Getting in Touch with my Inner Zoe
O.K., I may not be the last person in fandom to get hooked on Firefly, but I am well and truly behind the curve, at the very least, considering it's been cancelled for over 4 years. But, through the magic of DVDs and long lunch hours, I've been wallowing in the Firefly 'verse for a while, and thoroughly enjoying it, though with the bittersweet understanding that it was dead before I got here.
Was just re-watching "War Stories" today, and marvelling at the fact that an episode which contains graphic torture scenes is hysterically funny in places. I am once again amazed at how the networks can cancel shows with such great stories, writing, dialog, but most of all, great characters. Those people are very real to me, in part because I know analogs of most of them.
I have to say, though, that Zoe is a balm to my feminist soul. In some ways, she is the direct descendant of Uhura, but she is what Uhura was never allowed to be. Zoe is strong, and loving and intelligent and funny and sexy and tough and unflinching and quick and competent and brave and loyal and so many more things, things that men have always been allowed to be (not that they always were, but such men were not deemed "unrealistic"). She is not perfect, she makes mistakes, but she is such a wonderful, admirable character, it's just a tragedy that she is not known to more people. We need such characters, such people and we need to know that they are possible, and not a fantasy.
I admit, even though we own the DVD of the theatrical release movie "Serenity", I haven't yet watched it. I ran through all the episodes in quick succession, and am now running through them slowly, savoring them. I am holding off on the movie because, once I see it, that will be the end, and I just don't want it to be over. I know there will be questions unanswered, and that always drives me nuts, but it's more than that. It's that I need to feel that Mal and the gang are still out there, still running, still a family, a team, a crew, still living free. The Zoe in me needs to know that.
Was just re-watching "War Stories" today, and marvelling at the fact that an episode which contains graphic torture scenes is hysterically funny in places. I am once again amazed at how the networks can cancel shows with such great stories, writing, dialog, but most of all, great characters. Those people are very real to me, in part because I know analogs of most of them.
I have to say, though, that Zoe is a balm to my feminist soul. In some ways, she is the direct descendant of Uhura, but she is what Uhura was never allowed to be. Zoe is strong, and loving and intelligent and funny and sexy and tough and unflinching and quick and competent and brave and loyal and so many more things, things that men have always been allowed to be (not that they always were, but such men were not deemed "unrealistic"). She is not perfect, she makes mistakes, but she is such a wonderful, admirable character, it's just a tragedy that she is not known to more people. We need such characters, such people and we need to know that they are possible, and not a fantasy.
I admit, even though we own the DVD of the theatrical release movie "Serenity", I haven't yet watched it. I ran through all the episodes in quick succession, and am now running through them slowly, savoring them. I am holding off on the movie because, once I see it, that will be the end, and I just don't want it to be over. I know there will be questions unanswered, and that always drives me nuts, but it's more than that. It's that I need to feel that Mal and the gang are still out there, still running, still a family, a team, a crew, still living free. The Zoe in me needs to know that.
posted by Bridget @ 3:24 PM
2 Comments:
At July 09, 2007 11:16 PM,
Shattered said…
Were you able to check out the Serenity Galley party (202) at CONvergence? It was a great time, and I think we're going to do it again next year.
On another note, the talk you gave on Sunday was just awesome and I'm looking forward to seeing you again next year. (P.S. I'm the gal who suggested sea sponge. ;))
At July 11, 2007 1:06 PM,
Bridget said…
Yes, I did get to your party, both nights, I think; I think one night it was too crowded to get into, though. The decor was great, really invoking the feel of the ship.
And thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my talk. I love speaking at cons; the audience is always so receptive and knowledgeable!
See you next year!
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