# Burn the land and boil the sea. (R.I.P., Firefly) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341 "2003-12-21T18:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/1 "2003-12-21T18:20:18Z")
I’m watching the DVDs for the Fox-aborted sci-fi/western series _Firefly_, which I bought pretty much purely on positive word of mouth and having seen a single episode when it was briefly on the air. Mostly, it’s made me sort of cranky, because of all the potential there. Spades, bucketloads of development that could have been had. I could easily see future subjunctive seasons mutating the show, in a good way, to a sort of less-utterly bleak, more sardonic Blake’s 7 kind of deal. Granted, I could also see future seasons also sort of spinning their wheels, lurching in random directions while trying to figure out what and where the hell to go with things, and see that was probably the most likely course for it to follow, but dammit, it was a chance it should have had. But I do understand that the public had spoken, and the public would have preferred more programming slots opening up for whatever the latest reality shows might be. ---
**Author:** ![LabRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/898d66/32.png) [@LabRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LabRat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/2 "2003-12-21T20:58:22Z")
I’m not so sure that it was the public that spoke. Fox seemed to be trying to kill the show from the get-go. ---
**Author:** ![penny\_dreadful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@penny\_dreadful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penny_dreadful)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/3 "2003-12-21T22:10:45Z")
I finished up my Christmas shopping on Friday, and ended up buying a copy of _Firefly_ for my mother. Mom’s a Trekkie, and I’m a _Buffy_-obsessed-freak, so I figured Joss Whedon’s take on the sci-fi adventure genre would be something we could both enjoy. I was living overseas when the series originally aired, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LabRat \* > \*\*I’m not so sure that it was the public that spoke. Fox seemed to be trying to kill the show from the get-go. \*\* I’ve heard that the episodes were aired all out of order, which would definitely put a show of this type at a disadvantage. Did FOX ever give a reason for this? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/4 "2003-12-22T00:46:21Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by penny dreadful_ > I’ve heard that the episodes were aired all out of order, which would definitely put a show of this type at a disadvantage. Did FOX ever give a reason for this? No, they just laughed maniacally and had Igor lower the porticullis to their ridiculously gothic castle. In addition to showing the episodes out of date (the pilot episode was the last one to air) they also stuck it in an impossible time slot (Friday evenings), pre-empted it frequently, and spent as little as humanly possible on advertising (the only time I ever saw commercials for it was during Buffy re-runs on FX). On a brighter note, the movie rights were sold not long ago. Hopefully that’ll work out better than the TV show did. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/5 "2003-12-22T01:01:28Z")
I was going to go to the Sci-Fi and Comic Book Convention in L.A. today and meet Joss and the cast of **Firefly**. Then I was going to come back, post, and brag about how hot everybody is IRL and hopefully report on some happy **Firefly-THe-Movie** news. But alas, I overslept…by 5 hours. (Needed to leave the house by 7, woke up at 11). ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/6 "2003-12-22T05:36:13Z")
My girlfriend gave me the box set; that’s how much she loves me. I really enjoyed seeing the episodes that didn’t air, and hearing the commentary for some of the episodes. No idea what the thinking was at Fox. I read that the DVD’s sold out on pre-orders as soon as they were on sale; I hope that gives a boost to the possibility of a movie. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/7 "2003-12-22T06:00:22Z")
In my perfect world, the one that exists between my ears, the DVDs start a word of mouth campaign that never had a chance to do much when the show was on the air, despite the rabidness of us fans. This word of mouth leads to huge revenues (or at least decent. I don’t expect another _Return of the King_ here) for the feature film, and some executives at, say, 20th Century Fox come to Joss Whedon and say, “Hey, about that _Firefly_ movie… How’d you like to make a T.V. series based on it?” Of course, then a magic leprechaun shows up and gives me millions of dollars… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/8 "2003-12-22T06:10:48Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by A wizard song for thee_ > …20th Century Fox come to Joss Whedon and say, “Hey, about that Firefly movie… How’d you like to make a T.V. series based on it?” And Joss says, “Well, you signed away your rights to the TV show when you gave me the chance to shop it to other networks, and I’ve just signed a deal with NBC. Thanks anyway.” And Fox misses out on the most successful science fiction franchise since Star Trek. And then we all get ponies. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/9 "2003-12-22T06:18:16Z")
Well, 20th Century Fox would still be producing the show, yeah? I mean, the network itself would change, but the production company would probably remain the same, right? Or am I uninformed? And I don’t want a pony. I want a Kaylee. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/10 "2003-12-22T06:20:17Z")
I vote we all get new Alienware computers. Top of the line ones. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/11 "2003-12-22T06:21:21Z")
Oh BTW I only saw the pilot. It was fairly good I thought. A little rough around the edges (but what pilot isn’t?) Is the DVD box set worth it? Or no? ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/12 "2003-12-22T06:34:09Z")
The DVD box set is great but I’m kinda down that they didn’t include the full gag reel. The one on the last DVD is cut down significantly and missing one of the funniest outtakes (the part where Nathan keeps moving around and posing in different ways while listening to the recording). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/13 "2003-12-22T06:44:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darkhold \* > \*\*Oh BTW I only saw the pilot. It was fairly good I thought. A little rough around the edges (but what pilot isn’t?) > > Is the DVD box set worth it? Or no? \*\* Absolutely. There’re 14 one hour episodes, of which four are among the best things I’ve ever seen on TV. Okay, and one stinker: “Heart of Gold,” the never-aired, second-to-last episode, was just lame. The commentary track for the pilot episode is particularly good, too. And it only costs about as much as two movie DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![penny\_dreadful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@penny\_dreadful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penny_dreadful)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/14 "2003-12-22T06:45:41Z")
I got another box set for my best friend, and let him open it early before he left to go spend the holidays at his parents’ house. We watched the pilot episode together before he left, and I am hooked already! > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A wizard song for thee \* > \*\*And I don’t want a pony. I want a Kaylee. \*\* Isn’t she the cutest? Definitely my favorite character so far. When it looked like Kaylee was dead, I yelled at the TV, “No Joss, you can’t do that! She was in the opening credits!” My friend thought it was funny, but I was seriously worried there for a minute. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/15 "2003-12-22T06:55:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pepperlandgirl \* > \*\*But alas, I overslept…by 5 hours. (Needed to leave the house by 7, woke up at 11). \*\* Dang. _'Hate_ it when that happens. :smack: _Five_ hours? Jeez…did the alarm clock catch on fire during the night, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/16 "2003-12-22T06:59:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A wizard song for thee \* > \*\*Well, 20th Century Fox would still be producing the show, yeah? I mean, the network itself would change, but the production company would probably remain the same, right? Or am I uninformed? > \*\* In the real world, probably. In my fantasy world, hell no. ---
**Author:** ![penny\_dreadful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@penny\_dreadful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penny_dreadful)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/17 "2003-12-22T07:13:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **Absolutely. There’re 14 one hour episodes, of which four are among the best things I’ve ever seen on TV.** Ooo, which four? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranchoth \* > \*\*_Five_ hours? Jeez…did the alarm clock catch on fire during the night, or something? \*\* See, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I’d be _able_ to sleep with a burning alarm clock next to my bed. Of course, I don’t know if I’d be able to sleep if I knew I’d be meeting Nathan Fillion the next day either. 😃 But sorry you missed the convention, **pepperlandgirl**. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/18 "2003-12-22T07:18:04Z")
“Out of Gas,” “Ariel,” “War Stories,” and “Objects in Space.” ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/19 "2003-12-22T07:33:28Z")
I managed to get a copy of the Firefly DVDs free. Phillip B. Gaines is working on his multimedia skills and used the episodes as a master project to display his work on DVD presentations. A call went out on Slashdot about a month ago asking anyone who wanted a copy to review his work and I volunteered. I just got it earlier this week and haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341/20 "2003-12-22T07:50:09Z")
Is **War Stories** the ep where Walsh and Mal are caught and tortured and Mal keeps Walsh alive? If so, I’d say that it is _the best hour of television ever_. [sub]Next to BtVS _Fool For Love_ 😉 [/sub] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-the-land-and-boil-the-sea-r-i-p-firefly/220341.md?page=2)