TV - Firefly 1x05 (Safe) & 1x06 (Our Mrs. Reynolds); Veronica Mars 1x01 (Pilot)
Being broke and single, my weekend options were limited. So I chose to use it to catch up on various brain-rotting programs. *g*
This show continues to have my undying love. Well, steady devotion, anyway. ;)
"Safe" was another of the episodes I remembered seeing before, so most of it was already familiar - but like "Shindig," the context allowed me to enjoy it a lot more this go-around. This one was definitely the Simon and River show, and that was fine - with both of them I like them the more I see of them. (In Simon's case, not merely because he's become easy on the eyes. ;) Mal's certainly attractive, but Simon is... well, pretty.) Especially the scene where River comes across the party of dancers, the way she watches in childlike awe for several moments before she just giddily throws herself into it like a pro. The contrast of all that brilliance stuck in the mentality of a child - there are moments where she's brilliantly lucid, but even when she's not, you know there's a great depth and intelligence there that's still not entirely incoherent. One of my favorite bits:
River: They weren't cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see the sky, and they remember what they are.
Mal: Is it bad that what she said made perfect sense to me?
Right there with you, Mal. ;)
"Our Mrs. Reynolds" - well, this was just a fun romp from the very beginning, with Jayne and Mal and the bickering and the pretty floral bonnet, Mal *headdesking* over and over again as the crew gaily and not so gaily gives him hell over Saffron... this is possibly the most quotable episode I've seen yet (this list doesn't have near all the ones I laughed at), and I'm certain I LOLed more even more than I did with "Shindig." And despite not being a M/I shipper (there's just a certain... spark missing that doesn't make their interactions flow quite as smoothly as other dynamics on the show), I actually liked the kiss. I think it was the desperation/spontaneity of it - something I don't quite get from their other interactions. Although I guess this one still doesn't technically count as an interaction, with Mal being out for the count. ;)
In general, I liked it, though not the immediate love I had for Firefly. I'll definitely watch the next episode, and we'll see what happens there. Something about the whole premise of the show seems slightly off-kilter/surreal for me, which was a little off-putting, but I suppose that off-kilter feel is part of what draws a lot of people. Not sure how I feel about it yet.
More than anything else I liked Veronica herself - offhand I suppose I can see a few parallels with Buffy, but definitely not to the extent some people seem to find. The first "it" moment for me (in terms of liking her) was the flashback-moment where she sees Lily's dead body - despite seeing/knowing very little of their friendship, the look on Veronica's face is horrified/heartbreaking enough that you absolutely buy that these girls were very close. Ditto when the sheriff basically laughs her off when she tries to report her rape - the heartbreak there. The other "it" scene was her on the stakeout with the dog and the taser, standing up to the biker gang. Cool-headed, resourceful, without being too heavy-handed with the "she's such a cool badass outcast" vibes.
So far there really aren't any other characters that stand out for me. Wallace is nice enough, but Duncan and Logan do nothing for me whatsoever - unlike Spike, who's an ass who's delightfully snarky, Logan just seems like an ass, and Duncan... well, not quite as much of an ass, but still not really endeared to me. But as it's only the pilot, I'm willing to grant leeway in the development area for the moment.
I saw the Mrs. Mars as the Mystery Rendezvous Woman coming a mile away, but we'll see how it goes next ep.
This show continues to have my undying love. Well, steady devotion, anyway. ;)
"Safe" was another of the episodes I remembered seeing before, so most of it was already familiar - but like "Shindig," the context allowed me to enjoy it a lot more this go-around. This one was definitely the Simon and River show, and that was fine - with both of them I like them the more I see of them. (In Simon's case, not merely because he's become easy on the eyes. ;) Mal's certainly attractive, but Simon is... well, pretty.) Especially the scene where River comes across the party of dancers, the way she watches in childlike awe for several moments before she just giddily throws herself into it like a pro. The contrast of all that brilliance stuck in the mentality of a child - there are moments where she's brilliantly lucid, but even when she's not, you know there's a great depth and intelligence there that's still not entirely incoherent. One of my favorite bits:
River: They weren't cows inside. They were waiting to be, but they forgot. Now they see the sky, and they remember what they are.
Mal: Is it bad that what she said made perfect sense to me?
Right there with you, Mal. ;)
"Our Mrs. Reynolds" - well, this was just a fun romp from the very beginning, with Jayne and Mal and the bickering and the pretty floral bonnet, Mal *headdesking* over and over again as the crew gaily and not so gaily gives him hell over Saffron... this is possibly the most quotable episode I've seen yet (this list doesn't have near all the ones I laughed at), and I'm certain I LOLed more even more than I did with "Shindig." And despite not being a M/I shipper (there's just a certain... spark missing that doesn't make their interactions flow quite as smoothly as other dynamics on the show), I actually liked the kiss. I think it was the desperation/spontaneity of it - something I don't quite get from their other interactions. Although I guess this one still doesn't technically count as an interaction, with Mal being out for the count. ;)
In general, I liked it, though not the immediate love I had for Firefly. I'll definitely watch the next episode, and we'll see what happens there. Something about the whole premise of the show seems slightly off-kilter/surreal for me, which was a little off-putting, but I suppose that off-kilter feel is part of what draws a lot of people. Not sure how I feel about it yet.
More than anything else I liked Veronica herself - offhand I suppose I can see a few parallels with Buffy, but definitely not to the extent some people seem to find. The first "it" moment for me (in terms of liking her) was the flashback-moment where she sees Lily's dead body - despite seeing/knowing very little of their friendship, the look on Veronica's face is horrified/heartbreaking enough that you absolutely buy that these girls were very close. Ditto when the sheriff basically laughs her off when she tries to report her rape - the heartbreak there. The other "it" scene was her on the stakeout with the dog and the taser, standing up to the biker gang. Cool-headed, resourceful, without being too heavy-handed with the "she's such a cool badass outcast" vibes.
So far there really aren't any other characters that stand out for me. Wallace is nice enough, but Duncan and Logan do nothing for me whatsoever - unlike Spike, who's an ass who's delightfully snarky, Logan just seems like an ass, and Duncan... well, not quite as much of an ass, but still not really endeared to me. But as it's only the pilot, I'm willing to grant leeway in the development area for the moment.
I saw the Mrs. Mars as the Mystery Rendezvous Woman coming a mile away, but we'll see how it goes next ep.