TV: Firefly

This show has been cancelled for over a year now. So why even bother to write about it?

1) It is finally in syndication on the Sci-Fi Network.
2) The film version/follow-up, Serenity, is due out next month.
3) You can buy the entire series on DVD whenever you want.
4) It might be the best TV show I have ever seen.

Well, point 4 might be a bit of a stretch. It would be difficult for any show, in just 14 episodes, to overtake the 7 years of genius displayed in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Yes, I have a bit of a Joss Whedon hard-on.) However, I do think it is safe to say that had Whedon been given a chance to continue with Firefly for a second season, it would have become a phenomenon beyond what Battlestar Galactica has been able to muster.

The success of Firefly begins with its unbelievably talented ensemble cast. Director/producer/writer Whedon has said that it was his intention to create a self-sustaining family on the spaceship, to enable him to tell compelling stories without a need to land on some weird planet to do so, and he succeeded admirably. Having 9 actors, each of whom is capable of stealing an entire episode, is simply amazing.

Secondly, there are a lot of backstory decisions made here that should delight sci-fi fans. Most notably in my eyes, NOTHING MAKES NOISE IN SPACE! When ships take off, it is silent. When there are collisions, they are silent. I think Whedon might be one of the first directors to capitalize on using space's silence to create a vulnerability of the people on board. It reminds me at times of Wolfgang Peterson's Das Boot, seeing a crew become a family in very close quarters. It is also nice to see people use guns with bullets instead of the typical laser exclusivity we have gotten used to in similar series. There are very few aliens; everyone seems to be at least mildly fluent in Chinese; prostitutes are among the societal elite... so many things to love here.

This reminds me of the role-playing game that every geek wishes they were a part of. Nine people, playing whatever characters they want (pilot, ex-military, priest, mercenary, hot mechanic, crazy psychic with troubled past, whatever) on a smuggling ship with new adventures to tackle every week. When Serenity comes out next month, you are going to be amazed at how good it is. And then you will be disappointed that it answered questions that you didn't know you had, because you never happened to see the show. Do yourself a favor: watch as much Firefly as you can between now and then. Begin to know and love these characters and this spaceship. And then bring as many people to Serenity as you can. Who knows? Maybe we can get the movie enough business to put the show back on the air.

Categories: TV