Firefly vs. Buffy

POSTED BY: spaceshiplover
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 11:44
VIEWED: 12324
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SPACESHIPLOVER

Thursday, February 16, 2006 2:26 PM

Well, My family has moved on from Firefly to Buffy. My wife and three of my kids are on a Buffy trip. I, personally still love Firefly. I do not like the witchcraft thing that is so prevelant in Buffy, (especially as the seasons progress). Also, I am a nut for SpaceShips, so, there ya go.

Trying to be impartial, though, I still think Firefly is a better show. It has much better character interplay/development, and the humor is more mature/subtle. I realize the subject matter for Buffy is highschoolers, but still, the humor in Firefly is on a higher plane (no pun intended).

How Buffy can go, what is it, seven seasons, with a spinoff in Angel, even, and they cancel Firefly after just 14 episodes will never cease to amaze me.

But what do YOU think???

MRBEN

Thursday, February 16, 2006 2:58 PM

I really liked the first Buffy series, but didn't really see a huge amount after that - some bits and pieces, but not consistent.

I also prefer Firefly overall, and I reckon it has much more potential for the future in terms of character and world development.

mrben

"Carpe Aptenodytes"
http://www.jedimoose.org

SPACESHIPLOVER

Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:23 PM

I agree. The potential in Firefly is vastly superior to Buffy. Also, as the seasons progressed, I think the quality of Buffy has gone downhill.
(no disparaging meant to Joss, but how long can you carry the 'teenager' turned vampire killer)?

The character development in Firefly, while it had fewer shows to do it in, is actually more developed than is Buffy. (IMHO). I think, overall, the show is more erudite and has more substance.
Besides, it also has SPACESHIPS!!!

GORRAMREAVERS

Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:31 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mrben:
I really liked the first Buffy series, but didn't really see a huge amount after that - some bits and pieces, but not consistent.

I also prefer Firefly overall, and I reckon it has much more potential for the future in terms of character and world development.

mrben

"Carpe Aptenodytes"
http://www.jedimoose.org

The first buffy series? Do you mean the first season?

I think Firefly had the potential to be better than Buffy if it was given 5-7 seasons on TV but it didnt. So it isnt.

"..it is my very favorite gun."

AGENTROUKA

Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:34 PM

I loosely followed Buffy and Angel while it was on, and while I liked it, it never blew me away.

Firefly, on the other hand grabbed me like a Reaver harpoon. It's more mature and has a tighter focus, deals with adults, is less melodramatic.

Is about humans, less than superheroes.

Plus, I like the more advanced philosophical approach, the shape of the 'verse than Whedon thought up with this show, the big questions that it asks about humanity as a whole.

The questions asked in Buffy just never applied to me or how I see the world. All that "Chosen one" business.. not to my taste.

But I couldn't say which show is objectively better. Buffy did have some very powerful themes and character relationships. Just not ones I personally cared for.

SPACESHIPLOVER

Thursday, February 16, 2006 3:52 PM

Yes, and no as well. Let me 'splain' , no let me sum up, it's quicker (a slight homage to Princess Bride)
I agree with you that the issues dealt with on Firefly are of greater import. And, as such, one could make the argument that they are 'better' (although I will allow that the term 'better' is subjective, and not objective).

The mere fact that the show does not center around adolescents should make the argument that the issues dealt with are of a greater significance (no disrespect to teenagers meant, as I have five of them).

And the characters on Firefly are much more enjoyable. The 'verse is much more plausable.
Besides, I don't remember my high school years being as dangerous. Wow, so many dead people. Of course, I didn't go to school over a 'hellmouth'. But one could argue that all of California is a 'hellmouth' (just kidding, folks. don't get the torches and pitchforks out)

ASARIAN

Thursday, February 16, 2006 4:04 PM

I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can. :) FireFly beats Buffy, hands down; and feet. After seeing River, erm, I mean FireFly, Buffy looks like an idiot child. But, in Buffy's defense, so does every other show.

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

PARKER6097

Thursday, February 16, 2006 10:17 PM

They're two very different shows, hard to compare them. I'm sitting here trying to pick a favorite and I just can't, everything made by joss is just of an equal level of awesomeness.

Why firefly didn't attract the neccessary fanbase to stay on the air is really beyond me, personally I think it was the advertising of the show, I didn't even hear about it until it was off the air. Because how anyone could have watched that show and not supported it when it was originally on is something that just baffles me.

GAMMARAYGIRL

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 12:52 PM

I've never seen Buffy, and have only the most general idea what it is about. I definitely prefer sci-fi to fantasy, and even with the sci-fi, I like storylines that are somewhat plausible. What I love about Firefly is the feeling that the events could actually happen. (And that combined with Captain Tightpants makes for one mighty fine show :smile.)

I plan on renting episodes of Buffy sometime soon because, well, I can't imagine Joss Whedon making anything not worth seeing.

That being said, Firefly got to me in a big way. It's very hard for me to imagine that Buffy is better (sorry!)

gammaraygirl

JONATHAN

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:12 PM

I was a fan of Buffy (from the very first episode) when it was on the air, but I didn't really "get" the show until I started watching re-runs on FX. That's when I became a HUGE fan of the show. To really understand Buffy (and Angel) you NEED to carefully watch every second of every episode - and watch every episode more than once. Just casually viewing an episode once in awhile won't do it. The shows are, similar to Firefly, very complex and detailed in a way that no other tv shows ever were.

I think the main difference between Firefly and Buffy/Angel is that Firefly is self-contained. The whole 'verse is right there on the screen for you to see. With Buffy/Angel, to really "get" the show, you need to know a lot of cultural references from the real world outside the show. Many of these references are not obvious and some are both complex and uncommon.

Personally, I love both shows and, for all their Jossian similarities, I don't think they can be compared directly because they are so very different. Plus, as someone said above, Firefly barely got started and Buffy/Angel ran for eight seasons. Comparing something that consists of 14 episodes and one movie to another made up of 254 episodes doesn't really make sense. What I will say is that BOTH 'verses were better than anything else on tv before or since (which isn't to say that Veronica Mars and Galactica aren't good - they are - just not AS good as Joss' shows).

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