Firefly
(2002–2003)
A dying request from an old army buddy turns treacherous for Mal, Zoë, and the rest of the crew.
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Title: The Message (28 Jul 2003)
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Cast
| Episode cast overview: | |||
| 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 Derrial Book | |
| Jonathan M. Woodward | ... | Tracey Smith | |
| Richard Burgi | ... | Lieutenant Womack | |
 |
Al Pugliese | ... | Amnon |
| Tod Nakamura | ... | Fendris | |
| Craig Vincent | ... | Skunk | |
| Morgan Rusler | ... | Barker | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Mal and his crew are having entertainment in a space station and Mal goes to the post office to check and he receives a big trunk addressed to Zoe and him. When he opens the box, he finds the corpse of their army pal Private Tracey. They also find a message from Tracey asking Mal and Zoe to deliver his boy to his parents in a planet. The Serenity heads to the planet and out of the blue, she is attacked by another spaceship. Ml asks Simon to make an autopsy in Tracey and they discover that the man is alive. What has happened to Tracey? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Written by Joss Whedon
Performed by Sonny Rhodes
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This is another of the 3 episodes that had been completed but never aired during the initial run of the series on Fox. See more »Goofs
When Tracey is threatening Mal on the bridge a hand can be seen behind Mal through the ship's window reaching for a chunk of snow. Visible at 35:17. See more »Soundtracks
The Ballad of Serenity (Instrumental)Written by Joss Whedon
Performed by Sonny Rhodes
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
28 July 2003 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Message See more »Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
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Technical Specs
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This episode has the perfect ending.
During a certain scene there are 4 Chekov's guns, aka 4 lines that pay off at the end literally and thematically via foreshadowing.
It takes at least two viewings and some skill at analyzing art to spot all four of these "guns." Once you recognize how every single line and even movement was selected as foreshadowing for the end, then you will appreciate this as one of if not the very best Firefly episode. There is a real reason this episode almost won a Hugo.
Unfortunately, most people today will not catch the well-hidden subtleties that Whedon and Minear injected into the script, and so this episode shall forever endure the tragedy of under-appreciation.