What’s your favourite Firefly character moment?

POSTED BY: Embassy
UPDATED: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 06:44
VIEWED: 9638
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EMBASSY

Monday, March 31, 2003 5:18 AM

Last Friday, my wife and I were sitting in a restaurant in Santa Barbara having supper and we noticed that it was eight o’clock. We pouted over the fact that we were not at home watching Firefly at that moment, which, in a Fox-butthead-free alternate universe, we would be. We talked about many shiny things as the garlic rolls and shiraz and salad and pasta were served, and eventually began compiling a list of favourite (character) moments.

For me, I’m drawn to the moments when the character suddenly becomes much more complex that you initially imagined. I keep recalling the scene in a really bad Australian gladiator movie I saw as a kid where one of the spear carriers said, as the hero was about to cut him down, “Hell with this. I’ve got a family. You want a shot at the emperor, mate? Be my guest” and stepped aside. The caricature became in that instant a character. In the ‘verse, we’re already fortunate enough to be introduced to people who are already well-drawn characters, but they still surprise you repeatedly. Here is my list of favourite moments, by character, but feel free to offer your own.

Zoe: In “War Stories,” it’s the moment of instantaneous decision when she cuts Niska off and points to Wash. “Him.” Zoe’s all about loyalty, we all get that, but this was the first moment we got to see that her loyalty to her husband was absolute.

Wash: Also in “War Stories,” it’s the moment when he says, “What this marriage needs is one less husband.” Wash is usually Mr. Lighthearted Comic Relief Guy, but he’s not above asserting himself when he feels he must.

Simon: In “Ariel,” it’s the scene where he sets up the hospital heist. Simon came off, for me, at least, as a scared and somewhat weak character up until this scene. Afterwards, I began to understand that his problem is that he’s just not in his own world. There, he’s competent, even masterful. It was wonderful to see him return, however briefly, to the world he knew, where he was on top of his game. The scene where he saves a life and trains another physician almost casually as he and Jayne are trying to escape, because that’s what doctors do, is likewise priceless.

Jayne: The man they call Jayne. In “Jaynestown,” there’s a scene where Jayne is called upon to make a speech to the Mudders. He’s not that good at it, really, “And you took it! And that’s, well, that’s something”. But in that scene he reached a bit beyond thuggishness, and managed to set up the airlock scene in “Ariel” pretty nicely.

Kaylee: Well, being an aircraft designer by trade I have an obvious fondness for the gal with the wrench. For me, though, the Kaylee moments I seem to find myself drawn to are the ones where she gets to be a girl, too. In “Safe,” there’s the line in the little shop, “If that’s what you think of this life, you can’t think much of them that choose it.” when she’s hurting, but brave too. I’m also fond of the scene at the end of “Shindig” when she’s in her quarters smiling up at her pretty pretty dress, still a girl.

Inara: Inara’s a harder character for me to be surprised by, because she’s so smooth and elegant all the time. The tricking of the Magistrate’s son in “Jaynestown” or the indignance in “Our Mrs. Reynolds” when she insists to a trauma surgeon that she doesn’t need to be examined for a head injury that caused loss of consciousness were probably the scenes that caused me to realize that Inara had more to her than a studied elegance, and still retained vulnerabilities and loyalties outside her persona.

Book: Since Ron Glass almost always makes something better just by showing up for it, just about all his scenes were masterfully done, I thought. But if I wanted to pick one to single out, I think it might be either the “You don’t fix faith, River, it fixes you,” scene from Jaynestown, or the blustery “I gave him a hell of a fight” aside at the end of “Objects in Space.” The former scene says something to me, I’m still not sure what, about the role of faith in Book’s life, as more than just a suit of clothes that he wears. The latter scene says to me

PHILOMEL

Monday, March 31, 2003 5:48 AM

Oh, I'll play:

I liked all those moments too! Fun game. Hmmm, ok, I'll add a few:

Inara: When, in OMR, she kisses Mal, thinking him dead. Self-revelatory or what?

Jayne: In Ariel, when he asks Mal not to tell the others.

Book: WS, advising Zoe that the good Book is fuzzier on kneecaps, and then perfectly answering Zoe when she asks the second team to hold this ground.

Zoe: the confused look on her face when Wash is berating her about the one less husband in WS, and in Train Job, when she tells Mal that the Alliance soldiers are indeed of concern to her. I also liked the humour in her voice when she told Book his hair was indeed frightening.

River: I think my favorite River moment is in Safe, when she tells Simon that she understands that he found her broken--it's so tragic that she has those moments of insight into her own situation. That, or when she tells Mal not to make faces in OIS--when she's coherent, she's awesome.

Wash: I think my favorite is in OMR, when he rebuffs Saffron, saying "I never did meet anyone quite like Zoe". He is completely in love, and as loyal as Zoe is. Or, in WS, right after Zoe rescues him, they sit for a moment, but he's entirely focussed on getting Mal back, leaving even Zoe reeling.

Simon: Crossing his arms casually in front of a madman ready to kill him, and saying he couldn't keep track of River even when she wasn't incorporeally possessing a spaceship. Or when he's hanging out with Kaylee in Jaynestown, discussing appropriate expletives. So cute!

And Kaylee ... Kaylee's moment is possibly the most difficult, but I think it was the look on her face in Shindig, when Mal insults her while she's admiring the dress and dreaming. That and the "have good sex!" line. She seems simple, but she's really not.

That's it for me ... next!

GINOBIFFARONI

Monday, March 31, 2003 6:13 AM

Very hard to pick one favorite moment with this characters, particulary because they are missed like absent friends.

Zoe, I would have to say my favorite Zoe moment is during the pilot, where she is explaining the meaning of Serenity, and what she felt Mal was going to do with Simon.

Zoe: " If Kaylee pulls through I think he will do right by you "
Simon: " And if he tells you to kill me "
Zoe: " then I kill you "

Always the soldier, honest but brutal if nessesary.

Wash: That torture scene in War Stories and afterward where he tell Zoe, " He's crazy "
I think Wash matured very rapidly, and began to understand both Mal and his wife a bit better.

Simon: At the end of War Stories where the good doctor tells the crew " I have never killed anyone before " and Book steps in and says " I was there, and you still haven't " Simon's character was under development more than anyone else, a lot to do with him being out of his element. I would enjoy seeing him " Grow a bushy mustache and become nefarious "

Jayne: The entire episode of Jaynestown not withstanding, either the bit where he was looting Simons room during "safe" you know the " I was pompous and my sister was crazy "
Besides that I liked how he joined the crew in Mal's flashback ( Out of gas ) The mercenary.

Kaylee: During objects in space when she related Rivers shooting skills during warstories. Very Human.

Inara: Her concern for Mal during Out of gas, when she trys to get him to leave Serenity, I was tearing up.

Book: WarStories either the " extra set of eyes " scene, or the " kneecapping " line

Mal: The beginning of the Pilot, as a former soldier I can put myself into what Mal had to been feeling. That alone hooked me into the show.

River: The end of objects in space, she was beginning to show the woman she was by outwitting Early, and showing an apt use of her abilitys to do things without alot of direct violence. " Your not right " said Mal, and the smile on her face. Real nice momment, particularly considering the pain and guilt she was facing through the rest of the episode. I wonder if she uses her abilitys again in the missing three episode.

Sigh,

" May have been the losing side, still not convienced it was the wrong one "

KIRTIL

Monday, March 31, 2003 1:01 PM

From the top of my head:

1- Mal in train job: whole "now listen. Take this money back to nishka. We are not thieves.. i mean we are thieves but" scene. If Mal didnt kicked that big brute into engines after his reply and havent passed to 2nd person like nothing was wrong i dont think i would be this enchanted with that character and kept on watching.
Also when he confronted Inara at the end of our mrs. reynolds. That scene made Mal more human imo.

2- Jayne in objects in space: When he woke up and teared up the cloth that hides guns i thought "wow! earlys in thouble hehee" then he used that cloth to cover himself up and kept on sleepeing. one of the most favorite scene of firefly for me.

3- Simon in objects in space: his conversation with kaylee after the crew meeting. awesome. Whole objects in space was kinda Simon episode for me. His self control and ability to hide his fear astounded me.

4- River in safe: She watched the dancers for seconds and then she danced with them in perfect unity. she even "improved" (dont know anything better describes the feeling i had) the dance. also later after they were kidnapped River tells the lil girls story to Simon. Mother teresa impersonator woman gets surprised "She never talked since the incidednt bla bla."
River; " she doesnt talk?" her confusion, innocence was great.

5- River in shindig: River and Badger talk. it was another best of Firefly moment for me.

RIVERSIDE

Monday, March 31, 2003 1:40 PM

Okay, I'll play, cuz' I keep watching my episodes over and over.

River - Explaining to Book why his bible is broken, then later saying that she took the pages out of his "symbol" and they turned to paper, but now she'd like to put them back...I thought a great glimpse of the famous River intelligence, then showing some insight and compassion before the damn funny Big Hair scene.

Simon - there are a lot for me, because he reminds me of the close relationship I have w/ my brothers, I like in the flashback scene where his father comes to bail him out, and asks him if he's trying to destroy the family...and amazed, angry, and defensive, he says "I didn't realize it would be so easy"

Zoe - after they leave Simon & River to the hill people, and after she patches up book...Kaylee arrives and talks to her....Kaylee says we left em' there...and Zoe, not arguing, not really taking sides says says "Yeah." the open, honest, complicated on her face when she says that says so much.

Wash - I love his humor...I know he's complex but his humor hits me, I liked him when he was explaining to Zoe that Jayne was a folk hero.

Jayne - I liked in Jaynestown, how delighted he was that they had a riot on his behalf, and how later he was talking w/ Mal about how they were probably propping that statue up again, he seemed so moved/touched/changed by the whole thing, like even then the events were percolating in him.

Mal - I like him in OiS, when River gives him instructions and he says to watch out for the guy on the ship who is very blurry, and then later when he says, Ya ain't right to River, then welcomes her back on the ship.

Book - I like him telling funny abbey stories, and I like him wondering w/ Inara if he's on the right ship.

Kaylee - I loved her little crowd of men at Inara's fancy party, new environment, but in control of this topic. Also, the look of sudden embaressment and hurt on her face when the rich girl was mean to her was so very human.

Inara - Sitting w/ Simon while the ship was dead in the water, first saying she loved Serenity, then when Simon said he didn't want to die on it, she said, she didn't want to die at all. Her voice was very young sounding, but she was open w/ her fear.

SARAHETC

Monday, March 31, 2003 4:34 PM

I was thinking about this too, lately, but more in a "what one line sums up the character." And, of course, those lines get to be classics--one's that make you instantly think of that character. So, here's my meld of the two.

Mal: "I did a job. Got nothin' but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.

Zoe: Still working on it... very difficult. My probably my favorite Zoe scene is "You could lock the door and keep the power hungry maniac at bay."

Wash: (tie) "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" (which, when you think about it, kind of resonates!) and "I didn't know. You told the damn stories, saved you in the war. I didn't know, Zoe."

Kaylee: "Sometimes a thing gets broke can't be fixed."

Jayne: "I got stupid. The money was too good."

Inara: "I don't need to be examined. I'm comfy."

Book: "I believe in a power greater than man. A power that heals."

Simon: (tie) "Sadistic crap legitimized by florid prose." and "Agent McGinnis, I'm certain you're working under a superior who is keeping close tabs on this case. I'm certain of that because important people don't do fieldwork. I'm also quite certain your superior wants me and my sister alive. Now I'm not going to move from this spot until one of two things happen. You answer my very simple question; or you shoot me."

River: "Can't be controlled. Can't be trusted. Everyone could just go on without me and not have to worry. People could be what they wanted to be. Could be with the people they wanted. Live simple. No secrets."

I'm a dying breed who still believes, haunted by American dreams. ---Neko Case

RADEGUND

Monday, March 31, 2003 5:36 PM

I'll give you my favorite "Alliance" moment: In "Ariel" when the nurse actually doesn't care how the people died and just sends them on to the morgue. After all the build-up of Simon teaching the others what to say, it was a great twist!

And Jayne just having to say his lines anyway was fun.

Radegund

KAYTHRYN

Monday, March 31, 2003 8:56 PM

Okay, I think I've got it. I’m just going to give quotes, because I’m sure everyone here will be able to remember the rest.

Simon- (Objects in Space) Naked. Yes. And, uh, on top of the statue of Hippocrates. Can you just picture me?
Or He's really very... gentle... and fuzzy. We're becoming fast friends.
(Bushwhacked) Yes, he’s a real best. It’s a wonder you survived.

Mal- (Our Mrs. Reynolds) How can you say that? How can you shame
me in front of new people?
Jayne! Go play with your rain stick.
Is it Christmas?

Inara- (Shindig) I don't suppose you'd find it up to standards of your outings. More conversation and somewhat less petty theft and getting hit with pool cues. I understand if you need to go prepare for that "It's 10 in the morning" issue.

Book- (Our Mrs. Reynolds) If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater.

River- (Out of gas) You're afraid we're going to run out of air. That we'll die gasping. But we won't. That's not going to happen…. We'll freeze to death first.

Kaylee- (Ariel) Figures. First time on a Core and what do I get to do? Look through trash. Couldn't he send me shopping at the Triplex, or Oooh! Synchronizers!
(Objects in space) Don't let the space bugs bite! Space bugs?

Wash- (Shindig) That's just cause, I'm going down too quick. Likely crash and kill us all.
(Objects in space) Only if it's someplace with candlelight.
What about his face? Is his face wearing armor?

Zoë- (Bushwhacked) Jayne, you’ll scare the women.
(Train Job) Then can I have your share? If you die can I have your share?
(Our Mrs. Reynolds) Captain shouldn't be babysitting a damned groupie, and he knows it.

Jayne- (Our Mrs. Reynolds) If I could make you purtier, I would.
That's why I never kiss 'em on the mouth.
(Objects in space) What? She killed 'em with mathematics. What else could it have been?

-------------------------------------
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
Aristotle

JAKE

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 4:38 AM

I completely agree with you on Jayne, Philomel. I absolutely loved Firefly, and I've probably watched the scene where Jayne asks Mal not to tell the others what he did in Ariel at least 50 times. Here's a guy that would just as soon stab you in the back for a buck more that knows he's going to die, and the last thing he asks for is to not let the others find out about his treachery, just to protect them from the person he was. That is probably my single favorite character moment from Firefly. Damn powerful in my opinion. (=

MOONDOGGY

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 5:07 AM

The one Wash moment that always pops in to my head is the one from the piolet ep. when he's on the bridge playing with his dinos. Every time I see that part I laught. ( Pretty much any moment with Wash in it is good because well...Wash is my favorite guy)
The part when Mal shut Jayne in the air lock, well I like that moment.

~Don't get mad, get Firefly~

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