omg omg FIREFLY! :D
2010-03-12 14:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muneca_bravaFirefly! I am eagerly awaiting the time when I will be absolutely be in love with a show while it’s actually airing. :-/ It’s old news, but at the moment I’m very OMG BEST SHOW EVER :DD
So now I will go on for a while in true fangirl style on why it’s awesome :D For most people this will probably be old news, but anyone who hasn't seen it yet: Get on that. Really, it's only 14 episodes and a movie, and I assure you you will like it. If you need more to be convinced, read on!
- The Concept: It’s a Western. In Space. And that should sound crazy and stupid, but is in fact one of the most genius ideas ever. It completely works – And I am not a very big fan of either westerns or classic sci-fi. Also, there are no aliens to complicate things and no wars between armies or any of that epic sci-fi stuff. It has all the right parts of both genres.
- The women: I never really used to think of myself as a feminist, but recently I’ve become more and more appreciative of good female characters and woman representatives in general. A ‘strong’ woman (I’m not big fan of the word strong but it’s the best one I can think of) is something that will improve any show for me. And here, it’s better than in most. I’ll go into this later.
- The genres: It has diversity. The first few episodes are quite action-heavy and because of that I wasn't really into it, but from ;Shinding on, it becomes more of a character-driven show. There is mystery, suspense, darkness and angst, sweetness, and most of all humour.
- Which deserves an extra point. The Funny :-)
It’s one of the funniest non-comedy shows I’ve ever seen. All the characters are great at comedy and have good comedic chemistry, and the lines are often hilarious. It sometimes comes when you don’t expect it, as well. There’s a scene at the end of War Stories where I thought it was almost over and I was drinking, and I literally choked on my water and spend about five minutes spluttering and coughing.
- The subversion of tropes: Something that is not ever-present, but I always love it when a show goes against a general tv trope, no matter how small.
Some of my favourite examples (I just realized all my favourite examples are from the same episodes. Probably explaines why it’s my favourite episode - War Stories )
* ( Mal is fighting the man who has tortured him to death. Jayne gets ready to shoot the man)
Zoe: ;Jayne, I think this is something the captain has to do for himself.
Mal: No, it’s not!
Zoe: Oh. *shoots*
* Zoe picking Wash over Mal without a second’s thought, and without letting the Evil Mastermind finish his taunt.
* Bickering during torture.
* In Shinding : Mal is not a great man. He’s just alright.
- The CHARACTERS. I love them all. Mal most of all, and I don’t really care about Book, but the others are all in second place because I love them SO MUCH. They get a picspam for being the most awesome crew ever.
Sheperd Book 
He was not that interesting to me in general, but I think that Whedon had plans for him that would have made him a lot more so. He clearly has a secret, but because it was never developed, I was stuck on ‘morally righteous conscience of the group’ and didn’t really care one way or the other. He had some great moments, though.
“If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater”
Simon Tam 
He may seem boring and stuck-up at times, but he will kick your ass if you so much as look at his little sister. I love him being completely useless at flirting (to the point of telling Kaylee he only likes her because she’s the only available girl on the ship). I like that he’s not a scared rich boy hiding while the others do the cool stuff (which tbh would be an easy way to go with this kind of character): even though he’s not good at fighting and doesn’t really get the lifestyle, he is willing to go into the action and even ends up a criminal mastermind. I like him and Kaylee together. And I love him and River, how close they are and how much he cares for her.
River: You gave up everything you had to find me. You found me broken. It's hard for you. You gave up everything you had.
Simon: Mei-mei, everything I have is right here.
River Tam 
She’s…interesting. I think Summer Glau did a really good job (I know there are people who hate her but you know, it’s fandom). She wasn’t annoying as she could have easily turned out. She could be properly scary, because you never knew what she was going to do or say next. My favourite moments of her are probably the ones where she is sane, because then she really knows what’s going on and I think it’s pretty poignant. I didn’t even hate how she ended up in the movie, because while it has its problems plot-wise, I don't think it came out of nowhere. I really grw to like her more and more throughout the series and the movie.
I can kill you with my brain.
There’s no power in the ‘verse can stop me.
Inara Serra 
It took me a while to warm up to her. In the beginning, she was a little too, well, good. She was warm and kind and sweet and just too perfect, especially in this gang of scavengers and morally dubious people (okay, being a prostitute is morally dubious to some but the way she acts makes it very high-class and acceptable. Also, it isn’t illegal). But along the way, as we find out more about her, I began to love her just as much as the rest of the crew. We find out she isn’t unflappable in Our Mrs. Reynolds when she does everything she can to hide the fact she might have kissed Mal, she can hold her own with a sword and with a gun (even though she usually doesn’t) and she can be very manipulative. Inara is another example of someone Joss clearly had a lot more plans for, and I was very interested to find out more about her past and about why she left the academy. I also love her relationship with Mal, mostly because he seems to be the only person who can get to her; he can make her lose her temper, lose her composure, and she runs away from him because she is afraid of what he makes her feel.
Mal: Inara, think you can stoop to being on my arm?
Inara: Will you wash it first?
Kaylee Frye 
Kaylee should really be annoying. She’s always happy, always positive, always seeing the good in every person and situation and can be quite naïve. But somehow, she is just incredibly likeable and cute. I think it helps that she anything but one-dimensional, and is even filled with oppositions. She is very girly (painting flowers everywhere and liking pretty dresses) but she is also a great mechanic and usually covered in engine grease. She seems innocent but can be very crude and flirtatious. She is a very strong female character without having to wield guns or being badass (she actually doesn’t manage to fire a gun until the movie) – Not that there is anything wrong with that kind of a woman: see below. As I said above, I like her and Simon, but especially how very unsubtle her flirting with him is. Everyone loves Kaylee, it’s impossible not to. And I love the way she talks. Shiny!
(They’re getting ready to shoot at reavers, sort of a suicide mission)
Simon: In all that time on the ship, I’ve always regretted…not being with you.
Kaylee: With me? You mean to say… as in sex?
Simon: I mean to say...
Kaylee: To hell with this, I’m gonna live!
Zoë Washburne 
Kickass female character, check. Zoë is a soldier, she’s very strong and she doesn’t show emotion. Mal’s second in command, she does follow him everywhere but also calls him on it when she thinks he’s wrong. Everyone listens to her, even Jayne. But what makes her very, very special is that she is happily (most of the time) married. I think most women who are depicted as warriors tend to either have no emotion other than kill, kill , making them evil and cold, or they are secretly messed up emotionally and need some male hero to ‘fix’ them and make them realize that what they really want is a white picked fence and an apron. Zoe manages to be both an excellent soldier and a sexy wife to Wash. I wish we’d have seen more of their backstory because I do think it would have taken a while for her to let him in. She also has a sense of humour and is very confident, both in herself and in her marriage. I would just have liked to see more of how she was doing at the end.
Zoë: (to Mal) Sir, I need you to take the helm, please. I need this man to tear all my clothes off.
Wash: Work, work, work.
Wash 
I loved Wash from the very first moment we saw him. The man is playing with toy dinosaurs, how can anybody resist? And then it turns out he is a very talented pilot and married to a very beautiful woman. I don’t really have as much ~deep meta ~on him as on some others. It is very simple: he’s funny, he’s a good guy, he’s brave in his own way. And he saves the day several times.
I’m a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.
Yes... Yes... This is a fertile land and we will thrive. We will rule over all this land and we will call it... This Land.
- I think we should call it your grave!
Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
- Ha ha ha, mine is an evil laugh, now die!
Ahh, no God. Oh, dear god in heaven.
Jayne Cobb 
It took me a while to get to fully appreciate Jayne. At first he is just the muscle, but his real merit is that he’s the clown. Even if he doesn’t realize it, Jayne is hilariously funny all the time. And for such a one-note character, he actually does get some development, if never to the point where he’s actually a good guy. Which, of course, he really isn’t. He will betray everyone for the right price, doesn’t care about a human life and is a sexist. But he also likes goofy hats, is utterly baffled by kind, heroic people and does seem to respect Mal in a way. And he has a gun called Vera, come on. Jaynestown was his most important episode, and it was easily the most hilarious one and one of my favourites.
Jayne: This the best gun made by man. It has *extreme* sentimental value. It's miles more worthy than what you got!
Mal: What I got? She has a name.
Jayne: So does this. I call it Vera.
Mal: Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.
Malcolm Reynolds 
I love everything about Mal. Most of all, I love that he is a bad guy with a small heart and a sense of honor. He is a very complicated character. He will sometimes do the right thing and will always stand up for his crew, but if it’s in his best interest to do something illegal or morally wrong, he will not hesitate either. He is clearly very much the boss on his ship – it’s not a democracy – and he doesn’t like to be wrong. There is just so much I like about him that I find it hard to write any of it down. Basically, I like Mal and Inara because of their snarky UST and their emotional issues, I like his protectiveness of everybody but particularly Kaylee and River, I like his war-buddies relationship with Zoe. I like that he doesn’t do what you expect him to do. I already loved Nathan Fillion before this, and it's clearly the role of a lifetime for him.
Mal: [after knocking his dueling opponent to the ground] Sure, it would be humiliating having to lie there while a better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man
[gives a quick stab to the guy]
Mal: Guess I'm just a good man
[stabs him again]
Mal: Well, I'm all right.
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Date: 2010-03-12 19:56 (UTC)But what makes her very, very special is that she is happily (most of the time) married. I think most women who are depicted as warriors tend to either have no emotion other than kill, kill , making them evil and cold, or they are secretly messed up emotionally and need some male hero to ‘fix’ them and make them realize that what they really want is a white picked fence and an apron.
Ooh, that's such a good observation. I don't think I've ever thought about Zoe's character quite like that, but it's so true.
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Date: 2010-03-13 09:35 (UTC)I kept seeing people who love this show but I was very sceptical about the whole concept. Until I saw the first episode :)
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Date: 2010-03-14 21:48 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-14 22:11 (UTC)Really, this is such an amazing show! ♥ I watch a lot of tv, but it's been a long time since I've seen something that's this good. And so very funny! And you are sure to adore all the characters.
WATCH IIIIT !! XD
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Date: 2010-03-17 14:24 (UTC)i'm a general Whedon geek, but this is most def one of the best things he's ever created. Serenity is one of the most gorgeous movies i currently own :)
so anyway, just had to tell you that. i'm not a stalker. i promise.
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Date: 2010-03-17 14:49 (UTC)I've always heard a lot about Whedon, of cours, but this is actually only the second thing I've seen, after Dr Horrible, but I really love his brain XD. I sort of missed the whole Buffy-mania :)
OKAY, so I've taken a look at your journal, and honestly: you are the FOURTH person this WEEK I've met on Lj that goes to the UA as well. It's getting weird :O
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Date: 2010-03-17 14:55 (UTC)LOL. we do seem to be uniting and growing in numbers! i never thought i'd ever find Belgian fangirls in here, let alone people that i go to school with, but now i know about 4 or 5, and another 4 or 5 Belgian fangirls that i've met as well. it's pretty cool :)
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Date: 2010-03-17 15:45 (UTC)I actually watched the first ep of Dollhouse, but I didn't follow it through, mainly because I was watching too many shows already. Might go back to it someday.
Yup, fangirls are everywhere! Even in your school (especially in our school, actually XD)
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Date: 2010-03-17 16:17 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-17 16:22 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-18 17:40 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-18 17:50 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-18 18:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-18 18:09 (UTC)For all its bloodiness, it's hands down the most hilarious episode. Possibly because it's got lots of Wash. *g*
Wash and Zoe are my favourite on-screen couple, ever. The fact that we never got to see how they finally got together is probably the thing I regret the most about not getting more eps. :/ I'm also sorry they glossed over Zoe's feelings quite so quickly in the movie. I get that she's a strong woman, but she also loved Wash very much - but I guess they had to cut scenes to keep the movie within a certain time-frame.
'Is there any way I'm going to get out of this with dignity?'
'... You're pretty much down to ritual suicide, lammy toes.'
Jayne. Oh, Jayne. OK, I admit it, Wash and Jayne are probably my two favourite characters, in spite of being linear opposites. I love Jayne's selfish, amoral ass, mostly because he's too stupid to realise what he's doing, and because he has odd moments of being a... well, half-way human person that make me go \o/. (The hat his Mum knit him - aww! - the way he did end up going along to rescue Mal in War Stories, the fact that he oddly enough seems to get along well with Zoe.)
He will betray everyone for the right price
I think he would betray everyone except Mal - and maybe even Zoe. He puts his own life at risk to help save Mal, and I always got the impression that after he betrayed Simon, he felt awfully guilty towards Mal. (And I love that he also kind of felt guilty towards Simon. I, er, may have briefly shipped Jayne/Simon. SHHH. They're just hilarious together.)
okay, being a prostitute is morally dubious to some but the way she acts makes it very high-class and acceptable. Also, it isn’t illegal
I think that in the context of the show, it isn't morally dubious at all? After all, they do want her on board so they can look more respectable. ;o)
This is probably the one show where I can honestly say that I loved all the characters. :D
Um, sorry, I still had this post open in a tab.
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Date: 2010-03-18 21:42 (UTC)That hat is the most adorable thing ever! Jayne's such a wuss of a hitman :D Aww, and how they all kept saying how cool it made him look! :D
I think he does have a sense of honour towards Mal, yes. Even if he'd never admit it to himself...
I'm not completely sure he wouldn't sell him out for the right price and in the right circumstances, but I think that uncertainty makes him such an interesting character.
I read that Adam Baldwin said somewhere that there was going to be Simon/Jayne subtext had it continued? I have to admit I can't see it though. But it would have been quite something to see if they'd gone there!
I think that in the context of the show, it isn't morally dubious at all
Well, not really I suppose. But although being a companion seems to be regarded as something quite prestigious, Mal still calls her a whore all the time, which implies he doesn't respect her job - and of course he's being a jealous idiot. And others seem to look down on the profession, as well - like in Heart of Gold?
I've actually already rewatched the first three! Just because I miss the characters already =)
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Date: 2010-05-02 05:34 (UTC)yay for shiny new browncoats!
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Date: 2010-05-02 08:08 (UTC)I do feel like the baby in fandom! I want to tell friends about how amazing Firefly is and they're all like "yes...I know. I've seen it years ago.". :P