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| The Train Job |
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Below are reviews written by members
of FIREFLYFANS.NET.
If you would like to submit your own review for this episode, you
can click on
SUBMIT REVIEW. Note: click on the quotes to read the full review. |
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RATING: 8.00 READ: 10773 COMMENTS: 1689
'Bar brawls, train robbery, feds, and a heist that doesn't go exactly as planned!'
- Peak | RATING: 7.00 READ: 15101 COMMENTS: 3272
'A good episode that captures the interest, but more importantly sets the stage for what this show has the potential to be.'
- Pandora | RATING: 10.00 READ: 11842 COMMENTS: 1474
'Firefly starts off great, proving it's not a show, but an entire universe of realistic stories and humanistic drama set in a science fiction & western environment.'
- FURYFIRE | RATING: 10.00 READ: 20941 COMMENTS: 556
'Tough guys and a barroom brawl. What more can you ask for?'
- Ness | RATING: 9.00 READ: 8214 COMMENTS: 1466
'From the first introduction voiceover to the final
last scene--Firfly is a winner.
Think there is nothing new for science fiction?
Think again.'
- Antiphona | RATING: 6.00 READ: 44562 COMMENTS: 850
'Reasonably clever, intelligent TV "sci-fi." Interesting characters and situations. Too much reliance on the old Western metaphors.'
- Lamar | RATING: 10.00 READ: 8963 COMMENTS: 3208
'Despite the small problems, it seems Joss has put out another winner. It was definately worth the wait. '
- Coru | RATING: 9.00 READ: 12534 COMMENTS: 1336
'It's not Star Trek. Or Farscape. It's like nothing else.'
- FilmCritic3000 | RATING: 9.00 READ: 13193 COMMENTS: 13766
'Can't wait for more. How does Joss always find such beautiful people who can really act! Loved the juxtaposition of "Stagecoach" settin with hi-tech train. '
- Waxwing6 | RATING: 6.00 READ: 34524 COMMENTS: 860
'Yep, I thought the show lacked innovation. The bloody awful theme tune was pretentious and the storyline (though watchable) was a huge mistake considering that this was the first episode of a new show. '
- SadGeezer | RATING: 9.00 READ: 18798 COMMENTS: 4283
'Saddle up! Joss Whedon has entered the sci-fi realm and given it a big kick in the teeth'
- Ringwraith | RATING: 10.00 READ: 38684 COMMENTS: 15663
'Creator Joss Whedon has described Firefly as 'Stagecoach in space'. However, the show feels more like Tombstone in space than anything else, and is a fast-paced ride from beginning to end...'
- DigificWriter | RATING: 8.00 READ: 7887 COMMENTS: 3580
'With an abnormally large cast, "Firefly" lacks the screen time to have enough character development each episode.'
- InvisibleGreen | RATING: 9.00 READ: 7151 COMMENTS: 2142
'As if there were ever any doubt, Firefly is going to be a creative success for sure...whether the fans will follow sadly remains to be seen.'
- Trolly | RATING: 8.00 READ: 44750 COMMENTS: 6413
'What can I say? When I watched the show, I got this warm, fuzzy feeling that I've only gotten before from two other shows.'
- LivingImpaired | RATING: 9.00 READ: 34947 COMMENTS: 2858
'So, are they dashing rebels who refuse to give in to a hated enemy, daring criminals out for a good time, or just the hungry proprietors of a small business? Don't ask the crew of the Serenity, they don't know.'
- GreyBard | RATING: 8.00 READ: 4661 COMMENTS: 16348
'While I was somewhat disappointed with the way characters were handled (compared to the original pilot) "The Train Job" indeed did its job providing 45 minutes of a fun ride.'
- Raz | RATING: 9.00 READ: 18698 COMMENTS: 2385
' [I]Firefly[/I] literally is a western with space ships and a few other futuristic devices. I was reading for months about how this show would do that, but I had to see it to believe it. One episode was enough.
'
- GThing | RATING: 10.00 READ: 23649 COMMENTS: 15188
'Thank Joss for finally giving us a space drama in which the ships don't go "whoosh."'
- mjallen42 | RATING: 3.00 READ: 13900 COMMENTS: 581
'I thought Star Trek first episodes were bad, but this was much worse! A vauge voice over introduction that just doesn't help the show. '
- FastAl | RATING: 8.00 READ: 6735 COMMENTS: 1100
'An entertaining episode that had to overcome the need to introduce a large number of characters. Good in and of itself, but better in terms of the potential the show displayed.'
- Jerry | RATING: 9.00 READ: 8981 COMMENTS: 989
'This is GURPS: The Series, and I'll be goddamned if they're not pulling it off.'
- JohnnyAngel | RATING: 9.00 READ: 10313 COMMENTS: 2588
'What am I doing Friday night? Need you ask?'
- Soupsterix | RATING: 10.00 READ: 11162 COMMENTS: 3593
'deep characters, crisp writing, and a great look. everything you expect from a joss weadon creation. '
- thecrimsonking | RATING: 9.00 READ: 8643 COMMENTS: 4334
'With this first episode, Firefly proves to its audience that it can be the best new show on television (not to mention one of THE best shows period) without monsters, aliens, big spaceship dogfights, or latex.'
- Turtle | RATING: 5.00 READ: 9028 COMMENTS: 4587
'Just okay'
- Scifispace | RATING: 10.00 READ: 31595 COMMENTS: 5388
'Very Solid Episode of Television.'
- Gleebo | RATING: 8.00 READ: 20432 COMMENTS: 789
'Action, adventure, and thrills all mixed together with a sense of humor and a sense of purpose make Firefly by far one of the most original and entertaining shows to ever grace a TV.'
- Captain | RATING: 6.00 READ: 43599 COMMENTS: 978
'This show was a hard enough sell without its real first episode taken from them. This one couldn't cut it.'
- WrongArturo | RATING: 10.00 READ: 4858 COMMENTS: 5392
'Joss and Tim had me at the belly dancer and geisha waitress'
- rita | RATING: 7.00 READ: 8668 COMMENTS: 6893
'This train caper episode is fun. However, it is rather clunky in several ways, probably because it was a hastily-written pilot.'
- andagainma | RATING: 9.00 READ: 12206 COMMENTS: 671
'Enjoyed to setting and the characters, but what was with the Starship Trooper uniforms on the Alliance?'
- dragon97 | RATING: 9.00 READ: 23611 COMMENTS: 3530
'This is a strong second episode, though it is too heavy on the exposition.'
- LetsBeBadGuys | RATING: 9.00 READ: 6576 COMMENTS: 2542
'I'll always have a special place in my heart for this episode. It was my first introduction to the 'verse and there was enough good stuff to keep me watching week after week. ... It's nice to pop it in the player and sit back and pretend it's September 2002 again and remind myself of the feeling of watching the first episode of a new show that I've been looking forward to. And thinking at the end, "That was pretty cool. Definitely a keeper."'
- SoupCatcher | RATING: 7.00 READ: 31444 COMMENTS: 851
'Not as good as "Serenity" but still enjoyable'
- chewablesarcasm | RATING: 9.00 READ: 6505 COMMENTS: 1086
'When you take on a job, be careful to find out what you're taking on, and why...'
- tanstaafl28 | RATING: 9.00 READ: 8094 COMMENTS: 3343
'A train heist, a really evil Russain guy, and more of our favourite space cowboys. In one hell of a pilot.'
- Soldier0Cross | RATING: 9.00 READ: 5658 COMMENTS: 217
'Very impressive episode which has three very important ingredients to it, a masochistic bad guy, a moralistic main character and a damn fine crew to wring great dialogue from.'
- inevermarried | RATING: 8.00 READ: 2245 COMMENTS: 1
'Good plot for a second chance'
- audacitymedia | RATING: 10.00 READ: 2384 COMMENTS: 1
'this episode was one off, if not, my favorite episode.'
- BrownCoat116326 | |
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Below are point of analysis for the
episode. These analysis should be objective and based on facts
within this episode or other episodes of the series. |
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There are currently no analysis for this episode. |
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Below are unanswered questions from
the episode. |
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Those strange men at the end of the episode, why were they wearing blue latex gloves? To protect themselves from contamination? Is there something we don't know about? Creepy and interesting.
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How will River escape the pursuit of those Blue Handed folks? Will she do it this season, or will this be a series long pursuit?
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Just from seeing "The Train Job", we know why Simon and River are on Serenity. However, we have yet to find out why all the other characters are here. There has to be a reason for them to be living this ultra tough life. We've only caught glimpses of the Alliance. We know very little about the failed rebellion. Are all of our main characters opposed to the Alliance? The answers to these questions are bound to come up in later episodes. For now, they are among my thoughts on Firefly.
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In the Pilot we learn Mal commanded a Platoon of about 30ish grunts (same as our own 'verse).
In The Message we learn a Colonel commands "all the platoons." This indicates more than two.
In The Train Job Mal and Zoë run into a regiment on the train. This regiment appears to contain at MAXIMUM two platoons (60ish soldiers).
What are the unit sizes and commanding ranks?
By today's structure a Colonel commands a regiment.
Also, there are 3 platoons in a Company, and 3 companies to a battalion, and 3 battalions in a regiment. (Usually; the U.S. Army does not have regiments).
Granted I am comparing apples and oranges (alliance and independent structures) however I can't imagine that the terms would be carried so far into the future by the one huge collective until to have completely definition because a war starts.
What are the unit sizes, and what is the ranking system?
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Below are speculations about events or
items in the episode. These speculations are subjective. |
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Blue gloves. Blue sun. Just a guess, but Blue Sun is the organization that frilled with River, and the gloves are going with the color scheme.
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The first verse of the theme ("Take my love/Take my land") suggests that Mal lost a significant other in the war -- possibly his family, or wife, or both? It would be mad motivation for his bitterness.
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We have an obvious setup for a love interest for all members the cast: Mal-Inara, Wash-Zoe (duh), Kaylee-Simon. Which of course leaves Jayne and River...
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Notice the bleak landscape on both the worlds visited in this episode. I'm guessing that all the worlds Serenity visits will be like this, because they were terraformed in the recent past, and haven't had time to evolve a complex ecosystem. So no forests, no jungles, few or no animals, other than livestock.
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When Inara rescues Mal and Zoe, she claims that Mal is her "bonded servent." This is a person who is obligated to provide service to another person temporarily. It isn't a job or a contract -- the bondholder has complete control over the life of the servant. This institution is often hard to distinguish from "real" slavery. In most places, bonded service and slavery were banned at about the same time. Since nobody questions Inara's claim that Mal is a bonded servent, these people must take loss of personal freedom for granted. Perhaps there are even actual slaves somewhere. I'd guess that the Alliance frowns on this sort of thing, but isn't always able to prevent it. This might make for an interesting episode where Mal is forced to team up with the Alliance to bring down a slave trader.
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In the opening theme, maybe [quote]take my love/ take my land [/quote] means that the land is his love. Mal grew up on a ranch, ya know and I think the only reason he took to the skies was because that was the only place he could be free after the war.
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On Blue Handed MIB's: Remember River's rhyme "two by two hands of blue".
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Below are notes about events or
items in the episode. |
The notes I'd like to make are the 'homages' paid to Star Trek and Star Wars when we get our first glimpse of the Alliance - the score swells in a very Star Trekian chord, sounding like some serious Captain Picard music. The officers on deck are all dressed in dronish gray, strangely similar to the Imperial officers on deck in Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi.
I was definitely amused. ;)
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Many Confederates killed themselves after the Civil War. That Joey Bloggs "ate his own gun" is a subtle clue that he was an Independent soldier, which is how Mal knows him.
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Is is just me, or does Niska COMPLETELY creep out anyone else ?
I dunno why, but he so reminds me of like, and evil Gehpetto (pinoccios father/builder), which is like, creap-factor ultimate.
Crow was laughable, Niska is CREEPY.
-Frem
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Did anyone notice the direct quote from one of the Marx Brothers movies? During the barroom brawl Mal feints twice with his right fist and then kicks his opponent in the shins.
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For those not familiar with British English, "Joe Bloggs" is the British form of "Joe Six-pack", the regular everyday guy.
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Mal doesnt know a joey bloggs, he just makes it up. you couldnt tell that??
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also the trousers that Mal wears are very similar to the trousers Han Solo wears ^_^
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