Firefly, man did I miss the boat on you
Sunday, July 23, 2006
So today I finished watching the first (and only) season of Firefly, and man was that ever a great show.
A friend of mine from work and I got comparing thoughts about movies awhile back after discovering that we were both scifi geeks, and I happened to mention how much I enjoyed Serenity; and how shocked I was at how much I liked it, considering it was more Bonanza than Star Trek. He told me that he had watched its television predecessor when it was first aired and that he had snapped up the DVD set as soon as they were released, and would I be interested in borrowing them?
I'm glad I did but at the same time I wish I hadn't. This show was so great that it only served to remind me that not only had I completely missed the boat on getting into the show when it was on but also that they wouldn't ever be making more of them.
Sort of like biting into a chocolate covered apple and finding out it was a lemon inside instead. Sweet yet bitter yah?
But what follows is probably the highest compliment a geek like me can give a show: Out of all of the scifi shows that I watch (and have watched), Firefly's story is the most believable:
People still can't get along no matter how many worlds they're spread across, governments are still oppressive and totalitarian, the rich enjoy the comforts and are a small minority while the vast majority are dirt poor and have to work their asses off for their next to nothing.
Yup, sounds about right.
I'm not saying that Firefly is better than Babylon 5, or BSG, or Trek (although it IS better than
Here's the link to the Firefly Wikipedia article, which sums up the show nicely.
Man can that Joss Whedon write a good tv series. He's like the Aaron Spelling of our generation. Except without the talentless daughter.
I'll end with one of the best quotes in the entire series; I don't know why I find it so funny, but here it is:
"If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak"UPDATED JULY 26 - I just read on scifi.com about a so-called entrepeneur that is trying to rally fan support behind producing a season 2 of the series, to be made available via direct download and other formats. Check out the scoop here (at present it is the second article from top) and sign up to support the season 2 initiative here if you're so inclined.
posted by raistlinsghost at 7/23/2006 02:58:00 PM
7 Comments:
I remember when Firefly came out - it replaced Dark Angel, so I refused to watch it on principle. Later I caught a few episodes and I thought it was a very well done show, but coming in halfway through the season. . . well, I didn't stick with it.
I am probably the only person on the continent who rented Serenity, not knowing that it was related to the Firefly TV show. I was at first bemused, and then pleasantly surprised. The movie was terrific, and they did a fantastic job of expanding some of the characters. Although the TV series didn't pan out, maybe we can hope for another (well done) Movie before the franchise disappears entirely.
I'm not usually willing to admit as much, but I am a huge Sci-Fi geek and Firefly is one of my favourites.
TJ: There may be hope for that second series yet. See my updated post.
and katja: You make that admission as if being a scifi geek is a bad thing. There are definitely worse things. Like Republicans. ;)
I find it interesting that you liked Serenity without seeing Firefly first.
Everyone I know who watched the series first enjoyed the movie, while anyone who hadn't seen it and was on the back foot with regards to the characters and humour hated it.
Surely with enough browncoats out there we can remove the curse that Fox cast on Firefly and get it resurrected :D
Hey IIQ.
I rented Serenity because I had heard how good Firefly was and thought it might be better to watch the movie and then the series. It worked out well, as it gave me an interesting take on the characters that don't make it through the film.
And it's funny: I've read online that a lot of Browncoats hate the movie because of who gets killed in it.
And I'm trying to get everyone I talk to to sign that petition about a second season. Now that I've traded in my starfleet uniform for a brown coat, I'm jonesing for more.
It always takes a perverse sort of bravery to kill off a character;
Sure I was disappointed to see Shepard Book get offed as he seemed to have the most promise in his back story to get investigated - but at the same time it's a fairly critical piece for a writers arsenal if they're actually willing to use it.
I think too many writers get too protective of their characters and ultimately shows / franchises can suffer from it!
I agree. One of the things that separates the good scifi from the boring is when there is no chance that when the main characters are imperiled they might not make it.
And Book would've made for some killer plot reveal. I think we would have found out that he was not only on the Alliance side, but that he was a general at The Battle of Serenity Valley or something equally horrifying.
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