In his own unusual way, Brian has inspired me to write a wee rant.

Despite my glowing report regarding FIREFLY: Out of Gas, I have to say that FIREFLY has not engaged me as much as some of JW's other shows. To be honest, I can only blame so much of it on FOX-TV's poor decisions regarding the show. FOX-5 NY, our local FOX station which shows FIREFLY, preempted one week's show due to baseball playoffs without any indication of when it would be re-aired. The following week the show was completely absent due to baseball. Now I can't blame the second week on FOX per se, but to be perfectly frank, when you go two weeks without seeing a NEW show that you're still trying to get the feel of, it makes it very difficult. Unless that show hits you like a mack truck (which FIREFLY, unfortunately, did not -- it was a bit more subtle) you could grow a small amount of apathy having not seen it in a while. (Does that make sense? It certainly did in my head.)

On to part two -- I think that Joss has inspired a certain amount of leeway (sp?) in my mind having produced such quality fare in the past. The western aspect of FIREFLY can be a bit heavy-handed, and if you're not inclined to look past it, or if it doesn't appeal to you, it can be a bit rough to get through. Then again, one of the basic premises of Sci-Fi is that you have to be able to take the stories out of their settings and put them just about anytime and anyplace.

What is my point here? Simply (and glossing over everything written above) FIREFLY is more of a niche program than JW's other endeavors. BUFFY and ANGEL take place in the REAL WORLD (or at least one that resembles ours.) The only real things that they ask you to take on faith are the supernatural aspects, which are usually all or nothing anyway. Not to mention, they are so ingrained in our society that most people know about Vampires and Demons and can therefore take it all in stride.

FIREFLY asks for a bit more from it's audience. Not only are we in the future, but we are in a Western Future that is in the stage of a post-civil war. There are fewer footholds that the audience can glom onto that they can associate with their world. Yes, there is a man of God, butr he doesn't seem to subscribe to any religion that we know. There is a prostitute (sort of) but she is so radically different from what is in our culture that, while it is a novelty, it may not strike some people as particularly noteworthy.

I like FIREFLY. I am praying constantly that it will be picked up. I think that with time and a little more character exploration, this show could rank nicely among JW's pantheon of shows. After all, BUFFY wasn't an overnight success.

  posted by J @ 10:36