What's so great about Firefly?

[Mach5]

I thought I'd give this show a shot some five or six years ago, watched a pilot (on TV), and didn't really find it engaging enough to tune in again the week after...

A few months ago I decided to give it another shot. So many people praised it, I figured I must have missed something first time around. So I watched the pilot again... And AGAIN I didn't find it engaging enough to continue watching.

I didn't find it bad or anything, just... I don't know, that pilot left me completely apathetic. Twice.

Obviously, I wasn't the only one (shitty ratings and all), so my question to y'all is - what exactly do you find so appealing about this show?

Sell me on Firefly, guys.

 

[TheSeeker]

Which episode did you watch as the pilot? The one Fox Broadcast as the pilot or the actual pilot Whedon intended?

 

[Pingfah]

Sell me on Firefly, guys.

Nah, stop being lazy, watch a few more episodes and work it out for yourself.

 

[Forbin]

"The Train Job" (the 2nd pilot) was thrown together in a weekend on Fox's orders because they were too stupid to understand "Serenity," the 2-hour pilot. While "The Train Job" is a decently entertaining episode, it's not the show's best.

There are only 13 episodes, so it probably won't kill you to watch them all and see if some of them grab you more than the one you've seen. Some of them are outstanding hours of TV ("Out of Gas," "Objects in Space," "Ariel"). I find ALL of the episodes to be enjoyable in one way or another. Only a couple are considered klinkers, but even in those I find things to enjoy.

 

[Bishop76]

Fantastically written, thought out characters; conflict between main characters; fantastic, well thought out setting; brilliant dialogue. It was very reminiscent of the OT Star Wars to me. A lived in universe with an Empire (Alliance) oppressing the common man, but instead of focusing on the Rebellion vs. Empire aspect of it (in fact, the Rebellion vs. Empire thing in Firefly happened a few years before the show started and the Rebellion lost), they focused on a group of people just trying to make their way in a tough universe and not always coming out on top.

 

[The Fatman]

Fantastically written, thought out characters; conflict between main characters; fantastic, well thought out setting; brilliant dialogue. It was very reminiscent of the OT Star Wars to me. A lived in universe with an Empire (Alliance) oppressing the common man, but instead of focusing on the Rebellion vs. Empire aspect of it (in fact, the Rebellion vs. Empire thing in Firefly happened a few years before the show started and the Rebellion lost), they focused on a group of people just trying to make their way in a tough universe and not always coming out on top.

^^ this about sums it up for me.

I passed on the show, originally, after not liking "The Train Job" on Fox all those years ago. Then all the... well lets say "fervor" of the hardcore browncoats when Serenity came out was really off-putting, so I passed on the movie.

Then about 2 years ago, I was bored at my overnight job and decided to give the show a full shot on DVD, and by the end of disc 1 I was fully hooked.

 

[Mach5]

Which episode did you watch as the pilot? The one Fox Broadcast as the pilot or the actual pilot Whedon intended?

The one which starts off with some WW2-ish battle, is an hour and a half long and in which nothing really interesting happens. Apart from the Reavers bit. Some good suspense there.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

You get Whedon or you don't. If you haven't enjoyed the show this far, you might as well move on; people on the Internet explaining why you should like it isn't going to matter.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

Which episode did you watch as the pilot? The one Fox Broadcast as the pilot or the actual pilot Whedon intended?

I really hate this line of reasoning.

Every single TV show I watched, I didn't start with the pilot, I would catch a random episode, say "Hey, this seems interesting" and then go back to the beginning.

Even "Lost", which isn't exactly a standalone episode type of show. Shows ARE capable of hooking people not 100% familiar with the concept. It's actually pretty problematic if they can't.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Which episode did you watch as the pilot? The one Fox Broadcast as the pilot or the actual pilot Whedon intended?

I really hate this line of reasoning.

Every single TV show I watched, I didn't start with the pilot, I would catch a random episode, say "Hey, this seems interesting" and then go back to the beginning.

Even "Lost", which isn't exactly a standalone episode type of show. Shows ARE capable of hooking people not 100% familiar with the concept. It's actually pretty problematic if they can't.

I agree with this 100%.

OTOH, more than once I've caught a random episode of a series, been bored and then picked up on another one later and gotten hooked on a show. It's not a matter of starting at the beginning, but most series have weaker and stronger episodes and not every episode of a series focuses on the same elements in the same way, so people with different tastes will react differently to particular stories. I know that the train robbery episode didn't grab me when I first watched it and it took me a couple of weeks to get back to Firefly (didn't help that my broadcast reception of WTTG FOX 5 made watching anything on that station a bit frustrating).

 

[Mach5]

people on the Internet explaining why you should like it isn't going to matter.

Not really true. I've caught a random Farscape episode on TV once... Didn't like it one bit. Then one day I got bored and asked some people ON THE INTERNET if should give it a try. They said "go for it". I did.

Well, what can I say, Farscape instantly became one of my favorite TV shows ever, better than Voyager, Better than Enterprise, better than 60% of DS9, definitely better than SG1, The X-files etc etc...

 

[Yeoman Randi]

I don't totally get "it" either. I like the show. But I LOVE the movie. I do have to give the show another run through again. It's been a while.

 

[Morfius]

Firefly was an okay show that might have become great if it had been given a decent chance to last a few years.

What's so great about it is that the producer has done other stuff. And fans of that other stuff merge everything thing together in their minds, thus making a show that wasn't given a chance to find it's footing, the best Sci-Fi ever.

 

[T'Baio]

If you don't like it, you don't like it. If you wanna' give it another chance, give it another chance.

I don't get these threads.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I don't totally get "it" either. I like the show. But I LOVE the movie. I do have to give the show another run through again. It's been a while.

I loved Serenity as well - it's one of my favorite skiffy movies of the last decade.

 

[1001001]

What's not great about Firefly???



I don't think someone can be talked into liking it. I myself didn't get it the first time around. Cowboys in space speaking Chinese? Whatever...

But I caught a marathon on Sci-Fi before the movie came out, and I was stunned. How did I miss all this the first time? The depth, the humor, the genuine characters. Science fiction with a heart. Just brilliant, brilliant stuff.

Out of Gas is one of TV's finest hours, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Alex1939]

I connected and sympathized with the characters quickly. The humor in the show really worked for me. The conflict between the alliance and the border worlds was a good background for the stories that took place.

Only watching part of the pilot episode doesn't seem like giving a show a fair chance, but if you aren't connecting with characters or the humor then I would just move on to something else.


One thing that has annoyed me a lot around this forum is that "ratings" or "financial success" seem to determine whether a tv show or film is good or not. "2012" is 35th highest grossing movie of all time according to the always reliable wikipedia, should I then assume its the 35th best movie ever made???

Point being, Firefly crappy rating had a lot to do with its poor scheduling treatment by Fox. It wasn't given a fair chance, and considering that it's impressive that it got a movie and has had very good dvd/bluray sales.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

For comedy I think my favorite is "Our Mrs. Reynolds."

"I think my days of not takin' you seriously are comin' to a middle."

 

[Alex1939]

That's really an awesome line!

 

[Mach5]

"2012" is 35th highest grossing movie of all time according to the always reliable wikipedia, should I then assume its the 35th best movie ever made???

Box-office and TV ratings are apples and oranges.