Firefly Favorites

[amensisterfriend]

This is the place to talk about your favorite aspects of the show. If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite episodes, what would they be? 3-5 favorite characters? 3-5 favorite relationships among the characters? 

 

If I could keep just five episodes, I think I'd pick (in chronological order):

 

Safe (I'm a big fan of Simon, the Simon/River sibling bond and any and all reminders that Mal considers Simon part of his crew'!)

Our Mrs. Reynolds---The Saffron episodes are pure gold for me. They're seriously among the most deliciously entertaining hours of TV I've seen, and somehow they actually improve with frequent rewatch. I've put that theory to the test! 

Out of Gas---Poignant, touching, creatively structured and just immensely satisfying for me.  

War Stories---Just so many moments of wonderfulness in this one, and the absolute perfect episode to remind me of why I adore Zoe. And Mal. And Wash. And... 

Trash---See above re. my love for the Saffron episodes. I actually think I love this one even more than Our Mrs. Reynolds...and not purely due to Mal being naked :)

 

 It kills me to leave out Ariel, and I also have a strong sentimental attachment to The Message. The Train Job is great fun, and Bushwhacked contains a couple of my favorite scenes of the entire series. Even Heart of Gold, my least favorite episode, has some absolutely  amazing moments. 

 

I'm excited to see other people's lists! 

 

 

[SophiaD]

Ariel, definitely.  I love seeing Simon take center stage.  Plus, it's really amusing to me that the heist *he* planned is the one that goes according to plan, Jayne's treachery notwithstanding.

 

Trash - fun ensemble piece, biter gets bit.  Plus, seeing Inara lock Saffron in the dumpster was just priceless, especially in that fabulous outfit.  The Simon-Jayne confrontation sent chills up my spine the first time I saw it.

 

Out of Gas, just because it was brilliant, although Mal was well down on my list of favorite characters.  I'm not sure why.  It did mean that "Serenity" (the movie, not the pilot) was less-than-satisfying for me, because it was mostly about River and Mal.  (Although I did love Inara's "And that's not incense."  BOOM!)

 

Moments I loved - River dancing and Simon and River getting rescued in "Safe," Jayne passing out in "The Train Job," the two funerals in "Heart of Gold" and "The Message" - there are probably more, but that's all I can think of right now. 

[amensisterfriend]

Some random questions for you guys...and my equally random answers :) 

 

If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite characters, who would they be?! 

 

---I adore Simon, Mal (despite/because of his flaws), and Zoe, though River is so key to the plot and Jayne adds a lot for me despite the fact that he's the character I'd dislike most in real life. And I can't even tell you how tempted I am to pick Saffron as a favorite...I just enjoy her so very, very much! 

 

If you could recast any of the roles with whichever actor/actress of your choice, who would be your pick? 

 

---I'm still thinking about this one. I'm tempted to pick Inara, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't click with me irrespective of the actress who played her. 

 

And which of the characters could you most happily do without?

 

For me, this answer is very easily Inara---I would have loved the show more without her and the whole Companion thing in general. But, weirdly enough, I'm also indifferent to Kaylee...and she's a character I would ordinarily enjoy!

 

Which episodes do you find yourself watching most often regardless of whether they're the ones you objectively think are the 'best'?

 

Both Saffron episodes, Our Mrs. Reynolds and Trash, and Safe because I adore the Simon/River relationship so much and my heart still leaps when Mal et al come back for them. I could watch Ariel constantly as well, think War Stories is phenomenal, and would name Out of Gas as the best episode of the series despite the fact that it's too emotionally tough for me to watch as often as I do the others :)  

[DittyDotDot]

Some random questions for you guys...and my equally random answers :) 

 

I'll play along...as best as I can anyway!

 

If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite characters, who would they be?!

This one's hard, for the most part I liked them all at one time or another. Okay, I guess I have to start with Walsh, then Book and even though Jayne was a jackass, I enjoyed his jackass ways immensely! Can I count River and Simon as one? And just so I can cheat some more can I add Zoe and Mal as one.

 

WHAT, no ties? Who made up these whackado rules? Sheesh!

 

Fine: Walsh, Book, Jayne, Zoe and Mal. 

 

If you could recast any of the roles with whichever actor/actress of your choice, who would be your pick?

I have no idea on who I'd choose, but Inara is the only one that came to mind. But, I agree, amensisterfriend, I'm not sure the character would've worked anyway. Hey, maybe if they'd made the companion androgynous in some fashion? I don't know.

 

And which of the characters could you most happily do without?

Obviously mine is also Inara. I can't imagine living without any of the rest of them.

 

Which episodes do you find yourself watching most often regardless of whether they're the ones you objectively think are the 'best'?

I tend to watch in order and don't pluck one out here and there, but I absolutely adore Jaynestown to a ridiculous degree. I also adore the structure of Out of Gas (Is that the right name? The one where some part breaks and Mal is left alone on the ship with little oxygen.) I'm actually hard pressed to think of one I would skip...oh yeah, Heart of Gold isn't one I cotton too much. (Again, is that the right name? The one where they save the whores.)

[Whimsy]

Ok, I’ll play too.  I haven’t watched any of the episodes in a little while so this may be hard.

 

If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite characters, who would they be?!
In order- Jayne, Wash, Kaylee and Mal.  Mal was sanctimonious, but I still kinda loved him.

If you could recast any of the roles with whichever actor/actress of your choice, who would be your pick?
I have no suggestions.  I came to love this cast so I guess I wouldn’t change anything.  Also, I have no imagination when it comes to this kind of stuff.  ;)

And which of the characters could you most happily do without?
Hmmmm….  Unlike a lot of people, I didn’t mind Inara.  I hated how Mal seemed to have a problem with Inara so that’s not the character’s fault.  Actually, Book.  I never warmed to his character.

Which episodes do you find yourself watching most often regardless of whether they're the ones you objectively think are the 'best'?
Bushwhacked, Jaynestown, Shindig and Out of Gas.

[amensisterfriend]

Awww...I really love people's answers and now need to rewatch again! 

 

 

 

I hated how Mal seemed to have a problem with Inara so that’s not the character’s fault

 

Argh, I just can't stand their dynamic! And the whole companion thing in general. I get that in this society Inara is supposed to be highly revered by most non-Mal people, but regardless of how allegedly 'high status' her (annoyingly nebulous) role is, she came across as so haughty and self-superior to me. I've tried to view it as elegance and poise, but I just can't warm up to her at all. And, yes, she brought out the worst sides of Mal. 

 

Honestly, as much as I've grown to love the show's themes, ideas, its blend of humor, action and drama, the way it could get 'darker' and serious without being too grim and totally losing its wit and sense of hope, the overall look, much of its dialogue (when it's not overdoing the awkward 'old west slang' and random Chinese phrases mixed with Queen's English!), etc., at this point I kind of need to fast forward through most Inara/'companion' scenes in order to maintain my fondness for the show. I don't want to feel that way and really tried to like her, but to no avail! Even Inara's friendship with Kaylee failed to bring out her most likable sides to me---she came off as incredibly condescending with her IMO.  (Then again, I have trouble connecting with Kaylee as well---which is weird since, unlike Inara, Kaylee is on paper a character I would normally like). 

 

Joss's chosen romantic pairings were really off for me on this show: Both the Inara/Mal and  Kaylee/Simon would-be couples may actually be my very least favorite thing about Firefly. Zoe/Wash was great and among my favorite things about the show, but as someone else said, Wash as an individual character wasn't all that compelling to me. I think I'd rank him alongside Book, above Kaylee and Inara but below everyone else :)

 

And, lord help me, but under the right circumstances I could have shipped Mal/Zoe over the existing ships, especially now that Wash is gone. Her calling him "sir" would usually be enough to kill that for me and the show took pains to explicitly point out that there's no sexual attraction between them despite their closeness (doth protest too much, Joss?! ;) but something about the actors' chemistry and the way the characters are such a great blend of commonalities and complementary differences makes me think I would have enjoyed them. (Again, only if Wash was already gone---I have less than no interest in a love triangle!) And Mal and Zoe have far more natural respect and just plain liking for each other than Mal/Inara. So that's my favorite non-canon romance...in part because no other potential pairings interest me much at all :) 

 

Another favorite dynamic is Simon/Mal. I loved their growing, gradual respect and the way they played off each other, each making the other question who they are in subtle ways. One disappointment about the movie for me was that it set the Simon/Mal relationship back to square one. 

 

And Zoe---by FAR my favorite of the main Firefly female characters--was awesome in her interactions with pretty much everyone, most notably Mal and Wash but also Jayne, who she always managed to call out without directly antagonizing him (and Jayne seemed a tad intimidated by her...and who could blame him?!) I also adore her facial expressions around Saffron---seriously, it's worth pushing the pause button on your DVD player :) 

 

How about you guys---what were your favorite/least favorite relationships among the characters and ones you would have loved to see explored more? 

Edited August 17, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[Whimsy]

Hmmm. My favorite relationships are definitely Jayne and Bera and Mal/Zoe's platonic relationships are my favorite. As far as romantic I guess Wash/Zoe and I kinda thought Kaylee and Simon were sweet sometimes.

[jhlipton]

It's odd that Objects in Space is my favorite episode, considering River is my least favorite character, combining, as she does, Manic Pixie Girl with Over-Compensating-For-The-Patriarchy Amazing Girl.  I doubt that another actress could play the part better.

 

It might have been fun to have Inara played by a woman of color like Gabriel Union.  To see a dark-skinned woman treated with the utmost respect (at least by non-Mal's) and extremely sought-after...  'Tis but a dream.  The character didn't bother me near as much as the inconsistencies did.

 

My favorite character though, I think, is Kaylee.  She's spunky, she's fun and she's not afraid to be "girly" (that gown! -- you all know which one I'm talking about)

 

With such a small cast (8 main characters), it's hard to get many non-canon couples.  I liked the romantic pairing of Wash and Zoe -- especially since it was neither was "boss" in any way -- and the non-romantic pairing of Mal and Zoe -- him being her work boss, which was pointed out in several episodes, would have made that relationship more problematic.  Maybe if Inara decided to mentor Saffron (they both make their living from their bodies, to a major extent), they could have been an interesting couple...

[amensisterfriend]

It might have been fun to have Inara played by a woman of color like Gabriel Union

 

This is my new fantasy recasting! Gabriel is gorgeous and elegant and all that the nebulous, inconsistently depicted role of 'companion' seems to require, but she  also exudes this warmth, sincerity and depth that for me MB just didn't. (That said, I do blame my problems with Inara much more on the writing than the acting!)

 

My favorite character though, I think, is Kaylee.  She's spunky, she's fun and she's not afraid to be "girly" (that gown! -- you all know which one I'm talking about)

 

That gown and the scene where Kaylee charms the men around her by just talking about the stuff she's genuinely passionate about is a Firefly Favorite of mine, so I'm glad you mentioned it in this thread :) It's weird, because objectively I agree with everything you said about Kaylee and would ordinarily so appreciate that sunshiney, indefatigable energy, but somehow the character just didn't work for me. Part of it is probably that I didn't much like her dynamic with Simon, which for me didn't bring out the best sides of either character. (And I adore Simon more than is normal!) 

 

How about friendships/relationships you would have most wanted to see more of if the series had continued? I'll go with Mal/Zoe (yeah, I know, we already saw a fair amount of them, but I adore them separately and together, so I'll greedily wish for more!), Mal/Simon, Zoe/Kaylee (I think they could have had a really interesting friendship), and Jayne/Simon. 

 

considering River is my least favorite character, combining, as she does, Manic Pixie Girl with Over-Compensating-For-The-Patriarchy Amazing Girl.  I doubt that another actress could play the part better.

 

Heh---yeah, I'm always ambivalent on River. On one hand, I respect how essential she is to many of the show's main storylines and themes, I really adore her relationship with Simon, and she's responsible for some of my favorite one-liners of the series. On the other hand...she can be deeply annoying, and the show tends to be a bit over the top with her. I think her taking such a central role in Serenity (the movie, not the episode!) is a major reason why I love nearly every Firefly episode more than the film. 

[jhlipton]

This is my new fantasy recasting! Gabriel is gorgeous and elegant and all that the nebulous, inconsistently depicted role of 'companion' seems to require, but she  also exudes this warmth, sincerity and depth that for me MB just didn't. (That said, I do blame my problems with Inara much more on the writing than the acting!)

I like this more than I can possibly say! 

 

I liked Simon more than River (damning with faint praise)  

How about friendships/relationships you would have most wanted to see more of if the series had continued?

Book was the least developed of all the characters, so I would have liked to see more of his relations with the rest of the cast. How would he and Jayne react to each other (warily at first, I think). Quite a waste of a great actor.

 

I think her taking such a central role in Serenity (the movie, not the episode!) is a major reason why I love nearly every Firefly episode more than the film.

There are so many reasons why I disliked the movie, but this is definitely one of them.

[femmefan1946]

I sometimes wonder if in Season Three, the crew (Mal, Zoe, Wash, Jayne, Kaylee) might have had an entirely different set of passengers, with an entirely different set of relationships.

My least liked character was Inara, in part because I thought she (and her society) had a very difficult relationship with her job.

Over and over we are told that companions are held in the highest regard, but in the first episode, her young customer accuses her of cheating on timekeeping and in Shindig, Mal sees through Wing's insulting behaviour and points out that Wing has no respect for her at all. She is an expensive bauble to him.

The attitude of Rance in Heart of Gold is more blatant . He says what most of society thinks of Companions (and yes I know the workers at Heart of Gold were not Companions.)

[Raja]

On 5/31/2016 at 0:50 AM, femmefan1946 said:

I sometimes wonder if in Season Three, the crew (Mal, Zoe, Wash, Jayne, Kaylee) might have had an entirely different set of passengers, with an entirely different set of relationships.

My least liked character was Inara, in part because I thought she (and her society) had a very difficult relationship with her job.

Over and over we are told that companions are held in the highest regard, but in the first episode, her young customer accuses her of cheating on timekeeping and in Shindig, Mal sees through Wing's insulting behaviour and points out that Wing has no respect for her at all. She is an expensive bauble to him.

The attitude of Rance in Heart of Gold is more blatant . He says what most of society thinks of Companions (and yes I know the workers at Heart of Gold were not Companions.)

The movie Serenity suggest that the Tams were there to stay as River was the Buffy of the show long term. I don't see Book leaving until they explored his possible past as an Operative. And even with Inara announcing she was leaving Inara and Mel was the love story of the show, not the Wash's and not Simon and Kaylee

 

I think that on the urban home worlds the concept of the Companions were held in high regard maybe like we honor the tradition of the geisha even if we admit they did deal with sex with many if not all of their clients. But almost certainly as least as well see a celebrity sex star like a Kim Kardasian with her weekly magazine covers and  long running TV series from doing one porn scene.. But the further we strayed into former Browncoat territory out in the sticks in smaller communities the entire concept of providing sex to the unworthy breaks the social control of having a sex partner as a reward for being a good person so the Christian Holy Book restrictions hold to a greater extent. So Inara's clients would be those colonist from the core or those wishing to join the social class of those in the core worlds.

[storyskip]

If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite characters, who would they be?!

Simon, Zoe, Mal, River, Wash and I'm adding Jayne to the mix.

If you could recast any of the roles with whichever actor/actress of your choice, who would be your pick?

I can't say I can imagine any particular actress or actor taking over any of the roles.  Each of the actors in this series did a lot for their character.

Maybe Kaylee?  I had a hard time when she tried to make the transition from sweet, young girl to experienced 'talk about my dildo in public' woman.  She did good with the sweetness, the innocence and the crush but there was just something about her (or maybe the way most of the other characters treated her) that made anything romantic/sexual around her feel ... icky.

And which of the characters could you most happily do without?

Kaylee and Inara.

Kaylee for the reasons I stated above.  I don't know if it was the actress or the writing or a bit of both but the attempt to straddle the line between 'sweet little sister' and 'sexpot' just never worked for me.  I cringe in the movie Serenity when she's making out with Simon because I could never hook into that dynamic. He just always felt too 'old' for her, though I know we were to believe they were of a similar age.

My dislike of Inara was due to the role she played.  I didn't mind the actress, I think she was a good fit and I found the character concept of Inara to be interesting and her dynamic on the ship.  But her relationship with Mal there was just never any chemistry there with the actors and I felt like, of all the characters, she is the one we got the most information on.  Like Book, it was hinted at there was a past, Simon and River obviously, Mal, Zoe and Wash and even Jayne had secrets to be learned.

But with Inara it was like the writers went "Here is this glorious love interest, let us tell you ALL about her and you will LOVE her also" force feeding that I didn't like.

Which episodes do you find yourself watching most often regardless of whether they're the ones you objectively think are the 'best'?

Ariel is my all time favorite.  I love that it's Simon who comes up with a plan that works and earns them some money, also the story telling, Simon getting a chance to show just what sort of career he threw away for River and the Mal vs Jayne at the end is amazing.

War Stories.  This is a visceral episode that made you raw, not just for the torture and what the characters physically went through but the way they challenged the Zoe/Mal vs Zoe/Wash dynamic and laid it out on the table to be picked apart.  We learned so much about the characters, Book and his ability to shoot giving more hints at his past, River and her abilities, Zoe/Wash/Mal, it was just strong story telling/character building combined with action, which is hard to do on a 1 hour tv show.

Objects in Space. Early is a fascinating villain who served as a good precursor to the Agent we saw in Serenity.  Good for further pushing along the question of how twisted and corrupt is the Alliance.  There was a good balance between learning how lonely River feels and the tension of the threat Early brings to the table, with bits of humor to keep it from all being too much.  I also enjoyed that River, for all that she struggles, developed and executed the plan (like Simon in Ariel) to pull them all out of the fire.

[Iknewyoucoulddoit]

Favorite - Nearly every single aspect of this show. 

But that's probably not an acceptable answer, so I'll try to narrow down my answers in some of these categories. :) 

Four favorite characters: Zoe, Wash, River and Simon

Least favorite characters: Inara - like a few others here, I dislike the companion thing, partly in theory but mostly in its execution. Inara had a regal elegance, but the end result was that she didn't seem to have as authentic and relatable a personality to me as the others. 

Favorite relationship: Wash and Zoe are closer than almost any other TV pairing to my ideal couple. As others have remarked, I love how they're opposites who complement each other rather than constantly clash and how certain aspects of their relationship are contrary to traditional gender roles and expectations. Now I'm inspired to dust off my unfinished Wash/Zoe fanfic.  

Least favorite: Simon/Kaylee and Mal/Inara. Normally it takes longer for me to decide Joss's romantic relationships are terrible, but both of these were non-starters for me. The one consolation of having the show leave us so prematurely is not having to see more of these pairings.

Favorite friendships, almost all of which are more in my mind than on screen since the show was so short-lived: Zoe and River, Wash and Simon, Mal and Zoe, Mal and Wash, River and Kaylee, Jayne and Kaylee, Mal and River, Zoe and Book. Believe it or not, this is the shortened, narrowed down list!   

Five favorite episodes: Objects in Space, Out of Gas, Trash, Ariel, Our Mrs. Reynolds, but I can honestly claim that I love every single episode. 

[fluffy]

Fun questions!

If you had to pick just 3-5 favorite characters, who would they be?!

ALL OF THEM! But since that's obviously not playing fair, I'll keep Zoe, Wash, River, Mal and Simon. 

If you could recast any of the roles with whichever actor/actress of your choice, who would be your pick?

I'm not sure if it's that I want to recast Kaylee as much as I'd want to rewrite her, but even though I love in the abstract that there's a character who remains such an open optimist, in reality her character didn't come together as someone very interesting or multi-dimensional to me. 

And which of the characters could you most happily do without?

Again, I'll have to pick on Kaylee. After first watching the show, I might have chosen Inara or Book, but they're both more interesting to me than Kaylee is. 

3-5 favorite relationships among the characters

The only romantic relationship I loved was Wash/Zoe. (Didn't like Inara/Mal and flat out hated Simon/Kaylee.) But Zoe/Wash is one of my favorite relationships ever seen on TV and possibly the only Whedon romance I've ever really liked! 

Platonically, I love Mal/Zoe, Simon/River and the dynamics between Mal/Simon, River/Jayne and Mal/River. I love the idea of a close Zoe/River friendship and a close Mal/Wash friendship too. 

3-5 favorite episodes

Trash, Our Mrs. Reynolds, War Stories, Ariel, Out of Gas 

I did like aspects of the film but am in the camp who loved every episode more than the movie.

Just writing about this show makes me want to watch it again tonight, which is a prudent use of my time since I've only seen it about 48 times before. :-)