Outlier

I like weird stuff.

Well, not weird... maybe off center. You draw a Venn Diagram, and my circle will most likely intersect most of yours, but there's definitely a nice sized section where they won't. Not surprisingly, I think you're missing out on that stuff, but then again, you'd say the same about your own odd little section.

Anyway...

I finished watching Firefly again last night. Yeah, I'm usually a sci-fi guy, so my particular love for this short-lived series isn't a shock to anyone who knows me. Thing with this show is - it's not really about sci-fi. Sure, it's in space and there are in fact spacecraft and the oppressive "Alliance" government, but in this show, all of that is pretty incidental.

It's really mostly about the characters. Actually, let me rephrase: It's about the people, 'cause in this story, there aren't any aliens or angry robots. The cast is great and each owns his own little piece of emotional territory without being mired in it or denying others the chance to wander through. There's humor and action and all of it feels organic - given the people and the situation, each scene is pretty much what should happen and nothing feels forced.

And unlike Star Trek and Star Wars, there's no underlying moral plot. In fact, moral absolutes are pretty scarce. Heck, the most "respectable" characters in the show are a prostitute and a fugitive doctor. Things are sufficiently murky to create good stories.

And then there's the dialogue. Dialogue does a lot for me - sets up pace, tone and a lot of the time, personality and meaning. Firefly's got some great dialogue. Not snappy in a fast-paced, Aaron Sorkin kinda way, but quick, biting, and often whimsical. One of my favorite exchanges:
--Simon (guarded): "Well, she's always been... special."
--Wash (in disbelief): "Yeah, but psychic? That sounds like science fiction!"
--Zoe (deadpan): "You live on a space ship, dear."
--Wash (confused): "So?"
Oh, and there's a smattering of Chinese swearing. =)

I could go on, but this is plenty long enough now, and certainly too long to eventually get to this: I really like Firefly. If you haven't seen any of it yet, I highly recommend it. And if you're looking for something to put on your Netflicks list... well, you could certainly do worse than to take a chance on the 1st disc of Firefly or Serenity (out on Dec. 20th). I think you've been missing out.