High School is Hell

This was a very interesting article to read. The parallels between high school metaphors and situations that were used in a horror/action/drama themed show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, are brought to life through paranormal story lines for each episode. It was very refreshing to see that there is more creativity to the show than I had originally anticipated. The way the first three seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer target the topics of social acceptance, the woes of love and the fears of the final year of high school is very creative and innovative. The stories were made to relate to teens while presenting them as topics that were more difficult than fighting vampires, werewolves and other paranormal/ mythical monsters. In turn this can ease teen’s feelings on these topics, allow them to relate and not feel all alone in their situations. The show relates to a wide variety of very different team groups and clichés that allow it to be relatable to more than a single group of people while presenting new and interesting situations that make viewers want to stay tuned in. The depth to which this show goes as far as messages to teens and how it presents many different situations to its viewers is astounding at the very least. A show that viewers can relate to causes the show to become extremely popular and provide entertainment with serious situations and well times comical relief. This raises questions such as how many other shows try to portray everyday situations and sayings in a creative fashion that may not be obvious to the viewers? I will now look at some of my favorite shows with a more philosophical approach than I have before and try to appreciate the writer’s creativity even more.

Episode 8 FireFly

In episode 8: Out of Gas for Firefly season 1, Mal takes the noble role that most captains do of going down with the ship. He forces everyone else off the ship and into the two escape shuttles. This was to ensure that everyone else had a chance to survive in case they ran into another ship that could help them. Mal chooses to stay with the ship incase a ship happens to hear their distress beacon and come to aid the Serenity. One of the many questions to consider by the selfless act to stay aboard the ship is that, how far are some willing to go in order to protect others? Is there a point where it becomes unnecessary or survival of the fittest? Mal has taken the protection of his entire crew to its extreme and put himself in a position where death was almost inevitable. Due to a fortunate situation Mal was able to get the part and make it to the engine room to fix the ship. However, he collapses before he can call the other ships back. Next, when Mal wakes up he is surrounded by everyone in the infirmary. Zoey made a decision for both ships to return to Serenity to see if Mal had fixed it and in turn saved Mal's life. Everyone risked their lives to go back to the ship instead of continuing to fly further away just to see if Mal was alright. This is a truly dedicated crew that all care for each other and will go to any extreme to both help and protect one another. It is rare to find a group of people that started as strangers create a bond so deep with one another they are willing to their lives for one another, which is the ultimate form of sacrifice. This episode actually upset me because I thought they might kill off a character, but it all ended well.

Episode 2 Revisited

Reanalyzing episode 2: The Train Job from the show Firelfy a significant theme stands out. The theme is that a woman can have a career in a field deemed unfeminine and still maintain her feminine image.  Women in male dominated fields are often portrayed as serious, stern, cold and ruthless in order to achieve their desired goals and will not let anything stand in their way. However, the females in Firefly are portrayed as still maintaining their feminine image while performing jobs in male dominated fields. The character that best provides examples of this theme from Firefly is Kaylee.  After Mal, Zoe, and Jayne are rescued from a bar fight and return to the ship then Kaylee teases them and asks them if they had gotten into another bar fight. In a later scene Inara and Kaylee are having some girl talk while Inara brushes Kaylee’s hair which shows some of Kaylee is able to relax and talk to another girl about feminine topics. In the same scene Mal walks into Inara’s room and asks Kaylee about the engine room, then Kaylee immediately switches to talking about technical topics. This reveals that Kaylee is tech savvy, but maintains her feminine interests at the same time. Kaylee storms out of the room in anger because Mal interrupts and breaks up the girl talk time that Inara and Kaylee were having. Later on, Kaylee argues with Jayne about keeping Simon and River on the Serenity even though they are fugitive because she cares about them and wants to keep them safe. This contradicts the cold and ruthless perception of career oriented females by showing compassion and care for others. After  Jayne gets shot in the leg and lifted onto the ship, the first things that Kaylee asks are where are Zoe and Mal and is Jayne’s leg ok. This further expresses her concern about others and that she continues to contradict the usual image of career driven females. Lastly, Kaylee refuses to leave Zoe and Mal behind because they are important to her and she wants them to be safe. These qualities help to disprove and defeat the image that females that are career driven and in male dominated fields must be serious at all times and keep moving forward no matter what.

Blog 5 Episode 7 of Firefly

In episode 7: Jaynesville of Firefly, the Firefly lands in a small town where the people all dig up mud and mix it with other things to make ceramic products. In the past Jayne from the Firefly’s crew had stolen money and was forced to dump it to make a getaway. The money landed in the mud diggers village and they made Jayne their hero. They erected a statue of him in town square and he even had his own song. Although, Jayne though people would want him dead since he stole from the leader of the town. Towards the end of the episode the townspeople find out that it they money was not really intended to go to them, but a villager jumps in the way of a shotgun blast aimed at Jayne. Jayne leaves and doesn’t understand why the villager jumped in the way and risked his life for Jayne. The interesting point to take from this episode is that everyone needs something to believe in to keep going. The villagers had a hero that they believed in and that kept them going even though their living conditions were really bad.  By having something to believe in people are able to go above and beyond in their lives. It gives one a sense of hope and a goal to keep striving towards. The ability to keep working towards a goal due to beliefs will allow a person to defy and beat all odds because he or she is working towards something they firmly believe in. They are simply not willing to let go of that dream and hope and it allows them to go farther than anyone else. The lessons behind the firefly episodes continue to surprise me. I look forward to seeing the next episodes.

Blog 4 Episode 6: Mrs.Reynolds of FireFly

In Episode 6: Mrs. Reynolds of Firefly, the captain accidently gets married to a girl from a village the Firefly has stopped in for a job. The captain was unaware that he married the girl until the reverend reveals it to him from a book on cultures. The girl appears innocent at first, but ends up causing trouble for the entire crew. When the girl begins knocking out crew members, all of the members show worry and protection for one another. The companion shows care for the captain, who was knocked out from a drugged kiss, by kissing him and in turn passes out from the drug. The girl has routed the ship to a particular destination in space and ruined the ships controls.  After the captain and the companion wake up, then entire crew bands together to fix the ship and reroute the ship. Two of the crew members fix the ships detection and navigation systems and the others help the captain disable a space net. The theme of teamwork and camaraderie can be seen throughout this episode. A group of people that trust, watch and care for each other is a key and significant point made in this episode.  Since the crew has such a bond with each other, they are able to act fluidly regardless of the situation that arises and keep each other in check. The teamwork that was shown and used in this episode allows the viewers to feel and see the care that a group of people can have for each other even when they are not family. These positive messages and images from the Firefly episodes make it an amazingly easy to relate to show. It really is a tragedy that it was cancelled so soon into its series.

Blog 3 Episode 5: Safe Firefly

Episode 5: Safe of Firefly was a very interesting episode. The most fascinating part of this episode for me was that some renegade village people take the doctor and his sister because their village needs medical attention very badly. After the doctor helps some of the village people and makes various snarky comments; the village people decide his sister is a witch and must be burned as a form of cleansing.  The crew of the Firefly left the doctor and his sister on the planet, but end up coming back to rescue them because they are deemed part of the crew by the captain at the very end. The fact that the crew of the Firefly accepted two fugitives as part of their “family” was a very significant point to me. People often view family as just being related by blood, although in reality family is what a person makes it.  When the captain finally saw the doctor and his sister as family, it was an important moment for most of the characters because it was the acceptance of complete strangers into a tight nit group that did not have to accept them.  The scene at the end of the episode where the entire crew is eating together makes this message even clearer as the crew sits together talking, eating and laughing. Just before the scene ends, one of the female characters grabs a piece of bread off of one of the guy’s plate. Instead of the guy being angry or snatching it back, he looks at her in disbelief and immediately starts reaching across the table for a new piece. This was an important sign that the crew is much like a family rather than a random assembly of people.

Blog 2 Firefly Episode 2

After watching the second episode of Firefly, "The Train Job", one major point stood out to me. That point was that humans are able to show compassion for others even when they themselves are in a moment of crisis. The fact that the crew of the Firefly returned the stolen cargo back to the townspeople of Paradiso because the cargo was medicine that the people desperately needed to recover from their sickness. Even thought the crew of the Firefly needed the money from the job, they put the people of Paradiso's needs above their own because they felt compassion for those in need. This type of kindness is often overlooked in real life when people are making decisions. Most people will choose the situation or response that best suits their needs and gives them a benefit. While a few others will look at all of the possibilities and choose the one that benefits both parties involved or sacrifice their opportunity to benefit in order to allow the others to prosper. When these types of situations arise it is refreshing to see the people who make a decision that does help others besides themselves because a lot of people just make the decision that benefits them in the moment even if it is a minute gain.

The episode really outlined the eternal struggle of good versus evil in a very interesting way. Although the crews’ misdeed of stealing the cargo was good for them, they chose to reverse their decision when they saw others in need. The crews’ decision to return the cargo to the town helps to illustrate that people sometimes think of others before themselves even in times of need. It was a refreshing view on decisions that occur every day, although they are not usually of the same magnitude as this one.

About Me

    Hi there, my name is Rick McConnell. I am a fifth year senior in chemical engineering that put English off for so long that I get to take it my super senior year.  Some of my hobbies are videogames, fishing, cards, sports, horseback riding and much more. I have one younger brother related by blood and two step siblings, one sister and one brother. I am the oldest and keep an eye out for all of my siblings. A few of my personal values are working hard, having fun, keeping an open mind and helping others when needed.
    My favorite color is blue and I do not have a favorite type of music. I was a residential advisor in some of the south campus dorms for two years and I also worked inside The Bistro in the The Blackwell as a server. This summer I worked as a teaching assistant for a chemical engineering class called unit operations and taught the students about mixing dynamics. Although I am use to writing technical reports, I much more prefer to write using everyday language. Some of my favorite television shows are family guy, CSI, NCIS, Big Bang Theory, Law and Order and many more. The best type of movie in my opinion is a horror flick. It does not have to be gory or anything, but it does need a good story line or to be so bad that it is hilarious. That is enough about me for now, if you have any more questions just ask.