Firefly: 1x5 Full Reaction
Added 2025-10-17 15:00:12 +0000 UTC
Comments
Kind of an "Easter Egg", the last scene shows the crew eating dinner together. If you look closely they all have a big steak, which is a callback to the herd of cows that they transported. The dinner scene was actually the last shot before lunch, and the cast actually ate the steak dinner as their lunch that day! Nathan said that it felt like being at home, having dinner with all of his best friends.
Lazerx1
2025-11-01 02:33:09 +0000 UTCAbout River and dancing, I don't know if you remember the episode of Angel at the ballet, the one where Angel kissed Cordy: the main ballerina was played by the same actress as River, Summer Glau, the actress has a background in dancing/ballet, that might be why Joss Whedon also included the dancing in Firefly for River :) .
Arronax06
2025-10-18 20:19:53 +0000 UTCMal made the right call, though in typical Mal fashion he didn't communicate well. He knew the kidnappers needed Simon alive and that a search and rescue mission would take too long and cost Book his life
Neill Shaughness
2025-10-18 09:46:59 +0000 UTCyou're on my crew 🥹
Frelle
2025-10-18 05:32:17 +0000 UTCThe show slightly cheats by hiding the fact that Mal is doing triage to increase tension for the audience. "Forget them" sounds pretty final but its just a matter of focus. Mal probably calculates that a doctor kidnapped in this fashion is safe enough that they can go find another doctor to treat Book before returning to rescue River and Simon.
The Testimony of Mushroom
2025-10-18 01:21:44 +0000 UTCYeah, I think they're doing the best they can. I think they really believe their daughter is in an up-and-up school for the gifted, that their son has gone down a crazy conspiracy rabbit hole, and that their government keeps track of everyone who starts sounding like a dissident. They live under a regime that really will imprison Simon for what he's doing, and would fairly likely take his parents down as well. They know their government does that, but they probably don't think their government is doing experiments on their kid's brain. Which is fair, that's a whole 'nother level of crazy. I think they don't want their son to throw his life away - which they *know* will happen if he keeps questioning the Alliance like this.
Arlo Murphy
2025-10-18 00:35:36 +0000 UTCAs part and parcel of the bizarre original airing order, the "Previously on..." at the opening actually includes scenes from episodes that you haven't seen yet. They put those together during the original run to try and keep the audience in the loop, but it just makes things a little more confusing.
JBK405
2025-10-17 23:09:05 +0000 UTCEvery reactor I've seen watch this show points out the Zac Efron appearance. I'm an old guy who has never seen "High School Musical", so I had no idea who he was until I googled him. :-)
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-17 19:23:34 +0000 UTClol That's a thought, but I'm pretty sure it was just Wash making a joke. :-)
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-17 19:20:13 +0000 UTCMany reactors seem to think that Simon and River's parents know what the government is doing to their daughter and that they don't care. In short, that they're evil. I've never thought that. Instead, think about your reaction as a parent if your son was a 9/11 truther who was doing illegal things to "expose the truth about the evil government." You would try to stop him, not because you don't care, but because you don't want him to risk his career, bring embarrassment to his family, and perhaps wind up in prison.
Wally Hartshorn
2025-10-17 19:19:13 +0000 UTCI second the reference to Mal being able to "triage" situations and make rapid decisions as a result. As to the shepherd getting "gold card" treatment from the Alliance... I think he did some things that the Alliance brass appreciated and those things may have led him to going into the priesthood to account for them and the spiritual damage I'm sure those things likely did to him.
Michael Labs
2025-10-17 18:56:13 +0000 UTCAlso I love the parallel of Simon's father "not coming back for him," but now in their chosen family, Mal (the daddy, as River may have been eluding to) DOES come back for them. As for your take on Mal leaving them behind to help Book, don't forget that he's a former sergeant, he knows how to triage battlefield problems. It's quicker and more advantageous to solve the known problem, "get Book medical help," rather than fight the unknown one, "find Simon and River." Critically, once the first problem was solved, he didn't neglect the latter.
Test User
2025-10-17 16:57:19 +0000 UTC"Black market beagles, what the hell?" Remember that "Good Dogs" sign in the first episode on Persephone?
Test User
2025-10-17 16:39:02 +0000 UTCI have watched this show a dozen or more times in my life and not ONCE did I realize that Zach Efron is young Simon. 🤯
MaggieStormborn
2025-10-17 16:08:12 +0000 UTC
