Some thoughts on Serenity
Serenity thoughts... Spoilers, so don't read if you haven't seen the film yet!
Ron and I went to see Serenity Friday afternoon. I had already been spoiled regarding the deaths of both Book & Wash. Ron complimented me later on being able to go for months without spoiling it for him as well. Personally, I was just praying that we'd sit down and find that Whedon had shot two different films, and that preview audiences had seen something we wouldn't.
Silly me. ::sigh::
Let me add now that neither Ron or I ever watched Buffy or Angel. We were Joss virgins before being convinced that we simply MUST watch Firefly on DVD. I've seen some fans saying that this is Jossverse so we can hope for characters to be brought back to life -- but that just seems badly **wrong** for the 'verse that Serenity flies through. I mean... Wash as a zombie? No. Thank you. My love holds **some** bounds, I suppose. :)
I've been sort of haunting LJ off and on this weekend, looking for post-film meta to help get me through the "this sucks!" mindset.
While I can see and appreciate the value of Wash's death (and Book's as well) in terms of story crafting, I can't shake my love for the characters and not be left wanting to make some vain protest. Ron and I were both just wandering around dazed Friday afternoon after the film. If it weren't for the Eugene Celebration yesterday and our Makindu volunteer efforts, we probably would have spent the entire weekend sitting at home moping around in a shared funk. I mean, SERIOUSLY. How pathetic is that? These ARE just characters in a piece of fiction, not members of the family! But... hell, I've got family members I'll miss far less than I'm already missing Wash!
CRUDE WARNING: Gotta share Ron's response to this. Halfway through the film, Ron says he started squirming in his seat, really **needing** to go take a bathroom break. He kept putting it off and putting it off, and that the pressure of his bladder was beginning to get painful when -- bang! Ron was so taken by surprise by Wash's unexpected death (and so scared that other characters were going to get killed off next) that he completely forgot his bladder.
I know there's hopes that maybe a good turnout for the film will mean more Serenity films, or a renewed series contract with the Sci-Fi channel. And yes, if so, I'll be there to enjoy what more there is to enjoy of the Captain and crew. But it can't be the same creature without the characters we've lost so far -- and what characters will Whedon kill off next? (Not that I wouldn't be happy to see River & Simon jettisoned -- they're my least favorite by far... but I fear it's too late for that. ::sigh:: Can't we trade off "the barefoot hippy chick & her incestuous brother" for Wash, please? A two for one deal, or something??)
An additional thought... some reviews I had seen of the film before Friday had complained about the lack of response from the crew to Wash's death, so I went into the theatre completely expecting the last third or quarter of the film to suck. But I **was** pleasantly surprised. Zoey's grief is spoken in actions, and when Kaylee figures out that Wash is gone -- oh, yeah, grief happens. I can see how folks who didn't already know the crew from the series might think the characters weren't reacting enough to Wash's death, but I think that sequence was quiet in character, especially for Mal, Kaylee & Zoey.
Ron and I went to see Serenity Friday afternoon. I had already been spoiled regarding the deaths of both Book & Wash. Ron complimented me later on being able to go for months without spoiling it for him as well. Personally, I was just praying that we'd sit down and find that Whedon had shot two different films, and that preview audiences had seen something we wouldn't.
Silly me. ::sigh::
Let me add now that neither Ron or I ever watched Buffy or Angel. We were Joss virgins before being convinced that we simply MUST watch Firefly on DVD. I've seen some fans saying that this is Jossverse so we can hope for characters to be brought back to life -- but that just seems badly **wrong** for the 'verse that Serenity flies through. I mean... Wash as a zombie? No. Thank you. My love holds **some** bounds, I suppose. :)
I've been sort of haunting LJ off and on this weekend, looking for post-film meta to help get me through the "this sucks!" mindset.
While I can see and appreciate the value of Wash's death (and Book's as well) in terms of story crafting, I can't shake my love for the characters and not be left wanting to make some vain protest. Ron and I were both just wandering around dazed Friday afternoon after the film. If it weren't for the Eugene Celebration yesterday and our Makindu volunteer efforts, we probably would have spent the entire weekend sitting at home moping around in a shared funk. I mean, SERIOUSLY. How pathetic is that? These ARE just characters in a piece of fiction, not members of the family! But... hell, I've got family members I'll miss far less than I'm already missing Wash!
CRUDE WARNING: Gotta share Ron's response to this. Halfway through the film, Ron says he started squirming in his seat, really **needing** to go take a bathroom break. He kept putting it off and putting it off, and that the pressure of his bladder was beginning to get painful when -- bang! Ron was so taken by surprise by Wash's unexpected death (and so scared that other characters were going to get killed off next) that he completely forgot his bladder.
I know there's hopes that maybe a good turnout for the film will mean more Serenity films, or a renewed series contract with the Sci-Fi channel. And yes, if so, I'll be there to enjoy what more there is to enjoy of the Captain and crew. But it can't be the same creature without the characters we've lost so far -- and what characters will Whedon kill off next? (Not that I wouldn't be happy to see River & Simon jettisoned -- they're my least favorite by far... but I fear it's too late for that. ::sigh:: Can't we trade off "the barefoot hippy chick & her incestuous brother" for Wash, please? A two for one deal, or something??)
An additional thought... some reviews I had seen of the film before Friday had complained about the lack of response from the crew to Wash's death, so I went into the theatre completely expecting the last third or quarter of the film to suck. But I **was** pleasantly surprised. Zoey's grief is spoken in actions, and when Kaylee figures out that Wash is gone -- oh, yeah, grief happens. I can see how folks who didn't already know the crew from the series might think the characters weren't reacting enough to Wash's death, but I think that sequence was quiet in character, especially for Mal, Kaylee & Zoey.