Week 1: Serenity

[nightshade]

What did you think of the first episode?

 

[thrasherpix]

This was back when writers, directors, and actors were all still good at their craft. That, and originality.

It expertly reveals the characters (and now I know they'll add layers to them as the show continues), even in subtle ways (like Jayne hiding to watch Kaylee, deeply concerned, among other things--and explains to me why he couldn't be bought out despite being very mercenary since there's no way he'd help the guy who shot Kaylee).

The show juggled the crew, the Alliance, and the Reavers well. It could communicate a lot about characters and the 'verse with a single short scene.

I wasn't wanting to watch for an hour and a half at first, but once I started the rest of the time flew by.

 

[NotASlayer]

A lot of smart/cute/gorgeous/badass women! Seriously, what is Morena Baccariin and Summer Glau's secret? They seem to age at about a third the rate of the rest of us!

I like how the language used makes it seem like a different place. The odd bit of what I assume is Mandarin used in conversation showing the language has been influenced. The different cadences and pieces of slang to speaking that adds to the differences without it becoming incomprehensible. The characters having a degree of depth even in the first episode.

 

[Cohen]

I’m glad we’re watching this in production order. Knowing this originally aired last in the season, I can’t help but wonder what people thought during that first watch. But it does a good job of setting up the situation of the main cast.

River’s reveal was epic, and only Summer Glau could play her. She did such a fantastic job showcasing her eccentricities.

Kaylee is so fun from the moment we meet her, and getting shot midway through the episode showed the love everyone on the crew has for her. I love the friendship between Kaylee and Inara, and how Inara rushes to her side when she’s shot. It’s also compelling and speaks to both the writing and acting because not many people could elicit such sympathy in a character’s grim situation halfway through a pilot meant to introduce each of the characters.

I like the dynamic between the established crew. This was evident from the beginning. And the “picked up” characters add interesting elements to keep the story going. Looking forward to continuing this watch!

 

[NotASlayer]

I’m glad we’re watching this in production order. Knowing this originally aired last in the season, I can’t help but wonder what people thought during that first watch.

Really? Who on earth thought putting the episode that literally introduces the cast at the end of the season was a good idea? No wonder the series got cancelled! I can't see how that would have helped it at all.

 

[Cohen]

Yes! It literally started with “The Train Job”. But also the whole series airing order is out of production order. So plot goes all over the place. It would be interesting to watch by airdate instead of production order.

I didn’t watch the series until it was on DVD, which was produced by production order.

 

[NotASlayer]

Yes! It literally started with “The Train Job”. But also the whole series airing order is out of production order. So plot goes all over the place. It would be interesting to watch by airdate instead of production order.

I didn’t watch the series until it was on DVD, which was produced by production order.

I have recently watched a bunch of much older shows (60s and 70s), and many of those were shown out of production order. However, few of them had an overarching plot, so it wasn't that bad. The Prisoner is kind of notorious; apart from the first episode and last two episodes, no-one really knows what order they were supposed to be in!

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Eh, I get it. I tried showing The Pilot to some friends, and three minutes in, I was asked, "Is this a Catholic Show?" The answer is, obviously not. Sure, it has Space Catholics in it, which is a criminally underrated idea that Star Trek can't touch. But, they aren't really the focus of the series.

The likely problem is that Fox wanted A New Hope. Joss gave them Encounter At Farpoint.

 

[NotASlayer]

Eh, I get it. I tried showing The Pilot to some friends, and three minutes in, I was asked, "Is this a Catholic Show?"

Really? I didn't notice anything like that! And certainly not in the first few minutes Sure, there is Book, who is a religious guy of some kind, but the show being Catholic?

 

[BaskingINBangel]

Such a strong opener! As good as I remembered it being. It just does such a fantastic job of setting everything up and already gives us so much insight to the characters.

I had actually forgotten that Kaylee got shot, so that was a bit of a surprise. River is absolutely precious in this episode and Simon's deep love for his sis is so glaringly obvious. And Mal and Inara with that fire chemistry they have. 😍

 

[nightshade]

I had forgotten that it started with the battle of serenity. Just remembering them picking up passengers with Kaylee sat outside! However, we would have missed the joy that is Wash and his dinosaurs.

I love how you see the relationships between them all so quickly, how protective of Kaylee they are, how Jayne is essentially the muscle.

 

[sk]

It's been a a long time now since I last watched this episode.
Must say it holds up very well. Have said that it is one of my all-time favorite pilots and I still think that.

Overall it just sets up the characters and the universe very nicely and have lots of memorable moments.
Some surprising, some dramatic and oh so many funny ones.
Still love the Kaylee is dead gag even though I know it's coming. 🙂

/SK

 

[Taake]

Eh, I get it. I tried showing The Pilot to some friends, and three minutes in, I was asked, "Is this a Catholic Show?" The answer is, obviously not. Sure, it has Space Catholics in it, which is a criminally underrated idea that Star Trek can't touch. But, they aren't really the focus of the series.

Really? I think it took me many rewatches to notice that.


Then again, back then I don’t think I even was aware of the concept that there could be a ”Catholic show”, as Catholics have been - and I would argue - still remain, regarded with deep suspicion over here.

 

[Cohen]

Must say it holds up very well. Have said that it is one of my all-time favorite pilots and I still think that.

I must agree. As pilots go, this one was done exceedingly well. Even amongst just the Whedonverse pilots.

You could tell the care that Joss put into crafting this story. Starting with the action in the cold open, and then kind of creating a thriller with the mole on the ship, Kaylee getting shot, and then the final act on the planet. You got to see the world being built, but also a great setup to the initial premise of the show, where Mal is the captain of a ship on the run from the law.

Which is why I say without the backstory of this episode, the rest of the season just leaves an air of “but why”? Which is why I still don’t understand why Fox aired it as a finale.