MovieChat Forums > Firefly (2002) Discussion > Without spoiling, are the following epis...

Without spoiling, are the following episodes better than the pilot?


Just watched the 1 and half an hour pilot. Thought it was decent, but not spectacular. Pretty cliched in many ways. Feels kind of old in that regard. Do you think the following episodes of half the length are better?

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Personally, I think the best episodes are the run from "Jaynestown" through "War Stories" but you'll want to watch the episodes before them as there is some background information you'll want to see.
And the programming director as FOX thought the next episode, "The Train Job", was better than the pilot. "The Train Job" was the episode FOX ran as a pilot instead of the hour and a half pilot in the original run on FOX.
If you decide to watch the rest of the episodes, let us know what you think. I'm curious to find out if you like any of the other episodes more than the pilot.

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Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

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Now you see, I thought the Pilot was much better than the Train Job. Jaynestown is my second least favorite, though it's many peoples favorite. I still think it's great just not as great as the others. Out of Gas, Bushwhacked, War Stories, and the finale (Objects in Space) Are the ones I feel are the best, but yes it picks up more after the pilot sets up the basis.

To Love and win is the best thing. To Love and lose, the next best.

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Now you see, I thought the Pilot was much better than the Train Job.
I definitely think the pilot was much better at introducing the characters than the Train Job. The point I was making was that FOX didn't like the pilot and asked Whedon to write something else. The result was The Train Job which FOX ran instead of the pilot. As one of the handful of people who watched Firefly when it first ran, The Train Job was my introduction to the 'verse. It wasn't until after the show was cancelled and FOX ran the pilot at the end that I finally knew how the Tams and Shepherd Book ended up on Serenity.

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Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

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Yeah. It was pretty confusing. I thought I had missed the whole girl-in-a-box part.

Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.

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Oops, I did misread that. I didn't see Firefly until the DVDs. I can only imagine how confusing it was trying to piece the story together from just the Train Job on.

To Love and win is the best thing. To Love and lose, the next best.

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I can only imagine how confusing it was trying to piece the story together from just the Train Job on.
Not only that but for some reason FOX ran some of the other episodes out of order, too.
It still couldn't hide the brilliance of the show.

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Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

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Watched through all of it now. Most of the episodes are definitely better than the pilot. Overall I liked it. Though it didn't have an end and many things were left unanswered like. What is Shepherd's connection with the alliance? Inara's love for Mal was never resolved, and neither were many villains' story arcs. Plus some more stuff I'm forgetting at the moment, damn that cancellation.

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What is Shepherd's connection with the alliance?
Joss Whedon wrote a comic book called Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale. You can read a synopsis of the story here: http://firefly.wikia.com/wiki/Serenity:_The_Shepherd's_Tale
And while it doesn't delve into Shepherd Book's past, there is also a movie that takes place after the end of the show. Serenity (2005)
Plus some more stuff I'm forgetting at the moment, damn that cancellation.
Welcome to the Browncoats! Owning an actual physical brown coat is entirely optional.

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Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

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Haha browncoats, that's what the Nazis are often referred to as...

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Haha browncoats, that's what the Nazis are often referred to as...

*heavy sigh* No, that would be brown SHIRTS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmabteilung

Hitler ruined the reputation of the Swastika and the toothbrush mustache. Don't let him take an entire color, as well.

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Pretty synonymous if you ask me. Whatever it was just a joke.

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NOT real bright are ya maroon.

BROWNSHIRTS....GOT THAT.........SHIRTS.

They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety

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In almost any series, the initial episode, or pilot, is going to be weaker than the more typical episode. In a long running series (Which sadly, Firefly ain't), there will be the ocassional worse episode, but the first one is going to be one of the weaker.

Precisely BECAUSE it's the first. The characters are still being fleshed out, the Actors still learning how to be comfortable in the roles and how to act them out.

I love all the episodes, but if I had to rank them in order of best liked to least, Serenity 1&2 would be on the lower end and most all the rest are much better.

My personal least favorite, but still well liked, is Bushwhacked.

My Best liked I cant decide.
Jaynestown, Our Mrs Reynolds, Out of Gas, Ariel, Trash, Objects in Space.... all vie for top spot equally.


I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!

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In almost any series, the initial episode, or pilot, is going to be weaker than the more typical episode.
I would state the opposite.

Its true one can sometimes spot actors being still uncomfortable with their parts. Alan Alda during the start of M*A*S*H comes to mind.

However many shows take priority in getting a good opener - and I think thats a good idea, get the people interested while you can.

Becker for example has an awesome first scene and the whole first episode stays strong after that.

Buffy the vampire slayer does the same. The first double episode starts and never stops having hold. While many of the other episodes of the first season are kind of cheap monster of the week episodes. Granted, they still have the great characterization and dialogue and humor, but they arent as strong in the story.

The first Sabrina the teenage witch episode is probably one of the best Sabrina episodes in total. Especially considering that after the first three seasons, the show takes an extreme nosedrive into ever lower quality. And actually that first episode showed promise that never got realized later. Namely somehow Sabrina never again showed the ability to know things she shouldnt know.

One could argue how good the first episode of Dark Matter really is, but it certainly tried to archieve having a good opener and its definitely in the better half of episodes of that season.

The first Star Trek episode is also one of the best episodes of the whole show. While many other episodes are kind of repetitive, the first episode captures a sort of unique theme, a human turning superhuman.

Star Trek Voyager certainly had a truely weak first episode. It also had an incredibly weak last episode. It also wasnt that great of a show.

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A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.

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They are ALL great but WAR STORIES is my favorite.

They who give up liberty to
obtain a temporary safety deserve
neither liberty or safety

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Is there any other torture scene as funny as these? And I say that as one who cringes and shuts her eyes at such. But I can watch these because of the extreme laugh-out-loud humor.

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well , 'The Spanish Inquisition' is pretty funny.

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Oh, I adore it! But that's funny precisely because it's all, "give her the comfy chair!"

Not real pain, not mutilation, and funny at the same time.

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"This is something the captain has to deal with alone..."
"NO Its Not!!"

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I laugh out loud every time.

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