ChrisMaverick dotcom

on stopping the signal…

Ashlee Simpson
Serenity
Good ride, but it’s over now

Ok, so this one may very well cost me a friend or two.

So there are a lot of readers of this blog who proudly self identify as geeks. I suppose, in some respects, I fit that mold. In others, I really don’t. To look at some of my tastes in movies for instance you might assume that I was really into science fiction. I’m actually not. I mean, I love a good movie. But frequently I don’t care for a lot of Sci-Fi. Fuck Doctor Who. That’s right, I said it. Fuck him. I don’t give a damn. (actually, I just found out that the current Dr. Who series stars Billie Piper, who in certain alternate realities could have been the less fucked up Britney Spears, and I’m suddenly almost a little interested. But still, fuck him!) Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Well, at least they blew up the planet earth. I never much cared for it either. Fuck them too. But I loved the series Firefly. Why? Because there are three kinds of movies/tv shows, I have a special place in my heart for. Westerns, Boat Movies, and Babes from outer space. Firefly had all of that. Serenity was the return of that, but on the big screen.

A lot of my LJ friends out there seem to be advocating seeing the film over and over again so that they’ll make sequels. I’d like to implore everyone to go out and see the movie once (it really was quite good) and then never again. The only thing that can come of seeing it multiple times is it will make a lot of money and that will make the studios think $EQUEL!!!! And that would be awful, because God forbid they make another one.

I actually saw the movie opening night, but I waited a while to talk about it to give people a chance to see it without me spoiling it. So this is your last chance. Turn back now, if you don’t want spoilers.

Ok good.

So yeah, I liked the movie, but I want it to be over now. That may be kind of an unpopular opinion. And to be honest, if there is a Serenity II, I’ll probably give it a chance and go see it. But I really don’t want there to be. The biggest problem with Firefly was that it ended abruptly. It really didn’t end at all in fact. All of a sudden things were just cancelled, and all of those characters and subplots were left out in limbo. Serenity solved that. It let me know the answers to pretty much everything I wanted to know. I know what River was running from. I know how things work out with Simon and Kaylee. I more or less know how things work out with Mal and Inara. I don’t know what the deal was with Book, but he’s dead now and I can accept that. I got to see the Reavers, and I learned where they came from. All the big questions were answered, and there was a logical end to the series. I am left with a world of possibilities for the crew in the new world they are flying out into. I like the ambiguity of not knowing what’s next, but feeling in my heart that everything is going to be ok.

There are some things I would have done differently if it were me. I would have killed Zoe instead of Wash. Not because I like Wash better (though in fact, I find him hilarious), but just because from a storytelling point of view it means more. With Wash dead, we know how Zoe reacts. She moves on. She keeps working with Mal. She’s the perfect soldier. With Zoe dead, we’d have to deal with not only what does this do to Wash (he’s not as strong as she is) but what does it do to Mal. Mal needs Zoe. She is the one real reminder for him of the Battle of Serenity. She grounds the past for him. However her death would have effectively forced him to let go of that old world. He doesn’t need that battle anymore. He is fighting the new fight, he’s in the new world now, and he seems to have accepted it. Killing Zoe (hehehehe Killing Zoe, get it!) would have been a great metaphor for the old war being over and the new war beginning. Also, it would have meant that we’d have to reconcile what keeps Wash on the crew now that Zoe is gone. (Zoe just stays with Mal out of loyalty. Wash doesn’t have that, so there’s chance for character development).

I also would have killed River. But that’s just because I’m an ass. Don’t get me wrong, River is my favorite character, but as Hilary Masters often taught me. Sometimes you have to kill your darlings. There was no drama in the River/Reavers fight for me. The second she dove through the portal, I knew she was going to be ok. I never doubted it for a second. I was actually much more worried for all the other characters. I knew Mal was going to get the tape broadcast, but I thought he might die in the process. And when Zoe asked Jayne if he thought any of them would get out of this alive, I actually doubted it myself. But when River decides to take the Reavers on alone, I never for a second thought she would fall. If it had been me, I would have let her kill all the Reavers, and then when the troops broke in through the wall just after she won, I would have had them swiss cheese the fuck out of her. That, people, is how you set up a sequel. It gives Simon and the others something to continue to fight for. As it is, I don’t need to see another movie. The Reavers were the most feared evil in the universe. River beat them all by her lonesome and with no injury to boot. I have no problem with that. But I now have no doubt that she can’t get them out of any jam they encounter in the future, so I don’t need to see it again.

I’m a big fan of Joss’s. But I’m ready to see him move onto something else. Its for a similar reason that I don’t want to see a new Buffy movie. Buffy ended. It ended in exactly the right way. In point of fact, one could argue that it went on a season or two too long. But I was happy with where things were on the final episode. Of Firefly, Buffy and Angel, Angel was actually my least favorite of the three, but at this point its the only one that has questions left open that I’d want to see explored further. Questions that I could easily see wrapped up in a good solid two hours of silver screen time. But even that doesn’t really have to happen. I’m ok just letting it go.

What I really want is for this to be it for Serenity. Let it go away. Let it sleep for 20-25 years and become a cult classic. And then in 2028, some UK production company manages to remake it with a with an update look and feel and reversing the genders of half of the crew where suddenly Book is played by some hot asian babe that I can lust after in my naughtiest dreams and sell it to the Sci-Fi channel.

If I’ve learned anything over the years, its that sometimes you just have to let the characters go. Remember them fondly in the past. And let it end before it gets ruined. Maybe there is another Serenity story to tell. But I’d much rather wait to see it or maybe not see it at all, than have the whole damn thing ruined. It’s the difference between being the next Battlestar Galactica and being the next Highlander.

om

48 comments for “on stopping the signal…

  1. October 7, 2005 at 6:17 pm

    This is the reason why an A-Team movie would be a bad idea, they’d invariably fuck it up. Though I hope the live action Transformers movie will allow for enough of a fresh take that it will still be good.

    1. mav
      October 7, 2005 at 6:34 pm

      I dunno… I think Katee Sackhoff is going to make a great Faceman someday.

      1. October 7, 2005 at 8:20 pm

        Dude, don’t even joke about that shit. You are giving my inner child nightmares.

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 8:24 pm

          why? Katee Sackhoff rules. She’s not as hot as the new Boomer, but she’s pretty cool. You haven’t watched the show yet.

          Did you read the Real A-Team thing, btw? Its hilarious.

          1. October 7, 2005 at 8:33 pm

            Oh, yeah, I’ve seen that. Hee hee. I am glad that their first reply ‘got’ it. It give me faith in humanity.

          2. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 8:36 pm

            its misplaced… humanity is done for.

  2. October 7, 2005 at 6:41 pm

    Book’s character is sort of explained, although you have to infer a fair deal. I didn’t figure it out until I realized that Book and the Operative are, well, bookends to the same story.

    Book has a tremendous amount of mysterious familiarity about how people like the Operative work, and both of their central traits are their faith. The Firefly audience who knows that there’s something odd about Book can guess that he used to be an Operative, by the end of the movie, the Operative is practically on his way to becoming a shepherd.

    It’s a nice, subtle touch for a subtle character. Book and Operative might as well be the same character at different points of his life.

    As for the rest… When it’s explained like that, I agree. Sure, I really want more Serenity, but it’s the same sort of want as when you’ve just finished a perfect meal. You know you shouldn’t because the excess would ruin it all, but it was just so fucking good!

    But that sort of want will probably be sated once Joss gets started on his next project. And hopefully, a highly successful movie will provide just the sort of clout he needs to keep studios from killing it in its infancy.

    1. October 7, 2005 at 7:03 pm

      I really like Book a lot, the first time I saw the movie I was sad he had a smaller part in the movie, but the 2nd time I came to the same conclusion or at least possibility as you did.

      I think the only way a sequel would work is if it were a prequel to Serenity.

      Jayne: “One day you’re gonna tell us all how a preacher knows so damn much about crime.”

      (Our Mrs. Reynolds)

      I agree another Serenity isn’t a good idea though.

      1. October 7, 2005 at 7:13 pm

        Yeah, I agree that any other Serenity movie would have to be a prequel. I suppose it could be possible to continue forward from there, but, for all the reasons given above, I just couldn’t see it working nearly as well. And, of course, without Wash, it wouldn’t quite feel right.

        Oh, but I will say that I think Wash dying was the right way to go, but only if you’re deliberately planning on not making a sequel. The death of a beloved character made me honestly doubt that the other characters would make it, and Wash’s death is the one that closes and completes stories, for all the reasons you listed above. It doesn’t lead to any new questions about character development, but if you want to finish a setting’s story, that’s not what you want, is it?

        Plus, the funny guy always dies, right?

        That said, I saw all of those folks in line for their first viewing of Serenity, dressed as their favorite characters, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow for the ones who were wearing hawaiian shirts. I wore my black hawaiian shirt the next day in mourning.

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 7:24 pm

          heh, no one was dressed up by the time I got there, even on opening night. The theater wasn’t even packed.

          Yeah, i see your points, and I think it was a fine decision to make. I was just saying the choice that i would have made, had I written it.

        2. October 7, 2005 at 8:32 pm

          Oh, but I will say that I think Wash dying was the right way to go, but only if you’re deliberately planning on not making a sequel.

          Plus, the funny guy always dies, right?

          I have a perfect counterpoint to this: The Death of Spock in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn

          1. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 8:35 pm

            Well, I would argue that Star Trek III was an awful idea, and so Spock’s death was a fine ending point.

      2. mav
        October 7, 2005 at 7:21 pm

        true. But I don’t really need the prequel either. Prequels filmed after the fact often seem rather forced and annoying… see Star Wars I, II and III.

        I’m glad you see my points though.

      3. October 7, 2005 at 10:22 pm

        There is a prequel to Serenity, oh Angel of Hardcore. The Serenity three-issue comic book series bridges the gap between Firefly and Serenity

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 10:39 pm

          yeah, I knew about that too… see my not generally caring for comics movie tie ins

    2. mav
      October 7, 2005 at 7:08 pm

      I meant that we never learned exactly what Book’s background is. It doesn’t matter. That’s kind of the point. Mal says “you ever gonna tell me?” Book says “No.” That’s enough for me.

      I’m done with this story. I have everything I need to remember the characters fondly from here on out. If anything, I might rather see something else from the universe (kinda the way Sin City works) and not so much the characters that we met here. And if we’re going to do that, then I’m quite fine with just getting something new and different out of Joss. And I’m sure whatever that is will be good.

      There’s no drama left in Serenity. River can do anything. Good. Let’s go somewhere else now.

      1. October 7, 2005 at 7:15 pm

        Well, I hear Joss is currently the head writer/director for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie…

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 7:22 pm

          yeah, he currently has the nod… we’ll see if he gets to keep it…

  3. October 7, 2005 at 6:52 pm

    HEY! When did you have classes with Hilary Masters? When I was at CMU I had a class with him almost every semester from my sophmore year on? Did he invite you to his ham roast?

    I liked SERENITY a lot, and am looking forward to the “movies of the week” that they are talking about doing on the WB from the Buffy/Angel characters. Id almost hate to see them do anything to continue from ANGEL [since no matter what it’ll mean Angel is dead] but a SPIKE movie, or something with WILLOW and KENNEDY would be good. Hell, Id like to see them do the RIPPER series on the BBC that they said they were going to do…

    1. mav
      October 7, 2005 at 7:17 pm

      Why do you say Angel has to be dead? See, I’m actually ok with Angel continuing and exploring their new Post Evil underground secret society universe, or just believing they all died valiantly fighting that dragon. EIther way. As opposed to Buffy, where I’m ok just believing the principal characters just went off and lived their new lives, and I don’t really need to know the specifics. The possible exception being that I’d probably be irrationally excited about a movie about Faith. It violates all rationality with everything I said above. But I wouldn’t really be thinking about any of that, I’d mostly be just drooling over the sexiness. School girl crushes like the one I have on her are seldom rational.

      Yeah, I had several classes with Hilary. He was in fact my advisor. And I have in fact also been to his place for dinner. As far as writing goes, he’s the best mentor I’ve ever had, and in some ways the worst teacher. Hilary doesn’t really know how to teach. You must simply be a good enough student to absorb some of his greatness and talent when you bask in his presence.

      1. October 7, 2005 at 7:25 pm

        I had no idea you were a CMU grad. Did you ahve class with Jim Daniels? Jerry Costanza? Gary Waller? Paul Smith? Did you ever have a class cancelled because the head of the department had to drive to the Canadien border because a doctoral student got arrested for trying to smuggle Shakespeare text across the border?

        What years were you there anyhow?

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 8:09 pm

          never took Jim’s class. But I do know him reasonably well. I did take Gerry’s class. Don’t know Gary Waller or Paul Smith at all. I had many misadventures in the department, that I could go into at anoter time, but not that particular one.

          I went to CMU from ’92 til ’98. Graduated with a BA in Creative Writing and a Double Major in Literary and Cultural Studies and an Art minor.

          1. October 7, 2005 at 8:17 pm

            WORD! I went from 1984-88 and got the Double BA in Professional and Creative Writing with the minor in History.

            Gary Waller was the head of the department in the 80’s. He put together the whole ‘Discursive Practices’ program. Paul Smith was an fun professor from England who got stopped at the border from Canada with all the illegal texts.

            Hilary Masters had the finest personal library I ever saw, btw.

          2. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 8:21 pm

            oh, yeah I probably missed them

          3. October 7, 2005 at 10:24 pm

            Holy shit, you’re from the pre-Jameel era of CMU!

          4. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 10:36 pm

            before they even had fire…

          5. October 7, 2005 at 10:38 pm

            And before blue books. We had to take finals on the flayed skins of our enemies!

          6. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 10:42 pm

            did they have dirt back when you were a kid, uncle jameel?

          7. October 7, 2005 at 11:06 pm

            Yep. ‘Course, we had to make it ourselves, out of the bones of our enemies.

          8. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 11:30 pm

            oh, so did you not have dirt then? what with being a pussy and all?

          9. October 8, 2005 at 4:38 am

            No, we just had lots of enemies. Smart-mouthed ones, just like you, and I whupped their monkey asses, just like yours.

          10. mav
            October 8, 2005 at 4:40 am

            oh… so this was in the days before you were a pansy like now?

          11. October 8, 2005 at 12:40 pm

            Please. Why do you think there’s so much dirt around. Homo Mavicus went out like a punk, then we had to invent paper.

            Move, bitch, get out the way!

          12. mav
            October 8, 2005 at 1:34 pm

            Why, you long lanky motherfucker…
            you ain’t nothing but a sucka…
            I was born in a barrel of butcher knives…
            shot in the ass with two colt 45s…
            I been slapped by a bear and bit by an eel…
            I chew of railroad and shit out steel…
            I jumped the ocean and swallowed a whale…
            handcuffed lightning and threw thunder’s ass in jail….
            you beat up the maverick? That’s make belief…
            I’ll put my foot so far up your ass, I step on your teeth…

          13. October 8, 2005 at 4:07 pm

            Boy, you ain’t nothin’ but a hamburger trying to be a Whopper. You best step before I go robble robble on your ass.

          14. mav
            October 8, 2005 at 5:42 pm

            boy, you know my first impluse was to run up on you and do a Rambo. Whip out the jammy and flat blast you. I don’t wanna mess up this 37 hundred dollar lynx coat.

      2. October 7, 2005 at 7:26 pm

        plus in any big Buffy/Angel event they would want a “significant” death, which would probably mean ANGEL since David Boreanaz has moved on to BONES and such…

        1. October 7, 2005 at 7:33 pm

          yeah, but Bones sucks.

          1. October 7, 2005 at 7:49 pm

            Exactly. What was the deal where he killed the terrorist with one shot, firing from a mezzanine level 100 yards from where the guy was? He’s biting on Agent Jack Bauer there…

          2. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 8:15 pm

            well, there are worse things to aspire to. I can’t wait til the next season of 24.

          3. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 8:12 pm

            haven’t seen it… didn’t look all that interesting…

        2. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 8:11 pm

          yeah… but Willow has a new show as well, and Spike is on Smallville.

      3. October 7, 2005 at 7:33 pm

        Hey, you guys do know that there’s a commic book miniseries for Angel right now right? It continues on after the series ended (though not immediately after, and I’m told that how they got out of their, uh, predicament, is never really explained). I don’t if this ‘counts’ as cannon to you or if that matters at all. Just spreading the information.

        1. mav
          October 7, 2005 at 8:19 pm

          I know there is, but I’ve never read it. I don’t know which characters survived. I tend to not care for comic continuations of movies and tv series. Even when they are officially sanctioned.

          1. October 7, 2005 at 10:25 pm

            It’s beyond officially sanctioned. Joss Whedon wrote it. I’ll be picking up the TPB in… I think it’s coming out in November.

          2. mav
            October 7, 2005 at 10:36 pm

            I might want to borrow it and give it a read. But my hopes are not high. But I’ll give it a chance. Keeping low expectations is a good thing sometimes.

  4. October 10, 2005 at 2:27 pm

    I’m more or less satisfied. I wanted to know more about River’s deal and the Reavers, and I got both. (Though I specifically wanted more about the blue hand guys too, and they were absent). And I would like more specific details about the shepherd’s past, though I was coming to basically the same conclusions as everyone else (former operative).

    Actually, I liked Wash a lot but I thought the shepherd was possibly better comedy (particularly in the episode when he doesn’t have the ponytail and River freaks out).

    1. mav
      October 10, 2005 at 3:24 pm

      actually, I’m ok just thinking “the blue hand guys are more evil shadow government operatives” and leaving it at that. Other than the interesting tidbit that they happen to have blue hands (or gloves), I don’t see anything particularly interesting or unknown about them that begs to be answered beyond just saying “the alliance is evil.”

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