Firefly Marathon #14: Objects in Space

Almost at the end now.

While wandering Serenity, River finds a discarded gun in the cargo hold and picks it up, causing panic amongst the rest of the crew. As the crew debate the incident, Kaylee reveals what happened during "War Stories" while Mal begins to suspect River's psychic ability and that the Alliance may have tried to make her into a super-soldier. As the crew are sleeping on the matter, a bounty hunter named Early sneaks on board Serenity in search of the Tams.

This episode is mainly focussed on River, showing us how she seems to perceive the world. As she wanders the ship, she seems to hear the crew's thoughts, and we hear what she hears, rather than what they're actually saying. It's a great look at the internal monologues of most of the characters. For example, Simon is telling Kaylee a funny story about his graduation. As River walks past, she sees Simon look at her and say "I would be there right now". The line suggests an underlying bitterness Simon is harbouring over giving up the life he once had. While he's never presented as being bitter, her reading suggests that this very human bitterness is there, no matter how much he does. She also sees autumn leaves on the floor of the cargo bay, and perceives the gun as a stick.

Early's arrival makes things even more tense. When he's present, he's in control. He locks the crew in their quarters and takes Simon hostage, threatening to rape Kaylee if he doesn't cooperate. He's reprehensible, but the dialogue between him and Simon produces a ton of funny lines. Especially when River hatches a plan to take care of him. He also seems to recognise Book, once again hinting at the Shepherd's dark past.

This is probably River's crowning moment of awesome, because she is able to think clearly when the situation demands it. The plan she hatches is incredible, and it's nice to see her growing closer to the rest of the crew.

As far as funny moments go, my favourite has to be when Simon tries to attack Early. Jayne wakes up to the sounds of the struggle, pulls off the curtain to his personal armoury...and then uses it as an extra blanket and goes back to sleep.

Well, that was the last episode in the series. I'll do the wrap-up tomorrow, and maybe look at the film.

Firefly Marathon #13: Heart of Gold

Firefly is predominantly a western, so why not have a pastiche of The Magnificent Seven?

Nandi, a former Companion and brothel owner, is being targeted by Rance Burgess, the local landowner. One of Nandi's girls, Petaline, is pregnant, and Rance believes he is the father and demands that they hand the child over. Nandi contacts her old friend Inara, who offers the work to the crew of Serenity.

For the most part, the story is very similar to The Magnificent Seven, with the crew of Serenity training Nandi's people to fight Rance Burgess and his army of hired guns. However, there's also a lot of time dedicated to the relationship between Mal and Inara. It's been previously implied that they have romantic feelings for one another, but they're both reluctant to act on these feelings due to a desire to keep their relationship professional. When Mal grows closer to Nandi, this adds to the tension between our favourite bickering couple.

Overall, there's not really much else to this one. But there's still a great battle scene, a ton of funny lines, and the image of Mal chasing after Rance's hovercar on horseback perfectly sums up the world of Firefly. There are some interesting continuty nods, such as when Nandi kisses Mal and he pauses to see if he passes out; a reference to Saffron's Goodnight Kiss from "Our Mrs. Reynolds".

There's also a line when Kaylee asks Wash if she's pretty. Wash nonchalantly responds with "Were I not wed, I'd take you in a manly fashion." When Alan Tudyk announced his marriage on Twitter, he referenced that line.

Firefly Marathon #12: The Message

This might be one of the most poignant episodes in the series.

While collecting some post from a space station, Mal and Zoe receive a coffin containing the body of Private Tracey, a soldier from their old platoon. On the body's person is a message recorded by Tracey prior to his death, asking Mal and Zoe to take his body back to his family. During the journey, Serenity is pursued by Lieutenant Womack, an Alliance officer who is going great lengths to recover Tracey's body.

Before the climax of the episode, we are treated to how the different characters are dealing with the death. For example, Book says a few words over the coffin while Jayne is working out on a nearby bench press. The discussion they have shows the surprising friendship the two have had over the course of the series. Speaking of Jayne, this episode also reveals that he sends a lot of his income to his mother, and is excited to receive a knitted woolly hat in the post. He wears it for most of the episode.

One thing that's quite unusual in this one is the characterisation of Wash. I've previously mentioned how calm and collected he can be during stressful situations. However, he becomes a lot more giddy during a ship chase sequence. While I preferred the earlier character, it's not too big of an issue because the behind the scenes reason for the change is actually pretty funny.

There is still some humour in the episode. For example, the opening features a carnival barker claiming to have proof that aliens exist. We cut to Simon and Kaylee in the booth, which contains the aforementioned alien life-form; a mutated cow foetus. It's playing with how the Firefly's world does not have aliens. There's also a flashback to the Unification War, in which we find a wilder and much more gung-ho Mal fighting alongside the more serious and level-headed Zoe and a not very competent Tracey. In a slightly sadder one, we have Mal and Zoe drinking with Inara and reminiscing over Tracey, sharing a story of how he stole an officer's moustache. Yes, really. You never hear the end of that story too, but I'd love to imagine it.

Anyway, I don't want to spoil the twist, but there's a harrowing chase and a tense moment as Womack bombs the canyon they're hiding in. There's also a tough showdown between Serenity's crew and Womack, spearheaded by Shephard Book of all people.

Finally, I'd like to talk about the ending, in which they deliver Tracey's body to his family, as that's the most poignant scene. This episode was one of the last ones to be filmed, and didn't air in the original series run. Just before shooting commenced on this particular scene, the cast were told that the series had been cancelled. They're all genuinely grieving. It's actually one of the few things which gets me teary-eyed.

Firefly Marathon #11: Trash

We've got another caper, a returning character, and a bizarre opening which is actually the ending. And possibly another candidate for the top five.

During an illicit cargo transfer, Mal reunites with Monty, another former Independent who's also working as a smuggler. During the reunion, Monty introduces Mal to his new wife, Bridget. Unfortunately, Bridget turns out to be Mal's former "wife", Saffron. When Monty throws her out, Mal is all too willing to leave her to die in the desert, but Saffron offers Mal a job; to steal an antique laser gun known as the Lassiter from the floating estate of Durran Haymer, a wealthy collector of artifacts from Earth. Saffron had initially planned to offer the job to Monty, luring Mal with the promise of a lucrative payout and a chance to get revenge on a war criminal. As part of the job, Kaylee devises a plan to get the Lassiter out of the estate undetected by throwing it in the bin, hence the episode's title.

Because this is a heist story - in which double crosses are pretty much a given trope - I can't really say too much about it without giving away the surprises. Nonetheless, all the characters get moments to truly shine. While Mal and Saffron infiltrate the estate, Kaylee tries to insert a new programme into the trash container beneath the estate so the drone which collects it will deposit it in the desert rather than the incinerator. This has to be done on top of Serenity, and Wash is trying to keep the ship steady while alarms for collision warnings are echoing in the bridge. It's amazing to see how the goofy and immature Wash can become so calm and collected when the situation demands it.

We also get cool moments from Inara and Simon, but I can't discuss those without spoiling it. In fact, Simon's moment actually pertains to the events of "Ariel".

It's a great caper with incredible twists and tense moments, along with some of the funniest lines in the entire series. That's why I rate this one quite highly.

Firefly Marathon #10: War Stories

This is one with some very dark comedy, and the unfortunate return of a familiar face.

After his suggestion about selling their haul from the Ariel job gets shot down, Wash becomes increasingly jealous of Zoe's war buddy relationship with Mal. In a bid to prove himself, he coerces Mal into taking him to an exchange. Unfortunately, they're both kidnapped by Adelei Niska, who wants to get even with Mal after the events of "The Train Job". Zoe initially tries to buy them back, but is only able to secure Wash's release. The pair then decide to mount a rescue mission, with the rest of the crew joining in.

Meanwhile, River seems to be on the mend, with Kaylee playfully chasing her around the ship to recover an apple (from a crate which Jayne bought with his cut from the Ariel job). Any moment where River is actually enjoying herself is actually fun to watch, and it spawns some hilarious lines from Mal. This does come into play during the main story in a grim way, but I'm not going to discuss that here.

Another subplot involves Inara wanting to bring one of her clients on board Serenity, and being concerned about the privacy. It's then revealed that her client is female (to Jayne's delight). We know at this point that Companions choose their own clients, so we can say that this subplot allows for some LGBT+ representation. However, it doesn't seem to add much to the story other than a repeating line (albeit not until the end).

However, the main focus is on the relationship between Mal, Zoe, and Wash. This provides a darkly hilarious moment in which Mal and Wash are getting tortured by Niska, but they're too busy arguing with each other to notice. Or rather, Mal taunts Wash about wanting to sleep with Zoe to get him angry, because he realises that's keeping him from breaking. There's an equally funny moment when Zoe arrives to negotiate their release. Niska claims she doesn't have enough money for both of them, wanting to play the sadistic choice game. Zoe cuts him off and immediately chooses Wash.

The rescue mission has some great action, with most of the crew taking up arms to save Mal. Even Shepherd Book joins in. He doesn't kill anybody, but he demonstrates some marksmanship skill by shooting a thug in the knee while firing one-handed from the hip. And it ends with an equally hilarious moment when they encounter Mal fighting Niska's bodyguard.

All in all, this one's pretty good. I'll put it in the top five if there's room for it.

Firefly Marathon #9: Ariel

Since when did Firefly become a medical drama?

The crew are travelling to Ariel, a technologically advanced core planet, so Inara can undergo her compulsory annual medical examination. During the journey, River unexpectedly slashes Jayne with a knife. Not long afterwards, Simon proposes that the crew help him break into the local hospital so he can determine what the Alliance did to his sister. The job comes with the additional task of stealing surplus medicines which would fetch a great price on the frontier planets. However, Mal is wary that Jayne may try and get even during the job.

Okay, so stealing from a hospital doesn't sound like the most noble goal (that's the government's job). And it is definitely a shift in aesthetic. But does that make it a bad episode? Not at all. It's actually nice to see the crew come out on top for a change. It's especially cool to see Simon acting like he belongs in what was once his natural environment. It also provides a greater focus on the the relationship between Jayne and the Tams, whom Jayne has been antagonistic and hostile towards since the beginning of the series.

I think my favourite joke is actually a minor one; while Kaylee and Wash are salvaging parts to restore an old ambulance, they find a compression coil amongst the scrapheaps. The same part which served as an important plot device in the previous episode, now gets casually thrown away.

Speaking of continuity, we have the return of "The Hands of Blue" from "The Train Job". After Simon, River, and Jayne are ambushed and arrested, these two men in suits arrive to collect River. However, they're also tasked with eliminating anybody who has had contact with here, even if they're Alliance personnel. And elimination involves showing them a blue light which causes them to hemorrhage to death.

This one is definitely a departure from the typical Wild West-style frontier setting, but it's still a good episode with a good twist.

Firefly Marathon #8: Out of Gas

After two comedic episodes, we've got a more dramatic one today. It's also presented in an unusual order.

The episode opens in medias res, with an injured Mal collapsed in the cargo bay of the deserted Serenity drifting aimlessly through deep space. Through flashbacks, it's revealed that the ship's compression coil blew (something which Kaylee nagged Mal about in the pilot episodes), knocking out the engines. To make matters worse, the ensuing explosion had knocked out the auxiliary power (including the life support), while a fire had used up most of the remaining oxygen. With no other options, Mal sends the rest of the crew away in Serenity's two shuttles while he remains aboard in case somebody picks up the distress signal.

As stated above, the events of this episode are not shown in chronological order. We switch between a wounded Mal trying to repair the ship in the present, and the crew trying to deal with their troubles in the near-past. The episode is also interspersed with other flashbacks showing how Mal and Zoe obtained Serenity and recruited the rest of the crew. However, the story still flows, as the three different time-frames transition seamlessly.

I think my favourite flashback is how Mal first met Kaylee. Bester, the previous mechanic who was hired around the same time as Wash, is not the most competent person around. While the ship is grounded, Mal finds Bester in the engine room having sex with Kaylee. After Kaylee fixes an problem she noticed during the sex which Bester didn't notice while he was actually working, Mal hires her on the spot. Bester's expression when he realises he's been fired is priceless.

Speaking of Kaylee, seeing her depressed over her inability to fix the engine is absolutely heart-wrenching. There's also the fact that Zoe was incapacitated by the explosion, which has an effect on Wash. Mal has to physically threaten him to get him back to work. This episode is probably has most of the characters at their bleakest. That said, it does result in two moments of black comedy: the first is when Jayne (of all people) acts as a voice of reason, by chastising Mal and Wash for having a loud argument because it's using up the oxygen. The other is when River tries to comfort Book by saying they're not going to suffocate; they'll freeze to death first.

While it may be sudden shift in tone from the previous episode, it's nonetheless a strong one. Joss Whedon himself has even gone on record saying that it was one of his favourite projects he'd ever worked on. It's a poignant story, which shows us all how we got here.

Firefly Marathon #7: Jaynestown

This is probably one of the funniest episodes of Firefly, and is also one of my personal favourites.

During a smuggling run, Jayne is anxious when the crew are due to collect goods from Canton, a company town he'd pulled off a heist in four years earlier. To the surprise of the crew, they discover that Jayne is hailed as a hero by the "mudders", Canton's community of labourers who toil in the world's clay pits. Which includes a statue of him in the town square, and a folk song depicting him as a Robin Hood figure. Mal tries devising a plan to move the contraband they've come to collect by using the people's hero worship as a diversion. Meanwhile, word of Jayne's return reaches Magistrate Higgins - whom Jayne had robbed on his previous visit - and he plans to get even while also hiring Inara to sleep with his son, Fess.

The notion of an amoral mercenary like Jayne being hailed as a hero is just hilarious. It's also nice to give him some depth. He's intially reluctant to draw attention to himself, especially as he's recognised by some of the mudders, but he does warm up to the idea when he gets special treatment like the local saloon's finest whiskey. He actually gets teary-eyed and emotional when he learns that the mudders rioted after the Magistrate tried to take the statue down, and even expresses doubts about using his status for Mal's plan. The whole scenario is similar to concepts explored in Unforgiven, about how myths surrounding people often emerge from more complicated truths. This gets discussed deeply near the end of the episode, so I won't spoil it here.

In a subplot, Book volunteers to look after River as Simon joins the crew on their adventure (growing closer to Kaylee in the process). There's a brief discussion about the concept of faith after River tries to "fix" the bible, but a funnier moment occurs when River discovers Book's Einstein-style hair (which he normally keeps in a tight bun). She ends up hiding in the smuggler's compartment, and the normally stoic Zoe can't help but crack up over it. While that moment is hilarious, it doesn't seem to add much to the main story.

I think my favourite moment has to be a discussion between Inara and Fess. When Fess mentions he's due to attend the hearing of a Robin Hood figure who crossed his father, she assumes he's talking about Mal. She begins speaking of how she knows this man and his sense of honour. When Fess interrupts by asking if she really knows Jayne, her expression is priceless. The musical build-up during her monologue even abruptly stops.

That song is great too.

Firefly Marathon #6: Our Mrs. Reynolds

This is one of the more comedic episodes of Firefly.

After ridding a frontier town of a bandit problem, Serenity's crew are hailed as heroes by the townspeople and a celebration is thrown in their honour. When they leave the following morning, Mal discovers a stowaway; a young woman named Saffron, whom he'd unwittingly married the previous night. Unfortunately, one of the bandits they'd killed was the nephew of a prominent government official, preventing them from taking her back.

The first half of the episode is mostly comprised of comedic misunderstandings. The bulk of these stem from Mal trying to respect Saffron as a person, but her sheltered upbringing makes her all too eager to be a subservient housewife. This rubs off on the rest of the crew in various ways: it causes Wash and Zoe to argue; Inara becomes jealous, alluding to her suppressed romantic feelings for Mal; Book lectures Mal on "the special Hell" if he takes advantage of Saffron; Jayne wants Saffron for himself, even offering Mal his favourite gun (Vera) in trade.

Now, this kind of humour wouldn't carry an episode. Fortunately, it doesn't have to; the second half reveals that Saffron's naivete and subservience is merely a facade, and she has more nefarious plans for the crew. Even in the perilous moments, there is still some hilarious conversations. Plus another example of Book's "forbidden knowledge".

Just to recap on Book: he's proficient in hand-to-hand combat; he knows of Adelei Niska's infamous reputation; he can get medical treatment from the Alliance with no questions asked; now he seems to know about some of the hardware used by chop shop gangs in space (and it's not pleasant). Yeah, not the kind of things you'd get to know when sequestered in a monastery.

One notable absence is River. She's still on the ship, and appears in the background, but she doesn't have any lines. Although I have read that there was a scene where she asks Book to marry her to Simon, and she later hints at Saffron's true nature. Unfortunately, these scenes had to be cut due to time constraints.

Overall, the first half mostly plays like a romantic comedy (which may not be everybody's thing), but there's still a good perilous situation in the second act.

Firefly Marathon #5: Safe

Yep, it's the one with that famous line.

Following the events of the previous episode, Serenity has arrived on a backwater colony with Sir Warwick Harrow's cargo; a herd of cattle. Simon and River are sent to the nearby town, where they get abducted by settlers from a remote village. Meanwhile, Mal's business transaction is disrupted when a posse shows up to arrest their buyers. A gunfight breaks out, during which Shepherd Book is seriously wounded. With Simon missing, he's forced to seek medical aid elsewhere.

Again, this one is a tense one, with Mal forced to seek help from the Alliance to treat Book, and their bureaucratic refusal to do so. Until Book asks them to scan his identity card. Yeah, I'm spoiling it, but it leaves more questions than it answers regarding Book's mysterious past.

This episode also gives Simon and River a day in the limelight. As River wanders off, she finds herself at a maypole dance. She's brought up to the stage, stares at the dancers for a moment as if she's processing what's happening, and is then happily dancing along with them. It's nice to see her enjoy herself (and for Summer Glau to show off her dancing talent). It's also revealed that she's psychic (although this was hinted at in the previous episode when she meets Badger). However, this causes trouble in the village they get taken to when she identifies the cause of a young girl's muteness without speaking to her, prompting them to label her as a witch. This also gives Simon a chance to develop, when he tries to protect her when the villagers decide to have her burned at the stake. He tries to talk them down, actually lays three of the villagers out, and is even willing to be burned with his sister.

To further focus the story on the Tams, the episode is interspersed with flashbacks to Simon and River's childhood, along with the life and career Simon gave up when he broke River out. It also shows his parents were oblivious (or possibly even complicit) to River's experimentation.

It wraps things up nicely, and also establishes Simon as a fully-fledged member of the crew.

Also, that's Zac Efron as a young Simon. Apparently this was his first role.

Firefly Marathon #4: Shindig

Today's episode shifts the tone from horror to costume drama. However, I consider this to be one of my favourite episodes.

The crew returns to Persephone (which they'd previously visited in the pilot episode) to re-supply, when Mal and Jayne are approached by Badger with a special job; a local aristocrat named Sir Warwick Harrow is struggling to obtain permits to move cargo off-world, and refuses to deal with Badger. Mal and Kaylee gain access to a ball which Sir Warwick is attending, and have to try and convince him to hand his cargo over to them. Coincidentally, Inara is attending the same ball with Atherton Wing, another aristocrat and regular customer who wishes to keep her on retainer. He also becomes jealous of Mal, who punches him when he insults Inara. Unfortunately, such an act is regarded as a challenge to a duel. And Atherton is a master duellist. And Badger invades Serenity so the rest of the crew can't intervene. However, the duel also offers an opportunity for Mal to work with Sir Warwick, who wasn't overly fond of Atherton.

This episode provides an excellent "fish out of water" story, while also exploring the...complicated relationship between Mal and Inara. It's suggested that there's meant to be some romantic tension between them, but they want to keep their relationship a professional one. Which means they spend most of the time bickering while Inara gives Mal a fencing lesson.

While our favourite captain and companion are the focus of the episode, we can't forget the rest of the crew. For example, Kaylee attends the ball wearing a frilly pink dress she'd coveted in a shop window earlier. Her attempt to mingle with a group of debutantes fails when they insult her dress, until an older gentleman masterfully insults the debutantes. We then find her at the centre of a group of gentlemen discussing spaceship engines. It's kind of touching, seeing Kaylee being courted for her practical knowledge rather than her looks or social status. Unlike the debutantes whom the gentleman sees as "useless people".

On top of that, you have the crew contemplating their options when Badger holds them hostage. Jayne, who has always treated Simon with hostility, actually seems eager when the doctor suggests taking them by surprise. It also gets one of my favourite laughs of the episode (well, one I can talk about without spoiling all the surprises) when Jayne suggests a diversion.

It's a good episode with a mix of jeopardy and humour, and the payoff is equally fantastic.

Firefly Marathon #3: Bushwhacked

Firefly's going all Ridley Scott on us today.

During some downtime, the crew stumbles across a derelict transport ship and decide to check in search of survivors (and valuables). They rescue a survivor and soon discover that the ship had been attacked by Reavers, feral humans said to have been driven mad by isolation. Unfortunately, they're halted by an Alliance cruiser who board Serenity in search of Simon and River.

This episode really plays up the horror atmosphere as the crew board the deserted ship. People seem to have left quickly, but there are no signs of any struggle and the lifeboat is said to have launched. It gives you a hope spot, but that gets dashed as it's discussed that the lifeboat wouldn't be able to hold everybody. A confined location like a spaceship is a pretty good setting for these kind of stories (which is partly why Alien worked so well). And the fact that there is no clear threat on board the ship plays up the the paranoia.

One thing I like about Firefly is that it doesn't use aliens. As savage and brutal as the Reavers are, it's established that they were once human. It avoids the typical science-fiction cliches while also exploring some of the worst things humans can be capable of. But the Reavers never actually appear. They're mentioned in the pilot episode, and the crew encounters a Reaver ship later on, but they escape. That time they were playing up fears of what the Reavers could do. This time around, we're looking at the aftermath of a Reaver attack, and the psychological effect it has on a survivor.

There is even more tension as the Alliance arrive, as Simon fears that Mal will hand him and River over (but it does surprise you and show how truly loyal Mal is to his crew). However, this does bring about one of the episode's funniest moments as the Alliance officer is interrogating Mal's crew but isn't getting anything useful from them: Inara answers her questions politely, Zoe is curt and belligerent, Wash enthusiastically raves about his marriage to Zoe, Kaylee rants about how Serenity's engines are superior to those of the Alliance ships, Jayne stares menacingly, and Book is vague.

If horror isn't your thing, this probably won't be your favourite episode. But it's still a good one.

Firefly Marathon #2: The Train Job

As I said yesterday, Fox weren't too happy about Firefly's original pilot episode, so we have a more action-packed one today.

Mal's crew is hired by a ruthless crime boss named Adelei Niska to steal a consignment of Alliance goods off a moving train. Eager to steal from the Alliance, Mal takes the job. Travelling as a passenger with Zoe, they break in to the baggage car and open the roof, allowing the goods to be airlifted out on Serenity. Unfortunately, they're surprised by an Alliance soldier who triggers a smoke trap. Jayne is wounded in the scuffle, while Mal and Zoe are left behind. While being detained at the station, they learn that the cargo they had stolen is actually a supply of medicine used to treat a degenerative disease which afflicts most of the townspeople.

Because this was written as another pilot episode, we're introduced to most of the main cast again. Instead of a battle scene, we open with Mal, Zoe, and Jayne sitting in a bar when another patron calls a toast to celebrate the anniversary of the end of the civil war between the Alliance and the Independants. Mal, who had fought for the Independants, goes to get another drink when the patron confronts him for his brown coat (a symbol of the Independants) and not joining in the toast. Mal cheerfully baits him, allowing his old war buddy Zoe to get the drop on the belligerent drunk. When the other patrons begin to stand, Jayne, who hadn't fought in the war, puts his feet up and wishes them look. And is later seen joining the fight for the fun of it.

One major difference is that they make Mal slightly more moral in this episode. Mal was quite ruthless in the previous one, threatening to kill Simon if he didn't treat Kaylee, and even planning on leaving him and River on Whitefall. Although he did eventually let them stay on board Serenity, realising that the crew could use a medic. That said, he gets his ruthless moments in this episode too; after learning about the cargo, Mal decides to return it to the local sheriff, but they're met by Niska's henchman, Crow. A shootout ensues in the cargo hold, and Crow is subdued. Mal gives him back the advance payment, and tells him to return it to Niska. When Crow threatens his life, Mal simply says "Darn" and kicks him into the engine intake. He then repeats his speech to one of Crow's goons, who cuts him off by agreeing. As sick as that sounds, it's probably one of the funniest moments in the episode. Either that or the part when Simon dopes Jayne after treating him so he can't take over the ship.

The episode also maintains some of the continuity of the previous one:

• Kaylee reminds Malcolm about trying to replace a compression coil, warning that it will cause them trouble if it blows.
• Shepherd Book, who previously demonstrated an unusual proficiency in hand-to-hand combat for a Christian preacher, also seems to know about ruthless crime lords like Adelei Niska

Furthermore, River has a moment where she raves about "Hands of Blue". The episode ends with two mysterious men in suits with blue gloves quizzing an Alliance officer about River's whereabouts.

All in all, it's pretty good.

Firefly Marathon #1: Serenity

"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

To start the marathon, I'll look at the pilot episode, Serenity (not to be confused with the film of the same name). Presumably, this was a two-part episode, but most releases present it as a single feature-length one.

Like Star Wars, the show opens during a period of civil war. Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds and Corporal Zoe Alleyne are Independants fighting the Union of Allied Planets (The Alliance) until their defeat at the Battle of Serenity Valley. Six years later, Mal is the captain and owner of a tramp freighter named Serenity, with Zoe serving as his second-in-command. The rest of the crew include: Zoe's husband Wash, the ship's goofy pilot; Kaylee Frye, the overly optimistic mechanic; and Jayne Cobb, a crude and power-hungry mercenary. Also travelling with the crew is Inara Serra, a high-class escort known as a Companion who rents one of the shuttles on board Serenity.

Anyway, first part follows the crew as they loot cargo from a derelict, avoiding an Alliance cruiser in the process. On the planet Persephone, they attempt to deliver the cargo to their contact, a local crime boss named Badger. Unfortunately, Badger reneges on the deal because he doesn't like how Mal looks down on him and has seen an Alliance bulletin about a Firefly-class transport carrying stolen goods. Mal opts to take the goods to another associate named Patience on the frontier planet Whitefall. to supplement their income, they take on several passengers: an aloof doctor named Simon Tam, who has brought aboard a mysterious box; a wandering preacher (Shepherd) named Book; and a clumsy man called Dobson. However, they soon discover that these passengers aren't what they seem, and when Wash blocks a call to the alliance, they discover a mole on board.

This portion of the episode tries to build up that Simon is the mole. Since the opening credits give things away, I might as well spoil it. Dobson is revealed to be an Alliance agent, and he's after Simon rather than Mal. When Kaylee is shot during the confrontation, Book subdues Dobson and they're forced to flee the Alliance when Simon refuses to treat Kaylee if he hands them over. The crew then discover that Simon has been transporting his younger sister River, a teenage prodigy whom he had broken out of an Alliance research facility.

Anyway, the second part mostly deals with the aftermath of this while the crew still travel to Whitefall to meet with Patience. En route, they encounter a passing ship crewed by Reavers. It creates a tense scene as they're unsure whether or not the Reavers will attack, and you can feel the terror the crew are feeling as they discuss it. There's also a good source of tension as Simon tries to keep Kaylee alive to avoid being killed himself (which comes brings with it a comedic payoff).

Upon arriving at Whitefall, the episode piles on the jeopardy as Patience tries to backstab Mal and Zoe, Dobson escapes from his restraints and captures River, and the Reaver ship turns around to follow Serenity.

Overall, it's a pretty good pilot episode. It establishes the main characters really well, and you can sympathise with their plights even if they're not the most heroic people around. My favourite moment (other than the payoff to Simon's struggle) is probably Wash's introduction shown by the image. Sure, he's goofy when he's playing with plastic dinosaurs, but when the Reaver ship chases Serenity he becomes calmer and more collected than anyone else on the crew.

Unfortunately, Fox weren't too happy with the pilot episode (except for the payoff to Simon's struggle) and asked for something more action-packed. I'll look at that one tomorrow.

Firefly Marathon

Well, I've handed in all my January assignments now. Since I have a bit of breathing space, I figured that I'd do another review marathon. I've already looked at a long running film series and a longer-running comic series, so this time I'd like to look at a shorter-running TV series.

I've previously stated on this blog that Firefly is one of my favourite shows of all time. I love the imagination behind the world they created, along with the great dynamic between the characters. And with the current politcal climate, the show's theme of independance is one that appeals to me both in real life and in my writing. I'd love to jump into a Firefly and drift the space lanes to live away from the government, even though I'm really not prepared for the hardships which come with it.

Over the next few days, I figured that I'd watch through each episode and give my views on them. I'll try and keep my spoilers to a minimum, but I may not always be able to help that.

Anyway, I'll post my first review later today.

New Year, New Plans

It's 2020. Happy New Year. No, I don't have resolutions. You can't break promises if you didn't make them to begin with.

That said, something I would like to do is try and get more people interested in the Savage Worlds roleplaying system. This isn't necessarily a resolution, as it's more of an ongoing thing.

Back in Freshers' Week, I was manning the stands for the university's Game Society. During this time, I was approched by the owner of a board gaming cafe which caters to the tabletop roleplaying game community, who asked if I wanted to run a weekly game there. Seeing an opportunity to expand my player-base to "public" games as well as Society-exclusive ones, I accepted. Unfortunately, I didn't get any players, so I discontinued my sessions.

I put this down to a need to promote things a little more, combined with existing brand loyalties. The bulk of games running at the venue were predominantly using 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons (5e), which seems to be the most ubiquitous system at the moment. Those games were also mainly sword-and-sorcery fantasy. I was told another person who was running a science fiction game had trouble getting players.

Another major issue was character creation. I lost four potential players at my first session because they were put off by the character creation mechanics of Savage Worlds. I think the main issue is that Dungeons & Dragons uses set classes, whereas Savage Worlds doesn't. While this allows more freedom and versatility, I can see why it would scare some people away.

With this in mind, I've been looking at running tutorials for new players, especially those who are accustomed to 5e. While this would mean running a simple D&D-style fantasy setting, it's as simple as saying "Tell me your race and class, and I'll talk you through it from there".

Fingers crossed I get some takers.

Happy writing.