Unpopular Opinions

[amensisterfriend]

This is the place to safely confess opinions about the show that you've found in your experience to be unpopular! I'll kick us off:

 

As much as I love the show, the movie didn't really work for me. 

 

I'm in that tiny minority who loves The Train Job more than the intended pilot :) 

 

I can't stand Inara. I've really tried to like her or at least appreciate what Joss was going for here, but I honestly think the show would have been better without her and think the whole idea of companions was a bit of a mess. 

 

I like Kaylee and absolutely love Simon (which may be a somewhat UO in and of itself!), but I dislike everything about them as a would-be couple. 

 

The Saffron episodes are both among my favorite hours of any TV show ever. 

 

 

[Danny Franks]

I didn't mind Inara, but I think that if the show had continued, that Mal/Inara 'ship would quickly have become one of the worst things about the show. Because it could never work. They had diametrically opposing attitudes to most things, not least of which their opinion of what Inara did for a living. Absolute trainwreck, avoided only by the show's cancellation.

 

I'm not sure that's an unpopular opinion, because it seems like Inara wasn't ever that popular, but I think that 'ship could really have killed the show for me, if it had gone on for multiple seasons. I'd actually have preferred Mal and Yo-Saff-Bridge, who had pretty nice chemistry, even if it was all antagonistic.

[jhlipton]

Joss needed to firm up what Companions did, what they wouldn't do, how they were treated, what happened to those who didn't treat the the way they were supposed to, etc., etc, and so on.  The "Companions are a great and noble part of society" but "Anyone can insult one with impunity" just didn't work.

[amensisterfriend]

I agree wholeheartedly!

 

I just thought of another one: Zoe is probably my very favorite female Whedon character---yes, even more so than Buffy! 

[Kalliste]

I agree wholeheartedly!

 

I just thought of another one: Zoe is probably my very favorite female Whedon character---yes, even more so than Buffy! 

That wouldn't be hard for me, as I didn't particularly like Buffy the character. I'm going to say my favourite female Joss character is Melinda May from Shield.. which I had to look up whether she was his character :P

 

Zoe definitely rates higher than Buffy though but probably lower than Fred/Illyria and River.

 

I honestly don't know what my unpopular opinions are re: Firefly.. I'm guessing my dislike of the Kaylee/Simon pairing.. does everyone else think Jayne was a massive coward? I have to assume yes. :P

 

I also didn't get into the movie though, I liked the exploration of the reavers but not a lot else.

[mledawn]

My unpopular opinion is that I liked the movie - a lot.

[jah1986]

My unpopular opinion is that I liked the movie - a lot.

I second. I did like the movie especially the Reavers stuff.

 

I never warmed up to Inara.

 

Unpopular opinion: I liked Jayne, a lot. Probably more to do with Adam Baldwin.

Edited December 22, 2014 by jah1986

[amensisterfriend]

I love Jayne too. I'd dislike him in real life, but I think he added a lot to the show. 

 

In my experience, loving the movie is popular, so you guys aren't alone! I always felt vaguely guilty for not liking it much :) It just doesn't capture that unique Firefly feel for me, for lack of a better way of putting it. 

 

I never warmed up to Inara,

 

I tried hard to like her, but I just found her so haughty, condescending and smug. She's the one character who I could have happily done without, though I wasn't all that attached to Kaylee, either. 

 

A related UO is that I really liked Book, though that might have been due more to what he could have potentially offered to the show than what he actually did. I found myself intrigued by his past and tend to enjoy the exploration of spirituality in Joss Whedon's shows. 

[Fat Elvis 007]

Given the amount of fans who still seem livid over the show's cancellation and desperate for some kind of reunion, I think it's a UO to say that I don't want any more Firefly. It was a near-perfect show while it lasted (other than the complete lack of Asian people in a culture that clearly borrowed heavily from Asian influences), but Serenity was a great conclusion and it really wrapped up most of the characters' arcs in a satisfying way. I agree with the poster up thread who said that a real Mal/Inara relationship would have been awkward to pull off, and I'm also not sure how the show would have found realistic ways to put the crew in danger given River's extreme power level-up at the end of Serenity. So I like where it ended. I'm not even that upset it got cancelled, since Serenity is one of my favorite movies ever, and it never would have happened were it not for the show getting axed.

[femmefan1946]

The Companions, I think, had a position very like courtesans in Victorian and Edwardian France. (Was that the Third Republic?)

Remember the movie Gigi? The courtesan's life was on the surface gay and romantic, with lots of admiration and respect.

But nobody took a courtesan home to mother. The rich lover quickly forgot his past amours. (I Remember It Well)And certainly, if Gigi had actually worked as a courtesan, the young admirer would never have married her.

And yeah, Man and Inara would not have worked out. Plenty of angst, plenty of smartmouth arguements, and some useful plotpoints, but not a longterm relationship.

 

Now, am I the only one who thinks Simon is gay, like Sean Maher? That would have been an interesting plot twist around Season Three. A Break the Cutie moment for Kaylee.

 

I love Book! Mind you, Ron Glass has been a fave since Barney Miller. But the character has all the good points of Inara, plus being tougher than nails.

[AndySmith]

This show overall is extremely overrated by it's fans? Can't get more unpopular than that.

[amensisterfriend]

Now, am I the only one who thinks Simon is gay, like Sean Maher? That would have been an interesting plot twist around Season Three.

 

I would buy that. Honestly, I would buy Simon with pretty much anyone of either gender over Kaylee---everything about that pairing felt forced to me, and it brought out weirdly unlikable sides of Kaylee. If it weren't for Wash (RIP!), I think I would have been weirdly intrigued by the idea of a Simon/Zoe pairing (how's that for a UO?!), in part because they're my two favorite characters (which is another UO!).

 

Inara, Inara/Mal and everything about the companions was by far my least favorite facet of the show, but I don't know if that's too unpopular. I do hear a lot of love for the Inara/Kaylee friendship, but I felt Inara was incredibly condescending around her---around more or less everyone, for that matter! 

 

While I love the idea of these different cultures blending and merging, I hold the UO that the dialogue sometimes made me cringe when it tried too hard to blend 'Old West' slang, proper English and random bursts of Chinese phrases. Dialogue is usually Joss Whedon's greatest strength IMO, and it sometimes was here as well, but all the "ain't"s and awkwardly bizarre language blending was sometimes hard to listen to.

 

I still think the Message, which many seem to rank quite low, is one of my favorites of the series. And I also LOVE Safe. (See above re. my strangely deep love for Simon, despite/because of his flaws!) 

Edited May 8, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[amensisterfriend]

I'd love to hear more about why Wash and Zoe didn't work for you!

[amensisterfriend]

Yeah, I could definitely see that...I guess it's partly that they seemed healthy and happy by Joss Whedon standards given the notorious amount of angst and dysfunction that characterize many of his couples! And I do share your UO re. finding Wash among the least interesting/most dispensable characters. I get that he's supposed to be the funny one (in addition to being a great pilot and one half of the show's only officially together couple), but I actually found a few other characters a lot more amusing.   

[supposebly]

 

their conflicts almost exclusively revolved around Wash feeling like Zoe's second husband after Mal and therefore the show really just explored his insecurities as a man being married to this powerful woman.

 

Interesting. That's not at all how I interpreted it. I saw it as someone who felt that there were three in this marriage, not two and not being in the military, he had a problem with Zoe following Mal's orders. I thought he absolutely adored being with a "warrior woman" and her strength was what attracted him. I don't think he was insecure as a man, just had a problem with Mal and Zoe's history, partly because he didn't quite understand it.

 

Since this is the unpopular opinions thread: I absolutely adore River. Watching the show after the movie, her behavior all of a sudden made so much sense to me.

[jhlipton]

[T]he show really just explored his insecurities as a man being married to this powerful woman.

I don't think he was insecure as a man, just had a problem with Mal and Zoe's history, partly because he didn't quite understand it.

I agree. Also, there was a question as to what Zoe would do when an order from Mal conflicted with a need (or desire) from Wash.

[amensisterfriend]

I've gone from somewhat ambivalent about this show to flat out loving it. A lot f shows get worse for me with repeated viewing, but this one somehow gt better. A few UOs:

1. I've actually shocked myself by how much more I've come to like Inara, and I can even see more of a connection between her and Mal. I still don't like how Joss wrote the whole idea of her profession or Mal's reaction to it, but once I fanwank that in my head, I like her/them much more than I used to! 

2.

Quote

Since this is the unpopular opinions thread: I absolutely adore River. Watching the show after the movie, her behavior all of a sudden made so much sense to me.

I've come to adore her too, and I don't see her as a Mary Sue. 

3. I still prefer the Train Job to the Serenity pilot for some reason. Serenity (not referring to the film, of course) may actually be my personal least favorite episode of the series. 

4. If I had to pick just one favorite character, I think it would still be the not-especially-popular Simon :) River is now surprisingly near the top of that list, though. 

5. Even Simon/Kaylee as a potential pairing works a lot better for me than it used to. I am getting so soft in my old age. 

6. It still irks me that Zoe calls Mal "sir." I get that it's a holdover from their war days and shows that that period of their lives will always be with them and all that, but it still makes me cringe a little. 

7. It's true that Mal is much more the 'anti-hero' than a hero and very flawed, but I don't find him nearly as terrible a human being as many people (often on other sites, not this one) seem to find him. I've come to enjoy him and even root for ol' Captain Tightpants. 

8. I don't think Jayne's hat is that ugly or goofy. Sadly, I've seen much, much worse! 

Edited November 30, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[fluffy]

Quote

Watching the show after the movie, her behavior all of a sudden made so much sense to me.

I love River too and don't see her as a Mary Sue at all, in part because Joss Whedon didn't shy away from just how much psychological, cognitive and emotional damage she's sustained.  I think it's fascinating to think about how much of River's core identity they were able to alter along with her brain and how much of her real self remains and might eventually reemerge. I think characters like Fred Burkle from Angel are far bigger Mary Sues for multiple reasons, so I'm not saying Joss doesn't fall into the trap of creating overly cutesy, quirky and perfect women who are doted on and adored by all while excelling at absolutely everything they do, just that for me River doesn't quite fall into that category. 

Firefly is the one Joss Whedon show I still really love and can rewatch constantly. Buffy and Angel didn't hold up as well for me. 

Zoe and Wash are one of my favorite relationships ever on TV. 

Despite agreeing with those who think Joss should have altered, expanded on or just ditched the concept of companions, I grew to like Inara a lot. I also enjoy Bok. Kaylee is probably the character who adds the least to the show for me, but I love in theory that there's someone who remains so cheerful, open and optimistic despite what this crew does and what they've experienced. 

This is probably my favorite show of all time, but part of me is almost glad it ended before it had the chance to disappoint viewers, leaving us to fill in so many intriguing blanks with our imaginations. 

Even though this show is nearly perfect, I agree with the person who didn't like Mal/Inara or Simon/Kaylee. 

Saffron was one of my favorite Whedon antagonists, and the two episodes she's in are two of the 3-4 episodes I watch the most. 

If the show had continued, I could see myself  eventually shipping Mal with River. I couldn't that confess that anywhere other than over the internet! 

[femmefan1946]

On 8/20/2015 at 7:16 PM, jhlipton said:

 

I agree. Also, there was a question as to what Zoe would do when an order from Mal conflicted with a need (or desire) from Wash.

I think the Mal/Zoe/Wash relationship was the central character arc of the show. The comic books that have extended the story past the BDM are weaker for not having that  relationship.

That Zoe was pregnant or worrying about Emma didn't help much. The prison episodes were good though.

I think Inara would have been gone back to the Core after the movie, if she hadn't been blacklisted by the Guild. Which was insufficiently explained. Here part in the comics is thin, basically a repeat of the Train Job , pulling rank on the bumpkins. Simon does it better.

Killing off Book was a mistake. Having an antagonist for Mal, who was even tougher than any of the crew was great.

I don't understand why people find it difficult to accept that Kaylee is sexually adventurous. Even before Out of Gas, Jayne's joke about Kaylee wishing Simon was a gynecologist, indicated that she was not innocent virgin.