Firefly (2002) (TV Series Review)

    Science Fiction and Westerns are two genera’s that are about as polar opposite as they get, yet frequently go together hand in hand. The 1998 Anime series “Cowboy Bebop” merged elements from both genera’s to create a unique vision of the future, as well as a memorable series. You could go back even further to the original 1977 “Star Wars”, which also fused elements of the Western genera in it’s outer space setting. There’s even modern shows like “West World”, which artfully combine the old west with futuristic Sci-Fi. Of course, there was that hilarious joining of the two in the 2011 movie “Cowboys and Aliens”, which had a fun idea for a concept, but really wasn’t executed all to well. More to the point for today’s topic, the short lived 2002 TV series “Firefly” is my absolute favorite blending of the old West and outer space adventures. It was a series that captured the magic of both genera’s, and only improved on the merits of both by merging them together seamlessly. Unfortunately, this was a series taken before it’s time, with only one season to its name, and a total of just 14 episodes. Yet still to this day, it has a devoted fan base, and it’s still personally one of my absolute favorites. Despite it’s cult status, I’d still like to share my feelings on the show, just as a means to spread the word to those not familiar.  

  

   Between 2002 and 2003, “Firefly” ran on Fox station and was created by “Avengers” director Joss Whedon. Our series begins with the two-part pilot titled “Serenity”, which effectively setts the ground work for the series, and fills us in on the back story. Set 500 years in the future, earth has become over populated, and man kind has moved on to colonize on other planets. With different factions spreading, a new alliance beings to take shape and becomes the all controlling force among the stars. An organized band of rebels tries to fight back, but loose during a decisive battle at Serenity valley. Years later, the fallen rebel leader named Malcolm Reynolds has become the captain of a small band of mercenaries and pirates, who do what they can to make some coin, and stick it to the Alliance at any chance they get. His ship, lovingly named Serenity (after the fall of Serenity valley), is part of a Firefly class, as it resembles the very insect when it zips into light-speed. During the premier, we see most of his crew already assembled, but two new passengers arrive on the ship, and set the stage for the shows main direction. The former being a young doctor who just rescued his little sister from a secret Alliance lab, where she went through a series of mysterious experiments. The two are branded as fugitives and become important members of Captain Reynolds rebellious crew.    

  

    Despite being set in space, nothing feels like traditional Science Fiction. It still maintains the feel and soul of a Western, with an orange color scheme, outback-desert locations, and a music track that feels lifted from a spaghetti Western. Actually, one of the shows many appeals is the opening theme song, which is personally one of my all-time favorite Theme songs from a TV series. I love the overall look of the show, as even the interior design of the ship looks like a dingy western shack. The weapons featured on the show are mostly powder based, and not too many laser guns are seen. All these different Western traits in a space setting are what give “Firefly” it’s unique, yet infectious atmosphere.

Truthfully, it’s also the most realistically grounded show set in space that I can think of. Heck, this show goes out of its way to make sure that no sounds are heard in space, which is very accurate. Granted, we all love those awesome sound designs of the "Star Wars" movies, but sense this show is more grounded in reality, it only makes sense that they depict space travel with as much scientific accuracy as possible. Also, there aren’t any aliens featured in the show, we do have space ships, and other forms of classic outer-space excitement, but we only ever see the humans that have colonized on other worlds. The closest we ever get to having aliens on the show is a band of outcaste in-humans called Reavers, who are basically savage creatures that lost their humanity do to mysterious reasons and are the deadliest foes our hero’s ever face. Thankfully, they’re used sparingly, and aren’t even seen on screen, at least not until the movie reveals what they look like.  

   The cast in this show is amazing, and I don’t say this lightly, but this is easily one of my all time favorite ensemble groups from any TV series I’ve ever seen. There’s this warm and infectious feel that comes from this crew all coming together, to the point where I don’t even see actors at all … I see a family. It really goes to show the talent on display, because despite the shows limited run, all the characters feel real, their chemistry with each other feels real, and each has their distinct charm.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds played by Nathan Fillion

    Our main lead Captain Malcolm Reynolds was the perfect hook for this show, and in my opinion is right on par with Han Solo himself. The character as written has a lot of pathos, as he once was a man of faith, but lost his belief in God when he lost the war. Now, the only thing he lives for is the next mission, and collecting a profit. Sounds like an empty vessel of a man, but the actor Nathan Fillion brings so much charm, warmth, and charisma to the role, that he just comes off as the most lovable scoundrel in the galaxy. He’s even got some legit bad-ass moments where he proves himself large and in charge.

Zoe played by Gina Torres

   The second in command is Zoe, played by Gina Torres. She fought with Malcom back during the war, and has been his trusted right hand ever sense. She’s tough as nails, and could have also carried the show herself. Gina Torres has also proven herself a great talent, one who I'd like to see more of. While her TV filmography is massive, I'd really like to see her in more movies. 

Wash played by Alan Tudyk

     Next is the ships pilot Wash, played by Alan Tudyk. He’s married to Zoe, and is the equivalent of a child that aged, but never actually grew up. Wash adds some levity as the comedic relief character, but I’ll admit, of all the characters, he was the one I loved the least. He was certainly a likable presence, but I just never found his character as interesting as the others. 

Shepherd Book played by Ron Glass

   The complete opposite of that is one Shepherd Book, a former priest who found his way on the ship, and has sense been the moral compass figure to our crew of anti-hero’s. Having said that, he was also a very mysterious person, one who always seemed to have a bigger story. In fact, through the present-day course of the show, it’s suggested that he may even be a mole for the evil Alliance. If the show had continued past season one, they probably would have explored his character further. Shepherd is also played by Ron Glass, and he too has a captivating screen presence. He’s just so cool, and laid back, like a man with moral strengths, yet won’t hesitate to get in on the action when needed. 

Inara played by Morena Baccarin

    Now, lets finally talk about Inara, played by Morena Baccarin. Oh boy, I know this isn’t a very original opinion, but when I was first introduced to this show … I had some serious hots for her. She’s a companion, and if the ship were ever seized by Alliance patrol, she could pose as a credible ambassador. She also serves as the forbidden love interest for Captain Reynolds. There’s clearly both chemistry and friction between the two, as they share mutual feelings, but due to their individual faults can never commit to a relation. It’s certainly one of the more interesting dynamics on the show, which again had a lot of potential to grow if there were more seasons.  

Jayne played by Adam Baldwin   

   Next up is weapons technician Jayne, played by Adam Baldwin. This guy is mostly a poser, someone who deludes himself into thinking he’s a real tough guy, when in reality he’s kind of pathetic. He’s also the wild card of the group, as all his loyalty depends on who’s paying him the most. He’s a very simple character to say the least, but has layers of depth underneath the surface.

Kaylee played by Jewel Staite

   Then there’s Kaylee, played by Jewel Staite. She’s the Mechanical technician of the crew, and the glue who holds both the ship and crew together. She’s also irresistibly cute, and brimming with personality. From an engineering level, she’s the smartest person on the ship, but a little clueless when it comes to everything else, and I’ve always loved the duality of her nature. It adds a layer of innocents to the character, and I love that she’s both literally and figuratively the beating heart of the ship.

Simon Tam played by Sean Maher

  The ships doctor Simon Tam, played by Sean Maher, is the guy responsible for setting all the big events in motion. Ever sense he smuggled his sister on board in the piolet episode, the ship and its crew became a big target for their enemies. He’s also more of a straight guy that offsets the high personalities of the other crew members. There’s a relation that ensues between he and Kaylee, which is cute in-of-itself, but never seems to amount to anything in the long run. 

River Tam played by Summer Glau

   At last, rounding up the cast is River Tam, played by Summer Glau. Without a doubt, this was the shows big breakout character, and has become an icon among certain Sci-Fi fan circles. She was an enigma, very mysterious, always spoke in riddles, was subjected to several cruel experiments, and has a special kind of mind power that’s all her own. River is basically a fish out of water, trying to find her place in a vast universe, while also trying to understand herself. Half the time this series revolves around exploring the mysteries of her character, what happened to her, how did she come to be this way, and will she ever be a normal girl again. Summer Glau kills it in the role, and gives her this aura of fascination and wonder. In general, this cast was outstanding, and one of the shows many great strengths. 

    Now, let’s talk about the highlights of the show, but I don’t want to spoil too much, so I’ll keep it simple. Here are my personal top 5 favorite episodes of “Firefly” …  

#5 (Episode 13) - “Heart of Gold” 

    One of the many merits about this show is how it incorporates classic Western formulas into it’s episode. Perhaps my favorite of all is the metaphorical “Magnificent Seven” formula. This is when a small group of defenseless people are being terrorized by a large team of bad guys with big guns, thus a call for help goes out to a small band of people who come together to fight in a big shoot’em-up showdown. It’s classic Western 101, and I was thrilled that “Firefly” had an episode based around this kind of premise. While I personally didn’t care for the setting of this episode, or even some of the interplay, this is still the classic Western formula, executed very well here. It also delivers with the pay off, as the final shoot-out of the episode is easily my favorite battle of the whole show. Finally, this episode delivers a nail-biting conflict for our hero’s, as one gets their heart broken, and leaves the group. It’s exciting, the music is chilling, the cinematography is top notch, it’s action packed, and makes for a worthy outing.    

#4 (Episode 9) - “Ariel” 

   While in orbit of a capital city, the doctor Simon hatches a plan to sneak into a state of the art hospital in order to run some critical tests on his sister River, who’s mental condition is becoming more serious. She’s actually becoming a danger to the crew as she slashes at Janes chest for seemingly no reason. The mission also provides our anti-heroes with a chance to steel some medical supplies to give to nearby planets struggling with poverty. The one wrinkle in their plan is that Jane sees this as an opportunity to turn both the doctor and his kooky sister over to the authorities. They’re plenty of exciting heist episodes in this show, but “Ariel” is my favorite by far. It combines the excitement of a dangerous heist with complex character motives that are clearly wrong, but very understandable. We sympathies with River and her mental condition, but we also acknowledge that she is in fact a real danger to the crew. Janes actions to turn them over are clearly bad, but the situation makes us relate to him on some understandable level. This episode also features my two favorite villains of the show … the two un-named blue-hand men in suits. These guys are about as frightening, and as lethal as enemies get on the show. The episode then comes to a close with a riveting epilogue, in which Captain Reynolds confronts Jane on betraying his crew members. With an exciting heist, menacing villains, darker character traits, and even featuring some of my favorite comedic moments, “Ariel” is a stand out episode that’s worth looking at.  

#3 (Episode 14) - “Objects in Space” 

   This marks the final episode of the show, and while it doesn’t work as a series finale, it’s at least the best possible episode to close things on. “Objects in Space” kicks off with my absolute favorite opening of the whole show. We see River walking though the ship, and we see everything playing out through her eyes. There’s a riveting moment where she picks up an object, which she sees as a tree branch, yet everyone else see’s it for what it really is … a loaded gun. It’s a frightening moment that illustrates just how twisted, and confused River is. With her mental condition getting worse, we also discover that she has ESP, which leads our crew into an intense debate what to do with her. While Rivers future is unclear, a mysterious bounty hunter has snuck on board the ship, and aims to kidnap River for the large reward on her head. River meanwhile is alert to the danger and begins her own plan of outsmarting her more lethal adversary. The Bounty Hunter in my opinion is one of the stand out guest characters on the show, as he too talks in riddles, but dose it more to show off and sound intelligent. The highlight of the episode is the back and forth talks between he and River, as the two try topping one another with their intellectual strengths as opposed to brut force. With that said, there’s still some excitement, some bare-knuckled fist fighting, and it’s also cool to see our crew face an ethical debate, like what to do with a potentially dangerous girl that they’ve all come to love. “Objects in Space” may not have worked as a series finale, but at least the show ended with a great episode.    

    

#2 (Episode 12) - “The Message” 

   This episode begins with another one of my favorite openings, as we see our crew enjoying a day at a market place, and it gives us a chance to see their personalities bounce off the bizarre things on display. There’s even a nice little moment where Jane gets a silly gift from his mother, but he still keeps it with him it was still a gift from someone he loved. Things take a sudden dark turn with the arrival of a mysterious package containing the body of a dead solider, one whom both Captain Reynolds and Zoe fought alongside with during the war. The corps comes complete with a message that he’d like his former friends to return his body back home to his family, and for once we see our crew on a very selfless mission that doesn’t involve getting paid. However, there’s more to this corps then a simple message, as it’s drawing the attention of some lethal troops, and the body itself is hiding secrets within secrets. I’m deliberately being vaguer with this one as I don’t want to risk spoiling any of the episodes surprises. I will say that this episode has a little bit of everything I love in this show, it has mystery, pathos, hummer, moral debates, ethical debates, strong character moments, and some of the shows best action, including a very memorable dog fight through a snowy canyon.

#1 (Episode 8) - “Out of Gas” 

     As this episode begins, we see a dying Captain Reynolds aboard his currently abandoned ship, and is trying desperately to bring his vessel back to life. It turns out that hours earlier, a sudden mechanical failure has completely disabled the ship, which is now adrift in empty space. With health support failing, the crew abandons ship, our heroic Captain stays behind, and other dangers in wild space soon make themselves known. This episode is told from three different perspectives, we have the present situation, the not too distant future and flashbacks relaying how every individual crew member came to be. To call this “a perfect episode”, wouldn’t be giving it enough credit, because in my opinion, this episode alone is a work of art that should be shown at film schools. 

It’s a half hour peace of television that takes a simple disaster premise, as well as an origin story, and artistically weaves them into something brilliant. Everything on display is top notch, the writing, the performances, and it’s really a beauty of filmmaking. The way certain flashbacks are cut together with the present-day events are both artistically brilliant, but also have a great deal of substance, as this episode really explores its characters. In fact, of all the episodes, this is the one where the crew feels the most like one big family, right down to the opening scene with everyone having a good laugh at the dinner table and celebrating a birthday. Another one of my favorite touches is that the episode closes with a flashback of when the Captain first found his ship. It book ends the episode like poetry, as we close out on the ship abandoned, lifeless, but with our Captain eager to get it running, which is exactly what the episode started with. The transitions, the music, the lighting, the texture, and it’s all just a real testament to the creative forces behind this series, and in my opinion, it’s almost too good for television alone.   

   In the end, I’ve been a fan of this show for years, and it’s one of my absolute favorites that’s worth repeat viewings. I love the setting, tone, feel, and I really love the cast as a whole. In my opinion, it’s one of those near flawless shows that had all the right talent involved, and just the right amount of fresh originality. It’s only real fault comes from being in-complete, and that is something of an issue. Thankfully, there was a theatrical movie in 2005 titled “Serenity”, which gave the series some closure, but I’ll talk about that in my next review. If you were one of the many people who missed this show when it first premiered, I couldn’t blame you, but I’d highly recommend hunting down the episodes in any way you can, and give “Firefly” a watch, it’s worth it. 

Thanks for reading my review of the 2002 Sci-Fi TV series “Firefly” ... and continue to enjoy whichever TV shows you love!