SHAUDAWN'S BLOG

Shaudawn

Freedom's just another word...
Tuesday, January 2, 2007

I got me two Christmas presents this year. We can't always afford much, so they were a long time comin'. Both were books.

The first was the 'comic' book, Those Left Behind . The cover artwork was pretty. But I have to say I was a might disappointed. Dunno, maybe I got it in my head that they'd be better. I think what lacks is the actors. Sure, the writing and wit was good, but I realize just how much Nathan, et. al. put into their characters. The spirit of Serenity might be there, but without flesh & blood, ain't nuthin' more than just words of dust in the wind.

The second book was Finding Serenity , the collection of essays editted by Jane Espenson about the show. Some of the articles are like a breath of fresh air. Some piss me off, but even that's good to see 'cause it makes a man think some. After all, ain't that what bein' free is?

Speaking of which, I started off the new year by reading the essay by Mercedes Lackey (an ironic name) about freedom in the Firefly universe. Speakin' of makin' a man think some. I gotta say she put into words what I've been thinkin' for quite some time.

I was thinking of the episode "Objects in Space" as River walks about the ship in the teaser and 'reads' each character. In light of Lackey's essay, I remember Mal's 'thoughts': "None of it means a damn thing." Now, I don't know 'xactly what Joss had in mind when he wrote that, but it does kinda take on a diff'rent meaning. Is Mal really free in the Black? I'd have to agree with Lackey, he ain't, and he knows it deep down. As Zoe explained in a cut scene from the pilot, once you been to Serenity, you don't really leave.

An' I extrapolate that to the here an' now. How much are any of us really free? Like Mal, we often have the ability to go from one place or t'other, bad-mouth the Alliance all we want, get into all manner of bar fights, and take up business with those that'll pay. But there's always several mouths that got a powerful need to eat, the fact that havin' a ship don't mean nothin' if you can't buy the gas for it, and those that'll pay are usually those most willing to hook you up to some torturin' machine for days just to see who you really are.

It's like the joke: I have a job so I can pay for my car. I have a car so that I can get to work. My own boss wonders why I ain't advanced to where he thinks I oughta be. Point is, none of it means a damn thing. I take on more stress and 'responsibility' (as they call it) to get better raises. Why? So I can pay for more go se ? So I can have pride in my work (making all manner of unsavory things)?

Once you've been to Serenity, you don't just up and leave. There's mouths that have this powerful urge to eat. So, I keep bowing down to the Beast -- Alliance no matter what side of the coin you are lookin' at -- just so I can keep flyin' in the Black somewhere I think is far enough from the Cor(porat)e, but not so far as were Here There Be Reavers .

It's a livin'... [sarcasm]yeah, and I believe Mercedes Lackey is her real name [/sarcasm]. All manner of ironic.

COMMENTS

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 9:50 PM

BLUEEYEDBRIGADIER


Oh, there's another comic book series in the pipelien, Shaudawn...though it's set before the BDM like "Those Left Behind" was.

And I gotta agree with you and Ms. Lackey (and I am pretty sure that's her given name...just kinda unlucky, I suppose;D) in that Mal ain't free. But he is happy to delude himself somewhat...anything is better than constantly obsessing over his past, I think, for Mal.

Gotta admit...while I have loved all the Whedonverse shows, Firefly holds a special place in my ticker. Probably for the same reasons you mentioned: the amount of love and honest effort into the various facets of the show. That and one is finally getting "adult" situations and opinions with actors playing characters a lot closer to their actual ages that deal with the kind of crap one goes through day-to-day to have something designated "a life" :D

BEB

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 9:13 AM

SHAUDAWN


Thanks, Z. Yeah, msg...I'm lovin' that essay book.

And, wow, nosadseven... I like the sound of that "Joss agrees with you...". Kin give a guy a big head! LOL...

Now, I'm a little slow on the draw, though, but I thought there was supposed to be a second comic set, Post-movie. Any expansion of the Firefly 'Verse is good by me, but I admit it makes me feel better to know how much Joss values the actors and their sense of the characters.

The more I read about the behind-the-scenes stuff, the more I see how much Firefly was really loved ...not just another project. I watched Buffy a little, and Angel for maybe the first three or four episodes and, frankly, got bored. (Sorry to all Whedon-is-God fans, but… hey, Buffy fans don’t all like Firefly either…no hard feelings.) There was just something more adult to Firefly. For other shows, all of the energy goes into other things first. There was just something where everyone from actors, writers, and directors to lighting, set design, and camera operation that was allowed to put their love into what they did – trusted them to be adults, I guess.

'Course that don't count Fox Execs, but that's another story. :)

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 6:52 AM

NOSADSEVEN


Joss agrees with you on the importance of the actors. He said on some pod-cast interview (IIRC), that that is why there won't be an extended comic book series or novels.

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 6:12 AM

MSG


It's a great collection of essays:)

Tuesday, January 2, 2007 11:29 AM

ZZETTA13


Had some of them very thoughts myself. Interesting reading.

Z


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