Thot while listening so far:
Chuck, I agree that this was a turning point of Next Gen. Another reason besides what you said was I think this was when Next Gen really steped out of the shadow of the original series in a big bad way. Consider that the Original Series only went 3 seasons, and TBoBW was the third season clif-hanger!
Rodney, Rodney, Rodney, Rodney…you know that isn’t how we roll here. This isn’t the scifi forums where if you state a differing opinion you are crushed under the collective heel of 1,000 twelve-year-olds and hardened trolls looking for a bloodbath.
That just ain’t us.
What is us it to explore your thoughts, not to change your mind but to understand your perspective. Start up a thread or two with your basic thoughts, you will be surprised to find you are not burned at the stake.
I have said it before and I’ll say it again: I was not a Buffy fan nor was I an Angel fan. I don’t crap on them, they just didn’t draw me in and that was that. No harm no foul. Hell, I almost didn’t try Firefly based on the fact it was written by the guy who wrote those two shows. I can’t tell from your post but I take away that you haven’t watched Firefly or you watched a very limited amount. If you are willing, watch this sampler plate:
You watch those three and still don’t feel the same way then at the very least you can now say, “I didn’t care for Firefly because of …”
As for liking the Old BSG over the New BSG I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on that. I suspect you might be lobbing thread grenades, but I also think you might actually be telling the truth. If you are, I am definitely interested to hear what you have to say.
Ignore the man behind the curtain. “Objects in Space” is the one to see if you are a Whedon skeptic.
I think I told the story (like it’s a huge story) before, but when Best of Both Worldz Pt. 1 aired, I was just a kid who watched TV without the understanding of seasons and such.
I turned on TV at such-and-such a time every Saturday, and Star Trek: TNG was on. I didn’t bother thinking about it much.
BOBW cliffhanger was the first time I was moved to yell at the TV. Not in a angry way, but, like “Noooooooo! I cannot wait!”
THEN, I tuned in a week later, expecting to find out what happened. Re-run!
And THEN I thought maybe they were holding it an extra week for dramatic effect or something, so I waited breathlessly another week. Eventually, I figured out it was the end of the season, and I’d be waiting for a long time still.
THEN, when Pt. 2 finally aired and Riker said “fire,” and [the thing, no spoliers] happened, it was another big, loud, “Ohhh, fraaaaaak.” Only I didn’t say “frak.”
And since the show was still ongoing, I watched Pt. 2 fairly certain that the Earth would be assimilated, and the rest of the series would be about the Klingons and Romulans fighting the Borg.
If you got to watch 'em both back-to-back, you don’t know how easy you got it. Kids these days, they have everything handed to 'em…
Ignore both of them. Watch Our Mrs. Reynolds. And Trash.
Oh, hell. Just watch 'em all. There’s only a couple, and that’s all there ever will be. Dammit.
baltar…IGNORE ME
I have seen very little of Firefly. There is something I dont like about the look and the mood. It seemed kinda “fake”. I will give it another try and report back.
“Thread grenades” are not me at all.
I just kinda feel out of touch at times because there are a lot of shows discussed here that I am not into, and the ones I am into the most do not seem to be discussed as often.
As far as Galactica goes, the two versions dont really have that much in common. They are very different.
I do like the intro tune to “Angel”.
and now I have “The man they call JAYNE” in my damn head
Thnik the character Chuck was mentioning that took command of Enterprise was Captain Jericho in “Chain of Command”. Really strong ep for Picard - also a two parter.
but yeah… Jericho was such a douche…he fired Riker as XO and later had to ask him to come back to take ona mission. That was bad enough…but told Deanna that were casual attire (ie that low cut blue outfit) was not propoer and she should wear a starfleet uniform…
EDIT - and it’s Jellico - not Jericho…but Jericho is a cool last name…Jellico just adds to the douche factor
Re: apples – That was in “War Stories,” where Zoe tells them about the apple-shaped grenades that the Alliance lobbed at them. And poor Wash doesn’t have any tales of exploding human torsos to compare.
I’m always a little surprised by how many people are fans of Firefly but not Buffy or Angel. I love them all equally, but maybe it’s easier to approach Firefly because it’s one season and a movie and you’re done. And it’s refreshing to like every character on that ship. They all have their faults and their downsides, but they also get their “hero moments” in equal measure. Plus they get great dialogue.
The Bedlam Bards do a great rendition of “Saffron’s Wedding Dance” on their CD, On the Drift. Also, if you see them at a con or ren faire, pester them to do “Hero of Canton.”
I think it’s that Buffy (and Angel?) were ‘targeted’ towards teenagers. Firefly was more adult. (A fine line in the Whedonverse, but you get what I mean.)
Chuck, its not a joke. In New York we don’t call anyone Sir or Mam because we actually don’t like each other. 
http://forum.galacticwatercooler.com/showthread.php?t=10156
(As of this posting, 20 people admit they were fooled, and six say they weren’t.)
Interview with her:
http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/04/t-lo-interviews-morena-baccarin.html
understatement…she’s past hotness
If I start to elaborate, 1) I’ll be here all day, 2) I’ll wind up quoting Billy Madison, and she deserves better than that.
That is pretty much what I have heard in the past with slight difference. Buffy was for the teenager set, Angel for young adult and Firefly for Adult. This was outlined before Dollhouse, but I would put Dollhouse and Firefly in the same general bucket. In terms of depth of story, characterizations and overall universe I don’t think anything even approaches Firefly.
I think your avatar speaks volumes… but I still like to hear your call-ins!
giggedy
Please forgive me for jumping in here, I usually listen to the podcast but don’t post in the forums.
But I wanted to point out the crucial Book/River scenes in Jaynestown that weren’t talked about in the podcast. They weren’t long scenes–River points out “flaws” with the Bible, Book tells her “It’s not about making sense. It’s about believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It’s about faith. You don’t fix faith, River. It fixes you.” And later she returns pages from his Bible: “I ripped these out of your symbol and they turned into paper.”
In these two scenes, Joss reinforces the theme of the show. Jayne, like the pieces of paper, is a fairly simple piece of work taken on his own. But vested with the meanings people have projected on him, as a symbol he’s become something much more important to the Mudders. They’ve projected on him their need to believe in a better world, in some remote chance that their lives could be better in some small way. And what horrifies Jayne in the end is realizing just what he means to the Mudders in contrast to what he knows he really is. The responsibility scares him, and all Mal can do is tell him "Ain’t about you, Jayne. It’s about what they need. "
However, in typical Joss fashion, he argues the other side as well: Inara takes it on herself to teach her young client that he needs to stop placing his concept of manhood on the external symbols his father uses to measure him, and believe in himself and his own judgment–his roadmap for dealing with himself and his world have to, finally, come from within.
So, while I agree that this is one of the funniest epis of Firefly, I think it’s one of the most beautiful as well.
Also: Too. Much. Hair!