Initial Response to Firefly

I was pleasantly surprised by this series' departure from the typical Joss Whedon setting that incorporated vampires and other fictional monsters. Though I didn't mind Buffy or Angel when we were watching episodes from those series', the Western space frontier setting of Firefly is more engaging to me personally. I'm an avid fan of the Mass Effect videogame series, and this show hints back to the setting of space as a vast frontier fraught with danger and excitement. Earth is cool and all, but the space experience is so much more expansive and engaging than a petty planet-based setting.

Adding the Western motif to this series also piques my interest. Lately I've been watching Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" Trilogy (of which The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a part) and other classic Westerns such as the original True Grit. To me there's nothing quite like Western protagonists like Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" who tow the line between heroes and scoundrels, and it is easy to see this trait in Firefly's Captain Mal. Though he can be seen as a force of good in Firefly, Mal can also be seen as a bandit and scavenger with loose morals and a lack of typical heroic qualities. It will be interesting to watch Mal's character in more episodes of Firefly and see how he is defined as a hero.

As a side note and possible spoiler, the "Spirit of the West" in the new animated movie Rango takes after Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character, with great voice acting from Timothy Olyphant. Keep your eyes open for a portrayal of Hunter S. Thompson as well!