Firefly rewatch?
January 3, 2019 1:14 PM - Subscribe
My yarn shop is showing Firefly again by popular demand, so I figured I'd comment about it. Anyone else interested? It's been almost 4 years since the threads here were active. Would we do a new rewatch thread, or just repopulate the current open posts? (I'll be watching one episode a week starting mid-January.)
I'm going into the rewatch with a skeptical eye. Whedon has been knocked off his throne, and he's very clearly now not a feminist. (And in hindsight one wonders why he was ever considered one.)
Whedon obviously worked hard in his world-building to revive the Western setup while removing some of the most problematic bits (Cowboys vs. Indians; Civil War holdover politics) yet still retaining the flavor of the Lost Cause and the Individual Beyond the Law that don't taste so good these days.
Problematic favorites are okay here, of course. In fact, all the more reason to discuss them. But I more than half expect to end up hate-watching this show. Mal is really toxic toward Inara, of course, right on the surface, but there's a whole lot more squicky stuff I half remember glossing over. Anybody else want to dive in?
I'm going into the rewatch with a skeptical eye. Whedon has been knocked off his throne, and he's very clearly now not a feminist. (And in hindsight one wonders why he was ever considered one.)
Whedon obviously worked hard in his world-building to revive the Western setup while removing some of the most problematic bits (Cowboys vs. Indians; Civil War holdover politics) yet still retaining the flavor of the Lost Cause and the Individual Beyond the Law that don't taste so good these days.
Problematic favorites are okay here, of course. In fact, all the more reason to discuss them. But I more than half expect to end up hate-watching this show. Mal is really toxic toward Inara, of course, right on the surface, but there's a whole lot more squicky stuff I half remember glossing over. Anybody else want to dive in?
Sign me the hell up.
posted by miss-lapin at 5:43 PM on January 3, 2019
posted by miss-lapin at 5:43 PM on January 3, 2019
I think this sort of discussion can be very valuable, (per my ongoing persnickety, critical participation in all things Star Trek), and would try to follow along.
posted by mordax at 12:27 AM on January 4, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by mordax at 12:27 AM on January 4, 2019 [3 favorites]
I appreciate this post & I agreed with it and enjoyed reading it but life is too short for something I know I'm not going to enjoy.
posted by bleep at 5:06 PM on January 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 5:06 PM on January 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
Mordax does a great job with framing the Enterprise posts, the conversations do not shy away from problematic attitudes and behavior but most commenters seem to be Star Trek fans, even the ones who hate Enterprise. I think that a firefly rewatch would be fun and could spark some interesting conversation.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:54 PM on January 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:54 PM on January 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
I'm up for a rewatch but not a hate-rewatch. Pass.
posted by scalefree at 10:34 AM on January 10, 2019
posted by scalefree at 10:34 AM on January 10, 2019
To be clear: I would not be posting this as a hate-watch, just as a place open to critical takes. There's inevitably a lot to enjoy, even if Joss Whedon is a lot cringier than we remember him. Even if Mal is less heroic than I remember him, we always have Book and Wash (and Simon, when he's not being a jerk to Kaylee).
There's been about as much time since Firefly debuted as there was between the end of the original Star Trek and the beginning of TNG. Attitudes change a lot in that amount of time. What makes a good starship captain? It's interesting that the newest Star Trek is about discovering the answer to that question, not demonstrating the answer to that question.
posted by rikschell at 11:59 AM on January 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
There's been about as much time since Firefly debuted as there was between the end of the original Star Trek and the beginning of TNG. Attitudes change a lot in that amount of time. What makes a good starship captain? It's interesting that the newest Star Trek is about discovering the answer to that question, not demonstrating the answer to that question.
posted by rikschell at 11:59 AM on January 10, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 3:41 PM on January 3, 2019