One chance - where should you start?

POSTED BY: KittyKat
UPDATED: Friday, March 25, 2005 14:35
VIEWED: 11635
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MIKEYMO

Thursday, February 3, 2005 4:38 PM

I damn near posted this same question the other day, due to a similar experience. A good friend of mine was a bit hesitant to see the show, and seemed unimpressed with the pilot. I guess he thought it was a bit slow (dumbass). So, he kind of whined when I tried to get him to watch another episode. Figuring that Train Job or Bushwacked wouldn't really pull him in, I went with Our Mrs. Reynolds. He laughed hysterically almost the entire episode and is now borrowing the rest of the DVDs. Score!

I guess my advice on this depends on the person you're trying to initiate. If you have some kind of pull with this person at all, I'd suggest starting with the pilot. Some people (myself and most the rest of you included) immediately fall in love with the show. For those who don't, follow it up with OMR (especially for comedy lovers). My buddy seemed to appreciate the pilot retroactively.

No pull? I suppose the Train Job would be a good choice, especially for action-movie people.

"Be ashamed to die before you have scored some victory for humanity." -- Horace Mann

P1NKISPUNK

Sunday, February 6, 2005 11:09 PM

I found the pilot difficult to love on first viewing - because it felt like I was missing something. Like something was being communicated but my Angel and Buffy addled brain wouldn't switch to Firefly - something completely different from anything I've ever seen.

However I was strangely hooked - even though somewhat bewildered about what I wasn't picking up on and it suddenly all came together on 'Our Mrs. Reynolds' - which though was a great comedy really seems to demonstrate what Firefly and it's people were about, without a very complicated B-Story to pick up on.

From then on I was no longer just fascinated or slightly outsmarted I was completely in love - and my twin brother felt exactly the same way.

THIEFJEHAT

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 9:35 PM

I maintain that the pilot episode is best. I have converted several people now and all admitted that the pilot was the best way to draw them in. It's a work of art.

I have observed my converts as they watch and there is always confusion for the 1st time viewer when the Battle of Serenity Valley plays. But once the salvage mission is underway and Wash starts playing with his toys, their eyes are always glued. The engaging moments for a newbie are usually the salvage mission, the standoff with Badger, the "girl in the Box", the Reaver flyby, the shootout with Patience, and the flight from the reavers.

For the 1st time viewer you must be cautious about throwing too much dialogue around because the viewer isn't going to get it and may become bored. The Badger standoff is a good example of how to correctly insert plot dialogue into a desperate moment. When you add up all the other great engaging moments in the pilot it would be hard for any passing sci-fi viewer to not be hooked. It'd be like a hungry 7-year-old turning down McDonalds.(at least 7-year-olds I've seen)

Starting with any other episode can have merits of comedy or engaging dialogue or whatnot, but invariably a plot continuity issue will arise that can create confusion.

So I say...start at the beginning!

BELASERA

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 11:27 PM

I recently bought this DVD for my cousin's husband, for his birthday. He and another cousin there had never heard of it, his wife had only heard of it from me, so after the party I talked everyone into watching it together. Of course, we started with the pilot.
It was the most horrifying, nerve wracking two hours ever...man, that pilot feels long when you're on pins and needles, and watching people's faces more than the screen.
There had been some guffaws at the opening credits, some exclemations of 'Horses? Six shooters?' and I knew my good taste was being doubted. But by the time that reaver attack rolled around, it had been dead silence for an hour, and these are not naturally silent people!
So yeah, the pilot did the job on my sci-fi lovin', chinese speakin' cousins, but it is still a very long time to wait to hear these words-
'I need to find this Joss Whedon....cause he made the best show ever!'
Whew!

"I'll be in my bunk."

BELASERA

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 11:32 PM

Oh, and what I failed to mention is this....the last movie I made these cousins watch was 'Dr.Jeckyl and Mr.Hyde' starring Adam Baldwin. For those that don't know, this is a kung-fu version. Oh, it is soooo bad.
So I was comin' in with FIrefly after that, and of course upon sight of Jayne, my cousin exclaimed, 'Hey, It's that guy from Jeckyl and Hyde!'
That took some explaining...

"I'll be in my bunk."

THIEFJEHAT

Wednesday, February 9, 2005 9:29 PM

I guess, honestly, the answer is "Show whatever it takes to get this person hooked" If you know them then you'll know what catches their eye. For most people I'll still show the pilot. But if I have...say...a highly philosophical friend..I might skip to OIS. If they're a fan of action, or a shadowrun player I'd show them Ariel. If they like dark horror ALA DOOM 3 or the movie Event Horizon I'd show them bushwacked. In the case of my wife who's a girly girl I'd show Shindig because of the dance ball and the dueling over honor.

The most important thing is to do whatever it takes to get them hooked! You'll know that you were a successful Joss Whedon missionary when the person you converted converts someone on their own. It's a great feeling! I always have a copy of firefly ready to hand out. Twice now I've given a personal copy away and just as quickly replaced it.

HEB

Wednesday, February 9, 2005 10:02 PM

I can't remember who told me this formula (it might have been Zoid) (apoligies to whoever I'm not giving credit to) but it has worked so far.

1 Serenity (you'll never get that back if you don't watch it first cause the Simon/River and Kaylee not dying revelations will be lost)

2 Out of Gas (doesn't have spoilers for earlier episodes and doesn't require previous knowledge other than the pilot)

3a Our Mrs Reynolds if they're male

or 3b The message if they're female

Personally I tend towards Our Mrs Reynolds for anyone because it's one of my favourites and sets up Trash with the naked Mal if they're female anyway.

Then I'd fill in the gaps depending on your audience, probably starting with the Train job and a couple more of the early ones. Making sure Ariel was before Trash, War Stories was before Objects in Space, and preferably Ariel before War stories and Heart of Gold before OIS.

This formula is for if you have their attention for a limited time only, otherwise I'd show them in order.

...................
Well, my sister's a ship... we had a
complicated childhood
.................
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

XENOCIDE

Wednesday, February 9, 2005 10:24 PM

Serenity. Unless the convert hates westerns...cause it's the most western of them all. Get them hooked on the characters, then ease them into the concept if they hate westerns.

-Eli

If voting mattered, they'd make it illegal.
http://www.bcpl.net/~wilsonr/farpoint.html

YT

Saturday, February 12, 2005 7:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by KittyKat:
what episode would you start someone off on,

It seems that almost 2/3 of the preceding posters to this thread agree with FOX network programming execs, that the pilot is not good enough to start the series.

Keep the Shiny Side Up

Wutzon: Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery", from "Surfacing"

BARNEYT

Monday, February 14, 2005 9:33 AM

My vote's for Serenity too. My favourite episodes are out of gas and was stories, but you need to know the characters to get the most out of those episodes.

Serenity has everything in it: Badger, the Alliance, the great face-off between Mal and Simon over Kaylee, Reavers...

---
"I think the right place to start is to say, fair is fair. This is who we are. These are our numbers." Mr Willis of Ohio - The West Wing

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