Two Down

Some of the reasons why I’m so excited about Dollhouse (see above post): 

There are three exceptional TV shows, all no longer airing but are well and alive in DVDs and in syndication, that Joss Whedon has created: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which I think is the best written, acted, and directed series I’ve ever watched, not to mention thoroughly affecting), Angel (a spinoff of the latter), and Firefly. I’ve finished watching Buffy and Firefly. My next assignment: Angel.

But let’s talk about Firefly for a bit. Joss described it as a story about “nine people looking into the blackness of space and seeing nine different things.” Its premise is that hundreds of years from now, “nothing will change in the future: technology will advance, but we will still have the same political, moral, and ethical problems as today.”

It’s a show that never really took off because the network, FOX,  cancelled it after airing just 12 of its 14 prepared episodes. Which is a pity because, like Buffy, it has the interesting mix of witty dialogue, rich characterization, and self-effacing humor. It’s not all flying saucers and steel buildings and laser fights; it’s more of an exploration of the human condition, only in a futuristic setting. Which may be exactly why it didn’t get a wide-ranging audience. I loved it, anyhow.

Now on to Angel as soon as I get a copy. I’ve read its supposed to be darker than Buffy. I can’t really imagine how.