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Hidden Netflix Marathon Gems to Watch Online

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JavaJones:
Fair point. I'm glad they were able to have one last hurrah. Just wish they could have done it over several seasons, instead of one 2 hour movie with "big stuff" thrown in for shock value and emotional impact. But I still love the movie. :D

- Oshyan

40hz:
I heard an interview with Whedon where he said that the full story arc for Firefly was planned out over four 16-episode seasons. When Firefly got axed from TV without warning he was very annoyed that the first season ended on a semi-cliffhanger and with loose ends dangling all over the place. Any DoCo members that write (or try to write) fiction will know exactly how frustrated Whedon must have felt.

Nothing in Serenity was put there for "shock value." Everything in it was planned for inclusion in the TV series, such as: certain unfortunate deaths, two romantic subplots, and the "big discovery" about River. The River "discovery" was supposed to end the series with enough left open (i.e. what The Alliance might do next) to start a new story cycle within the Firefly framework.

Joss said when it became obvious to him that the TV series "wasn't ever coming back," he decided to "telescope" everything into one movie and get as much of that first story arc into it as possible. He said the real trick was not pushing it to the point of where Serenity turned into a nonstop action film since the "quiet scenes" and dialog (like some of the back and forth that takes place in the crew cabins or dining area) were often considered the best parts of the series.

I thought he did pretty well in that it probably needed something like 6-8 hours of screen time to tell the "whole" story.  It's even more impressive when you consider he only had about two hours of film time to get it done in.

Also unfortunate were all the story pieces that ultimately got left out such as:


* The story of Mal Reynolds mother and father and what happened to them that Mal became such an uncompromising and stalwart enemy of the Alliance.
* Zoe's childhood and background story - and how she met Mal
* Who and what  the Blue Sun Corporation really is. ("The hands go everywhere. Two by two, hands of blue...")
* The story behind the orange knit hat Jane's mom made and sent him as a birthday gift. (It's a very sad story BTW.)

* The real story behind Mal's exquisite and deadly "first wife" Saffron.
* Reverend Book's background story - and why he seems to know all the intricacies of Alliance military and intelligence systems - and what's on his ident card that even Alliance ship commanders defer to him when they become aware of it.
* What the real deal is with those black market beagles you hear about from time to time
* What the Alliance was planning to do with the cadre of children (like River) that they were so carefully training.
* Why and how Inara Serra became a registered companion, and who and what the Companion's Guild actually is. (Hint: they are a lot more than high class courtesans. Ever notice how adept at marshal arts and weapons Inara seems to be? )
So yeah, maybe Serenity was a tiny bit of a disappointment with everything that either got glossed over, rushed, or just plain left out. But I still think Whedon deserves a lot credit for doing as much as he did with what he was given to work with.

 8)

JavaJones:
Ok, you've got a lot of good points there. :D Perhaps I spoke too harshly in saying that it was put there for "shock value". Of course I expected that many such events would happen over the course of the series, but "telescoping" them, as you say, into a 2 hour movie is where the problem comes in. It makes it *seem* like it's for shock value. I understand it wasn't, and I wasn't even necessarily assuming it was, more - as you said - that he was forced to compress everything down. I just kind of felt like maybe he should have left room for a sequel, since he had so much more story to tell. Of course that would have been a gamble on him getting a chance to even do a 2nd movie which, given the axing of the original series, probably wasn't a safe bet. So he was probably right to do what he did. But still, so sad. If I had a couple million, I'd throw it his way just to finish it.

- Oshyan

40hz:

Is 'Spartacus: blood and sand' any good? I loved both seasons of 'Rome', which had a lot of good reviews. But with this Spartacus it is mixed. The era holds my interest, hence the question.
-Shades (April 12, 2010, 09:44 PM)
--- End quote ---

Well...there's a lot of blood...a lot of sand...and a whole lot of sex. Probably unavoidable since we're dealing with slaves...and the Roman attitude and their treatment of slaves is pretty well documented. Nothing here you can't get from reading a good history book or actual account from the period. Apparently, these upper class Romans managed to pack a lot into their day.

IMHO a lot more brutal than the Rome series was. The bad guys are so "over the top" that it gets a little cartoonish at times. (My GF has been heard to mutter: Oh come on! during a few of the scenes.)

Very nice looking cast too, if you're into that sort of thing. You'll get to see A LOT of Ms. Lucy "Xena" Lawless if you watch it regularly.

"Pretty girl - and all grown up too.." as my GF so nicely puts it.  ;) ;D

She's a pretty decent actress too BTW. :Thmbsup:

Overall: worth a watch if you're a fan of the period. The Rome series was much better.

40hz:
If I had a couple million, I'd throw it his way just to finish it.
-JavaJones (April 13, 2010, 03:31 PM)
--- End quote ---

Me too. Ninth thing on my list if I ever hit PowerBall. ;D

I understand it wasn't, and I wasn't even necessarily assuming it was, more - as you said - that he was forced to compress everything down. I just kind of felt like maybe he should have left room for a sequel, since he had so much more story to tell.
-JavaJones (April 13, 2010, 03:31 PM)
--- End quote ---

No fault there. I wouldn't have known either if I hadn't been dragged (kicking and screaming) to a SciFi Con where Whedon (unbeknownst to me) was scheduled to talk.

Once I found out about that, I settled down.

It was an interesting talk. Good Q&A too since the audience was about 50% diehard "Browncoat" - so these people knew their 'Verse inside out.

Fun two hours. :)

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