Which one is your least favourite Firefly episode?
POSTED BY: Khyron
UPDATED: Thursday, March 22, 2007 00:07
VIEWED: 56043
PAGE 5 of 16
Now HoG seems to be really taking a bashing. I do agree with a lot of things people have said about this episode from a stand-alone story stand point.
WARNING.. Long Mal and Inara ramblings ahead.. 
First.. yes.. this episode does look sort of "cheap" compared to many of the others. Like the HoG itself. It looks more like they simply didn't have the money or time to complete it (either contruction wise or design wise).. rather than the weak attempt to pass it off as solar shielding (or whatever it was). And the entire bad guys "army" was a small hovercraft with a mounted gun (which Jayne took care of with one shot), a few guys on horses and a laser gun. Mal, Zoe and Jayne alone have taken on that much just by themselves. But Mal wanted to run from it? It didn't seem enough. I do like the fact that Mal will run/backdown from a fight. As a matter-of-fact.. he does it all the time according to Inara in shindig. lol I understand why they needed Mal to want to run, so that Nandi could give her reason of wanting to stay which would in turn show Mal something in her about how she feels about the HoG that he feels himself about Serenity. They needed that emotional connection, at the very least, or him sleeping with her REALLY would have been out of left field. But there didn't seem to be enough of a threat to make Mal want to run. And there are many other weak points of this particular episode that others have mentioned that I will agree with.
But.. when it comes to character development,interactions, relationship growth, etc. this episode has them just like all of them do.. but mainly there is a very pivotal and powerful moment in the relationship between Mal and Inara that make the entire episode worthwhile.
The Somnambulist said that Inara loving Mal has only been hinted at til HoG. I disagree.. no hinting at all.. I believe it has been shown very clearly from our very first introduction to Inara from the piolet episode. Our first introduction to her shows her with a client.. and she appears rather bored and not into what she is doing.. to the point that she may actually have spead her clock upto cut her client's time short. Why would she do this? I believe it is because of her feelings for Mal. The next time we see her in the piolet, just moments later.. she tells Kaylee that she must be "slipping". Is she? I believe that she is.. because of her feelings for Mal. So her feelings for Mal arn't hinted at, at all. And Mal likewise. As a matter of fact.. I believe everyone knows it, no River like physic ability required. LOL.. It's only Mal and Inara that are blind to each other's feeling and need of the other.
As Arawaen said.. Mal and Inara are not going to be together as long as she is a companion. They are both waiting... Mal is waiting for Inara to give up being a companion.. by her own choice. And Inara is waiting for Mal.. to let down his guard, to let go.. and simply express his burning desire to claim her as his. I think it was in Trash, but a couple episodes prior to HoG.. Inara asks Mal if he is purposefully keeping them out in the middle of no where where she is unable to even remotely find work. Mal of course denies it.. even though I believe it is probably at least partially true. I beleive that he might not be doing it on purpose.. but if keeping them so far out in space means Inara doesn't have any clients, then that is worth as much as the crappy jobs that they get being that far out. And I believe that is what Inara really wanted to hear. I beleive what she truely wanted to hear Mal tell her something like: "Yes.. Inara.. I am.. I (some chinese exlipcitive) AM!! I am glad you can't find any work out here, because I am jealous as #)($#)($* all get out. I'm sorry if you think me a (chinese deragative) for it.. and I don't know how that is going to effect your desire to stay on my boat.. But increasingly I can't stand the thought of you with yet another man. I can't )#(*$#)( stand it!! Not even just the sex.. but even touching... or eve
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I don't like:
Heart of Gold - Had some humour (Jayne mostly), but was pretty boring otherwise.
Our Mrs. Reynolds - Pissed me off because the entire episode seemed to lack common sense. They should have turned around, and dropped her back on the planet. And what was up with Inara being pissed off? I wanted to smack her.
The fight in Shindig - I didn't mind the episode, but the duel was pathetic. With all the care Joss takes to make things seem believable in Firefly, he couldn't have hired a fencing trainer to teach the "expert swordsman" how to actually use a sword. But I'm bias because I fence, and hate it when it's done so incredibly poorly.
The Message - Sucked in the same way Our Mrs. Reynolds did. It was too obvious that something was up and the show should have been over long before it started.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Smaug:
And Captann I believe you are VERY correct when you said that isn't this (Mal sleeping with another) how Mal feels every time Inara leaves onece again on her shuttle to go be with another client? It is... it cuts him just as deeply. There just hasn't been a clear cut scene that has shown it.. but it does. In order for them to ultimatly become closer, Inara needs to feel and understand this pain... and she does... in one all at one in one crushing moment.
actually there is a huge emotional distinction in the pain Inara feels when Mal makes that choice to sleep with Nandi. Because unlike clients who are Inara's work, Mals decision was personal - not a job or career. And Inara perceived it as exactly that - a personal choice to have shared himself with another woman.
Inara sees clients -but not to seek personal pleasure from this or emotional connections - it is a job. Mal would have cried just as bitterly the day he found Inara in the bed of another man and realized that it was not a 'client' or a job, but a night she had spent with someone else as a personal choice.
They are in love, and in that there is a very fine line between job and personal. Joss establishes from the very beginning that Inara's profession is respectable and acceptable. So we have to see it as that. I don't think Inara would have sobbed quite so hard if Mal was a cosmic stud simply on a job humping space chicks. She might have dissapproved, but it would not have cut as deep.
We don't see such elaborate pain from Mal in the episodes - because he never experienced the extent of such a pain. It would be he who would have to learn what that it feels like.
Purely from a Mal-Inara standpoint HoG was my least fav episode for that unneeded blow to their building relationship.
Bring them closer? I don't think so. Inara did what any other red-blooded woman would do. She left.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Smaug:
............
The Somnambulist said that Inara loving Mal has only been hinted at til HoG. I disagree.. no hinting at all.. I believe it has been shown very clearly from our very first introduction to Inara from the piolet episode. Our first introduction to her shows her with a client.. and she appears rather bored and not into what she is doing.. to the point that she may actually have spead her clock upto cut her client's time short. Why would she do this?
................
she wouldn't. Inara may be many things, but she is above all professional. i'm quite sure that line was intended as a shot at Inara from an egocentric client too embarassed to admit the only way he could get some was to contract a Companion.
--------------------------------------------
now all i need is a big gun and a "very fine hat"...
Reavers ate my homework
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hafthand:
I have to go with 'Our Mrs. Reynolds' for the single reason that watching Yo-Saf-Brig is so very annoying as the biddable, i am so innocent, please let me be your wife!! I love sooo many things about that episode but unfortunatly if I was forced by gun to skip one it would have to be this because of her annoyingness.
I second that in its entirety. I like her in "Trash" though.
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Objects in Space just doesn't do it for me. I accept that isn't fair though because it would be a fantastic episoe if the series had continued. AS the last one though it is a bit 'eh?' It is a shame they weren't able to have some kind of conclusion but hey, what the hell
The one I avoid because I am a cowardy custard is War Stoeis. the torture scene is a bit much for me to handle. I am such a woos.
I must admit I can't see why people don't like Shindig. It is my favourite - along with Out of Gas.
Just goes to show FF fans are a topsy-turvy lot!
extremely dimensionally transcendental
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There is no episode that I don't like, however 'Bushwacked' is probably my least viewed, therefore I guess, my least favourite. I ve seen it like 3 or 4 times compared to at least 6 for each of the others (and many more for the pilot, Out Of Gas, Ariel and Objects In Space).
But then, I've only had the series since late Feb.
Chrisisall wacked
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Yeah, it does seem that everyone marches to their own drum beat, huh? That's what makes this 'verse so unique. In my opinion, the only episode I have no problem skipping is HoG, but I always love the Kaylee/Wash scene, and the River birthing scene. When she says "Me too". Best line. Anyway, I just didn't like the flow of it. I did watch it yesterday to givie it another chance, and was still like "meh".
As for episodes like Objects in Space (one of my absolute favorites!) I can see why people don't like it, but still...I actually liked the way it ended, sort of open, yet bringing some kind of closure between Kaylee and River and the crew's acceptance of River as an actual person. I'd be frustrated, though, had I been a fan before the movie, and having to wait so long after such an open ending to that eppy.
Safe. Love it. It's one of my top favs, as well. The Simon/River scene always chokes me up. The Message is a good one, not my favorite, but I still rewatch it every once in awhile. There are so many good moments to point out. And someone mentioned skipping Ariel, which I usually fast-forward the blue-hands-killing-spree scene....bleh, I still love Ariel and its moments. And Shindig, can we say hilarious? That's one episode I'll never tire of.
You know, I always liked "Our Mrs. Reynolds", but not as much as the others. When I saw the deleted scene from it, though, I kinda liked it more, for some reason. If they had left that scene in, I think it would have been so much better. Time-wise and plot-wise, I can see why they cut it out, but it's just so cute!
*~*~
Summer's response to Nathan getting his very own action figure:
"I tried to pull his head off."
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I have a problem with picking a least favorite, because ever time I go back and watch an episode I thought I didn't like much, I end up liking it. lol
But if I had to pick I would probably say 'Safe' or 'Heart of Gold.' It's not that I have anything against Safe, it just never really clicked with me. I do like the end though, the whole 'yeah but she's our witch.' Still makes me laugh.
Heart of Gold, in general I don't mind it. But I really do have a problem with Mal bedding Nandie. It just seemed so out of character for Mal. I remember the first time I watched the episode, I was sitting on the couch screaming at the TV/Mal not to do it. Yes, I know it won't change a thing, but I just couldn't help it.
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Quote:
Heart of Gold, in general I don't mind it. But I really do have a problem with Mal bedding Nandie. It just seemed so out of character for Mal.
You are absolutely right. I think Joss used this merely as a trigger for the famous "Inara-cries-the-shit-out-of-her" scene.
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