 Last year when we went to Comic-Con, there was a buzz about Firefly and the upcoming movie, Serenity. I had heard about the show really briefly. I remembered a couple of commercials for it on TV and that the year before a friend really wanted to catch something about it, but otherwise, I didn’t have a clue.
We ended up going to a party hosted by Diamond Select Toys which we learned about through our “press” connections. They were giving out toys from their new line, which was from the movie, Serenity. The figures we got specifically were of Captain “Mal” Reynolds. I had no idea who that character was at the time. A bit later, we chatted with a few of the party-goers, trying to figure out what the fuss was about Firefly.
Most of the fans that we chatted with gushed about the show and tried to explain it to us. “Well, Mal is the captain and he’s a smuggler, but he’s like a good smuggler. He’s got a conscious.” The people would then chat about specific episodes to each other, talking about the story, or the setting, or how the episode was filmed and put together. I was didn’t have a clue what was so special about this show.
Finally, later that summer after Comic-Con, I decided I’d rent this thing just to see what it was about for myself. I had to get a subscription to Netflix just so I could see it since no local video store carried them for rent. And after watching the first few episodes, I could see what all the fuss was about. It was good. It was damn good. The story and the characters capture you and draw you into their world. The crew fly around the outskirts of the universe just trying to survive, much like people who went West trying to find their fortune in a new time and place. They use guns and horses … and fly around in a spaceship.
I tried to explain to my friends what it was about, becoming one of the gushing fans that I had encountered earlier that summer. “Well, it’s a sci-fi show… but it’s also sort of a western…”
I become a converted fan. I waited anxiously for the movie to be released (though, I didn’t see it until the weekend after it opened). I tried to get all my friends to watch the series. I made my boyfriend sit down and watch it. I bought the movie when it came out. And watched it again and again.
It’s too bad I wasn’t on the Firefly boat earlier. It would have been fun to catch the cast at Comic-Con. Oh well. At least I’m in love with it now. Mmm, Firefly. |
