This afternoon I went out the door around 3:30 to go meet Joe at Café Napoli to find snow falling from a sky that was almost exactly half clear. The sun was shining. Basically the whole northern part of the sky was clear.
And down came the flakes.
I’d be tempted to call it typical NM weather, but it really wasn’t. For one thing, I don’t remember ever seeing anything quite like it before. I’m used to sun-showers, and if the wind blows hard enough we can get the somewhat startling phenomenon of a dust storm in the middle of a rainstorm with the sun shining. But not snow coming out of a largely blue sky.
Wasn’t snowing hard, nor in big flakes. But definitely snow.
So, anyway – last night I rewatched Serenity
There are certainly some questions that can be raised, at least from an SF-nerd viewpoint. For instance, I had to wonder if Joss Whedon really understands, any better than most of Hollywood does, just how big space is. Did the Serenity really have to fly through a whole cloud of Reaver craft, all seemingly within a long spit of one another, to get from planet to planet?
Then again I might have missed something, and could certainly rationalize it myself. One might also question whether I should have to. On the other hand, I was willing enough to do it. Because the movie earned a certain suspension of disbelief.
Because, it’s really a wonderful movie; and in its own terms almost perfect. I was really impressed. The characters were alive and engaging; the dialogue sparkled. The setting was intriguing. The story was basically all about the characters having to make difficult moral choices. Plus there were lots of guns and SBU. Always a bonus.
And of course it had a truly all-time great movie villain in Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s Operative. I can’t quite bring myself to call him Hans Gruber great, but he comes close. And like the Die Hard
I suppose this’ll come as small surprise to Firefly
I don’t like series-TV shows. I usually find them weak in content and smug in tone. Then again just about everybody I like and respect enjoyed the series. And hey, I can watch it without commercial breaks, and in the proper episode order. And the movie definitely put me in a frame of mind to watch it.
Serenity is always associated in my mind with V for Vendetta
The other, and potentially most fascinating, similarity between them – and the real reason I connect them so strongly – is that a pivotal character in each is a Monstrous Saint. V and the Operative alike believe above all they’re doing the right thing – all the while knowing perfectly well that they are monsters.
Much as I loved Agent Smith‘s bravura Guy Fawkes-masked performance, I think I have to give the edge here to Serenity. Both characters are tragic heroes. Unusually, both know it – but the Operative doesn’t understand his real flaw, which is his belief that the end justifies the means. He has that additional depth: he’s a terrifying villain who, by most assessments is an extraordinarily good man. It’s just that he does awful things.
And he doesn’t hide from it. So you get that incredible exchange when Mal says, “I don’t kill women and children,” and the Operative says, with evident pain, “I do.” Which leads into his frank admission that he is a monster, and moreover that one necessary precondition of the Better World he’s fighting to create is that he himself die. Powerful stuff.
And of course in the end Mal brings him low not by physically defeating him (although he has to physically subdue him) but by moral suasion. He defeats the Operative by attacking his truly unshakable integrity. The Operative chooses defeat because he realizes he has been wrong. Which, well, is awesome.
It’s also interesting to me that in one movie it was the hero who was the Monstrous Saint, and the other the villain. Yet both worked for me (and, well, lots of other people, apparently; like a lot of good movies Serenity tanked in theaters and rocked in DVD.) I guess I’d say in one case the Monstrous Saint fought against oppressors, in the other for them. Makes a difference to me.
(And please don’t take that to mean I believe ends justify means; short form, I don’t believe V did that much that was wrong. The closest I’d call to that was his treatment of Evey – and on watching it again I realized he had a colorable reason to believe she’d consented in advance.)
For that matter please don’t let my enthusiasm for a great screen bad guy imply distaste for the good guys, especially Captain Mal and his own spiky brand of integrity. Nor for the extremely personable Nathan Fillion, whom I first really saw perform in the underappreciated horror/comedy classic Slither
Anyway, I really enjoyed it. I look forward to watching the series.
And apologies for going on so long. It’s a big reason U don’t post more frequently … this tendency to run off at the keyboard.
Popularity: 8% [?]
We had tried to watch “Firefly” on TV, but Fox showed the second episode first — which was confusing. Then, Fox repeated the first six episodes in random order. By the time we grokked what the show was about, Fox canceled it. I never saw Serenity in the theaters, but Costco had the DVD, so I got it. We watched the DVD during family time and enjoyed it.
I never thought of Mal as an anti-hero. In Firefly, I thought of him as everyman chewed up by the times, surviving by his wits. Yes, it was amazing how *small* space is. Every week, the crew ran into people from their pasts. That did call for a slight suspension of disbelief. But I was used to it in the series, so it didn’t’ bother me in the movie.
Taking on the Reavers was a bit odd. But they did it, because the Powers-That-Be would not. It was a sufficiently big conflict to justify having a movie. This made the movie more anti-hero than the series. It also gave it a more Big Brother feel that the series didn’t emphasize.
Yes, “V for Vendetta” just screamed Big Brother. I think it’s a British thing to fear a totalitarian future, where society is controlled: _Brave New World_, _1984_, “The Children of Men,” and even the Harry Potter books — _HP and the Deathly Hallows_ in particular. Perhaps, it’s a legacy from WW II?
American books and films seem to envision a more apocalyptic future, where society has been destroyed, sometimes by Aliens, usually by ourselves: “The Invasion of the Bodysnatchers,” “The Day of the Triffids,” “On the Beach,” “The Day After, _The Stand_, “The Planet of the Apes” movies, “I Am Legend,” the book and the movie, and most recently in last year’s “Jericho” TV series. Perhaps, it’s a legacy of the Cold War?
The British and the Americans, two peoples separated by a common language and different legacies in Science Fiction.
Or, is it the American lone hero tradition: Zorro, Shane, The Lone Ranger… Clint Eastwood? Serenity did take place out in the Frontier, in the newly settled colonies. When they took the law into their own hands, I had a passing thought: “we’re gonna git us some frontier justice.”
The Operative was a worthy opponent. Big heroes need a big nemesis. And, this was Whedon’s opportunity to wrap up the River mystery: who is she, who is after her, and why do “they” want her back. The gentle fen want to know. If the Operative was after me, I’d run like crazy, too. And like Les Miserables’ Javert, the Operative realized his mistake and chose his own ending, too.
–
Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici — “By the power of truth I, while living, have conquered the universe.”
—–
~”Are you, like, a crazy person?” … “I’m sure they will say that I am.”~
And, to some extent, they may be right. But that’s just me.
“Taking on the Reavers was a bit odd. But they did it, because the Powers-That-Be would not. ”
Or maybe Mal and crew had no intention of taking on the Reavers, but had to get the Reavers after them because they knew the Alliance ships were waiting for them. Indeed, there’s that moment in the movie when Serenity appears and the Operative says, in effect, `there they are – this will be easily wrapped up…` then the Reavers appear and “..easy…” changes to “…oh, crap…” The Alliance had been unwilling to deal with the Reavers; Mal forced them to.
Do get around to watching the series, Vic. One ep a night, or even one a week – but once you get started, I don’t think you’ll be able to limit yourself to that. My favorite line in the series is in “War Stories.” Let me know if you guess what it is.
- M. \”/
Hey, kids! Thanks for the comments.
in the matter of Mal and the Reavers I appear to’ve failed to make myself clear. Which for one in my trade approaches an unpardonable sin.
What I was trying to ask was not why Mal and friends took on the Reavers; as far as I could tell they didn’t, but rather defended themselves when attacked by them. Except for when they deliberately fired up the Reaver craft so that they could drag the rest into the waiting Alliance fleet.
What I meant was, how come they had to fly through a dense cloud o’ Reavers to reach Miranda? Given that Space is Big, couldn’t they have gone, well, around? For the Reavers to encircle a planet in a fairly narrow band would take prodigious resources. Englobing the planet is just a few orders of magnitude shy of a Dyson sphere. Or at least a Ringworld.
As I mentioned I could rationalize them transiting the Reaver Swarm, and here goes: they had to presume the Reavers could spot them approaching the surface. So they had reason to believe their best and maybe only shot at success, and survival, was the Scarlet Letter method – trick themselves out to look like Reavers, and go in through the front door, as it were.
Yes, I’m a fanboy, rationalizing things so a particular piece of fiction I like can make sense. But isn’t that a big part of my day job? Being as I like my own fiction, and all.
(I have to mention I’m unsure why the Reaver atmospheric craft that chased the crew after their bank job was spewing great gouts of black smoke. But it looked creepy as all get out, so I was happy to accept it.)
Some interesting observations here on British and American SF outlooks. I think there’s much to them. At the same time John Wyndham was a Brit, and Day of the Triffids was set in England; and On the Beach author Nevil Shute was British-Australian. The UK-made 28 Days (and later Weeks) Later were arguably pretty apocalyptic. And I’d argue the Alliance in Serenity is adequately totalitarian: “We meddle,” as a youthful River says. None of which obviates that you identify what do seem to be real SF tendencies.
And if the Brits have long “fear[ed] a totalitarian future, where society is controlled,” and you make a good case for it, I’d say that’s pretty damned prescient of them, inasmuch as they’ve got one now.
And yes, in time I will watch Firefly. Soon, most likely, although my plate is a bit full now.
Thanks for reading, Ann and M.
“What I meant was, how come they had to fly through a dense cloud o’ Reavers to reach Miranda? Given that Space is Big, couldn’t they have gone, well, around? For the Reavers to encircle a planet in a fairly narrow band would take prodigious resources.”
Resources the Reavers didn’t have… but the Alliance did. Mal & crew had to fly through the Reavers (and, at the last, get the Reavers to chase them) in order to get through the Alliance blockade.
“I’m unsure why the Reaver atmospheric craft that chased the crew after their bank job was spewing great gouts of black smoke. But it looked creepy as all get out”
Maybe that IS the reason. Just as Reavers take great pains (in all senses of the word) to make their persons appear fearsome, it follows that they’d extend that style to their ships as well.
“in time I will watch Firefly. Soon, most likely, although my plate is a bit full now.”
I definitely heard that. Better savored later than rushed now.
\”/
Victor:
Dude, you need to watch the series ASAP. There is much enjoyable within. Some of the hottest women in the ‘verse (several of which you have yet to meet). Catchy dialogue. Guns. Hot women WITH guns. Hot women with guns AND catchy dialogue (OK, that last one is the same woman, but still…) (I was SOOOOooo tempted to offer a quote, but I’ll not ruin it for you…) Interesting moral dilemmas. Answers to questions like “how did they GET that way?” SBU.
Watch it. Better savored NOW. Then some more again, later.
Now I wish I’d seen _slither_. I noticed it was Nathan Fillon and thought I might go, but didn’t…
L
Larry – I’m going to, quite soon. I almost started tonight since I’d got done writing Dinosaur Lords early, but decided to rationalize and backup my mp3 collection, which wanted doing.
One consideration which may strike you odd, probably because it is, is that I actually felt trepidation about getting too hooked on the series. Serenity had a pretty strong effect on me the other night (you could probably tell from the way I ran on), and I found a certain poignant sense of it lingered.
Then Friday night when I wound up over at Steve and Kathy’s with Craig and Jessica to watch movies, what everyone wanted to watch was … Serenity. Turned out three of them had never seen it and Craig hadn’t seen it for a long time. When they found out I’d watched it just a few days before they suggested something else, but no, I wanted to see it again too. So we did.
And I enjoyed it again.
I totally need to adopt “I aim to misbehave” as some kind of motto, or possibly switch to using it as subhead at my Tragic Waste blog. (Which no one should read, since it concerns politics, and politics suck. Hence the name.)
So, yes. Thanks again much for Firefly, and I’ll dive in soon, come what may.
(Oh, and someone could put Slither in their Netflix queue, if they weren’t like 3000 movies behind…)
As we see from this recent webcomic, “Converting to Metric“, the dude who does xkcd apparently has an obsession with Serenity. Also Summer Glau. Which, y’know, anybody can understand.
Sadly, on the basis of other strips, he doesn’t care so much for Ron Paul. Then again, nobody’s perfect.
Both movies rocked. I want to be Jayne Cobb when I grow up.
“You think any of us are getting out of this alive?”
“I might!”
And I think your reason for flying right through the Reavers is the most sensible one. To act like you are one of them, you can’t be skulking at the edges. Gotta fly through like you belong.
And xkcd’s movie poster for “River Tam beats up everyone” is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. I must admit that one of my many and glaring imperfections is a strong dislike of Ron Paul.
love XKCD, and I try really hard to interpret his Ron Paul references as hat-tips to the Internet phenomenon that is *NOT* Summer Glau. Can’t decide if I’m pulling it off for myself or not.
Aside: Best Summer Glau strip:
http://www.xkcd.com/406/
Those of you new to XKCD: Don’t miss the mouseover! Unless you are one of those unfortunates that haven’t seen Firefly yet, then it’ll just seem weird…
Best Ron Paul Strip:
http://xkcd.com/367/
Best Ron Paul non-strip:
http://blag.xkcd.com/2008/09/23/federal-reserve-skateboard-a-short-story/
L
Ty – so do you think you could find it in yourself to share the URL for “River Tam beats up everyone”? Or are you hogging her all for yourself?
Okay. *sigh* I did it myself. And you’re right: it’s funny as hell.
Larry – loved that one too. The mouseover definitely makes it. My prob with xkcd’s mouseovers is sometimes they don’t fit the window and I’m left guessing. Which is too bad because, just as here, they’re often the best part.
I do have to agree with L. Neil Smith (as, granted, I often do) that, although unlike him I do find Summer Glau attractive in an odd way, I’m more a Gina Torres kind of guy. Plus Gina’s almost forty – born two weeks after my ex – and so less likely to be given nightmares if she’s ever ego-surfing and chances to discover a fat 54 year old guy who’s overly attached to his pets thinks she’s hot.
Okay, now, why as I type this is the German Bomber Channel using “Carol of the Bells” as bed for an ominous scene in a Cities of the Underworld episode concerning the underbeneath of San Francisco? Anybody?
For the mouseovers, view source (ctrl-U on firefox) or upgrade firefox 3.0.5 is giving me full mouseovers, even on Ty’s “River Tam Beats up everyone” wordy mouseover (which cartoon I hadn’t seen, thanks, Ty).
Yeah, Gina Torres is yummy. Not to mention Morena Baccarin. Just one more good thing from Brazil…
Plus, there’s more! Christina Hendricks. Melinda Clarke. Just another entry in my seemingly interminable series of “just watch Firefly already, dammit” comments….
Granted, it’s not like already I’ve read the book you recently gave me, nor have I cleaned out my netflix queue per your suggestion, but I never said I wasn’t hypocritical, I’m saying WATCH FIREFLY!!!
L
Thanks for the “view source” tip on the overly long xkcd mouseovers. I’m frankly surprised I didn’t think of that myself.
Since the modem jack on my notebook ‘puter is fracked, and I am not taking the cover off it, and because I still suffer the Heartbreak of Dial-Up, my Internet connectivity is restricted to Win98SE, which Firefox 3 doth not support.
And yes, thank you, I will watch Firefly. Srsly.
Also, thanks much again for your help Sunday!
So Morena Baccarin is a Brasilheira, is she? Well, um … ahh. All right, then.