History TearJerker / Firefly

* The scene in "Safe" where River tries talking to Simon, and breaks down. I can't watch it without breaking down myself.

* One of my favorites was the end of the pilot when River is looking at Simon's bruised face(from protecting her)and gently touching it with a mixture of awe and guilt at her excuseable failure to trust him:
-->'''River''': I never thought you'd come for me.\\
'''Simon''' (gently teasing): Well you're a dummy.

* [[spoiler:"W-wait, Wash! W-where's Wash?" "... He ain't comin'."]] I get myself together after "leaf on the wind," and then that happens. It doesn't get better with repeat viewings, either.
** And immediately afterward, seeing [[spoiler:Zoe's]] reaction to it. In the cockpit, right after he's hit, she's breaking down with tears and pleading for him to answer her; Mal has to literally grab her and pull her out of there by force. By the time anyone else realizes what's happened as they regroup, she's not crying, she's not breaking down, she isn't even showing an ounce of pain or anguish....[[HeroicSafeMode she's just loading her shotgun]], and you can ''tell'' she's simply trying to hold on after her entire world has been shattered.

** And then...and then that Goddamn little soldier's poem. [[spoiler:"When you can't run...you crawl. And when you can't crawl, when you can't do that..." "You find somebody to carry you."]]
** The funeral scene always hits this troper with a double whammy of emotion, as it was during the filming of this episode that the cast and crew found out that the series was being cancelled. This discovery was still fresh in everybody's minds when the scene was filmed.
** In the special features of the series box set, they actually say (paraphrased) "That music at Tracy's funeral? It wasn't for Tracy as much as it was for the show. We all knew it was going to be over by that point..." *sniffle*
*** On that note, in the fan-made documentary ''Done the Impossible'', Adam Baldwin describes when he was told that the show was canceled. He is ''visibly trying not to cry''. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about the moment he's describing; this is during the interview, most of four years later, after the BigDamnMovie. And he still misses the show that much.[[ManlyTears Dammit.]]

* There's also River's scene in "War Stories" where she talks about how much she ''hates'' being able to think clearly because she knows it will go away, and then breaks down in Simon's arms. No matter how many times I see it, it always makes me tear up.

* "Ariel." "What're you gonna tell the others? ... 'Bout why I'm dead ... Make something up. Don't tell 'em what I did." [sob]

* This troper should never, ever be allowed to watch ''"Heart of Gold"'' ever again. Particularly the scene at the very end... possibly the only time she's noted the use of AmazingFreakingGrace as a trope and not even cracked a smile.
** For this troper it's Inara alone in her room.
** Or, for that matter, when, after having the situation at the Heart of Gold explained, Mal says he'd take the job, for free.

** The thing that really gets me is when Simon is operating on Kaylee with the sombre music in the background. Not too bad until you get a shot of the teddybear on Kaylee's pantleg...

* While it's not part of the series, this troper always finds the majority of the R. Tam Sessions to be absolutely ''heartbreaking.'' The first two in particular-- seeing a fairly normal River chatting eagerly about how easy school is, and how she can tell which kids are jealous of her... and then we get to see her in the early stages of MindRape, near tears and pleading for her brother.
-->'''River:''' Please. It... hurts.
** What gets this troper is the first of the R. Tam Sessions, since it's the only time we see River as she was before the Academy got her brain. Particularly the last line:
---> '''River:''' (smiling) Would I still be allowed to dance?
** Even worse is the session which ends with her slumped on the table and screaming "THEY CUT IT OUT!" over and over. If you remember "Ariel", you realise that the Academy literally cut something out of her, ''and she was aware of exactly what was being done to her!''

* "Jaynestown". There's just something about Jayne managing to convince himself he did something good and worthwhile, then being bluntly reminded that [[HeelRealization he's still kinda a bad guy]] that leaves this editor feeling bad for him. Plus, everything after [[spoiler: the mudder's sacrifice]] is a legitimate TearJerker in its own right.

** "It don't make no sense." Dammit! Who would've thought Jayne would be the one to make me cry.

** And of course, the most heartwrenching moment of the whole film [[spoiler: when Wash dies... "I'm a leaf on the wind."]] This troper left the theatre weeping and still can't watch the scene before it without crying.

** What gets me is when Zoe breaks the formation the crew's set up and just runs at the Reavers with her gun, even though she's vastly outnumbered. She had to have known that move was borderline suicidal, but these are the monsters that [[spoiler: killed her husband]] and she just doesn't care anymore.

** The part that really hit home for me was at the end of the movie, just after Mal and River's little moment, where they give a wide pan of Serenity's cockpit and [[spoiler:Wash's dinosaurs are still on the control panel, like a little shrine to remember him by even though it's Mal's workspace now]].

** What about right after that, when [[spoiler: Mal yells to the others to get "the doc" (Simon) over to where Book is. The way Nathan Fillion's voice cracks when he yells, "COME ON!"]] gets this troper every. single. time.

* Seeing [[spoiler: Serenity crash]] in the Big Damn Movie can be this. After all, ''she's'' the main character of Firefly, and watching her "die" like that is one of the only parts of the movie that can make this troper cringe every time. Sure, [[spoiler: she gets better]], but that's heartbreaking. [[spoiler:Wash's death]] seconds later does ''not'' help.
* I really well up when River tells her seriously wounded brother Simon: "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me. My turn." This is both for the sentiment of thanks and appreciation for his dedication and care, and the symbolism. River now has control over herself and can look after herself in the 'verse. It's heightened for me by the fact that one my best friends is a River Tam lookalike, with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder BPD]], which has very similar symptoms to those River shows - and really gives me hope that one day my friend can lead a normal life too.

*** FridgeBrilliance went you remember that her conditioning at the Academy was while she was asleep and while she is sleeping she seems to dream often of the Academy and the Reavers. Who blames her for not wanting to be put to sleep.

** and later when he's telling the crew his story
--->''"(about rivers coded letter)It just said, They're hurting us. Get me out"''\\

'''Simon''': [[ (about rivers coded letter)It just said, They're hurting us. Get me out.]]\\

* When watching the report from [[spoiler: the doomed doctor about what happened on Serenity, Wash is the first to realise the truth: "Reavers. ''They made them.''"]] The horror and disbelief on his face is heartbreaking.

* In the beginning of the pilot, when Mal realizes that the [[TheEmpire spaceships]] he heared are not the [[TheCavalry the ones he had hoped for]] the camera zooms in on his face while sad cello music plays. It's not a Tear Jerker the first time around, but after watching the whole series and the movie, you will feel the pain [[BreakTheCutie of him falling apart.]]

* When Simon gets shot. He's lying there thinking hes about to die and he turns to River and starts apologising that he won't be able to look after her anymore.

-->''"...You've killed me, Sarge."''\\

-->'''Simon''': They opened up her skull and they cut into her brain (...) They did it ''over, and over''.

--> ''(Simon climbs onto the sacrificial pyre and embraces River)''
-->'''Witch-Burning Villager:''' That's not gonna stop us, Doctor.
-->'''Simon:''' Light it.

--> '''River:''' (smiling) Would I still be allowed to dance?

--> '''Book:''' I don't care what you believe...just believe it.

--->'''The Operative:''' [[ApologeticAttacker I'm sorry.]] When your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground to go to.

--> '''River:''' (''crying'') It isn't mine! The memory, it isn't mine, and I shouldn't have to carry it! Please don't make me sleep again...

* In "Objects in Space" Kaylee managed to take things to a whole new level of [[TearJerker sad]] and [[NightmareFuel scary]] with one line:

-->'''Simon:''' [[SelfSacrifice Light it.]]

*** It becomes better if you think that River was not talking about their actual father, but rather about Mal.
** One really hard-hitting part is when River tries assure Simon that she will get better....but after seeing her breakdown in "War Stories" you realize that ''River doesn't believe she'll get better.'' And she's just trying to reassure Simon that she will heal, knowing that she can't, and that she ''blames herself'' for the way Simon's life was ruined. Its just so...''sad''....

-->'''Simon:''' Light it.

'''Simon''': No.\\

** That's nothing! The looks of guilt on the rest of the crews faces really pulls on the heart-strings.

** You'd think Jayne walking over to scold the downed mudder [[spoiler: not yet knowing he's dead]] and trying to [[PleaseWakeUp get him on his feet]]. He's so much like a child in that brief moment.

* "Jaynestown". There's just something about Jayne managing to convince himself he did something good and worthwhile then being bluntly reminded that [[HeelRealization he's still a bad guy]] that leaves this editor feeling bad for him. Plus, everything after [[spoiler: the mudder's sacrifice]] is a legitimate TearJerker in its own right.

** And immediately afterward, seeing [[spoiler:Zoe's]] reaction to it. In the cockpit, right after he's hit, she's breaking down with tears and pleading for him to answer her; Mal has to literally grab her and pull her out of there by force. By the time anyone else realizes what's happened as they regroup, she's not crying, she's not breaking down, she isn't even showing an ounce of pain or anguish....she's just loading her shotgun, and you can ''tell'' she's simply trying to hold on after her entire world has been shattered.