Firefly: A latecomer wonders what Fox was smoking

[Shadowdancer]

Firefly was written as if the viewer had intelligence and patience. It rewarded both.

Appartenty, the FOX execs have neither.

 

[Mouseferatu]

When Buffy started, it had four main character. Angel had three. Firefly was written as if it were the fourth season of a show rather than the first. When I was watching the first episode I kept thinking that I had missed something. Same with the second. I only saw a few episodes after that.

What's with fruit being rare? The planets I saw seems pretty sparcely populated.


Aaron

Also, keep in mind that if you watched when Fox aired it (as opposed to watching it on DVD), then you didn't actually see the first episode. Fox aired 'em out of order. :\

 

[Umbran]

Those planets didn't seem that bad. They all looked a little like California to me.

Large parts, if not most, of California isn't particularly good for agriculture without large-scale irrigation.

 

[Holy Bovine]

When Buffy started, it had four main character. Angel had three. Firefly was written as if it were the fourth season of a show rather than the first. When I was watching the first episode I kept thinking that I had missed something. Same with the second. I only saw a few episodes after that.

What's with fruit being rare? The planets I saw seems pretty sparcely populated.


Aaron

You did miss something. The real first episode that actually introduced the characters slowly and deliberately. I'm not even sure if the real pilot was actually aired or not (and if it was it would have 10X more confusing as suddenly the crew would have been just meeting each other!).

My hat of OFX know no limit.

You are right though - of the 10 planets or so we see over all the espisodes about 4 of them are pretty lush (on is Earth itself). But for the most part they are awfully dry and desert0llooking (Whitefall and the planet with the train robbery come to mind. Also the whorehouse planet and the planet they recuit Jayne on - heck the planet Jayne is famous on is a giant mudball!)

 

[Ranger REG]

Just finished the DVD. Last episode was pretty weak, I thought. There were some gems but never really got involved in the characters the way I did with Buffy. I also can't stand the Chinese. Argh. It really bought me out of the show. Just skip it.

Actually, I like the Chinese words here and there. It brings the dominant English language down a peg (probably the official language of the Empire, I mean Alliance).

I wouldn't skip it. It's space western without the rehashed cheese factor.

 

[Krug]

I guess it's because I know Mandarin (not well), and it all sounds really awkward. Most of the time I can't even make out what they're saying. It MIGHT have been more interesting if some of them used other Chinese dialects (Cantonese etc), but like I said, the bad Mandarin just snaps me out of the show and makes me realise I'm watching a tv series.

 

[Easy_Tiger]

We still havent got firefly over here so i really have no idea what you are talking about , hell voyager is still playing over here and we havent even gotten to the last season yet. But i didnt really dig buffy i loved angel until it came back from the hosts home dimension then it went all silly but thats just me. Seasons 3 and 4 of b5 is still some of the best sci-fi tv i have ever seen oh that and "double the fist" any aussie who watches late night abc tv might know that show

 

[Ranger REG]

We still havent got firefly over here so i really have no idea what you are talking about , hell voyager is still playing over here and we havent even gotten to the last season yet.

Allow me to spoil you right now and tell you how VOYAGER ended.

Spoiler

Future Janeway helped Present Janeway to ride the Borg's transwarp conduit to reach home. Yes, a typical Braga-written episode. Blech!

 

[Easy_Tiger]

oh i caught the final epsisode a few years back voyager never really grabbed me always wanted to see janeway bargin with the shadows teehee

 

[Pielorinho]

Krug, did you watch the commentary on Objects in Space? It's astonishing--everything from the little bits, in which Joss explains the significance of a shot of River's feet (the actress is a ballet dancer whose feet express great character ) to the big bits, in which Joss ruminates on the show's existential themes, and the episode's nods to Jean Paul Sartre.

I've not seen such a good commentary before or since.

Daniel