Firefly 1.01
I’ve been wanting to do a complete rewatch of Firefly for a while now. Sure, I’ve watched random episodes here and there, but I’ve only watched it straight through twice: once when it aired and once when I bought the DVDs. I rewatched the first episode, “Serenity”, the other night and was both impressed and underwhelmed.
I think one of the biggest issues I’m going to have during this little rewatch is that I’ve got Joss Whedon’s number now. I was not a devotee of his. I watched Firefly because it aired on Friday nights on Fox and I loved their science fiction shows in that timeslot. I thought the previews looked cool and I was hooked instantly. It was only later I put together that this was the guy that did Buffy, a show I had been intentionally avoiding because it looked too serious and pretentious, compared to the hilarious movie of the same name. Years later I finally got around to watching both Buffy and Angel and though I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with both shows, I also ended that with a resounding “Suck it Joss Whedon, I’m through with you finally.” Heh.
All of that means that I can’t help but see Firefly as a continuation of those two shows now, instead of its own unique thing. I can’t help but know the fate of the characters, both in the series and in the film, and know that it’s just Standard Operating Procedure for Joss to Do Things Like That. I can’t help but see all of these actors that showed up in Sunnydale and in Los Angeles, both before and after the untimely cancellation. I can’t help but hear the dialogue and know that Witty and Clever is a style and not a gift. I guess I feel like a hipster whose precious secret obsession has suddenly gone mainstream. I knew Firefly first dammit! And then Joss Whedon ruined it with his stupid shows that came before this one was made.
But here’s the other thing: Firefly is really fucking good. Right out the gate. OK sure, the special effects during the Battle of Serenity Valley in the opening scenes are struggling a bit. It feels staged more than actual war. Mal and Zoe are conveniently without helmets so we can conveniently know that they’re going to be our important main characters. But I do love that they failed. They lost.
And then cutting to the salvage operation, immediately the scenes in space are so much better. We get brief introductions to everyone and that theme song. It gets in your head it does.
“Serenity” is a pilot, so the characters still have some rough edges. And not just because they’re supposed to be rough edged. Mal is kind of a total dick. He’s really mean to Inara, which is bad, but shoots the cop without hesitation, which is hilarious. I love the immediate acknowledgement that Jayne is not to be trusted entirely, but I still think Mal went over the top dismissing him from dinner for hassling Kaylee over her obvious interest in Simon. The scene where Inara blessed Book was completely and totally over the top but I’ll give it a pass because Whedon was clearly going for imagery and ignoring the fact that he didn’t need to be so heavy handed with the whore and preacher inversion.
I think what I love most is the details. The verse is fully imagined and real and a clearly logical continuation of our world. Everyone speaks at least a smattering of Chinese, at least to swear. The docks on a planet are shitty and filled with scum and villainy, even if there’s a bright and shiny city right around the corner where the fancy people live. The stencils on the walls in the kitchen, *obviously* that’s Kaylee’s touch. Everybody’s joy at having fresh produce that the Shepard brought on board. Some people used chopsticks to eat, like Mal, and others used forks. The loot they sold off to Patience wasn’t gold bars but food stuffs that could be rationed out for emergencies. The Blue Sun posters all over the background!
I’m really looking forward to continuing along, despite that the magician’s secrets have been revealed. I haven’t really sat down and thought carefully about each episode so I think it’ll be fun to write up posts. And check out Jayne’s awesome t-shirts.
I think one of the biggest issues I’m going to have during this little rewatch is that I’ve got Joss Whedon’s number now. I was not a devotee of his. I watched Firefly because it aired on Friday nights on Fox and I loved their science fiction shows in that timeslot. I thought the previews looked cool and I was hooked instantly. It was only later I put together that this was the guy that did Buffy, a show I had been intentionally avoiding because it looked too serious and pretentious, compared to the hilarious movie of the same name. Years later I finally got around to watching both Buffy and Angel and though I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with both shows, I also ended that with a resounding “Suck it Joss Whedon, I’m through with you finally.” Heh.
All of that means that I can’t help but see Firefly as a continuation of those two shows now, instead of its own unique thing. I can’t help but know the fate of the characters, both in the series and in the film, and know that it’s just Standard Operating Procedure for Joss to Do Things Like That. I can’t help but see all of these actors that showed up in Sunnydale and in Los Angeles, both before and after the untimely cancellation. I can’t help but hear the dialogue and know that Witty and Clever is a style and not a gift. I guess I feel like a hipster whose precious secret obsession has suddenly gone mainstream. I knew Firefly first dammit! And then Joss Whedon ruined it with his stupid shows that came before this one was made.
But here’s the other thing: Firefly is really fucking good. Right out the gate. OK sure, the special effects during the Battle of Serenity Valley in the opening scenes are struggling a bit. It feels staged more than actual war. Mal and Zoe are conveniently without helmets so we can conveniently know that they’re going to be our important main characters. But I do love that they failed. They lost.
And then cutting to the salvage operation, immediately the scenes in space are so much better. We get brief introductions to everyone and that theme song. It gets in your head it does.
“Serenity” is a pilot, so the characters still have some rough edges. And not just because they’re supposed to be rough edged. Mal is kind of a total dick. He’s really mean to Inara, which is bad, but shoots the cop without hesitation, which is hilarious. I love the immediate acknowledgement that Jayne is not to be trusted entirely, but I still think Mal went over the top dismissing him from dinner for hassling Kaylee over her obvious interest in Simon. The scene where Inara blessed Book was completely and totally over the top but I’ll give it a pass because Whedon was clearly going for imagery and ignoring the fact that he didn’t need to be so heavy handed with the whore and preacher inversion.
I think what I love most is the details. The verse is fully imagined and real and a clearly logical continuation of our world. Everyone speaks at least a smattering of Chinese, at least to swear. The docks on a planet are shitty and filled with scum and villainy, even if there’s a bright and shiny city right around the corner where the fancy people live. The stencils on the walls in the kitchen, *obviously* that’s Kaylee’s touch. Everybody’s joy at having fresh produce that the Shepard brought on board. Some people used chopsticks to eat, like Mal, and others used forks. The loot they sold off to Patience wasn’t gold bars but food stuffs that could be rationed out for emergencies. The Blue Sun posters all over the background!
I’m really looking forward to continuing along, despite that the magician’s secrets have been revealed. I haven’t really sat down and thought carefully about each episode so I think it’ll be fun to write up posts. And check out Jayne’s awesome t-shirts.