Pick6: Why I love Serenity

Jason
Friday
11:04 am

Just got back in tonight (well it was last night before I passed out and finished this morning). From where you ask? Well judging by the glitter in my hair some may claim the strip club down the street from the offices. But that was not it. That glitter came from a sailor hat some sailor chick lent me.

No, tonight was Salt Lake City’s Can’t Stop the Serenity event. Four hours of Whedony fun, Browncoats, raffles, auctions, food, beer and the Big Damn Movie itself, Serenity.

And as the movie made its way to the inevitable end, I sat there listening to my fellow Browncoats around me, cheer, jeer and sob their way through the movie with me. And it got me thinking as I examined the movie for just why I love it so much.

Yes I love Firefly, and this being an extension of Firefly automatically gets the love right? To a certain extent yes, but the movie stands on its own, even four years later. And so I tried to cobble together just why I will be back year after year to support Can’t Stop the Serenity (aside from it being for a great cause in supporting Equality Now):

Jayne, The One Liner Guy

If I could just take all of Jayne’s lines from the movie, edit them together and then press play and place on repeat, I would listen to that for about three days straight. Then the white wagon would come pick me up and take me away as the neighbors would have reported some Joker’esque cackling coming from inside my house. Granted I might be a little biased here as Jayne is my favorite of the bunch, but the way Adam Baldwin delivers so much into so little words is priceless.

• Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don’t you think?
• We’re gonna explode? I don’t wanna explode!
• What’re we expectin’ to find here that equals the worth of a turd?
• She is startin’ to damage my calm.
• Shiny. Let’s be bad guys.

The Many Faces of River

Yes River Tam came to the party with two things to do…drink beer and kick ass. The beer ran out two hours ago. But it is not the ass kicking that really draws me into River, it is all the little quirky faces she uses to respond with rather than the use of dialogue. And in truth, that is the underlying comedy of the movie running throughout all the characters.

This is my serious face. In a second you will see my you better believe it face.

That Last Little Speech

As Mal wraps up Serenity, he gets to telling River all about piloting and ships. And in doing so nicely sums up the journey of the Browncoats in their quest to keep the story of Firefly alive. Well at least that is how I am reading it even if Joss Whedon didn’t mean it to be.

Love. You can know all the math in the ‘Verse, but take a boat in the air you don’t love, she’ll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens. Makes her a home.

The Tidbits of Tease

When Serenity came to the big screen, fanboys rejoiced. And many proclaimed their desire to see the story played out over a trilogy (just ask the Bedlam Bards). Then that expectation slowly dissolved as Wash got spiked and Book got blewed up real good. And then the actual box office office returns started coming in. But those small little teases thrown in about future stories makes the mind wander. Whether it is Book telling Mal he won’t being hearing about where he came from to that last little knowing smile of a romance between Mal and Inara, the material is there if Serenity ever flies again. At the very least, Book’s background will star in its very own comic mini-series.

Chemistry Exists

This may be a little cheat that hearkens back to Firefly a tad, but the chemistry of the cast was perfect. Yes they spend a year together doing Firefly, but that translation to the screen just makes the character interaction perfect. Mal yelling at Jayne, Mal yelling at Zoe, Mal yelling at Simon, it seemed like Christmas time at the ole stedding. And it didn’t hurt that each cast member had held a burning torch for the ‘Verse since the series was canceled.

Mal’s Left Eye

How can you not look at that eye and cringe. It is almost like it was strategically placed at the end of the movie just to make you sit there and see this bloody mess of a eyeball after a knock down, drag out fight with an operative. Its like the climax to the entire movie. And when its gaze passes over you, its basically saying I can kick Sauron’s ass. Sadly it scares everyone so much there is neither photo or video of the eye. El ojo diablo!

By the by, its seems Christy did take a plethora of pictures which will be show once she returns to her domicile of choice.