Shiny!

As a treat for actually getting myself a job (well, to be truthful, in a fit of retail therapy before I even got to the assessment stage) I bought myself Firefly on DVD.


Serenity: Mal Reynold's ship from Firefly 

I had not seen the show before, but heard it was good. Well, it's fantastic (am currently watching it for the second time...!).

In case you don't know what it is, Firefly was a shortlived show from Joss Wheedon (that's Mr Buffy the Vampire Slayer to you). It was on Fox, but it was clever and interesting so they cancelled it after only 14 episodes.

It tells the story of a mis-matched group of people (and small-time crooks and smugglers) on a Firefly-class ship called Serenity, captained by Malcom "Mal" Reynolds at the frontier of the known universe. They are pursued by the totalitarian Alliance government and by Reavers (crazy cannibal people, obviously).


The cast of Firefly 

(left-right):

• Inara, the "Ambassador", a registered Companion or, as Mal likes to put it, whore.
  
• River Tam, genius child though apparently insane after being abducted by the Alliance who performed experiments on her brain (never going to be good for you, really, is it?)
  
• Wash, Serenity's pilot, married to Zoe. Completely mad and likes to play with dinosaurs...
  
• Simon Tam, doctor and River's sister. Kaylee is quite interested in him...
  
• Kaylee, the ship's gifted mechanic. Loves machines but also longs for girly pretty things (and Simon).
  
• (seated) Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, leader of this gang of criminals (but nice criminals in a Robin Hood kind of way). Fought with Zoe on the losing side during the war as a Browncoat or Independent against the new Alliance government.
  
• (behind seat) Shepherd Book, priest. Originally came on board just as a paying passenger (like Simon). General good bloke, but there is something suspicious about him - he seems to know far too much about smuggling and fighting and naughty things for someone who has spent years in a monastery.
  
• Jayne Cobb ("the man they call Jayne"). Probably not wise to point out that he has a girl's name as he has no morals and would probably list "hurting people" as his favourite passtime. Would betray his best friend (though possibly not his mum) if he thought it would make him some money.
  
• Zoe, basically 2nd in command. Wash's wife - he gets jealous of the amount of time she spends with Mal. Mal was her sergeant during the war.
  

So that's the crew. They have lots of crazy adventures doing not-so-legal things to pay for putting fuel in the engines and food on the table.

I seriously recommend it - the good news is that it's available to buy on Special Edition DVD from all good stores. Or something.

So, in summary:

• Good news: this great show is available to own and treasure on DVD (could write ads maybe?)
  
• Bad news: Fox cancelled it because, well, they're rubbish and stupid, so there won't be any more.
  
• Good news: There will be a film! Oh, yes: apparently the story will continue on the big screen with the forthcoming film Serenity. Hurrah!
  
• Good news (probably): that's the end of this mammoth post! Well, except for...
  

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Silly quote:

Wash, playing with toy dinosaurs:
- (as Stegosaurus): "Yes, this is a fertile land, and we will thrive. We will rule all over this land, and we will call it... This Land."
- (as T-Rex): "I think we should call it: your grave!"
- (Stego): "Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"
- (T-Rex): "Mine is an evil laugh!" [evil laugh, interrupted by warning noise from nearby console]