# "Firefly" - 11/1: Fighting for Inara's Honor (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 4, 2002, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209 "2002-11-04T13:52:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/1 "2002-11-04T13:52:12Z")
If there’s already a thread for this episode, please forgive me… I couldn’t find one. I was, once again, favorably impressed. Kaylee gets cuter and cuter every week. I’m going to have to start rethinking this whole heterosexuality thing. I feel like I’m missing out. My favorite line: Mal: “Mercy is the mark of a great man.” (jabs Atherton in the gut) “Guess I’m just a good man.” (jabs him again) “Well, I’m alright.” So, what’d’ya’ll think? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/2 "2002-11-04T14:57:40Z")
I liked the widespread use of Chinese mixed with the English dialogue, but how come we don’t see more Chinese people?? “gos se” was pretty funny… for those of you who don’t know Chinese, “go” means dog, and I bet you can guess the rest if you saw the episode. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/3 "2002-11-04T15:33:29Z")
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Kaylee was totally cute, and I loved how she didn’t fit in with the upper crust ladies, so she had a great time chatting it up about engines with the guys. When they panned in on her, surrounded by men, smiling and yucking it up, it just felt so right. I liked the Wash and Zoe scene in bed, while it seemed a bit tacked on, I liked the back and forth they had. River’s insulting of the guy in the ship was classic, as well as Jayne’s “That’s just the type of distraction we could have used.” Kaylee :“Is that him?” Mal : “That’s a buffet table” Kaylee :“How will we know for sure if we don’t get a closer look?” Good stuff, I like the stories, and the characters impress me more week after week. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/4 "2002-11-04T16:08:06Z")
The basic structure of the episode - like Mal isn’t going to face a guy who’s an expert swordsman, get wounded, but end up winning? - seemed too forced and obvious, but the dialogue was fun. Anyone notice that the bad guy was Danny, Syd’s killed fiance from “Alias”? I wish Mal and Inara would not be in the place where they are - either keep a safer distance with an undercurrent of tension or get together - this seems too forced. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/5 "2002-11-04T16:37:00Z")
Mixed feelings on this one. The plot seemed very plodding and predictable, especially in the first half of the episode which dragged badly. The main plot seemed pretty forced and cliched. But there was some some really good dialog, and the bits with the crew being held captive on the ship and planning their (never-implemented) heroic rescue of the captain were great. And Kaylee rules. Not as strong an episode as last week’s “Out of Gas”, but I’ll still take it over Enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/6 "2002-11-04T16:50:32Z")
Mal: “I never run from a fight.” Inara: “You _always_ run from a fight.” I liked that. But if Mal calls her a whore again, I think Inara should deck him. Heck, he admitted that she brings credibility to the _Serenity_, not the other way around. Or was that her line? ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/7 "2002-11-04T17:06:09Z")
But it had cows in space. And that made all of the difference. . . . Kaylee does get cuter by the moment. And she can fix stuff. Hubba hubba. I was rolling when she was holding court at the dance- those guys had the right idea. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/8 "2002-11-04T20:29:18Z")
TVGuide reviewage: [http://www.tvguide.com/tv/roush/rreview/](http://www.tvguide.com/tv/roush/rreview/) > [@](#): > > Bucking the timidity of a TV season lacking in originality, Fox’s funky Firefly (Fridays, 8 pm/ET) may be guilty of overcompensating. You don’t get much more offbeat than this. > > Many science fiction sagas, including the original Star Trek, have likened themselves to Westerns. But no show has taken the metaphor quite as literally as Firefly, which ambitiously but haphazardly attempts a hybrid of the futuristic and the primitive. > > Firefly’s celebrated creator, Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), has imagined a universe 500 years hence in which vanquished freedom fighters troll the galaxy on a ramshackle transport ship named Serenity. Our heroes take odd, often illicit jobs on frontier planets resembling Dodge City-like outposts. Settlers speak in a quaint vernacular as they gather around campfires. In this world, “giddyap” and “blast off” coexist. > > There’s no disputing this is one oddball show. Shifting from space travel to horseback can be jarring. But once you get used to it, Firefly is very entertaining. > > The characters are cleverly conceived, and the crisp writing balances action, tension and humor nicely. Each rough-edged misadventure tends to deepen the bonds of loyalty among Serenity’s nine outcasts-including a likably droll captain (Nathan Fillion), his tough-gal sidekick (Gina Torres), an elegant prostitute (Morena Baccarin), a sly preacher (Barney Miller’s Ron Glass) and an unscrupulous mercenary (Adam Baldwin). > > To survive, these anti-authority figures must fly under the radar. Unfortunately, Firefly’s willful weirdness appears to be consigning the show to a similar fate in the ratings. Let’s hope Fox exercises some patience. Cult followings aren’t born overnight. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/9 "2002-11-04T20:42:31Z")
The USA and China are the Aliiance; maybe that’s why you don’t see Chinese folks. He won the duel 'cause he cheated. I don’t have a problem with that, but that’s how he beat the better guy. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/10 "2002-11-04T20:45:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elf6c \* > \*\*TVGuide reviewage: > … Let’s hope Fox exercises some patience. Cult followings aren’t born overnight. \*\* Yeah they are. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/11 "2002-11-04T20:49:02Z")
I like this one, but it was not the best(Jayne’s ep. gets that). Anyway, this show is borderline on cancelation due to falling ratings. They are considering moving it. I personaly hope they go to Monday at 9:00(where girls club was). They are probably moving it to Wednesday night, which is not much better than its current slot. ---
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/12 "2002-11-04T20:57:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elf6c \* > \*\*But it had cows in space. And that made all of the difference. . . . \*\* Ooh! I forgot that part! But it made my day. They tricked me into thinking it was some dull, inanimate cargo. And lo, it was \*\* COWS \*\* . I laughed and laughed. Ahh, good times. Thanks for reminding me, \*\* elf \*\*! Kn(I took the cow less traveled by, and it has made all the difference. -Robert Frost)ckers ---
**Author:** ![Kn\_ckers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/96bed5/32.png) [@Kn\_ckers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kn_ckers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/13 "2002-11-04T21:06:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > \*\* They are probably moving it to Wednesday night, which is not much better than its current slot. \*\* Well, shucks, that screws my week up. What the hell else am I going to do with my Friday nights? Not like I have a social life or anything. But far better to be moved than cancelled. PLEASE, don’t let it be cancelled. By the way, \*\* Mahaloth \*\*, you’re right - Jayne’s epiosode was the best so far. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/14 "2002-11-04T22:05:18Z")
> [@](#): > > They are probably moving it to Wednesday night Urk, that could be a problem; _Amazing Race_ is also on Wednesday nights and Tivo can’t record two things at once. Guess I kept the VCR around for some reason… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/15 "2002-11-04T23:24:04Z")
I liked this episode fine, though I thought it was pretty obviously padded out to an hour. They had a pretty good setup, and a good climax (i.e. the point of the episode: developing the relationship between Mal and Inara), but not enough material for a whole show. The middle, therefore, dragged quite a bit. They came up with some good schtick for the padding – Kaylee impressing the guys with her mechanical know-how was cute (even if it didn’t advance the plot one iota), and Jayne’s deadpan “that there was just the sort of distraction we could have used” made me fall off the couch in hysterics – but it was padding nonetheless. > [@](#): > > I liked the Wash and Zoe scene in bed, while it seemed a bit tacked on, I liked the back and forth they had. I said in the last “Firefly” thread that I’m hugely impressed that the show would include a married couple that’s, well, just plain married. I’m even more impressed that they’d take time to show us that the couple has a normal and healthy sex life, too. In drama, something like 98% of the sex scenes are between first-time partners. Everything else is taken for granted. I like that “Firefly” doesn’t seem to be taking the obvious stuff for granted. My favorite line? – “You didn’t have to stab him like that.” – “Yeah, it was just funny.” (Or whatever. Cracked me up.) ---
**Author:** ![slackergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@slackergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slackergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2002, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/16 "2002-11-04T23:47:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Controvert \* > \*\*I liked the widespread use of Chinese mixed with the English dialogue, but how come we don’t see more Chinese people?? > \*\* I’ve got no answer for that, but when we do finally see Chinese people, I hope they speak mostly Chinese, but curse in English. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/17 "2002-11-05T00:31:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slackergirl \* > \*\* > > I’ve got no answer for that, but when we do finally see Chinese people, I hope they speak mostly Chinese, but curse in English. \*\* LOL!!! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/18 "2002-11-05T00:37:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slackergirl \* > \*\* > > I’ve got no answer for that, but when we do finally see Chinese people, I hope they speak mostly Chinese, but curse in English. \*\* LOL!!! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/19 "2002-11-05T00:42:32Z")
Whoops… I swear I only hit submit once! Anyway, I think the foul mouthed swearing in Chinese is a most clever way to slip certain things past the censors. Most people would be hard pressed to look up a translation without inflection information (which the actors are not pronouncing), yet a native speaker could figure it out from the context clues. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2002, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209/20 "2002-11-05T00:48:02Z")
Touw-neee! You double posted. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-11-1-fighting-for-inaras-honor-spoilers/135209.md?page=2)