| Episode No. | Firefly Season 1, Episode 5 |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael Grossman |
| Written by | Drew Z. Greenberg |
0:02 : This is the third variation of the opening narration, with slightly different wording. It’s once again voiced by Nathan Fillion as Mal:
Here’s how it is: The Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies, some not so much. The Central Planets, them was formed the Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule; a few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself. I’m Malcolm Reynolds, captain of Serenity. She’s a transport ship, Firefly class. Got a good crew: fighters, pilot, mechanic. We even picked up a preacher for some reason, and a bona fide companion. There’s a doctor too, took his genius sister out of some Alliance camp, so they’re keeping a low profile, you understand. You got a job, we can do it, don’t much care what it is.
0:51 : This episode contains the first “Previously on Firefly” recap of the series. It’s narrated by Ron Glass.
1:49 : A flashback to 11 years ago, which would make the year 2506. The Tam estate is clearly large, spacious, and presumably on the central planet.
2:01 : Yes, that is a young Zac Efron, later a Hollywood superstar, as a young Simon Tam.
2:09 : Young River is played by Skylar Roberge, who went on to have roles in 24, Criminal Minds and CSI.
2:55 : Simon’s Mandarin translates to “So, how did the Independents cut us off?”
2:56 : Simon and River’s father, named in the script but not the episode as Gabriel Tam, is played by actor William Converse-Roberts, best known for his role in Bandits (2001).
3:05 : Their father tells them in Mandarin “In that case, no problem” when he hears about the dinosaurs.
4:05 : Back to the year 2517. River is terrified of being taken into the medical bay, presumably because Simon keeps questioning her about her time in the Academy.
4:38 : River insults Mal in Mandarin. This one is: “Stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey!”
5:04 : Mal wants River to calm down because of the herd. The herd from Shindig can be heard mooing in the background.
7:08 : This is the first time since the pilot that we’ve seen Simon and River leave the ship. They each have different reactions…
8:01 : …as they both see Jiangyin as too far removed from anything they’ve known. The planet is more of a farming colony, and has more greenery than the sandy Whitefall.
8:58 : Mal notes that the nearest Alliance cruiser, named the Magellan, is hours away. He’ll wish it wasn’t shortly…
11:14 : Simon hurts Kaylee’s feelings, not by insulting her, but by calling Serenity ‘luh-suh’ which translates to ‘garbage’. His insult in regards to Mal translates to the less clear “stubborn” or “callous”.
12:53 : Named as Marcus and Nathaniel Grange in a later scene, the brothers were called Older and Younger Grange in the script. Matthew Ferreira (Younger) was also a set designer, while Andy Rolfes played the Older.
14:36 : The cop is not named in the script as anything other than ‘Head Cop’. Actor Joel Steingold spent five years on hit drama The Chi.
15:06 : A personal highlight: River’s joy when she’s dancing and Simon’s wonderment when watching her fall into step immediately. It’s a lovely moment.
15:06 : The piece of music was found by composer Greg Edmondson amongst some traditional folk music. The piece is called ‘The Sailor’s Wife.’
17:05 : In a wonderful and beautiful moment, the gun fight switches back and forth to River dancing, the music punctuated with bullets being fired. It’s an extremely effective moment and very nicely directed.
17:36 : River stops dancing – as if she has felt what happened to Book.
19:42 : Simon and River’s mother is named Regan in the script, and only appears in this one scene. Her name is not mentioned onscreen. She’s played by Isabella Hofmann, who has a habit of turning up everywhere on television, from the NCIS franchise, as well as the CW’s Arrow universe.
20:05 : The family is obviously influential in higher circles of society. Simon himself is expected to become Head of the Medical Elect on Capital City if he continues on his career path.
25:48 : Kaylee reminds Zoe that Book stayed by her side when she was shot in Serenity.
26:39 : The Magellan, the Alliance cruiser, is exactly like the other Alliance ships we’ve seen. Like the Empire in Star Wars and the Federation in Star Trek, they clearly have a company look.
27:08 : Peasant girl Doralee is played by actress Erica Tazel, who was later Rachel Brooks on Justified.
28:28 : The Alliance uniforms are again reused from Starship Troopers (1997)
28:50 : The commander of the Alliance Cruiser isn’t named in the episode. He’s played by Ron Ostrow, who was a regular on Sports Night (1998-2000).
29:32 : We never find out in the series exactly what is on Book’s ID card that spurs the Alliance commander into action immediately. The Shepherd’s Tale will have more answers than the series itself provides…
32:45 : We defy you not to tear up at Summer Glau‘s performance as she apologises to her brother for forcing him away from home. It’s a tearjerker.
35:18 : Here we find that while religion has survived in various forms to the 26th Century, some forms of stigma still exists about magic and witches as humanity has started again in space. Doralee instantly starts quoting scripture and declares River a witch. Good thing she’s not in Sunnydale. She’d be busy.
37:14 : The (not-so-nice and clearly a murdering) patron of the shanty town isn’t named. Willing to twist the truth for his own goals, he’s played by Gary Werntz.
38:45 : Book tells Mal that maybe he’ll reveal his past to him one day. By the time of the feature film, the relationship between captain and preacher has evolved considerably.
40:57 : River senses Serenity before it hits atmo above her.
42:06 : Mal says it all for himself, the crew and the audience, pointing his gun in the Patron’s face when he calls River a witch: “Yeah, but she’s our witch, so cut her the Hell down.” It’s a fantastic moment that has you cheering at the screen. When the final scene comes, the entire crew sits to eat together and, finally, the ‘family’ is whole for the first time.
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