Firefly: 1x8 Full Reaction
Added 2025-10-24 15:46:07 +0000 UTC"Out of Gas"
Comments
Wash and the other mechanic don't even look alike. I think you have a case of face blindness. Happens to everyone
Curtis Murphy
2025-11-29 23:58:25 +0000 UTCMal occasionally calls Inara a whore precisely because she told him not to when they first met. Mal occasionally goes into Inara's shuttle without permission precisely because she told him not to when they first met. It's Mal's way of saying "Nobody tells me what to do." It's also Mal's way of pulling her strings.
Rod B
2025-10-30 00:23:45 +0000 UTCFace blindness strikes again!
Nate Andrews
2025-10-25 05:58:24 +0000 UTCdefinitely my favorite episode so far! i had tears in my eyes at the end. also couldnt not think of pursuits emote when you said "this is the run" 🤭
Frelle
2025-10-25 03:05:19 +0000 UTCThis episode definitely is a fan-favorite. This episode is great on first-watch, but it SHINES on re-watch. There's so many touches playing with time throughout the episode. For example, in the first flashback where we see Mal bringing Zoe onto the ship, she asks "What's that?" and Mal says something must have been living there. The area they point to is the area where Mal collapsed after being shot, so they're pointing to Mal when they say that. Kaylee has actually been mentioning the catalyzer on the port compression coil all along: She says that it needs to be replaced back in the first episode when they dock at Persephone, and warns Mal that if it bursts, then they're stuck drifting. It's popped up since then as well, where she keeps warning Mal and he keeps brushing her off (because they don't have the money to buy a replacement part). Zoe is unconscious for most of the episode because Gina Torres had just gotten married (to Laurence Fishburne) and she needed time-off for the wedding and honeymoon. There's a minor continuity error in the flashbacks, which is only possible for you to know if you've read behind-the-scenes info. The necklace that Zoe wears throughout the show is supposed to be a marriage-token (Like a wedding ring). This is never mentioned in dialogue, but it's part of the character costume design. But she's wearing the same necklace even before she meets Wash. River says "fire" a moment before everything explodes. Simon thinks she's talking about the candles on his cake, and maybe she is, but maybe not...
JBK405
2025-10-25 00:27:36 +0000 UTCOne subtle thing that many people probably miss involved Jayne. Just before he enters a shuttle, he tells Mal all of the things that he did, including preparing a spacesuit in case Mal needs it. Mal hadn't asked him to do that, but he did it anyway. You can then see his awkward silence as he tries to think of something to say. He's no good at expressing emotions. He can't say anything like "I admire you, Mal. You've been a great captain. I hope you survive this." or anything like that. Instead, after a moment he just says, "Well..." and leaves. I think that, if you play close attention, Jayne is the most interesting character in the series.
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-24 23:40:30 +0000 UTCTim Minear can always be relied on to write a banger episode: he was heavily involved in Angel, and wrote some great episodes before leaving to create Firefly with Joss during Angel S4, then returning for S5 after Firefly was cancelled mid-production. It was supposed to have more episodes (presumably 22 like Buffy and Angel), but Fox executives pulled the plug early. I think this is my favourite episode of the whole show. I don't think there's a single criticism I have for it; the pacing, direction, writing, music, and the interweaving timelines are all masterfully crafted. The character study of Mal is also very moving; it always makes me emotional when he sends his crew away and stays with his beloved Serenity I also love the flashbacks - I'm grateful we got origins for the crew before the show was cancelled. And the ending is so wholesome: you can really feel the mutual love between Mal and the crew ❤️
Jordan McLaren
2025-10-24 22:33:54 +0000 UTCTHANK YOU
Cassie
2025-10-24 20:01:52 +0000 UTCPS; the episode of Star Trek I mentioned is one of my favorite ones...
Michael Labs
2025-10-24 19:33:33 +0000 UTCSci-fi with space travel and ships is based on naval traditions in most stories... especially in some of the most famous shows/movies. For an example the Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror" takes its inspiration in activity from submarine warfare between subs. (All I can say without spoilers). Mal asking about if everybody is going to be there when he wakes up, I'm sure that the idea that he would wake up in the same situation he passed out in would be a thing of abject terror (not that he would easily show it). The "...we all die alone..." thing? I believe we do. Not that it is strictly speaking a bad thing, it is an activity we will all do and how will be an individual experience. Maybe I think about it as "...we are all books/stories and part of the story (or book) is the end..." Then again, I may have experienced enough to where I am not as fearful of it as I once was... some methods and events would suck more than others I'm sure.
Michael Labs
2025-10-24 19:32:12 +0000 UTCYou probably found out since then, but there were 2 different blond guys in the same flashback, it was indeed Wash in the cockpit, and then Bester in the hallway ;)
Arronax06
2025-10-24 19:12:13 +0000 UTCYou got confused because Wash (in the pilot's chair with the mustache) and Bester ("genius" mechanic in the common area) get introduced in the same flashback.
R. Chang
2025-10-24 18:54:39 +0000 UTCThis episode is great, love a good flashback episode. The thing with the fire leaving the ship at the beginning is that they sealed the rooms they were in, and then opened the door to the outside of the ship which sucked the oxygen out of the rooms on fire and sent it out into space.
James Smith
2025-10-24 17:41:26 +0000 UTCYeah, they introduced Wash with the mustache. Zoe says she doesn't like him. Mal and her step down the stairs talking and mention "Genius mechanic" and Bester shows up while Wash is still up in the cockpit.
Keith Jones
2025-10-24 17:40:08 +0000 UTC
