Years back I was at a science fiction convention when a man with a guitar started singing ‘The hero of Canton’. From across the whole of the auditorium voices sounded as we all joined in. Hundreds of them. Maybe it was the joy of a shared passion? Maybe it was that I was finally starting to unwind after my latest deployment? Maybe it was because I was drunk as hell off something a guy called ‘Klingon Blood Wine’ which was, I’m pretty sure, a homemade vodka infused with blood orange and chilli? But, whatever it was, that was one of my life’s top moments. It’s been pretty much downhill from that. The memory of that Bloodwine keeps me up at night.
“If this story were to have a moral, then I would say: “Just name a hero and I’ll prove he’s a bum.” - Gregory (Pappy) Boyington in the last words of his biography. This episode always reminds me of those words.
One really key thing I want to point out about Shepherd Book: he does not tell River that people need to believe in the Christian faith. He tells River that people need to believe in something, because faith fixes people. And that can be as simple as faith in a false Robin Hood to better take the shortest end of the stick. People need a source of hope that things can be better, whatever it is. And given that explanation, the exact wording… what does that say about Book…?
It says that Book is speaking the words of writer/creator Joss Whedon who is an avowed atheist and it's his view of faith. What Whedon gets wrong is that the object of faith that is paramount. One who has faith in aspirin to cure a headache will get a very different result than one who has faith in cyanide to cure a headache.
@@SES06484 I see what you’re getting at, but I think there’s a bit more nuance. A lot of cults fall on that “closer to cyanide than aspirin” scale, but many forms of faith are more akin to the placebo effect. The mudders believed this hero saw their plight and cared enough to enrich them, and it gave them strength and hope. Same way that you can give a man with a headache a sugar pill, tell him it’s an aspirin, and a majority of the time his headache will feel better.
When Simon said he ‘would never’ with Kaylee, he wasn’t dissing her. Just the opposite, really. It was awkwardly said, yes, but, remember, Kaylee was treated like little sister on the ship, especially by Mal, who was standing right there. Simon thought he was being accused of taking sexual advantage of her. Mal got indignant when Book insinuated he would take advantage of Saffron. Even when faced with a naked temptress, he was still trying to do what was ‘morally right’ in his eyes. I understand that Kaylee feels like he’s just too uptight and proper, but it makes sense to me that Simon feels like the further away from civilization you get, the more important it becomes to retain your own moral core and sense of civility. Of course, our brilliant Simon just doesn’t express himself very well sometimes. 🙄
Good insight! I feel like that could even apply to much of the conflicts of the world today... one group saying something, another group taking it entirely differently, and from misunderstanding, conflict is bred. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Right. Simon was not dissing her at all. He acted more like a teenager who got caught with his girlfriend by her parents. And what he said at the end makes perfect sense from his perspective and explains why he acts how he acts. Showing respect and being "civilized" is his way of showing he likes and cares for someone. And we shouldn't forget, he is still pretty young himself, and spend quite some time trying to rescue his sister. I think he didn't have much of "wild years" under his belt, and for sure he knows very little of the world outside of the high society bubble he grew up in.
@@mrtveye6682 You can really see he went through some character development in between the show and the movie when right at the beginning of the movie he's standing up to the captain and throwing punches
My take on the 'I would never' was always stemming from his upbringing. Simon isn't the type to do flings and one night stands. He certainly wasn't dissing Kaylee, but it was more him trying to say he'd never do things that way. He'd want to have a proper build up or relationship with her.
"All of you, you think there's someone just gonna drop money on you? Money they could use? Well there ain't people like that. There's just people like ME." One of the best dramatic lines in the entire show and it's delivered by Jayne of all people. And of course Mal, the broken idealist himself, is the one that has to explain to Jayne what it actually means to have hope and to fight against something even when you know you can't win.
that line, specially "money the could **USE**", keeping that little bit in mind, at the begining of "The message", when Jayne is reading his letter in the background, reframes a lot of Jaynes motivations, something that A LOT of people miss
I was born and raised Southern Baptist Christian. And even though I lost my beliefs long ago... it still tugs at my heart strings when a secular show depicts faith/hope in beautiful ways.
If you get a chance, try to track down the comic that reveals Book's backstory. It has a beautiful moment about how faith can heal even the most damaged.
C.S. Lewis said, “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.” Probably the same is true for anything created. We write (and appreciate) stories because God is a storyteller.
@@leob3447 indeed. and i can even confirm that there are many atheists in foxholes as well. these sayings that certain christians think are so clever are really just insulting.
@@funnylilgalreacts Is Xander still checking for spoilers? Lots of comments here. Love your reactions. BTW the Bible was written by man for people that could only count to 10. ✌️
Ron Glass was a cast member of The Barney Miller Show, a comedy TV weekly show I used to watch that ran from 75-82 (showing my age here 😀). It was based on a squad room of detectives and Ron was one of them so he knows comedy well. I really enjoyed seeing him act again in this show.
I think Simon kind of sees Mal as a big brother/father figure to Kaylee. So when Mal wakes them up: he goes into panic mode and says the first thing that comes to mind so Mal won't kick the s#^t out of him for taking advantage.
Yeah, it's just his bumbling mouth keeps the important bits inside. Like, "What? I would never! Not with Kaylee!" and then swallow the last bit "...I respect her WAY too much!"
Yeah, it's like in the Swedish movie Smala Sussie / Slim Susie, where one of the guys has a similar moment. "No, never! Of course not! I'd never do it with someone's sister!"
I love the parallels between Book's bible and Jayne's statue. The truth isn't as important to people as the need to believe in something and the hope that belief brings.
He is a very emotional person but puts on a tough/cold front. Its such a shame we could not have seen his journey from pure mercenary to believer/freedom fighter.
The moment at the end where Mal and Jayne talk is one of my favorite more serious moments in the show. It made me think a lot more critically about famous and historical figures and the value we place on them.
@Rick King 22 My perspective is that you can appreciate your heroes for what they accomplished, but don't idolize them to the point of believing they're perfect and ought to be emulated in every which way. As for SMG, CC, and the others - they're great actors, and some of them are even okay people in their personal lives, but don't go basing your morals off of what people who are willing to do what (most) actors are willing to do. Same goes for Joss - he's an excellent writer and stuff, and has even thought a lot about life, but don't use his personal life as an example, and you probably shouldn't use the lives of the characters he's created and written about as an example, either. You can certainly take a couple of lessons, but you still have to sort out the wheat from the chaff.
@@menachemsalomon And the lesson goes both ways. Yes, me might be disappointed if we ever met our heroes and had the myths we built up around them dispelled. But at the same time, the fact that human beings are flawed doesn't have to prevent us from using them as heroes. When you get right down to it, the idealized myth of the hero is what matters, not the flawed reality. Because it's not about what they were, it's about what we need them to be.
@Rick King 22 That's I perspective I can respect, but not necessarily agree with. Especially when "betrayal" and "lies" might be on different sides of that line.
"Keep walking, preacher man." This episode's B-story between River and the Shepherd has great funny moments, and a very good monologue about faith. But it still can't trump the face of Simon looking at the statue of Jayne and hearing The Hero of Canton :D (which is an earworm, it's quite impossible to forget it after you hear it for the first time)
The ending of this episode does such a good job of showing how, for all that he's a jerk and it's questionable just how trustworthy he actually is, Jayne sincerely does hold Mal in high regard not only because he's a good fighter who can hold his own against him and probably kick his ass if it came to that, but also because Jayne is self-aware enough to know he's not what you'd call smart but Mal is, and he has no shame about asking Mal for his opinion or for explanations on things he finds confusing or senseless.
The mood whiplash in this episode was so well done. The statue and the song, then twisting the knife at the end with the minor-key version of "The Hero of Canton." Also, if you want to hear Adam Baldwin perform the full version: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qa8OVrMS6Zg.html
This episode is my all time favorite because no matter how you felt about Jayne going into this, you didn't feel the same way about him after this episode. At least that is what it left me with when I first saw this. Such a great layered story.
This is one of my favorite episodes but it almost can't be compared to the others because it feels different. While it still has the usual humor, overall I think it has a more somber tone and changes our perspective of Jayne. And Jayne himself goes through a bit of a change. Good stuff.
This episode is mainly to character build Jayne, yes you know he's a thieving low morals compass hired thug.. but he also has buried so deep he can't even see it sometimes) a scrap of goodness, when he feels bad the mudder sacrificed himself to save him. He doesn't understand it, because his low moral compass, but it still DOES bother him which means there IS something there.. he just can't see it himself.
I have enjoyed your reactions and will continue to watch. I am a 74 year old woman of faith. Married to a really good man for53 years. I have a bad heart an MS and he loves me. Our faith keeps it strong.
I think on some level Jayne knows he's not a good man, which is why people thinking he is makes him uncomfortable. I love how for all her education and class, Inara is pretty easy to reduce to babbling ineloquence. I heard a theory that the bible is actually a metaphor for River, in that she's the broken thing that doesn't make sense. And I like how it parallels the town story, it doesn't make sense but it gives them something to believe in.
I think the story of Jayne and the statue give those people hope that things can be better. And Jayne is so confused at the end because he's never had that kind of hope.
You mention in the last episode that no one could blame Mal for Christina Hendricks, except Inara, and maybe Kaylee. I think Kaylee only turned against Mal on the Saphron thing AFTER and only because it resulted in Serenity being hurt. If her baby didn't get injured by Saphron, I think she'd be more understanding.
I think what made River freak out about Book’s hair was what she said: something along the lines of (not exact wording) “Too much snow on the roof. The ceiling will collapse. His brain is in terrible danger.” Throughout the episode, River was dipping in and out of her least coherent state, where she sees the world through symbols and abstractions. Her mind interpreted Book’s big hair as something denser than hair, perhaps literally a pile of snow that might crush his skull and squish his brain, or maybe an array of cold metal tools that might cut through his skull and into his brain, and she didn’t want that for him as she knows what that’s like. River saw Book tying his hair (or whatever she saw it as) back as deceptive, as it would still be there, and the emotions were real enough for her that she was still feeling annoyed with him at the end of the episode.
I loved the interaction between Shepherd Book and River. At the surface it reveals that River is still a "little girl" who has forgotten who she was much like what she said about the cattle in a previous episode. The deeper thought here is what she said about the Ark in the bible and the irony of it all. The show is premised in Mal's introduction. "The Earth got used up" and the citizens left and terraformed new worlds. In other words, everyone built their space Arks and left earth to travel to their own promised land. And Serenity, itself, became an Ark itself when they took on the cattle for cargo and delivered it. So the question is, Is the Bible giving us a hint of what we need to do? Of course this is for you to decide.
Good catch! An ark isn't a boat - it is a place of refuge - a container that protects things. The point of Noah’s Ark was that it preserved the lives of the those stored in it. And isn’t that the point of Serenity too?
The scene where the bartender slaps the bottle out of Jayne's hand before giving him the good stuff... the line the bartender says makes me crack up every time!
To be fair, the reason Jayne wears a "winter hat" on "The Train Job" is because he is having to deal with all the rushing wind and stuff that flies in the wind while jumping on a train from a space ship. He wears goggles for the same reason too. You want to protect yourself from any debris flying at you at high speed. 🙂
I always found it bizarre how people have a hard time accepting that not everyone needs something to believe in. Yes some people do need it but just because one group needs something that doesn't automatically mean everyone does. Most people feel that they need to be around people, friends, and family. Yet other people exist who prefer to live alone and off the grid not talking to anyone, do we get to pretend they don't exist just because we're in the majority? No. She also never said anything that implied she didn't think people should get to choose theirs, all she said was the belief they picked doesn't make sense and that's true. You don't have to agree with it but stating that a belief doesn't make sense isn't the same thing as not letting others choose theirs.
This episode showcases the REAL secret behind Firefly’s staying power. Sure, the storylines are engaging, but what stands out over time is the character-building. Every little nugget revealing how the crew thinks, what motivates them, and how they relate to one another is like running into unexpected buried treasure. Joss Whedon might have some problematic skeletons in his closet, but the guy certainly knows how to tell a story. And I guess that’s something. “My estimation is that...every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a bitch or another.” - Malcolm Reynolds
Both stories in the episode explore the idea of Faith. The townspeople needing something to believe in and putting up a statue of Jayne even though it's not based on anything real. Book talking about the bible (which River even calls his symbol) giving Faith despite the contradictions and not making sense. Note that Whedon is an atheist himself, but gives an interesting exploration of faith. I think Rivers thing with Book's hair was similar. He is a certain symbol himself. He even mentions that the way he wore his hair was a part of his congregation. Their symbol of their faith to a lesser degree. I mean, I'm sure they don't have some faith that their hair should be worn that way, but that it's a representation of them as their sect of Shepards. Anyway, when he looks different, no longer the symbol, it freaks her out. And that's also reflected in her later "Walk away Preacher man". That he's not that authority image in her mind anymore. More human now.
Hey, Jayne's headgear collection is an absolute marvel of stunning designs that exude elegance and charm! 😉 Well, perhaps not, but personally I appreciate Jayne's "fashion sense". 😄 This episode gave Jayne an extra dimension - I kind of like that we had to wait a bit before we would see this side of him. Thanks for another great reaction!
My brothers and i *loved* this episode. Way back when Netflix was doing DVD delivery by mail, I requested this show, and we were DYING when they sang Jayne's song... we would sometimes sing it to each other. :)
I used to volunteer at a Firefly/Serenity-themed global charity event in Dallas, Texas. We obtained the world record for most people in a sing-along of "The Hero of Canton".
As a Heathen with a complicated history of organized religion. Remember: an individual's Faith is very different than a Religion. If you haven't yet, check out Secondhand Lions. Great movie. One of the best lines "just because something isn't true doesn't mean you can't believe in it". For some, religion helps them. For others, they abhor it. Usually the problems arise from an organized form of religion, not the actual belief.
Faith and religion are two entirely different things. What Sheppard says is actually right, regardless if one is religious, has faith, or not. And no I am not religious myself. but there is still something to be learned here that everyone should ponder. You may find it disgusting to you for some reason, but a lot of people do not for good reason. In a way this entire episode is about faith. Think about the final scene for example.
The problem I find with the word faith is if you ask 10 people from the same religion what faith means you will get ten different answers. Words that can mean anything you want in reality end up not meaning anything. I also guarantee that if I asked 10 different people what the difference between religion and faith are we'd also get 10 very different and often contradicting answers. If people who use them can't even agree on what the terms even mean you can't really use them when making a point unless you first state exactly what they mean to you because I promise no one but you is going to understand what you specifically mean when you say there's a difference unless you explain what specifically each word means to you and what exactly it is that makes them different.
While our heads are back and our arms are up all in delighted laughter ..... well ..... having us in that position leaves us wide open to a big old gut punch.
i love that after his little squabble with kaylee in the morning, simon looks at mal and mal just gave him a look, but that look said so much "I tried, bro" "nah this on you, man"
The actor who played Magistrate Higgins, the late Gregory Itzin, played the traitorous President Charles Logan on the TV series 24, starting in the fourth season until the show's eighth season.
"No, THIS must be what going mad feels like." Ha ha, poor Simon is exactly what I said when I saw this too. As for Jayne's choice of chapeaux, he's not too smart but he's smart enough to keep the sun off his head.
I adore this episode. I mainly like the Jayne plot line, but the Simon one and Inara ones are good too. But really the Jayne bits at the end just REALLY get me.
There was a comic book of Firefly, and get mixed up with some monks at a temple. At the end they get the money, and Jayne hands a monk a wad of Cash and says, “go buy yourself some new sandals”. And the monk says, “The man they call Jayne…he IS real!”
"We gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero." This episode is so great. I don't think i have a favorite ( love 'em all so much), but if i did this might be it. Great new shirt. Hi Xander, still killin' it!
Up next is Out of Gas, my favorite episode of Firefly. But this episode has my favorite line, "I tore these out of your symbol and they turned into paper, but I wanna put them back, so..." This show came a bit after my own reckoning with my religious upbringing and that line came to symbolize not only where I was at, but the standard I wanted to hold myself to. I see the symbol become paper, but I have no need to rip the papers from anyone else's symbol.
The episode the entire 'verse had no idea it needed. Still brings a smile to my face, watching Adam Baldwin sing "Hero of Canton" on RU-vid (Taken from the dvd extras). This episode does a great job of showing why companions are so sought after, the influence they have & why they can often be referred to (if only sarcastically) as diplomats. Also, ever since seeing this episode, if I want to swear without swearing: "Mudder-Humper".
When he auditioned for the part, Ron Glass wasn't sure what they were looking for. So he did his first audition normally, but decided to do the second one "full Sideshow Bob" to show another option. It was nice that they were able to incorporate it.
It's just so nice to watch an episode of TV where 100% of the creative energy goes towards character and plots. This is what a show looks like when its writers and not brainwashed by identity politics.
Mentioning last episode with Jayne wanting to barter his gun for Mal's "wife", I think it's important to note that to his knowledge she had already been bartered for the job of stopping the coach robbers, to Mal who didn't want her. Rather than just trying to barter for any man's woman. Still not great but a little better and more understandable.
This is just exemplary storytelling. 5 major plot lines, involving all the characters, with sharply drawn minor characters that illustrate the brutality of this 'Verse. Each character's arc is moved forward or there is illumination of their personality. It's done with wit, subversion and reversals of expectations, and it all comes together again in 42 minutes. With a theme song that is shocking, hilarious...and then haunting at the end.
I love this show, but for me especially Ron Glass. I'm old enough that I kind of grew up with his character Ron Harris on "Barney Miller" a quirky cop show. Seeing him in this show is such a treat!
"Jayne's Town" was a highlight of Joss's sense of humor. You see it a lot on "Buffy" and "Angel". And with him declaring being an agnostic as far as religion goes, I find the stuff he presents thought provoking and I love analyzing it in the context of my own faith. Jayne - he is very much a person with a background of everyone for themselves, and really doesn't know how to process loyalty. These people needed a symbol of hope, and suddenly, someone drops a little extra on them. It doesn't matter the actual reason. Because Jayne in their eyes was fighting their oppression, and they literally put him up on a pedestal. There was no question that he was going to be protected. Jayne did not understand nor wanted the responsibility of being their hero. Something you have to understand about River, and I think at this point I can say this spoiler free - she things beyond what they are presented as. She is trying to make logic sense out of the Bible, and that's not its purpose. She was trying to get the inconsistencies removed, but once the pages were gone, all meaning/context was lost, and they just became pages. The hair thing was just plain funny. However, what she said at the end after Zoe said Book was putting the hair away, and River said, "It'll still be there" - I think she may have seen something in Book that was very scary, and even though she trusts him and may consider him a friend, there's that scary side to him, still waiting to pounce. I think it tangentially relates to what she found in his Bible. Simon - I won't go into him because what I want to say relates to "Serenity" the movie. "Objects in Space" - The last episode of the series; when you get done watching that one, if you have Joss's commentary track, rewatch it with his commentary.
The run of 5 episodes from _Our Mrs. Reynolds_ to _War Stories_ are all impeccably-written, acted, directed and edited...I know of no Browncoat who doesn't count one of them as their favourite of this series (from what I can tell most love _Out of Gas_ the best, but the other 4 are all nearly as highly-rated... _Jaynestown_ used to be my favourite, but I switched to _Ariel_ after a few years). Anyway, it's cool to see someone experience them with fresh eyes. Too bad Fox couldn't see the genius of this show...it seems that they'd made up their mind about it before a single episode aired.
RE: River being scared of Shepard's hair. Consider this; River was tortured/abused/traumatised at the academy. It's pretty likely she is looking for some constants and stability whilst dealing with that. Shepard looking completely different was a triggering event for her. And I mean that in the psychological sense, not the bullshit internet debate bro sense. Something she took for granted to remain constant (Shepard's appearance) ceased to be so her mind went right back to the Academy.
You can see that even Zoe was startled by Books hair (it's awesome, but it's... a lot!). River just processes things wildly different to other people and it really derailed her. Who knows what stimuli is going to set her off?
I generally view Jayne as the prototype/early building block for Amos. Amos is still mvp, but there is more than enough cross over to make Jayne an interesting character.
This is a turning point for Jayne. He's been the big dumb comic relief, the untrained ape. Now he starts to wonder, is there something inside him worth dying for? He becomes a real person. Hint- it's gonna be a bumpy ride...
You know, I didn't catch that "It don't make sense" part echoing River's earlier complaints about Shepherd's bible. Both are about faith, and it doesn't make sense. "It's not about making sense, it's about believing in something." Ahh, good stuff.
This does not show Jane as the “same guy”. This absolutely shows another side of him. He knows that that kid’s death is on him, he discovers the price of taking undeserved credit, and he has the flash of integrity enough to destroy the symbol of his own false idolatry. Granted he can’t fully comprehend it just yet, hence his conversation with Mal at the end, but the cracks in the armor of what may be a good man underneath start to show.
I actually own some of the mud used in the filming of this episode. It’s in a fine glass bottle. It’s like a litmus test. Only my true people respond to it positivity.
When I first watched this show, way back when, this was hands down my favourite episode. Nowadays it's Out of Gas and Ariel. But this one will forever hold a place in my heart. Also, every time Simon says something dumb to Kailee I always imagine he got a Nat 1 on a Charisma roll. LOL! poor simon.
This is such a great episode, I'm so glad that even with the show being cut short they we managed to get a Jayne episode. He may not get a whole lot of character development, but the events of this episode really affect him in more ways than he'd care to meet. Plus, that song is such an ear worm! Oh and while it might not be your thing, as a person of faith myself, I adore Shepherd Book and think he's one of the best depictions of Christianity in popular culture. Trust me, I usually cringe up when religion gets brought up, but Book is a perfect example of what a Christian should be, and I love that an Atheist like Joss Whedon saw the importance of discussing religion and faith in his work.
