Serenity (Firefly episode)
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- For other uses, see Serenity
| Firefly episode | |
|---|---|
| “Serenity” | |
 Captain Malcolm Reynolds confronting the character Patience on Whitefall |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 01 |
| Guest star(s) | Carlos Jacott Mark A. Sheppard Andy Umberger Philip Sternberg Eddie Adams Colin Patrick Lynch Bonnie Bartlett |
| Writer(s) | Joss Whedon |
| Director | Joss Whedon |
| Production no. | 1AGE79 |
| Original airdate | December 20, 2002 (Fox) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "--" | "The Train Job" |
"Serenity" was the original two-hour series pilot for the Firefly science-fiction television series created by Joss Whedon. However, FOX executives were not satisfied with this as a pilot, and so instead, "The Train Job" was created to be the pilot. "Serenity" was not aired until the end of the series's run. This episode shares its name with the feature film Serenity, which continues the series after the final episode.
In 2003, the episode won the award for "Best visual effects in a television series" from Visual Effects Society, and was nominated for a Hugo Award in 2003 for "Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form".
Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe Washburne (Gina Torres) are survivors of their rebel unit in the Battle of Serenity Valley during the Unification War, in which their side lost. They are now eking out an existence on the edges of space in their Firefly class spaceship Serenity taking odd jobs even if it involves petty crime. They take on passengers to supplement their income, but with one passenger they discover he has a secret that makes their lives more difficult.
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[edit] Plot
The show opens with an action sequence that depicts the Battle of Serenity Valley during the Unification War and establishes the characters Sgt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds and Zoe Washburne as survivors of their unit. It then cuts to six years later and Mal is now the captain of his own transport ship, the Firefly-class Serenity, and Zoe is his second-in-command. While he, Zoe, and their gun-for-hire Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin) are attempting to steal goods from an abandoned wreck of a carrier in space, they are discovered by an Alliance cruiser. To escape capture, they deploy a decoy distress beacon, called the "crybaby", but not before a bulletin is transmitted that a Firefly-class ship is carrying stolen Alliance goods.
Several other crew members are introduced at this point: Wash (Alan Tudyk) the pilot, Kaylee (Jewel Staite) the engineer, and Inara (Morena Baccarin), a "Companion".
On Persephone, the crew attempts to close their deal with their employer for the heist, Badger (Mark Sheppard), but word of their encounter with the Alliance, and the fact that the goods are government-stamped, makes Badger unwilling to close the deal. Meanwhile, to supplement their income, they take on passengers, which adds to the tension, since now they are stuck with a quantity of government-stamped, illegal salvage goods.
Their new passengers are a preacher named Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), Dobson (Carlos Jacott), and a wealthy doctor named Simon Tam (Sean Maher). Having decided to try their luck with an old adversary Patience to sell their goods, they change their flight plan and head for Whitefall.
En route, however, Wash discovers that someone on board sent a message to an Alliance cruiser. Suspecting the wealthy doctor Simon is the mole, Mal confronts him only to discover that Dobson is the "Fed" and that the object of his pursuit is Simon, not Mal and the stolen cargo. In Dobson's attempt to arrest Simon, he shoots Kaylee in the stomach before being overpowered by Book. Just then an Alliance cruiser hails them and Simon threatens not to treat Kaylee if Mal does not flee. Mal reluctantly agrees.
Curious as to why the Alliance wants Simon, Mal goes to the cargo bay, opens Simon's crate, and finds a young nude woman inside in a cryonic sleep. It is revealed to be River Tam (Summer Glau), Simon's sister. Simon explains that she was born with a gifted intellect in diverse fields such as physics and dance, dwarfing his own talents, and that at the age of fourteen she was sent to an Alliance-funded academy where she was subjected to some unspecified experiments on her brain. Simon rescued her from the Alliance's clutches and is on the run trying to protect her from them. Mal decides to leave them at Whitefall, but threatens that if Kaylee doesn't heal, Simon's "getting off sooner." This puts the character Inara into conflict with Mal, as she threatens that if he expels Simon and River from the ship, that she'll leave too. This does not deter the captain. Mal decides to proceed with the stolen goods sale to Patience on Whitefall.
Soon after, they discover that a Reaver ship is approaching. It is explained that if boarded, everyone on Serenity will be raped to death, cannibalized, and have their skin sewn into the insides of the Reavers' clothing, and if they're "very lucky, they'll do it in that order." Luckily, the Reaver ship passes by.
Dobson tries to bribe Jayne after telling Jayne how much the Alliance knows from his transmission. "That include betraying the captain?"
Serenity lands on Whitefall and Mal, Zoe, and Jayne walk out into a valley to meet Patience and her henchmen, but not before Mal sends Jayne to take out any potential snipers. Mal gives Patience a sample of the cargo, which turns out to be nutritional/immunization bars, each one of which can feed an entire family for a month, or longer "if they don't like their kids too much." Patience attempts to renege on the deal, but Jayne, Mal, and Zoe dispatch Patience and her gang, taking the money they were promised. Jayne then arrives, having been contacted by Wash with bad news: the Reavers followed them to Whitefall.
Meanwhile back on the ship Dobson escapes, knocking out Book and grabbing River. Simon is in the middle of attempting to prevent Dobson from leaving with River, when Mal arrives and shoots Dobson. They dump him off the ship as they prepare to leave, the Reavers on their tail. Mal orders the passengers to Inara's shuttle as Jayne carries the still-convalescing Kaylee to the engine room. With Book carrying out Kaylee's instructions and Wash's superb flying, Serenity pulls a "Crazy Ivan" maneuver, enveloping the Reaver ship in a fireball ignited by their exhaust, allowing them to escape.
Book goes to Inara and, in essence, confesses that he's terribly lost and might be on the wrong ship [he's surrounded by criminals, murderers, and a "prostitute"]. Inara thinks he just might be exactly where he ought to be.
On the bridge, Jayne tells Mal that River's in danger and that Dobson had told him the Alliance will keep after her. Mal asks if Dobson tried to bribe him, to which Jayne let him know it wasn't enough of a bribe, and that it'll be an interesting day if the bribe is ever big enough. Jayne leaves as Simon enters. Mal suggests to Simon that he and River might be safer on the move than hiding in one place, and points out that Serenity is always moving, and in need of a medic. Simon accepts his offer.
[edit] Arc significance
This episode introduces a major story arc of the short-lived series: that of River and Simon. It reveals Simon's deep, selfless love for his sister and that his life is now defined by her.[1]
Dobson survives being shot by Mal and later returns for revenge in Serenity: Those Left Behind, a 2005 comic book miniseries.
[edit] Foreshadowing
- Kaylee fruitlessly asks Mal for a new compression coil for the engine, warning that they'll be adrift in space if it breaks. This foreshadows the failure of the "catalyzer on the port compression coil" that cripples the ship in "Out of Gas". In the original rough-cut of the episode (known in Browncoat circles as "The Tube") Mal actually orders Wash to attempt to locate a compression coil.
- Mal and Jayne talk about Dobson's attempt to bribe Jayne into betraying his employer. In "Out of Gas", we see that this is exactly how Jayne first joined the Serenity crew. It also foreshadows "Ariel" when Jayne betrays Mal by turning in the Tams to the feds for the large reward.
- Book's feelings that his experiences on Serenity have corrupted him foreshadows his later decision to leave the ship for this very reason in the comic book series Serenity: Those Left Behind.
[edit] Themes
As Joss Whedon points out in the commentary for this episode, every show he does is "about creating family".[1] To achieve the sense of family, he centers some action around a dinner scene at a table, and directs warm light into the faces of the characters.[1] Strengthening this theme is the interaction between Simon and his sister River. Simon has done a selfless act in rescuing his sister, and his life is now defined by it. Whedon wanted to show a relationship like that that was not a parent-child relationship.[1]
Another theme is the fusion of Asian and frontier culture. As Brett Matthews said, you couldn't ask for a better mission statement for the show than the shot of Mal with a Western tin cup and chopsticks.[1] He then contrasts this to the tall, vertical Alliance cruiser that detects them, as he wanted to show how inefficient the Alliance government was.[1]
He also wanted to show a lifestyle that was very tactile and physical, and contrast it to the lifestyle of the contemporary audience where things "fall in your lap".[1]
[edit] Production details
This episode was originally intended as the pilot, but since the original version didn't suit Fox, it did not air. The beginning sequence was reshot before it did air, to give more of the "action" that Fox wanted.[1]
Also, at the time they were shooting this, Rebecca Gayheart was playing the role of Inara Serra, but Whedon knew that it was not going to work out and so shot scenes with her interacting with the crew in singles, so that the only part that would have to be reshot would be the shots of Inara.[1]
After the crew escapes the Reavers on Whitefall, Wash states that the ship will have to get fuel and repairs, and he appears to have his hands on the steering wheel. However, there is nothing in his hands. The wheel reappears in his grip seconds later.
After the Reavers are introduced, the screen goes to near black before cutting to commercials. Whedon wanted to give the audience time to "breathe" before being hit with commercials, but a true black would automatically cue the ads. Instead, he went with a color that was as close to black as he could go without causing this.[1]
[edit] Special guests
- Carlos Jacott as Lawrence Dobson, an Alliance "Fed". This is also one of Whedon's "hat tricks" for the episode: an actor that has appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
- Mark A. Sheppard as Badger, the crime boss located on Persephone
- Andy Umberger as the Alliance captain of the Dortmunder. He is also a "hat trick".
- Philip Sternberg as Inara's client.
- Eddie Adams as Bendis, one of the members of Mal and Zoe's unit in the Battle of Serenity Valley
- Bonnie Bartlett as Patience
[edit] Cultural and literary allusions
There were several references to popular culture in this episode. The character Bendis, the soldier that fought in Serenity Valley, was named after comic book writer and artist, Brian Michael Bendis. Also, when deploying the decoy called the "Cry Baby", Malcolm Reynolds says "Cry baby cry" and Wash responds with: "Make your mother sigh", which is a quote from The Beatles' song "Cry Baby Cry."
The logo of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the Alien series can be seen at the top of the interface screen on the anti-aircraft gun during the battle sequence at the beginning of the episode.
As part of the effort to have props serve as meaning, the Chinese character for "Short Interval" is visible on an hourglass in Inara's shuttle when she is with her client during the character's introduction.
When Inara docks her shuttle with Serenity, an Imperial Shuttle can be seen taking off in the background.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joss Whedon (Director). (2003-12-09) The Complete Series: Commentary for "Serenity" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
[edit] References and external links
- Firefly — The Complete Series DVD set (ISBN 6308024716)
- "Firefly" Serenity: Part 1 at the Internet Movie Database
- "Firefly" Serenity: Part 2 at the Internet Movie Database
- TV.com: "Serenity" (part 1)
- TV.com: "Serenity" (part 2)
- Firefly Wiki - "Serenity" script
| The Firefly series | ||
| Episodes | Serenity | The Train Job | Bushwhacked | Shindig | Safe | Our Mrs. Reynolds | Jaynestown Out of Gas | Ariel | War Stories | Trash | The Message | Heart of Gold | Objects in Space |
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| Spin-offs | R. Tam sessions | Serenity: Those Left Behind | Serenity | |
| Characters | Derrial Book | Jayne Cobb | Kaylee Frye | Malcolm Reynolds | Inara Serra River Tam | Simon Tam | Hoban Washburne | Zoe Washburne | Minor characters |
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| Terminology | Moons and planets | The Alliance | Blue Sun | Unification War | Serenity Reaver | Browncoat | Firefly slang | Companion |
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