Finally bought FIREFLY! (1 Viewer)

[Nathan*W]

They are ALL worth watching. Also it is important that you NOT listen to any commentaries until you have completed the series.

 

[Dave Mack]

It's a GREAT show....

 

[Josh_LaF]

I caught this show when it originally aired on FOX, and I didn't like it, partly because I was confused, due to FOX airing the episodes out of order. I recently rewatched the series when it aired on the SCI-FI channel, and I couldnt get enough. I bought the DVD's and watched them almost immediately. The movie is great too. You'll love the show I'm sure.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Congrats Ron. When is the fitting for your Browncoat?
It took me a couple of episodes to really get into it as well. By the 4th or 5th I was hooked. I believe it was the Out of Gas episode that did the trick.
Watching the series first will definitely increase your enjoyment of the movie.

 

[Kevin Grey]

Are the unaired episodes really worth watching?

The unaired episodes are some of the best of the series. They weren't unaired due to quality concerns but because Fox pulled the plug before they could get on the air.

 

[stephen la]

I loved it from the first episode on. By the last episode, I was in love with it (and heartbroken).

I felt the exact same way. heartbroken.
one if my first memories was the themesong..
it felt out of place at first. but it just grows on you and
later sounds perfect for the show.
its odd they could get funding for a movie but not another season.
I thought movies were alot more expensive than tv episodes

 

[Mary_P]

its odd they could get funding for a movie but not another season.
I thought movies were alot more expensive than tv episodes

They are. The movie cost nearly $40M to make -- peanuts for a sci-fi feature film, but way more than a TV series. What's interesting here too is that Joss took the movie project to Universal, after doing the series with Fox (I mean the studio, not the network). Had he tried to continue it as a series, either with Universal or Fox, he still would've had the same problem -- finding it a home on TV. He found someone at Universal who got behind it as a movie, who was actually interested in it and "got" what he was doing.
BTW, there are 14 episodes, 15 if you count the pilot as two:
1. Serenity (original two-hour pilot)
2. The Train Job
3. Bushwhacked
4. Shindig
5. Safe
6. Our Mrs. Reynolds
7. Jaynestown
8. Out of Gas
9. Ariel
10. War Stories
11. Trash (unaired)
12. The Message (unaired)
13. Heart of Gold (unaired)
14. Objects in Space
As Kevin mentioned, the quality of the episodes wasn't what kept them off the air. Fox just never burned off the unaired episodes after they cancelled the show; that seems to have happened a lot especially in the past several years. IMHO, "The Message" is one of the best episodes of the series.
If you enjoyed the series, I highly recommend listening to the commentaries on the DVDs, especially the one by Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion on the pilot. It's one of the most entertaining commentaries I've heard, and I tend to listen to more of them than is probably good for a body! But I agree, don't listen to them until after you've seen the whole series; they contain spoilers. The extras are good too, in particular the "Here's How It Was" featurette. Have a look at that and then go watch the fan parody film "Mosquito" that's on the net at http://www.mosquitoverse.com. When you watch the movie, you might want to start with the intro by Joss that's an extra on that disc.
Hope you're enjoying it. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but I really enjoy the unusual dialogue, the mix of genres and cultures, the blending of humor and drama, and some wonderful characters.
Mary

 

[Mary_P]

Oh, and if there's anyone watching this thread who's interested in checking out the series without renting or buying it, Sci-Fi is having a "Firefly" marathon TODAY, July 14. Started at 8:00 a.m. EDT, and runs through 6:00 p.m. I can't say it's the best way to see these; apart from the usual annoyances of commercials, bugs, etc., they're also showing it full-frame, and it was definitely composed for widescreen.

 

[Paul McElligott]

I can't wait to read your reactions as you make your way through the set, Ron.
I'd agree that "The Train Job" is weaker and lacks the qualities of the better Firefly 'sodes, but it's still not bad and it sets up "War Stories," one of the best episodes of the whole series.
Which reminds me...um... If you'll excuse me...
I'll be in my bunk.

 

[Matt Czyz]

Are the unaired episodes really worth watching?

They're some of the best Firefly has to offer! I think each new episode I watched became my favorite

 

[Jay Pennington]

For some reason, I was never too inspired to check out the show on Fox. Didn't seem worth my time somehow. Friends raved, and I finally watched an episode, coming in about halfway through.

It was "Bushwhacked", and I thought it wasn't all that great. The "he must become what he feared" theory was kinda lame IMO.

Later, after it was on DVD, I decided to give it a second chance, and borrowed a friend's set.

I watched the first disc and gave the set back to the guy.

Not because I was done; but because I was going to buy my own!

I finished the set with a bit of melancholy, as this was before I knew about the movie.

I still feel Bushwhacked is the series' weakest effort. My luck to tune in on that one!

 

[Mark Talmadge]

Ron, it's about time that you joined the rest of us Browncoats. And, yes. All of the episodes are worth watching. I've watched the entire set nearly twenty times since its release. I'm an addicted Browncoat. EHEHEHEHE

 

[TheLongshot]

For the unaired episodes, I thought "Heart Of Gold" was overrated (It was nominated for a Hugo), but Trash was worth it for more of Saffron. Too bad we didn't get more of this series, because she makes a nice wildcard.

Personally, I'm not a devoted fan to the series, but I liked it well enough and it deserved a better fate. I certainly like it more than Buffy or Angel, so Joss haters may still find something to enjoy here.

Jason

 

[Joseph Bolus]

I thought "Heart Of Gold" was overrated

My wife cried like a baby after viewing that episode!
On my first viewing of the series it took about four episodes before everything "clicked" together for me. After that I couldn't get enough! It's too bad that in today's TV market four episodes is three too many.
My favorite episodes were
"Out Of Gas"
"Our Mrs. Reynolds"
"Jaynestown"
"Trash'
"Objects in Space"
But all of the eps were great!

 

[Dave Mack]

Why the HELL is Sci fi channel showing them fullscreen?!?!? They are usually good about doing WS films sometimes! There is definitley noticeable cropping. Looks awful!
:frowning:

 

[Mary_P]

I think they always have shown it fullscreen, and yes, it's very annoying.

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

didn't fox originally air these full screen? Also, I noticed a little tag before each episode that aren't on the dvd's for some reason.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Fox aired "The Train Job" in widescreen and because of the less than stellar ratings... chose to air the rest of the season full-frame (cause THAT was why ratings were bad... people were spreading the word to their friends about how widescreen the confusing "first" episode was...). The 2 hour "flashback episode" which was actually the original pilot "Serenity" got to air widescreen, probably because FOX had given up on the show and was merely burning the remaining episodes off. The show was composed 16:9 and filmed with the intention it would be seen that way.

Sci-Fi for one reason or another has chosen the 4:3 versions. The DVDs represent the show in the was it was designed to be seen.

The missing "previously" bits were removed from the DVDs because the set came out when FOX seemed to be doing that with everything (Buffy/Angel/Firefly/24:Season 1, etc). Funny tidbit, because the episodes were aired out of order on FOX... some of the "previously on firefly" scenes were from episodes that had yet to air.

 

[Nick Martin]

Not so much a 'previously on', but a brief intro to the universe the show is a part of. Understandably redundant, but I hate it when these are removed.
Even though I did see them all on Fox, I didn't remember that an episode was broadcast in widescreen - I recall Joss mentioning in the pilot commentary about Fox having a 'policy' against widescreen shows, so he had to film the series (except a single scene delibrately) centering the action and leaving extra unused side space for cropping.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Yeah, it was just The Train Job and the 2 Hour SERENITY. I remember people complained after seeing Bushwacked in full-screen and Joss said something along the lines of "FOX decided our ratings would go up if we went from widescreen to fullscreen..."