Product Description
-------------------
Episodes: -Serenity-part 1 & 2 -- Air date 12/20/02 The crew of
Serenity is eager to rid themselves of an easily traceable cargo
they salvaged from a vessel adrift in space, totally unaware that
a passenger has brought an even more dangerous cargo aboard. -The
Train Job -- Air date 09/20/02 Mal has second thoughts after
discovering that two boxes of Alliance goods his crew has been
hired to steal are full of badly needed medical supplies headed
for the mining town of Paradiso. -Bushwhacked -- Air date
09/27/02 After encountering a booby-trapped spacecraft carrying
the lone crewmember of a horrific Reaver attack, Serenity is
boarded by an Alliance Commander looking for Simon and River.
-Shindig -- Air date 11/01/02 In order to secure a job
transporting cargo off-planet for a client, Mal attends a social
event where a dance with Inara leads him being challenged to a
fight in defense of her honor. -Safe -- Air date 11/08/02
When Simon is kipped by a group of villagers in need of a
doctor, Serenity is forced to make contact with an Alliance ship
in order to seek medical help for the critically wounded Book.
-Our Mrs. Reynolds -- Air date 10/04/02 After a celebration in
which the crew is honored for ridding a planet of a group of
bandits, they return to Serenity to find a woman named Saffron
who cls that Mal married her during the festivities.
-Jaynestown -- Air date 10/18/02 When the crew returns to a
planet where Jayne participated in a heist gone bad, they're
shocked to discover that Jayne's past actions have turned him
into a local hero of Robin Hood-like mythic proportions. -Out of
-- Air date 10/25/02 After an explosion leaves Serenity
crippled, Mal orders everyone to abandon ship while he stays
behind in an attempt to make repairs - and reminisces how he
found the ship and picked its crew. -Ariel-- Air date 11/15/02
Simon offers to crew a proposition: if they help him sneak River
into a hospital so he can run-tests on her, he'll tell them where
to find medical supplies that will fetch an enormous price on the
black market. -War Stories -- Air date 12/06/02 Wash regrets
insisting he be allowed to accompany Mal on a mission after the
two men are captured by Adelai Niska - the client who previously
hired Mal to steal the medicine bound for Paradiso. -T-- Air
date (NEVER AIRED) Mal is shocked to discover his old friend's
new bride is Saffron who, although furious after Mal blows her
cover, offers to cut Mal in on what she calls the perfect,
big-time scam. -The Message-- Air date (NEVER AIRED) While Jayne
opens a mail package from his mother that contains a wool cap
with ear flaps and a pom-pom, Mal and Zoe open their package to
discover the body of their old war buddy, Tracey. -Heart of Gold
-- Air date (NEVER AIRED) The crew comes to the aid of a bordello
when its madam, an old acquaintance of Inara's, asks for help
after a slinger cls a prostitute's baby is his and he's
taking it because his wife is barren. -Objects In Space -- Air
date 12/13/02 The crew is caught off-gaurd when a bounty hunter,
eager to cl the enormous reward on River's head, sneaks aboard
Serenity and methodically begins taking the crew prisoner one by
one.
.com
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As the 2005 theatrical release of Serenity made clear, Firefly
was a science fiction concept that deserved a second chance.
Devoted fans (or "Browncoats") knew it all along, and with this
well-packaged DVD set, those who missed the show's original
broadcasts can see what they missed. Creator Joss Whedon's
ambitious science-fiction Western (Whedon's third series after
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) was canceled after only 11 of
these 14 episodes had aired on the Fox network, but history has
proven that its demise was woefully premature. Whedon's generic
hybrid got off to a shaky start when network executives demanded
an action-packed one-hour premiere ("The Train Job"); in
hind the intended two-hour pilot (also titled "Serenity,"
and oddly enough, the final episode aired) provides a better
introduction to the show's concept and splendid ensemble cast.
Obsessive fans can debate the quirky logic of combining
spaceships with direct parallels to frontier America (it's 500
years in the future, and embattled humankind has expanded into
the galaxy, where undeveloped "outer rim" planets struggle with
the equivalent of Old West accommodations), but Whedon and his
gifted co-writers and directors make it work, at least well
enough to fashion a credible context from the incongruous
culture-clashing of past, present, and future technologies, along
with a polyglot language (the result of two dominant superpowers)
that combines English with an abundance of Chinese slang.
What makes it work is Whedon's delightfully well-chosen cast and
their nine well-developed characters--a typically Whedon-esque
extended family--each providing a unique perspective on their
adventures aboard Serenity, the junky but beloved "Firefly-class"
starship they call home. As a veteran of the disadvantaged
Independent faction's war against the all-powerful planetary
Alliance (think of it as Underdogs vs. Overlords), Serenity
captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) leads his compact crew
on a quest for survival. They're renegades with an amoral agenda,
taking any job that pays well, but Firefly's complex tapestry of
right and wrong (and peace vs. violence) is richer and deeper
than it first appears. Tantalizing clues about Blue Sun (an
insidious mega-corporation with a mysteriously evil agenda), its
ties to the Alliance, and the traumatizing use of Serenity's
resident stowaway (Summer Glau) as a guinea pig in the
development of advanced warfare were clear indications Firefly
was heading for exciting revelations that were precluded by the
series' cancellation. Fortunately, the big-screen Serenity (which
can be enjoyed independently of the series) ensured that Whedon's
wild extraterrestrial west had not seen its final sunset. Its
very existence confirms that these 14 episodes (and enjoyable
bonus features) will endure as irrefutable proof Fox made a
glaring mistake in canceling the series. --Jeff Shannon
Beyond Firefly on DVD
Watch Stargate: Continuum on DVD (
/gp/product/B0017MO10U/ref=d_ap_21_1 )
Catch up on Stargate Atlantis on DVD ( /gp/series/92780 )
Check out Sunshine on DVD ( /gp/product/B000Y7U98C/ref=d_ap_21_1
)
Stills from Firefly (Click for larger image)
