As anyone checking in here can tell, I haven't exactly been the world's most prolific blogger, with a whopping two posts in all of 2012
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I think some of those people need to let it go after a decade.
Ha ha, I thought that years ago. My experience went something like this:
1: "Hey, new Joss Whedon series, I should give it a shot." 2: "This is... really boring. But I'll keep watching!" 3: "Oh, did I miss it tonight? Eh, whatever." 4: "Oh, it was cancelled? Not surprised." 5: "Why are people talking about Firefly again? Oh, it's on DVD?" 6: "Wait, people like this show now? Maybe I should give it another shot." 7: "Nope, still don't like it." 8: "Oh, we're getting a movie now? Guess I'll go see it." 9: "Half of that was really good, I guess. And hopefully people will shut up now." 10: "Wait, are people still talking about this?" 11: "Do people only care about X people an actor from Firefly is in it?" 12: Are people still talking about this?" 13: "You know Joss Whedon did stuff other than Firefly, right?" 14: "Guys, it's not coming back." 15: Repeat step 14. A LOT.
I still owe the world a post on why Firefly isn't really as feminist as people keep suggesting. Though I already saw a post on the Mary Sue to that effect, but they didn't list the same exact reasons, so maybe there's still a place for my opinion.
I'm on the same page as Joss Whedon in terms of what he was going for with Firefly (whether he fully succeeded is a different question), and I'd still say it's my favourite Whedon series. I'm even in favour of official continuations of the franchise (mostly comics at this point), and I was sad when the tie-in novel contract fell through.
Having said all that, I've long since let go of the idea that more live-action content would make an appearance...and it's frustrating to see Browncoats who can't approach their fandom with any sense of balance. Much like the hardcore libertarian corner of that fandom, it makes me want to distance myself from the whole thing.
I'd love to to see your post on the shortcomings of the series in terms of its feminism. Most commentaries I've seen along those lines are about how Whedon's heroines are often put in the position of needing saving/protecting by male figures.
Man, my typo on #11 was pretty bad here. It should be "Do people only care about X because an actor from Firefly is in it?" but I figure you got the point.
As in regards to the female characters, in short I guess I would be how their actions/behavior don't fully support their archetypes. Like, each of them has a "role" to play: the tough girl, the nerdy girl, the sexy girl, the weak-looking-but-secretly-strong girl. They're ultimately all cardboard cutouts. Which is sad because I don't think they're necessarily shallow, badly-developed characters, but there's a disconnect between what the show was trying to do (or what people say the show did) and what the characters actually did.
But again, this is basically fodder for a long post I've been meaning to make for years. Maybe while I'm on a roll after my Big Bang Theory rant...
As I said, I'd be really interested in seeing you elaborate on that--especially since I'm not sure whether you want them to be less or more like the cardboard cutouts you described. :P
Ha ha, I thought that years ago. My experience went something like this:
1: "Hey, new Joss Whedon series, I should give it a shot."
2: "This is... really boring. But I'll keep watching!"
3: "Oh, did I miss it tonight? Eh, whatever."
4: "Oh, it was cancelled? Not surprised."
5: "Why are people talking about Firefly again? Oh, it's on DVD?"
6: "Wait, people like this show now? Maybe I should give it another shot."
7: "Nope, still don't like it."
8: "Oh, we're getting a movie now? Guess I'll go see it."
9: "Half of that was really good, I guess. And hopefully people will shut up now."
10: "Wait, are people still talking about this?"
11: "Do people only care about X people an actor from Firefly is in it?"
12: Are people still talking about this?"
13: "You know Joss Whedon did stuff other than Firefly, right?"
14: "Guys, it's not coming back."
15: Repeat step 14. A LOT.
I still owe the world a post on why Firefly isn't really as feminist as people keep suggesting. Though I already saw a post on the Mary Sue to that effect, but they didn't list the same exact reasons, so maybe there's still a place for my opinion.
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Having said all that, I've long since let go of the idea that more live-action content would make an appearance...and it's frustrating to see Browncoats who can't approach their fandom with any sense of balance. Much like the hardcore libertarian corner of that fandom, it makes me want to distance myself from the whole thing.
I'd love to to see your post on the shortcomings of the series in terms of its feminism. Most commentaries I've seen along those lines are about how Whedon's heroines are often put in the position of needing saving/protecting by male figures.
Reply
As in regards to the female characters, in short I guess I would be how their actions/behavior don't fully support their archetypes. Like, each of them has a "role" to play: the tough girl, the nerdy girl, the sexy girl, the weak-looking-but-secretly-strong girl. They're ultimately all cardboard cutouts. Which is sad because I don't think they're necessarily shallow, badly-developed characters, but there's a disconnect between what the show was trying to do (or what people say the show did) and what the characters actually did.
But again, this is basically fodder for a long post I've been meaning to make for years. Maybe while I'm on a roll after my Big Bang Theory rant...
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