or so I speculate.)
Well, Bujold, of course. I think her books are the Holy Grail of space opera. Some steam punk like Meljean Brook, some sci fi romance like Linnea Sinclair. I’ve actually been meaning to read more sci fi, especially military sci fi, (which is why I picked the Confederation novels up) so if you have any recs I’d love to hear them.
Sylvia Sybil(Quote) (Reply)
Robin, Catholic, Protestant – really doesn’t matter. They both have massive sex hangups.
Gabriella,
Pssst, they’re talking about Shepherd Book walking in on her, not Mal. The “he” usage got confusing.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Re: Book in Inara’s shuttle – Hah! You’d think I hadn’t just watched this or something… He totally does knock, y’all are right. I was remembering that Inara is still topless when he comes in, but had forgotten that he knocked first.
Revena(Quote) (Reply)
Here’s what I find most interesting about the series: Firefly happens in the distant future, but people still ride horses, shoot revolvers, and wear clothing made of non-space-agey-looking textiles. They live in hovels in the wilderness and carouse around bonfires drinking moonshine. The mere act of surviving is hard, not smooth and techno-riffic like in Star Trek: The Next Generation or other sci-fi series.
I’m used to sci-fi settings that attempt to speculate what technology might bring humanity some day. Silver spandex and laser guns and communicators and stuff. Other than the Academy and the Alliance Hospital, Firefly’s refusal to show us a glimmery science-y future makes a statement about privilege: yeah, high-tech systems and gadgets do exist in the future, but only in some places – areas of affluence or government control. If you’re an average schmuck colonist, you don’t have access to future technologies. You get dropped off on Expendable Planet #729 with some cattle, coffee and bullets. Good luck; try not to get dysentery.
cycles(Quote) (Reply)
Cycles – Aaaand now I’m imagining the Firefly cast in a game of Oregon Trail…
Seriously though, very interesting point. I’d love to talk about this more when we get to “Heart of Gold,” for sure. But even in just the pilot it seems to me that there are some interesting things to consider about which kinds of technology actually do seem to have become common enough for the people on Whitefall and Persephone to have – weapons and communications equipment. The guns in the shootout with Patience and co. aren’t super-fancy-pants silver chrome models, but a few of them have some ray gun-type futuristic-ness to them. And on Persephone, we see some advanced techy communication/information devices. This makes me think about a lot of old-school sci-fi lit, where the same two technologies have major importance. The novels that come to my mind are more or less in the space opera tradition, which is all about frontiers and etc. I’m not sure what, if anything, I think that means, but it’s intriguing.
Revena(Quote) (Reply)
I’m pretty new to SciFi books. I adore Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover novels, but they are more SciFi Fantasy. Carl Sgan’s Contact is brilliant, if you like something serious and realistic.
And as far as military SciFi goes, I’ve heard that Mike Shepherd’s Kris Longknife novels are good, but haven’t actually read them yet.
M.C.(Quote) (Reply)
M.C.,
I remember reading some of MZB’s stuff in high school, but I don’t remember if I read Darkover or not. I’ll have to check them out.
I read the first Kris Longknife book. It was interesting enough that I finished it but I didn’t feel the need to read any of the sequels.
Sylvia Sybil(Quote) (Reply)
@Jennifer: “Catholic, Protestant – really doesn’t matter. They both have massive sex hangups.”
Not all Protestant faiths are alike. They run the gamut from more-conservative-than-Catholicism to extremely liberal and modern. I don’t practice any of them myself anymore, but I see the full range in the course of my job. As a general rule, yes, most of them have more old-fashioned ideas about sex, but it’s not really fair to lump them all together any more than it would be with the various sects of Judaism or Islam. And who knows how those faiths might evolve in the 500 years between now and Firefly‘s setting of 2517?
I will concede that the apparent Buddhists in the show have what I (and I suspect you) consider healthier attitudes toward sexuality, though.
Robin(Quote) (Reply)
Robin,
You’re right. What I had going on in my head was that the Bible clearly condemns sex outside marriage, along with homosexuality and all sorts of other stuff. Any sect claiming to be based on the Bible is STILL indirectly promoting unhealthy attitudes even if they teach their own congregation otherwise. If a sect is enjoying the cultural protection they get from being part of the Bible Borg, they don’t get any points with me by saying, “Oh, but we’re different because our attitudes toward sex totally contradict the Bible.” Uh, no. To me, that’s like saying, “I belong to a country club that discriminates against certain people, but that’s okay because *I* would let them in.”
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
Revena,
I think those two categories get priority because of how we view exploration. We assume there will be hostility so weapons and defense are necessary. And we presume there will be a need to stay in touch with the mother ship, so to speak, so communications tech is necessary. Making things nice for colonists? Not necessary. Not profitable. So you throw out at the end of the line to try to make a place habitable with as little as is considered necessary.
Sarah(Quote) (Reply)
Sarah – *nodnod* That makes sense. I’m thinking it might also have something to do with the way that the politics of old school space opera sort of skew Libertarian-ish – the concept that freedom and democracy (or, really, meritocracy?) are fundamental and can only be defended by force (whether from aliens or a controlling government). The need for communications is often tied into democratic processes, too.
Revena(Quote) (Reply)
My thoughts about Whedon are described beautifully by the first arc in the webcomic Riot Nrrd, starting here:
http://www.riotnrrdcomics.com/2009/12/riot-nrrd-1-2/
Patrick McGraw(Quote) (Reply)
There was a sequence in one of the Bujold novels where our heroine comments that where she comes from, being sex worker is kind of like being a hairdresser – providing a personal service on a professional basis.
Kit Kendrick(Quote) (Reply)
Kit Kendrick,
Here’s the link to that thread I mentioned, Kit:
http://thehathorlegacy.com/firefly-sex-work-as-positive-and-prestigious/
As you can see if you read it, it’s just not that simple.
Jennifer Kesler(Quote) (Reply)
On the subject of Inara and the Companions Guild — I totally agree with everyone on that it seems like Whedon tried to create a world where it was as morally neutral as any other society, but tripped up on his own cultural hangups (not that I think I could do it either…).
I do want to add that what I DID see in the world he’d set up was a profession that was finally powerful enough to frame the narrative of itself. Does that fix everything? No, not at all. But it was interesting to finally see prostitution with the weapons it needed to change its public image.
Raeka(Quote) (Reply)
I think Kaylee is a bit ridiculous in this episode. She serves as the embodiment of female innocence to the the point where it is insane. She gets shot and basically says “Aw that’s alright, I’m so sweet and nice it don’t bother me at all”. This has always bothered me, because it makes Kaylee so one note. Kaylee’s whole purpose becomes to make Mal see good in the world, but she’s so good and sweet she’s almost inhuman.
Veronica(Quote) (Reply)
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