I can't believe it's. . . *sniff*. . . OVERRRRRR!!!
This is a post about Firefly. Firefly is a TV series from a few years ago, I think it was on FOX? I was completely oblivious to it's existence, being generally oblivious to TV in general for quite a while now. When the movie "Serenity" came out around a year or two ago I guess, I was aware that it was based on a TV series. And all I knew about the TV series was that Sarah/Poppins was VERY enthusiastic about it.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I decided Science Fiction was my next NETFLIX kick, and asked for every sciency or fictiony movie they recommended. Serenity was in there somewhere, and shoot I really liked that movie. Yes, it was like a TV show with a slightly bigger budget. But the writing was really something, it really drew you in to the characters and the plots. And it was a WESTERN IN SPACE!!! Who cares whether or not they pulled it off, what an idea. It sounds like one of the pitches in Robert Altman's "The Player": "OK, it's Pretty Woman. . .but it's in Vietnam! And it's funny. Tom Hanks & Gwynneth Paltrow. . . ".
So my interest was peaked. But that's all. Then Sheer Fate and her cousin Dumb Luck put the 4-disc DVD set of the whole TV series in my path! There was only one. And it was on the bottom shelf, where tall, relatively-handsome-and-unquestionably-nice-smelling-but-mostly-really-tall men like me seldom see the DVDs. And it only cost 20.00! That's a lot of painting background music for only 20.00 I thought, even if the show was doo doo. But this was not enough, no, those 4 skinny DVD cases had to earn their place on my crowded shelves.
So I contacted Sarah Poppins to see if maybe the TV series would be doo doo on account of it being so different from the movie. She did not hesitate to politely recommend that I run all red lights between here and Target to GET. THAT. DVD SET.
Did that. Watched DVD 1. Liked it. Gobbled up DVD 2. Very excited. Savored DVD 3, becoming increasingly concerned for the impending 4-ness of the set. Watched DVD 4 hitting PAUSE as often as I possibly could. Taking every opportunity to make it last just a little longer. Then I did NOT cry. But I wanted to. Because by now (even the movie was over years ago) it's abundantly clear that there will be. No. More. Firefly.
Every little bit of the show contains gems. Not the least of which is it's got RON GLASS in it! And you thought every member of the Barney Miller cast died 15 years ago. There are problems, like the fact that Joss Whedon has a LOTR, Star Wars-sized universe and plot in his head. So there are constantly references to stories that never get told. But SOMEhow, the fans and the producers got the movie made. How often does a TV series that didn't even survive a whole season get made into a MOVIE? The movie fulfills some of the promises the TV show made, not the least of which is the mystery of Kung Fu Christina Ricci.
Apparently I know very little about what makes a TV show succesful, since I loved this one so much and the TV exectutives hated it, putting every obstacle in it's path and cancelling it after I believe less than a season. They didn't even show the pilot first! Actually it makes perfect sense. I liked this, but the rest of the world did not (or was not given the opportunity to). While EVERY THING ELSE ON TV, i.e. the things the TV executives approved, I'm pretty sure is squid vomit.
I liked 6 Feet Under. But yeah, you've got your Muppets, your Firefly, your Alan Ball HBO series. . . . and your squid vomit.
Otherwise, 'twas a damn peaceful weekend. Snow and cavedwelling Hults dogs. Leaving the cave only for sustenance hunting & gathering. Knitting, reading, crossing things off of Lux's to-do list. I hope y'all had good weekends out in the blogosphere :)
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I decided Science Fiction was my next NETFLIX kick, and asked for every sciency or fictiony movie they recommended. Serenity was in there somewhere, and shoot I really liked that movie. Yes, it was like a TV show with a slightly bigger budget. But the writing was really something, it really drew you in to the characters and the plots. And it was a WESTERN IN SPACE!!! Who cares whether or not they pulled it off, what an idea. It sounds like one of the pitches in Robert Altman's "The Player": "OK, it's Pretty Woman. . .but it's in Vietnam! And it's funny. Tom Hanks & Gwynneth Paltrow. . . ".
So my interest was peaked. But that's all. Then Sheer Fate and her cousin Dumb Luck put the 4-disc DVD set of the whole TV series in my path! There was only one. And it was on the bottom shelf, where tall, relatively-handsome-and-unquestionably-nice-smelling-but-mostly-really-tall men like me seldom see the DVDs. And it only cost 20.00! That's a lot of painting background music for only 20.00 I thought, even if the show was doo doo. But this was not enough, no, those 4 skinny DVD cases had to earn their place on my crowded shelves.
So I contacted Sarah Poppins to see if maybe the TV series would be doo doo on account of it being so different from the movie. She did not hesitate to politely recommend that I run all red lights between here and Target to GET. THAT. DVD SET.
Did that. Watched DVD 1. Liked it. Gobbled up DVD 2. Very excited. Savored DVD 3, becoming increasingly concerned for the impending 4-ness of the set. Watched DVD 4 hitting PAUSE as often as I possibly could. Taking every opportunity to make it last just a little longer. Then I did NOT cry. But I wanted to. Because by now (even the movie was over years ago) it's abundantly clear that there will be. No. More. Firefly.
Every little bit of the show contains gems. Not the least of which is it's got RON GLASS in it! And you thought every member of the Barney Miller cast died 15 years ago. There are problems, like the fact that Joss Whedon has a LOTR, Star Wars-sized universe and plot in his head. So there are constantly references to stories that never get told. But SOMEhow, the fans and the producers got the movie made. How often does a TV series that didn't even survive a whole season get made into a MOVIE? The movie fulfills some of the promises the TV show made, not the least of which is the mystery of Kung Fu Christina Ricci.
Apparently I know very little about what makes a TV show succesful, since I loved this one so much and the TV exectutives hated it, putting every obstacle in it's path and cancelling it after I believe less than a season. They didn't even show the pilot first! Actually it makes perfect sense. I liked this, but the rest of the world did not (or was not given the opportunity to). While EVERY THING ELSE ON TV, i.e. the things the TV executives approved, I'm pretty sure is squid vomit.
I liked 6 Feet Under. But yeah, you've got your Muppets, your Firefly, your Alan Ball HBO series. . . . and your squid vomit.
Otherwise, 'twas a damn peaceful weekend. Snow and cavedwelling Hults dogs. Leaving the cave only for sustenance hunting & gathering. Knitting, reading, crossing things off of Lux's to-do list. I hope y'all had good weekends out in the blogosphere :)
posted by Chris at
9:22 PM
7 Comments:
Oh yes! Firefly does rock amazingly:-) Such cool characters, such wonderful dialogue:-)
But then, I'm _such_ a fangirl!
Welcome to the world of Joss. I think the network execs were getting a little concerned about Whedons influence at the time Firefly came out on TV. Remember, it was his third TV series on the air, and the other two, Buffy and Angel, were doing very well. He keeps busy. He even did a comic book set in the Buffy mythos but 400 years in the future. It was an excellent graphic novel, expecially for someone that has not been in that industry. The foreword is worth reading on its own.
Can you tell my coat is more than a little brown?
*grin*
If you wouldn't have gotten Firefly for that low of a price, I would have been very, very disappointed in you. And if you wouldn't have loved it as much as you do, I just might have had to take away your so-cool-you-can-hang-with-Poppins-and-I rights. Possibly forever.
Glad you found it, and even more glad you loved it! I own Serenity, but not Firefly. Some day, when I'm getting paid to be busy all day, instead of paying, I'll get it.
Watch it a few more times for me, eh?
At Target this morning, I saw they'd restocked the DVD sets. For a fleeting unspoken moment I fantasized that if I bought ANOTHER DVD set, there might somehow be something more or different on it. Like baseball cards? The more you buy the more variety you get? Is that crazy?
yes thats crazy.
btw, does not the local dialect prefer y'unz to y'all?
j
You are correct, Dr. J, I stand corrected. While I have been using the more correct "Gob" lately I have yet to fully integrate "yins" into my repetoire. For the uninitiated it is the PA version of "y'all".
"Will yins still be here after the races? Or yins going to Dennys. . . "
while i am saddened that you haven't posted any more muppet bits to relieve my moving-and-school stress, the fact that i can come here and see a picture of Firefly makes me happy.
hope things are well!
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