# Firefly--Okay, now I get it...SPOILERS **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195 "2004-11-29T19:50:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Izzybella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Izzybella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzybella)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/1 "2004-11-29T19:50:08Z")
After starting this thread, > **[Explain Firefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266772)** > > I just finished reading the “Explain Buffy” thread, which contained a semi-discussion of the efficacy of purchasing television show DVDs. I didn’t want to hijack the thread any further by turning the discussion to Firefly. I haven’t seen it and I... and reading all of your comments, I followed the prevailing doper advice and ordered Firefly on DVD. Wow! What a great show. I have to admit I was a little confused at first. I stuck with it because of the postive feedback from people on the thread, and I’m really glad I did. I had to go back and watch some of the earlier episodes so I could make a little more sense out of it. I really, really like the Jaynestown ep–I am amazed how a show could both crack me up _and_ make me cry all in 45 minutes. I also really dug the ep when Zoe went in to save Mal and Wash. It’s a shame the network didn’t have faith in this, but I’m really glad there’s a movie coming up. I will definitely be there! And I’m glad I finally get all the “I’ll be in ma bunk” jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/2 "2004-11-29T22:43:56Z")
Shiny! Welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/3 "2004-11-30T00:34:04Z")
Our love for this man ain’t hard to explain The hero of Canton, the man they call…ME! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/4 "2004-11-30T01:00:43Z")
I’ve been watching _Firefly_ obsessively for a while now. I’ve seen the whole thing three times in three months; just for grins and giggles I watched “The Train Job” twice the other night so I could hear the French and Spanish language tracks. (I like the guy who does Wash in Spanish. I think he “gets it.” Not a big fan of the French cast.) There is _so much_ in this show I don’t even know where to begin. There are countless tiny details, like the t-shirts Jayne wears or the little throughline about the compression coil; and there are huge, broad concepts behind the whole show. For example, I greatly enjoy watching the stories as, I guess, “pre-myths,” legends before all the rough edges get smoothed out and the characters are reduced to archetypes. (Would a legendary hero wince and say “ow” while the doctor stitches him up?) Plus, it’s great fun to watch how the show treats its landscapes, related to similar themes in classic Westerns. Even the “lesser” episodes hold great rewards. “The Message” is generally considered to be the weakest of the installments, and yeah, the story is kind of herky-jerky here and there and could have used at least one more pass at the writing table. But c’mon, people, the Bermaga would sell the souls of their children and grandchildren for ten generations if it meant they got to have an episode half that good on _Star Trek: Enterprise._ I find I can watch the episodes over and over: this time I just listen to the music, last time I just looked at all the costumes, and so on. Not sure what I’ll do next time, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something. _Firefly_ is an embarrassment of riches, and if I ever meet the Fox execs who took it off the air, I’m going to introduce myself, and then kick them solidly in the nuts. I mean, how anybody could look at it and miss its quality and decide it wasn’t worth being on the air is just mystifying; the suits must be stupid in addition to being soulless. (And don’t give me the ratings bullshit. The network actively killed the show. Given proper promotion and a non-death timeslot, this would have been massive.) (Speaking of the death timeslot, Tim Minear’s show _The Inside_, which sounds a lot like _Alias_, was going to be dumped on Fridays at 8pm, same place _Firefly_ died, until they delayed everything to recast the pilot. Will they never learn?) I think I’ll watch some more of it tonight. Did I mention I was obsessed? So, yeah, welcome to the fold. Always nice to see new fans. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/5 "2004-11-30T05:35:27Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > _Firefly_ is an embarrassment of riches, and if I ever meet the Fox execs who took it off the air, I’m going to introduce myself, and then kick them solidly in the nuts. You, sir, are a paragon of restraint. Temporary trauma to the family jewels is too good for the likes of those execs. A more permanent punishment would be more fitting. It is heartening, though, to know that there’s someone out there who’s watching the show at least as much as I am. Your news that the movie has been delayed was a near-heartbreaking disappointment, but it’s been good to learn that I’m not alone in my _Firefly_ obsession. ---
**Author:** ![merrily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@merrily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrily)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/6 "2004-11-30T14:20:35Z")
Welcome, and glad you loved it, too. I also got the DVD after reading comments here, and it certainly changed my dreams for a while. Think about it as a holiday gift for friends–the groundswell of the DVD was one of the things that got the movie made. My biggest disappointment at the delay was that there didn’t seem to be any chance a revived TV show could make next year’s schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/7 "2004-11-30T16:34:34Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The network actively killed the show. Given proper promotion and a non-death timeslot, this would have been massive. Not to mention a _consistent_ timespot. As I recall, they jinked it all over the place. Only the hardcore fanatics had the devotion to follow such a fast-moving target. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/8 "2004-11-30T22:37:16Z")
I got sucked into one of the early _Firefly_ threads simply because of my frickin’ _username_. Then I watched the pilot (the last thing they aired) while I was with my in-laws over Christmas two years ago. Between that, and the high praise the series got here, I asked for the DVDs the following Christmas. Now I’m totally hooked. It’s a good thing television isn’t usually that good; if it was, I’d watch a hell of a lot more TV, and I’m not sure where I’d find that sort of time. > [@Cervaise](#): > > if I ever meet the Fox execs who took it off the air, I’m going to introduce myself, and then kick them solidly in the nuts. If it should ever happen, kick 'em a second time for me, OK? 😃 ---
**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:** [November 30, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/9 "2004-11-30T22:56:31Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > Not to mention a _consistent_ timespot. As I recall, they jinked it all over the place. Only the hardcore fanatics had the devotion to follow such a fast-moving target. As I recall, it was consistently in the same timespot, when it wasn’t being pre-mepted. At least, it was on my Fox affiliate. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2004, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefly-okay-now-i-get-it-spoilers/277195/10 "2004-11-30T22:57:42Z")
Empted, dammit, empted!