Only the characters are saving this show
POSTED BY: UFO
UPDATED: Saturday, November 9, 2002 02:05
VIEWED: 13407
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I've watched every episode so far and I'm still watching. But I have to say with each episode I'm becoming more and more disappointed with the sci-fi side of the series. The characters are great, the dialogue is great, but the sci-fi is crap. JMO.
My wife shares my sentiment. At the end of Friday's episode my wife looks over at me and says "I love the characters...but I hate this western, cowboy sh*t."
I'll keep watching in hopes the characters are utilized better than they are now.
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You got a point.
The characters are certainly the driving element of the show, and I think its was definately intended that way. Believe me it is very aparent to me when I cant get a good wide-shot of the set because the actors are always so prominently framed in the shot.
I think your veiws of the sci-fi elements are of course your own opinion. I for one despise westerns, but I really dont see "western" so much as I see "country" or "rural" mixed in with the sci-fi. I was totally expecting to dislike the show soley for the fact it was western, but I have been pleasantly surprised and I like the sci-fi stuff very much. Every sci-fi has elements that are going to rub certain people the wrong way. And there are those who feel it nessesary to point out technical failures and improbabilities. I think Firefly has done well in squashing som sci-fi sterotypes that have been practically tradition and were in need of a good squahing. The noise in space issue, the magic food issue, the styrofoam planet issue are not there for people to complain about....not that there arnt other things.
I dont think I mind the show's western theme because it adds a familiar desperation to the characters' situation. It gives a setting that we are used to seeing people struggle in. It is certainly not as contrived as some other sci-fi westerns or even other sci-fi settings that have been very popular.
But heck, thats just my opinion. I can see how forcefeild bar-windows and holographic billiard balls can annoy people. And I definately concurr that the characters are the shows shining glory. Though I must say, from first hand experience, the set of Serenity is very cool.
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BTW, my wife said that to me when the show ended with them drinking wine looking down at a cargo hole full of cattle.
Anyhoo...I can live with the country/western theme IF they would spend an equal amount of time dealing with worlds on the more technology/civilized side as well. So far it's been 100% sticks, six shooters, covered wagons, cattle, and horses.
Mix it up a bit! ;)
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Guys, I think you're missing the point. Firefly is about space in the same sense that Buffy is about Vampires. By that I mean that they aren't. The shows are case studies in the human condition, set in extreme circumstances. If you want shallow scifi, with lasers for the sake of lasers, watch Star Trek.
I don't mean to be bitchy here, just stating facts.
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At first it's just a place, and then you start to make memories and then it's like... that's where Spike slept, and there... that's where Anya and I drowned the Separvo demon and right here, here's where my heart got all ripped out... I really hate this place
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Living Impaired, I so agree with you. The characters are much more important than the setting.
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Quote:
Originally posted by LivingImpaired:
Guys, I think you're missing the point. Firefly is about space in the same sense that Buffy is about Vampires. By that I mean that they aren't. The shows are case studies in the human condition, set in extreme circumstances. If you want shallow scifi, with lasers for the sake of lasers, watch Star Trek.
I don't mean to be bitchy here, just stating facts.
I, too, agree with you. It isn't science fiction, it's social fiction.
m.
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I agree with UFO and his wife. The western-theme doesn't really work for me. I don't want STAR TREK by any means, but somewhere in between would be nice. I also agree that the characters are the most important thing, which is why my favorite episodes so far have been "Bushwacked" and "Out of Gas." Both of these episodes basically gave us the crew of Serenity isolated and alone in space, where they had to interact strictly amongst themselves, which is when the show is at it's best, in my opinion. My biggest concern about the western-theme is that I'm afraid it will prevent the series from gaining a larger audience, which means we won't have FIREFLY in any form for much longer.
Doug
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While I agree that the characters are the most important part of the show, I don't think there is any lacking in the science fiction. I don't see the "Western" theme that so many of you are talking about. What I see is not "Western" but simply underdeveloped. I think many of you are making the extrapolation that it is "Western" when in fact is simply supposed to be underdeveloped.
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In the Dark Ages, Romano-Celtic Britannia was over-run by Viking-like cultures collectively called the Anglo-Saxons. They were led by warlords called Drytinns, and the greatest warriors among them were the Thegns.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Thegn:
While I agree that the characters are the most important part of the show, I don't think there is any lacking in the science fiction. I don't see the "Western" theme that so many of you are talking about. What I see is not "Western" but simply underdeveloped. I think many of you are making the extrapolation that it is "Western" when in fact is simply supposed to be underdeveloped.
I don't think you're looking at it deeply enough. The show is definitely a Western, and not just in the setting or mood, but in the characters, too. It's just about 9 people "lost in space" (pun definitely intended) trying to get by, just like the cowboy anti-heroes of traditional Westerns. Go watch "Stagecoach" or something.
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Wow. I really hope this thread doesn't turn into a "Everything Sci-Fi Fans vs. Joss Whedon Fans" battle....I support Joss all the way.
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