"I want this story to continue. Or be reborn. In some -- ANY -- forum. I am, as you all know, in love." - Joss Whedon on bringing back Firefly.
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TITLE
 Out of Gas
CODE
 1AGE07
WRITTEN BY
 Tim Minear
AVERAGE RATING
 8.95
LOGLINE

SYNOPSIS

CONSENSUS

ORIGINAL AIR DATE
Friday, October 25, 2002
 

Out of Gas


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.

RATING: 9.00   READ: 29937   COMMENTS: 8740
'Excellent. '
- Gambit3		RATING: 9.00   READ: 8277   COMMENTS: 1766
'An interesting twist on a common story'
- Ringwraith
RATING: 10.00   READ: 12540   COMMENTS: 3016
'Every Friday night, Firefly finds new ways to astound me. "Out Of Gas" impressed me so much, in so many ways, that I am at a loss as to why Fox would even fathom pulling the plug.'
- Captain		RATING: 10.00   READ: 11646   COMMENTS: 1979
'Amazing, tense, funny - and highly creative!'
- merlindrea
RATING: 8.00   READ: 97552   COMMENTS: 1473
'Top notch character study of Mal Reynolds'
- radworld		RATING: 10.00   READ: 10203   COMMENTS: 558
'Out of all the aired episodes, “Out of Gas” has given me the most reasons to wonder what is going to happen next on Firefly. '
- GThing
RATING: 10.00   READ: 6028   COMMENTS: 485
'What more can you ask for from a completely amazing hour of television? Not much more than this episode achieves. Brilliance. Fox cant even think about not renewing this.'
- Gleebo		RATING: 9.00   READ: 4548   COMMENTS: 12
'Joss Whedon & company continue to give us quality television.'
- dmac
RATING: 10.00   READ: 15847   COMMENTS: 177
'No other television show this season has had me engrossed more than Fox's Firefly, and that's saying a lot.'
- Poetic4U		RATING: 10.00   READ: 8169   COMMENTS: 2526
'The best of a great series'
- SignyM
RATING: 7.00   READ: 7795   COMMENTS: 1083
'While it was definitely very interesting and fun to see the origins of the crew and the ship, the plot had a whole the size of Montana.'
- DarthEd		RATING: 9.00   READ: 31467   COMMENTS: 403
''Out of gas' is the benchmark to which all other episodes will be measured'
- Flambe
RATING: 9.00   READ: 10338   COMMENTS: 5070
'In an episode full of flashbacks explaining how the crew got here, we learn a lot about our main characters... and I lost my heart to a certain Capt. Reynolds...'
- QueenTiye		RATING: 9.00   READ: 10864   COMMENTS: 3949
'Joss Whedon and his alterego Captain Mal Reynolds attempt to build a new kind of Utopia.'
- Maysa
RATING: 10.00   READ: 17829   COMMENTS: 2540
'Emotionally charged, uniquely presented episode, which shows how this collection of travelsers came to Serenity.'
- flylefemme		RATING: 10.00   READ: 17719   COMMENTS: 1462
'one of the best sci fi episodes television has seen bar none'
- tudyksgagreel
RATING: 10.00   READ: 23848   COMMENTS: 1620
'The best eipsode, IMHO.'
- Worfgzr		RATING: 10.00   READ: 18352   COMMENTS: 8224
'all the elements of a perfect show came together.'
- binary
RATING: 10.00   READ: 8196   COMMENTS: 2344
'No Description'
- Trilly		RATING: 10.00   READ: 26549   COMMENTS: 1289
'Back and forth in time stories...always the best way. This episode was what made me a fan. If the Network couldn't see the beauty of the series by this...oh well...you know the rest'
- FourDown
RATING: 10.00   READ: 19686   COMMENTS: 1803
'... and i loved it. '
- GrimChaos		RATING: 10.00   READ: 16973   COMMENTS: 8607
'Perhaps the best episode on tv.'
- libkitty
RATING: 10.00   READ: 15479   COMMENTS: 853
'Absolutly my favorite! 3 story lines and we start at (almost) the end of the episode! This is great stuff! How can they cancel this show? are they blind?'
- CaptainPeroxide		RATING: 10.00   READ: 17675   COMMENTS: 799
'The Title Says It All...'
- JFCarey2004
RATING: 10.00   READ: 17158   COMMENTS: 45
'No Description'
- howdyrockerbaby1		RATING: 9.00   READ: 15142   COMMENTS: 260
'No Description'
- PorjectBleu
RATING: 9.00   READ: 18579   COMMENTS: 7726
'An episode that once again kicks SF cliches out of the airlock. '
- lucasdigital		RATING: 10.00   READ: 15395   COMMENTS: 7
'Quite possibly the best episode of television. Ever. '
- Penance
RATING: 8.00   READ: 17014   COMMENTS: 13
'This is up there with TXF's Colony/End Game as must see DVD!'
- stlouisphile		RATING: 10.00   READ: 7236   COMMENTS: 6487
'You really need to see this episode twice (at least).'
- EKassan
RATING: 10.00   READ: 17327   COMMENTS: 3831
'Not only the best FF ep, but possibly the best episode of any TV show ever. At the very least, I can't think of one better, and I've been trying.'
- gojiro		RATING: 10.00   READ: 7058   COMMENTS: 3902
'The Best I Ever Had'
- Denim
RATING: 8.00   READ: 14879   COMMENTS: 13
''out of gas' rocks!!'
- SISTERSERENITY		RATING: 10.00   READ: 12992   COMMENTS: 799
'An hour of Television never meant as much to me before this '
- CaptainAmazing
RATING: 10.00   READ: 15730   COMMENTS: 13
'best of the best. How it began and how it worked as a cast-driven cult classic.'
- ajax2004		RATING: 8.00   READ: 12943   COMMENTS: 2409
'3 plot holes stretch the credibility in an otherwise excellent episode.'
- Routier
RATING: 0.00   READ: 21251   COMMENTS: 829
'This one was lacking. While very tense and dramatic, I felt the plot left a lot to be desired - it was predictable, somewhat unoriginal and rather monotonous and too drawn out. A dissapointment, first episode I wasn't all that crazy about.'
- Lynxspirit		RATING: 0.00   READ: 8610   COMMENTS: 1719
'Other than the flashbacks, I didn't find this one up to par.'
- Mysticful
RATING: 10.00   READ: 14697   COMMENTS: 13
'This was definately the best episode of the series. It really let all of us know and understand who the people were and thier realtionship to eachother and the ship. God i love this show.'
- Gabriel78		RATING: 0.00   READ: 25729   COMMENTS: 15
'A little dull'
- Donovan
RATING: 8.00   READ: 19147   COMMENTS: 1505
'Mals choice.'
- WrongRyan		RATING: 9.00   READ: 14358   COMMENTS: 227
'Genius storytelling and editing.'
- Madman007
RATING: 10.00   READ: 14969   COMMENTS: 23
'Nowhere is it written that only Inara can have a liberal sexual attitude.'
- Hera		RATING: 10.00   READ: 20751   COMMENTS: 3243
'This episode, like many others, is a complete work of art.'
- toddsheets
RATING: 10.00   READ: 13888   COMMENTS: 35
'One of the top episodes of the series. Great character moments, and interesting cuts to tell the story!!'
- arius		RATING: 10.00   READ: 24058   COMMENTS: 804
'Getting to know the characters more and how they all came together was extremely entertaining'
- Jobi
RATING: 10.00   READ: 3324   COMMENTS: 707
' WHY on EARTH was this series cancelled?!?'
- Observer451		RATING: 10.00   READ: 15763   COMMENTS: 3872
'No Description'
- Indefatigable
RATING: 10.00   READ: 21335   COMMENTS: 3746
'Superb story telling and the crews usual impecable performances add up to the best episode of the best series ever to grace a vacuum display tube.'
- daveshayne		RATING: 10.00   READ: 19925   COMMENTS: 1192
'This episode was really about character development'
- Lancer
RATING: 10.00   READ: 10824   COMMENTS: 2909
'No Description'
- kpo		RATING: 10.00   READ: 30213   COMMENTS: 2772
'Brilliant... absolutely brilliant!!!'
- Trinculo
RATING: 10.00   READ: 18073   COMMENTS: 936
'This is by far my favorite episode!! Brilliant filming/editing'
- RachelPorter		RATING: 10.00   READ: 25137   COMMENTS: 1800
'Firefly doesn't have a bad episode. But 'Out of Gas' is the best. '
- zorprime01
RATING: 10.00   READ: 19180   COMMENTS: 2457
'I think what really sold me was the very end of the episode, the scene that took place in the past when Mal first laid eyes on Serenity. It was truly a defining moment (to me) for Mal's character. Plus, I'm just a sentimental sap.'
- Jonestein		RATING: 10.00   READ: 13755   COMMENTS: 7
'one of the best,if not "the" best episode in the series. '
- starstruck
RATING: 10.00   READ: 3698   COMMENTS: 3653
'Great story, Great cast. What else is there?'
- reco		RATING: 0.00   READ: 13269   COMMENTS: 285
'Mal has none of the sensitive aspects of the stereotypical captains in other Sci-Fi shows. "Get the job done, I don't care what your personal problems are!" OUTSTANDING.'
- GrantMe
RATING: 10.00   READ: 2187   COMMENTS: 8
'Astonishing'
- AllergyMonk		RATING: 9.00   READ: 1977   COMMENTS: 625
'Despite robbing other directors, I think this may be my favorite episode.'
- audacitymedia
 

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.
There are currently no analysis for this episode.

 

Below are unanswered questions from the episode.
Is it just me, or is Mal a lot like Captian Kirk? I'm not complaining, but they seem very similar.
If Serenity has no power for even minimum life support, then why is the artificial gravity still working? I would think an induced gravity field would be a fairly energy-intensive function... (Obviously the real world answer is that the FX team didn't have the budget for a half-hour or more of wire-work and CGI. But what's the Fireflyverse answer? No Treknobabble please.)
What was Serenity's past before Mal bought her? Who owned her, and what was her name? And for that matter, how did a former sergeant of the losing side manage to have enough cash to buy even a semi-decrepit old ship? Lots of flashback story potential here...
How did an enlisted man from the losing army come into enough money to buy a spaceship outright?
Why would the ship come to a complete stop when the engine stops? Inertia would keep it going in a straight line at a constant speed, maybe coming to a stop in a couple of thousand years due to losing inertia to space dust or some such.
How did such an itty-bitty part cause such a huge explosion?
How long has Mal had Serenity? Did he get it after the war? or sometime after? (Update: Watched Out of Gas commentary and one of the people doing the Commentary said the beginning flashbacks are from 5 years earlier)
why is kaylee wearing her underwear when her and fester are going at it in the engine room?
Why was the low life-support warning in Cantonese and not Mandarin?

 

Below are speculations about events or items in the episode.  These speculations are subjective.
Perhaps the Serenity crew will meet up with the other ship sometime later.
Re: the artificial gravity staying on: perhaps it's something that just needs trickle-charging, but once charged would stay in place for some time before fading? Frankly, I'll forgive them not trying to describe how it works so long as they're consistent about when it works! (not finished watching the series yet)
In this episode, when Mal is before the crew and is briefing them on the situation and his plan to survive, I noticed the proximity of Jayne to River. Did anyone else notice? And if so do you think that is is interesting how Jayne acts like he can't stand River (which is probably just a front) yet in a moment of impending death/doom they gravitate to each other for comfort? If Im just being a hopeless romantic please inform me. :)
Everyone's wondering about how the grav works when the gas don't. If you recall the moment in which Kaylee is introduced to the ship, in a rather unusual way. (what a sweetheart.) In that flashback the crew is stuck on ** as their engine does not work. (sound familiar?) Yet Kaylee says, "Ain't nothin' wrong with your grav boot, grav boot's just fine. Hello." (ed - what a sweetheart) "Grav boot's not your trouble. I seen the trouble plain as day when I was down there on my back before. Your right couple's bad." etc. I'm over-quoting, but you get the idea, the (secondary) grav boot (they have 2!) is in the engine room, but is not inherently related to the operation of the engine. Yet the life support is... And so it goes... Hope that helps. You keep flying - I'll keep drinking.
I'm guessing Mal bought Serenity with the proceeds from selling his mother's ranch, after the war -- the ranch he tells Saffron about in Our Mrs. Reynolds.
About why Serenity stops in space once the catalyzer/engine blows: Going on the principle that an object in a vacuum continues on at a constant velocity without any thrust, even the fire/air blasting out of the cargo bay would not be sufficient to cancel the momentum of the ship (in order to stop dead the momentum of the ship would have to cancel against that of the air and fire, which means that since Serenity outmasses the air by a couple thousand times, the velocity of the air would not be sufficient to equilibrate the two forces). Anyway, the point I'm making is that serenity's main drive does not seem to be any sort of chemical reaction thrust mechanism. We know from the pilot that it does have fuel, and that fuel is flammable, and the Serenity's engine can be manipulated to ignite that fuel (did you notice the flaps open on the sides?). We also know from the pilot that a essential component of the engine is the 'grav boot' (as stated by Kaylee and Baxter). For all we know, Serenity uses a chemical fuel to power some sort of gravity drive, which might explain why she would stop dead when the engine blew. If it worked on some principle other than thrust, then she might not have any momentum at all (obviously she has plenty of other quirky physics at work within her...)
As far a stopping in space is concerned, remember that if we accept the fact that they are travelling between star systems, they would need some sort of faster than light drive. If its the sort that moves orthogonal to the four dimensional space we live in, then they might appear to just stop. They do have two separate drive systems so its at least plausible ;-)

 

Below are notes about events or items in the episode.
The fact that Jayne would turn on his companions when offered more money would be a recuring theme throughout the series.
The piece that's broken is exactly the one Kaylee wanted to buy in "Serenity" (the pilot) and Mal said no.
No, the part Mal told Kaylee they couldn't buy in Serenity was a compression coil for the steamer. The part that broke was the catalyzer.
Kalyee said that the catalyzer was a part of the compression coil.
The captain of the salvage ship actually asks Mal if it's the compression coil that's broken.

A doctor friend of mind told me that injecting adrenalin when you have a stomach wound (as Mal does) would be foolish - your heart would pump faster, and at higher pressure, causing you to bleed at a much higher rate. Mal would be very alert for a short time, but would then actually pass out sooner, and would be much more likely to die.

However, if he had injected the adrenalin into his wound, it would slow the bleeding, because adrenalin is a vasoconstrictor, which narrows the blood vessels.
A second suggestion about why the gravity stays on: whoever said the entire ship was powered down? In fact, it'd be a pretty impressive ship that has working lights, communications and navigation when completely out of power!

Look at it like this: primary life support (air and heat, I guess) is tied to the engine running, so it stops working when the engine does. Auxiliary life support is not tied to the engine running, but gets knocked out by the explosion. I could guess that either the gravity nets are not tied to the engine running (maybe the main gravity circuits aren't even located in the engine room), or there's an auxiliary gravity system that somehow was miraculously not knocked out by the explosion.
Serenity comes to a "dead stop" in space because Mal vents the fire (heat, air pressure, etc.) out of the cargo bay doors, which are forward-facing, below the bridge. This blast/venting provides enough thrust to counter Serenity's inertial momentum.
One thing that annoyed me a litte was the fact that Zoë was wearing the fabric 'necklace'she always wears. For those of you who have listened to the commentaries on the DVD Box Set, the costume designer (I apologise I do not remember exactly right now) mentioned how that that necklace is supposed to signify her relationship with Wash, and she never takes it off since they married. Yet in the flashback, which is before she met Wash, she is wearing it.

Easy mistake to overlook, but I tend to be a stickler.

 
 
 
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