Firefly

To start off, I'd like to discuss a show that, though not wholly without merit, is severely overrated.

I mean, of course, Firefly, and its movie tie-in, Serenity.

First, I'll start off with the positive. It's certainly interesting to see a space-show that's a little more up-front about the Western-ness of it all. Every space show other than Star Trek (and even that, sometimes) has gunslingers, rustlers, and range wars, they just usually pretend they're something else. It's refreshing that Firefly isn't ashamed to be a space-western.

It's also interesting that the dialog is all in 19th century English, although they do mix dialects rather sporadically (and sometimes say things that are more 18th century, too).

There is some excellent writing, dialogue-wise, and Jayne and River are both rather fun to watch. Simon's awkward nerdiness and big-brother complex are cute. The Shepherd is an interesting character, although he does suffer from being a clergyman in a mainstream show: i.e., he's rather too much of an English vicar from a late Victorian farce.

Now for the negative.

First, some minor quibbles. Mandarin is not English, and profanity works different in Chinese culture than it does in American (hell, it works different in British than it does in American).

The production design is rather lackluster; half the fun of a future setting is, "What will salt shakers/syringes/tables/tennis rackets look like in the 26th Century?" But most such properties in Firefly look just like their modern equivalents.

The Reavers are nasty, but they're also boring. Why not have aliens who, for instance, consider themselves the only people and all other races enemies, who can be raided at will? A Western's none the worse for having Apaches, if done right. I'm guessing Joss Whedon can afford Grenville Goodwin's books.

Whedon is famous for creating Mary Sues--Willow from Buffy is practically synonymous with Mary Sue--but River (also a nature-name, I notice, with a short I in the first syllable), Kaylee, and Inara (which is not, I'm fairly sure, even a word) are even more irritating and unbelievable than Willow is. And in fact, Whedon just needs to let other people name his characters.

Finally, I don't care what the tagline from the movie was, it's comparatively easy to stop a signal. It's called "jamming."

Now for my three major complaints. First, Inara. A courtesan being "respectable" is not something with which I'm acquainted, in any culture--they might have had a certain degree of status, but it was not respectability. A drug dealer might have status: he is nonetheless not respectable. Similarly, the "mysteriously wise prostitute" trope is incredibly overdone. And to pretend that a courtesan can also be Buddhist clergy would be hilarious, if it wasn't so damn offensive. Buddhism, as actually practiced by real people, is not exactly ambiguous in its stance on sexual morality. Which stance is...indistinguishable from Christian, Jewish, or Hindu morality. Yes prostitutes/courtesans/gisaeng/oiran/etc. can practice Buddhism, just as they can and do practice Christianity, but when one becomes a Buddhist priest (to the extent there is such a thing), one takes vows of chastity along with those of nonviolence, vegetarianism, poverty, and abstinence-from-alcohol. They can no more be courtesans than they can be executioners.

Second, the self-deception all the characters live their lives in. Anytime anybody asks if something is true or real or good, or in other words tries to discuss ultimate questions, the answer that everyone comes up with is, in essence, "Go with whatever works for you." It's infuriating how often the show raises issues of ultimate import, and then just as quickly dismisses them with this sophistical pap.

Third, and I know this will make many scratch their heads, I cannot abide the total lack of moral ambiguity. "What?" you'll cry. "It's chock full of moral depth and ambiguity." No, I reply, it is not.

For instance, their war that's supposed to be like the Civil War (Browncoats are the Graycoats, you dig?). The big bad Alliance wanted everyone to be under their hegemony so they invaded everyone and everyone fought but they lost.

Only, see, the whole romance of the Civil War, the reason it's so much more interesting than the Revolutionary War or either World War, is the side that put up the heroic, gallant resistance and obeyed chivalry, was in the wrong on slavery. The side that was in the right on slavery, committed atrocities on a massive scale. In other words, there was serious moral ambiguity goin' on. Nothing like that in Firefly: Browncoats good, Alliance bad. And willing to show how bad it is, down to experimenting on doe-eyed little girls whose brothers love them, or killing its opponents in rather noticeable ways, like liquefying their brains, rather than untraceably shooting them in the head like any normal person.

Or how about the total lack of ambiguity inInara? Has Whedon never seen a samurai movie in his life? The whole romance of a courtesan character is her attempts to cling to her dignity despite how degrading her job is--think of the Plum-blossom girl in Zatoichi to Yojimbo, or Akesato in Peacemaker Kurogane. Make her respectable, make her like it, and you've simply made her one-dimensional and, frankly, creepy--like the girls at the Playboy mansion.