General Nerdiness: Firefly Season Seven Review
From Red Right Hand:
The end is nigh. The last season of Firefly started last night and if the season premiere is any indication, it comes a season too late.
Joss was on a roll last season only to be brought to a screeching halt by the writer's strike. Those nine episodes are right up there with the first season's classic hours. It marked a return to form that we thought would be unattainable after the slipping in the third season (except for the Shepherd Book storyline) and the absolutely abominable fourth season that saw Mal and the crew in the employ of the Inner Worlds Provisional Government as System Marshals. The Shield in space sounds good, but in practice, not so much.
The fifth season's attempt to return the crew of the Serenity to some kind of outlaw status was too obvious, having framed them for the assassination of President Ying-Smith. It also went on way too long. However, the political play afforded by last year's return of Inara to the series as she navigated the halls of the capitol on Sihnon trying to uncover the conspiracy, set the stage for the series to get back to it's original status quo. If only we could get Ron Glass back on the show. While his death at the end of the two-parter that revealed his past as an Operative was one of the most stirring on TV in recent memory, I still miss him. He was always my favorite.
But with last night's episode, "Rise and Fall," (the first season premiere not written by Whedon, who has apparently decided the leave the series in Cain's hands for it's final run while he preps Dollhouse and works on the Dr. Horrible stuff) the wishes of fans for things to be like the first season were met a little too literally. Be careful what you wish for and all that. The revelation that new government is actually a puppet of the New Sun corporation almost suggests that everything we and the crew have been though has been for naught. And with no Miranda controversy this time, what's gonna happen to topple yet another corrupt government (though this does serve as an interesting socio-political commentary on the dangers a too-powerful executive branch). Are we headed for a downer ending? A suicidal last battle come May sweeps?
The episode wasn't all bad, though. Jayne's big action piece in the fourth act when he was chasing Mal across the rooftops on Ariel had me actually kinda rooting for him. And Adam Baldwin just crackles when he tries to get all authoritarian and keeps flashing that badge to people who couldn't give a rat's ass.
Also, the rhyming game and Wash and River were playing between taking pot shots as the Marshals was hilarious. When she said "spleen" and got the last guy and then Wash said "washing machine" and killed an appliance...guess you had to be there.
Nothing against Cain, her episodes rank right up there with the Jossmeister's. That one where Saffron gets her memory back after a year as Mal's actual wife, "Missy" was a roller coaster ride and Mal's still carrying those scars, figuratively and literally. She knows the show inside out, having been around since her first season episode, "Dead or Alive."
Still, I wish they would have got Minear back to close things out. He would have given us a season that would makes us cry for an eighth.
Still, I liked it better than last night's Fringe. Not that I should complain about Fox's Sci-Fi Tuesday Especially if they bench Fringe and put Dollhouse on at 9/8c. JOSS NIGHT!
I really think that unfair. Too much, people get attached to the nostalgia aspect of a show. But if you think about it, I mean, come on, if characters actually didn't change in seven seasons then the writers are doing something wrong. I mean, I sure as hell am nothing now like I was at 15.
Of course, I fucking loved the fifth season. Sure, the plot had weak moments and there were more than a handful of 'rebels gone straight' cliche "twist" thrown into the mix but I think if you look at the characters - my God. Simon finally feeling the weight of that gun in his hand, that speech he shares with Mal. Okay, okay, I know it wasn't like THAT but it made my slashy little heart beat faster. And, I don't care what people say, I fucking loved Jayne's sister. First off, I was incredibly impressed with Eden Espinosa outside of her usual broadway roles. Second, Mal's little attempts at flirting? Precious as anything, even if he was just trying to prove a point to Zoe.
I'll be the first to admit there have been weak points. The whole "Wash and Kaylee acting as carnival folks" episode was one of them but even then we got the goose juggling and - hell - it may not have made up for that disaster, but it was still worth it. Also, the whole thing was a giant step back for River. You go from a broken child to this incredibly capable woman by the fourth season, and then the fifth season they break her down again by having her working for the very men that made her (and who DIDN'T see her whole connection with Jacob coming)?
Still, there was also great growth. I mean, Kaylee finally realizing that she was better than only half of Simon's attention? Look, I love the boy and I was just as pissed as the rest of the fans for the writer's treatment of him when it came to their relationship, but at least I finally got to see Kaylee really grow a back bone when it came to love. (Plus, yeah, I'm a little excited for what this might mean for Jayne and Kaylee! Come on, Joss, one season left! You can give us what we want just this once!)
Right, onto this new season, I have to agree the opening was only... eh at best. I am a little worried about Zoe's pregnancy. I mean, we saw how they handled Inara's mother and Book's son. Children do not seem to be a strong point of the series, so I really have my fingers crossed this doesn't crash and burn. Still, I loved Wash's whole "Two like... Two?" Reaction scene, and Simon... That boy just gets cuter every time he doctors (I'm still pissed about that facial scar Joss! And, my God, who let Sean cut his hair like that! Still, at least the doctoring is cute.)
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I really am hoping the hold onto the drama from season six but... You just never know with these things and, God, it seems like it's been on forever already. Like Mal said to Keagen, Man's always gonna die, just a matter of letting yourself die proud.
(No, I have not left delusional world just yet!)
The end is nigh. The last season of Firefly started last night and if the season premiere is any indication, it comes a season too late.
Joss was on a roll last season only to be brought to a screeching halt by the writer's strike. Those nine episodes are right up there with the first season's classic hours. It marked a return to form that we thought would be unattainable after the slipping in the third season (except for the Shepherd Book storyline) and the absolutely abominable fourth season that saw Mal and the crew in the employ of the Inner Worlds Provisional Government as System Marshals. The Shield in space sounds good, but in practice, not so much.
The fifth season's attempt to return the crew of the Serenity to some kind of outlaw status was too obvious, having framed them for the assassination of President Ying-Smith. It also went on way too long. However, the political play afforded by last year's return of Inara to the series as she navigated the halls of the capitol on Sihnon trying to uncover the conspiracy, set the stage for the series to get back to it's original status quo. If only we could get Ron Glass back on the show. While his death at the end of the two-parter that revealed his past as an Operative was one of the most stirring on TV in recent memory, I still miss him. He was always my favorite.
But with last night's episode, "Rise and Fall," (the first season premiere not written by Whedon, who has apparently decided the leave the series in Cain's hands for it's final run while he preps Dollhouse and works on the Dr. Horrible stuff) the wishes of fans for things to be like the first season were met a little too literally. Be careful what you wish for and all that. The revelation that new government is actually a puppet of the New Sun corporation almost suggests that everything we and the crew have been though has been for naught. And with no Miranda controversy this time, what's gonna happen to topple yet another corrupt government (though this does serve as an interesting socio-political commentary on the dangers a too-powerful executive branch). Are we headed for a downer ending? A suicidal last battle come May sweeps?
The episode wasn't all bad, though. Jayne's big action piece in the fourth act when he was chasing Mal across the rooftops on Ariel had me actually kinda rooting for him. And Adam Baldwin just crackles when he tries to get all authoritarian and keeps flashing that badge to people who couldn't give a rat's ass.
Also, the rhyming game and Wash and River were playing between taking pot shots as the Marshals was hilarious. When she said "spleen" and got the last guy and then Wash said "washing machine" and killed an appliance...guess you had to be there.
Nothing against Cain, her episodes rank right up there with the Jossmeister's. That one where Saffron gets her memory back after a year as Mal's actual wife, "Missy" was a roller coaster ride and Mal's still carrying those scars, figuratively and literally. She knows the show inside out, having been around since her first season episode, "Dead or Alive."
Still, I wish they would have got Minear back to close things out. He would have given us a season that would makes us cry for an eighth.
Still, I liked it better than last night's Fringe. Not that I should complain about Fox's Sci-Fi Tuesday Especially if they bench Fringe and put Dollhouse on at 9/8c. JOSS NIGHT!
I really think that unfair. Too much, people get attached to the nostalgia aspect of a show. But if you think about it, I mean, come on, if characters actually didn't change in seven seasons then the writers are doing something wrong. I mean, I sure as hell am nothing now like I was at 15.
Of course, I fucking loved the fifth season. Sure, the plot had weak moments and there were more than a handful of 'rebels gone straight' cliche "twist" thrown into the mix but I think if you look at the characters - my God. Simon finally feeling the weight of that gun in his hand, that speech he shares with Mal. Okay, okay, I know it wasn't like THAT but it made my slashy little heart beat faster. And, I don't care what people say, I fucking loved Jayne's sister. First off, I was incredibly impressed with Eden Espinosa outside of her usual broadway roles. Second, Mal's little attempts at flirting? Precious as anything, even if he was just trying to prove a point to Zoe.
I'll be the first to admit there have been weak points. The whole "Wash and Kaylee acting as carnival folks" episode was one of them but even then we got the goose juggling and - hell - it may not have made up for that disaster, but it was still worth it. Also, the whole thing was a giant step back for River. You go from a broken child to this incredibly capable woman by the fourth season, and then the fifth season they break her down again by having her working for the very men that made her (and who DIDN'T see her whole connection with Jacob coming)?
Still, there was also great growth. I mean, Kaylee finally realizing that she was better than only half of Simon's attention? Look, I love the boy and I was just as pissed as the rest of the fans for the writer's treatment of him when it came to their relationship, but at least I finally got to see Kaylee really grow a back bone when it came to love. (Plus, yeah, I'm a little excited for what this might mean for Jayne and Kaylee! Come on, Joss, one season left! You can give us what we want just this once!)
Right, onto this new season, I have to agree the opening was only... eh at best. I am a little worried about Zoe's pregnancy. I mean, we saw how they handled Inara's mother and Book's son. Children do not seem to be a strong point of the series, so I really have my fingers crossed this doesn't crash and burn. Still, I loved Wash's whole "Two like... Two?" Reaction scene, and Simon... That boy just gets cuter every time he doctors (I'm still pissed about that facial scar Joss! And, my God, who let Sean cut his hair like that! Still, at least the doctoring is cute.)
I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I really am hoping the hold onto the drama from season six but... You just never know with these things and, God, it seems like it's been on forever already. Like Mal said to Keagen, Man's always gonna die, just a matter of letting yourself die proud.
(No, I have not left delusional world just yet!)