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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: 9.00 READ: 12825 COMMENTS: 3480
'In a stunning bit of news, Jose Molina, a former writer of the cancelled series Dark Angel, crafts a fun, powerful, and resonating episode of Firefly.'
- Novagrass | RATING: 10.00 READ: 17739 COMMENTS: 1152
'A spectacular episode, kept me wanting more
Fox cannot cancel this awsome show'
- Seshat | RATING: 10.00 READ: 7922 COMMENTS: 1164
'An amazing episode with enough tension to drive you insane...and may give you nose bleeds'
- Ringwraith | RATING: 10.00 READ: 9633 COMMENTS: 2095
'Nothing but praise for Ariel!'
- schmidty54 | RATING: 10.00 READ: 14648 COMMENTS: 567
'One of the best episodes yet! The series could end right here! (but no-one'd be happy)
{Warning: The whole thing is a spoiler}'
- Sensou | RATING: 10.00 READ: 25520 COMMENTS: 869
'Absolutely astonishing!'
- ChampagneSupernova | RATING: 9.00 READ: 9756 COMMENTS: 3768
'Amazing, eight episodes and not one clunker!'
- kef | RATING: 10.00 READ: 21778 COMMENTS: 475
'It’s action-packed. It’s frightening. “Ariel” is a thrill ride only a handful of shows can offer. '
- GThing | RATING: 10.00 READ: 25675 COMMENTS: 1497
'This episode kept me guessing, had incredible character development, and is my favorite so far! '
- Corrielle | RATING: 10.00 READ: 22273 COMMENTS: 612
'"Firefly" dares to be different, and "Ariel" definitely hits the mark. I watched the episode feeling as if I was in a movie theatre. '
- Poetic4U | RATING: 10.00 READ: 9510 COMMENTS: 13439
'Wadda Whopping episode, sexy spaceships, ENERGY WEAPONS!, even a freaky-looking-cool-new-type-of-light-sabre that gives you screaming nose-bleeds. And boy are the baddies bad in THIS show. Best episode yet.... by a long way!'
- SadGeezer | RATING: 9.00 READ: 7113 COMMENTS: 1250
'This episode was one of the best, it had an "Ocean's Eleven" type of feel to it, and the suspense was always building. I'm glad Fox has ordered 3 more scripts in addition to the orignial 13, it's good news for the show.'
- Aftathott | RATING: 10.00 READ: 22446 COMMENTS: 2347
'One of the best episodes I have seen in Firefly to this date. Though some parts are predictable from previews, excellent buildup and follow through.'
- Gaheris | RATING: 10.00 READ: 8505 COMMENTS: 2300
'"Ariel" is on par, if not surpassing "Out Of Gas" as the show's best episode in its scope, tension, and character development. Jayne and Simon really shine in an adventure that grabs us all from the start and doesn't let go until the very last credits.'
- Captain | RATING: 9.00 READ: 6846 COMMENTS: 3386
'This Ep. had action .'
- Moondoggy | RATING: 8.00 READ: 19297 COMMENTS: 417
'Really great stuff'
- SignyM | RATING: 7.00 READ: 8468 COMMENTS: 4078
''Ariel' was ok, but was it better than 'Out of gas?' I think not.'
- Flambe | RATING: 9.00 READ: 47383 COMMENTS: 3087
'Well... boilthesea talked me into it... so here is a small puddle of drool for those of you who'd like to take a dip...'
- QueenTiye | RATING: 9.00 READ: 16287 COMMENTS: 1294
'Ariel pushes Firefly out of the boring spectre of episodic television and into some entertaining serialization. (This review is one large spoiler)'
- bzzo | RATING: 10.00 READ: 16739 COMMENTS: 167
'Y'see, I thought it was awesome before. Now the only adjective I can think of is "awesomest"'
- KithKill | RATING: 9.00 READ: 21250 COMMENTS: 262
'The first episode to really grab my attention.'
- WrongArturo | RATING: 8.00 READ: 11102 COMMENTS: 2002
'great episode but not as good as others'
- tudyksgagreel | RATING: 8.00 READ: 15395 COMMENTS: 18
'Great episode! We learn that Jayne will do everything for money and that Mal will do everything for his crew. Without the last scene this episode would not be half so good. '
- CaptainPeroxide | RATING: 9.00 READ: 15975 COMMENTS: 2751
'From beginning to end, this episode was filled with excitement & danger.'
- TheMessage1117 | RATING: 10.00 READ: 15615 COMMENTS: 32
'EXCELLENTE!'
- Inara | RATING: 7.00 READ: 8903 COMMENTS: 1412
'really gd, but not the best ive seen.'
- SISTERSERENITY | RATING: 9.00 READ: 16792 COMMENTS: 3484
'Best part was the end part...spoiler warning and heaps of Jayne worship.'
- WibbledtoDeath | RATING: 10.00 READ: 22664 COMMENTS: 807
'FOX screwed every viewer by cancelling Firefly before it's full run!!!'
- RisqMan | RATING: 10.00 READ: 21337 COMMENTS: 823
'This is my favourite episode, you find out a lot and it is so cleverly constructed.'
- Lizzie1989 | RATING: 9.00 READ: 19889 COMMENTS: 9025
'it was just so awkward'
- Lancer | RATING: 10.00 READ: 13943 COMMENTS: 793
'No Description'
- JASPERJACK | RATING: 8.00 READ: 2576 COMMENTS: 2
'Yeah, I dug it
'
- audacitymedia | |
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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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- killslay |
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- inyourskin |
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- enigmavariations |
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Below are unanswered questions from
the episode. |
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Why wasn't Book seen *at all* in this episode?
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Is River's condition curable, or are we looking at a metaphor for people living with mental illness?
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Steve580- Book wasn't seen because he was dropped off at the Bathgate Abbey. Mal says this early in the episode.
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Did anyone else notice -- in the scene where the Med Ambulance is on the pad at the hospital -- you can clearly see the dolly that it was being wheeled around on? Or are my eyes deceiving me and it was supposed to be part of the craft? If it WAS the dolly, why wasn't it hidden better? Seems as though it was a little obvious. (Apologies if this has been discussed before.)
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Below are speculations about events or
items in the episode. These speculations are subjective. |
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That weapon the agents use... painful and internal. Sonic weapon maybe? Questions: Why doesn't if affect the agents themselves? How much more Agent tech will we see?
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Clearly sonic. There was a high-pitched whine whenever it was being deployed.
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Adam Baldwin was always supposed to be a recurring character, not a regular. My guess is that he'll be off the ship during the next episode.
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The weapon. First thought was some sort of neo-telekinetic-vibro-amplifier-type-thingee. (The bleeding reminds me of DePalma's The Fury. Anyone remember that one?) This would explain why it didn't affect the Blue Hands (they can select their targets or are just immune) and would sort of click with what was done to River. Of course would an agency capable of building such advanced psi tools still be performing rudimentary, heavy-handed (and obviously only semi-successful) experiments like the ones performed on River? Hm. Possible, I suppose. (Also raises the question, were the results of the experiments on River intentional or a "happy" accident?) Somehow just doesn't seem to fit the tone of the show though. (And a little too B5-psi-corp-knock-offish.) In addition to the whine, there's the sound of a growing vibration, as if the furniture is starting to shake, so yeah, sounds like harmonics (ha-ha).
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One interesting note - right at the end, Simon says something, I can't exactly remember what, but it's something along the lines of "It's time to come home". Was it all worth it? Is the syringe he's holding a cure? Are we going to see a more sane River from now on? After all, the whole point of going was so he could figure out what was wrong and hopefully prevent any incidents like the slashing of Jayne. Are we looking at some big answers next episode?
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Rached DeNys from entertainment-geekly wonders 'Why can't she pick up on Jayne's plans to turn them in to the authorities?'
I though she did: she knifes Jayne at the very beginning of the episode. Speculation: River's got more than just empathy, she's got wicked temporal ESP.
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The end scene with the captain and Jayne in the airlock was the best scene I have seen.
I am wondering how this will effect the relationship of these characters, I am looking forward to it. (and I hope you are wrong about Jayne leaving - that would be awful)
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On River: I wonder if she wasn't an experiment but a half-constructed weapon, smuggled out before they could complete the restructing of her mind. [spoiler] In one unaired script she mentions "I can kill people with my mind". [/spoiler] This would lend creedance to the theory that the 'blue hands' weapons are psychic not sonic. Blue hands are obviously keen to regain their very expensive piece of military wet-ware, perhaps they think they can complete the brain reconstruction. If Simon could complete her training/construction instead, Serenity would have a potent weapon. Perhaps even poweful enough to rekindle the civil war...
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here's a wild one ... the blue hands AND blue sun are part of a conspiracy to infect people with nanotechnology (see River's freak-out regarding blue sun food products and 'little blue things', and then her reaction, perhaps, to the Blue Sun logo on jayne's shirt), and River knows about (and possibly has control over) said technology. possibly, the blue hands' weapon activates already implanted nanobots that cause the instantaneous massive hemmoraging. they aren't affected because they've eaten clean food. (or maybe they're just androids!)
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When River knifes Jayne, she comments that he "looks better in red." Could this mean that she's saying he's nothing but a killer? Or is she having one of those hallucinations in which things aren't what they seem? In OIS, she sees a gun as a branch. Could she also see the knife as a paintbrush and be "marking him" for all to see?
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I figured that the line "he looks better in red" was also a reference to the Blue Sun logo on Jayne's shirt - that it was the logo and not Jayne she was attacking.
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Queen Tiye - I'd say by most definitions, River *is* mentally ill. I wouldn't really call it a metaphor.
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For those who say that River doesn't see Jane's sneakyness. Look in her eyes when she wakes from, well, death. Plus all the other stuff after that. Plus her general displeasure at the whole thing. Though dying to go to hospital isn't... well I see her point in any case. --- Also, did anyone else notice all the blue barrels, blue doors and blue uniforms in the final chase sequence???? Into the belly of the beast, eh?
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Oh, and another thing...
Try looking at "Safe" in the first bit when malcom is talking about the cattle to simon. He talks about yelling until our ears bleed -> right? Anyway, River responds with the clinical statement that: "the human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems." Now, that's not exactly a direct correllation to the vibrating-ear-leaking-terribly-overdone-nail-polish routine we see in Ariel. But where better to learn such information than from those who use such a weapon. Or - shock/horror - perhaps River designed it!!!? You keep flying, I'll keep drinking.
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The blue hands may have built up a resistance to the weapon they use, modern special forces agents must build up a resistance to flash-bang grenades that they use as a result they do not affect them as much as anyone else or its possible that in a similar way to the [i]men in black[/i] mind wiper thing and their sunglasses the blue hands may have some sor of implant in their ears
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River wouldn't have to have temporal ESP. Obviously Jayne had been planning to sell them out for quite some time, and had a contact on Ariel lined up who he contacted once they were in the facility. So River, with her super-sensitivity to people's thoughts and emotions most likely simply read his intent, albeit by accident. And with her fractured reality, she would not necessarily understand what she was (hearing/seeing?), and just reacted. Anyway, what I want to know is how Jayne managed to make a contact inside Blue Sun in the first place. We know from the pilot that any transmission off the ship is monitored from the bridge, especially those heading towards Alliance frequencies. So how exactly did he make contact? Also, I'm definately sure Jayne wearing the Blue Sun shirt that episode was not a coincidence at all, kind of an allusion to him being on their side this episode.
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A simple thing, really. In the imager, when Jayne tries to hurry them out early, we see Rivers scan-vitals all go red, just about at the same time as Jayne is getting worked up. Now, for the most part, this seems to be related to the arrival of the Hands of Blue, but I also have a sneaking suspicion that perhaps she's picking up on the wrongness of what Jayne's saying.
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Below are notes about events or
items in the episode. |
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At the end of the episode, there was no Next Episode preview. This is because there's a one week break before "War Stories," the next episode, airs. This isn't a sign of cancellation.
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Book's absence is explained by the fact that he was "visiting a pilgrimage" somewhere on the last stop. Jayne is asked if he would rather be meditating with Book and says "It's better than just sitting around" and Wash replies "It is just sitting around." I would venture to say that he's definitely going to still be around.
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Did anyone else catch that Mal used a little Shan Yu on Jayne on the end. Held him over the proverbial volcano, and Jayne's true nature was shown.
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while wash and kaylee are rummaging through the junk yard, wash picks up a part and throws it and hits the ambulance that they fix up to use in the caper. the engine part he throws looks exactly like the catalyzer that breaks in "out of gas". also, while mal, zoe and jayne are trying to learn the medical speak, jayne's shirt changes from a black shirt to a green shirt and back again.
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I did not, as Hellboy states above, catch the Shan Yu reference at the end. This episode occurs before "War Stories," but in "War Stories," I don't recall Niska ever mentioning Shan Yu in Mal's presence. And yet, Mal does utter the words "You wanna meet the real me?" Ergo, Mal is very much familiar with Shan Yu, and must be well-read in general... in the pilot, he says "Tale of Woe," which is a Shakespeare reference (Romeo & Juliet).
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Ron Glass who plays Sheperd Book does not appear in this episode.
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Zoe's shirt changes too. I think we're to get the impression that the lessons take several days, since they are interspersed with shots of Kaylee and Wash working on the heliambulance.
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When Simon is saving the heart patient, the infuser in the background (the blue thing on the IV pole) is the same make and model as the ones we use in my hospital. So, unsurprisingly, is a lot of the other stuff. I guess different tech is still new tech, no matter what the date is. The scanner is a new one on me though...
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did anyone else notice that the medi-ambulance was basically a Russian MI-24 attack helicopter?
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Watcher - Yeah I noticed that right off. Mabie it was a cheaper way to make a prop or somthing.
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