| Episode No. | Firefly Season 1, Episode 3 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Joss Whedon |
| Written by | Joss Whedon & Tim Minear |
0:00 : Before we even begin, a note: due to FOX originally airing the episodes out of continuity order, this was the first episode shown, aired on September 20th 2002. The pilot was, for some bizarre reason, shown last. FOX didn’t believe the original pilot was action-packed enough and picked this one instead.
0:01 : And here’s something else. There’s an opening narration on streaming (and on first broadcast) that was removed from the DVD release due to the creator’s wishes. There are three seperate openings. They also provide viewers with a year in which the series is set: 2517 A.D. This version of the narration is voiced by Ron Glass, in character as Book.
After the Earth was used up, we found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terra formed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain’s goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.
2:08 : Unification Day, a celebration of the Battle of Serenity Valley and the Alliance victory against Mal’s Independents, also known as Browncoats. The fans would later use this term to describe themselves.
3:20 : The lout in the bar, named as Lund in the script, is played by Tom Towles, who had roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, and the remake of horror movie Halloween.
3:41 : Translates to “This is a happy development.”
4:43 : Filming took place on location in the Mojave desert.
7:34 : River has nightmares about her time at the academy, more of which we’ll see in flashback in the movie Serenity.
8:49 :Another example of River being very aware of herself and her surroundings: she can identify the class of ship she’s on just by looking around the infirmary. It certainly impresses Mal.
10:27 : Watch Mal and Book walk upwards through the ship in this scene, showing the set. It’s all to show off to the camera of course, but it shows how the set is all real, and the ship is as practical as it can be for the cast.
11:13 : God isn’t welcome on Mal’s boat, confirming his dislike of religion.
12:42 : Again, just like in the pilot Serenity, Kaylee reminds Mal that they need to replace the compression coil in the engine, which will finally explode in Out of Gas.
14:23 : Actor Andrew Bryniarski, aka Crow, has a history of hard man roles, including Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).
14:35 : Another recurring character, Adelai Niska. The cruel crime boss is played by Michael Fairman. He reprises the role in War Stories and also played the character, uncredited, in fan film Browncoats: Redemption. His other roles include a long stint on The Young and the Restless and guest spots in many shows, including Bones, Sons of Anarchy and Without a Trace.
17:52 : Mal’s line to Zoe is prescient: “I got an image of it not being me.” It will be him in War Stories.
18:02 : The Alliance troopers on the train are wearing reused outfits from cult-hit Starship Troopers (1997).
20:19 : Zoe’s best line of (many) brilliant insults in this episode: “Sir, I think you have a problem with your brain being missing.”
21:32 : Translates as “Something of a genius.” And she’s describing Mal.
22:20 : Jayne wants to hand the Tams over to the Alliance, hoping for a reward. He attempts to do this in Ariel.
26:02 : The Sheriff of Paradiso, Bourne, is played by actor Gregg Henry, who since the series has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Starlord’s grandfather in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He also played Hollis Doyle on Scandal.
26:46 : The unnamed Captain of the Alliance Cruiser in this episode is played by Kevin Will, who’s had roles in both The Rookie and Castle with Nathan Fillion and also appeared on Dollhouse.
28:10 : River first utters “Hands of Blue, Two by Two,” here, which hints at the future…
28:34 : Jayne’s question here isn’t answered, but he has a point: how does a Shepherd know all about Adelai Niska? Of course, Book’s past was never revealed in the series.
31:00 : The patch on the Sheriff’s uniform can be seen more clearly here, marking him as a leader on the Outer Rim.
38:34 : Jayne slurs that he was aiming for Crow’s head. This is a direct quote from sci-fi series Blake’s 7, another show about rebels fighting an evil government. Itself, its in homage to The Magnificent Seven.
41:07 : Niska’s other men agree to take the money back to Niska – after seeing what happens to Crow. Niska will not be best pleased with this and we’ll see him, along with his station, in War Stories.
41:34 : Simon stitches up Mal’s stab wound. In a nice continuity touch, whenever Mal is shirtless, it’s added to Nathan Fillion‘s chest.
42:20 : River’s warning brought to life: the Blue-Handed Men, who follow her throughout the series. Dennis Cockrum was also with Nathan Fillion on The Rookie and also appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise and Bones. Jeff Ricketts is another Mutant Enemy hat-trick, also appearimg as Watcher Assassin Weatherby in Buffy and Angel, as well as a demon in the Angel season four episode Sacrifice.
played by Dennis Cockrum…
played by Jeff Ricketts
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