For a short-lived series of only 15 episodes, there were certainly some quality ones churned out. Firefly stunned every week, which makes it particularly hard to choose a favorite episode, doesn’t it? Not for some of the CliqueClack team members — they definitely had their favorites!
Katie:
Gotta go with “Shindig.” Great Kaylee episode, great River moments and Mal as Captain Tightpants. “Use of as sw-what?” Did I mention we get to see some Zoe/Wash lovin’? All good things.
Brett:
My favorite is “Train Job.” Over the years it has gotten a bad rap among fans who lament that the original pilot wasn’t used, but I think that has more to do with a misguided search to try and find something to blame for the failure of the series than anything that is wrong with the episode. It’s actually a very good pilot. The first 15 minutes does a great job of setting up the series and introducing all of the characters. And that quickly transitions to the introduction of a great baddie in Niska, and the start of a fun caper. As the job takes a twist, we get a great look at just what kind of person Mal is. And, it finishes with one of the iconic moments of the series when Mal kicks Crow into the engine.
Debbie:
I can’t pick just one, ’cause that’s the way I roll, but I agree with Katie that “Shindig” was one of my favorites because it was part Joss Whedon / part Jane Austen. I also loved “Jaynestown” because it balanced humor and poignancy so very well. The flashbacks in “Out of Gas” were so much fun … I guess I liked the fun episodes the best.
An:
I would list “War Stories” as my top Firefly episode, and not only because it featured my favorite character, Zoe. I liked it because when watching Firefly in ’02-’03 one of the things that didn’t click for me included the Zoe-Wash relationship. Zoe and Mal gave off such similar energies, I felt they should pair up. I always wanted a backstory showing the two trying to get together, only to realize it was too icky.
When I re-watched Firefly on Hulu and DVD while in graduate school, I gradually saw Zoe and Wash as the perfect couple. By the time “War Stories” rolled around I had already jumped on-board the Zoe-Wash train and viewed Wash’s jealousy as superfluous. That’s when I called Whedon a genius. I assumed he waited until we fell in love with the married couple and their relationship before launching this episode. In fact, I loved that Wash gave all the arguments I spoke myself when the season started.
After that, I’d list “Train Job” as a solid episode which showed what the crew did. On a side note, Inara’s costume seemed richer here than in other episodes, and I felt it showcased her status.
If I could, I’d slip in another episode, I might include “Objects in Space.” I loved the bounty hunter, Jubal Early, because he exposed some of the crew’s personal weaknesses in a realistic manner, like Kaylee, where we still went away loving them.
Carla:
It is difficult to pick a favorite episode, so I will go with the one that made me laugh the most: “Jaynestown.” The scene when the crew first sees Jayne’s statue is one of the funniest of the series. They are just in dismay over why this statue would be there and the jokes were hilarious. But, overall, the scene that I found absolutely stomach-hurting funny was when River saw Shepard with his hair teased out. Her reaction and his confusion — priceless. A few touching moments happened in this episode also: Kaylee and Simon flirting while drunk and waking up in each others arms, and Inara talking about Mal to her young client. Overall, this was an episode with loads of laughs and some tender moments as well.
What’s your favorite episode of Firefly? Vote in the poll and elaborate in the comments!
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Jun 15, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
Hard to pick!
War Stories jumps out, getting to “meet” the “real” Mal and Company was fanstastic.
So far “Out of Gas” is winning, and I like to think I’m swaying readers with my detailed love letter to the episode that got posted this morning. Hooray!
Tough to pick a favorite, but I went with “Shindig.” I could easily have voted for “Jaynestown” though. Hope somebody writes a post about that one, or maybe about Jayne as a character. :-)
It’s a very difficult choice as each and every episode is special in many ways. Train Job, Jayne’s Town, War Stories, Our Mrs. Reynolds, Out of Gas and Objects in Space could all be easily chosen. However, I’d have to pick Serenity, the pilot episode. It set up the series and every character in it perfectly. Its the little details that often go unnoticed. Thankfully I watched the show in it’s proper order, not the cluster mess Fox aired it in.
During the battle of Serenity Valley, a battle Mal and Zoe lost (And then named their ship after). As Mal prepared to run out on a suicide mission, the last thing he does is reach under his shirt and pulls out a cross and kisses it, and looks to the heavens as if to utter a prayer. Flash forward a few years to see Mal going out of his way to upset the Shepard. While eating dinner (a real delicacy of fresh fruits and what appeared to be sushi), the crew ate with chopsticks to further fuse the Chinese and Cowboy culture. Watching the terrified crew prepare for a possible encounter with the revers. The conversation about being lost in the woods with Inara, Shepard, and Mal. Then Mal’s announcement at the end of the episode once they’ve escaped the revers for the final time that they were “out of the woods”. Mal’s name translating into bad in Latin. Two separate conversations about hats (Badger and Patience’s best shot). Only villains wore hats in the show. (Interesting considering Jayne’s knit cap in The Message.
From Mal and Inara’s love/hate relationship, Wash’s ability to make light of the the worst situations which. Mal’s defense of Kaylee at the dinner table. Shepard’s crisis of faith and wondering where he allowed himself to land, in a gang of criminals, and Inara’s counseling of him telling him he’s exactly where he belongs and is needed. Jane’s excitement and then disappointment during the interrogation of the Federal lawman, wanting to “Get me an ear”. Kaylee’s kindness towards the doctor when she defends him to Mal. The entire crew showing how they are able to survive, staying a step ahead (even if it is getting awfully crowded in Mal’s sky), pulling off the job with Patience, and narrowly escaping the revers. Mal tricking the Doc into thinking Kaylee died and the entire crew laughing at the joke. And finally the scene with Mal and Jayne discussing the offer Jane was given to help free the Fed. Badger gets his first appearance (My personal favorite reoccurring character). We also get a very detailed view of nearly every room on the ship, making it truly feel like home.
Object’s in Space, without hesitation. Everything about this episode is just awesomeness.