Okay, so now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into some more of my in-depth thoughts and criticisms on both Firefly and Serenity, shall we?
General thoughts about ‘Firefly’
I greatly enjoyed the general premise of the show. The idea of a space western really intrigued me and had an immense amount of potential. Plus, the dialogue was really witty and smart. There were so many times when I’d be watching the show, hear a character (usually Mal) deliver a line, and not have it hit me for a good ten seconds.
As much as I enjoyed the dialogue and was intrigued by the “western in space” concept, I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely sold on the show at the halfway point. After seven episodes, I felt like something was still missing. However, as soon as I watched “Out of Gas,” I got it. I understood why people have been clamoring for more Firefly.
In my opinion, “Out of Gas” and “Ariel” are two of the show’s strongest episodes. They best demonstrated the relationships between all of the characters as well as the real stakes of being out in space. While I knew that things would work out at the end of “Out of Gas,” I still really enjoyed the whole journey and seeing how Mal dealt with his livelihood fading and his family leaving. And “Ariel”? That was just a great heist episode that tied directly into one of the show’s most burning plot points. Beyond those two episodes, I felt like the season dragged a bit arch-wise beforehand and then waned slightly after.
Not to say that the entire season wasn’t enjoyable. Because it definitely was (and I’m hoping it will be even more enjoyable when I eventually watch it over again). It’s just that those two episodes were so strong that it’s sad that the rest of the season wasn’t at the same level. If it had been, maybe the outcome of the show and Fox’s opinions toward it would have been different. Although, I know they probably wouldn’t have been. But one could dream.
I enjoyed the character developments for everyone on board Serenity and am disappointed that so many details were left unaddressed. For instance, who is Shepherd Book really? There is no way that man was just a simple shepherd. No way, no how, not happening. The bounty hunter in the final episode even stated “No he’s not” when addressing Book being a Shepherd. That’s totally suspicious!
While it’s difficult to say whose character was the most fleshed out by the end, I feel like I had the best grasp on Kaylee’s character and really understood who she was. I would’ve loved more on the Tams, as well as a glimpse into Mal’s background, but with Kaylee I’m feeling pretty content.
All in all, I agree with everyone who says that Firefly was cancelled too early. It was barely given a fair shot, especially with the episodes all airing out of order. I was slightly confused with the show and the characters during the first (canonical) episode. I couldn’t imagine trying to piece things together when the episodes were out of order.
(Short tangent: I can’t for the life of me understand why Fox thinks it’s okay to air series episodes out of order? I can kind of understand wanting to hook an audience with a strong premiere episode. Okay, fine. But if a series is to have any hope of continuing and building an audience [*cough cough* Firefly and Enlisted *cough cough*], then it makes no sense to treat the plot and character development with such disrespect.)
In conclusion: Firefly = great.
Continue on to the next page if you’re interested in reading my thoughts on Serenity (and there are many).
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