so....Firefly?

[karenor]

alright i knew a few of you guys were all up into Firefly and are squeeing over the upcoming film. so in preparation, i got my hands on all the episodes of the first and only season. i believe i'd only seen the first two (and maybe another scattered one) in their original airing before i gave up. so i'm watching them now. i've seen the first six or seven (the order they are in is different from the tv airing? for example the episode "serenity" is numbered 1, even tho it was 11 and 12 according to tvtome). Anyhoo, these are the episodes i've seen, i think.

The Train Job
Bushwhacked
Our Mrs. Reynolds
Jaynestown
Shindig
Safe

So i like it. When its funny, its really funny...the actors all have great timing. I think the cast has great chemistry and all that. the writing is up to par for a jossverse show.

but i don't get the...thing...of it. the whole western part. and the asian language bits (is it Chinese, is it made up, wtf?). they should have just stuck with the made up curse words, that's funnier. If this was supposed to be a total alternate universe, that's one thing (i still have trouble with that tho), but in the last ep i saw (Jaynestown) there was a reference to "Earth that was"...giving me the impression that the show is taking place in our very distant future. ok, fine. so what's with the retro? alright, fashions, maybe, cuz anything can come back in style, but everything else? the morals, the dancing, the dueling, witchburning, bible thumping? and the TALK.

it's part of the show's charm, i know...but i find it more distracting than anything. i know if it didn't have these qualities, there wouldn't be much to set it apart from other space shows (to the unsophisticated eye), even its all human cast.

i dunno. someone sell me on it (with no spoilers), cuz i'm just not totally there yet? please?

Comments

[alannahrose.livejournal.com]

The western part was what REALLY made me disinterested. I feel like the only person in the world who doesn't like that show.

[karenor.livejournal.com]

it wouldn't bother me as much if there was some sort of reasonable explanation for it. but the pick and choose elements of the old west society that they use...its just too random.

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

The western elements are really quite standard in a lot of scifi -- planets that are poor have to use old-fashioned technology to get by -- the settlers get dumped there with a few horses and farm tools and are expected to get by. It's so standard in so much scifi that it doesn't bother me. Also, in television terms, Joss wanted to mix the two genres just for kicks.

[karenor.livejournal.com]

i figured as much about the technology (after i got to the episode where they discussed terraforming and settlers and the like), but it still doesn't really make sense to me. i mean, its a neat idea, but i think its part of why it didn't succeed as a show.

but at least i finally figured out what that icon of yours is. ;) that Jewel Staite is a cutie!

and i can't get the freakin themesong out of my head! doesn't help that i've seen almost all the episodes in like two days...

[chicken-cem.livejournal.com]

Yes, Jewel Staite is a real gem (haha). Seriously, I find her quite pleasing. ;-) Even when she's playing a morally ambiguous character like she did on Wonderfalls.

I think the western thing didn't have much to do with why it didn't succeed as a show. It didn't succeed for the same reason a zillion Fox shows don't succeed -- Fox didn't want it to. They put it in the Friday death timeslot, aired things out of order, pre-empted things for almost two months with freaking BASEBALL, etc, demanded script and character changes, etc. They damn well killed it. Of course, they treated the wonderful Wonderfalls even more shoddily, cancelling it after just four (4!) aired episodes. That's one of the funniest, quirkiest, most interesting shows I've ever seen (all 13 episodes on DVD).