It will never truly die. My thoughts having watched 'Firefly'.

POSTED BY: NervousPete
UPDATED: Friday, April 30, 2004 21:02
VIEWED: 7891
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NERVOUSPETE

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 7:52 PM

My feelings on Firefly.

I finished the episode 'Objects In Space' three hours ago. The time since then has been
spent in coming to terms with our parting of ways. I have cooked a very nice pasta and
sausage bake and have drunk half a bottle of wine into the bargain. I sit here and wonder
what I can say to you all. I wonder how I can express me feelings. I didn't want it to end.
Even as I watched, I never really thought that it could end. I believe that I still don't think
that it really has. There's always time for more stories...

There have only ever been two stories that I have been terribly grieved to have ended.
Before I saw Firefly, it was a comic book series called 'The Sandman' that ran for 75
issues. It ended because the creator and writer - Neil Gaiman - came to the natural end of
his story. That story ended in death, but a death that made everything that was said in the
series true and precious. The characters remaining had lives of their own, and sometimes I
wish that I could have walked with them further. But a part of me was glad that it was
over too, over at such a perfect moment before it could run on and fall into ruin. The story
and its characters stay with me still, and I am well satisfied that the man got to say
everything he needed to say. Read it if you can, 'The Sandman' by Neil Gaiman. It is very
special.

Firefly hurt me. It hurt me badly. It was like leaving the best party of your life early for the
last bus, because you can't afford the taxi. But worse. It was like having the beginning of a
beautiful story read to you, and then the reader closing their book and walking away. And
as they walked away, they tugged upon the spirits of the characters who danced before
your eyes, dragging them away from you at a moment when you felt like you were really
becoming to know them and love them. Mal, Zoe, Wash, Kaylee, Jayne, Simon, River,
Inara, Book... Serenity... they are friends and a home taken away from me. I know that
this sounds like pitiful stuff, an excess of enthusiasm... but it hurts. There is pain enough,
and the joy I had with them is enough to make it sting even more. These characters still
alive, make no mistake; they are not dead. They are merely out of sight and out of
hearing... but not out of mind. We will all have our stories to tell of them, because they
will continue to fight and play and love and hurt in our minds. Each one of us will visit
them in moments of idle thoughts and lucky dreams, and we will bring stories and
anecdotes home for others.

Look to them. They still eat in their kitchen. They sit there now, squabbling over the last
drops of wine. Simon abstains, medical book open in front of him - he has notes to take
for further study later. Kaylee thinks that the wine tastes like engine grease, and when
Jayne makes a joke of it, she retorts that she likes the taste of engine grease. The place
erupts, and Zoe finds an excuse to tell a war story - something light with hidden depths -
as Wash leans his head on her shoulder and feels warm. Mal turns the bottle with his hand
and sees the reflection of each crew member in the glass as he does so. Book quotes a
verse and knocks his glass over reaching for the bread, spilling his share upon Jayne, who
looks angry for just a moment, but - fuelled as he is - begins to suck upon his vest, getting
the wine out of it. His friends laugh still harder. The hurt and the arguments traded, they
matter not now, not around this table. River smiles nervously and Inara eyes her with
compassion, passing her a plum. Simon damns the notes and reaches for a glass, to a
ragged huzzah from everyone. And Mal keeps looking into that bottle and sees not the
escape he craved in the dark times of battle and the terrible waiting, but the reflection of
friends and his deep abiding love... Serenity, that shell of steel, ceramic and plastic that
protects and nurtures him and his crew in return for their love. Our love. Our love for
Serenity. Our love for Firefly.

You see? They still live within us. Firefly

JOHNCLARK

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:07 PM

You said it all

We'll always have Serenity

---------------------------------------------
Experience has taught me that interest begets expectation, and expectation begets disappointment, so the key to avoiding disappointment is to avoid interest. A=B=C=A, or whatever

JERSEYBROWNCOAT

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:08 PM

Amen, brother.

I was speechless the first time I finished the set; you put it all in words.

LYRYN

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:17 PM

Beautiful.

Lyryn

ANOTHERFIREFLYFAN

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:40 PM

When you spoke that, you spoke to every browncoat. We all feel that way.

Firefly must come back.

For now, we do have Serenity, the movie coming out in a year or so from Universal. But that'll be like getting just one more episode. (And one that takes much longer than a week of waiting to get).

~AFf

Keep flying

KNIBBLET

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by NervousPete:
...Neil Gaiman. It is very special.

ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman is worth the effort. I adore his work. Have you read, "American Gods"? If ever you feel the need to go to the House on the Rock, give me a ring and I'll drive the 120 miles to meet you.

We can even have our own Spanish Inquisition. Ole!

Thank you, Nervous Pete. You have a gift for expression. Always share your gift with your fellow browncoats. The image of Jayne sucking the wine out of his t-shirt made me smile.

"Just keep walkin, preacher man."

GUNHAND

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 8:57 PM

Pete, if I may call ya Pete. That was very, very good. Made me a bit misty even.

I'd say more but words are pretty much failing me right now. So gonna pop in a Firefly DVD and just smile some.

"Pain is scary..."

HOWDYROCKERBABY1

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 9:05 PM

Wow... that was wonderfully written!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Here's to Jayne, the box dropping man-ape-gone-wrong-thing"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

SEVENPERCENT

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 10:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:

ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman is worth the effort. I adore his work. Have you read, "American Gods"? If ever you feel the need to go to the House on the Rock, give me a ring and I'll drive the 120 miles to meet you.

Knib, any time you want to go, you just call Ol' Seven- Gaiman is fantastic- His work with Terry Pratchett on the book 'Good Omens' is how I found out about him (huge TP fan here), and I've read all his work- American Gods is by far his best-

------------------------------------------
He looked bigger when I couldn't see him.

ALTA

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 10:27 PM

I've been perusing this site for a while now, so Ithought I should finally post something.
Your words reflect the feelings of Browncoats everywhere, much more eloquently than I ever could.
My brother has had the DVDs since December & refuses to watch HOG because he says that way, there will always be one episode left, & the series will not be over.

There's no place I can be
Since I found Serenity

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