Firefly Overview

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After the Earth was used up, humanity found a new solar system and hundreds of new Earths were terra-formed and colonized. The central planets formed the Alliance and decided all the planets had to join under their rule. There was some disagreement on that point. After the War, many of the Independents who had fought and lost drifted to the edges of the system, far from Alliance control. Out here, people struggled to get by with the most basic technologies; a ship would bring you work, a gun would help you keep it. A captain's goal was simple: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.

Previous: Objects in Space

Taking the elements of a traditional western and putting them in the setting of deep outer space seems like something that just can't work, but here Joss Whedon has created a universe wherein that combination not only makes sense, but where it seems as though no other combination would have been made to work. There are some that would say that Whedon's ideas here are simply retreading broken ground, that he's taken notes from any number of other sources and used them for his own devices, and, arguably, that's true; however, Whedon masters these elements here, and whether certain details are reminiscent of another person's work is unimportant, because their use here is so much different that it's almost incomparable.

From the very beginning of this series the relationships between these characters feels very authentic, and the camaraderie surging through the cast is very evident on screen. What's interesting is that every single character has the chance to interact with everyone else on board on their own terms, and there is no relationship that's defined through an outsider, instead each person has a very unique bond with every other individual, and it's refreshing to see a cast so large find the opportunity to be alone with everyone else. As the captain, Mal (Nathan Fillion) naturally is made a large presence in the lives of everyone aboard, but the same is true for everyone else, and, potentially, it is only Wash (Alan Tudyk) and Inara (Morena Baccarin) whose bond isn't shown in excess, but despite that they are all a family, and they very much feel like one.

It is a very high-stakes series, and the constant danger that these characters are in feels very real in each episode. There's never a point that seems obvious that the writers will pull a punch to save their heroes at the last minute, and any story could be a character's last. The fact that no one here feels particularly safe lends credibility to the events depicted, and there's never a guarantee that an episode will end with a return to the status quo. At no point does the viewer want anything bad to happen to these people, but the fact that the audience can so genuinely worry about their safety is absolutely wonderful.

The treatment of River (Summer Glau) is sometimes bordering on the hypocritical, as one moment will have the characters stating that she's unaware of her actions, that she's not in control, and other times they will warn Simon (Sean Maher) that he needs to restrain her because she should know better. River is occasionally written simply as strange for the sake of humor, and it doesn't always feel like she's a genuine character so much as a prop piece for the rest of the cast to act around. When she's used properly she's fantastic, but when she's used improperly she's merely a distraction.

This series ends with a lack of conclusion, which is in no way the fault of the cast and crew, but instead the sole blame of the network. It's maddening that it ended so soon, and while that certainly doesn't detract from the overall quality of the series, it's one of the few complaints to be had about it as a whole.

Each of the actors involved here is fantastic in their role, and even the majority of the guest roles are so well-drawn that the audience looks forward to the possibility of seeing them again. Gina Torres (Zoë) is extremely capable in her scenes, conveying a certain understanding of her surroundings while also providing a quippy piece of dialogue to lighten the mood when needed, while Adam Baldwin (Jayne) gets across the fact that he could kill a man with minimal effort while also being something of a buffoon. Ron Glass (Book) does well to round out a very mysterious character, providing hints throughout the series of a deeper background without ever actually revealing who he is, and it's phenomenal that he's so good despite having such little information.

Many of the action scenes use a shaky cam effect to convey not only a sense of urgency but a sense of realism, making the audience feel as though we, too, are present in these moments. This tactic is also used for shots of the Firefly in the sky, and the effect is that it feels very much like a home movie, as though Joss Whedon and his company are making this for their friends, as a sort of documentary, that makes it seem much more real than it might otherwise.

The writing on this series is nothing short of amazing, and it appears that everyone involved has an absolute understanding of the universe that they've set out to create and the people living within it. Each of these characters is very genuine, and their actions make perfect sense for what we know about them. There are aspects to each of them that aren't revealed up front, much like in real life, and the mystery of some, like Book and Inara, make sense given that they aren't necessarily as open with people as Kaylee (Jewel Staite) and Wash might be. The villains, most notably Early (Richard Brooks), are all incredibly effective and three-dimensional, and it really adds to the greater scope of this universe.

A victim of FOX airing episodes out of order, the show only received a real following after it had already been cancelled, despite the fact that it had so much more potential. It's beyond baffling that a network could do so wrong by something so good, effectively robbing the series of a chance to find its footing and killing it before it even took a breath. To this day the Browncoats unite around this rare gem of a series, and it's with good reason that they managed to give life to the feature film Serenity.

Next: Better Days
Next: Serenity