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pinkishmew today, which was fun, but I spent all the rest of the day writing my Politcs essay, which was not fun at all. I should have started my maths tonight, but I couldn't sit down and work at all. My head hurts, not in the need-paracetamol way but in the I-can't-be-arsed-with-anything-at-all way. So I've just sat here and watched Firefly episodes one after another, and now I'm going to write about them because it's that sort of night that I'm having.
To begin with, I absolutely love this show. (It is still £16.29 with discount in HMV on Cornmarket, for reference.) Obviously, the recurring refrain is "this got cancelled?!", but trying to ignore that, it's just a fantastic show. And I think I'd like to brave the opposition and say that in some ways, it's far better than Buffy or what I'd seen of Angel. First of all, I love the dystopia. The amazing futuristic world isn't that amazing, really; it's full of miserable, unhappy people, oppressed worlds, pirates and outlaws, terrifying zombie-things, and anti-heroes. It actually helps, seeing the film (hitherto referred to as the Big Damn Movie) before the series inasmuch as it explains how the Alliance and the Independents work. But most of all, I like it for the same reason that I like everything else of Joss's - the characters. Mal is a much more likeable central character than Buffy (or at least Buffy in the later seasons). He's, aww, he's wonderful. He's funny and principled and just a teeny bit clueless, and I adore his relationship with with his entire crew. He's my favourite, but I don't think there's a single character I don't like. Wash and Zoe are just adorable; I'm really intrigued by them because I can't think of another cult show with a real, functional married couple whose relationship is mentioned without being turned into an angst-fest. I did wonder that if Jenny Calendar had survived through more than two seasons of Buffy, her and Giles's relationship might eventually have become like this: established and "grown-up", whilst also understated.
Moving on, Kaylee is exactly like Willow. I guess Joss likes archetypes, but the formula works, and Kaylee is just adorable, not least when she's with Simon, who may be the most fully-realised character apart from Mal. He (Simon, that is), is extraordinary in some ways - he gave up so much for River - and so naive in others, and the combination of qualities really rings true to me. River, too; I adore how strange and crazy she is, and how lucid she can be, and actually, this is where the cancellation thing gets me. Both Simon and River were created as being ripe for character development, and it's such a shame.
Inara and Book are probably the reverse; they need the least character development. They're both serenly self-possessed and good for bouncing the others off. I think the large cast of characters does work partly because of this. Which leaves only Jayne, whom I do not like at all. Not because I'm not supposed to like him - I know that - but because having him on board seems out-of-character for Mal. I do appreciate the total lack of explanation (so far!) for his being called Jayne, though.
I'm cutting my actual episode-related comments, because I wouldn't want to spoil anyone. I am grateful I'm getting to see these in order; they'd be confusing otherwise.
Starting with Serenity, then - I don't have much to say about it, even though it is the pilot. It's terribly busy, a lot happens, and surprisingly I don't like Mal much. (Yes, I know he kills a horse. I don't care about the horse. It's something else.) I like the dramatic reveal for River, though; and most of the scenes with Book are fab.
The Train Job - and suddenly I like Mal. His incredible cool whilst being shown hung-upside down corpses is enviable, and so is his lack of cool when he finds out he's stolen medicines from those who need it. He and Zoe make a delightfully bizarre married couple, and I also like the end, where they manage to sort it all out without shooting anyone!
Bushwhacked - eeeek. They had me the moment the corpse hits the window. That was an elegant exercise in horror, and River's barefoot journey round the dead ship only serves to make it more terrifying. The pan back to show the stripped and hanging corpses was, um, eeek, and I'm impressed that we still haven't seen a Reaver and they're already shit-scary.
This one also has character stuff, which I liked - the interrogation with its quick cuts was really clever. But I think River steals the show, being scary and creepy and then strangely joyful trapped on the outside of the ship. Much fun, if terribly scary.
Shindig - and this one's all character stuff. The plot, to be fair, is a bit thin - they're at a party, Mal gets into trouble and then finds out Inara can sword-fight is the gist of it - but it's beautifully padded. I like Mal accidentally pissing off Kaylee and making it up to her by buying her that dress. I also like Mal's barely concealed jealousy at the party, Kaylee ending up talking about engines, the punch, the sword fight, all of it. There's also a nice insight into what it is Inara actually does, and how she does it. Of course, the end of the episode is the best part - the mysterious cargo is cows!
Safe - urgh. It's got potential, but it never quite happens. There's so much good stuff in it: I like young Simon and River and their family, who are so happy and it makes it all the more horrible the state they're in now. All the other flashbacks serve to illuminate why Simon did what he did, as does the nice scene where River is lucid enough to pick berries for Simon. (I actually cried at that, and I never cry at tv usually. But so sad, waaah.) But it doesn't quite fit with everything else, as it seems too much is being squished in; as well as Simon and River we have the settlers, the little girl, the witch burning, Mal's crisis of conscience, the continuity of the cows, etc., etc. It might have worked better done more slowly and in two parts.
Our Mrs Reynolds - heee. Just, heeee. I have just one criticism to make of this one: the marginalisation of River. Beyond that, it is perfection. It starts with Mal in drag! And then Mal getting drunk, and Jayne getting drunk and emotional over the rainstick, and then the sheer wtf brilliance of Mal being married. Zoe's reaction is to get the entire crew down to have a laugh at Mal's expense, and I love it. Inara's jealousy is natural and nicely played, and Wash's inability to keep from laughing is fantastic. Book, though - "You're going to the special hell" - made my day.
And it even works on a serious level; of course Mal can't bear that he's been played, but he wouldn't kill Saffron. And he has no idea that Inara kissed him. Mal is so deliciously clueless when it comes to Inara.
Jaynestown - I mainly like this one because of Simon and Kaylee; I just don't care enough about Jayne to really be fond of this episode. But the set-up for Simon is so well-done; he doesn't swear unless it's appropriate, which isn't ever, and then he sees the statue of Jayne Cobb: "Son of a bitch."
Later, after the rendition of "The Man They Call Jayne", he says, so perfectly: "This must be what going mad feels like."
Mal is wonderfully understanding about leaving Simon and Kaylee together, and then Kaylee is wonderfully understanding even when Simon pisses her off. Her saying, "Oh, honey," as she picks him up, made the shipper in me squee. I'm all over the canon ships in this show, for the first time ever. Simon/Kaylee and Mal/Inara really work for me.
Anyway, I think it's only Jayne who isn't wonderfully understanding: no matter how much Mal explains about heroes and faith, I don't think he'll get it. Which is a shame.
Out Of Gas - I'm a sucker for non-linear storytelling, and this does that so well. I like the flashback scenes (Kaylee's particularly), but most of all I like the scenes of Mal dragging himself around the ship. The cold blue light and sudden noises really convey the suffocation and silence of the situation, and I love it. Mal really does have a hero in him trying to get out, and it's shown really well. I liked it.
Ariel - ooh, dystopia! The cold, clinical core world is beautifully drawn. So is the sequence where Simon sets up the plan, and the long montage of the crew trying to learn their lines. This one really scares me. The Alliance men in blue gloves are terrifying, and the scenes where the blood flows from the police officers is... urrgh, it's horrible. But I love the end of this episode so much; Simon and River will never cease to be one of the best things about the show.
I have five more episodes to see. So few.
A couple of other things, before I shut up. First of all, I love the use of Chinese. The easy transitions from one to the other sound very natural, and I love the idea to begin with. It would make writing fic difficult, though. Is there any site, does anyone know, that explains what's being said for the benefit of fic writers?
And where is the good fic? I'd really appreciate some good recs, gen and canon het for now, if anyone has them. It's a great show.
pinkishmew today, which was fun, but I spent all the rest of the day writing my Politcs essay, which was not fun at all. I should have started my maths tonight, but I couldn't sit down and work at all. My head hurts, not in the need-paracetamol way but in the I-can't-be-arsed-with-anything-at-all way. So I've just sat here and watched Firefly episodes one after another, and now I'm going to write about them because it's that sort of night that I'm having.To begin with, I absolutely love this show. (It is still £16.29 with discount in HMV on Cornmarket, for reference.) Obviously, the recurring refrain is "this got cancelled?!", but trying to ignore that, it's just a fantastic show. And I think I'd like to brave the opposition and say that in some ways, it's far better than Buffy or what I'd seen of Angel. First of all, I love the dystopia. The amazing futuristic world isn't that amazing, really; it's full of miserable, unhappy people, oppressed worlds, pirates and outlaws, terrifying zombie-things, and anti-heroes. It actually helps, seeing the film (hitherto referred to as the Big Damn Movie) before the series inasmuch as it explains how the Alliance and the Independents work. But most of all, I like it for the same reason that I like everything else of Joss's - the characters. Mal is a much more likeable central character than Buffy (or at least Buffy in the later seasons). He's, aww, he's wonderful. He's funny and principled and just a teeny bit clueless, and I adore his relationship with with his entire crew. He's my favourite, but I don't think there's a single character I don't like. Wash and Zoe are just adorable; I'm really intrigued by them because I can't think of another cult show with a real, functional married couple whose relationship is mentioned without being turned into an angst-fest. I did wonder that if Jenny Calendar had survived through more than two seasons of Buffy, her and Giles's relationship might eventually have become like this: established and "grown-up", whilst also understated.
Moving on, Kaylee is exactly like Willow. I guess Joss likes archetypes, but the formula works, and Kaylee is just adorable, not least when she's with Simon, who may be the most fully-realised character apart from Mal. He (Simon, that is), is extraordinary in some ways - he gave up so much for River - and so naive in others, and the combination of qualities really rings true to me. River, too; I adore how strange and crazy she is, and how lucid she can be, and actually, this is where the cancellation thing gets me. Both Simon and River were created as being ripe for character development, and it's such a shame.
Inara and Book are probably the reverse; they need the least character development. They're both serenly self-possessed and good for bouncing the others off. I think the large cast of characters does work partly because of this. Which leaves only Jayne, whom I do not like at all. Not because I'm not supposed to like him - I know that - but because having him on board seems out-of-character for Mal. I do appreciate the total lack of explanation (so far!) for his being called Jayne, though.
I'm cutting my actual episode-related comments, because I wouldn't want to spoil anyone. I am grateful I'm getting to see these in order; they'd be confusing otherwise.
Starting with Serenity, then - I don't have much to say about it, even though it is the pilot. It's terribly busy, a lot happens, and surprisingly I don't like Mal much. (Yes, I know he kills a horse. I don't care about the horse. It's something else.) I like the dramatic reveal for River, though; and most of the scenes with Book are fab.
The Train Job - and suddenly I like Mal. His incredible cool whilst being shown hung-upside down corpses is enviable, and so is his lack of cool when he finds out he's stolen medicines from those who need it. He and Zoe make a delightfully bizarre married couple, and I also like the end, where they manage to sort it all out without shooting anyone!
Bushwhacked - eeeek. They had me the moment the corpse hits the window. That was an elegant exercise in horror, and River's barefoot journey round the dead ship only serves to make it more terrifying. The pan back to show the stripped and hanging corpses was, um, eeek, and I'm impressed that we still haven't seen a Reaver and they're already shit-scary.
This one also has character stuff, which I liked - the interrogation with its quick cuts was really clever. But I think River steals the show, being scary and creepy and then strangely joyful trapped on the outside of the ship. Much fun, if terribly scary.
Shindig - and this one's all character stuff. The plot, to be fair, is a bit thin - they're at a party, Mal gets into trouble and then finds out Inara can sword-fight is the gist of it - but it's beautifully padded. I like Mal accidentally pissing off Kaylee and making it up to her by buying her that dress. I also like Mal's barely concealed jealousy at the party, Kaylee ending up talking about engines, the punch, the sword fight, all of it. There's also a nice insight into what it is Inara actually does, and how she does it. Of course, the end of the episode is the best part - the mysterious cargo is cows!
Safe - urgh. It's got potential, but it never quite happens. There's so much good stuff in it: I like young Simon and River and their family, who are so happy and it makes it all the more horrible the state they're in now. All the other flashbacks serve to illuminate why Simon did what he did, as does the nice scene where River is lucid enough to pick berries for Simon. (I actually cried at that, and I never cry at tv usually. But so sad, waaah.) But it doesn't quite fit with everything else, as it seems too much is being squished in; as well as Simon and River we have the settlers, the little girl, the witch burning, Mal's crisis of conscience, the continuity of the cows, etc., etc. It might have worked better done more slowly and in two parts.
Our Mrs Reynolds - heee. Just, heeee. I have just one criticism to make of this one: the marginalisation of River. Beyond that, it is perfection. It starts with Mal in drag! And then Mal getting drunk, and Jayne getting drunk and emotional over the rainstick, and then the sheer wtf brilliance of Mal being married. Zoe's reaction is to get the entire crew down to have a laugh at Mal's expense, and I love it. Inara's jealousy is natural and nicely played, and Wash's inability to keep from laughing is fantastic. Book, though - "You're going to the special hell" - made my day.
And it even works on a serious level; of course Mal can't bear that he's been played, but he wouldn't kill Saffron. And he has no idea that Inara kissed him. Mal is so deliciously clueless when it comes to Inara.
Jaynestown - I mainly like this one because of Simon and Kaylee; I just don't care enough about Jayne to really be fond of this episode. But the set-up for Simon is so well-done; he doesn't swear unless it's appropriate, which isn't ever, and then he sees the statue of Jayne Cobb: "Son of a bitch."
Later, after the rendition of "The Man They Call Jayne", he says, so perfectly: "This must be what going mad feels like."
Mal is wonderfully understanding about leaving Simon and Kaylee together, and then Kaylee is wonderfully understanding even when Simon pisses her off. Her saying, "Oh, honey," as she picks him up, made the shipper in me squee. I'm all over the canon ships in this show, for the first time ever. Simon/Kaylee and Mal/Inara really work for me.
Anyway, I think it's only Jayne who isn't wonderfully understanding: no matter how much Mal explains about heroes and faith, I don't think he'll get it. Which is a shame.
Out Of Gas - I'm a sucker for non-linear storytelling, and this does that so well. I like the flashback scenes (Kaylee's particularly), but most of all I like the scenes of Mal dragging himself around the ship. The cold blue light and sudden noises really convey the suffocation and silence of the situation, and I love it. Mal really does have a hero in him trying to get out, and it's shown really well. I liked it.
Ariel - ooh, dystopia! The cold, clinical core world is beautifully drawn. So is the sequence where Simon sets up the plan, and the long montage of the crew trying to learn their lines. This one really scares me. The Alliance men in blue gloves are terrifying, and the scenes where the blood flows from the police officers is... urrgh, it's horrible. But I love the end of this episode so much; Simon and River will never cease to be one of the best things about the show.
I have five more episodes to see. So few.
A couple of other things, before I shut up. First of all, I love the use of Chinese. The easy transitions from one to the other sound very natural, and I love the idea to begin with. It would make writing fic difficult, though. Is there any site, does anyone know, that explains what's being said for the benefit of fic writers?
And where is the good fic? I'd really appreciate some good recs, gen and canon het for now, if anyone has them. It's a great show.
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no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:10 am (UTC)I'm told the Chinese is used when the characters need to swear, and that the actual translations are suitably bizarre ("Your mother has congress with chickens" and suchlike).
If you've enjoyed the ride so far, let me tell you have several treats in store for the last few installments :)
xxx
no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:29 am (UTC)Perhaps Zoe and Wash work because Wash is less complicated and easier to love than Mal, who's probably the other person who dominates Zoe's life. You're right that it's interesting.
Hee, the Chinese amuses me. It's not always swearing, though, is it? Simon uses Chinese endearments for River on occasion, and sometimes it really seems part of the sentence rather than something particularly rude.
Only five episodes! Boo.
no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:21 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-13 02:10 am (UTC)I agree with you on most things, apart from Jayne, I adored him from the begining and ship Simon/Jayne like whoa. Heh.
no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:53 pm (UTC)Simon/Jayne? Oooh, no. *shakes head* Me no like.
no subject
on 2005-11-13 10:02 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:55 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:13 pm (UTC)http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/
Whole bunch of fantastic Simon/Kaylee fics here
http://www.loony-archivist.com/pretty/fanfic.htm
(I love A Day of Prayer, Lex Talionis and That Old Yeh Shen Story)
Other than that, I can't really rec het/gen. Slash I can do.
no subject
on 2005-11-13 01:51 pm (UTC)What slash pairings? :)
no subject
on 2005-11-13 02:08 pm (UTC)Mal/Simon, Mal/Jayne, Simon/Mal/Jayne are the ones I read, and so can find the most on. I can also do Kaylee/Inara, Kaylee/River and I guess I can do Simon/Jayne, but I don't really read it.
(Deleted and re-posted because I can't spell and I left out like half the comment.)
no subject
on 2005-11-14 12:54 am (UTC)Ooh, Kaylee/Inara and Mal/Simon may pique my interest, thanking you kindly! (But I still want het and gen. I am LOSING MY MIND.)
Longass comment.
on 2005-11-16 03:28 pm (UTC)http://s59.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2NRQR7TW44I6D19V10YH4ROM9G
Mal/Simon, I'd recommend anything by The Tenth Muse (www.madbrilliant.com/thetenthmuse1), especially "Betrayal" and "Firefly Series".
Realization by
This is an archive...all the Mal/Simon stuff is at the top. Also, scroll down to read some of the series.
http://www.sffan.compromisingpositions.net/fic/ff/1_ffindex.html
"Touching and Feeling", "Velocity", "Weather Patterns" and "Whisky and Romance" are the Mal/Simon series...es. (There's also some het and gen at the bottom of the page, if you're interested.)
For Kaylee/Inara, there's Patchwork by
http://www.livejournal.com/community/fireflygirls/3303.html
Takes All Sorts by celievamp
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2330964/1/
Trial and Error, by Pearl-o
http://glassonion.populli.org/archive/14/trialand.shtml
http://marginalia.oscillating.net/skying.html
(Only 'Summer' is Kaylee/Inara)
Gnomic, by Lysimache
http://firefly.populli.org/archive/0/gnomic.shtml
Centripetal Motion, by Rachel
http://firefly.populli.org/archive/0/centripetalmotion.shtml
no subject
on 2005-11-16 09:03 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-13 07:57 pm (UTC)(Also, quite unrelatedly: you worked on a newspaper, didn't you, a summer or two ago?
no subject
on 2005-11-13 07:57 pm (UTC)By which I mean four het pairings including the CSI, because I really can count. Sometimes.
no subject
on 2005-11-13 08:28 pm (UTC)(I did, yes: two years running on two different newspapers. How come you ask?)
no subject
on 2005-11-13 08:33 pm (UTC)(I ask because I'm writing a sequence in this current story in which the eighteen-year-old protagonist is working at a local newspaper as a summer job, and I've realized that I really have no sense of day-to-day life in that sort of position. So I'm hoping that when/if I finish writing it, I could maybe ask you to give it the once-over...? Just to say, "No, this would never happen, you're a nincompoop.")
no subject
on 2005-11-14 12:52 am (UTC)Go ahead and send it over, it'd be a pleasure. I ought to dig up what I wrote in LJ at the time, as well. And I kinda need to ask a favour of my own, as well! I'm trying to write Firefly fic of my own - it's not going particularly well and I may scrap it altogether - and on the offchance I ever finish it, could I ask you to look it over? This is sort of a just-in-case request, but, you know, no harm in asking. It's gen, or at least it ought to be; this fandom messes with my head. *sighs*
no subject
on 2005-11-14 01:17 am (UTC)Mine's a just-in-case request, too--I have no idea when I will ever finish this thing. (The first section, or the newspaper-y parts of it, is what I'd be sending you. It has seven subsections of its own, and I've been doing almost nothing but thinking about and writing them for the past week, and I've still only got three and a half of them.) And I'm thrilled to read through anything you write, you know. Drop it in my inbox whenever.
no subject
on 2005-11-16 09:09 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-16 11:46 am (UTC)Also, unrelatedly: the lists of Mandarin words in your journal are just the most useful thing ever. *is not writing fic when has essays to do, oh, no*
no subject
on 2005-11-16 09:04 am (UTC)*loves*
on 2005-11-16 11:47 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-16 09:01 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-16 11:47 am (UTC)no subject
on 2005-11-23 12:28 am (UTC)I'm up to episode 10 already, guh, it's fantastic and am very sad I'm near the end now. :( But I just wanted to say:
OMG! We agree on the ships for once! *GASP*
no subject
on 2005-12-09 06:21 pm (UTC)