Did I catch that...fala portugues? I'm at the level of a particularly stupid 8 year old.

I'm glad you're enjoying the creativity of Joss Weden's mind. One of the things I enjoy in watching reactions, is learning the perception and his/her ability to communicate that to the general public! I'm both curious and entertained to see if others come away with same reaction to the material that I felt the first time I watched them! Like you, I was first introduced to the "Weden-verse" through the World of the Buffy/Angel TV series! I've always enjoyed good story telling...Joss is the master of this venue! It induced me to seek and purchase the DVDs of four of his Serials: "Buffy" - "Angel" - "Firefly" - and "The Nevers" (The Nevers was a very intriguing series aired on HBO - only 6 episodes were completed and aired) A rift developed between Joss and HBO which caused Joss to walk away from it unfinished. It too was a very imaginative Sci-Fi. I purchased these various DVD series from Amazon if you care to become further immersed!

"...she's so queer coded...I'm so sorry, I don't make the rules, she just is." 1. Who is making these rules? 2. It's super un-queer to be following them.

I find it interesting that you went from Companion to Commie to Communist as if that would be a compliment. I find this show to be as rugged individualist as possible, and blame my libertarian tendencies on influences from this show. (You're far enough ahead on Patreon that I think Mal's attitude towards the government is clear enough without risking spoilers.)

The issue during it's release was a power struggle between Fox marketing and Fox production. Just my not-so-informed opinion.

FOX did indeed sabotage this series and here's why: First, the execs who gave the series the greenlight knew that Whedon and company had created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it brought in good ratings for the WB. They wanted something similar. The problem with that is they never actually watched an episode of Buffy before the deal. So, when they turned in the pilot, the execs were upset because they were under the impression that Buffy was an action comedy, so that's what they were getting. It's why the two main notes that they gave them when they told them to make a second pilot was: More action! Funnier! The second reason is because that was the era when FOX started to win ratings demographics with American Idol and other reality shows. Series with significantly smaller budgets than Firefly. So, they messed with the air order, did minimal advertising, and it got pre-empted multiple times because of the Major League Baseball schedule.

Don't read too much sexual tension into the various relationships. A lot of what you're feeling is just how beautiful everyone is. Truly a miracle that everyone who steps on this ship is a low-key god or goddess (except maybe Lawrence). But yes, there's a lot of couples established or being set up. Almost everyone but Jayne and River have an obvious pair, which makes me believe that sooner or later they'll end up together as well. I think he was actually crushing on Kaylee before the pilot, as we saw his concern when she was being operated on last episode. His rude comment at dinner was just like a little boy mad at sudden competition getting in his way. Ultimately Jayne just needs someone to tell him what to do so he doesn't have to try to think for himself, while River has brains enough for both of them. His lack of mental activity might actually be a relief for her compared to all the other voices trying to get into her head.

First time viewer here. tldr: great job and glad to join you for this journey. Excellent reaction! You were hitting all the subtle notes that many reactors miss the first time around. You're not going to be able to keep a 'favorite character'. It will keep changing as you keep watching. Even the one or two you aren't glad about, you'll find hints of hidden complexity by the end of the story. Jewel (Kaylee) did an excellent job of pulling us into her character so fast. Your "F*@$ no!" when she got shot, after maybe a dozen lines of dialog from her so soon in the show, is how we all felt. Make sure to check out more of Morena Baccarin's work. This was her first show after graduating from Juliard. Besides her unearthly beauty and personal relevance for you, she picks good roles and performs them well. It will also help continue to open you up to sci-fi (remember, the good ones keep the character relationships in focus more than the visuals). Don't worry too much about trying to predict where things are going, or about the sci-fi genre. It's Whedon so he'll keep you guessing and blurring the edges of the genre (respect for his skills, but maybe don't look to close at his bio if you want to keep enjoying his work). Looking forward to seeing more from you!

I loved your reaction! Looking forward to the next one!

Really enjoying the reactions and commentary! On a side note, I think it is neat that you have a reverse image, and all the writing in the room is backwards (and upside down in the case of your playbill poster) except the letter stand where everything is written the way we could see and read it!

Mal is not Mall, and is not Male...But is male. 😊

you look like a young liza minelli

you look like liza minelli

I’m never not going to think of Inara as “the Brazilian communist“ again.

Wait, you are familiar with Buffy and are surprised a main character is unlikable? William the Bloody, anyone? You want Jayne on your crew whenever there is a fight.

So, the answer to why Fox was sabotaging show breaks down to the fact that the network had a big shakeup at the top and a lot of executives were changed. So one team of execs greenlit the series, then the changeover happened, and the new team really was not on board with this show. Maybe sci-fi wasn't their thing; maybe they really couldn't grasp mixing the sci-fi with the Old Western tropes; maybe the new execs had issues with Josh Whedon and the toxic behavior he had begun to exhibit on his shows (Firefly was run by Tim Minear on a day to day basis because Whedon was tied up with the last season of Buffy and he was doing a lot over on Angel at the same time). Fox's initial statement has always been that it was a ratings thing; Firefly didn't deliver the kind of audience they were looking for, they claim, but the fact that they showed the "more exciting episodes" first, messing up the order of what they already knew was a serialized story that needed to be shown in order plays into those low ratings. In many markets, it got switched around on the schedule without notice, and even completely pre-empted for sporting events. And of course, as always, there is was some exec somewhere who decided it was about the money; Firefly was not as expensive as a Star Trek show, but it was still more expensive than that insane "Joe Millionaire" reality show Bachelor rip-off. This was about the time that reality/unscripted TV like Survivor and American Idol were hitting it big and drawing in HUGE ratings with almost no expense on the Network's part, so it made more financial sense to them to cancel scripted TV shows like "John Doe" and "Firefly," despite the fact that critical acclaim for both shows was high. And for all that Fox didn't want to put any more money into the show, they MADE money off of it for the next decade and a half. Sci-Fi paid to run the show (in order!) on their network, and it was almost no time before the boxed DVD sets hit shelves. Many a browncoat has wrestled with the moral dilemma of gifting the DVD sets to friends we know would love them while simultaneously allowing Fox to continue to profit off a show they didn't believe in. As more and more came out over the years about what an asshole Joss Whedon was becoming as Buffy and Angel made him big bucks, there is a big part of me that wonders how many bridges he was burning at Fox during that time. (Buffy may have aired on the WB and later on UPN, but it was produced by the 20th Century Fox Television division...the same division that produced Firefly.)

I think the greatest example that this show isn't like the average show is most clearly demonstrated in the last scene with Crow. Apparently there were some execs at Fox that were doing everything to get rid of Whedon. Joss was told that the original pilot wasn't acceptable on Friday afternoon and he had to have a new pilot by Monday or he was in breach of contract. FOX then told Whedon they wanted an action show. It was pitched as a drama. Whedon wanted a slow build. The crew is a family they chose. Jayne is actually very important to the show even if that is not instantly apparent. Plus, it clearly shows how dangerous the Verse is. Pay attention to everything River says. It is always important. In this episode she said 'Two by two; hands of blue.' Kayleigh is the heart of the ship. Inara is a registered companion. This is actually a government recognized official position. Also, she is Buddhist. When you look at her shuttle, everything has that aesthetic. In the episode, Serenity, we see Mal wearing a cross and being religious in the war scenes. He lost his faith because of the way things ended in the war. Wash is very competent, but is also used for comic relief a lot. I think the reason this show works is because everyone plays their characters seriously, Mal especially. If they didn't play things straight it would be too campy.

In a blink and miss it moment at 4:52 on the gun screen is the Waylan-yutani logo from the Alien franchise which makes sense cause they were both made by FOX

there are a few definitions but I believe the most common for bushwacked is: to ake a surprise attack on (someone) from a hidden place; ambush.

"She's doing math, she's clearly unwell." 🤣🤣🤣

Network execs don't care about quality over ratings, advertising and other factors. Zoey and Mal just respect each other since they fought in the war as seen in the pilot. She is happily married.

It's an older/younger sister thing.

Watching again because the new one just dropped

Hey there Domi! Jayne is the muscle and the sharp-shooter! He's an important part of the crew for those reasons. His arc in the series is great, so bear with it and I'm sure you'll grow to like and understand him more in future. Love all your reactions and can't wait to see you fall in love with this show!! ❤ Jon from Aus

The network aired The Train Job first. WTF, right. We were confused for a while and then we were angry. And then they made us really angry by cancelling the show. This show had every reason - moneymaking and otherwise to go 6 or 7 seasons, but we got robbed. I would like to hit whoever cancelled this show. It would be just like the punch that Mal gave Simon when Jane said "Saw that comin'".

Mal and Zoe have the same relationship that any former sergeant has with his former corporal that he has been through thick and thin with for a decade plus. It's not a romance, but they know each other very well, respect each other, and love each other like family. The issue of a "thing" between Mal and Zoe comes up in one of the later episodes. That should resolve your curiosity about it. I had a similar relationship with someone I served with after we both got out. She was my buddy and my sister, but a romance wasn't ever even discussed. I know that people like to say that there is no way a man can just be friends with an attractive woman in his age group. - I have proven that wrong. I think both of us being in a warzone as Marines made it easier to just keep it the way it always was.

Theme is performed by Adam Baldwin, Jayne.

serenity was meant to be first, but train job was aired first. you're doing it correctly :) rumor only: a female fox exec was offended by the idea of respectable prostitution and made it her mission to kill it... again, only rumor, I'm not looking it up 😂 someone will correct me

Interesting take on the how vague the story elements are in the two episodes. I first saw the show in air order. So this was my first view of Firefly. I actually liked that it felt like I was just dropped in to an already spinning world. There were some character interactions that implied some pre-existing dynamics that I didn't know. Which didn't frustrate me at all - I was intrigued. I liked the feel of the show and wanted to know more about the characters and why they had these hinted relationships. Not everyone likes that kind of story format. In fact, a lot of people really rather dislike it if you note all the folks who bitterly critique this episode being the first aired.

about the pilot thing: Serenity was finely crafted. It set the tone, introduced all of the elements that they wanted to delve into in the first season. It was vague and shadowy literally and figuratively. That very thing (among others) is what FOX didn't want. Remember, this was back in 2002, and they felt the pilot would be too be unnerving for the viewers at that time. It was kind of edgy for back then. As it sounds like you've heard that they wrote this in a weekend. So, throw out finely crafted. Lean into some story elements we have done before just so we can get this thing written, introduce some things in a less vague, more exposition-ish way, and forget dark and mysterious. I think of it almost like a pendulum - they wanted Serenity to be the pilot, FOX said we like, but too dark, so they swung around the other way - light, airy, shorter, with plot hand holding. The important thing was to give FOX what they wanted so they would pick up the show. They didn't have the time to write multiple drafts as alternatives and compromises, so they just gave FOX what they wanted. Once they got the show, they could go back to shadowy mystery and setting up arcs.

2 by 2,. Hands of blue. past tense: bushwhacked; past participle: bushwhacked 1. North American•Australian live or travel in wild or uncultivated country. "for 12 years, he has bushwhacked across southern Utah" cut or push one's way through vegetation or across rough country, not following an established trail. "he'd bushwhacked down the steep slopes" 2. North American engage in guerrilla warfare. "the loyal men of the neighborhood bushwhacked and made the place too hot for them" make a surprise attack on (someone) from a hidden place; ambush. "as he was leaving they bushwhacked him"

I see the Inara Kaylee relationship as mother/ daughter, or maybe sister/ sister. At the start Inara is doing her hair, at the end Inara pulls her away from danger during the fight. You'll notice Inara "mothering" others in later episodes. With Inara and Mal though, that's (unrequited) love IMO.

"Can I have your share?" "No." "If you die, can I have your share?" "Yes."

Interesting that Jayne seems to you more like an outsider rather than part of the crew. I've seen others say they just hate Jayne from the start, but that's definitely a new perspective. Trying to guess what the next episode is about based on the name is a bit difficult with this show, and next episode would definitely be tricky if you hadn't heard of that word before. I'm curious what you might think of some of the other episodes though. Anyway, glad you're enjoying the show. The next episode is very different, so I can't wait to see your reaction to it!

This was not written as a second Pilot it was just aired out of order!!! They changed the times and days it was on without much notification and they really just treated it as a fill in rather than the Sci-Fi phenomenon it could have become!!! After it got canned.. it took years of fans letters for a Movie to come and try and relaunch the series!! How did you miss the Two By Two Hands of Blue, Not math just seeing the agents they show in the next shot!!!

_Most_ of the "sexual tension" mentioned is just friendship. The chemistry is real, though, both between the characters and between the cast.

Mel doesn't like chaos really. He likes screwing with the alliance. If all characters are likeable there isn't much room for growth. You missed something at the end of the episode.

Jayne does have some redeeming qualities. You will learn a little as we go along, but I don't want to spoil anything. One thing you have already seen, if you watch his relationship with Kaylee he is very much like a big brother to her. He teases her a lot, but is extremely protective of her i.e, his reaction immediately after Kaylee is shot (thank God Book was in the way) and his hovering outside the med bay as Simon is working. Kaylee has a romance interest for sure, but definitely not Inara, they are more like sisters. And you will definitely see more of Wash and Zoey's relationship, but they are "very private people"

10:19 I didn't recognize Clare Kramer (Glory) and Jonathan Woodward (Knox/Holden/Tracey)

The Alliance are kind of the bad guys. They are portrayed as the cold, unfeeling empire rife with corruption essentially. Yes, the Serenity crew pull off "crimes" but it's usually innocuous things like "illegal salvage", smuggling restricted cargo, etc. Occasionally some straight out theft, usually directly from the Alliance though.

The Pilot "Serenity" was aired LAST - after the suits at Fox cancelled the show. Around June of 2003 - I never knew of Firefly (though i did know and watched another fun show by Sam Raimi with Gena Torres which also died young - Cleopatra 2525 - anyway, I watched the "Pilot" after the show was cancelled on over the air TV and though, Wow this is a kewl show! I think I'll watch the next episode next week!!!!................never knowing that the show was cancelled and I just watched the last airing of it! I figured it out 3 years later when the movie Serenity came out (good movie - but not as good as the TV series - and was a hail marry to get the TV show restarted - should have worked, but sadly did not, no other network was willing to take the show up again. I have the Bluray of the series, my understanding is that not only did they not air the first episode originally (then finally did as the last episode) - they did not air several episodes due to Baseball game conflicts!!!!!!!!! - the show was never given a legit chance, pure crib death - thanks Fox, and also Typical Fox!!!!!!!!!!!!! Space Above and Beyond was an earlier excellent TV series (8 yr earlier) - give the same treatment as Firefly. Have a good show? don't give it to Fox! ------------ there were other great shows killed by other network suits - like Nowhere Man (UPN - early 90's - one season), and Journeyman (thanks NBC for killing a top tier scifi show by episode 14!) at least NBC let Dark Skies live to a second season before killing it ;-/.

Fox didn't believe the pilot "Serenity" was characteristic of what they wanted...they wanted a more action packed story, more exciting in their opinion. Joss whedon didn't really do it, this is does not come off as a pilot at all. as it was already filmed as the second episode and doesn't "introduce" anything. FOX just was looking for a very different show in their minds

>kaylee >inara >sexual tension Pick only 2 on your way to therapy...

"Bushwhacked"is American old west slang for an ambush. Bush=shrubbery, whacked=hit, struck, killed, so basically an attack from someone hiding in the bushes.

The whole Dawn stealing things was a very slow burn. The Halloween episodes were always the best and never disappointed.

"The Train Job": Fox TV's second pilot, written over a weekend. Mal takes a job from psychotic crime boss Adelai Niska.

Take a guess how often Inara saves their bacon. SPOILER: It's a lot.

Based on your post-show chat - you are going to love this season so much...

Wesley and Cordie speaking Bangelish was the most hilarious scene ever.

Are you related to Professor Sybill Trelawney?