Some thoughts from someone coming late to the party

[clevermanka]

I've spent a couple days ago thinking why the hell was I so upset by the way Serenity ended. Now, some of you know that I have this...penchant for getting attached to things that meet unpleasant/untimely ends. So it wasn't really a shock to me that my favorite character yet again died needlessly. I admit I was irritated, but it's two days later and I'm still bummed about it. So it's got to be more than just the treatment of this one character, although it was the main inspiration for the creation of this icon.

I decided to go hunting for some other opinions and I found a post from a discussion on Slashdot that summed it up nicely.
**
Critics loved it (by sci fi standards) and I can admit that, in isolation, it was a great movie. The problem was that that movie turned off a lot of Firefly fans. I've debated this ad nauseam already on the official message boards - but the one things that's indisputable is that the entire community broke out into a firestorm over the killing of two characters, Wash and to a lesser extent Book.

I'm one of those that protested that loudest that killing Wash was a stupid, stupid move. There were a variety or other problems Firefly fans had with the movie (eg turning River into "River the Reaver Slayer") but I think that was really at the core.

Wheddon created a series that a lot of people fell in love with and they rallied after it was cancelled to bring it back to life. Killing Wash in a way that many felt was pointless was a slap in the fact to a lot of fans that had worked, struggled, evangelized and pretty much gone above and beyond to bring their show back to life.

I think he made a fundamental miscalculation in thinking that his Firefly crowd would stick with him while he reached for a broader audience. Given how he's revered by Wheddonites who also love Buffy and Angel, I'm not surprised he erred on the side of appealing to a broader audience. But a lot of the fans of Firefly were no fans of Wheddon, and so they were completely unwilling to go follow him just because he's Wheddon. They saw his treatment of characters (Wash in particular but also others) as wanton disregard for their beloved franchise, they spurned the movie, quit trying to bring their friends, and went home to watch their Firefly DVD set one more time.

The remaining Wheddonites who crowded into the theaters night after night and dragged friends and relatives along were just not quite the critical mass needed to really get the show to break out. Whether or not things would have turned out differently had Wheddon not killed Wash - no one will ever know. I think the chance was there to make a new Star Wars (the original) mega-hit and that that was the mistake that cost him, but I'm sure there are plenty of Wheddonites and others who disagree with me.

In any case, I'm sad to see it go, but I won't be eager to catch the next Wheddon project anytime soon. As far as I'm concerned Wheddon and Lucas are just proof-postive that talent is a fickle creature and some creators clearly create works that far outsrtip their own understanding. Just because the muse visits, doesn't mean she'll stay.
**

And that's really it. There are a lot of similarities to the way Wheddon ended this franchise and the way Farscape writers ended their series (before they knew they'd have a chance to make a movie--in other words, the Farscape series ended very similar, mood-wise, to the way the Serenity movie ended). But with Farscape, it was more a Fuck-You to the network and the fanbase was left with a sense of "you assholes" laughing *with* the writers. After Serenity I just felt betrayed. Like they were making a cruel joke at my expense rather than making a joke with me.

Wheddon is obviously in the "this is my toy and if I can't play with it, nobody can" camp. And that's too bad for the fans and for the actors.

EDIT: Oh, and if you ever introduce me to a series and you hear me say "Oh, s/he's my favorite character" and you know that character dies? For god's sake, just tell me. I'd rather know in advance. I kept saying all along "Oh Wash is going to die. That always happens to me." But it was still really fucking irritating. I guess I was still holding out a bit of hope. So yeah, just tell me. It'll make it easier for everyone. Seriously.


EDIT: This whole conversation has certainly made me think about what I appreciate as an audience member.

For example, it completely pissed me off when the screenwriters gave Memoirs of a Geisha a happy ending. But I did want a happy ending for all the crew members of Serenity.

I think it largely boils down to me wanting people to get what they deserve. Yes, I know that's not "reality" but damn, if I wanted to be entertained by reality I'd watch fucking CNN for fun and maybe indulge in a little mainstream literary fiction.