TV Shows That I Love – Firefly November 30, 2010
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Browncoatings, Television.Tags: characterization, Firefly, Joss Whedon, Serenity
2 comments
Before watching Firefly, I didn’t have a terribly high opinion of Joss Whedon.
I’ll just let that sink in for a moment for the fans.
At that point, I’d heard of Joss Whedon. I knew he’d created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, and was well-loved by fanboys and fangirls the world over. But at the time, the only actual experience I’d had with his material were a number of episodes from season 5 of Buffy, which I’m sure many will agree, was not the strongest season of television material he’d ever produced. So, my impressions of him at that point were not bad, but I wasn’t expecting to be particularly impressed.
Now behold the punchline: after one episode of Firefly, I did a 180 and thought the world of him.
It was late 2005. Thanksgiving, as a matter of fact. Serenity had been recently released in movie theaters, and some of my friends convinced me to go and see it at a local movie theater. To get me ready, they showed me the pilot episode of Firefly, also called “Serenity.”
It was all interesting enough, until the moment I watched a preacher suddenly throw down on a law enforcement agent and face down another man who wanted to kill that agent—all without a gun, or any weapons at all. Suddenly I was hooked, drawn into the drama of a group of thieves caught up with a young, well-to-do brother smuggling his sister out of the hands of a repressive government. In addition, they had to keep themselves working, through means of varying legality, so they could keep the ship running and themselves fed.
Firefly proved to be a wealth of interesting interpersonal dynamics. The captain of Serenity, Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, was the laconic, bitter survivor of a war that cost him most of his friends and the totality of his faith in a higher power. He had strong relationships with his crew: Kaylee, the lovable, brilliant young engineer of the ship; Zoe, his stoic second-in-command and the only other survivor of the war from his platoon; Wash, her goofy husband and a pilot of unmatched skill; Jayne, a gruff, crude mercenary whose knowledge of guns is equaled only by his lust for the almighty dollar; and Inara, the ship’s companion, whose occupation disgusts Mal, even as he suppresses deep feeling for her. Throw in Simon, a young, brilliant physician; his sister River, whose brain is prized by the government, even as it causes her mental problems; and Book, a preacher who happens to be on the right ship at the right time, and it’s easy to see the potential for character-driven brilliance.
All of these relationships are nuanced and complex, particularly when you consider that this show only lasted the better portion of one year. After seeing some of the dialog exchanges, such as Jayne and Wash sparring over who shares the risks during missions, and Book and Kaylee’s brief discussion of ships and journeys, my opinion of Joss Whedon’s writing rose considerably. After seeing the rest of the episode, where I saw a deal gone wrong, then righted; a harrowing, narrow escape from a predator ship; and the heartwarming results of a brother’s determination to protect his sister, I knew I’d have to see the rest of the shows he worked on.
My friends then showed me the episode “Out of Gas,” which explains in flashbacks how the original crew of the ship met, even as Mal lies dying and bleeding in the present. It’s alternately amusing, harrowing, and endearing, this episode, and it’s punctuated with a silent, unforgettable flashback shot of Mal looking longingly on as he lays eyes for the first time on Serenity.
After that, we went to see Serenity in the theater. Serenity, which had me on the edge of my seat for almost the entire time. Serenity, where two major characters are killed. Serenity, which was made as a consolation prize for the fans whose show Firefly had already been canceled. By that point, I was already one of those fans.
When the end credits were rolling, I turned to one of my friends and said, “I almost wish you hadn’t shown me this.” When she asked why, I responded, “It really drives home the fact that it’s not enough for something to be good in order for it to be successful.”
The crew of Serenity have since gone on to life in the comic books, much like Buffy and Angel have. But there’s a definite longing for what could have been, had FOX actually taken care of the show from the get-go and given its creator the kind of support and freedom he needed. The comics, which I read and have read as opportunity allows, maintain a very narrow span of the characters’ lives, set between the end of the series and the beginning of the film. Not exactly the same tradition of the continuations of Buffy and Angel, which were longer-lived and had more or less proper television endings.
The biggest draw to this show for me was the characterization, hands down. Be it the exploration of individual characters or the interplay of an ensemble, Firefly really did a good job of making you care for them. Mal really is a smuggler captain with a heart of gold who can give Han Solo a run for his money. His relationship with Inara, a remarkable character in her own right, is both obvious and understated in its complexity. Book and Jayne, who at first come into near deadly conflict over the immediate fate of a man’s life, eventually become friends and workout buddies, even though they’re remarkably different people. And that’s only scratching the surface.
Another draw is the humor, which often occurs at the most unlikely moments. Mal, having bested a man in a duel, elects not to kill him, but to give him little jabbing stabs with his sword, making slightly more self-deprecating remarks as he does. Jayne ambushes Mal with an impressive-looking gun and a massive scowl, only to offer the gun in trade for a woman. When Mal scolds him with the rebuke that the woman has a name, Jayne holds the gun lovingly and says, “So does this! I call her… Vera.”
And don’t even get me started on the Ballad of Jayne!
Firefly wasn’t my first exposure to Joss Whedon, who has since gone on to become one of my idols of writing, but it was the show that made me take notice of his writing after rolling my eyes at the mention of his name for a while. Because of Firefly, I gave Buffy and Angel a chance (more on them at another time). Because of Firefly, I realized that good things don’t necessarily get to be long-lived. And because of Firefly, I’m always wondering how I can write compelling and engaging characters who my readers and audience will care for as much as I do.
Thanx, Joss.
TV Shows That I Love – Doctor Who November 23, 2010
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Geekery, Television, TV Shows I Love, Writing.Tags: David Tennant, Matt Smith, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, the Doctor, Writing
2 comments
I wanted to sit down and write about some of the television shows that have had a profound impact on my sensibilities, both as an armchair critic and as a writer (never mind that I’m not published, I blog dammit! 
). I of course like to be entertained, so a good story and interesting characters are very important, but as a writer I’m also interested in logical plotting (whether that logic is internal or external), creative use of narrative structure, good dialog, and clever, memorable characterization. Not only do I want to love these characters and stories, but I want to know how to make the material I write resonate in such a way with an audience.
This is the effect I hope to achieve with any audience that sees my material, be it my fiction or nonfiction, and the shows I cover here have inspired and will no doubt inform the sensibilities of any fiction I write. While I don’t watch a LOT of TV these days, there are quite a few that have given me more than their fair share of joy and marvel. I rarely discover a favorite show while it’s on TV; usually friends introduce me to them and get me hooked, but then I usually have the advantage of having plenty to enjoy at that point. 
These programs all came to me in different ways, and over different time spans. Some were, of course, shown to me by friends. Others I’d watched with vague interest at first, and then became absorbed.
Others seemed like I’d never enjoy them at first, and a few just won me over at first viewing. And I think it is appropriate to start with one such program, particularly since today marks the anniversary of a long run it’s had since its beginnings. I speak, of course, of the BBC’s ingenious program Doctor Who.
Anyone who knows this show and who knows me may be surprised that I’ve never even seen a full episode of it until earlier this year. This, of course, is my habit. I discover something that’s brilliant, and realize I get to spend weeks, months, in this case YEARS, catching up on the source material.
Doctor Who was first broadcast on November 23, 1963, though technically I’ve never seen that particular series, which ended in 1989. The current one is a direct continuation of that series, started in 2005. It’s ostensibly science fiction, about an alien man (who looks human) with a police-box-shaped spacecraft that can traverse time and space, but I’ve heard more than one person call it fantasy as well. In my opinion, it takes elements and tropes from both genres and works them into a narrative that is dark, humorous, intelligent, cheesy, and witty, often all at once.
My first experience with the Doctor involved the literal last five minutes of David Tennant’s life as the title character. He was regenerating into someone else, though he clearly didn’t want to and was grieving about the process even as it slowly overtook him. An alien, scary-looking at first, appeared to the Doctor, telling him the Universe will sing him to his sleep, and ending with a line of dialog that sticks with me to this day: “This song is over. But the story, never ends…”
The Doctor put himself in his ship, the TARDIS, and went into orbit around Earth for the final stages of his regeneration, stating, “I don’t want to go,” before a violent surge of energy engulfs his body and turns him into the Eleventh and current Doctor, played by Matt Smith. After quickly and rather humorously searching himself to make sure he has legs, arms, hands, fingers, nose, throat, and several other necessities we tend to take for granted, he realizes the regeneration is causing his ship to crash into the earth, and that he has to stop it somehow. Gripping onto the console of the falling TARDIS, he lets out an enthusiastic yell of, “GERONIMO!” and the end credits start rolling.
Needless to say, that five minutes got me hooked enough to want to watch more. Here’s a quick list of why:
- David Tennant got a HUGE send-off, I later discovered. He got to say goodbye to his former companions. He was a well-loved Doctor, and it showed, even in this endgame. The emotion on his face, the music played as he “died,” and the overall tone of the moment said it all.
- Matt Smith won me over in less than a minute. He was goofy, spirited, enthusiastic, and geeky from the get-go. The expression, “GERONIMO!” made me want to see how he handled challenges. I would not be disappointed.
- The premise of the regeneration was very intriguing to me, and I later found it to be a very clever device the BBC would use to keep the continuity of the show, even as other actors vacated the part over the years.
- Finally, it was obviously science fiction, and it looked like science fiction that had a lot of fun. I had to see if that was true. It totally was.
Fortunately, we were able to watch the next episode starring Matt Smith immediately, and after I managed to pick my jaw up off the floor, I looked over at my girlfriend and said, “Well, thanks. Now I have over 30 years worth of material I have to catch up on now!” Which of course I meant as a compliment. I also asked how it was possible that I’d never watched this show until now. She simply smiled and shrugged, and watching it became a new regular obsession of mine.
As we progressed through the current season, I found myself more and more engrossed in the series for many different reasons. Clever, snappy dialog. Imaginative use of time and space travel. A professed disdain for techno-babble (which I love at times, to be fair). Characters you immediately loved, hated, or were intrigued by. And, not least of all, bravado: unbridled, unapologetic, get-in-your-face energy that made the entire season a fun-filled, if sometimes intense, romp that I didn’t want to end.
When we finished that season, I ecstatically found myself wanting to see more of the past ones. And so I do. I went back to the beginning of David Tennant’s run, to see the predecessor Doctor in action, and get a look at why he was so well-loved. And believe me, I can see why. He’s been nothing but a joy to watch, and even as I near the end of his run with some sadness and trepidation, I am looking forward to seeing how Christopher Eccleston fairs as the Ninth Doctor.
As my first “real” Doctor, Matt Smith is my favorite. He is, quite simply, Supergeek, and damn proud of it. Stay out of his way, because he doesn’t take anyone’s crap, be it the Daleks, the humans around him, or even the whole of the Universe.
Throughout the show, or at least this second launch of the show that I’ve seen, the writing has been top-notch and made for more than a few memorable episodes. Werewolves and the simultaneous gratitude and disdain of Queen Victoria; a black hole that contains the being purported to be the Devil; a DVD that dialogs only with one specific person about killer angels and time travel; the tragic workings and visions of an artist whose fame and genius were far ahead of his time. These are just a few of the wonders I’ve seen, and I can’t wait to see more.
Doctor Who is one of only a handful of shows that has profoundly affected me on an emotional level from the get-go. I don’t just admire the writing and characters and plots. I love them. I want to write more because of shows like this. I want this show to go on for decades and centuries, that way I might someday have a hand in it. I want the characters to live on, and the story to never end, because I’ve already been told that it never will.
What I find most clever about the show:
- A spaceship that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside. That’s right, you read it correctly, non-fans. TARDIS means Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. Quite simply, it’s Time Lord (the Doctor’s species) technology. No more explanation needed. Brilliant!
- The Doctor is a (mostly) non-violent hero. He solves problems and handles confrontations with knowledge as his first line of defense. His most utilized portable gadget, the Sonic Screwdriver, can open almost any lock, scan things, heal minor wounds, any number of things, but it’s not a directly offensive weapon. It’s a tool that happens to serve the Doctor well. Also brilliant!
- The Doctor’s use of intelligence and knowledge of a weapon. At one point, he is confronted by an alien that is taking the appearance of one human being and his dog, but barking out the man’s mouth. Which could be pretty scary to look at (and is, to the human with him). But the Doctor just kind of smiles and goes, “Muddled the voices, didn’t you? That requires a psychic link with a dormant host, how’d you do that?” And you just can’t help but admire that kind of bravery. Or curiosity. Or stupidity.
So keep it coming, BBC. Keep broadcasting the Doctor, and I’ll be there every chance I get. Because even though I’m relatively new to the Whoniverse, I’m already one of its most ardent fans.
Oh, and to Steven Moffat, the current executive producer of the series and scribe for some of its darkest, most memorable episodes: Good on you, mate. You’re quickly becoming one of my gods of writing, and not just for this show. But more on that for another entry…
Airport Security Absurdity November 12, 2010
Posted by tonywgoodwyn in Uncategorized.add a comment
I know that security screenings at airports have gotten a lot more rigorous than they were a decade ago, but you would think in that time we’d find a way to make them a little less cumbersome while preserving at least a modicum of security and dignity for passengers. In addition to realizing how lucky I was to have a fortunately designed carry-on, I had to play a game at the screening gates that blended various elements of leapfrog, hide and seek, and at times, Twister.
Seriously. I’m in line, waiting to have my ID and boarding pass checked. A reasonable concern, I concede; it makes sense to make sure the person getting on their flight is indeed the person they say they are. But keeping in mind that I’m dragging a rolling carry-on with one hand and have a backpack slung over the other shoulder, it becomes a little ridiculous to start fishing in my pockets for my wallet, which contains my driver’s license, which I must then fish out of its confines. Add to that the fact that I’m already holding my delicate paper boarding pass in my free hand, and that I must keep moving along in line… well, I’m sure it’s not difficult to imagine the ridiculosity that can ensue.
Somehow, I manage. I get everything out in time, show the security personnel, and get move along. Now comes the fun part.
Conveyor belt screening and walkthrough.
I feel like a member of Chippendales as I start quickly removing my jacket and shoes, which takes time. Once I get them into a bin, I open up my carry-on, fortunately designed to include a plastic sealable bag for liquids, which I put into another bin, and THEN I open up my backpack to remove my laptop and place it in the been with the plastic bag. THEN I put my carry-on on the conveyor belt. AND the backpack.
Then I walk through the screening door. Or try to.
The alarm goes off. I’m told to remove my belt and empty my pockets and put them in a container to go through screening.
Oops. Looks like I forgot something in my long, long, list of things to do in the name of security.
So I do that. And I walk through. And then I’m playing hide and seek, looking for my bins and things and snapping them into the backpack or carry-on, and leapfrogging around other passengers to get to them. Finally, it’s a nice game of Twister as another passenger finds the container with my belt and pocket materials, and reaches across a couple other passengers to give them to me.
Once I gather everything up, I go and sit at the bench and start putting on my Chucks, which gives me time to think that, with all this going on, I’m glad I only have to fly occasionally.
I understand why the security procedures are there. I understand that they must be done. But I also think it’s not unreasonable to expect the people charged with protecting Americans who fly to find ways to make this entire process a little smoother. I don’t know what they’d be, but I will say that I’m not unaware of the impending increase in airline ticket prices. That, coupled with the absurd expectations of security screenings, make me even more reticent to pack up and fly out. 
