"Firefly" Out of Gas (2002)

Director:

David Solomon

Writers:

Joss Whedon (creator)
Tim Minear (written by)

TV Series:

"Firefly" (2002)

Original Air Date:

25 October 2002 (Season 1, Episode 5)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

When Serenity's life support system fails, Mal orders the crew off the ship - but he stays behind.

Plot Keywords:

Life Support | Oxygen | Birthday | Hold Up | Multiple Time Frames

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds
Gina Torres	...	Zoë Washburne
Alan Tudyk	...	Hoban 'Wash' Washburne
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara Serra
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne Cobb
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee Frye
Sean Maher	...	Dr. Simon Tam
Summer Glau	...	River Tam
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book
Steven Flynn	...	Captain
Ilia Volok	...	Marco
Lyle Kanouse	...	Salesman
Dax Griffin	...	Bester
Roderick McCarthy	...	Lacey #1 (as Roderick L. McCarthy)

Runtime:

44 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

Gina Torres' character spends most of this episode unconscious in the ship's medical bay, partly because Torres was absent for part of the shoot. She was on her honeymoon with husband Laurence Fishburne.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Mal and Zoe first walk onto Serenity, a cable on the floor behind them slides across the floor in one of the shots, then appears in a different position in a later shot.

Quotes:

Kaylee: Shepherd Book was just tellin' us funny stories about his life at the monastery.
Wash: Monastic humor, I miss out on all the fun. And all the food, too, apparently!

Best. TV. Episode. Ever.

"Out of Gas" is the "Citizen Kane" of television episodes. Everything about it is perfect: the stellar cast, Tim Minear's brilliant and moving script, David Solomon's direction (fantastic pacing), the melancholy soundtrack, the clever lighting--everything. I can watch this ep over and over, which I can't say about any other ep of any TV show I can think of.

I disagree with the other commentator that "Out of Gas" should have been the final ep; the best series finale to "Firefly" was never made because it would have given closure to seven years of outstanding television.