Firefly - Episode 14: 'Objects in Space'
Episode 14 - 'Objects in Space'
Recap: The hallucinating River gets hold of a gun, which makes the crew of Serenity very unhappy. A bounty hunter infiltrates Serenity while the crew sleeps and neutralizes everyone he encounters in pursuit of River. River's disembodied voice floats through the PA system, claiming to be Serenity and guiding everyone... until the bounty hunter finally realizes that she has infiltrated his ship. This advantage allows the crew to overcome the bounty hunter.
Another episode, another guest star that the show just loves. He talks an absolute ton, and he never comes close to losing a fight. He's efficient and he'll threaten rape (but not want to commit it!) He sucks the oxygen out of the episode and it's satisfying to watch River get the drop on him.
She's the real star of the episode, after all. This is the type of payoff episode that you need for River, and probably more often given that whenever she's prominent, she's causing issues. The skinny on River is that she's good at acting scared and shrill and loopy in mostly annoying ways; she's good at being discombobulated and saying weird stuff that can be funny but is mostly just spacy; and she's got some hidden experimental powers and super intelligence that don't really make me more fun to watch. Not sure what this says about me or the showrunners, but there's no question that the best River scenes are the ones where she is at her most child-like. The perceptiveness that she's unwanted doesn't always stem from specifics, but she's fully capable of reading others' feelings toward her.
Which is why this episode is such a triumph. Never has River's vacant voice been as effectively used as here. We know that River is schizophrenic, but we also know she has (at least mental) superpowers. So, when she says she's 'become' Serenity and goes all philosophical and existential on our ass... it's hard to know which one it is. Turns out that she's both fucking with us and saving the day, and it pays off one of my absolute favorite River scenes: the one where she hides on the exterior of the ship with Simon, joy on every square inch of her face at her closeness to the void.
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'Objects in Space's' sheer feel-good ending makes it a really tough one to end the series on. I'm going to miss Firefly, even though I doubt it would crack my Top X list.
The show sets up so many delicious threads and shows such promise in moving to deliver - what's up with River, Book's identity ('That ain't no shepherd!'), what really happened in the War, and the general evilness of the Alliance prime among them. It has a solid cast, an incredible set in Serenity, an awesome Western atmosphere, and the critical ability to make you feel like you're part of a family. It excels at depicting a worthy life the ship, even if the 'verse is cold and unforgiving. Combat is basically a running joke; Simon gets a bullet wound almost as a means of initiation onto the ship, and a dozen untrained girls hold off the entire peacekeeping force of a city.
Perhaps one of the most endearing techniques the series uses is the space western atmosphere. The old-time-y technology, the warm-colored lighting, and the wistful theme song all give the show a nostalgic feel. As a result, the moment the characters start jelling and coming to life, it feels like we've been friends for a long time. You can't take the sky from me...
Recap: The hallucinating River gets hold of a gun, which makes the crew of Serenity very unhappy. A bounty hunter infiltrates Serenity while the crew sleeps and neutralizes everyone he encounters in pursuit of River. River's disembodied voice floats through the PA system, claiming to be Serenity and guiding everyone... until the bounty hunter finally realizes that she has infiltrated his ship. This advantage allows the crew to overcome the bounty hunter.
Another episode, another guest star that the show just loves. He talks an absolute ton, and he never comes close to losing a fight. He's efficient and he'll threaten rape (but not want to commit it!) He sucks the oxygen out of the episode and it's satisfying to watch River get the drop on him.
She's the real star of the episode, after all. This is the type of payoff episode that you need for River, and probably more often given that whenever she's prominent, she's causing issues. The skinny on River is that she's good at acting scared and shrill and loopy in mostly annoying ways; she's good at being discombobulated and saying weird stuff that can be funny but is mostly just spacy; and she's got some hidden experimental powers and super intelligence that don't really make me more fun to watch. Not sure what this says about me or the showrunners, but there's no question that the best River scenes are the ones where she is at her most child-like. The perceptiveness that she's unwanted doesn't always stem from specifics, but she's fully capable of reading others' feelings toward her.
Which is why this episode is such a triumph. Never has River's vacant voice been as effectively used as here. We know that River is schizophrenic, but we also know she has (at least mental) superpowers. So, when she says she's 'become' Serenity and goes all philosophical and existential on our ass... it's hard to know which one it is. Turns out that she's both fucking with us and saving the day, and it pays off one of my absolute favorite River scenes: the one where she hides on the exterior of the ship with Simon, joy on every square inch of her face at her closeness to the void.
---
'Objects in Space's' sheer feel-good ending makes it a really tough one to end the series on. I'm going to miss Firefly, even though I doubt it would crack my Top X list.
The show sets up so many delicious threads and shows such promise in moving to deliver - what's up with River, Book's identity ('That ain't no shepherd!'), what really happened in the War, and the general evilness of the Alliance prime among them. It has a solid cast, an incredible set in Serenity, an awesome Western atmosphere, and the critical ability to make you feel like you're part of a family. It excels at depicting a worthy life the ship, even if the 'verse is cold and unforgiving. Combat is basically a running joke; Simon gets a bullet wound almost as a means of initiation onto the ship, and a dozen untrained girls hold off the entire peacekeeping force of a city.
Perhaps one of the most endearing techniques the series uses is the space western atmosphere. The old-time-y technology, the warm-colored lighting, and the wistful theme song all give the show a nostalgic feel. As a result, the moment the characters start jelling and coming to life, it feels like we've been friends for a long time. You can't take the sky from me...
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