Joss Whedon's Firefly Soars in Its Single Season

This past Christmas, my brother Benjamin gave me two DVD boxed sets. One was season four of LOST, my favorite TV show. The other was Firefly, the short-lived sci-fi series that he told me was his favorite. I'd heard good things about the show but hadn't ever seen it, so I was anxious to check it out, particularly after seeing the fantastic Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the brainchild of Firefly creator Joss Whedon, co-starring Nathan Fillion, who stars as the cocky but compassionate captain Malcolm Reynolds. I watched a couple of episodes earlier in the year, but it wasn't until this summer that I sat down for a marathon, devouring the whole series in a couple of days.

Malcolm, or "Mal" for short, has some of the arrogant bravado that was evident in Fillion's over-the-top superhero character in Dr. Horrible, but he's much more likable. Mal may have a habit of talking with his fists and engaging in shady business dealings, but he's very dedicated to the crew of Serenity, the spaceship he uses to smuggle goods across the galaxy. He might shower some of them with sarcastic barbs, but if one of them is in trouble, he'll ultimately figure out a way to come to the rescue.

A former military commander, he fought in a war alongside no-nonsense first mate Zoe (Gina Torres). She's extremely tough, and after enduring many harrowing battles, she is fearless in the face of fire. By contrast, her husband "Wash" (Alan Tudyk) is pretty wimpy, a lovable goofball who reminds me a bit of Full House's Uncle Joey. He's always cracking jokes and breaking the tension, but his job on the ship is of vital importance, as he's the pilot. It's up to him to steer them out of harm's way, in which they frequently find themselves.

Jayne (Adam Baldwin) is a surly crewmember who never can be considered entirely trustworthy. With his distinct Southern accent, his self-centeredness, his heavy sarcastic streak and his penchant for physical violence, he reminds me a lot of LOST's resident redneck Sawyer, particularly in the first season. He's one of the funniest characters but also one of the crudest, and he's easily the most antagonistic of the nine core characters. His unappealing personality perfectly sets up the tragi-comic Jaynestown, one of my favorite episodes, in which he returns to the scene of a heist gone bad and is flabbergasted to find himself a folk hero, complete with a statue and a catchy theme song.

Also on board the ship is Inara (Morena Baccarin), who isn't officially part of the crew but functions as an "ambassador" when certain buyers need a little persuasion or distraction. Inara is a registered Companion, which is essentially a high-class prostitute; not only is the profession legal, it's respected by many, and Companions, who are at liberty to be selective about their clients, must undergo rigorous training that includes instruction in such subjects as music. Baccarin reminds me of Kristin Kreuk, who plays Lana Lang on Smallville. Inara also makes me think of empath Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Generally, I like the character, who is sweet and kind, albeit prone to tart-tongued exchanges with Mal, with whom she has a complicated relationship, but having a prostitute on the ship, even one as classy as Inara, means that the show is a little excessively preoccupied with sexuality. We tend not to see very much, but there are always comments being made. Of course, it doesn't all revolve around her; Jayne is pretty lewd in general, Zoe and Wash need to get some couple time in now and then, and various other characters have opportunities to get lip-locked. And it's still nowhere near as smutty as the typical episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Initially, it seems that there may be tension between Inara and one of the ship's newcomers, a Shepherd, or preacher, by the name of Book, but although he does not particularly approve of the profession of Companion, it doesn't stop him from developing a rapport with Inara. Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), my second-favorite character on the show, is wise and calm, and he doesn't shy away from offering an opinion when he feels that a moral imperative is being ignored. I especially appreciate this character because elsewhere in the show, most explicitly Christian characters are portrayed in a negative light. The Bible is quoted as justification for killing an innocent young woman with unusual abilities and for forcing teenagers into marriages in which they are treated more like slaves than wives. Such instances gave me the uncomfortable feeling that Whedon had an axe to grind, but the wonderful Shepherd made it seem less like he was associating Christianity with cruelty and ignorance.

My favorite character is Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the ship's mechanic. I liken her to Scotty because of the deep communion she has with her ship; it is very much alive to her, and she takes great offense when anyone insults it, reminding me of Scotty's famous barroom brawl in The Trouble With Tribbles, started because "They called the Enterprise a garbage scow!" Kaylee is even more indispensable than Wash, and she is also beloved by all on the ship. She is eccentric, compassionate and relentlessly cheerful, reminding me quite a bit of Luna from the Harry Potter series. Despite her expertise, she is very childlike in many ways, and everyone seems to regard her as an adored little sister.

That is, everyone except River Tam (Summer Glau), a teenage super-genius whose mind has been horribly addled thanks to a stay in a government-run facility from which her older brother Simon (Sean Maher), a brilliant but socially awkward young doctor, sprang her, making them both fugitives. To River, Kaylee is the older sister, a stabilizing influence as she fights off memories of the torment she experienced. There are also hints that she could be a sister of another kind if Simon would stop tripping over his own tongue. River is an intriguing character, but the limited run of the series doesn't allow us to explore her that deeply. Simon is more developed, and I love his nervous, upper-class mannerisms and his incredibly deep affection for River, which drove him to give up his promising career to rescue her from a trap his parents didn't believe was real.

Apart from the nine major cast members, there are several guest stars in one or two episodes. I only recognized a few of them. Fillion had a brief role on LOST as Kate's husband, and another person from Kate's past turns up as a guest star: Frederic Lehne, who played Marshal Ed Mars. His Firefly character has a somewhat similar disposition but is even more belligerent. A pre-High School Musical Zac Efron has a brief flashback role as the teenage Simon. Other memorable guests include Mark Shappard as Badger, an English scoundrel Mal deals with on a couple of occasions who seems like a character out of Oliver Twist. In two episodes, Christina Hendricks plays Saffron, a seemingly naive young woman who comes into Mal's life in a surprising way and returns later as a major thorn in his side. Edward Atterton is equally suave and obnoxious as Atherton Wing, a wealthy man who offers Inara a permanent position, and Richard Brooks is memorable as philosophical bounty hunter Jubal Early.

Firefly takes place 500 years in the future and is unusual for a space opera, since it combines science fiction with the elements of a Western. Serenity is the home base for these characters, but they visit several different planets throughout the course of the series. These planets have been "terra-formed," which means that they were made acceptable for human habitation and populated. On these planets, there are certain high-tech implements, but there are also horses, trains, saloons and lots of pistols. Clothing and speech patterns largely reflect an Old West sensibility, though there are hints of other cultures, particularly Chinese; the characters have a habit of lapsing into Chinese when making exclamations, which is confusing at first. There are no subtitles, but you can basically figure everything out through context. One of the neatest elements of the show is the music, which incorporates several different musical styles, particularly using instruments common to country music and Asian music. One scene features a lively Celtic-flavored dance, another a violin-heavy lament that serves as a farewell to both a character and the show. I love the twangy soundtrack; it gives the show a very unique sound and really helps root it in this particular setting.

I'm not sure why this show never really took off with the general public. It quickly won a very devoted following, with Firefly fans organizing to send off postcards and letters and take out ads in the paper begging the Powers That Be at FOX to keep the show on the air. But there weren't enough of those fans to keep this series flying for another season. As one-season series go, I have a stronger attachment to the hilarious, heart-rending Freaks and Geeks, but Firefly is a rousing space adventure with an unusual format and engaging characters. It's fairly episodic, so the order in which you watch episodes isn't hugely important, though there are some character arcs that develop over the season. I would recommend starting with the two-hour pilot, even though it was the last episode to air when the show was on TV. The last episode has a touch of finale about it but ultimately resolves far too little in comparison to the number of questions that previous episodes invite.

With most of the cursing done in Chinese, language isn't likely to be much of an issue unless you've studied Mandarin, and I find the rustic colloquialisms used by Mal, Jayne and Kaylee endearing. Bedroom shenanigans are fairly common, with at least one such scene occurring in most episodes, and there's considerable violence as well. Besides the fistfights and the shootouts, there are swordfights, cannibals and mysterious weapons that cause spontaneous bleeding. A couple of scenes seemed pretty R-rated to me, and I was grossed out enough that I had to avert my eyes for a minute or two. The most grotesque bits can be found in Bushwhacked, showing the aftermath of an attack by the cannibalistic Reavers, and Ariel, which humorously reminded me of the hospital heist in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home until the blue-gloved Alliance agents turned up and started turning their alleged allies into puddles of goo. The Alliance, which is after River and Simon, is a palpable threat throughout the series, while the Reavers are only an issue in a couple of early episodes. I assume that we would have seen more of them if the series had continued - not that I particularly wanted to.

While there are a few elements of the show I wasn't crazy about, I found it very easy to empathize with the characters, and the unique blend of science fiction and Western is intriguing. It's a shame that the network didn't give it more of a chance to blossom, especially when it was clear that it had taken off so strongly among many of those who had watched it. On the plus side, that means that you can get through the whole series pretty quickly if you want, and you won't have to pay upwards of fifty dollars for the set as you will with many full-length TV seasons. I'm looking forward to watching Serenity, its feature film follow-up, and seeing whether it answers any of the questions left by the series. Whedon has proven himself quite creative; I just hope his next venture catches on a little more quickly.

The Office's Third Season Brings a Breaking - and Re-forming - of the Fellowship

Anytime you have a show with a large cast, there's the potential for some fracturing as various characters move in different directions. In The Office, the NBC comedy about a pack of quirky office drones working for the Scranton branch of fictional paper company Dunder-Mifflin, the third season is marked by this sense of disconnectedness. The first third of the season alternates between Scranton and Stamford, the branch to which lovable everyman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) has relocated. Though a branch merger eventually brings him back to Scranton, it's in the company of several new characters, and it takes most of the season for the Scranton branch to settle back into its old groove. While the shake-up isn't necessarily a bad thing, it does facilitate the most awkward moments yet in the series.

Probably more than in any season, Jim is the focal point here, as the camera follows him to Stamford (where one co-worker hilariously mocks his habit of gazing meaningfully into the camera and slowly shrugging). While the position and the pay are better there, his main reason for going was to avoid the heartache of working with his best friend, engaged receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), to whom he bared his soul without receiving the response he had hoped for. Meanwhile, Pam, belatedly admitting that her feelings for Jim are strong enough to keep her from the altar, has called off her wedding to the insensitive, incompatible Roy Anderson (David Denman) and is missing Jim terribly. Roy, who spends the first half of the season meek and disheveled, becomes much more likable in his chastened state, though his brutish side comes roaring back when he discovers the true reason Pam broke off the engagement.

With Pam all at once available, we start off season three thinking that Jim ought to come running back to Scranton so he and Pam can live happily ever after. But the show doesn't let us off that easily. First, Jim has to get settled into his new environment, where he thrives at his job but misses the laid-back atmosphere of the Scranton branch. We are introduced to several co-workers, most notably Andy and Karen. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) is Stamford's version of Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and his aggressive streak and active attempts to make a nuisance of himself make Jim actually appreciate his geeky former nemesis. There's an air of affection in the way he continues to pester Dwight from afar, and we're rewarded with one of the funniest scenes of the season when the gullible beet farmer reacts to a fax sent by "Future Dwight". Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) is a driven young businesswoman who slowly but surely succumbs to Jim's charms, creating great tension when she is one of the employees who joins Jim in Scranton after the Stamford branch closes.

For everybody rooting for a Jim and Pam romance, Karen is not a particularly welcome addition here. She's now standing in the way of their happy reunion, and her interference is more galling than Roy's since it probably wouldn't be an issue if Jim had just stuck around Scranton instead of running away from his problems. While Karen has some pleasant qualities, she carries herself with a very icy air. There's definitely a sense that she, like hot-shot young temp Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak), thinks she's above most of her co-workers - including new boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who is as clueless as ever.

Initially, boot-licking Andy is pretty obnoxious, and when he connives to dethrone Dwight, it suddenly becomes apparent that despite all his irritating qualities, Dwight is actually a pretty great guy to have around. After a stint in anger management, however, this hammy uber-WASP, a Cornell grad who is excessively fond of singing a cappella, becomes much more endearing. Though he and Dwight have very different personalities, their tendency to be over-the-top makes them play off each other wonderfully. Especially amusing is the extensive interview of Andy that Dwight conducts when he believes that management of the Scranton branch will soon fall to him and he'll need a second-in-command. (Highlight for this LOST fan? Dwight: What is the DHARMA Initiative? Andy: It is the center of all energy on Earth. Dwight: Wrong! It is a corporation run by aliens. In a DVD set packed with deleted scenes, this kooky conversation from the last episode of the season is my absolute favorite.)

With so much focus on Jim, Pam and the newbies, some of the supporting characters take more of a backseat, but there's still plenty for them to do here, particularly in the terrific Beach Games, in which Michael uses a team-building field trip to determine which of his underlings is most qualified to serve as his successor. Throughout the season, H.R. Eeyore Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) resignedly bears the abuse Michael heaps on him, and hints of his attraction to Pam become stronger. Lovably cranky Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) shows surprising enthusiasm for Pretzel Day, while Phyllis Lapin (Phyllis Smith) must fret over whether the wedding of her dreams will be compromised by the overzealous Michael.

Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) candidly reveals more unsavory tidbits about himself, and chatty Kelly smothers the reluctant Ryan in their less-than-blissful relationship. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) spends a good chunk of the season missing as he enjoys a vacation compliments of the company, attempting to smooth over an unintentional slight by Michael regarding his orientation. Petite, severe Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) continues her unlikely affair with Dwight, while fellow accountant Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) finds his non-office-related relationship on the rocks. Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) has a close encounter with a bat in a bizarre but quite touching episode directed by Joss Whedon of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog; Michael's buttoned-up corporate love interest, Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin), demonstrates that she doesn't quite have her act together; and warehouse king Daryll Philbin (Craig Robinson) gives Michael some pointers about negotiating a higher salary.

There are 23 episodes in this DVD set, several of which are forty minutes long instead of twenty, all of which include deleted scenes. Aside from those always-amusing gems from the scrap heap, my favorite extra this time around is the music video Lazy Scranton, a parody of Saturday Night Live's Narnia-touting Lazy Sunday that Michael and Dwight prepare as a welcome to the Stamford gang. Given the fractured nature of this third season, I wouldn't recommend starting here, but if you've breezed through seasons one and two, number three will not disappoint.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Is a Beastly Beauty

Last week, my brother came downstairs and announced, "There's something we need to watch." As both of us had a small stack of DVDs given to us at Christmas, this was an ambiguous statement, so I waited for him to elaborate. Instead of making for the tree, he headed over to the computer and started up Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which I'd seen referenced in Entertainment Weekly but knew little about. Written and directed by Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, in collaboration with Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, it's a series of three 15-minute-long video blogs created during the Writers' Strike. It stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible (otherwise known as Billy), Felicia Day as Penny, the girl of his dreams, and Nathan Fillion as his nemesis, Captain Hammer.

The first part begins with Dr. Horrible at his blogging station, answering mail from fans. He returns to this position occasionally, but most of the blog follows him, Captain Hammer and Penny around town as they strive to achieve their individual goals. Dr. Horrible's aims are clear: to finally be accepted as a member of the Evil League of Evil and to get up the nerve to have a coherent conversation with Penny at the laundromat they both frequent. Meanwhile, Penny spends her time petitioning to save an old building so that it can be transformed into a homeless shelter, while Captain Hammer does his best to thwart Dr. Horrible (and Billy, too).

This is an unconventional superhero story because we're meant to root for the villain, whose evil aspirations rarely match up with his mousy personality (or his anemic villainous laugh). Scrawny Billy is an angsty but pensive and gentle soul who considers killing inelegant and passes on an invitation to duel because the chosen location is within sight of children. Muscle-bound Captain Hammer is a narcissistic lunkhead reminiscent of Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo. Saintly Penny, unaware of Billy's "Ph.D. in horribleness," is caught in the middle. The only other semi-major character is Moist (Simon Helberg), Billy's wet blanket of a roommate, who seems kind but ineffective.

I wasn't completely sold on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog until the singing began. At that point, I found myself entirely delighted with My Freeze Ray, Billy's jaunty tune in which his villainous dreams and his infatuation with Penny merge: "With my freeze ray I will stop the world. / With my freeze ray I will / Find the time to find the words to / Tell you how / How you make / Make me feel..." I never knew that Harris was such a talented singer, though my brother informed me he's been on Broadway. He has a very pleasant tone to his voice and expresses emotion quite well with his vocals. This cheerful tune is my favorite of the seven songs in which he plays a prominent role, but I'm also a big fan of the brooding My Eyes, in which he alternates with Day as Billy and Penny separately reflect on her new relationship with Captain Hammer.

Fillion, whose baritone reminds me of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, has three songs in which to shine, most notably the overblown We Are the World-style Everyone's a Hero, in which he condescendingly explains to an adoring crowd how Penny has transformed him into a humanitarian and how he now appreciates the struggles of the less fortunate: "Everyone’s a hero in their own way / Everyone’s got villains they must face / They’re not as cool as mine / But folks, you know it’s fine to know your place." Day's voice is soft and whispery, and her big solo truly is inspirational, in a much quieter way: "Even in the darkness / Every color can be found / And every day of rain / Brings water flowing / To things growing in the ground." All three, along with several minor characters, come together for So They Say, a group song that again reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, this time the show-stopping Belle, as it involves the whole town reacting to a juicy bit of news involving Captain Hammer and Penny.

To make comparisons to that exquisite Disney musical is to pay Whedon and company a sincere compliment. These are some of the most cleverly written songs I've encountered in a while, full of complex rhymes, catchy melodies and character-revealing moments. Story parallels exist as well. Penny is as compassionate as Belle, though she's more of a damsel in distress than that spunky heroine. Captain Hammer is just as self-involved as Gaston and engages in charitable deeds half-heartedly to win the girl. Dr. Horrible, instead of being condemned to a beastly fate, seeks that alteration himself in response to a world that he feels has been cruel to him. In addition to the elements of musical, comedy and romance, the tale becomes an examination of what drives otherwise decent people to embrace evil deeds. Even more pressing than the question of who winds up with Penny is the question of whether Dr. Horrible can - or should - truly pursue both goals simultaneously and hope for any degree of success. They certainly seem incongruous, and the answer provided by the finale offers food for thought and plenty of room for further exploration. That's why I'm thrilled to hear that Dr. Horrible will be back. Though I don't know whether his next adventure will take the direction I would like, I'll most certainly be watching the continuing journey.