Firefly

TV Series

Malcolm Reynolds fought against the Alliance and now he and his crew, made up of soldiers, mercenaries, and criminals work on the edges of space, trying to stay one step ahead of hunger and the law as they take whatever jobs they can find to make money.

What can I say about this series other than ‘perfect’, it really is in my opinion. I’m not too bothered about the western genre usually, but combining it with sci-fi, as Joss Whedon has done here, is both clever and exciting. It isn’t just the unusual setting that helps to make this series so good, it’s the casting – Whedon is always so good at picking the right person to take a role – the characterisation and the writing, oh and the effects, can’t forget them.

Nearly all of the cast have worked with Whedon before and it’s clear they enjoyed doing so, and that they trust him because he’s created some of my all time favourite TV characters. Normally I’d say there’s only one really character in a series, with others having good moments or episodes here and there, but with Firefly every character is different but equally and consistently good, to the extent that given the chance I would love to be a part of life on board Serenity amongst the crew.

The standard of writing in every episode is high, with scenes that range from the funny, to the frightening, and on to the emotional; if you don’t care about these characters you’re dead inside.

The lack of sound effects during the scenes set in space show Whedon’s attention to detail, and help to explain why almost everything he makes does so well.

If I have one complaint that keeps this from being 5*, it’s that some bone-headed TV exec cancelled it before it could really get going.

To show what the set was like, you have to watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmU-Bmk4Wrk