On the 'Fly?
Oct. 4th, 2002 09:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteMany people I know thought that the second episode of Firefly was a great improvement over the first. I didn't.
OK, it's not fair some of the time to judge a show by two episodes. The second episode of Smallville was among the two or three dumbest. But it's been my experience that by the time you get to the second episode the shape a show will take is in place. You've finished with the pilot and can move on. You have the cast set. You can relax a little. And here, given that at there are apparently two unaired pilots, the cast should really be jelling.
But this particular second episode was rather dull, poorly acted, and not at all up to the standards that writer Tim Minear set on Angel and Buffy and even Lois and Clark (where he was the only good thing abou that show's fourth season). The characters are pretty bland, especially the lead, Mal Reynolds. Maybe it's the actor, maybe it's the role, but he is not at all interesting. There's not depth to him, and it's all too clear that he is a big softie. The other male crew members are equally bland. Jane is a jerk, and that's all we can say about him. Washburn seems like he could be interesting, but so far he's merely Zoe's husband. And Shephard? A cliche spouting platitudes. Have we ever heard anyone on Buffy or Angel spout one platitutde witohut being picked on immediately? Never mind that I don't think Ron Glass is the right man for the part.
The women are a little better. I really like the young engineer, and am intrigued by the "licensed companion," if only because it implies that the world of Firefly is not ours. Zoe has a spark that Mal is missing. But again there seems to be little depth.
And I haven't touched the rather limited story, or the first appearance of the Peacekeeper Wannabee Squad. The Alliance comes across as a giant cliche that is less menacing than familiar, merely someone to give our "heroes" trouble and not really somene to worry about.
So after two weeks, my faith in Joss is wavering. One more episode, and if it's as uninspiring as the first two, I am not going to be use my VCR for this. I'll happily come back if the shows gets better - I did so for Roswell and for DS9 - but life is too short to waste on mediocre TV.
And I being harsh. Keep this in mind: if this were from anyone but Joss (or maybe Brian Henson and Rockne O'Bannon and David Kemper), I wouldn't be watching anymore. It's true that a bad premiere doesn't mean a show will be bad, and vice versa, but it's a good gauge.
OK, it's not fair some of the time to judge a show by two episodes. The second episode of Smallville was among the two or three dumbest. But it's been my experience that by the time you get to the second episode the shape a show will take is in place. You've finished with the pilot and can move on. You have the cast set. You can relax a little. And here, given that at there are apparently two unaired pilots, the cast should really be jelling.
But this particular second episode was rather dull, poorly acted, and not at all up to the standards that writer Tim Minear set on Angel and Buffy and even Lois and Clark (where he was the only good thing abou that show's fourth season). The characters are pretty bland, especially the lead, Mal Reynolds. Maybe it's the actor, maybe it's the role, but he is not at all interesting. There's not depth to him, and it's all too clear that he is a big softie. The other male crew members are equally bland. Jane is a jerk, and that's all we can say about him. Washburn seems like he could be interesting, but so far he's merely Zoe's husband. And Shephard? A cliche spouting platitudes. Have we ever heard anyone on Buffy or Angel spout one platitutde witohut being picked on immediately? Never mind that I don't think Ron Glass is the right man for the part.
The women are a little better. I really like the young engineer, and am intrigued by the "licensed companion," if only because it implies that the world of Firefly is not ours. Zoe has a spark that Mal is missing. But again there seems to be little depth.
And I haven't touched the rather limited story, or the first appearance of the Peacekeeper Wannabee Squad. The Alliance comes across as a giant cliche that is less menacing than familiar, merely someone to give our "heroes" trouble and not really somene to worry about.
So after two weeks, my faith in Joss is wavering. One more episode, and if it's as uninspiring as the first two, I am not going to be use my VCR for this. I'll happily come back if the shows gets better - I did so for Roswell and for DS9 - but life is too short to waste on mediocre TV.
And I being harsh. Keep this in mind: if this were from anyone but Joss (or maybe Brian Henson and Rockne O'Bannon and David Kemper), I wouldn't be watching anymore. It's true that a bad premiere doesn't mean a show will be bad, and vice versa, but it's a good gauge.
