Firefly, Revisited

"Mal," Inara said quietly, touching his shoulder, "You don't have to die alone."

He looked at her with quiet regret. "Everybody dies alone,"
he said.

These are my favorite lines from my favorite episode of my favorite TV show of all time, Firefly. Props to the president of the E. Peevie Fan Club, J-Bright, the giver of encouragement and the wearer of bright colors, who first urged me to tune in--on DVD, of course. The show only lasted 12 episodes, plus three more that never aired. Which I totally don't get. Firefly deserved a better fate than that.

Here's why I like it, why there's still an active fan club five years after the show ended (actually, according to this web ring, there are 19 active fan sites related to Firefly), and why you should rent, buy, or borrow the DVDs:

The writing. See above. And here's a link to many, many great quotes from the show. (Seriously--some of these people might need to look into getting a life.) After becoming a fan of Firefly, I decided that I would watch any TV show that Joss Whedon had a hand in.

The characters. Complex and flawed. Some smart, some not so much. These are the kind of characters that make you want to know more about them, and want to spend more time with them.

The actors. Firefly introduced me to some talented character actors, including Nathan Fillion, who's currently appearing as Dr. Adam Mayfair on Desperate Housewives. He's my newest Hollywood boyfriend. He doesn't seem to mind the age difference at all.

Firefly storylines cover some mature themes and situations, including torture and sexual situations--so it's not for young children.

But for you young adult and older Green Room fans (and you know who you're NOT), this show is a must-see. If you live within a hundred-mile radius, maybe we can even set up a date to watch it together.

The Fountain

Is it an epic, mythical story of a thousand-year search for eternal life? Or is it a confusing, disjointed tale of time-traveling true love? I had to read the reviews to understand what was going on in The Fountain, and call me stupid, I still don't understand it.

I Netflixed it because of a) Hugh Jackman and b) the science-fiction/action genre. I'm thinking that's a pretty good combination, no?

Hugh plays Tomas, a hairy 16th century conquistador; Tom, a bristly (both literally and figuratively) 21st century medical research scientist; and Taaahhhhmmm, a glabrous 26th century yoga instructor/astronaut. Actually, I just made most of that up, except the part about his being a futuristic cue ball.

Eeenyway, Tom is testing a new compound on monkeys with brain tumors. He has a vested interest because his wife Izzi (Rachel Weisz) is dying from a brain tumor. Izzi is writing a book about a conquistador who is searching for the antediluvian Tree of Life on behalf of the Queen of Spain. Meanwhile, CueBall Yoga Dude is floating around in a bubble eating bark and hallucinating Izzi from 500 years ago.

That about sums up the storyline. It's kind of like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Solaris, with a little bit of The Fifth Element thrown in. Only with lots of crying.

What's going on? It's anybody's guess: reincarnation? time travel? parallel universes? hallucinations? Maybe I could figure it out if I watched it again, but I'm just not that interested.

However, if you saw it, and you have a different perspective, I'd love to hear it.

[Picture Credit: Warner Bros.]