SERENITY and Finding Your Purpose 

Firefly is THE example of corporate meddling absolutely killing what should have been a gold standard TV show or movie. Airing episodes out of order, changing timeslots etc. This show, this writer, this cast was lightning in a bottle, and studio meddling killed it 😢

Talking about the Preacher, I always get the line "The Lord is a bit fuzzy when it comes to kneecaps" in my head.

Mal hate's that he has a conscience and he's so annoyed by that duel in Shindig "Mercy is the mark of a great man" Stabs the guy "Guess I'm just a good man" Stabs the guy again "Well I'm alright" Yeah that's a pretty spot on assessment

“May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.” -- Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

I also love when Mal says that love will tell you she's hurting before she keens. Keening is a mourning cry, and while, yes, colloquially it refers to an animal crying in pain, when a person keens, it's usually a deep emotional pain. And sure, he's talking about a ship, but it can really be applied to people. Loving someone is seeing someone's pain before they really openly mourn and that's beautiful.

“No more running, I aim to misbehave.” One of my all time favorite cinema lines. .

Hearing a christian professional acknowledging that types of spirituality can be unhealthy is honestly so healing.

My favorite quote by Mal that sums up his morals: You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me, and you'll be armed.

I had a pastor growing up that told me to question everything. Faith without questions is fanatical. Questions allow us to grow and evolve

"Leaf on the Wind" gets me choked up every time I hear it, especially out of context

I watched this movie with my dad years ago. When Mal said "maybe that's why we lost", my dad said in the heaviest voice I ever remember him use. "Maybe that's true..." My dad is a veteran of the South African border war. He has seen things, I know of an ambush and anti-panzer mine he lived through. This scene hit me so hard. Dad was this calm, quiet man who clawed a decent living for me, my mom and my sister. Now whenever I watch Firefly or Serenity, I see my dad, the good and broken man who does everything he can just to be a provider.

For me, Mal was defined in the second episode with the train heist. (Trying not to spoil too much) At the end they encounter the sheriff and he says something like "When you find out what's being done, a man's got a choice." And Mal responds "I don't think he does." That stamped the character with one line.

I love the way Mal pauses and looks at River before he says "better". She, too, is someone the Alliance tried to make "better" who ended up worse off. She's as much a victim as any of the people on Miranda, but she's also represents the people they can still save by stepping up to fight.

I like to think that Mal/Book's relationship is about Book giving Malcolm permission to try to be better in spite of his failure, and Mal teaching Book that hiding in peace isn't good enough because implementing morality in practical situations sometimes requires violence(action). And they both learn not to base themselves now on their failures in the past

Mal: the ultimate snarky combat pragmatist big damn antihero.

"Don't just go to the Nazis" Words to live by, in every context

I still can't fathom how the show was cancelled. I still think it has some of the most intriguing and complex characters ever written for a TV show. Especially the character of Malcolm Reynolds.

It's often claimed that left to their own devices, good people will do good and evil people will do evil, but that religion is necessary to force evil people to do good. What often gets left unspoken is religion's ability to make good people do evil.

I aim to misbehave and I swear by my pretty floral bonnet i will end you are my two favorite lines.

I love that you spent so much time talking about Mal talking about love at the end. In the first episode of Firefly, at the very end, Simon starts pestering Mal as to why he's in such a bad mood. Roughly paraphrased it's: "We've had all these horrible things happen to us all day, how are you in such a good mood?" To which Mal replies: "We're still flying." Simon: "That's not much." Mal, smiling: "No, but it's enough." It's such a small comment that can be interpreted in such a big way. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down -- and sometimes the fact that you're still flying is enough of a miracle in itself that you might as well keep going. (Being the nerd I am, struggling through the worst depressive episodes of my life while in college when I first started to love the show, I actually got "Still Flying" tattooed on my back. Little comment, big impact).

Those cannibal-rapist- zombie-pirates-in-space are hands down the scariest thing I have ever encountered on screen (and I don't watch horror films).

"The miracle already occured, it occured in me when I became a man of peace" bam right there

You two brought a lot of clarity to everything happening in 2020 through this. Thank you

once binged the entire series + Serenity in one day BEST INDEPENDENCE DAY EVER

Never watched Firefly or Serenity, don’t know anything about it but after watching this I think I found a new series for my bf and I to watch

"Love. Can know all the math in the 'verse but take a boat in the air that you don't love? She'll shake you off just as sure as a turn in the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home.” my husband and I used this for our wedding. And it still rings true to this day. you can have all the knowledge in the world but if you don't have love or empathy, the knowledge is nothing. Sometimes I forget that but i remind myself that love is there it just did need to be shown.

When you said that Mal is irritated that he has a conscience, it made me think of Wolverine and how he puts on a gruff exterior and wants people to believe he doesn't care, but he can't help but care.

Funny thing. When I went to Afghanistan, it was Christian. My nickname was Jesus because I was the only believer in my platoon. When I got back home, I had lost faith, lost God, and lost myself to a severe case of PTSD and nihilism. Truth is. I never lost my faith... I was just so angry a God for letting the things happen the way they did back in Afghanistan. In 2017 I went on a pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago. Last year I gave myself back to God. It has helped me find peace and a way through the struggle. Still fighting the battle though. PTSD never gives up. But things are better without nihilism.

Mal's belief in his crew (family) is such a powerful core element to the show. For example when he lies about sleeping with Zoey to keep Alan Tudyk from dying when they're being tortured. Beautiful

Book is an amazing character, “the Bible is fuzzy on kneecaps” always kills me, lol. That and the “special hell”, too good!

I just recently found this channel. As a person diagnosed with PTSD and who suffered for decades with suicidal ideation I say that for me, belief in something greater than myself is the life raft that keeps me from drowning when I'm too tired to swim.

"I dont care what you believe. Just believe it" That line hit SO HARD I feel like Im never gonna get over it

Okay, I sometimes watch analyses of movies/shows without having watched the movie/show itself. But, because you guys insisted soo darn much, I paused at the 11:10 mark and watched all of Firefly and Serenity with this tab still open and resumed the video when I was done. Thank you for insisting.

Good stuff! I've replied on some of the facebook pages, but I'll say the same here. It was interesting that the Operative had belief at the start of the movie and Mal didn't. By the end of the movie, they switched. Mal had the belief and the Operative lost his. Honestly I never noticed that until this video made me think about it. Quite brilliant story telling actually.

I've always seen Mal as some who was damaged by his inability to protect and save the people and the cause he served in Serenity Valley, so instead he created a smaller Serenity that he could control and he protects and cares for all who enter her. It's the motivation of The Tiny Kingdom that you see a lot among elementary school teachers. "I can't control much of my own life , but I control everything inside this room."

As an atheist who trained to be a pastor it is great to see the juxtaposition of Mal and Shepard it makes my struggle so much more understandable

It took me far too long to realize Alan was wearing a Fruity Oaty Bar shirt.

The different interpretations of beliefs and morality between Mal and the Operator reminds me of the differences between Val Jean and Javier in Les Miserables. One being compassion and forgiveness and the other being religious law and service.

Mal is a humanist who puts his faith in the the people around him that he trusts. After Shepherd Book's death and the discovery of Miranda, I think Mal rises to the occasion and re-discovers his spirituality. Or at least enough of it to get him through the day. Thanks for picking this film, its probably my #1 favorite.

As Uncle Iroh says, "It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

I think if god wants to make up for 2020, season 2 of Firefly would be the only valid option.

I think you guys should talk about Rogue One. I see a lot of Malcolm Reynolds in Jyn Erso, especially when she says "it's not a problem if you don't look up."

I watched Serenity first, then Firefly. I showed my mom Firefly first. Then we watched Serenity. By halfway through the series, she was saying that Wash was her favorite character. She did NOT see it coming! I slid a handful of kleenex in her hand during the fight between the Reavers and the Alliance.

The irony is, while we see glimpses of Mal's apathy in Firefly, it's always counterbalanced by a strong moral core. A sense of what is right independent of religion, or perhaps a vestige of it. By the time of Serenity, Shepherd Book has left. Inara has found her own way, and Mal has been left with Jane (who encourages all his worst faults) and Zoe (who can't offer the necessary moral pushback to right his course) as his go two pair on heists. Suddenly Simon and River look a little less like family to him, and a little more of a problem threatening the lives of the rest of his crew; the outsiders. For the first time since the first episode of Firefly, we see Mal willing to shoot the albatross, because that's what living without hope does to you. The second Inara and Book return to the scene, you can see Mal start to realise the pieces of himself he's been letting fall by the wayside, that Serenity has come to mean anything but for its crew. Because as much as he may have denied it in the show, Mal was being driven by faith; not in god, but in Serenity as a concept. The drive to keep the crew fed, keep the fuel running clean and keep flying free. That has no value when its done at the expense of the crew in question, but it also meant that Mal didn't have a clear reason for living himself, purely for those around him; taking a stand against the Alliance finally reminds Mal of the line he will not allow to be crossed, people he can't stand by and let suffer. Not just his crew, but what they represent: the broken down and outlandish individuals that the Alliance insist need to be fixed.

I just watched Serenity (again) this past weekend. It never fails to entertain and to inspire. I loved this video where they explained some of the lighting and other aspects of the film that I had not considered but which made a lot of sense. Firefly and Serenity - one of the best TV shows ever and a fantastic movie! I'm a Brown Coat and proud of it.

One of the things I wish to point out with "The Operative" is that he is actually self aware about his actions to the point, he KNOWS what his higher ups are doing and what he does, maybe not the extent, but he knows to the point of he says he realizes there is no place for him in the place the Alliance is trying to build. He knows that, in the end, there is no place for him in the utopia due to his own laundry list of sins. yes, he needed to see the extent of the sin to realize what he had been doing all those years was wrong, but he knew to an extent what he was doing and who he was doing it for and still did it anyways. He was not completely ignorant of who he was taking orders from.

Love that Alan is wearing his old Fruity Oaty Bars T-shirt for the occasion. Only a Serenity fan would appreciate that (and also want one of those T-shirts for themselves).

I know it’s not on point for the spirituality conversation, but it KILLS me that you cut of the book/mal scene before Book’s line “no, I don’t.” It shows the growth and self actualization book has gone through since the show in such a simple and powerful way. I think it’s his best line in the movie. Edit: it’s also 3 words that explain why he’s not on the ship any more. He has stopped straddling the line and made an active choice in the life he will lead.

Can we take a moment to appreciate how amazing Zoe is? And the love of Shepard Book that blesses everyone he meets?

The Hot Fuzz scene when they say "The Greater Good" has just converted me into a huge fan. Before, I just enjoyed this station, that got me, though.

I love the scene where River reads the bible and marked everything that contradicted itself or was not logical. And the shepard is just so chill about it. I need to see it again.

I'm still horrified by the conversation following the reveal of what happened to those Serenity relied on for sanctuary. Mal declared that killing children was a line he wouldn't cross. The Operative admitted that he didn't have that line and that both of them saw him as a monster for that. He was of the opinion that this is why Mal couldn't beat him, why he shouldn't even try to fight. In his eyes, Mal could only lose. Therefore, his only option should have been to give up, because, "You're not a Reaver, Mal." That comment inspired Mal's plan for crossing Reaver space. It also inspired him to draw Reavers and the Alliance into a battle both had avoided until that moment. Mal might not have been a monster, but he'd play one if necessary. The results shocked the Operative. It's hard to say whether he was trying to manipulate Mal or chastise him when he said, "There are a lot of good men dying up there." Either way suggests that Mal might have crossed a border the Operative wouldn't have dared. Then Mal turned the accusation into irony with, "You have no idea." The Reavers weren't always monsters. Death might have been the only mercy available to them. Dying to ensure that Miranda's secret gets out may have been the closest thing to justice they could have achieved. "You have no idea," acknowledged the humanity taken from them.

I've been binge-watching your channel, and came to this video just after watching the one on Aragorn and Toxic Masculinity. I just realized that the scene in which Mal holds dying Shepherd Book is very much alike the one with Aragorn and dying Boromir! I've always seen Mal as a man who is evolving and learning as he goes. He has some strong limiting masculinity traits (specially towards Inara and Kaylee) that slowly break down as the series go. Sometimes I wonder where Firefly characters would end up had they had the chance... oh Fox, you damage my calm.

Book's story got its own comic issue in the series that aims to close the gaps between the series and the movie: "Serenity Volume 3: The Shepherd's Tale" You should really read it! It does answer some questions about him. :)

3:04 - *"Belief in a power greater than yourself"* is how a sci-fi writer defined "sentient" in a convention panel on how space explorers can determine if the life forms they meet are just animals or are intelligent, reasoning beings. I said to my friends, "well, that lets cats out. They believe THEY are the highest life forms!"

I love how in the commentary of this film they talk about how the operative being in darkness was meant to contrast Mal's standing in the light moment. The operative has lost his faith. He's in darkness now. He has nothing. It's the most obvious reversal, and yet he doesn't get "an end to his story", he doesn't die. It's just nice that they play into tropes without playing into all of the tropes.

That last shot of Chiwetel Ejiofor makes me want to rewatch Children of Men and, for some reason, Arrival.

I was full on not prepared for I am a leaf on the wind- I watched it at home. No one had spoiled it, I screamed and had to take a break. I still am not over it.

In a show/movie overflowing with great writing, "I aim to misbehave" in the context of the story MIGHT be the greatest line ever.

"Love is what makes room at the dinner table." Brilliant! Is that a quote from somewhere? I can't find it with Google.

I feel so bad for the Reavers. I feel like they become that way without choice.

The best exchange concerning belief, lost and found, is actually in one of the deleted scenes. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TEYLbaw-sPs.html ***SPOILERS*** Near the end, the final words between the operative and Mal, he asks Mal how he found the will to carry on after losing everything the Battle of Serenity Valley. Mal responds, "You're still standing there when that engine starts, you never will figure it out." In the literal sense, standing there would get him incinerated. Metaphorically, Mal gave him the answer. After losing his faith in God, man, and everything in between, Mal put one foot in front of the other. He went through the motions and kept living until he found something worth living for. To quote Winston Churchill, "If you're going through hell, keep going."

Since I first watched Serenity I've always been struck by the contrast between Mal and the Operative on the monkey bar cross beams. The Operative is so obviously the superior physically and yet, when they fight it is literally Mal's past scars that save him. The Operative's signature nerve stab would have paralyzed Mal without his old wound. I was wondering what your take on that would be, but I guess it's not directly related to belief... And yet...

I always liked and appreciated how a guy like Joss Whedon explored the issues of faith, belief, doubt, and spirituality and in ways that I always found to be way more profound than anything done in "christian" cinema that is more preachy than explorative.

Man I miss this show so much. It has so much potential. The story is so cool.

I love the episode Ariel where Mal puts Jane outside the airlock and then effectively quotes the parable of the sleep and the goats, "what you did to one of my crew you did it to me".

I think part of what Book was trying ro convey to Mal when he said just believe in something was that there is a certain kind of strength and resolve that comes with a genuine belief. A strength and resolve that helps you keep taking just one more step when all you want to do is just quit. He knew the alliance agent was going to have that kind of belief in what he was doing, Mal was going to need something to make him not give up.

'i'm a leaf on the wind watch how i soar' is actually what i say when i, a person with constant anxiety, try to navigate straining situations that require some letting go / trusting my body/ the process

Firefly is free on Facebook watch. And they are in order.

Mal is still in Serenity Valley, waiting for God's intervention. It's only when he realizes that he's still waiting that he can move forward.

This is so great you guys. Firefly's my favorite show of all time.

As a Christian and a Browncoat, this video means so much to me and I appreciate the both of you even more now. Sheppard Book is my favourite person of faith in all of fiction and I aspire to follow his example. "I don't care what you believe, just believe " is the core of my belief system. I think it's important for everyone to find something to believe in and to respect the beliefs of others. It doesn't have to be God, it can be a person or an ideal or anything. As long as you don't hurt other people in the name of your belief.

I became a Serenity nerd long ago. I’ve watched all of it so much I was able to clean house with my earphones in, and KNEW which scenes you were dealing with. This was great storytelling and filming. You guys were awesome, and I love it.

Just recently found your stuff and I love it. There is a line from a James Bond book, "stay close to people Bond, they are easier to fight for than ideals" That sums up Mal. His belief is in people. His crew and later everyone else. Now take The Operative, who just had an ideal, after he is shown the truth he has nothing. Though he totally took Books path after this.

the one thing Mal says that has NEVER left my heart... from TRAIN JOB...when the sheriff catches him trying to make his escape... "you see, a man knows the details of a situation such as ours...well THEN HE HAS A CHOICE" "I don't believe he does..."

Couldn’t feel any better right now. So grateful for the Firefly series and you guys for solidifying all of the beliefs I’ve tried to make sense of over many many years.

I love Firefly and Serenity so much. The fact that you did this episode made me so incredibly happy. One part that you cut out was after Mal and the Operative are talking and Mal says they won’t be able to trace him, the Operative says that he and Mal won’t be in the new world the Operative creates because they are monsters. That line always gets me. He is so invested in his cause that he plans to purge himself when his job is done. He is blindly in it though he knows what it has made him.

I'd love to see you review the episode where a victim of a Reaver attack became a Reaver himself!

The guy that runs out begging, “please take me with you” is none other than Dennis Reynolds of It’s Always Sunny.

I finished Firefly last weekend and watched Serenity at 3am on a work night (which wasn't my wisest choice but was 100% worth it). Your comments about healthy spirituality really clarified something for me that I've been grappling with for the last 6-8 months, so thank you!

As someone who is not remotely spiritual, it was interesting to see your guys’ take on it as it pertained to Serenity. This movie (and the show, obviously! 😂) are some of my favorites, and I enjoy hearing new peoples’ takes and thoughts on the themes, lessons and characters. Thanks for this channel you two! Keep being awesome!

I know your channel is for movies, but I sincerely would love to see you talk about individual episodes of "Firefly"! That show had everything, and the richness of each main character (the way Whedon was able to flesh them all out and make them each unique) made it such an enjoyable series! Also, best Shepherd quote ever: "If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater."

My favourite Mal moment is his interaction with the cops at the end of The Train Job. The Sherriff says something about how when someone learns all the details about their situation, they have a choice to make, then Mal responds with "I don't believe he does" I've always loved how he believes that hurting those people isn't even an option. That the ONLY outcome after hearing about their need for medical supplies was to return those supplies

This is the 1st time that I have watched one if your videos. But it won't be the last. You guys are pretty good. This was the 1st performance from Chiwitel Ejiofor that I ever saw. He soon became one if my favourite actors. I thought that he should have received an Oscar nomination for his performance as The Operative.

Just want to point out that for some folks with high levels of anxiety, spoiling a book or film can actually make reading/viewing them more enjoyable. I know such a thing might be hard to imagine for the average person but that kind of acute anxiety runs in my family. Jonathon Decker: Would folks like that still be considered 'sickos'? I certainly don't think so.

Firefly/Serenity still holds up as a masterpiece of greater thematic depth than anything the big studios have done in decades. As time goes on, the themes of perseverance and tenacity in the face of failure and hopelessness, the complexity of the human condition, re-discovering belief and hope in the face of impossible odds -- these things only become *more* relevant with time, not less.

Just realized how much Pedro pascal looks and sounds like Nathan Fillion and now I want a remake

YES! My new favorite channel.

When you mentioned that we never really learn Book's history I felt the need to comment that he did in fact get a comic series that explains, at least some, of his origin. I highly recommend the Firefly comics there's a lot of great stuff in them including Book's origin and what happened after Serenity.

I wish I had a friendship like this. My mom and my best friend couldn’t care less about this kind of stuff and though I’m lucky that they still listen and watch when ever I want, for hours at a time. To have someone who feels the same and not having to explain every little detail only to get a lukewarm response? Would be life altering and so much fun. But at least now there’s RU-vid and I can watch people having that kind of experience and connection. But I just wish I could experience it just once. Okay, I’ll shut up, I’m depressing myself. Edit: But even my mom loves Firefly.

aw man thats sort of what happend after I quit my job, my family started asking me to do more and more, and I just couldn't take it as I was trying to recover mentally from the job and they didn't help asking more of me when I wasn't ready for it so I reclused to my self and did nothing for a couple of months, but it seams ever time I stick my head up to do more, they push more on me and it just pushes me further away.

You guys should really read “A Shepherd’s Tale” if you haven’t already. Its a graphic novel that goes into Book’s back story and it explains so much as to who he is and why he respects Mal so much and why he so fully understands The Operative

I Love Shepherd Book. As someone whose father was a pastor and is a lifelong christian. He is legitimately the sort of person all christians should aspire to be.

To me, the most important thing you said in this post is that you must always leave room for other ideas to come in. So many people don't/can't do that.

As an atheist, I've always had a soft spot for believers who don't have a squeaky clean past, and don't pretend to. That's what made Book such an endearing character. That said, for all the good and the bad, Mal is probably the single character that I identify with the most. When he says, "they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave" it's one of the greatest moments in any movie for me.

Great video : ) I think the Operative might be my favorite villain in all of science fiction because he simply does not mess around or waste time. Just like Al Capone in The Untouchables, every time he acts, Mal and his crew lose something or someone. Plus, the Operative recognizes that he's an awful person, but because it's all "necessary", he will not hesitate to do anything. D:

My favorite scene is when Jayne tries to sell the Tams but ends up saving them. They are very grateful but Mal knows the truth and IS about to kill Jayne when Jayne asks Mal not to tell the others what he did- to make up some story. Sense of shame Mal didn't know about saved him

The fact that firefly brought you two together is one of the most wholesome origin story ngl.

This is the first movie I had a Big emotional reaction to. My friend showed me the movie to try to get me into Firefly and we got to the Wash scene. "I'm a leaf on the wind" 🍃 And I broke Full no tears no reaction just shut down. They paused it and helped me lie down tell my brain processed. When the tears came they sat me up asked if i was ok and we finished the movie. Still not quite sure what pushed me over but I know that was a breakthrough moment

I also watched Firefly when it originally aired. I thought it was brilliant then and still do. Firmly planted at the corner of No and Where.