how I fell in love with a firefly

before my friend left for his fantastic europe trip, he lent me a few DVDs from his collection...just cause. i'm usually the binge type when it comes to movies/TV...but this time around, I just kinda let them sit in my living room. this is partly due to busyness...and life...but also because I didn't totally WANT to watch them.

amongst the DVDs was the first and only season of Firefly. I had heard a lot of great things about the series...and I like Joss Whedon as much as anybody else who grew up watching Buffy. But...sci-fi western? Set way in the future? Spaceship?

Let's just say those were more turn-offs than ons.

During my sick day though, I finally sucked it up and started watching. And guess how long it took for me to fall in love? All of 20 minutes.

Firefly is set in 2517 and follows a rogue crew of nine, led by Captain Mal Reynolds. Mal (Nathan Fillion) and Zoe (The all kinds of awesome Gina Torres who I strongly believe can kick any man's ass) both fought on the losing side of a civil war between the Independents and the central federal government, which goes by "the Alliance". They are now essentially renegades and take on sordid jobs (often for criminals) in order to put food on the table (or spaceship). They are joined by pilot Wash (Zoe's hubby - played by Alan Tudyk), the incredibly hilarious, kind, and genius mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite), Shepherd Book (Ron Glass),resident dumbass/macho guy Jayne (Adam Baldwin), Inara (Morena Baccarin) and...Simon and River Tam. The latter two are the ones who drive the main narrative, because they turn out to be fugitives. Their presence on the ship completely jeopardizes the safety of the others...and puts the Alliance on their tail.

I won't go into too much detail here about the plot, but I just want to mention why I loved the series so much. It's essentially a story about the underdogs...the guys that everybody overlooks because they sure won't have a chance to survive. It's about family and loyalty - it's about sticking your neck out for someone else very simply because they are "your crew". Mal, the central character, is for the most part the strong and silent type...but is fiercely loyal and unwilling to cheat in any circumstance. Here's a glimpse:

Simon: How do i know you won’t kill me in my sleep?

Mal: You don’t know me son, so let me explain this to you once. If I ever kill you, you’ll be awake, you’ll be facing me, and you’ll be armed.

Simon: Are you always this sentimental?

Mal: Had a good day.

Simon: You had the Alliance on you … criminals and savages. Half the people on the ship have been shot or wounded, including yourself. And you’re harboring known fugitives.

Mal: We’re still flying.

Simon: That’s not much.

Mal: It’s enough.

Another aspect that I loved about Firefly was its representation of women. As I mentioned earlier, Zoe is Mal's "wingwoman" and kicks more ass than any of the other male characters combined. She's fierce and proud of it...but this doesn't stop her from having an equally strong relationship with her husband. The interaction between them is so interesting...because she's more dominant while Wash's character is softer and a total sweetheart. It works for them - and is such a pleasure to see on screen. Kaylee, the mechanic on the ship, is yet another strong female character. She's very warm and feminine...and has amazing engineering skills.Inara, who plays a "Companion"(essentially a high end prostitute), actually increases the social/cultural capital that the crew has...and she is again a feisty yet feminine character. Her ongoing romantic tension with Mal brings some of the most heart-wrenching moments in the series...despite intense bickering between the two of them, she is truly Mal's heart and conscience.

What makes Firefly a MUST-SEE is the incredible camaderie between the cast...this is truly a series dedicated to its characters. It's about hope in a dystopic world, and shows how no matter how far in time and space you may travel...everybody still struggles with how to live righteously, and how to love fully.

Here's the closing quote by from the film ("Serenity") that came a little after the show got cancelled (the cult following was so strong for the TV show that a film was born!) In this scene, River asks Mal what the most important part of flying the ship is, and he replies:

Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she ought to fall down tells you she's hurting before she keels. Makes her a home.