In 2002, Joss Whedon created a TV show called Firefly, described as a Western in space. It was cancelled after only a few episodes, angering many fans, who felt the show had potential. Joss worked on the show during season six of Buffy. Nathan Fillion, who played Caleb in season seven of Buffy, starred as Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly. The show also starred Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau and Ron Glass. The DVD of the show’s first (and only) season is now widely available and is well worth the money.
In September 2005 a movie of the show was released under the title Serenity.
May 10th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
After seeing you say that Firefly dvd as worth the money I bought it and it is superb. Maybe a bit slow to start off but you need that first episode to get into the head of the characters. I was glad to hear about the movie coming out. According to Alan Tudyk (Wash) it is the first in 3 movies. Winner!
May 10th, 2005 at 7:28 pm
Glad you liked it. I’ve actually just finished rewatching the Firefly DVD and forgot how wonderful the show was. There’s a genuine warmth about the main group of characters. Joss Whedon is so good at ensemble shows. Let’s hope the movie does well.
May 11th, 2005 at 11:59 am
I think that Nathan Fillion is a brilliant actor. I thought at the beginning that he may not pull it off cos he was so good at being evil in Buffy (I know he did Firefly before Buffy) but after the first couple of eps I really got into their characters, all their characters. if I had to pick a favourite it would be Wash, I think. And the hottest character is Kaylee. Hubba bubba!
May 11th, 2005 at 12:05 pm
Wash is definitely the most Joss Whedon-like character. By all accounts the cast seemed to have a fabulous time together on set which can really be seen on screen.
May 11th, 2005 at 12:07 pm
Yeh - I loved the dvd set but the poor thing was Joss singing the Firefly tune. Oh dear. He’s got a bad voice.
October 24th, 2005 at 4:27 pm
Did anyone else cry?
October 24th, 2005 at 4:34 pm
I think everyone who wants to see it has now seen it so can we talk about the movie a bit more now? Let us know jess would you?
(I didn’t cry, but I was shocked!)
October 24th, 2005 at 7:02 pm
I haven’t seen it, as it’s not in the cinema until nov. 17th in the Netherlands…
October 24th, 2005 at 7:43 pm
I havent seen it - my local cinema isnt showing it for another few weeks.
October 31st, 2005 at 11:13 am
WOO HOOO - finally saw Serenity and it was amazing, me and hubby both thoroughly enjoyed it.
Jayne is so funny - “I dont wanna explode!”.
Dont want to post anything spoilery so I won’t get into too much, but I am gonna see it again tonight!
Nathan Fillion is soo good in the film, and mighty fine I have to say and River wasn’t half as annoying as I thought she might be.
Excellent film!
October 31st, 2005 at 12:21 pm
I’ll agree with that although I was kinda annoyed with Simon but that’s just me. Seen it 4 times now. Hoping for the 2 sequels they have planned. Or rumoured to have planned.
November 1st, 2005 at 12:54 am
Now that I have watched the television show more than several times, plus all the commentary and extras, I am nothing less than utterly disappointed in the movie and for that reason (and one other), I would prefer that they just let the whole thing die.
also, simon is annoying, but his personality works better in the tv show, making him the butt of the joke and all kinds of hilarity ensues.
November 1st, 2005 at 9:12 am
No way! The movie was superb! Why were you disappointed? i know the second reason, one leaf please, but how can you say that the movie was so bad? It was a great edition to the Firefly ‘verse and is a great stand alone movie.
November 1st, 2005 at 9:28 am
I must agree with ant4buffy. I don’t see what could be wrong with the movie either. Serenity is an excellent film and it is “a great edition to the Firefly ‘verse,” as was stated in the post.
November 1st, 2005 at 9:44 am
My sister who has never seen Firefly but really wanted to see Serenity after seeing the trailers came with me to see it and her exact words were “it was the biggest load of crap she has seen in a long time”!
I couldnt believe it as I really enjoyed the movie.
Now, my sis is a Buffy and Angel fan (it was her that got me into the show) but it just goes to show that Joss can’t please everyone.
I think a lot of Joss fans who have never seen Firefly but go to see the movie are maybe expecting something like Buffy and Angel and thats why they are feeling disappointed.
November 1st, 2005 at 10:39 am
As Mel says - you can’t please everyone. But i thought that if you loved Firefly the series then you would love the film.
November 1st, 2005 at 6:48 pm
I liked the movie without having seen the show. Now the movie feels like an abysmal failure. What makes the show so enjoyable, for me, is the little stories, the day-to-day intimate interactions between all the characters.
joss’s strengths are not in telling long, overblown narratives that turn on a single ethical concern, but of generating a series of contradictory and conflicting moral and ethical themes that require serial writing. This is why Buffy worked. This is why Firefly worked. It’s probably why Astonishing X-Men works (I can’t really say, haven’t read much). It’s why Serenity doesn’t work and why Wonder Woman probably won’t.
We’ll never get Inara’s whole story. Or Books. Or any other characters. And that sucks. I hate Fox.
November 2nd, 2005 at 1:58 am
that was a little more negative than I probably mean. I think my problem stems less from the weaknesses of the movie (I mean, I did enjoy watching it, obviously something was right) and the fact that it should never have been cancelled so soon and that the ‘verse we wind up with at the end of serenity is not one in which i want to live
November 2nd, 2005 at 2:30 am
I blame Fox as well, and I wish them ill. I like what you’re saying about the individual day to day stories, and my favorite example is the episode with Shepard Book’s hair. It was so wonderfully absurd, it makes me laugh every time. Poor Serenity had a lot of great one liners, but they didn’t get an oppertunity to set up any really humerous situations. I still loved the movie mind you, but I still believe that it was meant to be a show.
November 6th, 2005 at 7:44 pm
Also, the movie can’t convey how much everyone really cares about each other for example, in the pilot…even though he insulted her, Jayne is worried about Kaylee…that scene where he’s looking into the infirmary with his fist clenched. Or, in *Objects in Space* after River picks up the gun when Zoe and Wash are talking about it…Zoe just feels so bad for River. There is another line in that episode, mal is talking about how people on the ship have become close to river and that he, “finds her pleasant enough” but we all know he cares very much and wants to keep the *family* together.
“They say the snow on the roof was too heavy. The ceiling will cave in, his brains are in terrible danger!”
good times
November 21st, 2005 at 10:40 pm
Just watched Serenity. I quite liked it, and judging by the laughs in the audience, most of the other people in the cinema (there were at least 15! Wow what a crowd!) liked it too.
But…. prairie squid? Did I miss something?
November 22nd, 2005 at 2:44 am
Are you kidding? The prarie squid is the BEST PART
November 22nd, 2005 at 7:21 am
So where is it? You mentioned ‘the end’. The last thing I saw in the movie was that they lost a part, and someone said ‘What was that?’.
November 22nd, 2005 at 1:19 pm
nevermind…
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:05 pm
One thing that bugged me about this movie: Inara doesn’t really do a thing, except taking care of some … incense. She’s dragged into the ship halfway, and has virtually no lines. Is she a bit more active on the show?
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:14 pm
She is - and she’s a fabulous character. Apparently most of the scenes cut from the movie involved Inara in some way.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:18 pm
I was a bit upset about Inara’s role in the film. Unless you had seen Firefly, I felt that you were never really told what she was or how the crew knew her.
I love Inara and the scenes with her and Mal are some of the best in the series.
November 22nd, 2005 at 8:25 pm
Morena is a fine comedic actress too (best seen in the episode ‘Our Mrs. Reynolds’).
November 26th, 2005 at 1:20 am
And indeed in Serenity - her scene with Mal and the Operative at the training house is great. I love Morena’s reactions to Mal there.
December 14th, 2005 at 2:23 am
I was watching Bones (I know, kinda cheesy but I lub it I lub it I lub it and David Boreanaz is on it) and Dr Hodgins was talking about how Zach was like his robot: “You tell it to turn, it stops, you tell it to stop, it turns. Like you. Only if you tell you to to turn, you stay home and watch Firefly reruns.” Haha, Firefly.
December 15th, 2005 at 4:20 am
This is off-topic, but in ‘Bones’, DB’s character has a son named Parker. They couldn’t have chosen a different name?
December 15th, 2005 at 4:23 am
I know, Parker, hate that name but the little boy was SO CUTE. Grr. I know like 8 guys named Parker and try to stay away from them at all times. In case they’re evil. They probably are.
December 28th, 2005 at 9:55 pm
just a random thought, but what are you favoutir episodes from Firefly? mine has to be Jaynestown i just love the song the villagers sing, and jaynes reactions to the fame he gets, plus its funny too.
December 28th, 2005 at 10:13 pm
i like jaynestown and our mrs. reynolds and trash and war stories and serenity and ariel and the train job and objects in space and the message and safe and bushwacked and out of gas
thems my favorite episodes
December 28th, 2005 at 10:24 pm
so yeah prety much all of them then lol
December 28th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
no. not all of them.
December 28th, 2005 at 11:21 pm
I love Our Mrs. Reynolds, War Stories, Jaynestown (Jayne is such a FOX), and Serenity. I have to agree though, that all the episodes were good. I certainly can’t think of one I didn’t like.
Santa was good enough to bring me the dvd box set for Christmas, so I think I might just go and watch 14 hours of Firefly goodness now!
December 28th, 2005 at 11:22 pm
Oh, and I have a question!
Shouldn’t Serenity (the movie) have it’s own trivia entry?
December 28th, 2005 at 11:44 pm
probably. but if you think about how these threads evolve…does it really matter?
LOTHAR…OF THE HILL PEOPLE
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don’t ask, that just seemed like the most important thing to post right there.
December 29th, 2005 at 1:01 am
A very good point
January 28th, 2006 at 3:16 am
Oh-em-gee. So, the Firefly guys, Mal and everbody, they’re like, space cowboys. That is the funniest thing I heard all day (actually I thought of it, not heard it, but still). Well, thay and the girl with the cow mask.
February 28th, 2006 at 2:40 am
I just finished watching the DVDs and thought the show was good. Some of it was very funny. When I see the other crap on TV I wounder how this show didn’t even make one full season. With 145 tv channels and about half that many CSIs and Law and Orders couldn’t somebody have found room for this?