Sci-fi - Firefly

Has someone who always enjoys a good sci-fi series I always wondered why I missed the Fox show Firefly when it was first released it was not until I saw the movie Serenity that I found out about the TV series.

Having caught Firefly on TV later, it's was certainly very watchable TV, technically slick and has some original concepts. The acting is great and overall it is better than most of the crap the networks come up with.

So it was great to see a Firefly fest on the Syfy channel yesterday and between other TV commitments I sat back to a mega viewing.

Considering its short run, Firefly manages to create a rich and textured universe for its nomadic cast with consummate ease and makes its series cancellation all the more baffling. If you turned on half way through an episode you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a western, until the cowboys riding horseback are passed by a hovering train or a OK corral type shootout with bolt action rifles pitted against lasers which only the rich can afford.

As fabulous as Firefly's backdrop remains, it's not the secret of its success, nor is it the content of the episodes either, but the remarkable characters within them. The crew and passengers aboard Serenity arrived there for many different reasons; loyalty, escape, money or freedom to name a few. But they fit together like nine pieces of a jig-saw where the whole is infinitely better than you imagined when viewing the individual pieces. And as the series continues, you appreciate just how well it all fits together.

There are many things to love about Firefly though. Great sets - Serenity in particular is exactly as you'd imagine an ageing transport ship would look, functional yet at the same time beautiful - balletic space scenes, laugh out loud humour, the whole cast shines and their natural chemistry is obvious for all to see. Lets not forget the aesthetic pleasure of simply watching the women, because you won't find a more beautiful bunch in any TV show I can recollect... Ever.

Firefly isn't without it's shortcoming though. Sometimes the low budget shows, sometimes the episodes seem predictable and sometimes it's a bit too cheesy for it's own good, but you simply won't care. You'll just keep watching until the end. Then you'll go and buy the film Serenity, then you'll wonder why they didn't make more of this fantastic show. And you'll yearn for more.