The Last American Non-Firefly Fan

[jon_chaisson]

I know lynxreign and emmalyon heard this already--repeatedly, actually--I am proud to say that I believe I am the only American, or on Live Journal at least, who wasn't impressed by Firefly.

Why, you say? Especially after watching just one episode?

I'm still trying to figure it out, but it just didn't jive with me. Should I watch another few episodes and give it a chance? Maybe I should, but just for the record, I just wasn't hooked. Although I was amused by the obscure Beatles reference at the beginning of the pilot episode.

I think part of it was the deliberately slow pace. I understand that Whedon was going for a "Western in Space" thing, but I just found it a bit too plodding. Even when the action picked up, it still felt too slow for me. I wasn't expecting explosions left and right, but I really, really wanted a little more action. A little more tension!!! Please? Just a little? Okay, I also admit that plot tension in Westerns hinges upon the time-honored High-Noon-Gary-Cooper-who-will-shoot-first showdown, but it just felt contrived here.

I'm just posting this simply because of Serenity coming out this weekend. I'm not talking anyone out of going to see it--on the contrary, I think movies like that should get people's money. It's just not something I'm interested in going to see. And no, head58, I'm not kidding you like Lynxie did. It just didn't grab me, that's all. ;)

Comments

[peartreealley.livejournal.com]

I liked Firefly, but my friends hyped it up so much before I saw it, that I was a bit disappointed when I actually got to see it.

The series has some very cool things in it, but a lot of it is hype and fandom, in my opinion. It's larger than life because people have made it larger than life. I've seen much worse. I've also seen much better. It also has a lost-cause mystery to it. Because it was canceled before many of the storylines could be resolved, it not only makes it wide open for the fandoms, but it also gives people a rallying cry to want more.

That's my take on why it's so popular, anyway.

My friends all went to an advanced Serenity showing earlier this week, while I had to work, so since I have no one to go with, I'm just going to wait until the lines die down before I see the movie and hope no one spoils it too much before then :)

[animated-max.livejournal.com]

I'd give it another episode or two.

[dasmarzipan.livejournal.com]

No, you're not.
:)

[head58.livejournal.com]

The pilot is plodding, I'll give you that. I don't think it needed to be a full 2 hours. General consensus is that the series really finds its groove about 4 episodes in, with "Our Mrs Reynolds". If you give one more episode a try, I'd say that would be the one. After that point the episodes are much tighter and in a run on the third disc (Ariel and War Stories in particular) the action and tenion REALLY pick up. If not, oh well. At least you gave it a shot.

[anais-ninja.livejournal.com]

I was not instantly won over by it either. I do like it though, but not in the fanatic way everyone seems to think I should. It reminds so much of one of my favorite anime(s?) that I feel suspicious of it. Like, "hey this isn't as original as previously indicated".

But it has grown on my whole family. Even my mom likes it, and she doesn't generally like sci-fi. We all watch it together and get drunk. Maybe that's your problem: you don't drink enough while you watch it. I say, fix some margaritas and give it another go.