WOO HOO!!!! Seriously good review from VERY noteworthy source!!!

POSTED BY: Static
UPDATED: Monday, February 21, 2005 07:23
VIEWED: 33083
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ERICAMARSH

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 10:45 PM

Jewel,
I loved how well you portrayed Kaylee. She was the first character I truly fell in love with. I'm a recent Firefly convert, but as enthusiastic as any other. Kaylee is me, or at least how I see myself, or would see myself if I lived on Serenity. I'm working on an essay right now for the next Slayage conference themed "Whedonverse" centering around the series, especially The Message, and how it reflects/enhances Serenity. Can't wait to see the movie!

Erica

SONOFPERSEPHONE

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 11:58 PM

Dear Jewel:
You are the spirit of Serenity!!! There's a reason you can fix anything that goes wrong. You are the heart. I was given the series on DVD for Christmas by my best friend. I had seen a few episodes at her house, but was not really expecting to become addicted. I have seen the entire series now, and have shared it with my dad and my brothers. WE are all huge fans now. My dad's favorite episode is "shindig", he loves the ball scene with Kaylee. And my only regret about the series is that it is over. I am an actor, and have always dreamed of being on a sci-fi show, like Star Trek, etc. but now I know that my heart belongs to Serenity and to the wonderful cast of Firefly. PLease know that you are greatly loved by all your fans, and that the "smiling idiotically" remark was just a lack of understanding on the poor man's part. I think Kaylee is probably the most complex character on the show, next to River (for obvious reasons). Kaylee's innocence and sense of hope and eternal optimism exudes such a joy and warmth that makes the ship and the show such a familiar and welcoming place. So keep your chin up and here's to many movies, and a return to TV of the series!!!! And if you need a new shipmate, perhaps a new love interest if stuffy Simon doesn't wake up, I'm ready and willing to send Joss a headshot and resume. Thank you for the life you have breathed into Kaylee, and best wishes in all that you do.

Dylan Bradshaw

11THHOUR

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 12:12 AM

Hi Jewel,

Just let me add my voice to the chorus...

KAYLEE ROCKS!!!

As for the reviewer's choice of words regarding Kaylee's sunny nature... well, some folks will accept a sullen or surly character more easily than a buoyant one. Maybe it's because a naturally cheerful and sweet natured person is so very rare?

Yep.

Rare... like a jewel.

Susan

TRIBES

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 12:48 AM

Jewel
I have only one thing to say about Firefly,
Kaylee is my BDH.

Have been a Aircraft Mechanic/Engineering Flight Test Quality Assurance for over 35 years so I relate strongly to your character. As much as I appreciate OSC's review of Firefly, if he will not change the error in his judgement of Kaylee, I will find him and continuously pop a knot on his melon till he does.
Kinda like that chain of command saying...anyways
Attitude adjustments are sometimes necessary for clear thinking to be established. ;-)
My wife is a firm committed believer in this procedure.
* Counting knots on head*

Peace
Serenity

SNIPER

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 3:25 AM

I agree with SPG- I love Card's books, the Enders Game Series, or most of them, but I really can't stand his politics.

ZOID

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 4:07 AM

Dear Jewel,

I am hesitant to respond, due in part to a fellow Browncoat's reasonable argument that your comment to Ravenu was a personal response. I agree that posting in response to your comments to Ravenu is uncomfortably akin to butting into the conversation at the table next to yours at a restaurant.

But I'm too old and cantankerous to stand on facile propriety, in this regard. I loved your Kaylee.

If the only aspect of Kaylee was her sunniness and sweet nature, I can see how she might have been perceived as one-dimensional, perhaps a bit banal. But -- for me -- the counterpoint for the character was her somewhat saucy sexual nature. From the time she comes on board by having her way with Bender and taking his job... To the final scene of the final episode, in which she regales virginal River with a ribald tale of her statutory rape of the neighboring farmboy... Kaylee's sweet, sunny nature is kept from being naive, waifish by the counterpoint of her unself-conscious sexuality.

That diversity cannot have been easy to pull off as an actress, as believably as you delivered it. Mr. Card undoubtedly did not see every episode in the series, to have oversimplified Kaylee the way he did.

As far as the critical reviews are concerned, I suspect that you must by now realize that working with Joss is something of a double-edged sword. The nuances he brandishes with such flair -- and in his case that is not mixed metaphor, IMO -- are neither fully understood nor appreciated by many who prefer a more formulaic approach to storytelling. But regardless what they may say, I hope you'll trust Joss, trust your own instincts in the value of your work, and trust the fans' love of Firefly.

If you do read many of our posts hereabouts, then you undoubtedly know Kaylee is one of our favorite characters. That's a credit to the actress who portrayed her. Ultimately, would you rather have the fans' love and appreciation of your work, or the positive opinions of the critics? That's a question that every artist eventually faces. How you answer it defines your career...

Respectfully,

zoid

P.S.
My wife of 18 years is named Kayley, so your Firefly character is magical for me in more than one respect. Be happy, and enjoy the wondrous ride you are on. I think someday you'll look back on your life and regard your Firefly experience as a positive and happy one. The attendant critical commentary will be inconsequential at that remove.
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

YT

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 9:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ravenu:
Quote:
Originally posted by Static:
Orson Scott Card
Quote:

The actors are wonderful, though a couple of characters can be annoying, especcially at first (couldn't Jewel Staite have occasionally stopped smiling idiotically during the early episodes?).

Wow, I don't think he got Jewel's character at all -

You picked on one sentence out of a glowing revue, and it bears a characteristic so familiar that I suspect it may be taught in Professional Criticism 101. Most reviewers (@least those with less confidence than Roger Ebert) seem reticent to sound like a fanboy (reasonable, after all, newspapers can get those reviews for free). So they find a way to weave a small negative into a positive review (or vice versa). Personally, I would've picked on the oldest guy, rather than the youngest chick, but the part about "during the early episodes" minimizes the negativity toward the series as a whole.

And picking on one of the best performances on the show means the reviewer is unlikely to disappoint anyone. Had you or I found the show based on that review, we'd be feeling great about following his recommendation, 'cause we love even the part he found annoying.

Keep the Shiny Side Up

Wutzon: Steve Winwood, "Higher Love", from "Back In the High Life Again"

AEROB1033

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 10:58 AM

In defense of Orson Scott Card...

I've spent a little time with the man, and I've read his novels, political commentaries, and reviews consistently for the last couple of years. And to hear people compare him to someone like Howard Stern is absolutely appalling to me.

Whether you agree with all of his political standpoints or not, Orson Scott Card is a man with strong moral values and who cares very much about his family. How can *anyone* who fits that description be compared to an amoral, nasty guy like Stern?

I'm shocked to see so much criticism of Card himself, and that's why I'm posting on a forum I've only ever lurked on before. Most people, if they dislike him, do so because of his political viewpoints... but if you're so willing to automatically judge a man's worth entirely based on whether he's liberal or conservative, then I'll chalk you off as a bigoted, judgmental person who can't see beyond his politics.

Even worse is to post smears about someone you know nothing about. Shame on you if you'd take only the scant information in this thread and extrapolate it into a complex argument against the worth of a person.

As for his review of Firefly... predictably, a lot of people here are shocked that he could have any criticism for the show or be unclear on why it was cancelled. What you don't seem to realize is that for him, as for most people, Firefly is not a religion. It's just another story. A good one, but he's seen (and written) many good stories over the years. It doesn't have the same overriding personal significance for him that it does for most people on these forums.

So when he criticizes some element of the show, he's simply pointing out something he noticed and disliked when he was watching it. And when he attributes Firefly's cancellation to a cause which was far from the most important, it's because he didn't spend hours upon hours reading about Firefly the way Browncoats do.

Be glad that he wrote an overwhelmingly positive review about the show. It'll bring in more fans, which means Serenity will sell more tickets, and we'll be one step closer to sequels.

And don't judge a man's worth based on his political viewpoints alone. Or on one criticism of one element of Firefly that you disagree with.

MANGAMANIAC

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 4:18 PM

Hear hear, AeroB. In addition to the dozens of favorite novels OSC has given me over the years, he loves my favorite TV show of recent years. Heck, give the man a see-gar.

I, too, have sometimes disagreed with the (perfectly legitimate if occasionally misguided) opinions he states in his columns. But just as often, he's made me consider an issue in a new way, and I've had my understanding of and opinions on several issues modified by his writing. After all, isn't that the point of public debate?

So even if he's not as big a fan of Kaylee and/or Jewel as I am, I think the several somewhat vehement attacks on him I've seen in this thread are a bit of the pot calling the kettle black.

B
-----
"America has invested her religion as well as her morality in sound income-paying securities. She has adopted the unassailable position of a nation blessed because it deserves to be blessed; and her sons, whatever other theologies they may affect or disregard, subscribe unreservedly to this national creed."
- Agnes Repplier, "Times and Tendencies"

MALSMOJO

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 5:33 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AeroB1033:
to hear people compare him to someone like Howard Stern is absolutely appalling to me.

Whether you agree with all of his political standpoints or not, Orson Scott Card is a man with strong moral values and who cares very much about his family. How can *anyone* who fits that description be compared to an amoral, nasty guy like Stern?

Yes, I'm sure Stern hates his family, clubs baby seals and eats small children for lunch. Nothing beats strong upstanding folk like OSC for instilling strong moral values like criticizing people for their sexual orientation and denying them their basic human rights. Values, indeed.

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