7 Reasons Why They Should Bring Back Firefly
Aside from the very obvious, “because they just should,” and the even more glaring “because it’s the best TV show ever apart from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” here are seven more, by no means extensive or sole, reasons why they (and by ‘they’ I mean ‘The Man’) should bring back Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
By Kat George
Aside from the very obvious, “because they just should,” and the even more glaring “because it’s the best TV show ever apart from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” here are seven more, by no means extensive or sole, reasons why they (and by ‘they’ I mean ‘The Man’) should bring back Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
1. Nathan Fillion
If you’re anything like me it took you all of 30 seconds to forget about Caleb and melt into a blathering pile of “hot-diggity-damn Captain Mal, I surely would like to holster your weapon!” wet stuff. Sure he’s a total gun-slinging babe, tough as hell with a ruffian mischievousness and a wise-cracking resilient attitude that I’m a sucker for, but it’s that absolute-asshole-with-a-hidden-heart-of-gold shtick that gets me every time. BRING CAPTAIN MAL BACK!
2. The possibility of some really hot Inara-on-Captain Mal action
14 episodes worth of palpable sexual tension surely isn’t enough. I need closure—in the form of earth shattering, heart rendering, kinky-as-cream-pie sex between Captain Mal and Inara. Nay, I deserve closure, we all do. And boobies. BRING INARA AND CAPTAIN MAL BACK AND MAKE THEM SEX!
3. While my one track mind is positioned dangerously below the navel…
Kaylee and Simon doing it in the engine room. I’m just sayin’. If there was ever a cliff hanger relationship Kaylee and Simon are as much of a clanger as Inara and Captain Mal, but maybe even more so, because you get the distinct sense that Kaylee and Simon could really be something, whereas The Captain and Inara are doomed from the outset (which doesn’t preclude them from hot sex scenes, see above). BRING BACK KAYLEE AND SIMON!
4. Who better to bust genres than the master of genre busting?
Everyone’s doing it—Vampires from the deep South who are really transgender robots in an archaic Feudal society where everyone is a secret drug dealer with added comedy and coming-of-age poignancy not to mention threats of extra-terrestrial violence, plus, have you seen that hot guy with his shirt off?! Jokes aside, there’s some good TV out there, but no one marries genres quite like King Whedon. For a trend that has befuddled most and pervaded screens shamelessly since Buffy (I’m not attributing Buffy to creating the trend, I’m just saying, in terms of precursory pop culture I think Buffy was important in terms of conceptualising and defining genre bending trends), successful genre busting is a rare gift an no one manages to immerse dialogue, plot and mise en scène in multiple genres like Joss Whedon. BRING BACK AMERICAN-CHINESE CULTURAL CLASHING AND SPACE WESTERN THEMES!
5. Who is River Tam?
I’m not satisfied with the extent of revelations concerning River. OK, so now she’s a lethal fighting machine—there’s a whole future of stories that can play into this. I mean, is Captain Mal going to harness her powers for good? Is she going to accidentally hurt someone she loves? Will she be able to escape The Hands Of Blue? Who are The Hands Of Blue? What really happened to her before Simon saved her? Will she ever fall in love? SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, BRING BACK RIVER!
6. The fans
There are still so many Firefly fans. You might not know it, but they’re everywhere—passing you in the supermarket, drinking a beer next to you at the bar, jogging on an adjacent treadmill at your local gym—they’re as innocuous as your upstairs neighbour but they’re there, seething and laying in a constant anticipatory wait. They’re quiet, marginalized and disenfranchised, but they are large in number and fervent in their passion, all with their very own list of reasons as to why Firefly should be bought back, so watch out—the Firefly fan will rise again. Loyal fans everywhere are still holding onto a dream—and why shouldn’t they?—a dream that the Whedonverse will once again crack open, and the good ship Serenity will cruise across its fractured, mythical skies. BRING BACK FIREFLY!
7. Serenity 2
Serenity ended in a cliff-hanger, wide open for a sequel. While those who don’t love Firefly didn’t necessarily ‘get’ Serenity, it was still fairly successful with positive reviews, a few awards and combined box office and DVD sales repaying budget. Serenity 2: Still Rivers Run Deep (do you like my catchy title?) would be a great precursor to the next installment of Firefly episodes, and could very well recruit some new fans to the Firefly fold with some much-warranted hype. BRING BACK SERENITY!