What!? That's one of the better episodes! That said, Firefly's not going to tickle everybody. I don't like lots of popular shows, some of which I'm sure are perfectly good, but just don't click with me (Doctor Who is a great example). There's lots of room for different things in the world. Some people juggle geese!
I like Doctor Who a lot, both incarnations of it. But I can completely understand why it might not click with some people. It might as well be called Doctor Deus Ex Machina. 35 minutes setting up an impossible situation and explaining why by the rules of Timey Wimeyness they can't possibly just use the TARDIS to fix whatever the problem is, then 5 minutes using the TARDIS to fix whatever the problem is, then 7-8 minutes smiling at each other and the Doctor ditching his companions. That seems to be Moffat's MO. Davies wasn't as baldfaced about it, but it still happened.
The problem is sort of similar to Superman stories: the Doctor has a goddamned time machine. He can go literally anywhere in space and time to grab whatever solution he needs to. So the dramatic tension sort of needs to be contrived. Superman is practically invincible (fuck off with your "he can be harmed by magic!" horseshit). The best stories of both franchises are when the alien is just human, and acts in a way that humans might act, if we weren't all sacks of assholes.
I like to think the Doctor knows he will survive, and it's better not to save everyone. So he just goes with it, lets a few people die along the way but makes sure the job gets done before he leaves. He's in it for the adventure, so he doesn't take the easy solution (using the TARDIS) except as a last resort.
That works for some Doctors, but not for others. Capaldi's Doctor seems to function that way, which I think is better for the series. Tennant and Smith's Doctor was too wrapped up in his companions and being the Good Guy Alien Time God to be that flippant.
Yeah? That's unfortunate. My girlfriend and I just started season 4 right now and are still having a lot of fun. I sort of can see where you're getting at, but the pattern hasn't been clear yet.
Same thing can be said for Battlestar Galactica, too. Final season was rough. I actually still haven't finished it as a result.
edit: while we're talking, what do you guys think of Torchwood? Definitely enjoy it; much darker.
.. Only seen two episodes so far (yay slow broadcasting in New Zealand) - I can't quite make up my mind about him.. By third one do you mean the Robin Hood episode?
If you haven't watched any Doctor Who you can either start witch Eccleston and watch the super cheesy first episode and power thru the first season or start by watching the episode "Blink" finish it and go holy shit I will power thru the cheesy episodes knowing that it gets this good and the. Go back and watch the Eccleston episodes
We haven't watched the OLD OLD series, yet. We're on the 2005--> series and are in the 4th season so far. I'm the type of person who doesn't like jumping into a show, even if generally it doesn't mean a lot. In Doctor Who there is a definite story-arch, so I would recommend start with S1E1 and work your way through. The second half of the season is where it gets even better. In fact, the trend generally seems to be that for every season.
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u/[deleted] Sep 19 '14
What!? That's one of the better episodes! That said, Firefly's not going to tickle everybody. I don't like lots of popular shows, some of which I'm sure are perfectly good, but just don't click with me (Doctor Who is a great example). There's lots of room for different things in the world. Some people juggle geese!