Time for a thread on this week’s episode: Heart of Gold. “…every well-bred petty crook knows that the small concealable weapons always go to the far left of the place setting.”
I’m not sure how much insightful there is to say about this ep. Is it just me, or is there something kind of off about it? Seemed to get a bit soap opera-y in too many places.
There was some good stuff: the exchange between Inara and Mal at the beginning, the arrival scene at Nandi’s, Jayne sleeping with the girl and all his weapons, but the more I think about this one, the less I have to say.
There were a bunch of techie scenes where I had trouble suspending disbelief, especially: when Ranse extracts DNA from Petaline, and, at the end, when Mal chases Ranse down. Mal’s on a horse, Ranse is on a hovercraft that seems to go pretty fast - shouldn’t he be able to outrun Mal?
And I really didn’t like the end; it somehow didn’t ring true. Reminded me of the formulaic end of bunches of episodes of ER: 1) dramatic reveal, 2) meaningful reaction look.
I wanted to like it, but I think this might actually be my least favorite episode.
Yeah, this is my least favorite episode. Not coincidentally, it features the least on-Serenity action of any episode of Firefly, with the possible exception of “Jaynestown.”
For an episode that relied so heavily on guest actors, I never found myself particularly enamoured of any of the new characters. The various prostitutes were little more than cyphers, and Ranse was too stupid and obviously bigoted to be interesting. Compare him to other Firefly antagonists, such as Badger and Saffron (or hell, even Jayne), who adhere very closely to the “everyone is the hero of his/her own story” mentality that Joss established, and thus feel like real people, even when they’re acting the villainous villain.
Even Nandi herself was boring. I appreciated the concept of a woman who is Mal’s equal in every way, down to the philosophy of independence, but there was just something off about her. Maybe it was the acting, or the rather schmaltzy way that she’s eventually offed, but I never really felt anything for her character.
Still, it IS an episode of Firefly, and that means there’s plenty of redeeming value to be found:
-River helping with the childbirth. I love that she thinks of the baby as a “who” before its birth.
-Jayne Antics in general. “They’re whores.” “I’m in!”
-Zoe and Wash talking about having a baby.
Kaylee: Wash, tell me I’m pretty.
Wash: Were I unwed, I would take you in a manly fashion.
Kaylee: Because I’m pretty?
Wash: Because you’re pretty.
I can see why people say this, but I thought she was freakin’ hot. I like older women anyway, and her take-no-shit attitude is very appealing to me. Plus that whole “I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me since I showed you my guns” is just smokin’.
Preacher: “Nobody is going to die.” —Cut to Jayne: “There’s people gonna die.”
The table-setting scene was great, as was the entire childbirth scene with Simon, Inara, and River talking about it being their first delivery.
Thought it was interesting that Mal’s first reaction after meeting the bad guy was that they should all pack up and leave the planet right then and there.
The gunfight was great, with Book at the fire pump ready to wash away the sinners (if not necessarily their sins). Was also interesting to see Wash use a gun, however ineffectively, in a firefight.
Best line of the episode: “Fuwah.” (Which has since become one of my oft-use phrases.)
Like Tarrsk says, it’s a Firefly ep, and that alone makes it worthwhile. Even so, sometimes I forget this ep even exists, because when I’m looking for a random episode to watch, I always seem to find one that I’d enjoy watching more, even if I’ve seen it a hundred times over.
I think, primarily, it’s because Ranse is such a sleazebag. The scene on the balcony makes me uncomfortable in a way even Jayne wasn’t able to accomplish at the dinner table in the pilot. He’s definitely a villain through and through, and one you’re glad to see killed, but Dobson in the pilot was a much more respectable and interesting villain.
I gotta say, though, the whole shootout scene was very well done.
Thanks for reminding me of the good parts. I agree, the shootout is really well done.
I think I’ve figured out what bothers me, though: Ranse isn’t a worthy opponent. Despite all the technology at his disposal, I vote him least likely of all the Firefly villains to have a chance at beating Mal and the crew. And I think there’s something from the beginning that sends this message (maybe the part where Mal says he was talking about the lady and not the weapon).
I really liked the scenes between Mal and Nandi, including the part right after when Mal runs into Inara, but somehow the idea of Mal having been a comfort to her on her last night alive takes it in a rather trite direction, I think. Maybe it’s just that this shows that she wasn’t really Mal’s equal, because if she had been, she would have survived. Dunno.
Oh, and what I really like about the arrival at Nandi’s is the sight of Jayne in a button-up shirt and a hat. (Have we ever seen him in anything that wasn’t a t-shirt?) He’s all dressed up and preening and it’s just so Jayne.
I just rewatched the ep, and one thing’s taken on a new light. At the end, Inara’s speech that ends with her leaving. When I first saw this ep, and for the rest of the times I watched it, that twist was more or less a “What the hell?” moment. Didn’t really seem to be anything other than yet another Joss Whedon twist.
Because of these threads on the eps, though, and people pointing out things I haven’t seen, this time around it provoked more speculation than puzzlement. It’s hinted that Inara’s running from something; she has that needle which Joss has said wasn’t to kill herself (in Bushwhacked; she says “I don’t ever want to die” in Out of Gas; and when Nandi and Mal are talking in the middle of this ep, she tells him Inara was one of the best Companions, positioned to lead the guild, before she up and vanished.
Now I’m thinking Inara’s got some danger ahead of her. Perhaps an assassination plot against her which forced her into exile, and she’s just now realizing she needs to return, a la Lion King (:D) , or something else she has to face up to, but means losing her place on Serenity among the crew in the process. She’s become attached to everyone, particularly Mal and Serenity, in a way she never intended when she first rented the shuttle.
Don’t you gorram Chosen Ones who’ve already seen the movie go hinting at anything, either.
This ep seems to pretty liberally borrow a large chunk of the plot of Unforgiven, but without adding anything much new and different. The plot points revolving around Ranse don’t make a whole lot of sense; even less so his wife, who we are apparently led to believe has no problem with her hubby spending much of his time up at the sportin’ house, and even forcing girls to give him public BJs, as long as they get a child out of it. WTF?
Although I agree the climactic battle is pretty well staged, I had to laugh over the house girls all made up and wearing their best whorin’ outfits to participate in a gunfight. Didn’t seem all that practical, really. It’s the second episode in a row that ends with a funeral scene (I have a feeling ahd the show kept going they would have shuffled the And Mal managing to ride down the hovercar-driving Rance astride a horse, fer cryin’ out loud, may be the most unintentially hilarious moment in the series.
I did, however, like the performances of Nathan Fillion, Morena Baccarin and the lady that played Nandi. I really got caught up in the way Mal and Inara kept sort of coming to the brink of admitting their feelings for each other, but failing to do so mainly through their shared and stubborn refusal to open up to each other, and the seduction scene involving Mal and Nandi was, well, hot. BTW, did anybody catch the little bit where she kisses him and he goes still for a moment; she asks him what’s up and he says, “Just waitin’ to see if I pass out. Long story, never mind.”
Oh yeah, and as usual, pretty much every single thing Adam Baldwin does is wonderfully played.
Jeepers, screwed that one up. Third sentence of the second para should read:
It’s the second episode in a row that ends with a funeral scene (I have a feeling had the show kept going they would have shuffled the order around a bit).
Everything Adam Baldwin does is great, but I have to single something else out. It’s a quick shot, but I always catch it and it always kills me: Jayne braiding the woman’s hair. Jayne, the big strong manly man, whose first line on entering the house is “When can I start gettin’ sexed up?” is having a bonding moment with Helen.
(Another funny side note. I went to this page on the IMDb to try and find out the girl’s name, and it says right there at the top of this ep’s section ‘Helen - Jayne’s Girl’. Here I was thinking I’d have to guess.)
Per usual, I haven’t actually rewatched the episode yet, and therefore will come back later with more commentary.
Nandi is the chick who plays Lady Heather on CSI. Just in case you, like me, were scratching your head over where you knew her face from.
Not an exact quote, but my favorite line is Mal’s: “Were you aware your radio’s on, Jayne? Because right now I’m not feeling particularly girlish or dirty.”
I’m with El_Kabong on the hotness of the seduction scene.
Really wanting to throttle both Mal and Inara for being so dishonest with each other. They’d save themselves a lot of grief if they’d just be honest, but now they’ve insulted each other so much it’s practically impossible. I suppose it’s for dramatic tension, but grr! They’re dumb.
I agree, this is probably tied with Safe for my least favorite episode. Not saying it’s BAD, just not quite as good as the rest. The writing seems a little off to me.
I agree. Ranse seems fond of whiz-bang tech that doesn’t work that well, compared to the low-tech options available. Hovercars that look purty but can be outpaced by a horse at full gallop. (IIRC, there were solar panels on the hovercar? Haven’t watch the ep in a long time). And a laser gun where the battery dies at inopportune moments. Like if you fire it a couple times.
I’ve never seen that. Oh, sure, everyone said I was crazy for not having a TV, but do I ever accidentally wander on to some inane show that hypnotizes me? No! When I watch an inane show, it’s on purpose because I had to rent or buy a DVD to do it! Who’s crazy now, huh?
I just got started on Firefly a few weeks ago, and I’ve finally caught up with the threads! I’ll be able to join in the discussion of all the future episodes!
This wasn’t one of my favourites, I think because it followed the stock structure for this kind of Magnificent Seven type story so much. Usually in Firefly there’s some twisting of cliches, but this seemed almost completely by the book. You have a weak group of people who bring in a gang of protectors, a traitor on the good side, a bad guy who shows he’s REALLY bad, no foolin’, at about the halfway point, and the main good guy ending up hand-to-hand fighting the bad guy, even though there are all these laser guns and hovercrafts.
There were a couple of those moments, when Mal decides they should leave, and at the end when Inara says she’s leaving the ship. So as people have said, some good stuff, but not as much as usual. And plenty of good lines.
I watched this episode back-to-back with The Message, and I think this ep loses from the close comparison. The Message’s funeral was better done just as a scene by itself, and also had more weight to it coming at the end of a better episode.
And just in general I have to say this is a pretty bloody good show. You can add me to the list of people who’ll be in line at the end of September.
Definetly my least favorite episode. Somehow, it just doesn’t seem to be as alive as the other ones. I’m not sure why, but this is the one episode where I just don’t buy that they’re on some half-terraformed moon in the armpit of outer-space. I just look at it and think, “Yep. That’s California, all right.” I think the whorehouse itself was part of that. It looked like they were trying to make it look “future-y” by covering it with Reynold’s Wrap. I feel like I’m watching an episode from the original Battlestar: Galactica. When I see Mal jump on that hovercraft, I want to yell “Kick his ass, Starbuck!”
Which is was another thing I had a problem with. Ranse and his gadgets. It seemed like this episode was trying to explain why people use a lot of low-tech solutions, but I just didn’t buy it at all. “Lasers are dumb because they run out of ammo after a few shots.” Okay, what gun in the history of shootin’ stuff does that not describe? If they’d highlighted the fact that, say, they were so expensive that not even Ranse could afford extra power clips for it, that would have made more sense. And the hovercraft! Who the hell would even buy a hovercraft that can’t outrun a horse? Jesus, it’s not like FtH technology doesn’t already exsist, you know? If you want a high-tech alternative to a horse, buy a gorram motorbike. I wish they’d made it more plausible. Maybe have it outdistancing Mal until it flies over a thick patch of scrub brush, and it sucks a bunch of it into an intake manifold and crashes. That’d show that hovercrafts are better than horses… on a paved road. Running around out on a border world, you want something that knows how to keep its balance on its own. “Ariel” had that great scene with Jayne trying to shoot a lock off a door with a stun-gun that was much more effective.
Still, I have to admit, whenever I watch this episode, I’m surprised to find that I actually like it. I keep comparing it in my head to the rest of the series, and thinking it sucks. Then when I watch it, I remember that sucky Firefly is still better than 90% of everything else on TV.
Sorry for not starting the thread; my home phone (and consequently my internet connection) was out this weekend. I’m also out of town all this week, so someone should feel free to start next week’s as well.
