Dumbest thing in FF/Serenity...

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Monday, June 2, 2008 18:08
VIEWED: 23001
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SPACEANJL

Thursday, May 15, 2008 2:01 PM

Everyone else was the ordinary, and it was their response to being swept up with the non-ordinary that was the story.

Again, it would have been better to see it over time, because the big 'superhero powers' mcguffin was a bit crude. But you really have a small ship, with a couple of folk on it who have some larger history (Mal and Zoe have records as 'war criminals'), but basically just another small transport concern with shady contacts. The big story is that they just happened to be parked up where a couple of fugutives needed a ride.

The idea really begins to unravel when folk start imputing big secrets to Book and Inara as well. That's where the storylines lose all credibility.

KNIGHTREYEDER

Thursday, May 15, 2008 4:19 PM

Ok, here goes.

Mr. Universe worked fine. Nothing wrong with introducing newness in Serenity, hell, how can we know everything when there were only 13 episodes and a pilot? Plenty of room for the unusual.

The real thing that bugs me doesn't really make Firefly flawed, it's an inconsistency with Serenity. Unless I understand it wrong, Simon paid people to smuggle Summer out of where she was held (in cryo, remember?) and sent her to him. In Serenity he did it himself. That has always bugged me.

While we're on about things that are annoying. I love Firefly but the BDH thing, how Mal is supposed to have this big serious warrior rep (i.e. I start fighting a war, I guarantee you'll see something new) amongst other occurances, and yet he's this corny boyish hotdog in Zoe's battle recollections in The Message. Doesn't go with the rep very well and just made for a dorky humor moment. I'd have much preferred Mal's rep was supported with stuff like how bad he was in battle like when he manned the twin 50's in the pilot, or how 'maybe' he killed a whole squad hand to hand or something similar.

I need to rant once more. Inara's crying in Heart of Gold, what about that crap? Morena is a very capable actress and a very subtle quiet scene in her room with a dejected look and a single tear would have impressed me a lot more than that little girl moment that completely shoots down her companion training and experience. That's not a dig at her character or her acting, it's the writing I'm displeased with.

Having said all this stuff, I find way more flaws with other movies and series I watch, Firefly still has my vote as the GREATEST ever. Just needed that to go on record so as not to be misunderstood.

_________________________________________________
Mal's expression in the scrapyard when he first see's Serenity says it all.

DAVESHAYNE

Thursday, May 15, 2008 4:53 PM

In character: Not telling Tracy the plan. Seriously all Mal has to do is say, "We're not turning you over to the Feds" and Wash doesn't get shot, Kaylee doesn't get taken hostage, and Tracy gets a chance to maybe learn a lesson and move on.

Out of character: The trash bin from Trash. The way they present it it looks like they send this huge dumpster off to the landfill every time somebody drops a half empty bag of crap down the chute. And why would the guidance be in the bin instead of the drone?

David

'Geeks can't admit that anything worthwhile was invented before 1981. Soon, "making cocoa" will be called "milk hacking."' - Lore Sjoberg

http://xkcd.com/386/

I has myspace - http://www.myspace.com/daveshayneforpresident

JONGSSTRAW

Thursday, May 15, 2008 5:03 PM

Lot's of dumb things in Firefly verse...not that any of them bother me enough to not love the show, but just some dumb things :

ARIEL :
Mal & Zoe attempt to use their forged ID cards with their thumbprints to gain access to the store room with all the drugs...but they don't work. So Mal takes the unconscious doctor's ID card, and with his own thumb gets in. I thought they should have dragged the doc to the sensor and used his thumb.

There just happened to be an un-attended and charged de-fib machine handy for Zoe to zap the obnoxious doc with? How convenient!

Hands of Blue guys kill an entire squad of Allliance officers...and there is no problem with that?

SAFE :

Mrs. Tam's staunch refusal to even accept the possibilty of her daughter being in danger & her naive assurrance that everything will be alright in a few months is a bit unbelieveable for me.

BDM :

Mal's shooting of the Alliance pilot who was trying to surrender was nothing but murder...didn't sit well with me...yes he killed Book and all the others, but he was trying to surrender.

How could the Operative have known all of the BDH's hideouts in such a short time? Seems a bit hard to believe for me.

Mr Universe : first wave ..ok I believe....second wave, when he was luring Mal in for the Operative I don't believe..he seemed just a bit too eager to please, and Mal's instict would have smelled it.

SHINDIG :
Boy that Mal & Kaylee can sure get around quickly! In the time Inara was dancing with Wing...Mal took Kaylee to get that dress, got a "suit" himself, dressed, shaved, showered(?) and then arrived in the ballroom while Inara was still dancing.

The young guy who was standing there when Kaylee came up and said " Don't you just love them?....bits of wrapping paper...." I thought she was sweet & charming...but that twit said nothing, just bowed and walked away...how rude! Like he had something better than Kaylee waiting for him? He was alone throughout the entire scene...maybe he was checking out the guys.

JAYNESTOWN :

Magistrate Higgins : now that's one screwed-up-in-the-head dude!
Was upset that he couldn't watch his son get laid? Yikes!

Stitch should have shot him and the prod foreman right on the spot the minute he got the shotgun.
I would have if someone had kept me in a 5X5 box for 4 years.

NBZ

Thursday, May 15, 2008 5:56 PM

Quote:
Mr Universe : first wave ..ok I believe....second wave, when he was luring Mal in for the Operative I don't believe..he seemed just a bit too eager to please, and Mal's instinct would have smelled it.

He did. Hence he got the reavers involved. (Let's face it, the whole scenario was contrived - Joss wanted a big space battle and the film needed a conclusion. Mr Universe popped out of nowhere. I still enjoyed it very much.)

Most of the things on that list, I actually liked. Thought they added character (except for timing stuff). They did not seem "dumb", overlooked to me, rather well thought out.

As for shindig, I guess there is probably some sort of servant's etiquette to follow. (you hear of celeb's who do not want the paid labour to be in the same room as them... and these are supposed to be the super rich.)

(I liked Mal murdering that soldier - it showed that Mal is not a "hero". He does questionable things, has questionable morals. When he gets too much into a situation he wants to do the right thing, but I would suggest that is not the norm.)

BIGDAMNNOBODY

Thursday, May 15, 2008 8:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Stitch should have shot him and the prod foreman right on the spot the minute he got the shotgun.
I would have if someone had kept me in a 5X5 box for 4 years.

Yeah, that has always struck me as kinda odd as well.

BIGRICHARD

Thursday, May 15, 2008 11:31 PM

ARIEL:
Always confused me as well, though I guess it could be explained by saying that the thumbprint is simply logged, not some form of login? Though then, wouldn't Mal's thumbprints be on the system as a Thief/War Criminal?
Perhaps his thumbprint was put in the system with the ID card, but the ID card wasn't given adequate access, and thus he used the doctors, but his own thumbprint worked.

As for the HOB guys, I assumed they were some high level of Government/Blue Sun, and so they had all sorts of clearance, so that never bothered me so much.

SAFE :

River was away at a special school for the gifted, run by a government Mrs. Tam probably voted for, why would she have any reason to believe River was in trouble? She simply chose to believe in her government.

BDM :

I agree with the fact that Mal is a flawed character, and is meant to be questionable. He probably believes that the pilot isn't sorry for what he did, and so shouldn't be given another chance. Let's not forget that Mal saw some terrible things in the war, so he probably has little sympathy for anyone in the Alliance.

SHINDIG :
Pretty sure that was just manipulated timing, I don't think Mal ACTUALLY told Kaylee about it all at the same time Inara was dancing. Just because it cuts to that scene while they dance, it doesn't mean it's simultaneous, just means that you find out that Mal and Kaylee are going to the ball, when you're meant to.

That would be because he's a servant, and most of the people at the party would expect him not to talk to them, and would probably be angry and cruel if he did. Just think of those girls that Kaylee started talking to, imagine if the SERVANT talked to them.

JAYNESTOWN :

Pretty sure Magistrate Higgins was just making sure his son "turned into a man", he didn't want to watch, he just wanted to make sure that Inara just skipped all her Companion stuff and slept with him. Basically, he wanted a prostitute rather than a Companion.

yeah, i have too much time on my hands clearly, and most people probably thought some of that was obvious, but I'm at uni and I'm kinda bored, so yeah....

"Never f$@% with a browncoat dude...." - Kevin Smith

CHARLIEBZ

Thursday, May 15, 2008 11:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BigRichard:

That would be because he's a servant, and most of the people at the party would expect him not to talk to them, and would probably be angry and cruel if he did. Just think of those girls that Kaylee started talking to, imagine if the SERVANT talked to them.

I got the impression that he took one look at Kaylee's store bought dress and skeedadled. He struck me as slightly more polite than the girls in that he didn't verbally insult her but acted gentlemanly by bowing and walking away.

It could also be that Persephone society discourages talking to someone you haven't been properly introduced to. This would be keeping in tune with the whole Jane Austen influence.

RIVERLOVE

Friday, May 16, 2008 12:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BigRichard:
ARIEL:
Always confused me as well, though I guess it could be explained by saying that the thumbprint is simply logged, not some form of login? Though then, wouldn't Mal's thumbprints be on the system as a Thief/War Criminal?
Perhaps his thumbprint was put in the system with the ID card, but the ID card wasn't given adequate access, and thus he used the doctors, but his own thumbprint worked.

As for the HOB guys, I assumed they were some high level of Government/Blue Sun, and so they had all sorts of clearance, so that never bothered me so much.

SAFE :

River was away at a special school for the gifted, run by a government Mrs. Tam probably voted for, why would she have any reason to believe River was in trouble? She simply chose to believe in her government.

BDM :

I agree with the fact that Mal is a flawed character, and is meant to be questionable. He probably believes that the pilot isn't sorry for what he did, and so shouldn't be given another chance. Let's not forget that Mal saw some terrible things in the war, so he probably has little sympathy for anyone in the Alliance.

SHINDIG :
Pretty sure that was just manipulated timing, I don't think Mal ACTUALLY told Kaylee about it all at the same time Inara was dancing. Just because it cuts to that scene while they dance, it doesn't mean it's simultaneous, just means that you find out that Mal and Kaylee are going to the ball, when you're meant to.

That would be because he's a servant, and most of the people at the party would expect him not to talk to them, and would probably be angry and cruel if he did. Just think of those girls that Kaylee started talking to, imagine if the SERVANT talked to them.

JAYNESTOWN :

Pretty sure Magistrate Higgins was just making sure his son "turned into a man", he didn't want to watch, he just wanted to make sure that Inara just skipped all her Companion stuff and slept with him. Basically, he wanted a prostitute rather than a Companion.

yeah, i have too much time on my hands clearly, and most people probably thought some of that was obvious, but I'm at uni and I'm kinda bored, so yeah....

"Never f$@% with a browncoat dude...." - Kevin Smith

Your explanations are terrific! I also think the comments that brought them forth, and the thread in general are great.

SPINEBITE

Friday, May 16, 2008 12:55 AM

The only thing that ever really bothered me was that Stitch had a loaded shotgun, and yet he didn't shoot the people who kept him in tiny box for years on end(Magistrate Higgins and the Foreman).

"Pain is scary."

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