Firefly - Jaynestown

October 18th. So I'm really only a little more than a month behind.
But time is running out for our intrepid crew, so I'll have to hurry. And now I have new BSG to review. Arrrgh. (Grrr.)

This is Firefly gold, isn't it? I mean, JAYNE! The man they call JAYNE! Written by Ben "I'm going to write the funniest episode of Angel EVER" Edlund. Oh yeah, he also created The Tick. And co-wrote Titan A.E. with Joe Sweden (I haven't written in a long time so I'll explain again that this is my high-larious-to-me name for Joss Whedon).

This is a great episode for everybody. Even Inara who has a dumb tacked on Inara plot (that rather lamely intersects with the main plot) has some good moments. "Jayne?!? You're talking about Jayne Cobb?!?" I always kind of got the idea that Morena B. was learning on the job. I think that if they had figured out what to do with her character she would have been a standout.

It's a Jayne episode (it's THE Jayne episode) but it also gives Simon a LOT to play off of. Both of them get to react to the advances and setbacks of each other. "The box-dropping-man-ape-gone-wrong-thing!" And of course Simon messing up with Kaylee was so funny that they did it three times in fifteen episodes. So Kaylee has some good stuff too. "It's. Going. WELL."

Mal gets to be all Mal a lot in this episode. Never at the center but always ready to do what needs be done in the margins. I always thought that Jayne's deference to Mal was interesting. The close of the episode is surprisingly touching for an otherwise laugh-filled ep.

Book. And River. River and Book. River and Book and The Book. And the Hair. With Zoe for good measure. See? Why couldn't Inara get subplots as good as these? "His brains are in terrible danger!" Even when I see that clip in my "The Bug" video it makes me laugh.

Book's speech on the Bible just shows that Joss is trying hard. He knows there are people who believe this stuff, he just doesn't know why. I will give him five stars for a good faith effort on faith. I think this was closer to the mark than Book's ideas on faith in Serenity. (If a man what believes in Jesus doesn't care what you believe as long as you believe, I guess he don't believe too hard, does he?) Again, I'd have been disappointed if the "honest homespun preacher" persona ever turned out to be a total fabrication for whatever diabolical means Book turned out to have. I'd have liked to have seen Mal and Book actually develop the mentor relationship we saw in the movie.

One of the great things about this show was how gradually they built River's character. So folk were better at writing her than others. I'll say Ben was the best. (Joe probably wasn't bad.)

For the "they showed them out of ORDER!!" crowd, the only two relationships that are progressing here are Book / River and Kaylee / Simon. And since they did pretty much this same exact fight three times over the show (including one very late and un-aired), this doesn't seem problematical. River didn't have much to do in Shindig, and I'll have a lot to say about the aired order of Safe when we get there.

Unfortunately the writers can't add. Fess is twenty-six as is pointed out several times. Stitch says that he and Jayne pulled their caper four years ago. Fess talks about Jayne's exploits "when he was growing up". Now I know Fess has some maturity issues foisted on him by his father, but I can't see him calling twenty-two "when he was growing up". Heck, the War for Unification was already over and done by then. I think Mal even had Serenity.

And here are the WORDS!

The Ballad of Jayne

Jayne, the man they call Jayne

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne

Our Jayne saw the mudders' backs breakin'
He saw the mudders' lament
And he saw the magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents
So he said "you can't do that to my people"
He said "you can't crush them under your heel"
So Jayne strapped on his hat
And in 5 seconds flat
Stole everythin' Boss Higgins had to steal

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne

Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The man they call Jayne
He turned 'round his plane
And let that money hit sky
He dropped it onto our houses
He dropped it into our yards
The man they called Jayne
He stole away our pain
And headed out for the stars

He robbed from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Stood up to the man
And gave him what for
Our love for him now
Ain't hard to explain
The hero of Canton
The man they call Jayne.

Next ep - we run Out of Gas.