Firefly: Must-See Episodes

[ddvmor]

Ok. I have to get a friend acquainted with Firefly before Serenity comes out. Problem is I reckon he'sll only have time to sit down and watch three or four episodes. Which ones do you think are the absolute minimum he should see before the movie - in terms of character and plot development?

 

[evildmguy]

If I had to pick, I would say all of them.

Hmmm. Okay, not what you wanted.

Start him at the beginning with the pilot and have him watch the first DVD. If he doesn't want to watch the rest of them before the movie, he probably won't like the movie anyway.

Have a good one! Take care!

edg

 

[KaosDevice]

Start him at the beginning with the pilot and have him watch the first DVD. If he doesn't want to watch the rest of them before the movie, he probably won't like the movie anyway.

That's a good call. It would seriously get a viewer up to speed on what is going on in the Firefly 'verse. I might also reccomend 'Out of gas' mostly because of all the flashbacks that give backstory to the rest of the crew of Serenity, but that's just me.

 

[Macbeth]

Pilot. It gets you all the basic background, and the rest of the series will be hard to understand without it.

Out of Gas. Flashbacks give you some background on the rest of the crew.

Object in Space. The bounty hunter (whatshisname?) makes an appearance in the movie, and it's just a really great episode.

If you have time for a fourth, I would think maybe War Stories or Heart of Gold. You might just want to see which episodes your friend already likes, and go with something like that, but War Stories adds some background, and is a damn fun episode ("I thought God had something to say about killing?" "Indeed he does, but he's a little more open on the subject of kneecaps."). Heart of Gold is just one of my faves, I'm a big fan of the 'Good guys find those that need help, fortify a position, and take on all comers' kind of setup. It's like Seven Samurai (and therefore the Magnificent Seven) in a one hour TV show.

 

[Random Axe]

That's a good call. It would seriously get a viewer up to speed on what is going on in the Firefly 'verse. I might also reccomend 'Out of gas' mostly because of all the flashbacks that give backstory to the rest of the crew of Serenity, but that's just me.

Me, I would go for the third DVD in the set as the must-see. I just finished watching the series again this week, and am still astounded at how amazing the stories are. Seriously, ALL of the episodes are must-watchers. There were no throwaway episodes. Even Jaynestown! But go for The Train Job, Objects in Space, War Stories, and Out of Gas.

 

[Henry]

Pilot, definitely. It's two hours, so that counts as two.

Past that, "Out of Gas."

past that, any of the rest are good -- "Ariel" is a good choice, because you have enough description of the crew and Jayne to understand "Ariel" if you've watched the first two.

 

[Fast Learner]

I'm also in on the pilot and "Out of Gas."

Beyond that... well, "The Train Job" gives you a good idea what the general life of the crew is like. "Shindig" has some great insights into several of the characters. "Jaynestown" is just utterly entertaining. And "Objects in Space" is a masterpiece... but I don't think it's a great one for an introduction. It's perfectly positioned at #13, imo, truly making you want the show to go on, more than any other episode, imo.

 

[barsoomcore]

Sit him down with the pilot and have him just start watching the episodes in order. I bet you he FINDS the time.

 

[John Crichton]

Sit him down with the pilot and have him just start watching the episodes in order. I bet you he FINDS the time.

I agree with this.

Side note: I'm surprised no one has mentioned Ariel yet. Probably the best mix of action, plot movement and characterization in one ep.

 

[stevelabny]

really has too watch all of them but if not

serenity (the pilot)

train job (because it sets up war stories)

out of gas

ariel

war stories

and if you have a chance for one more, i would pick shindig or jaynestown

Object in Space. The bounty hunter (whatshisname?) makes an appearance in the movie, and it's just a really great episode.

I saw the movie and this isn't true. Jubal Early is not in the movie.