This is it, the final episode of the series. Which is frustrating, because you can see the potential in each and every one of these episodes. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It aired on 13 December, 2002.

River’s (Summer Glau) issues seem to be escalating, and someone has found her. A bounty hunter, Jubal Early (Richard Brooks), has found Serenity, and he’s determined to earn the bounty on the special girl, no matter the cost.

The show goes out strong, and everyone gets a moment. Simon (Sean Maher) and Kaylee (Jewel Staite) seem to be getting along again; it’s a delightful scene. Counterpointed with the way Summer feels and hears things. In fact, she has moments with a number of the crew, and it’s sad to see the way they perceive and are perceived. She sees and feels everything.

Inara (Morena Baccarin) is preparing to leave, and Mal (Nathan Fillion) really doesn’t want her to leave, but isn’t saying anything.

But the way she sees things isn’t always the way they are.

After a troubling moment, Kaylee reveals to the crew the actions River took during the events on Ariel.

And through it all, Jubal is slowly tracing, tracking and infiltrating Serenity. He’s able to lock almost everyone down, but for River, who is able to outwit him and save the day, leaving him adrift, alone in space. Kinda like how Fox did with fans.

This episode really builds the show’s mythology to a fevered pitch.

So the series ended, and left us all wanting. The fans clamoured, fought, as did the cast and creators. And we’ve seen what happened. We got a film, Serenity, which was as powerful and emotional as you would expect, as it was a goodbye to these characters.

I saw the film in theatres no less than five times. I own the series and film on DVD and Blu. I have a Jayne hat, I had shirts (they’re worn out and torn now). This series spoke to me, as it did to many others. Browncoats assembled.

And there were more things to follow. Comics, novels (as we’ve seen from some of the entries on my bookshelf recently), games and soundtracks. And now, some twenty-odd years later, talks of a continuation in the form of an animated series.

Keep flying. We know the impossible can be done because we’ve done it before. And no matter how problematic the series creator is, the series itself, the characters, have endured, and we all want to see more of the ‘Verse, and travel with this crew.

The love for these characters, and the actors who brought them to life has caused fans to follow these creators from project to project. And they’ve had their fellows show up in their new works. They loved the show as much as we did, which makes it unique. Shiny, you could say.

It was a fantastic series, wonderfully executed, and completely screwed over by network executives. It was a special moment in time. And we still love it.