Science fiction is at its best when it serves as a reflection of all our flawed yet wonderful ways. Firefly managed to do that on several occasions, but none so better than the brilliant Out of Gas. The plot is fairly straightforward: With Serenity damaged and losing power, the crew is forced to abandon ship. Mal refuses to leave, believing he can repair the ship before life support runs out. It seems like a typical captain going down with his ship scenario, but theres much more at work here. A series of flashbacks shows this group of misfits, all with their own pasts that haunt them, all with their broken emotions, coming together. These people who have nowhere else to go turn to each other for the connections that define us as human beings. The final shot of Mal gazing at the beaten and broken Serenity in the distance is the purest definition of a lost soul realising he has finally come home. For anyone ever wondering what, at its core, Firefly was about, this is the episode to watch.
I've been a huge sci-fi fan ever since going to see "Star Wars" at the tender age of 3 (and yes I actually do remember it! I love pretty much any intelligent and entertaining film and television series (some of my all time favorites are 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Battlestar Galactica [SyFy], and The West Wing). Must thank the stars above for such things as HBOGO and Netflix (Am thoroughly enjoying Ripper Street btw). I've also been an avid comic book collector since childhood. I earned a bachelor's degree in creative writing with a second emphasis in film studies from Florida State University (Go Noles!) and definitely enjoy sitting back and watching pretty much any sports. I wish I had a joke to end with, but I don't so I'll simply say "The End."
Science fiction is at its best when it serves as a reflection of all our flawed yet wonderful ways. Firefly managed to do that on several occasions, but none so better than the brilliant Out of Gas. The plot is fairly straightforward: With Serenity damaged and losing power, the crew is forced to abandon ship. Mal refuses to leave, believing he can repair the ship before life support runs out. It seems like a typical captain going down with his ship scenario, but theres much more at work here. A series of flashbacks shows this group of misfits, all with their own pasts that haunt them, all with their broken emotions, coming together. These people who have nowhere else to go turn to each other for the connections that define us as human beings. The final shot of Mal gazing at the beaten and broken Serenity in the distance is the purest definition of a lost soul realising he has finally come home. For anyone ever wondering what, at its core, Firefly was about, this is the episode to watch.