Firefly 1x7: Full Reaction
Added 2025-10-24 15:40:18 +0000 UTC
Comments
My take on the Kaylee & Simon situation is that the show is trying to bring two characters together who come from very different economic classes. Kaylee's down-to-earthness clashes with Simon's "high-born" and "proper" world view and behavior. It is worth noting that Jewel Staite and Sean Maher are very good friends in real life, with Jewel referring to Sean as her best friend. So their character chemistry should (and may think do) shine thru the character's different class upbringing. Hulu does have the episodes in the correct order, so your opinions are not the result of watching in the incorrect order. While this show that likes to break storytelling tropes, it stills falls back on the will-they-or-won't-they trope with bringing Simon and Kaylee close together, then pulling them apart again.
Eric H
2025-10-27 02:17:54 +0000 UTCI feel like in the last episode ("Safe"), Simon was - from his perspective - just very very distracted by River being planetside. Kaylee being hurt from her perspective makes sense, but I don't think it's right to attribute much malice to Simon, beyond the fact that he was talking to Kaylee while he was only thinking (and intensely worried) about River. In this episode I think Simon sincerely thought he was protecting Kaylee's honour by insisting that nothing happened. Obviously the show thinks that protesting "I would never, not with Kaylee!" was the wrong way to protect Kaylee's honour, but TBH it's not even clear to me that the show is right about that - beyond that it was the wrong move because Kaylee took it a different way than Simon intended it and the show decided to be on Kaylee's side on this one.
Arlo Murphy
2025-10-25 00:18:19 +0000 UTCAnd I hope your stomach feels better!
JBK405
2025-10-24 23:29:54 +0000 UTCCass, I'm sorry to break it to you, but being a professional YouTuber means that you are perceived by a whole passel of people. I'll make it easy on you and not describe how we perceive you. If you notice, the town foreman leaves a glaring dust handprint on Simon's jacket when he slaps him on the back. According to rumor and urban legend -- so I won't say it's 100% accurate -- the origin of the term "mark" for somebody who is gullible and easy to take advantage of is that carnival barkers would put chalk dust on their hands and use it to 'mark' somebody that they thought could be taken advantage of. So every worker at the carnival could easily pick out the easy money by seeing the big handprint on their back. I love -- love LOVE LOVE -- Inara's line describing virginity: It's just "one state of being". I use that phrase on at least a weekly basis in real life, because it applies to so many different circumstances where people worry about what they "have" to do and where they "should" be in life. You're out of the zeitgeist when it comes to Simon & Kalyee, most of the fandom loves their relationship. That doesn't mean you're WRONG to not be 'in love with their love', but you're in the minority. Personally, I think it makes sense if you consider that it started as a purely superficial infatuation when they first met (Kaylee thought he was hot in the first episode and was impressed that he was a doctor) and then grew into a "crush", and is now in that stage of "maybe it will be more, and maybe it won't". Plenty of people get to this stage and realize it's not meant to be, and it fizzles away. Other people fall "in love" and it gets deeper later. So far nothing has happened to force it down either path.
JBK405
2025-10-24 23:28:13 +0000 UTCI definitely ship Simon and Kaylee. Why would Kaylee be attracted to Simon? Well, he's kind, well-mannered, intelligent, cultured, educated, caring, handsome -- Yeah, nothing attractive about any of that. /sarcasm He also, however, is very much a fish out of water. The environment he is living in now is VERY different from the environment he is used to. He's going to make plenty of mistakes while he adjusts. Also, his previous experiences were with women who expected quite different behavior than what Kaylee expects. Lastly, Simon is a fugitive, constantly worried that the authorities will capture him and his sister. He is under quite a bit of stress. This sometimes can show up in the form of a thoughtless comment. He likes Kaylee (doesn't everyone); he's just very awkward when it comes to figuring out how to behave around her.
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-24 22:17:45 +0000 UTC“There ain’t people like that! There’s just people like me.” Jayne knows he’s not a good guy, but he sort of wishes that he was. I think that you misinterpreted Jayne's motivation when he was reluctant to see his fame used by Mal "to hoodwink people." Inadvertent as it was, Jayne had done something that was good. This was a new experience for him. He had made a positive difference in people's lives. A part of him wanted to see that continue. Mal casually dismissed his concerns. I think that was a missed opportunity. Reducing Jayne to "guy with a big ego" misses quite a bit.
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-24 22:11:29 +0000 UTCSimon’s a snob and Kaylee’s probably the first woman he’s been friends with who isn’t rich and educated. I think the mismatch is she sees an attractive guy she’d be happy to have sex with and he thinks in terms of romance and relationships but Kaylee doesn’t fit his idea of who he should be with. If there were more seasons I think it would’ve been good to have them be together break up and then grow as people. They are Firefly’s Wesley and Cordelia.
Jacob King
2025-10-24 21:00:38 +0000 UTC"Don't make no sense" At this point I almost feel a little sorry for Jayne. He seems almost completely incapable of understanding why someone would ever do anything for selfless reasons. Not that I still don't enjoy his character, I do. Very much so. I think he's more complex than we give him credit for and it's starting to show though this episode.
Preaching to the Horse's Mouth
2025-10-24 19:55:32 +0000 UTCDon't worry, you're watching the episodes in the correct order :) . For Kaylee, the way I see it, it's also a question of who is available, her other choices are a shepherd, a married man, her captain and Jayne. I'm not saying it's the only reason of course, but that's probably a factor :)
Arronax06
2025-10-24 18:25:32 +0000 UTCI enjoyed the episode... About Jayne, we may be on to something with Jayne's self-worth. As to him being a particular kind of person, there were signs of his truest character in earlier episodes, especially after his rather uncouth statements about Kaylee "...getting lubed up over a rich dandy..." (paraphrasing) yet who was outside watching and possibly praying inwardly while Simon was operating on Kaylee's gunshot wound? Also, Jayne would have definitely given the fed mole a really bad time if Mal had not restrained him (which shows a level of respect for Mal). As to the stumbling of Simon over Kaylee, I can relate to Simon to a certain extent... I think I blew the possibility of a relationship by not understanding some very obvious hints from another girlfriend when I was still recovering from a previous relationship and desperately did not want to take any "improper" steps with her. Long story already too long-- I lost out. Kaylee? well, she is in a ship with a father-figure captain, a married couple, a soldier of fortune who probably sees her as a younger sister, a preacher/missionary, and an eligible young man who is all about healing/protecting his kid sister. Lack of options, it seems.
Michael Labs
2025-10-24 18:12:54 +0000 UTChilarious episode. "you guys had a riot? on account of me?" 🥲
Frelle
2025-10-24 17:31:19 +0000 UTCVery fun episode. Lots of interesting points of discussion where symbols grow past being a representation of what something is, into meaning more than what was intended or is actually true. Regarding the watch order, Hulu has the episodes in the order that the episodes were supposed to be released, not how they were actually released (which would be way more jumbled). I like Simon and Kaylee, they are both similar with their specialized expertise (medical and engineering) where they see how things are supposed to work or dont work when they are damaged/injured and have the skill to make them function again; but also opposites in temperament, Simon being prim and proper while Kaylee is more of a free spirit.
James Smith
2025-10-24 16:46:16 +0000 UTC
