(Written: January 6, 2004)
For the love of Vera...
So here's how it happened.
I saw Firefly. Once. When it was on TV I mean. Just so happened that
I wasn't mostly around to see 'em, but I was there for the night they showed
Serenity. I liked it, it was funny, entertaining, and with that touch of humanity
that Joss and Tim have mastered so well.
But I wasn't hooked.
I am however hooked on Joss. Buffy, Angel, Fray... I will watch/read
anything that man puts a hand into, no questions asked. So, for Christmas, I
asked for the Firefly DVD set... If only to see all the episodes, properly,
and maybe even rewatch 'em once or twice.
Wow, am I an colossal idiot.
I'm hooked. Fully. Completely. Beyond that. Obsessed. It only took two episodes
to know that I'd be watching these more than once or twice. Now I'm sitting
here, after watching all of it, and in awe. Damn. Just.... da-damn. There are
at least two episodes of this barely-started show that are up there with my
top favs of Buffy and Angel. I'm shocked by how good this show
is, and enraged that it's no longer on TV. I'm praying, literally, for a movie.
When Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres first showed up on Buffy and Angel
last season.. I was a little miffed. They did well, don't get me wrong, and
I liked them, and the characters they guested as. But with that and some comments
that Joss made about how the cast/crew was a second family.. or the best ensemble
ever... It bugged me a little. Here I adored Buffy and Angel,
and Joss is suddenly obsessed with some newbie.
I totally get him now. I agree. If you don't realize how much these people
love each other, and their work, when you're watching the show.... get ahold
of the DVD extras and you can't deny it.
This was a masterpiece. The acting, the writing, the camera work, the ideas,
the characters, the music... all of it.
I find myself cursing Fox and anyone else who would dare cancel a show with
the name Joss Whedon, or Tim Minear on it. Especially when they're all flamey
and cool like on the Firefly credits. Moreover, damn Fox, Joss, Tim,
the cast, anyone, to put such an amazing show out there, getting us hooked,
drawn in... and then having it end. Not like its their fault for the cancelation
- that I blame on network stupidity.
I know a good amount of BtVS and AtS fans didn't really look into Firefly, or only did so once and then abandoned it. Its a totally different show, really. But its amazing. Plus, you may find you're blessing the differences instead of cursing them. Borrow, rent, buy, download... it's worth it.
Its unfair. Its unfair that these people, writers, crew, cast, can make you care so much about something, that's not even "real"... only to have it stripped away. Unfinished, without any closure... Did I mention I blame Fox? If only to have a whipping boy.
They did it right, Joss and Tim. They nailed it, right off the bat. Its only
14 eps, not even a full season, yet you bond with these characters, you "know"
them. I think that's the genius that Joss has always had, and so many of the
people who work with him have tapped into - a human connection. That touch I
mentioned earlier. Its not blatant, and its not spelled out, because nothing
in life really is, but its there all the same, whether you realize it at first
or not. But when a viewer feels the same as a television character, when they
truly sympathize with them... that's something special.
So damn you ME for creating something amazingly hilarious, dramatic, and personal.
Damn you Fox for having your heads too far up your asses to see it. Joss has
hopes for a Firefly feature film - I'll be there opening day.
Its been several days since I've seen the last ep of this shortlived series, and I'm still in awe. I will watch these DVDs til they're literally worn out. You all need to watch. If only to find out who "Vera" is. Trust me.
There you go, rant over.