Firefly bores me...

[JoeGKushner]

Well, I've finally managed to squeeze in some time to watch the first two disks of Firefly and boy, what a yawnfest.

"It's smuggles in space with cowboy backdrops and slow as hell action. Yippie."

Mark me down as one big "meh."

 

[Krieg]

So?

 

[Umbran]

If you want action, go watch Stallone or Schwartzenegger.

If you want character and development, watch Firefly.

 

[Lazybones]

I disagree, but different strokes for different folks. Some of us like it a lot. I've showed it to several people who don't really like most sci-fi, who enjoyed it. I enjoy it because:

1) the sci-fi strikes me as more "authentic" than most Star Trek-ish stuff
2) the depth of the characters and their interactions
3) the nature of the humor (not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it; for instance busted out laughing for several minutes in "The Train Job" when Mal just kicked the Tough Bad Guy into the engine intake).
4) the fact that the episodes are linked/interrelated and that there are developments that run throughout the entire season arc. I would have really liked to have seen how some of the big issues were addressed in later seasons.

 

[Mercule]

When I saw it on TV, I liked it, but didn't get too excited about it. I was marginally bummed when it was cancelled, but only in that "well, there's another sci-fi show thrown to the wolves" way.

My sister-in-law picked up the DVD collection, though, and I borrowed it. Seeing things again, I'm really ticked that Fox cancelled it. It was great.

Short form: It grows on you after a while.

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Firefly and Futurama were two puzzling things about Fox. Never understood it

You have two creative talents who have proven themselves Savvy on what the public wants. And you do the very thing you don't do with the other show, you mess with it. I heard that Futurama got a lot of flack and mid level execs trying to 'fix' it.

And Firefly got the same thing. I mean.. they made the SECOND ep come out first because they thought the pilot was boring.

Never understood why execs got to meddle.

Of course I don't understand why reality tv takes off like it does.

 

[CrusaderX]

I watched Firefly when it first aired, and it didn't impress me. It was ok, but far from great. I thought Buffy, Angel, 24, Alias, Smallville, and John Doe (didn't that follow Firefly on Friday nights?) were alot more entertaining. And the oh-so-wise prostitute with the heart of gold (insert eye-rolling smile here) was one of the biggest walking cliches I've ever seen.

 

[Klaus]

I watched Firefly when it first aired, and it didn't impress me. It was ok, but far from great. I thought Buffy, Angel, 24, Alias, Smallville, and John Doe (didn't that follow Firefly on Friday nights?) were alot more entertaining. And the oh-so-wise prostitute with the heart of gold (insert eye-rolling smile here) was one of the biggest walking cliches I've ever seen.

Ah! But Inara was not only the prostitute-with-heart-of-gold cliché. She was actually the only character in the ship that had a good reputation, and worked as the diplomatic liaison with the upper crust of the planetary society, so the crew could get jobs from them!

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, maybe the whole show is just too... simple for me.

Captain whose mean but loves his crew and will go out of his way to protect them? Check.

Companion in love with catpain and has heart of gold? Check.

Mean mercenary who looks like he'll betray his crew but doesn't? Check.

Rich boy put into poor situation and having to deal with it? Check.

The pilot and his wife haven't really done anything yet in the first two disks. Do they ever?

Crazy character who can do things no one else can but is crazy so isn't a fully viable character? Check.

Relationships that take forever to resolve and actually do something? Check.

Barfights in multiple episodes that show the captain is bitter about losing the war? Check.

The characters are boring. It's like every cliche that could be had was put in here. Don't get me wrong. Some of the dialouge is fantastic. Some of the scenes are fantastic.

But realistic technology? In some weird type of future setting that has pistols still as opposed to something else? No DNA scanning? I see that they're going with the outer planets to avoid having the problem real hard sci-fi brings to a setting, but it's just too boring. The technology only does something when it needs to. Otherwise it might as well not exist.

 

[Umbran]

And Firefly got the same thing. I mean.. they made the SECOND ep come out first because they thought the pilot was boring.

Not quite. The Train Job was not the second episode. It was written specifically to be a new pilot when the execs decided that a two-hour pilot was expecting too much from the audience.