I'm Just Joss-ing with You

I think I have a slight man-crush.

Joss Whedon (the aforementioned creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), wrote the greatest science fiction television show ever made, and I love him for it.

Unfortunately, for us and for him, it was aired on Fox, and like so many good shows, it went there to die (Family Guy, Futurama, Keen Eddie).

Firefly was about an odd group on a smuggling spaceship. The captain, Mal, is the thief-with-a-heart-of-gold (Are you thinking Han Solo? Me too). He's a former war hero who found himself on the wrong side of the victors. His first mate, Zoe, was his comrade-in-arms during the war, and is married to Wash, the pilot. The crew is rounded out by Jane, the stupid yet effective muscle (who, although named "Jane", is a guy) and Kaylee, as the ship's mechanic.

There are also the passengers: the companion (read: high-class prostitute) Inara, the enigmatic Book, and the siblings Simon and River.

Normally I wouldn't list every character, but the interplay between these characters is integral to the series. Obviously the relationships that grow between them is very important, but like all Whedon creations, it is the dialogue which drives the story, and the dialogue between them is fantastic. In true Buffy tradition, there is the sarcastic wit, need for puns, and specialized language that makes you immediately realize who the characters are by what they say. The timing and acting is superb, and it makes for an immersing experience. You almost immediately care for the characters from the moment you meet them, because they are human, and therefore both imperfect and at the same time, heroes.

The two most important characters, as far as the show is concerned, are Mal and River. It is Mal's will that drives the ship (Serenity) to its destinations. It is his decisions that chooses their jobs, and as such, out-lines the moral code the rest of the people follow. Like everyone on the ship, his background is not fully expounded upon (I'll get to this in a moment), but you can see that he is a bad man with a sense of what's right. A Robin Hood with a little more 'hood in him. Nathan Fillion, who had worked with Whedon before (he was also in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, for any of you who remember that show), is excellently cast. He's got that boyishness that explains the cowboy (literally. . .kind of) in him, but also a hardness that he can bring out without seeming out of character.

River, as Simon's little sister, is a mystery, and that's what moves the plot forward. She's escaped from some government institution, with the help of her brother, and now they are both on the lam, trying to find out what's wrong with her and at the same time elude capture. Played by Summer Glau, the character goes between lucidity and insanity, brilliance and childishness. This is a mixed bag that I don't believe is easy to act, especially from one scene to another, and Glau pulls it off quite well.

I feel I've given you enough plot to get you interested. If I said anymore, unfortunately, I would just be telling you the story-lines of the thirteen episodes. This coincides with the lack of background information for most of the characters. Clearly, Whedon had intended to draw them out over time, but having never gotten the time, never had the chance. The character of Book is the most obvious example: although a Shepherd (a priest of some sort), he has a past that doesn't quite mesh with his current career choice.

Then there are things that will never be resolved: Mal and Inara, the Blue Hands, Jane's place on the ship. All of this begs for more.

And yet, even this "lack" is compelling enough to make me recommend this series to everyone. One of the features of great literature is that it not only tells a compelling story, but creates a connection so strong between the characters and reader that they feel cheated that they can't have more. It's not that they didn't enjoy the story; rather, they want the story to never end. In reality, though, that's the antithesis of what you want in literature. If, in the end, you just read about more of their adventures, eventually things would become stale or so radically different so as to render the story completely different from what you loved in the first place. You might still like the new story, but did you really want to see fundamental changes in the characters you loved? I think not. A great example of this is The Simpsons. I love The Simpsons, but I have not watched in a long time. What's the point? The show has done everything it could possibly do, and the characters are practically caricatures of themselves (not to mention the ridiculous need for every episode to have celebrity guest-stars playing themselves). On the flip-side, think of the uproar there will be after the seventh and final book of the Harry Potter series. Of course people will want more, but more is not going to necessarily be better.

That being said, Firefly would still have been better with more episodes. The story wasn't close to being over, and that's why the above argument doesn't hold water. But it still is a great story, and if all we got were a couple of chapters of these characters' lives, it's still worth watching.

If you don't believe me, believe the money: the popularity of the show, however briefly it was on, was enough to get a major movie release, Serenity, which is cinematic science fiction at its finest.

This is a complete television show, despite the fact it never was completed. It was dramatic, funny, action-oriented, and both plot and character driven. The characters, and the actors that played them, were excellent. Moreover, the production values for a television show were fantastic (a usual downfall for television sci-fi).

I have a feeling I rambled a bit in this post - there's a lot to say, but I don't want to say too much. Watch the show and the movie. It's more than worth your time.

And, seriously, there are some incredibly hot women.

Firefly: http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&EAN=024543089292&itm=1

Serenity: http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?ean=25192632723&pwb=1&z=y