It has been wonderful to get to know everyone a bit better and watch the show we all know and love in a way that makes it a more communal experience. I expected it would be fun to revisit all the vintage commercials, as well as the ad spots that Fox created for the show itself that failed so spectacularly to capture the tone of the story. What has been really shiny, though, is how a favorite moment in an episode I’ve watched dozens of times never fails to hit differently when I’m watching it with others who appreciate it as much as I do. I can honestly say these Friday-night watch parties have become something like a homing beacon in the work week for me. I just can't wait to get to the next one.

If you aren’t coming to the watch party on October 25, I hope it’s because you plan to attend the Browncoat Ball in Bethlehem, PA that weekend. I say that not only because it would be shiny if the Rivers and Bridges Brigade had a contingent at the Ball to show support for our fellow PA Browncoats who are organizing it, but also because as someone who’s attended two Browncoat Balls (2017 in Gettysburg and 2021 in Salem), I know what a great experience it is to spend a weekend with other folk who love Firefly and Serenity as much as we do, touring the host city, dressing up real fancy, eating good food and dancing the night away.

This year, the calendar is aligned just right for the original air dates of the eleven episodes of "Firefly" that debuted on the Fox television network to fall on a Friday, just as they did when the series aired for the first time 22 years ago. The last time this little coincidence happened was 2019. It won’t occur again until 2030. You might be wondering why I’m fixated on this calendrical phenomenon.