You Can't Take The Sky From Me

Today I feel like talking about one of my all time favorite shows. It is called Firefly and you may or may not have heard of it. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon who is best known for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It aired on Fox in 2002 and for some ridiculous reason only lasted fro one season. The reason for this is beyond me because the show, and the movie Serenity, have acquired quite a large and devoted fan base. The movie Serenity was made in response to the very unhappy fans that wanted some sort of conclusion to the issues that presented themselves in the series but were never resolved. The show is set in the year 2517 and it has a futuristic western type style to the narrative. The show revolves around the rebel crew of the spaceship named Serenity. Serenity is a model ship that is called a Firefly, hence the name of the show. The crew is captained by Malcolm Reynolds, played by Nathan Fillion who some of you may know as Captain Hammer from the Dr. Evil’s Sing Along Blog web series. Malcolm, or Mal as he is usually referred to, fought on the losing side of a civil war against The Alliance. The Alliance is an oppressive government organization that a group of people calling themselves Browncoats or Independents resisted against in the Unification War. Mal was an Independent sergeant in the crucial battle of Serenity Valley in which the Browncoats officially lost the war. In one of my favorite quotes from the show, a character tells Mal that he fought on the wrong side of the war, to which Mal replies, “May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.”

Each of the nine main characters are fully developed and interesting; each possessing their own quirks, humor, and purpose for being on the ship. Mal is the captain, Zoe is the first mate, Wash is the pilot as well as Zoe’s husband, Kaylee is the ship’s mechanic, and Jayne is a hired gun. Inara is a companion, which is this time period’s version of a courtesan. To be a trained companion is actually considered a respectable profession and her being on the ship allows for the crew to gain access to certain places they would not be able to otherwise. Simon and River Tam are brother and sister and they along with Shepherd Book got on board originally as paid passengers, paying for a ride from one place to another but due to certain circumstances remained on the ship and thus becoming a permanent part of the cast.

I could just go on and on about the sheer awesomeness of this show, but you really just need to see it for yourselves. The actors have such an amazing chemistry together on screen it makes them a pleasure to watch. Each one of the characters are so interesting and funny in their own way that everyone has a different personal favorite. You should really check it out if you have not already. And please watch the show before the movie. The movie is the conclusion and gives everything away!!! Trust me. You will be happy you followed my advice.