What makes Firefly/Serenity special? by kiltedbrowncoat

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

What makes Firefly/Serenity special?

POSTED BY: KILTEDBROWNCOAT
UPDATED: Saturday, February 4, 2006 12:30
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VIEWED: 2095
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Saturday, February 4, 2006 1:11 AM

I've been pondering this for some time now,what exactly is it that makes us obsessed?.
Is it possible to nail it down?
What makes the series and film so great?

The actors/actress's are all unknowns,and its a cowboy/sci-fi!!!!
The powers that be pulled the plug after half a season,and the movie attendance was average at best.
Yet many of us think its the greatest thing we've ever seen.
My opinions are as follows.

I love the idea of freedom,I hate regimentation,the 9-5 bore.
The sense of family among the crew, the all for one,one for all.
The crew have little or no possessions,its just food, shelter,and companionship.
I love the sense of getting up in the morning and no one has any idea about what now.
I get a real sense of no responsibility,maybe thats the attraction.

On the production itself, the story lines,the acting,the dialog,everything is just spot on.
What does it for me is the comedy,its not very often I ever laugh at something I've seen on TV, but Firefly's moments have me in stitches.
All in all its a unique package,and worthy of another series(YOU LISTENING OUT THERE)

What makes Firefly/Serenity special for you?

Serenity WILL fly again

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 2:24 AM

FIREFLYNUTTER

i tink its the fact that no matter how many times u watch it u always get something different out of it. Try doing that with reality shows... point made.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 2:26 AM

ASARIAN

Quote:
Originally posted by kiltedbrowncoat:
What makes Firefly/Serenity special for you?

It's Love, in point of fact.

"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 2:57 AM

STDOUBT

I've pondered this as well. In fact, I've been writing an article on this very subject for the FireflyTalk contest. My basic thesis is that Serenity and her crew serve as a mirror of the human mind. We are fascinated by ourselves. The obsession, the iron grip the 'verse has on our imaginations is the result of our unconscious recognition of the BDHs as aspects of our selves.
This is not unique to Firefly and Serenity. The archetypes of the unconscious mind are mirrored in mythology, religion and literature. It's the cultural
accessibility of the show itself that allows us to
recognize our fundamental relationship to the
characters. And it's Whedon's knowledge of 'the archetype' that makes him such a powerful storyteller. Though he is certainly not alone.
Take the final lines of "The Breakfast Club" for example:

"... what we found out is that each one of us is a brainSimon, and an athleteJayne, and a basketcaseRiver, a princessInara, and a criminalMal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club."

Well, I've been up all night and I think my brain is overheating, but I think I'm on to something.
There are many, many places in the series and the movie wherein the perceptions of the 'mind' that is the crew of Serenity directly parallel my own perceptions about real events in the world.
:head explodes:

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 3:13 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Well I remember that when it was on TV I read every review I could find (not just professional ones) and I discovered something ... odd. Every single negative review came from someone who had not actually seen the show.

Every negative review I saw came from some person who thought that seeing a single commercial or hearing about it second-hand was a valid premise for a negative review. What's more every time that I heard of one of these people actually watching the show they changed their minds.

The flip side is that there was a time when everyone who watched the show, and commented on how they felt, either loved or liked it. That alone gives it some credibility in the field of, "Greatest thing ever."

-

Of course in my mind it is quite simply the characters. These people are real, which is more than I can say for most things on TV. Some people bring up Law and Order or CSI as having great characters and they’re right, the characters are pretty good, but those are crime dramas so the show itself takes away from it.

With Firefly it was about the characters, and the characters were incredible. Out of Gas wasn't about, "Well the quantum catalyzer broke so we have to reroute the plasma through the starboard nacelle," it was about a little bit of everyone and a large bit of Mal.

Because the show was done that way the characters could come alive more than most others. Make a list of all of the characters you've seen that really felt ... real. Then make a list of the characters you've seen. It's a little lopsided. In Firefly every single one feels real, that is greatness.

When we watch the crew their joy is ours, their pain hurts us, and most of all we care about what happens to them. The show is so good that we care about them. We care about the ship, and we care about the show as a whole. Actually:

Quote:
Originally posted by asarian:
It's Love, in point of fact.

That's what lets us say it's the greatest thing we've ever seen.

-

By the way, you pointed out that the show is with unknowns, I really hate it when people base whether a movie or show will be good on who is in it.

People who are recognized as good or great actors got that way by being good or great actors, but that means that by definition they are no better than an good or great actor who has never been heard of.

Any time that someone says, "I like the movie because ____ is in it," I lose faith in that person's judgment. If they like the movie because of ____ I certainly hope ____ did a hell of a lot more than being in it. But for a lot of people if an actor they like is in a movie the actor could do the worst dialogue on earth with a mouth full of Novocain and they'd like it.

Why?

It's never been sufficiently explained to me.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 3:17 AM

MERCHANTMARINE1

I never saw the original airing on television in 2002, I am at sea way too much. The Scifi channel aired in one day the entire series in January after that I purchased the Motion Picture Serenity, then found the complete series on DVD on Ebay and bought it. Both versions have been played so much on my ship even last night and again today by the crew even the Captain has his requests for episodes, to me and all of us aboard, the idea that they portray ordinary people with ambitions, desires and exactly your view hits the mark, sense of family, loyalty some trust,(jayne) still has a greedy side, perhaps more loyalty to money. Many of us on board are married to wives overseas, mine, Filipina, so the interracial marriage portrayed makes the series and film closer to us. The script and actors show us a real side, they are not rocket scientists, perhaps the Doctor and shepard with their education backgrounds, the rest, rough, school of hard knocks graduates. Showing some of my shipmates this website many have asked will FF return to television in the future? I say "hope so", they too agree Fox made a mistake, too many spin off series like CSI, too many reality shows, and another Star Trek creation all talk about the same thing and do the exact. Finaly a show without super intellegent aliens, super weapons, superior artificial intelligent computers, too many added features that confuse, overwhelm and loose the dialogue. If one thing comes from this website and many others out there, the message must be given to Mr. Joss Whedon, he created another hit, do not allow it to die. Firefly is alive, you brought Serenity to the big screen, with changes like the end of Monday Night Football on ABC, there is life or a heart beat. We get satillite feed, we see programs like Lost, Desparte Housewives and the CBS and NBC programs, and we ask, what is it that gets these programs awards? Is it fixed? Are there Bribes? To all of us underway out here in the Pacific, don't give up hope keep the creative fires burning. FF has something that everyone can relate to and something everyone can enjoy.

Merhcantmarine1

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 3:25 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Quote:
Originally posted by STDOUBT:
And it's Whedon's knowledge of 'the archetype' that makes him such a powerful storyteller. Though he is certainly not alone.
Take the final lines of "The Breakfast Club" for example:

"... what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete Jayne, a basketcase, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club."

[Changed how you said the breakfast club quote a bit, hope you don’t mind]

I think it's important to note that in Firefly, and in The Breakfast Club, the archetypes were not the characters. Each one was all of those things, just like each person in real life is all of those things.

No one is a stereotype. (Well almost no one at least, I did meet this one blonde where I asked myself, "How did her brain even learn human speech?" and try as I might over the course of two years I could find nothing about her that went against the stereo type. There must be others like her.)

Jayne is a thug, he isn't someone who is just perceived as one, he is one, yet he is the one who said (well quoted), "If you can't do something smart do something right," he is the one who asked, "You think Mal made it through?" and he is the one who told them to turn off the hologram.

Even though he is firmly in one category within him we see all human archetypes (though I only showed examples from one.)

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 3:30 AM

BJORNJOHANSSON

FIrst of all, the intro music is so good. I just love it. And the crew in it is excellent for the job. I just want to see more of it, cant belive they shut it down.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 3:38 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Quote:
Originally posted by Merchantmarine1:
(jayne) still has a greedy side, perhaps more loyalty to money.

Actually I personally don't think that is the case. I think he has most loyalty to family, in which I would include Mal, Kaylee, Zoe, and Wash in. Then he has loyalty to money. Morals and such come much later.

I mean he joined the crew (and betrayed his old team) for three percent and his own bunk yet enough to buy a ship isn't enough to make him betray Mal?

If the money wasn't good enough then it will never be good enough. (Even though I‘m not sure whether or not Jayne himself knows that.) On the other hand knowing full well she was innocent and would be tortured he had no problem handing River over and he threw his partner out of a ship to keep a bit of money.

So I think what it comes down to is like this:
Loyalty to Mal and those he (Jayne) considers part of the crew (and thus family.)
Loyalty to money.
Something else, maybe sex or guns.
A lot of other things.
Loyalty to morals.

I really do think there is one thing he holds above money because he's simply been offered too much and still not betrayed Mal. However as near as I can tell that is the only thing he holds above money.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 4:07 AM

FOLLOWMAL

Welcome Bjorn.. noticed you were new, thought I'd say a howdy. This is a shiny ship, hope your stay aboard is long and happy!

On the subject of the thread... I think I have to agree with asarian and christhecynic.. it's love and that the characters are so alive to us.

My Mom and I were just talking about this the other day... and we couldn't think of another show where we genuinely thought of the characters as real. When these folks are in danger, my heart beats faster, just as it would in real life. The love I feel for them is palpable and genuine. I think that is the reason that I wake up every day and think of them and log on here to see if they will be coming back. I miss them like I miss real folks in my life who have moved away or passed on. And I want them back with the same yearning.

On a side note.... I'm in love with a criminal????

Hey, go me!

" You hold. Hold til I get back." Mal

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 4:58 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC

Quote:
Originally posted by FollowMal:
Welcome Bjorn.. noticed you were new, thought I'd say a howdy. This is a shiny ship, hope your stay aboard is long and happy!

What, a new person?

Ok, BjornJohansson, before I say anything original to you there are two things I need to get out of the way:

Welcome here, we're weird.

If you want more you need to convert people to the point that they will buy the DVDs and convert others to that same point.

That's the two things.

Now some people have come here and asked, "What do I have to do to become one of you," and the answer to everyone is, "You are one of us."

You're already a part of the family because you care about Firefly they way we do. Welcome home.

Quote:
Originally posted by FollowMal:
On a side note.... I'm in love with a criminal????

Petty theif.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 5:27 AM

GRAYFURY

The Details.... Thats it. You can stop reading... Its the details!

"Smellin' alot of IF comin' offa' this plan!"

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 12:28 PM

OLDFOGEY

Quote:
Originally posted by christhecynic:

When we watch the crew their joy is ours, their pain
hurts us, and most of all we care about what happens
to them. The show is so good that we care about
them. We care about the ship, and we care about the
show as a whole.

Sums it up for me. It's also good tummy exercise,
all that laughing. Like sit-ups only more fun.

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Saturday, February 4, 2006 12:30 PM

OLDFOGEY

Quote:
Originally posted by christhecynic:

Quote:
Originally posted by FollowMal:
On a side note.... I'm in love with a criminal????

Petty theif.

Manly, impulsive petty thief.

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