confusing beginning in 'Serenity'?

POSTED BY: Jerry111
UPDATED: Thursday, January 6, 2005 15:44
VIEWED: 14324
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JERRY111

Friday, May 7, 2004 10:44 PM

Was anyone else a little startled by the beginning of "Serenity" when watching it for the first time? By mean, I say how it started out with a bang. It kind of made me think that I started out in the middle of the episode.

FORRESTWOLF

Monday, May 31, 2004 2:44 PM

Actually, as I've been introducing people to Firefly the past couple of weeks, I've noticed that the opening scene (the "Fox" one, with the battle) is pretty darned confusing for people in general. I guess it's meant to be, but one alternative Joss could have done would be a flashback to the battle later in the episode. I think many writers prefer chronological order, because flashbacks can get rather stale, but in this case, I wonder if the history and the jump to the show was just too much to grasp.

Anyone else? I just tried Train Job instead as a first ep for a new viewer, and it didn't seem any less confusing :)

ANDAGAINMA

Monday, May 31, 2004 3:07 PM

I agree that the battle scene was not the best start to our voyage on Firefly. The salvage, interrupted by the Alliance vessel, might have worked better, since it shows what Mal and co do for a living. While I don't find the battle scene confusing, it suggests war story, rather than SF or western.
Andrew

EST120

Monday, May 31, 2004 3:07 PM

Quote:

Anyone else? I just tried Train Job instead as a first ep for a new viewer, and it didn't seem any less confusing :)

i think that the beginning of "serenity" is confusing as well though i feel it still must be the first episode that a new viewer watches. i think it is kind of hard to link mal's distaste for the alliance later in the episode. also, it is a harder with the battle scene to understand about mal's lack of faith. i think the alternate scene was better at conveying that aspect of his personality.

EXAMPLE

Friday, July 9, 2004 7:38 PM

I fail to see what's so confusing about the battle scene?

Is it the fact that there is a time jump; or what's going on? Because if you pay close attention you can tell what is going on via dialogue from Mal, Zoe, and the private.

PURPLEBELLY

Friday, July 9, 2004 8:59 PM

No, but I am European

HOWDYROCKERBABY1

Friday, July 9, 2004 9:42 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by andagainma:
I agree that the battle scene was not the best start to our voyage on Firefly. The salvage, interrupted by the Alliance vessel, might have worked better, since it shows what Mal and co do for a living. While I don't find the battle scene confusing, it suggests war story, rather than SF or western.
Andrew

Moving the battle to a flashback later in the episode would rend the line "Right We Win" useless at the end of the salvage seen in Serenity. It would totally go over peoples heads as a sign of the tortured soul that Mal has become since the war.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MAL: This is my scrap of nowhere. You go on and find your own.
SAFFRON: You can't just leave me here, on this
lifeless piece of crap moon...
MAL: Sure I can.
SAFFRON: I'll die.
MAL: Well, as a courtesy, you might start
getting busy on that, cause all this chatter ain't doin' me any kindness.

HOWDYROCKERBABY1

Friday, July 9, 2004 9:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by est120:
Quote:

Anyone else? I just tried Train Job instead as a first ep for a new viewer, and it didn't seem any less confusing :)

i think that the beginning of "serenity" is confusing as well though i feel it still must be the first episode that a new viewer watches. i think it is kind of hard to link mal's distaste for the alliance later in the episode. also, it is a harder with the battle scene to understand about mal's lack of faith. i think the alternate scene was better at conveying that aspect of his personality.

Hmm.. lets see... During the war he kisses the cross hanging around his neck

after the war, he doesn't want people praying out loud at his dinner table....

how is that so very confusing?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
MAL: This is my scrap of nowhere. You go on and find your own.
SAFFRON: You can't just leave me here, on this
lifeless piece of crap moon...
MAL: Sure I can.
SAFFRON: I'll die.
MAL: Well, as a courtesy, you might start
getting busy on that, cause all this chatter ain't doin' me any kindness.

WULFHAWK

Friday, July 9, 2004 11:04 PM

If that's confusing, browncoat, you maybe better take a friend with you to the movie, to kinda explain how it is that Mal is a rougher, more bitter character, and Serenity is a little slicker, and...

Well, maybe ya better see it twice. Or more.

Take my love
Take my land

PROFESSOR

Saturday, July 10, 2004 1:43 AM

I'm finding it hard to understand the confusing part. Expecially the lack of understanding in the change of the captain. My opinion is that the opening scene had to be first. Joss' intension for the show was that these were the people that history is going to forget. Why? Because Mal doesn't care, his war is lost. There's a dramatic shift in his character and the only way to understand that is to see who he was before the shift, or in this case it was done during the shift.

As someone mentioned he went from kissing the cross to not allowing prayer at the dinner table. Understood, the cross is subtle, I didn't catch it the first time; however the bit about the captain telling the private that God wouldn't allow them to die because they're too pretty, not so subtle. As far as jumping into the middle of the battle (actually end of the battle) this isn't a war flick, it's not about how the war started how the battle started, where else is the scene supposed to start except right where it explains what it needs to? Mal was almost as optimistic as Kaylee until the instruction to lay down arms and watch as help flew away.

To get over the confusion all that was needed was to wait the two minutes for the story writing to catch you up. I thought the 6 years later bit did a good job with that.

I personally loved how Firefly started, my problem was with Train Job playing the "River is Simon's sister" "Kaylee is the mechanic" "Wash and Zoe are married" card because Fox was too stupid to put the introduction to the series on first.

- Professor's fiance

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