Since I found Serenity...

The crew of the Firefly ship Serenity which was grounded far too early.   

 I should probably be tarred and feathered for this, but up until a few weeks ago I couldn't say that I'd seen even one episode of Joss Whedon's tragically short lived show Firefly.  Then I watched all 14 episodes and the film Serenity and now I regret not watching it years ago.  I'd always heard from friends that it was a brilliant and flawless show which was cut down in it's infancy by the cold cunts at FOX.  The show's been referenced countless times on The Big Bang Theory, marathoned on stations like the Science Channel and continues to captivate legions of devoted "Brown-coats" ten years later.  Not bad for a show that didn't even last a full season.  I made a few earlier attempts to get into the show, but each time I was really drunk and came out not remembering much.  This time however I made sure to pay attention and I'm so glad I did.  I know there's not much I can say about Firefly that hasn't already been echoed by fans a thousand times, but I'm gonna pretend that nobody else knows about the show and just pretend I discovered it on my own. 

First off, the show is a incredibly unique blend of futuristic Sci-fi and old west sensibility.  It takes place 500 years in the future, after earth's resources were depleted and humans were forced to flee to a new solar system replete with dozens of planets and hundreds of moons.  After terraforming these planets and making them inhabitable, the central ones came under the control of the Alliance, a federal government created when earth's last superpowers, China and America, merged their cultures and governments.  While these central planets thrived under the authority of the Alliance, most of the outer rim planets refused Alliance control and formed a rebellion which was ultimately crushed by the Alliance.  Therefore, these outer rim planets are cut off from new technology and are primitive, backwoods places reminiscent of old western mining towns. 
Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his first mate Zoe (Gina Torres) fought in the war against the Alliance and after being defeated at the battle of Serenity Valley, became smugglers aboard a firefly class ship they called "Serenity", taking whatever work they can get while ducking the Alliance.  The rest of the ship's crew are a lovable bunch of misfits who even in the first episode have a natural chemistry and interplay.  If I didn't love Firefly from the start of the first episode, I definitely fell in love the first time I saw Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite), the ship's adorable engineer.  Then there's Hoban "Wash" Washburn, Serenity's pilot and Zoe's husband, who provides much of the comic relief along with Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), a mercenary who loves his gun Vera and is handy in a fight.  I can't forget about Inara (Morena Baccarin) the ship's beautiful and sophisticated companion (oh yea, prostitution's legal in this awesome future) as well as Derrial Booke (Ron Glass), a Shepard who joins the crew.  Finally there's Dr. Simon Tam (Sean Maher), who smuggles his sister River (Summer Glau) on board in a cargo crate after he breaks her out of an Alliance facility, making them fugitives. 
The reason I mention each character is because they all feel fleshed out and distinct and the way they interact with each other is immensely compelling and often humorous.  That being said, Firefly is not a comedy, it's a drama with comedic moments.  Although set so far in the future, the show doesn't fall into the cliché trappings of sleek and shiny futuristic technology; on the contrary, because the outer rim planets resisted Alliance control, they are without luxuries.  These environments have a rugged and rustic feel that adds tremendous realism.  The common folk who inhabit these worlds have to rely on old weapons and equipment, even using horses and carts alongside ships.  Mal and his crew use antique firearms in combat and the inside of the ship looks rusted and dirty, which makes everything feel all the more organic.   This blend of space travel and western sensibility might've seemed goofy in someone else's hands, but in Whedon's we get a world that seems convincing in all it's delightful quirks.  Among these are the character's tendencies to blurt out Mandarin curses due to the Chinese-American Culture blend.  They're also fond of the word "Goram" which is slang for Goddamn.  Little quirks like this make the show all the more enjoyable.  The show seamlessly blends both western and Asian cultural styles and the result is sweet. 
I can truly concur with every fan when I say the show is note-perfect, even down to the instantly memorable cowboy inspired theme song and music, which uses fiddles to evoke a sound reminiscent of the American West with Asian overtones.  Again, Firefly makes this odd mixture work.  Another interesting distinction is the lack of aliens; the crew only deal with other humans in the new solar system, with the exception of Reavers, vicious animalistic beings of unknown origin who dwell on the outer edges of space and raid ships, raping and murdering everyone in sight and displaying their victims corpses on their ships.  In the series, Reavers are mentioned a few times but not actually seen until the Serenity film, in which we learn that the secret of their origin has to do with the Alliance.  The lack of aliens takes nothing away from the show and in fact adds to the realism given that as far as we know, we are alone in the universe.  You could say that Cpt. Mal Reynolds is like Han Solo; both are smugglers with a badass, suave attitude but I think Mal's even cooler.  He's a man of action when he needs to be and takes care of his crew, but he also has a natural charisma and a good heart under a gruff exterior that makes him very likeable.  The rest of the crew is likable in their own way, even Simon although he pissed me off a few times when Kaylee would flirt with him and he'd find a way to cock block himself.  The mystery surrounding his sister River, a child prodigy with remarkable mental capabilities becomes a dominant thread throughout the series as Simon and the crew cope with the traumatic effects of the Alliance's experiments to turn her into a human weapon.  River's a fascinating and mysterious character whose intentions remain unknown to the crew and often put them in danger due to her and Simon's fugitive status. 
The show is filled with plenty of action, from old west style shoot outs to sweet bar brawls, all greatly enjoyed by Jayne and the crew finds themselves in plenty of dangerous situations given that they're willing to take almost any job, regardless of the legality.  Interspersed with the action are plenty of hilarious moments which flow naturally from the great dialogue and characters.  Everyone has their chance to provide some humor along with some insight and depth.  Even a character like Jayne, who at first seems like a heartless brute is shown to have a conscience.  In a very short amount of time, Firefly gave us characters who had depth and complexity, even Shepard Booke, who the show hint's at having a past tie to the Alliance.  All these elements and many more yet to be seen until I've watched it again, make Firefly's cancellation all the more sad.  Given how rich and compelling it was from the get go, we can only imagine where they could've taken it.  The show dared to be radically unique and in your face, even racy at times and gave us a lovable band of miscreants who "aimed to misbehave" and find freedom in the black against a frighteningly realistic government demanding total control and compliance.