Top 12 Episodes of Firefly-Number 11

Number 11-The Train Job

There's a reason that this episode feels forced. That's because it was forced. Fox decided that the original first episode, Serenity wasn't going to work as a start to the series, so this episode was mandated and aired first. It isn't a bad story, but it doesn't really do anything to move the main story of the show along. Well, we do get to meet a character that will show up later.

The biggest part of this story is that it shows the motivations of each of the people on the crew. Mal and Zoe are determined to make it right once they learn the truth behind the job they've just pulled. Jayne doesn't really care about the reasons, but he doesn't see the point in giving it back. What this episode is missing (because FOX insisted that it be added to the line up before the actual pilot episode, Serenity) is the rest of the crew. That's why it gets dropped down so far.

My favorite part of this episode, though, is when Inara gets to treat Mal like her runaway servant. It's just a great part of their story.

Top Twelve Christmas Specials (Top 3)

Number 3- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Sure Rudolph is adorable and there are some amazing things going on with the animation here, but there's more to my placement than that. Rudolph is a cute tale and it has one of the most memorable holiday songs out there, but I don't really find myself missing it if I don't happen to catch it. It's still one of the major holiday draws for sure, but it's not the best.

Number 2- Charlie Brown Christmas Special

This is one of the best Christmas specials ever. The story is simple but touching. The characters are familiar and delightful. More importantly, the music is unforgettable. Charlie Brown just can't get into the Christmas spirit. I'm sure most of us have been there at some point in our lives. Thankfully Charlie Brown shows us that it could be worse.

Number 1- How the Grinch Stole Christmas

 Here it is, the number one special of Christmas. Just like the Peanuts special this one has great music and a simple story that delivers. It also has something the Peanuts just can't offer-the voice stylings Boris Karloff and that guy that does the voice of Tony the Tiger. It was a tough choice, but the Grinch wins this one. (Just don't ask me to watch the Jim Carey movie.)

Top 12 Christmas Specials (6-4)

Number 6-Frosty the Snow Man

Yes, this is a classic. Yes, it has a great song that inspired it. Yes, I know you probably won't agree with me on this one, but it's my list. Frosty is a fun little story, but it isn't all that Christmasy to me. Sure Santa comes in and saves the day, but that doesn't really change the fact that it is really a winter-play-time story. There's nothing wrong with that, but it does hurt poor Frosty in my standings.

Number 5- Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

The myopic, Mr. Magoo, takes on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken's immortal Christmas Carol. It's a musical and Magoo does a great job of playing the character of Scrooge. It's pretty close to the original story with the subtraction of Scrooge's nephew. It moves quite quickly, and the musical numbers are cute for the most part. It's a good storyline even though Mr. Magoo isn't a very well known character these days.

Number 4- Disney Christmas Carol

Who better to play Ebenezer Scrooge than Disney's own Scrooge McDuck? The people at Disney did a great job of casting the various characters. It's almost like Scrooge was created to play this part at some point. He's got the nephew and the money grubbing ways. It gets everything from the story and does it in a way that is fresh because it is done with Disney characters in ways that make sense.

Top 12 Christmas Specials- Part II

Number 9-Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

This is the somewhat fictionalized story of how Santa came to be. OK, fine, this one was pulled out of someplace and it doesn't really have anything to do with reality. Some of the story lines are fun to watch, especially the main bad guy that is trying to keep toys out of his town.

Number 8- Jack Frost

Did you ever wonder who Jack Frost actually was and what kind of a story he might have? Well, now you can find out the real story of Jack Frost, the spirit of wintertime that became a man for the sake of love. Well, that's really all there is to say about that one.

Number 7- The Little Drummer Boy

I'm sure you know the song, so the plot of this special won't surprise you too much. It's a very well done adaptation of the song and regardless of your beliefs, you can't help but be touched by a poor small child doing what he can with what he has available.

Top 12 Christmas Specials Part I

Number 12-The Nutcracker

OK, I don't have anything specific with this one. Sure there are tons of interpretations and versions you can watch, but I think that I'm thinking of the ballet performances primarily. Regardless of how you see the story, it's an important part of the holiday. You know you know the songs from the ballet and as soon as you hear them you think of Christmas. It's not an actual special like what the other entries will be, but it is a special part of the holidays.

Number 11- I want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

I know when you think Christmas and Peanuts, you're thinking about the story where Lucy and Linus' brother Rerun wants Snoopy to be his dog when he wakes up Christmas morning. Yeah, I'm thinking of a much better story too. This isn't terrible, but it doesn't nearly compare to the original Christmas special done with the Peanuts crew.

Number 10- A Year without Santa

 Santa is sick just before Christmas and this puts him in a bad mood about the holiday. Isn't there anyone out there that still believes in Santa? While he's laid up in bed recovering, Mrs. Claus sends a couple of elves to find some Christmas cheer. The elves run into the never ending battle between Heat Miser and Cold Miser. They both have similar songs and it makes sense that they would be at odds. I probably would have put this higher on the list if the Cold Miser song hadn't been a part of Batman and Robin.

Top Twelve Episodes of Firefly-Number 12

Serenity

I know. I was just complaining about stories that are just about future story development, but this one is a bit different. After all, it was supposed to be the first episode before Fox started messing with the show. (I know they started be for the first episode.) As the first episode, you have to expect a certain amount of set up, so you can't complain about how this happens.

The episode does a great job of establishing the main characters and the relationships between them. Serenity picks up several passengers to help cover the costs of living. There's a Preacher and a doctor with a strange package and some other guy. (Sorry, I don't remember the other guy's cover story, and it doesn't really matter.)

It turns out that the doctor has something unusual in his luggage, a naked girl. She turns out to be his sister who was used in government experiments because of her unusual mind. The other guy is a government agent that is trying to turn in the doctor and River for the reward.

Even after all the trouble that happens, Mal shows who he is by keeping the doctor and River on the ship. We get to learn a lot about everyone and it really peaks the interest of the view to learn more. However, there are much better episodes on the way.

Top 12 Christmas Specials-Honorable Mentions

When Christmas time rolls around, there are many things that you can expect-excessive sales pitches for everything in the world, lots of Christmas music, and plenty of Christmas specials. There's going to be something Christmas/holiday related on pretty much every television show you can list even if it's to promote a little-known holiday like Festivus. (for the rest of us.)

Since it is that time of year, I thought it was appropriate to make a fun little list to showcase the best of those Christmas specials. For this list, I'm pretty much going to stick to animated specials rather than television shows. I will make a couple of exceptions, but it won't be for any television show, it will be for a stand alone kind of special.

As often happens with these kinds of lists, I'll start with some honorable mentions.

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

This is a special that was put together by Jim Henson and his fellow Muppeteers. It's an interesting take on the popular short Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi. Emmet and his mother are both trying to get by the best that they can. Then they decide to get each other a gift. In a twist, they each use something the other person needs in order to compete in a talent show to get them something better. Unfortunately this also ruins both of their livelihoods. I won't give anything away, but it's a great lesson in giving and receiving.

I don't think this special is shown anymore, which is why it isn't in the list, but it is still a great production and a great story. As with most Muppet productions, the music is phenomenal. (Do do do do do.) Hopefully you'll get a chance to check it out.
That Bing Crosby Special where he sings with David Bowie

I know, this doesn't really fit well with the rest of the list, but I had to include it just for the part where David Bowie shows up and Bing's 'house' and they have a moment where they sing 'The Little Drummer Boy." It is probably the most surreal moment in music. The conversation before the song starts is especially odd. Definitely check out the song if you haven't heard it before.

Top 12 Episodes of Firefly-Honorable Mentions

The best and worst thing about doing a Top 12 list of the episodes of Firefly is that there are only 14 episodes to pick from. On the plus side, you don't have to leave out any episodes that you love just because there aren't enough spaces for them, but on the minus side, it's harder to pick those two episodes that get left out of the list because there are so few to choose from.

Regardless I've got my two episodes right here for your perusal. I picked these episodes because to me they lack immediacy. What do I mean by that? Well, these stories seem to be more about preparing the audience for the future of Firefly. This is all good and fine, but while it is certainly important, it isn't going to make for an exciting episode. So let's get to our honorable mentions.

Safe

In an attempt to hint at the unusual nature of River's existence, we are treated to a backwater world filled with superstitious locals that take River's unusual abilities and ways as a sign that she is a witch. It's a good episode, but it's really just there to feed us information. We also get to find out more about Preacher's past. He's got some kind of background that gets him the medical attention he needs at an Alliance medical facility even though the rest of the crew was turned away without any consideration. We never really learn much more about Preacher's background, which is a bit disappointing.

Bushwacked

This episode would have been one of the most significant of the show if there had been more than one season. You get hints and whispers about the Reavers, but it isn't until this episode that you actually get to really see one.  If the show had continued and we'd seen lots of episodes featuring the Reavers, this would have been one of those episodes people always referred to as the one that started it all. Sadly it is relegated to just being a somewhat confusing tale. (Although the movie does help justify the concern about a single Reaver.)

Top 12 episodes of Firefly-Not quite qualified, but I'm writing about it anyway

Serenity-The Movie

I was a little torn about what to do with Serenity. After all, it isn't an episode. It's really a desperate attempt to bring some closure to a show that was cancelled way too soon. Firefly was only just starting to figure itself out and there were so many great things already started. Joss Whedon was lucky enough to get a chance to bring a little closure to his show thanks to this theatrical release.

I was unfortunate to see the movie before the show. You don't lose anything by not seeing the show, but it does make it hard to see the show after you've seen the movie. The movie jumps far enough ahead that you miss out on the key elements that make the movie so much fun.

When I went to watch the show, I kept looking for Mr. Universe and the Reavers. I never found the first and only glimpses of the second. It doesn't detract from the show and certainly adds to the movie.

This movie is definitely worth watching even though it really creates at least as many questions as it answers. Sadly, there isn't much more to explore at the moment. Maybe Firefly will come back some day and we can see what happens to the crew.

Top Twelve X-men- Number 4

Storm

Ororo Monroe has had an interesting existence as a character. Just like any other character, she has grown and changed over the years, but some of the key elements have been there from the beginning. Storm has lived many lives (most of them happened early on so it isn't just because she's been around for over 30 years.)

Storm the orphan thief

There's something about the early days of the X-men and the leaders of the team. Both Cycolps and Storm lost their parents and spent a good portion of their lives as orphans. Storm lost her parents during the Suez Crisis in Egypt and became claustrophobic after being trapped in a pile of rubble after that attack. After this, a six-year-old Ororo was trained as a master thief before she wandered off into the Serengeti.

Storm the goddess

When Storm's powers manifested, she was revered as a goddess by the tribal people. She provided them with the rain they needed as well as the sun to help their crops grow. She didn't really let that life go to her head too much, but she certainly enjoyed the title. This is where Professor X found her for the second time because she picked his pocket once when she was a small child.
Storm the X-man

The new team of X-men was a larger group and a stronger group in many ways. Storm was especially important. Her power to control weather was probably the biggest asset of the new team. Because of her time as a goddess, Storm had confidence and extreme control of her powers. There were few occasions where she lost that control, but they were generally when she was trapped in a small space. My favorite instance is when the team faces Doctor Doom and he turns Storm into a statue and her unconscious mind creates a storm that threatens to destroy Latveria.
Storm the powerless punk-rock leader

I don't know who it was, but somebody came up with the brilliant idea of taking away Storm's powers. In the storyline, Forge accidentally shoots her with a gun he's been working on that will take away mutant powers. Storm has already been struggling with her rebellious nature. Prior to losing her powers while in Japan, a ninja reminds her of the girl that she used to be. Storm ends up getting a Mohawk and sporting lots of leather which causes a rift between her and Kitty.

There comes a point where Professor X is in space with Lilandra and Scott should probably stop being the leader of the X-men and go take care of his wife and child. Storm challenges him to one-on-one combat in the Danger Room for leadership of the team. Even though she is powerless, she manages to win that fight. Storm proved her leadership skills frequently as she faced many challenges.

She killed the team (well made it look like she killed them) in order to find a bit of safety and to let the X-men be a little more active rather than reactive. This didn't turn out very well, but the X-men came back with Storm leading one of the two main teams.

More recently, Storm married the Black Panther in an overblown event that included the Watcher talking about their future child. They have since broken up. Storm sided with Cyclops during Schism and is now part of his proactive team. We'll see how that goes. I think she would have been better off going her own way, but that's just me.